"You spent the whole weekend going over paint colours with Guinevere?" Arthur asked in disbelief. He couldn't think of a more boring way to spend a weekend.
"Don't complain. I did all the work you assigned to me as well. And I even managed to do the Gedref trek. It's that time of the year when everything is blooming. It was gorgeous."
"I'm sure," said Arthur absently. He'd learnt quickly that if he was too encouraging, Merlin wouldn't stop talking about plants and animals for hours. "Back to the question, why are you and Guinevere looking at paint samples?"
"What kind of question is that? I heard you went over to Gwen's for dinner. You saw what her house is like."
Arthur frowned. "It looked like a house."
"But not a home."
"She's not staying for long anyway. Why go to all that trouble?" He and Merlin were having lunch at a nearby cafe, like they usually did. Sometimes Guinevere came with them, but today, she said she had errands to run.
"Because she deserves to have a place she can call home."
Arthur had a feeling he was missing some important information but after the point he made to her about prying into his life, he really wasn't in the position to snoop into hers, as curious as he was. Instead, he shrugged and went back to his salad.
The bell above the cafe door rang and instinctively he looked up.
Mithian.
While he'd spoken to her now and then on the phone, she'd politely begged off meeting up with him the past week. He waved and when she smiled in return, all the doubts and uncertainties he'd harboured disappeared. She walked over, graceful and elegant like she always was.
"Arthur! Merlin!"
"Come, join us." He stood and pulled out a chair for her.
She smiled at him again, warming his heart. "Don't mind if I do. And for a moment, I thought I would have to lunch alone."
"What a tragic disappointment it must be for you to find us here then," said Merlin as Mithian took a seat. She laughed again. It was beautiful. "So what brings you here?"
"I just came from Meredor Point." She gestured to the camera bag on her lap.
That caught Merlin's interest. "A fashion shoot on Meredor Point?"
"Oh no," Mithian smiled and touched Merlin's arm briefly. "As I told Arthur, I'm hoping to broaden my experiences and one of the things I really would love to do is nature photography. I'm trying to put together a portfolio."
"I'm sure you'll be great at it," said Arthur automatically. "What would you like to eat? I'll get it for you."
As Arthur stood at the counter, he watched Merlin and Mithian chat. He hoped Merlin wasn't being a bore again. But they were smiling and laughing. In fact, Mithian looked quite happy when he returned to their table, her eyes were sparkling and there was a lilt to her voice. Arthur felt a stab of jealousy but brushed it aside. This was Merlin, still-hung-up-on-his-ex Merlin.
After lunch, Merlin went to the gents and Arthur seized the opportunity to ask Mithian out again. At first, he thought he could sense some hesitation but he must have been mistaken as in the end, she agreed. Kissing her on the cheek, he walked her out of the cafe.
A while later, Merlin popped out of the cafe, wiping his hands on the seat of his pants. "So you and Mithian huh? How is that coming along?"
"Could be better, but I am sure it'll happen eventually. We're perfect for each other."
"She's lovely," said Merlin blandly and Arthur knew immediately it was a warning. Rolling his eyes, he made his way back to the office.
Back in the office, after clearing some paperwork, Arthur stared at the phone on his table. All he had to do was pick it up and call Morgana. The picking up bit was easy, but he faltered whenever he had to dial the number. Then, he remembered Mordred's anger and distress, how helpless the young boy felt and how Arthur had promised to help him find justice.
He grabbed the phone, but instead of calling his estranged sister, her punched the number for Guinevere. "Call Merlin in please, Guinevere. You might as well come in too."
The moment the two of them stepped into the room, he spoke. "I'm planning to call Morgana." The immediate concern that transformed Merlin's face was not unexpected. Arthur pressed on."For the past few weeks, we've just run into one brick wall after another. I know Morgana has been looking into Mercia Constructions and I think that she might be able to help us with this."
"Morgana. Help us?" Arthur could hear the thread of distrust in Merlin's tone.
"Yes Merlin. Her beef is with my father not me."
