A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys—and sorry for the false chapter upload. I realized my oops seconds after I put the thing up, so...Yeah. Thanks for your patience! I've got my hands in too many different stories, other stuff, family stuff...Life. Thanks for hanging in there, for leaving your reviews and favoriting/following this series of outtakes. I'm not done with it, just working at a moderate pace...okay, slower than a snail... :) I'll have more time for this now that I've completed Past Judgement, though. :D

Enjoy!

Chapter 27

They walked for a very long time past row upon row of military housing and down streets that all began to look alike. Marine and Army personnel passed them by, giving them curious glances as military vehicles drove past them. Aggravaine craned his neck in several directions, thoroughly amazed and in a state of shock as he followed his nephew...who seemed unusually comfortable in this strange land. Arthur paid more attention to overhead signage than he did to the strangers passing them on the street, and even then he offered polite smiles and nods of greeting, as if he belonged among them. Some actually looked at him with a smile of recognition.

One odd young man tapped his arm in passing. "Hey, man," he greeted, and as he walked away, he called, "Long time no see! Comin' out with the Brigadier tonight?" He was a tanned man with closely cropped brown hair, and his accent bore an odd twang to it.

Arthur paused in confusion and lifted his hands in question. "I...was not aware of events for this evening, I'm sorry. Perhaps we'll see you there...Leonard, isn't it?"

"Good memory," the soldier commented with a bright smile. "See you 'round, Artie." He waved casually and continued on his way with his buddies.

Aggravaine paused and raised an eyebrow at his King. "Artie, Sire? And you allow this?" he asked in disbelief.

Arthur turned to look at his uncle. "Americans have this custom, Uncle," he began carefully. "If they befriend you, they tend to shorten your name to something that isn't altogether flattering to oneself...but when in Rome, right?"

"Rome, Sire? I was not aware that we-"

-Arthur dropped a hand on his uncle's shoulder to halt this conversation. It was giving him a headache. "A figure of speech, Uncle. We are not literally in Rome, but as we are in America, we must behave as Americans," he explained patiently.

Aggravaine nodded slowly, still confused. "Ah." He shook his head in disdain behind his nephew's back, biting back words of insult.

They arrived at the familiar white, colonial-style townhouse complex that made up the Officers' Quarters section. These homes were slightly larger, though no more ornate. A vast array of vehicles sat in driveways all down the block Arthur halted when four figures appeared in the distance, way down the other side of the block. He halted his Uncle's steps, gesturing toward the approaching foursome. "They're headed this way," he said, and his uncle nodded in understanding.

Arthur could see the imposing form of the Brigadier General, and the tiny stature of his wife as they walked closer.

The sound of a bicycle bell sounded, and Arthur watched a two-wheeled bicycle draw closer, closing in fast. Again the bell sounded, and Alexandra could be heard yelling, "Daddy, look at me! I'm riding a bike!"

Arthur braced himself and bent to stop the two-wheeled contraption. Alexandra ran straight into him, stopped only by his boot. Smiling down at his eldest child, he asked, "Are you being good for your mother, Alex?" He turned the bike around to face the rest of the approaching family.

Alexandra giggled, nodding. When her father gave her a gentle push, she sped off, peddling as fast as she could. "Mamma, look! Daddy's here!" she cried. "Grandpa!"

Moments later Kelly followed as Marissa rode her tricycle a bit faster. Eyes mostly on the toddler and her weaving tricycle, she did glance up briefly at her husband. Deciding to be civil, she called, "Marissa, go show Daddy your new tricycle!"

Marissa giggled, peddling faster. Her father stopped her before she could ride past him. She laughed harder when he picked her up onto his shoulder. "Dad-dy!" she cried.

Arthur took in the appearance of his children. In jeans and t-shirts of each their own tastes, neither seemed at all out of place in their modern attire. You cannot take the future out of the girl, he supposed, managing to mask his momentary disappointment. He tapped the top of Marissa's odd looking hat. "Nice hat," he commented.

Marissa continued to giggle. "Not a hat! 'Cycle Helmet! Momma say no bike if I don' wear one!"

Alexandra got off her bike and pulled it onto the grass. "Mommy calls it a 'brain bucket'," she announced loudly. "She won't let us ride without one."

Arthur glanced over to his uncle, hiding his amusement when the Lord appeared visibly disgusted. "Well, you had better do as Mommy says," he agreed, nodding. "Mommy does know a thing or two about the human body, after all."

The Brigadier General kept pace and eventually stepped up before his Son-in-Law, towering over the young man. Nodding in greeting, not quite sure whether to smile and shake the man's hand or to cuff him upside the head, David gruffly stated, "Arthur. You been here long?" He peered at the King of Camelot through the dark lenses of his aviator sunglasses.

