February 2011

"Since it's going to be longer this time, Merlin and I thought you might like to take the upstairs rooms. We've never got around to doing anything with them, other than putting that little bathroom in, you could make your own bedroom and sitting room up there," Arthur said.

"Then we'd never see him," Merlin said as he put out cereal packets and cut bread for toast.

"He's nearly a teenager, I don't think we're meant to."

"Just because you were an awful child, don't judge everyone else by your own low standards," Merlin said, making Arthur smile and pinch his backside as he turned back to the kitchen cupboards to find the jam. Merlin jumped and swatted Arthur's ear.

Mordred smiled as he watched. It was nice to be back with Arthur and Merlin. He hadn't minded Arthur subtle hint to hug Merlin first when they had arrived last night. Mordred had heard Arthur mutter once that Merlin was too nice for his own good.

Through his short life Mordred had seen enough. He knew he was jaded, cynical, and didn't believe in people being nice. Most of the time they wanted something. Merlin, however, was not like that. Arthur knew it, and was determined to preserve it. Mordred agreed with him. He liked Arthur, he wanted to be like Arthur, but to do that, he had to find his version of Merlin. Mordred wasn't inclined to really express feelings often but he understood what Arthur saw in Merlin. In Arthur Mordred had met something of a kindred spirit, he had opened up a world of possibility but Merlin's presence showed him the point of it all.

"So, we could get Gwaine in to look over the top rooms," Arthur said, glancing at Merlin as well. "You can have a bedroom and a living room, what do you think?"

Mordred smiled. "Cool."

"What are we going to do about next weekend?" Merlin asked.

"What's next weekend?" Mordred asked.

"My father's hosting a business dinner thing. I've got to go and Merlin going to help out. Morgana will be there as well." Arthur glanced at Mordred. "We could just bring him along, I'm sure he'll be useful, if he doesn't want to he can hide in the lounge with a stack of DVD's."

Mordred, however, listened with great interest.

"I'll help out, I don't mind."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

November 2010

Mordred waited by the school gates and ignored the jeering. It had got around that he had been taken into care, again, and that he had been hit by his mother's boyfriend. It had been PE today so he had been forced to change and everyone saw the damage. They had seen it all before. Mordred felt untouched by it. He was a target the bigger boys could pick on.

He perked up on seeing Arthur's sports car. Mordred liked this car, no one else he knew had a car like Arthur's. Arthur pulled up, the engine's low hum drawing attention, and Arthur opened the door and looked over the car roof at Mordred, lingering by the gates.

"Hi, you okay?"

Mordred nodded. Arthur nodded back and then his eyes moved, snapping in the direction of the bullies. That was all he did. They had stopped calling at Mordred, because they were looking at the girls leaving the grounds. The one in the centre was looking at Arthur.

"Hello Arthur."

Arthur smiled and nodded. "Hi Ellie, how are you?"

"Okay."

Arthur nodded again, politely, and then turned his attention back to Mordred.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," Mordred said. He wasn't quite sure if he was. They were doing as Arthur planned, going over to pick Merlin's mother up and then go over for a family weekend. A family that Mordred wasn't really a part of. He felt more acutely aware of the fact as he realised he had to meet all these people. He carefully opened the car door and clambered in, concentrating on putting his bag down and fastening his seatbelt. Looking up he glanced at Arthur as he clambered in, and then turned his head as he sensed Ellie Hart's gaze on him.

Arthur put the car into gear and turned it, heading off down the road.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," Mordred said.

"You packed up your stuff this morning didn't you? If there is anything else just throw it in, Merlin always forgets something. We'll head off as soon as we are packed up. We're going to pick Merlin's mum up then we'll head over to my dad's place. You okay with that."

Mordred shrugged. "Sure."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur had, very subtly, taken all the worry of making decisions out of Mordred's hands, so he didn't need to worry about choosing his pizza, or which film, which everyone seemed to want him to do. It was not something Mordred was used to. The other homes he had been in had never really given him that consideration.

Still, he felt quite settled now, sprawled on the thick rug that covered Uther's lounge floor, watching Pirates of the Caribbean. Hunith and Uther were occupying armchairs, Morgana had one end of the sofa and Arthur and Merlin snuggled together at the other. Merlin had tried, for a sense of propriety, to put a bit of distance between himself and Arthur. Arthur, however, didn't have any of it. He simply tackled Merlin and pulled him close until Merlin had no choice to submit to his usual position leaning against Arthur, head on his shoulder and arm looped across Arthur's navel. Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin's shoulders and that was that.

Arthur had spotted the little smirk Mordred had given as he had viewed their antics. Morgana just rolled her eyes. Hunith looked at them affectionately. Uther paid them no attention at all. Arthur and Merlin's physical affection was nothing more than the natural order of things.

