So it shouldn't be s surprise to anyone that reads my other ongoing series that these updates are gettting longer and more complex, sorry. Anywho here is the third day of Christmas. OT3 Merlin/Gwen/Arthur and a whole bunch of family. Don't forget this story is alternately advertised under all 3 pairings so make sure to follow to receive update notifications.


3rd Day of Christmas,

"Hello?" Merlin answered the phone and looked up from his computer. He had been browsing a gift recommendation site.

"Hi Merlin."

"Janine?"

"Yeah. Merlin you and I were friends in high school right? I mean I always thought of you like a friend."

"Yeah." He wanted to be short with Janine get her off the phone but this was Gwen's sister and they had been friends in high school.

"Okay when you and Gwen got together I thought it was a bit weird. You had always said you were gay but she had a crush on you in high school and I remember thinking you had a crush on her right around the time her and Lance started going out so fine whatever. The circumstances might not have been perfect but you two love each other and you take care of each other."

"Yes."Merlin agreed.

"So help me out," she pleaded. "Why did you take Arthur back? Why did both of you take Arthur back? What hold does he have over you?"

Merlin heard the genuine distress in her voice.

"He's already shown how dishonest he can be," Janine said.

Het tried to respond but no words came. Merlin was not prepared for this at 2pm on Monday when he was supposed to be leaving work to buy a present for the aforementioned Arthur.

"Just a second Janine." he left his cubicle and started toward one of the smaller meeting rooms, head turned to hide the fact that he was on his cell phone. If Janine really wanted to understand he owed it to Gwen to try and explain.

"I'm really sorry I went off on Gwen," Janine sniffed. "It wasn't fair or sisterly but when you see someone like Gwen throwing their life away over a-…" Janine paused and Merlin heard a sad little gasp and another sniffle, "Me and Gwen aren't talking. She was sick before because of him.I'm really worried about her, about both of you. I want her to be okay."

Janine started to cry. Merlin ducked into a meeting room and shut the door. She really was upset about this!

"Janine, Janine calm down."

She sniffed a bit and Merlin could hear her trying to calm down.

"I'm sorry, I've just been really emotional lately."

"It's okay. Listen, listen I understand why you think that about Arthur but all that's changed. Igraine, his mom made him feel ashamed of who he-"

"-That's it, that's it right there." Janine started crying again. "You're making excuses for him."

Merlin tried to think knowing that was exactly how it sounded.

"No, no its not like that," Merlin insisted.

"That's what it sounds like!" She declared completely hysterical. "I'm at the doctor's office. I should go."

"Okay wait, wait Janine come to Christmas dinner then you can see how it really is."

"I don't know bye."

Janine disconnected and Merlin sat there staring at the wall. He had just invited Janine, which also include her husband and two kids to Christmas dinner. Not to mention the fact that Janine and Gwen were still not on speaking terms.


Lawrence Ave. on the cta red line was probably the worst elevated train station in the city. Up on the platform there was always a sense of isolation and abandonment. It didn't help that the day was overcast. Pigeons crowded the station for warmth and shelter and their dropping accumulated in coatings of white filth. Merlin hurried down the metal plated wooden stairs the acidic smell of urine hitting him as he went. Why couldn't Gwen have picked him up from Wilson or Argyle?

He breathed a sigh of relief as his feet hit the ground. Once again he'd escaped the Lawrence Ave. train station without being hot by a bird bomb. Merlin scanned the street for Gwen's little blue Mazda and spotted her parked a few feet away. He dodged a wild eyed white man begging for money and hurried toward her car. If one stayed on the south side of the city or down town you'd think every panhandler in Chicago was black. She leaned across the passenger seat and opened the door. They exchanged a quick kiss as he got settled.

"So where are we going?"

"The Sal'," she said simply.

"We came all the way over here for the Salvation Army."

"Best Sal' in the city plus there are a lot of other great thrift stores up and down Broadway." Gwen pulled into traffic and Merlin watched the scenery of Lawrence Ave. pass them by so many beautiful old buildings, the kind Chicago was famous for and most of them abandoned and rotting. The Aragon at least was being restored. He looked at the panhandlers, the litter, the damp sidewalk at least the devastated areas of the South side had plants and trees growing. Broadway and Lawrence was just dismal.

