Note: Thanks CookieDoughPony for all of the encouragement to keep going! I confess that I have commitment issues, and I have a hard time finishing work that I've begun. But that virtual tub of Baked Alaska's really helping me through my issues ;)

Chapter 4

When Arthur went to the debate with Merlin he hardly expected Guinevere to be there. In fact, he was almost counting on her notbeing there. He figured that she wanted to avoid him for his presumptuous ways. Giving her his phone number basically told her that he figured he thought she was interested in him-perhaps she believed him to be arrogant. When he saw her walking in hand-in-hand with Lance he felt a little bit of him die. The part that had recently awakened in him that he didn't know he had. The part which was stimulated by Guinevere's mere presence by him. He discreetly checked her out from a distance-he couldn't help it. He grabbed Merlin by the arm and led him away from the larger crowd under the pretense of going over his notes. His mind could not have been farther from his speech if he tried. As Merlin kept trying to engage him with facts about the UK's economy, and how to properly avoid answering questions directly Arthur watched Gwen. He noticed as Lance led her to the seat dead center in the front row. His eyes narrowed as he saw Lance kiss Guinevere on the cheek-the exact location he had planted his lips previously. Immediately he felt a great green monster rise up in the pit of his stomach. 'That place was reserved for him and him alone,' he thought. He had already "marked his territory" so to speak. Lance had no right to infect that sacred territory with his treacherous lips. Arthur sighed deeply at the sight of Guinevere. Her legs folded just so underneath her clasped hands which fell in her lap. A stubborn curl dangling upon her cheek-it had escaped the restrictive pins and hair ties. Her little black dress suited her perfectly. It was at once simple, yet elegant. 'Just like her,' Arthur thought. Or at least-how she thought she was from the brief impression he gained from their encounter.

Throughout the debate he could feel it when Gwen's eyes were upon him. The back of his neck got a prickly sensation, and he felt his blood pressure spike. He felt on fire every time her glance happened to fall upon his form. He wondered if she noticed that he had drained almost his entire water bottle within the first few minutes in a futile attempt to cool down. He was badly in need of another one, and Merlin had to discreetly provide him with water throughout most of the debate. Over the course of the three hours he had downed an entire case. He was surprised that his mind could even function halfway decently with the pressure he was feeling enclose down on him. He dully wondered if Lance was "beating him" so to speak as another round of stares from Gwen rendered him once again incapable of coherent thoughts. Suffice it to say, Arthur was relieved when it was over and he could escape to the relative safety of the trees in the distance.

He went back over to where he and Merlin practiced his lines while Merlin made a few calls. He claimed that he needed time to himself to mull over what had happened during the debate. Merlin merely raised his eyebrows. He knew Arthur too well, and Arthur knew it. Merlin could tell where Arthur's attention had been the entire debate. But for once he decided not to tease the poor man senseless. 'Let him suffer in slience,' Merlin thought as he busied himself with texting the new cook. They were currently comparing Irish recipes which they both enjoyed and both wished to try in the future.

As Arthur stood in the distance he stared at Gwen again-but this time unabashedly. He took in every minute detail that his perfect vision would give him as he attempted to cool off. He wanted to approach Gwen again, and talk with her. Maybe they could become better acquainted and close friends if he couldn't have her in the way he truly desired. He was so focused in finding the courage to talk with Gwen again, and cooling off, that he failed to notice another figure making their way towards him. It was remarkable, really, that Arthur didn't see her until she stood less than a foot away from him. For his prowess in observation failed him when Gwen was concerned. As they failed, his one-track mind took over. 'Gunievere. Guinevere. GUINEVERE.'-this was the only thing on his mind as the blonde approached him. Or, more accurately, launched herself at him.

As her lips crashed upon Arthur's body immediately tensed up. 'Who was this woman?' Arthur thought. As he looked down and saw the blonde curls and ivory skin he realized who it was-Vivian.