It was never going to change.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

24 December 2010

The Pendragons have never really bothered with Christmas. The three of them usually gathered at Uther's house to eat dinner, drink too much with it, and often after it, watch the obligatory films and give each other presents. And they simply left it at that. Merlin and Hunith always enjoyed decorating the tree together, present hunting, going to church and had crackers, silly hats and stockings. Arthur thought that if Merlin could get away with going to visit Santa's grotto he would probably do so. With that in mind, Arthur, for their first Christmas together, naturally made the effort to get into the swing of it.

For their second Christmas, he wished he hadn't bothered. The plans had been perfect. Everyone was invited to come over to their house. Merlin wanted to cook dinner – probably with help from Hunith since Arthur remained banned from any cooking activity. They had a big tree and presents piled underneath it, with Merlin making sure that even Winnie had one or two.

And then had come the phone call. Mordred's mother had sorted herself out, at least for now, and wanted him home. Mordred had gone and Merlin's enthusiasm had left him like air rushing from a balloon.

Merlin still insisted on going ahead with his plan, probably not wanting to let anyone else down. For that reason Arthur had pulled in some reserves to help him out. Gwen and Lancelot were due over for Christmas evening, and Arthur had no trouble pulling in Gwaine to attend for the day, since he had no family and no ties. Arthur hadn't asked what Gwaine's original plans were but the man had accepted with an enthusiasm that made Arthur think they had not been very interesting.

Christmas Eve they had alone snuggled on the sofa, in their usual position and - possibly sensing Merlin's upset – Winnie perched at the other end, sprawled out and lightly clawing Merlin's sock clad feet as she purred. Arthur felt the turn of Merlin's head as he glanced towards the pile of presents under the tree. A good number of them were for Mordred.

"I don't suppose we can drop them off."

"Unfortunately I don't think so," Arthur said, kissing the top of Merlin's head. Merlin tightened his grip. At the end of the sofa, Winnie peeked her nose over the top of Merlin's foot, looking at them steadily before she brushed the side of her face against Merlin's heel.

"It's not like we did a bad job," Merlin said.

"We didn't do anything of the sort," Arthur said.

Thankfully Mrs Bartle had spoken to Arthur alone, Mordred's mother had objected to her son being placed with them. Although Mrs Bartle, during the conversation, had carefully stressed to Arthur that social services did not see it in entirely the same way. Without openly saying it she had managed to put in a good deal of praise into their conversation, but Arthur knew Merlin wouldn't have picked up on that. His reaction to any criticism would have deafened him to it.

"There is a good chance he'll end up coming back," Arthur reasoning. "We just have to be ready for that."

"If only it hadn't been just before Christmas," Merlin said, his voice thickening slightly. Arthur kissed him again, agreeing that doing it three days before Christmas was little short of sadistic. He felt just as bad as Merlin.

"Tell you what," Arthur said. "We'll store Mordred's presents, unwrapped, and when he comes back we'll have another Christmas."

"If he comes back, and what about the chocolate?"

"Let's not think like that, and with regard to the chocolate we'll give it to Gwaine, when he's leaving. I'm not having that man here while he is suffering a sugar rush!"

Merlin at least giggled at that.

"Trust me Merlin," Arthur warned him. "It's not funny."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

March 2011

Arthur returned to a very nice domestic scene. Despite the fact that Percival had spent two days decorating the rooms, and they had gone shopping letting Mordred help pick out the furnishing, quite often Mordred found himself drifting downstairs to be with Arthur and Merlin. For years he had longed for something of his own space, now he had it he ended up feeling very disinclined to use it.

Which was why, when Arthur came home, he found the pair of them doing their homework together at the kitchen table. Peeking out from under the table, in the proximity of Mordred's lap, Arthur could glimpse ginger fur. Winnie also clearly enjoying the domestic bliss that was occurring.

Both of them glanced up as Arthur strolled in.

"Hello," Merlin said brightly. He obligingly tilted his head up to let Arthur kiss him on the lips. Then Arthur reached over to ruffle Mordred's hair.

"Having fun?" Arthur asked.

"It's French," Mordred said, which meant 'no, he wasn't'.

"Ouch! You should do that at the café, Gwen's good at French, her brother Elyan lives over there," Arthur advised him before looking to Merlin. "What's cooking?"

"Chicken casserole," Merlin said.

"Why do I need French anyway?" Mordred asked as he slaved over the various verbs he had to learn.

"No harm in knowing another language," Arthur said. "Be useful when you get a job… perhaps?"

"It's good to have lots of skills these days, getting work isn't easy," Merlin added.

"It will be," Mordred said. "I know what I'm going to do."

"What's that?" Merlin asked, looking up with interest. Mordred slowly looked up from the torture that was French verbs. He looked at Merlin, then at Arthur, then back to Merlin again to announce in a tone that seemed to be stating the complete obvious.

"I'm going to work for Arthur."

Merlin raised his eyebrows, Arthur grinned.

"You'll have to get a business degree first," Arthur decided to warn him.

Mordred looked at him. "Do I have to learn French to do that?"

"Not unless you go to France to do it," Arthur reasoned with a shrug.

"That's all right then," Mordred said putting his head down and going back to his verbs. Arthur continued to grin, glancing over at Merlin who said.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, if you want to get a shower first."