"So uh Gwen we're gonna find a gift for Richie Rich in this neighborhood?"

"See anything new and up Arthur's taste is out of our price range but there are estate sales, all kinds of valuable things end up in thrift stores," Gwen said. "The kinds things he just wouldn't think of but could still love."


After the Sal' they went to Broadway Antique market, Brooks Resale, Buffalo Exchange and several other thrift stores. Merlin did see a few things he thought Arthur might like. There were a couple of dinner jackets, silk ties, cuff links, a pinky ring but nothing that made him feel certain. Gwen felt certain about the dinner jacket, vetoed all the cuff links and as for the tie…

At a glance Arthur looked no different from any other young, wealthy executive but his ties were always made of silk and they always matched his socks. Where did one even get ties that matched their socks? And though the colors were not blindingly bright they were warm and rich the patterns intricate and detailed. If someone had told Merlin they were hand sewn by little girls who blinded themselves squinting over the threads he'd believe it except he knew Arthur wouldn't buy ties that cost little girl's their eye sight. It wasn't just the socks and ties, even his cuff links had flair. Who had golden dragon cuff links with ruby red eyes?

The first time he'd slept at Arthur's condo he'd been surprised to wake up in the morning and find him in the bathroom applying airbrush foundation. Later he'd learned that Arthur had a twice monthly standing appointment for a manicure and a pedicure. His hair so golden and perfect was very carefully and tastefully highlighted.

There was nothing obvious; nothing that called attention to itself, it was all understated, intricate and beautiful. Simple at a glance but so layered and complex that Merlin had taken to calling Arthur the dandi-prat for a time.

"I don't know what to get." He said as they walked out of the sixth store. "What did you get the dandiprat?"

Gwen laughed.

"He's dandiprat again?"

He took her arm and they started toward the car.

"Yes and what did you get him?"

"Sorry Merlin. You'll have to wait 'til Christmas.

"Oh come on Gwen, tell me."

She stopped walking, stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

"Aren't you hungry? I want a kimchi taco."

Merlin sighed. She could be so secretive.


The bad thing about looking for Christmas decorations when Christmas was just ten days away was well the selection. Arthur glared at the half empty store shelves at Target. Guinevere and Merlin had insisted that he go to Target or TJ Maxx or Burlington for the decorations. He had suggested Macy's as a compromise rather than Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom's but they had insisted; he had to think more about his money now. He'd given in but how could anyone shop at these places? They were completely unorganized, they had grocery stores cart, they gave you your goods in trash bags and their customer service consisted of moving their clients through the lines at a crawl. Well he'd dutifully gone to all the places that they had suggested and hadn't been able to find anything. With a shrug Arthur zipped up his coat and headed to Macy's.

State Street bustled with Christmas shoppers trying to find bargains after work and the young African-American brass band that had become a familiar site of downtown Chicago at Christmas filled the balmy winter air with the tune of Silver Bells. What he liked about Bloomingdales, Nordstrom's and Neiman Marcus was that their sales staff recognized the quality of his suits and put themselves at his disposal. True he didn't have all the Pendragon money but he had sizeable investments and Penn advertising was starting to get clients now.

He worked his way around the large, dense State Street crowd in front of Marshal Field's, Macy's Christmas windows and slipped into the store. Inside, the store was a game of dodge 'em. Ten days before Christmas the stores were a frenzy of activity. Customers crowded the cosmetic counters, perfume girls spritzed samples and potential customers while clumps of tourists stared at the decoration and the fanciful architecture rather than where they put their feet. Arthur made his way to the elevators and found thankfully that housewares was not nearly so popular.

He had a moment to survey the displays of fake trees with lights and bulbs and bows before a pert young sales woman approached him. He told her he was looking for Christmas decoration in lavender, sapphire and red. She looked befuddled for a moment and then smiled and excused herself to go and look for something. Arthur studied the displays again and saw a brown-skinned, curly haired angel atop one of the trees. Gwen would want that. He made a note to himself to get it for her.