Here, Arthur realized he was at a crossroads. One path would be to reject her and her affections. He could fight for Gunievere's attentions. He could steal her away from his opponent who was now not only one to Arthur on a professional level, but also a personal one Of course, this was the harder path. 'And,' he thought, 'on top of that I'm not even sure that she wantsmy regard.' The other path told him to forget about Gunievere. He could have this potentially meaningless relationship with Vivian instead. It would be easier, quicker, and less heartbreaking, but most likely it would ultimately lead to failure and disintegrate. 'Although,' Arthur realized, 'It also meant that he would leave Gwen alone. She could be at peace with Lance,' as he already assumed she was. 'She could remain tied to a man who would treat her right. Lance would deserve her. He was the simpler choice, and most likely more worthy of her love. She wouldn't have to be stuck with a man who had a deranged sister and more "baggage" than he cared to admit to owning.' As he weighed his options, Arthur remembered the expression "if you love something, then set it free." 'Well,' he thought grimly, 'I guess I'll have to set her free.' And with that, he returned Vivian's affections-if only halfheartedly. For as he closed his eyes the only image imprinted on their lids was that of a dark haired woman with chocolate skin.

…

Gwen left with Lance. She didn't want to see Arthur returning the kiss of the blonde. In fact, she felt her stomach tied up in knots so tight that she wanted to physically puke. As Lance escorted her away from the scene of the debate she ran into the dark haired man who accompanied Arthur.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Haha no worries," a deep Irish brogue greeted her back, "I'm Merlin Emrys. And you are?"

"Guinevere Leodegrance. But you can call me Gwen," she stuck out her hand and smiled warmly at Merlin. 'So she was right! His name wasMerlin!' she thought, pleased that all of her internet research had paid off.

'So this was the infamous Gwen,' Merlin thought, 'Wow Arthur really knew how to pick them!' Despite the fact that Merlin didn't feel the attraction to Gwen like Arthur clearly had, he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Merlin hadn't been able to tease Arthur all day, and he was starting to feel anxious. His "Pick on Arthur" quotient hadn't filled up for the day yet. 'But that's quickly about to change,' Merlin smirked as his eyes glinted mischievously.

"Gwen! Great to meet you. What brings you to this particular region of political boredom?"

Gwen laughed. She instantly got a warm vibe from the lanky man with startlingly blue eyes.

"Oh well Lance here invited me to this shin-dig. Although I must disagree with you. I think that politics are quite fascinating-and important," she replied

It was Merlin's turn to laugh now.

"You sound just like Arthur!" he said, "That's why I'm here. He's my best mate. No offence intended towards your dashing escort here."

He nodded in Lance's direction, while Lance merely returned the nod and smiled.

Gwen chortled again.

"Why Merlin you're the downright gentleman aren't you? Tell me then, if you have no interest in politics what do you do for a living?" she asked.

"Why you don't know me?" Merlin exclaimed in mock outrage. In truth, very few people did. Although his art was better known amongst the art fanatics, his true identity from writing was not.

"I am none other than the GREAT MERLIN! Otherwise known as Colin Myrddin in some circles," here he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Gwen blushed at his insinuation, but immediately became embarrassed for other reasons.

"You mean to tell me that youare the writer of my favorite book series-The Voice?" Gwen exclaimed. She wanted to faint from excitement.

Merlin turned a healthy shade of scarlet, but still managed to maintain his wits enough to continue the charade of confidence and charm, "Not only that! But I also make a pretty mean homemade soup. Anyways Gwen, you seem like a lovely lass. Would your friend terribly mind it if I swept you away for a drink? You and I seem to have a lot in common and I would love to get to know you better," Merlin said with a mock-elaborate bow.

Although he didwant to tease Arthur, what he said wasn't a lie. She actually seemed like a decent girl. 'It's just an added bonus that she'll drive Arthur crazy," Merlin happily surmised in his head.

Lance now stood awkwardly at Gwen's side, eying the town car sent by his campaign office to pick up him and Gwen. However, Gwen had different ideas racing through her head. Instead of following Lance, she wanted to get better acquainted with this Merlin character-he could prove useful to getting to know more about Arthur. 'Not that I want to for dating purposes,' she quickly thought in her head, 'but more for research purposes-to help my bruised ego.' Although Gwen didn't want to admit it, her heart still felt broken and her mind wouldn't stop mulling over the niggling thought which persisted in the back of her mind. 'If Arthur didn't care, why did he give me his number?' she pondered.