Arthur set Marissa on her feet, and he watched the girls run up to the porch and disappear inside the townhouse. "Ah, no." He shook his head "We just arrived." He turned his gaze from his Father-in-Law to his wife. "Kelly, please, would you...walk with me?" He sounded unsure, even to his own ears. He sounded very nervous.

Kelly crossed her arms and glanced toward the closed front door. She briefly considered going in after her children, in a show of protest, but civility won out.

David waved them off. "Go on. You two need some chat time. I got the girls." He gestured toward the awkward looking man who had accompanied Arthur into the portal. "Aggravaine, c'mon inside. Leave Arthur and Kelly to talk," he said with perhaps a bit too much authority. David was well aware of what had happened back in Camelot. "I could use your help with the shed I'm building out back." He strode toward his house.

Aggravaine mouthed to Arthur, 'Shed?' Arthur gave him little more than a glare of warning in response. He followed the burly Marine into the house, his shoulders back in an attempt to maintain dignity. "Well, this should be entertaining," he muttered below his breath.

Kelly watched her father lead the older man into his house and paused to evaluate her husband's haggard appearance. "You look rough. Not resting well?" she asked coolly.

Arthur watched his wife for a very long moment, and he struggled to find the words. "I am a bit worn out, I suppose," he murmured, embarrassed. He gestured toward Kelly's neat jeans-and-blouse attire. "You seem to be doing well. That's good."

Kelly sighed, rolling her eyes. "You didn't come all this way to comment on my clothing, did you?" she asked wryly, crossing her arms again. "Come on, Arthur, just spill it already..."

Arthur sighed, looked around to ensure that they were still alone, and he looked at Kelly. His eyes dulled by the weeks of loneliness. He nodded, hanging his head. "You're right," he murmured, stepping closer. He lifted his hands to gesture helplessly. Meeting her wary hazel eyes, he spoke carefully. "Kelly, I...I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I overstepped bounds, I listened to the wrong pieces of advice, and I cannot possibly erase the manner in which I behaved toward you." Arthur met her gaze, and he watched as some of her anger dissipated. "I...Can you forgive me? I cannot go another day being apart from you, Alex, and Marissa..."

Kelly narrowed her eyes as she looked out over the landscape. She watched a pickup truck full of soldiers drive by. She met Arthur's heartbroken gaze and said, "I want you to stop taking any bit of advice from that man!" She sighed and shook her head. "Aggravaine is trouble, and it's obvious to me that he tried to corrupt you at a time when you were looking for some kind of direction. You were turning into a tyrant, Arthur. The girls are not going to learn to let anyone speak to them like you did to me. That was SO disrespectful on SO many levels." Anger darkened her hazel eyes momentarily. "You were completely out of character..."

Growing desperate Arthur nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I-I know." He took Kelly's hands in his own and met her gaze with what he prayed was the most sorry, most pathetic, most needy looking blue eyes on the face of the earth. "I swear to you, I will not be taking his advice any longer. I don't know what I was thinking, I really don't...Please, allow me to make up for my atrocious behaviour..."

Kelly held back her tears. She was so frustrated with this whole mess! She thought for a moment before speaking, rocking back on the heels of her shoes. "And what assurances do I have that this won't blow up in my face again? I can't play this game with the girls. I won't." She dropped her arms to her sides and gestured toward the house. "I'm prepared to make my life here permanently, if I have to. People still know me, I'm still known in the Medical community…Stephen's offered me a position on staff-"

"Kelly, please," Arthur pleaded, visibly upset. Her matter-of-fact response was practically killing him. "Please, I swear it won't happen again. I've only to set Aggravaine straight, and he should no longer be an issue."

"And if he is?" Kelly raised a challenging eyebrow, tilting her head in question.

Arthur visibly stilled, at a loss for words for that moment. "I…" He dropped his shoulders. He had never been one to turn family away, but if Aggravaine pushed things once more, Arthur stood to lose his family for good. "I'll banish Aggravaine from Camelot. You have my word."

Kelly sighed and glanced at the house, then looked at her husband. "Fine. Now you tell him. Give him his one warning, make him aware of the consequences, and I'll consider this thing done and over." She could see the discomfort all across her husband's tense face, but she had to lay down the law on this one. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Arthur watched cold resolve settle on his wife's fine features, and he knew she was right. He knew he had to do this, to repair the damage done. He would fix this. He nodded and turned toward the house. He watched as she picked up the bicycle and hurried to take the other one before she could take that one, too. He followed her to the garage door and set the future toys inside the car storage space.

