Chapter Two : One Year Later

Washington, D.C. ; Silver Spring

A year passed since that speed dating meet and Gwen and Arthur were still together and taking the next step in their relationship. They in the painstaking process of finding a large apartment or small house to move into together. Gwen's apartment was half packed and half unpacked. All Arthur had to do was pack up his room at his mother's. Speaking of his mother, Igraine loved Gwen and ribbed Arthur plenty after finding out that her son met Gwen at speed dating. The very one she set him up on. The whole de Bois family loved Gwen as well. Including Arthur's uncle, Tristan, affectionately called 'T' for short. The only person who hadn't met Gwen was Arthur's father, Uther, the wealthy businessman in London. In truth, Arthur could care less if Gwen met his father. It would probably be better if he didn't meet her. A woman with a career wouldn't be good enough for his eldest son. Not that he cared, his father practically disowned him when he ran away at age 17. However, his father still had to acknowledge him until he had another son, which wasn't going well. From what Arthur had learned, he now has three half sisters and another on the way.

Gwen groaned hearing the alarm go off before reaching over and turning it off. She sat up seeing it read 7:30 and turned to see that Arthur was gone. A note sat on his pillow, and she picked it up. Went running. Be back soon. Love, Art.Gwen smiled as she sat the note on the bed side table and got up, stretching high above her. She headed into the bathroom, stripping out of her clothes and started up the shower. She climbed in underneath the hot water and sighed out. A few minutes rolled by and Arthur returned from his morning run. He removed his iPod earphones and walked to the back. He froze seeing clothes leading to the bathroom and chuckled. He did the same and headed into the bathroom. He heard Gwen humming out a tune he couldn't quite make out and he pulled back the shower curtain. Gwen shrieked when the curtain pulled back and gasped out in frustration seeing Arthur. She turned back under the water so she couldn't see her naked boyfriend. "You're such a prat," she said.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Can I come in?"

"Please, you stink," she said. He climbed into the shower and pulled the curtain closed. He went to wrap his arms around her, but she stopped him holding up her hand. "Shower first," she demanded. She steered him under the water as he grabbed his body wash.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Gwen," he said.

"I know," she said as she grabbed his hand cloth and slapped him in the face with it. "I still love you," she said. "However, we both have work and showering together is not an option," she added before leaving him in the shower alone. "Remember, it's my first day in surgery today."

"That's right," he said. "My girlfriend, the surgeon." Gwen chuckled as she wrapped a fluffy pink towel around her and began drying her hair with another towel. She headed into her bedroom and changed into pink scrubs for the day. She was pulling on her shoes when she felt the bed sink beside her. "Have I ever told you how sexy you look in scrubs?"

"A million times," she said.

"I don't know what it is, but somehow seeing you in scrubs does something to me. The other doctors, they look okay, but you …."

"I get it, Arthur," she said standing up. He sat on her bed wearing nothing but a red towel. "Could say the same about that red towel." Arthur chuckled but was interrupted by Gwen's cellphone going off. She picked it and sighed in disgust.

"Him again?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," she said.

"All right," Arthur said getting up from the bed. "Let me talk to him," he said trying to get the phone, but Gwen pulled it out of his reach.

"No, Arthur. I'll handle it."

"That's the tenth call this week and the first of many for today," he said.

"He just can't accept that fact we're through and I'm with someone else," she said, "but he'll get the message."

"I hope so," he said as the phone went silent. "Just let me know if you need help."

"I will," she said putting the phone in her purse. "Breakfast?" she asked.

"As soon as I get dressed." Gwen headed into the kitchen and began getting things out to make some eggs and bacon. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Arthur dressed. They had come a long way in their relationship. There were times when after making love, she would cover up. She wasn't used to someone admiring her body. Arthur would sneak away to the bathroom to dress. Now she got the privilege of watching him when she prepared breakfast. They knew each others' bodies down to every freckle and scar. She knew every scar on Arthur's body and how he got them. One scar in particular was a bullet wound on his left shoulder. She sometimes would find herself circling it with her finger while he slept.