Gwen turned aside quickly from Merlin, muttering, "Don't wait up Lance. I'll call you later tonight, ok?"

To be honest, aside from all of the "drama", she couldn't wait to get to know Merlin-and Arthur-better.

Lance merely nodded and kissed her on the cheek as he departed with a final, "Sounds great to me."

At the gesture Merlin's eyes widened with recognition. 'No wonder Arthur's more hush-hush about this one than the others,' he thought. Before, when Lance and Gwen were departing they merely walked side-by-side with no hint of intimacy between them. Furthermore, Merlin had failed to notice the previous signs of affection from either of them. Now that he understood the situation, he inwardly groaned. 'Arthur's going to go absolutely bonkers,' Merlin thought. He knew how stubborn Arthur could be, and how crazy notbeing able to have a shot with Gwen from the beginning would kill him. Little did he know about the actions Arthur was making directly behind him, and how Arthur was digging a deeper hole for himself.

As Lance left and Gwen directed a smile towards Merlin, the latter held out his arm for her to take.

"Shall we?" he asked with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

…

Vivian's target had been Arthur Pendragon for a long time. When she was a freshman in college she had heard about the infamous Pendragon. Being a public figure already, he had been recently inducted to parliament-setting a record for the youngest man to ever receive that position. Also, Arthur's reputation with girls preceded him as did his family fortune. Furthermore, Vivian had heard about his ambitions to become Prime Minister one day. And you would have to be blind to not see that the stars were all aligned in such a manner as to assume that he would very likely be the recipient of the post in the future. On top of his wealth and assumed power, he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes. Far from it. He was extremelyeasy on the eyes. Vivian had started working out merely to spy on Arthur. She had found out what gym he regularly attended from a "friend of a friend", and frequently found herself staring at him rather than actually using her gym membership for what it was designed to do. She had formed a small crush on him then, and nurtured it throughout her career. After all, Arthur was handsome, wealthy, and powerful. Who wouldn't want to have that in a partner?

She had graduated with all the right credentials to become the perfect manager in some profession or other. Originally, she had aimed to start her own business and become an events planner. However, soon after her graduation the time of Arthur's bid for Prime Minister had begun. Instantly she applied for a job interning at his campaign office. She hoped to be able to win his affections there, and slowly saw a change in him. At the beginning of her time at the office he merely ignored her like all the other interns. However, as time went on Vivian's attire became bolder,mirroring her determination to be found in "one-on-one" situations with the man. 'It was all a game anyways,' Vivian thought. Slowly but surely her persistence was paying off. She frequently caught Arthur looking at her during work hours, and attempting to catch her eye here and there. She had thought that he was going to ask her out soon, but her patience was wearing thin. It had been nearly a year since her plan was set into motion, and her impatient side was beginning to win out.

Vivian had thought that she could be strong, but the debate proved her wrong. She had watched Arthur like a hawk throughout the entire event. His sweaty palms and glistening forehead didn't escape her notice. Nor did the fact that his attention was stubbornly fixed on the front row-more specifically, in her vicinity in the front row. She had sat near the center of the line of chairs, but still marginally closer to Arthur's side opposed to Mr. du Lac's. She never noticed that only a few chairs away to her right sat the pretty girl with dark curly hair that Mr. du Lac had arrived with.

Vivian decided to take Arthur's reactions as a sign. 'He had clearly been eying me for weeks,' Vivian thought, 'Maybe he simply needs some encouragement.' The debate progressed along at a painfully slow rate for Vivian. Whenever her mind was made up, it was done so quickly, and the plan took less than five minutes to fully formulate.

After the debate, Arthur hung back and retreated to the trees. Vivian mirrored his actions. She too hung back after the crowd, but waited a few minutes before going towards the trees. Arthur didn't even notice her. 'Probably because of my stealth-like walk,' Vivian thought a little proudly. As she brought Arthur's lips to hers she was surprised to feel his tense reaction. That wasn't a what was supposed to happen. 'Perhaps she had misinterpreted his signals?' she briefly thought. Then she felt his body respond to hers, and all traces of self-doubt fled from her mind.