"And that's why you've not spoken to her for almost a year." Merlin glanced at Guinevere, then back at him. He nodded. It wasn't anything Guinevere wouldn't find out soon enough. "Look, you know she thinks you chose your father over her."
"Yes," Arthur bit out, inexplicably annoyed at Merlin's lack of support. "Your point is? I know she hates me and my father. But she's been investigating Mercia Constructions for a while already, campaigning against what she believes is their poor treatment of their employees so it'll make sense for her to help us."
"It would. But this is Morgana we are talking about."
Arthur sighed. "I just wanted to give you the heads up that I'm doing this. I'll bear the consequences. Guinevere, you're going to have my father marching down and ranting to you the moment he finds out."
She nodded. "I don't know what transpired between you and Morgana but you're doing the right thing Arthur. We promised Mordred to do the best we can."
And for some reason, her words, her use of 'we' and her misplaced faith in him, eased the turmoil in him a little. "Thank you."
Merlin sighed dramatically.
The next few weeks went by in a haze. Yet many things had changed. Most significantly, she'd had a fairly enjoyable lunch with Elyan and Percy once they returned from their honeymoon. Despite their strained relationship, Gwen was pleased to see Elyan so happy. At least one of them had a bright future ahead.
Morgana was not easy to deal with, Gwen learned that quite quickly. She, of course, refused to step foot into the Pendragon Law offices and Gwen found herself with Merlin and Arthur attending clandestine meetings with Morgana and Morgause, apparently her right hand woman, at various seedy cafes in Camelot. Gwen was pretty sure she'd never been to so many hole-in-the-wall cafes in her life.
This time, the cafe was slightly less seedy. As usual, she was the earliest to arrive. She yawned, feeling the exhaustion from the painting she and Merlin did last night seep through her. She'd already had coffee before leaving home so she refrained from ordering another. Merlin was on a trip out of Camelot for another of Arthur's cases so this time, it would just be her, Arthur and Morgana. She wasn't quite sure who she wanted to arrive first. Despite the tentative friendship that she and Arthur had struck up over the past few weeks, Gwen still tried to avoid spending too much time alone with him. Her body still reacted appallingly to Arthur's closeness although at least now she could comfort herself with the fact that Arthur wasn't quite as awful as he used to be. Most of the time at least. Morgana, on the other hand, wasn't someone Gwen wanted to spend time alone with either. While Morgana had, thus far, been fairly cooperative and helpful, Gwen didn't trust her and neither did Merlin. She wasn't helping them out of the goodness of her heart. She wanted something from Arthur.
Gwen chewed her lips as she pondered her choices. Perhaps if the gods were smiling down on her, both of them would arrive at the same time.
A tinkle broke into her thoughts and Gwen looked up, but even before her eyes reached the door, she knew who it was. His mouth drawn into a tight line, Arthur marched to where she sat. "Bloody Morgana is not coming," he snapped.
"Bad day?"
He muttered something under his breath before finally looking at her. Then he sighed. "Yeah. Annis wants the documents in a week early but with Merlin out of Camelot, it means I will have to do it. And Morgana! After all that talk about having proper evidence for us, she stands us up. Mordred is coming over tomorrow." He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes briefly. Under the awful yellow lighting in the cafe, Arthur looked exhausted, stress written all over his face and Gwen's heart squeezed.
"I'm sorry." Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. Under her hand, she could feel his warm skin and rough hair. She rubbed her thumb against his wrist. And suddenly, he flipped his arm around and threaded his fingers through hers. Her throat dried as she realised she was holding his hand. His fingers squeezed hers and a tired smile crossed his face.
"Have I ever mentioned that you're the best PA I've had?"
Laughter escaped her. "That's not the song you sang yesterday. I remember being told quite bluntly to mind my own business."
He squeezed her hand again. "Yeah, well. I don't always deal well with being told off." A wide smile slowly spread on his face, erasing the stress etched on it just moments before. Her heart started to beat erratically and it took all her self-control not to yank her hand away from his.
"It wasn't my place to tell you how to deal with your clients."
