Sunshine and Summertime

"Gwaine, stop movin'," chastised the little blonde child sitting in the sand. She had already half-buried her father's Knight, halfway between the back yard and the shoreline. Armed with a huge pail and a shovel, she dug up more sand in which to submerge the laughing, dark-haired knight in the cool, wet sand. He doesn't look like a knight now, she thought; Gwaine was wearing dark 'boarder shorts' in the hot summer sun. No, now he looked like a fun playmate!

Kelly cast a glance over at her daughter and laughed out loud at the predicament that Gwaine had gotten himself into. "Oh, MAN, Gwaine," she giggled, stepping over across the sand. "Only you, dude. Having fun, yet?" She paused to hug Alexandra in passing. "Hey, go easy on the poor guy, missy."

Alexandra kind of cackled at the mere suggestion and only giggled harder when Gwaine tried to wiggle out from under the sand. "Gwaine, NO! No, you're not allowed to get up," she said, sounding very bossy, wagging her finger and everything.

Kelly returned to the cedar deck, unzipping the turquoise Lulu Lemon jacket when she stood staring at the beach in front of her. She stood in one of her favourite, hot-weather surfing outfits; blue and purple boarder shorts and a matched bikini top. She had decided it was time to stop appeasing the newcomers' senses of propriety. To hell with that—she was American born!

Kelly strode out toward the water, watching the poor warlock attempt to ride in on the breaker waves. Poor Merlin spent more time swallowing sea water than actually navigating the ocean from her beloved surfboard. It was funny...but also kind of pathetic. Gwaine sat virtually helpless as she walked by, but he let out a whistle and a flirtatious, "Hello, beautiful!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Kelly answered in jest, flipping her hand up to halt his teasing words. "Save it for the locals, Gwaine!" She laughed at the absurdity of his attempt to flirt. She carried on toward the shoreline.

Merlin recovered from yet another spill off the board, spluttering as he found his footing. Growling in frustration, he briefly thought of using magic to make the surfboard stay still—just so he could get onto the thing!—and decided against it, in case he exposed his gift to the California locals. Not a good idea, he decided reluctantly, glancing from one end of the shoreline to the other. He saw the native Californian standing on the shore, hands on hips, and looking way too amused at his first attempt at riding the waves.

The idiot in him wasn't thinking as he surveyed the Prince's love interest. He was slowly getting used to the sight of half-naked people running all over the beach—and sometimes in the heart of Santa Monica—but it still flustered the warlock when he saw how much of the tanned redhead was exposed. He was surprised that Arthur hadn't already run out and hauled her back into the Anderson home, citing how improper her attire was. Truth be told, he didn't mind the view! She was a beautiful woman. She was strong—she had muscle definition that a lady of the court would never have. When he realized he had been staring, judging by the smirk on her face, his face went crimson as a tide of embarrassment washed over him. She was waving him into shore.

Kelly watched the warlock come back up the surf, board under one arm. She raised a brow, thinking, California looks good on him! She fought an amused grin and simply waited patiently. Okay, he needs a tan, but he's got the body! Nice. He was tall and lanky, but not nearly as scrawny as he looked inside those too-big clothes of his. As he drew closer, she called, "You should be practicing on land first, Merlin! Once you get it here, you'll find it easier out there!" She waved generally toward the ocean, turning to walk with her friend. "You looked like you were having fun, anyway. That's good!"

Merlin slung an arm across her shoulders and walked with her. "I was! Just can't catch my balance to save my life," he said with a chuckle. "So, I think I'll try it your way."

"What?" Kelly pressed a hand to her chest, her face mocking. "Take the advice of a surfer chick? Dude, how progressive of you!" She glanced about and saw two teenage girls head out on a speed boat. Both were eyeballing Merlin pretty good, and she elbowed the warlock in the ribs. "Oooh, check it! You're bein' ogled!" She cracked up at the speed that Merlin went red in the face and hugged her friend. "Aw, c'mon! They think you're hot! Nothing wrong with that," she assured him, laughing.