Later they were seated in Taco Chino, a Mexican Korean restaurant that Guinevere had somehow managed to find. The fragrance of traditional Mexican and Korean spices blended far more enticingly than he had expected and Merlin was starting to feel an eagerness to order. He was even considering taco bulgogi. He glanced up at Gwen who'd been debating the merits of Mexican hot chocolate or milk shakes. How was it that she seemed to know every inexpensive, delicious, ethnic restaurant in the city?

The waiter came to the table and Gwen chatted amicably with the young woman who seemed both Mexican and Korean, maybe that was how they'd come to blend the two cuisines? Made sense. Merlin watched Gwen charm their waitress, looked at her relaxed and perfect posture, elegant appearance and perfect coif and thought back to the awkward freshman with braces and wiry curls whose eye for gemstones and jewelry never seemed to apply to her appearance. She had certainly grown-up. They ordered and the waitress hurried away.

"How do you find these places?"

"I read a lot and I pay attention," she shrugged. "So how was work?"

"It was fine. That software project is coming along great." He should tell her about inviting Janine to dinner. "Ya' know I was so excited to get hired to Pendragon Real Estate's IT department I didn't think I'd find anything better when I got fired but here Iam."

"I told you it would work out for the best."

"Yeah, um,'" He leaned forward keeping his voice low. "Gwen do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"About what?"

"The three of us I mean."

"You don't?" She looked at him perplexed.

"Well Igraine disinherited Arthur, you're fighting with your father and sister, and my mother won't come right out and say it but she is not okay with our relationship at all."

Gwen frowned a tight little frown and looked away for a moment. "What did you expect Merlin?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

"Did you think they would be okay right away?"

She frowned with such frustrated disgust that he squirmed.

"Well no but-"

The waitress returned at that moment with their drinks, a strawberry milkshake for Gwen and hot chocolate for Merlin and some chips and salsa.

"Thank you." Gwen flashed the waitress a smile and turned back to him with a glare.

"I didn't expect Arthur to get disinherited." He complained.

"Really you don't Igraine well at all," Gwen paused and leaned forward. "Listen to me. People never see polyamory in a positive light. They see those cults and women dominated by grown men marrying fourteen year-old girls. The best they see is a film where it nearly always goes bad for some stupid reason or porn where some guy is having his dream come true and two girls are fighting over his dick and he proceeds to fuck them in the most unloving and most degrading way possible or our situation where "she gets double stuffed" hehe." Gwen rolled her eyes in disgust. "Not to mention our racial dynamic or the stunt that Arthur pulled. We're just lucky that mom, Elyan, Morgs, Uther and Balinor aren't giving us a hard time was well. I have to go to the bathroom." With that Gwen grabbed her purse and left the table.

However she only took a few steps before coming back.

"When you question our relationship because of family objections that we should, by the way, really expect what you're telling me is that our relationship is inappropriate and you'd break up with us because of those objections."

When Gwen walked away the second time she really did make it to the bathroom leaving Merlin to think over what she'd said.


Merlin squeezed Guinevere's hand and smiled down at her. She returned that gentle pressure as the elevator doors slid shut. When Gwen had returned to the table she had apologized for going off on him. Of course by the time she'd returned he'd started to feel that she was justified in her anger. She and Arthur were getting the harder time and he'd never thought about it but she was the one most likely to be judged. She hadn't mentioned a single popular image of polyamory that didn't somehow degrade the woman.

The elevator came pinged its stop and a few people got out. Merlin put an arm around her shoulders.

"I love you, you're perfect." He whispered into her hair and she leaned against him with a happy sigh.

The elevator pinged their floor. Hand-in-hand they walked to their apartment and were greeted by a surprise when they flicked on the light, a stack of boxes in the living room.

Bulbs, reindeer, garland and lights all stacked neatly in front of the tree.

"Here's a note from Arthur." Merlin said.

'Here's the decorations. Hopefully we can work on the tree tomorrow. I still have a lot of work to do so I'll be home late. You two enjoy your evening.'

Arthur

"Home?" Guinevere sniggered. "You know Merlin if you are having second thoughts I don't think we're gonna be able to dislodge Arthur at this point."

"Did he forget that he doesn't actually live here?"