~.~.~

David watched Arthur's Uncle make awkward conversation with Marissa and Alexandra. The man seated himself on the carpet where the girls had proceeded to build with Lego. The man just seemed phony to the seasoned officer's eyes. The girls hardly knew him, visibly keeping a safe distance and choosing to be with each other, to play together. Kids just knew to follow their instincts. The Brigadier General nodded his approval, seated in his favorite Lazyboy chair by the fireplace. Yep, his girls would be fine…

Aggravaine looked up from the strange looking toys, forcing a congenial smile as he met the calculating brown eyes of the rather imposing giant of a man across the room. "Your abode is impressive," he began carefully, diplomatically. He thought it best to win over the Queen's father, not that it appeared that he had any hope of managing that... "Certainly more space than one man needs..."

David snorted. "Proved to be necessary for the last two weeks, now, didn't it?" he asked gruffly, folding his hands across his stomach. "Just enough to allow my family to stay with me for a while. That's all I need."

Aggravaine nodded. "Yes, I suppose..."

The front door closed and in moments the royal couple stood in the doorway to the family room. Aggravaine visibly tensed, catching glares from nearly everyone in the room. He forced a congenial smile and nodded to his Liege. "Sire. My Lady," he offered politely, standing upon their entrance. "How may I be of assistance? Shall I find a servant to prepare your evening meal?" He clapped his hands together as if to solidify his proposal, and he glanced expectantly from one to the other. His face fell when neither appeared pleased that he was in their presence. "M-My Lord?"

Arthur gestured toward his wife, and he turned to face his Uncle. Heaving a stressed sigh, he spoke. "As your Queen would say, you are 'on notice'. Aggravaine, your council is no longer required. In fact, I will go so far as to say that any attempt to influence the Court, the Council or my own decisions will be met with the only consequence that I can deem fit for such damaging behavior." He watched as a look of fear passed across Aggravaine's features, and he caught the shadow of anger that replaced the man's previously unreadable expression. Arthur drew his shoulders back and spoke, meeting the Lord's hardened gaze. "Banishment. To return would be to do so on pain of death."

Aggravaine attempted a smile, spreading his hands in question. "My Lord, this is preposterous," he argued softly, very nearly stuttering. "Surely you can see that I was only trying to help-"

-"Aggravaine, you tried to turn Arthur against me!" Kelly's loud interruption caused an audible intake of breath from her father. She strode forward, arms crossed in defiance. She was the recipient to one very threatening glare, and she set her jaw stubbornly. She stopped less than a foot away from Arthur's uncle, daring him to try anything. "Like it or not, I am your Queen. You follow Arthur's orders first and mine second. You do NOT try to undermine me. I won't tolerate it. If you try to go behind my back again, you will be run out of town. Do I need to further clarify this? Would you like me to draft a memo for you?" Her questions were quiet and mocking, full of derision.

Seething on the inside, the Lord drew his shoulders back and bowed his head in submission. "No, My Lady. You have been most explicit." His voice was quiet, his words spoken clearly and deliberately. His eyes shot daggers at the young woman, and she returned the gesture.

Kelly cocked an eyebrow, and she nodded. She said nothing else, quite sure that if Aggravaine so much as breathed the wrong way, she just might launch herself at him and scratch his eyes out! She concentrated on reigning in her temper and walked away. There was only one thing to do at a time like this. An hour out on the ocean would do wonders to restore her equilibrium...

When she passed Arthur, he reached for her, but she put her hand up in a wordless halting gesture. She met his eyes and shook her head, her lips pursed to prevent the escape of several choice (and completely inappropriate) words. And then she left the room with a purposeful stride. She could be heard ascending the stairs to the second floor.

Arthur sighed in frustration. Even while he had supposedly ended this standoff, he felt that there were many issues left unresolved. He could see that his uncle and his wife held barely concealed contempt for each other. He needed to go home and play with his practice dummies. A good beating on inanimate objects sounded really good at the moment...

Eager to break the tension, David stood and beckoned for the girls to follow him. "Alex, Marissa, come with Grandpa. You need to get washed up for dinner."

Arthur watched his children leave the room, and he faced his now unreadable Uncle. "Aggravaine."

"Sire?" Aggravaine's words sounded stiff and cold. He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes meeting his nephew's stern gaze.

"You heard my wife. There will be no further trouble from you." Arthur waved his hand dismissively. "Go...make yourself presentable. There is a guest room at the top of the stairs. I suspect we will be out and about shortly."

Aggravaine bowed and did as ordered. This was not the end. No, Camelot would fall—and he would be damned if he did not play a part in the great city's destruction...