Arthur would spend hours worshiping particular spots on Gwen's body with his hands or lips. More than once she had to cover hickeys on her neck from Arthur sucking and kissing her weak spot, a favorite of his. Another thing of his was her mole on her cheek. She hated it, but the only thing that stopped her from having it removed was that one day, Arthur said it made her look cute. So, she kept it for him. He always made her feel beautiful. Arthur was fully dressed now and hooking his gun onto his belt. His NCIS badge was next to it with the black band across it in memory of a fellow agent of Arthur's who was killed a couple of days ago. "When is Agent Paxton's funeral?" she asked.

"Saturday," he said pouring himself some orange juice.

"Did you find out who killed her?"

"Ex boyfriend shot her with her own gun," he said.

"Did you know her?"

"Our paths didn't cross as much," he said leaning against the counter. "She worked cold cases." Gwen nodded before putting a plate in front of him.

"Eat up," she said. She made a plate for herself and they ate in silence. Gwen finished first, wanting to get to work for her first day of surgery. "Love you," she said to Arthur.

"Love you, too," he said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Be safe," she said.

"You, too." Gwen gave him another kiss before leaving the apartment. Arthur cleaned up his dishes and grabbed his work bag before heading out as well. Outside, he headed for his jeep parked in the second spot for Gwen's apartment. He pulled open his door and threw his bag onto the passenger seat. He heard an engine start which got him to look up and he saw a red Ford F-150 drive away. "Huh," he pondered. He climbed into his jeep and headed to work.

NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard …....

Arthur reached his desk carrying coffee from Starbucks in a carrying case. He sat one cup on his partner's desk and another on his boss' desk. The third was for himself and he sat down and started his computer up. He still had some paperwork to finish from solving Agent Paxton's murder. "Morning." Arthur looked up to see Special Agent Agatha "Aggie" Martin walk in.

"Morning," he said.

"For me?" she asked gesturing to the coffee.

"For you," he said. Aggie 'awwed' before picking up the coffee and taking a sip. She sighed out in pleasure causing Arthur to lift his eyebrows in amusement. "Have a good morning?"he ask.

"Yes, I did," she said putting the coffee.

"You got laid, didn't you?" he asked. Aggie glared at her partner who smirked wickedly. "You did," he said.

"No comment," she said too quickly before sitting down. Arthur got up from his desk and leaned over Aggie's.

"Come on, Ags," he said. "You can tell your partner of five years."

"Four," she corrected typing up a draft.

"What ever," he said. "Was it the blonde guy from Metro that's been sending you flowers for last two months?" he asked. Aggie looked up at Arthur with a glare that could kill. "Okay, if looks could kill, I'd be dead now."

"Yep," she said before going back to her typing. Arthur sighed out in defeat as he sat down and started finishing a report. He finished it in record time and printed it up. As he printed it up, he wrote something down on a piece of paper. The report finished printing and he laid it on his boss' desk before heading to the back elevator, grabbing his coffee on the way. "Where are you going?" Aggie asked.

"Merlin's lab!" he shouted.

Downstairs …..................

Hard rock music filtered through the downstairs lab of Merlin Amyrus when Arthur arrived. Merlin was Arthur's school buddy from primary school back in London before his mother left his father, taking him with him. They kept in touch with each other and after Merlin graduated from Edinburgh College, Arthur helped him get a job at NCIS. The punk rock scientist was bobbing his head up and down to the music, not taking in his surroundings. "Merlin!" Arthur shouted but his friend could not hear him over the music. Arthur took the remote for the stereo and hit the power button. Merlin twirled around to see his friend and had a momentarily relapse in memory that Arthur had shut the music off.

"Arthur!" he shouted.

"I turned the music off, Merlin," Arthur said.