…

Arthur was entwined in Vivian's embrace until he felt his phone vibrate. He stopped their impromptu make-out session with a quick "sorry I have to take this". He stepped out of her embrace, and a little ways away from her body. He saw her face fall, but he didn't really care. His own feelings were felt in too sharp of a relief to mind another's. He glanced at the caller id: Merlin.

"What?" was Arthur's response to the answered phone call. He was half-annoyed that Merlin had called him. 'Wasn't Merlin supposed to still be waiting for him somewhere in this stupid clearing?' Arthur thought. But he was also half-relieved. It was an excuse to stop kissing. The emotion of self-loathing was quickly rising in his chest as he administered his false feelings of affections towards Vivian. Despite Vivian's "straight-to-the-point", "head-on" approach, Arthur really wasn't the type of guy to hurt a girl's feelings. Even a girl as forward as Vivian. Furthermore, he hated himself for being completely and utterly devoted to a girl he barely knew. And he knew it was wrong to be pining after her, and letting his feelings out on another. Merlin's phone call brought both of these feelings to a head as Arthur heard Merlin's voice in his ear.

"I've left to snag a bite with a friend I met at the debate," Merlin explained, "At that nice restaurant we usually eat at with clients for lunch. When you're done "taking a beat" or whatever you're doing, you should join us."

"Of course, sounds great. See you there," Arthur hung up. He had tried to make his voice take on a more "official" sounding tone. If he pulled it off convincingly, it would be easier to excuse himself from Vivian's presence.

"I'm sorry, but I really must go," Arthur told Vivian. The expression on her face was akin to a puppy dog's after being denied a long promised treat.

"It's fine," Vivian said-but it wasn't.

Arthur could sense the hurt radiating from her. He didn't want to be a complete jerk.

"I wouldn't go unless it was important, I hope you understand. If you don't mind giving me your number, I'll call you later to find a way I can make up for this." he said.

'Stupid!' he thought, 'now you've only got her hopes up once again.' Indeed, as he thought this Vivian's expression immediately brightened and she eagerly dictated her number to him so he could input it onto his phone.

As Arthur departed from the scene awkwardly, he wondered who Merlin's new "friend" was as he kept trying to think up ways to let Vivian down gently. For although he had thought "setting Gwen free" was the right thing to do, he realized he was wrong. The right thing to do was fight for her. Even if the first step in the battle was to simply be her friend.

To be continued

Another note: To any of those interested in the answers to some of Lara Smith's questions:

As to the reason I made Gwen a lawyer was because I kept thinking about how she always sticks up for what's right. I think that it's one of the best qualities she has on the show, and she cares deeply about the people of Camelot. Thus, I figured a human rights lawyer would be a great position for her. If her personality and some of the events in the series are anything to go by, then she would make one heck of a case for the "common man" in modern times! Furthermore, the neighborhood she lives in with her brother is by one of the richest fictional neighborhoods in the country. She and Elyan need some reasonable means of paying for that! I figured a promotion would be a good reason why she would move there. She doesn't choose her own clientele per say. She can choose who she wants to take on, but sometimes the "big men on campus" also assign her jobs. Again, modeling this Gwen after the series' Guinevere, I would say that this Gwen would definitely be able to hold her own in a grave situation. It's just that she isn't quite there yet. This story's Gwen is based heavily off of series 2 Gwen (where I think her character development was given the most thought so far, in my opinion). She definitely didn't depend on any man to help her "climb the ladder" so to speak! She's a hard worker, and she made it through on lots of elbow grease and a little luck. The name of the firm and senior partners are allusions to real life people. The "James" portion referring to Bradley James (or as we like to know him as, King Arthur). The "Jarban" portion and character refer to someone I actually know. He's a human rights activist in the Middle East, and this was my way to give him a "shout out" for his hard work.

As to what role Gwen will play in Arthur's life, how she will be a part of it, and some other questions you'll just have to wait and see ;)