Merlin subconsciously puffed his chest out. He was a bit unused to receiving attention. Usually the ladies drooled over the blond Prince, but this time the spotlight was on him! It was kind of nice, actually! He afforded the ladies a wave and a smile, shaking his head as he turned to walk toward the house with Kelly. "I'm beginning to like this era," he announced.

"Nah, you just like that Arthur's not the center of attention, here," Kelly argued. "Here, you get to stand on your own. You're not 'just a servant'."

They reached the deck railing and she hauled out of the storage shed two sawhorses. She used them routinely to wax her board, but she figured they would help Merlin to practice his jump-ups.

"Yeah! You got it—Hold your arms out, count down from twenty-five…"

Curious about the conversation just off the deck, the Prince-Regent stepped out beyond the patio doors to the deck railing closest to the ocean. He had been reading the newspaper for a couple of hours, hearing the commotion outside. He had decided to see what was going on.

Gods, it was hot. The weather vane had said it was nearly eighty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, and Arthur found himself pulling his tunic away from his chest as he fought for air circulation beneath the heavy fabric. Visibly sweating, he blew out a breath as he surveyed the shoreline. He could see a few boats out on the water, all of them recreational, and some water skiers trailing along behind a couple of the faster boats.

"No, no, no. You keep leaning back, you're gonna bite it out there," instructed a very familiar voice. "You lean into the wave, and you basically want to follow its form."

Arthur looked down and immediately startled like a terrified animal. When he saw the attire of his love, he barely held back from yelling at her to get inside and throw some real clothing on. He had to remind himself that this wasn't Camelot. This was normal. So he would have to be stealthy about things…

Descending the steps to the sand, Arthur spotted the turquoise jacket. Taking it from the railing, he approached this impromptu surfing lesson. Stepping up behind the small woman, he wrapped her in a hug, a pleased grin on his face as he stole a kiss from her.

Kelly smiled back and just as quickly shrugged out of the jacket. "Nice try," she said, enjoying the guilty look on the Regent's face, "But I don't like to roast on a hot day. Unlike yourself, obviously!" She gestured to the Future King's long-sleeved tunic and jeans. "Are you insane? You'll get heatstroke dressed like that out here!"

Feeling a bit defensive, Arthur crossed his arms and jutted his chin stubbornly. "It isn't proper for a Royal to appear in anything other than full dress, no matter what the weather. The same rule should apply to you—Alex is heir to the throne!" Once again, he tried to put her jacket on her shoulders and again she shrugged it off with the most defiant look on her face. Arthur released a frustrated sigh, trying not to roll his eyes at this childish display. "Please? For me? I'm not at all comfortable with you out here in this state of-of undress…" He gave her a look that he hoped would convince her to do his bidding.

Kelly turned in the Prince's embrace and laughed. "Seriously, that's what this is all about?" "Arthur Pendragon, this is California," she said, poking his chest for emphasis. "This is not Camelot, and I won't be fenced in with such archaic ideals. So, either give it up, or go inside and leave the rest of us to enjoy the sun and the sea. That way," she added with a grin, "You might not melt into a puddle on the sand." She grabbed hold of his red tunic and yanked him down for a kiss, taking him by surprise. With his face only millimetres away from hers, she smiled and added, "Love you. I really do. But sometimes you're as much work as a toddler. So-" she patted his cheek as she let him stand again. "Don't do that." She spun to help Merlin again. "Okay, where were we?"

Arthur stood there for a long time, watching the surfing tutorial. Why anyone would do this for fun was beyond him. Maybe he would give it a try…Sometime…

A/N:

This beach scene was a request, so I hope I've done it justice! Thanks for the kind comments, and support! And thanks for being faithful to my sometimes halting work. It is MUCH appreciated.

Cheers and Ciao!

TheImpossiblePen