"Sorry," he said clearing his throat. "What can I do for you?" he asked. Arthur handed him the piece of paper he had written on upstairs.

"I need you to run this number for an incoming call this morning," he said. Merlin took the paper and recognized the number.

"This is Gwen's cell," he said. Arthur nodded and Merlin began to work his magic, so to speak. "Her ex is still calling her?"

"Yeah," Arthur said. "He called around seven," he added. Merlin nodded as he got Gwen's phone records up and highlighted the area Arthur wanted to see.

"Looks like the number is 555-0770," Merlin said. "Do you want me to trace it and see who it is?" he asked. Arthur looked at him with a 'duh' look on his face and Merlin traced the number. "It belongs to a Lancelot Beladore."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

"That is so weird," Arthur commented.

"Tell me about it," Merlin said. "Gwen's going backwards as far as the legend's concerned."

"What?"

"The Arthurian legend has Guinevere married to Arthur and she has the affair with Lancelot," Merlin said. "She dated Lancelot first in this time and now she's with you."

"You're right," he said. "What kind of vehicle does he drive?" Merlin typed a bit on the keyboard and brought up the registration on the vehicle.

"A red Ford f-150," he said.

"He was at the apartment complex this morning," Arthur said. "Run a GPS fix on him." Keys clicked and clacked and the GPS came up.

"He's at Monroe University Hospital," Merlin said. "Isn't that where Gwen works?"

"Yes," Arthur said getting out his cellphone. He dialed the familiar number and waited for someone to answer. "Hello, I need Dr. Gwen Rylee. It's Arthur, her boyfriend." He waited a couple minutes before Gwen's voice came over the phone. "Gwen, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Arthur," she said. "Why?"

"No reason," he said. "Just wondering if he's called you anymore."

"My phone's off and in my locker," she said. "He can leave messages if he wants. Not that I'll listen to them."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight then," he said.

"I can't wait," Gwen said with a smile. "I love you."

"Love you, too." They hung up together and Arthur looked up to see Merlin smirking. "What?"

"When are you going to ask that girlfriend of yours to marry you?"

"I haven't asked Uncle T for the ring yet."

"So ask. He's just your uncle."

"He's also the director," Arthur said before leaving the lab.

At Monroe University Hospital ….

Gwen sighed as she hung up the phone. "I've seen that look," her friend, Alice said. "Who was it?"

"Arthur."

"You're very handsome special agent." Gwen chuckled. Alice liked Arthur from the start.

"He's worried about me," Gwen said. "Lance has been calling all week," she added causing Alice to groan in disgust.

"That boy cannot take no for an answer," she said.

"No, he can't," Gwen said grabbing a chart to take her mind off Lance.

"He's becoming stalker material, Gwen," Alice said. "Haven't you tried calling the cops?"

"They won't do anything until Lance escalates to physical violence," Gwen answered.

"Oh, please," Alice said. "He's calling you day and night, sometimes disrupting your love life with Arthur. He scratched up Arthur's jeep, really bad and he follows you around. Guarantee that he's here in his red truck somewhere," Alice said.

"That's why I have Arthur," Gwen said.

"Yeah, but Arthur can't be with you all the time," Alice said. "Still. It must be nice to have a boyfriend with a gun."

"It is."

"Guinevere!" Gwen turned to see Lance running up the hall.

"Lance, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you."

"Well, I don't," she said. "I thought I made that clear when I don't return your calls."

"I'm sorry. Okay?"

"You've been saying sorry for a year," she said. "I'm with someone else now and very happy."

"It won't change how I feel about you."

"Tough and I am not cheating on Arthur with you. This is nothing like the legend, Lance. Please tell your mother that."

"One day, you'll see that I am right and we belong together," he said before stalking away.

"Arthur carries a gun!" Gwen shouted after him. "Just so you know." The door to the staircase slammed shut and she groaned in disgust.