'OK, Merlin,' the Doctor whispered as the pair came out of the TARDIS, which was parked outside Clara's house. Clara's house amazed Merlin; it was so different from the houses of his time. She had done her best to explain to him, that her home was like a room inside a building, she had just moved into it because she was no longer looking after two children she had previously lived with, but her home baffled him as much as she and the Doctor did. 'We'll have to be fast, she's just left but I know where she keeps the spare key.'

'Alright,' Merlin nodded. The pair ran up the many stairs in this building, like a tower, and found where Clara lived. Once they were inside, they got to work. Merlin had took her favourite foods from the cupboards and set them on the table, while the Doctor had begun working a 'TV', which he had explained-'Imagine people acting out a story, except inside this box, but the people aren't inside the box, it is like a moving, talking picture'. Merlin just about got the gist of it. Anyway, the Doctor was setting up a favourite of Clara's-Titanic, which Clara had said was a love story set on a sinking ship. 'Doesn't sound very romantic-it sounds pretty traumatising' Merlin had told her. She had just laughed.

Merlin wanted to do this for Clara. It wasn't any special occasion, he just wanted to do something for her, because well it was what couples did, wasn't it? He wanted to please her and see her smile, so he had asked the Doctor, who had set all this up. He was grateful to his friend for helping him with this, Merlin had no idea how to set up a 'date'-as the Doctor had called it-with a girl who was from 2000 years in his future-or any girl, really.

He spotted Clara crossing the path to the building. The Doctor had already rushed out and wished him luck-which he felt he'd need. He didn't know whether to sit or stand or where he should and cursed himself for not bringing flowers and panicked in case he had left something out…..

Then she walked through the door. When she saw him, she wasn't angry he had entered her house without permission, or shocked, she seemed more pleasantly surprised. She gave a light laugh and threw her arms around him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. It never failed to amaze him how she seemed to fit perfectly into his arms, as if they were made for each other. Her brown eyes looked down at the table and then at the TV, then back up to him.

'Do I have the best boyfriend in the world or what?' she giggled.

'Merlin, are you crying?' Clara asked. They were curled up together, watching Titanic. Merlin had to admit, it was romantic. But he still thought this Rose character needed to get her priorities.

'If they are on a sinking boat,' he began 'why is she busy reminiscing? Why did she even jump off the smaller boat in the first place? Surely Jack had a better chance of survival if she had stayed on the little boat!'

'You're crying, aren't you?' Clara teased. There was no getting Clara Oswald off topic. But he was. Even if this Rose was strange, it was an emotional story.

'No,' he lied.

'You lying twit, Merlin,' she laughed, tickling him lightly under the chin.

They stayed like that through the night, until they both fell asleep; Clara curled in a ball in Merlin's arms.

OOOOO

Merlin's arms wrapped around Clara's, his hot breath tickled her ear. She could feel the heat of his body behind her. His hand slowly lifted away from hers, but they made their way to her waist. Clara suddenly became aware of how they were the only two in the room, alone, where no one could see them.

'Now?' she whispered, carefully, as if someone would hear them. Her breathing was controlled and careful, but she was nervous, this was the first time she had done anything like this. It was surprising Merlin agreed to this.

'Go,' he whispered in her ear. She let the arrow fly, as it made a satisfying whistling through the air and it landed just outside the bulls-eye with a clunk.

'Not bad, Oswald,' Merlin chuckled 'not bad at all.' They were in the Knight's training room whilst they were all off on patrol and Arthur was involved in Kingly business. It was one of Merlin's few days off, so he used the phone Clara had given him, and spent three days teaching him to use, to ask her to come to Camelot. She had begged Merlin to show her how to fire a crossbow and he had reluctantly accepted, after a conversation that went something like:

Clara: Please can I fire a crossbow?

Merlin: Arthur will kill me!

Clara: Arthur's not here!

Merlin: What if he comes back and….don't give me the big brown eyes and think I'll melt in your hands.

Clara: Please?

Clara smiled now at the memory and turned around to face her boyfriend. She had never gotten used to saying that 'Oh this is Merlin, my boyfriend', 'Just popping back 1000 years to see my boyfriend' 'Yes my boyfriend is the servant to King Arthur'.

She was about to reload the bow when Merlin held a hand up to silence her. They both heard a voice in the corridor.

'Arthur,' Merlin mumbled 'he's back.' Merlin ran to get the arrow out of the target, and then lifted the crossbow from Clara, and then panicked, knowing they were stored outside.

'What do we do?' he asked.

'You are so cute when you panic, you know that?' Clara teased, before grabbing his wrist and leading him into the corner.

'Where is that useless half-wit of a manservant I have?' Arthur asked as he passed the room. Clara heard Merlin curse under his breath, and she dug him in the ribs as a response. They ran into the weapons room and threw the bow hastily back where it should have been.

They looked at each other, still a little out of breath from all that quick thinking. Then, Merlin's face broke into a smile. Clara laughed along with him, purely at the fast pace of the scenario. It went on, all they had to do was look at each other and they'd burst out laughing again.

OOOOO

The bedroom door was half open, soft light from the TARDIS corridor streamed into Merlin and Clara's bedroom. They had decided that now, they wanted to share a bedroom. The arrangement until this point was they took turns creeping into each other's room, whenever they were both sleeping in the TARDIS. Now, they had finally asked the Doctor for a room they could share.

The young warlock moved his finger slowly around Clara's writ, making her giggle. They had been up all through the night, talking in low voices about everything from family to work to each other. Clara was close to sleep now, so Merlin pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head.

'You know what my mother used to say?' he mumbled.

'What?' she whispered, smiling and nuzzling slightly into his chest.

'She said that the bigger things you find in life never matter as much as the smaller things you find,' he murmured, wondering if he should stop himself 'and I never knew what she meant. Until I met you. You are the little thing making my life worthwhile, and every moment I get to spend with you I count as a blessing.'