"Normally I'd say that too, but there's something different about you. And more often than not, you're right. Like with Mrs Lee and yesterday, as much as I don't want to admit it, you were right too." He withdrew his hand and sighed. Gwen curled her now-free hand, wondering why she felt so bereft. "Sometimes, I just feel like I have to be like my father. You've heard the gossip around the office haven't you?"
"I'm not sure you want to hear this but I'm glad you're not like your father."
"Yeah? You and Merlin both. Not so much the rest of the firm." Leaning back into the seat, Arthur stretched out his legs, his shirt lifting up to reveal a strip of bare skin, and Gwen quickly focused her eyes on a random spot on his forehead. "And of course, when it rains, it pours."
"You two going to order something?" A waiter stumbled up to them and asked lazily. "My boss says if you don't, you gotta leave."
"I'll get a -"
Arthur jumped up from his chair and took her hand again. What was with him today? Still, she let her fingers curl around his. "No, we're going. Thanks." He threw down a few notes, then tugged Gwen to her feet and led her out of the cafe and into his car.
Assuming Arthur was going to drive them back to his office, she settled into the seat and closed her eyes. Merlin's insistence that they stay up to finish painting her living room meant that she was running on less sleep than she was used to. Thankfully, Arthur said nothing, letting her doze off in the car.
The car came to a stop and Gwen opened her eyes, surprised to see that they weren't at his office. Instead, they were at the park an hour's drive away, a park she'd avoided ever since she returned to Camelot. Her first thought was that she needed to leave. Before she could say anything, Arthur grinned at her. "I thought we could play hooky today. Merlin isn't around and Morgana stood us up and frankly I could use a break."
The flurry of emotions the park caused in her, aided by her tiredness, made her snap at him. "And you didn't think to ask me before? What if I had a ton of paperwork to do back at the office?"
Arthur's grin faded and he looked at her with a frown. "I thought it'd be a nice surprise. You looked tired and well, I've not had the best of weeks. We could go back, of course." He smiled tentatively at her and her heart melted.
Closing her eyes briefly, she told herself she could do this. Quietly she whispered, "No. I mean, a short break would be nice. I just wished you asked me first."
When Arthur didn't reply immediately, Gwen wondered if she'd upset him. Sighing, she got out of the car and scanned the park. At this time of the day, it was quiet, with only a few parents out with their young children. Memories of how her father used to bring her and Elyan to this park for walks swamped her. It was one of the few times she could pretend her family was like everyone else and she didn't have a mother who was dying or a brother who was constantly in trouble with the law. She remembered how it was here that the threads of her life began unravelling and here that she accused of Elyan of causing her father's death and how she ran away from Camelot soon after. A lump formed in her throat and she blinked back tears. It had been years. Surely she could be adult about this.
"We don't have to do this," Arthur said as he stepped out of the car. "You're right. We're swamped with work and -"
The concern in Arthur's voice combined with memories of her father and the last time she was at the park were too much and she couldn't hold back the tears. Walking quickly away from Arthur, she hid behind a large tree, hoping desperately that he wouldn't follow her. Foolish, she knew but she really didn't want Arthur to see her like this, to remember the child she used to be. She wanted him to see her as strong and capable. Sobs shook her and she gulped in air, hoping it would make her stop crying. Gwen wasn't sure how long she stood pressed against the rough bark of the tree but eventually she stopped crying. Scrubbing away the remaining tears with the back of her hands, Gwen emerged from behind the tree to see that Arthur was leaning casually against his car. He moved slightly when he saw her, but otherwise waited for her to reach him.
"Well," she said as brightly as possible, aware that her face was probably a mess. "I think we should probably head back to the office. Or you could just drop me off -"
Her voice trailed off when Arthur gently cupped her face with his hand, used a handkerchief to wipe around her eyes, then her cheek. All the time, he watched her tenderly but said nothing. Then he dropped his hand and sucked in a breath and for a moment, Gwen wondered if he was about to sack her.
"Come on, we are going to play hooky. Just not here." He slipped into the car and after a moment's hesitation, Gwen entered the car as well.
"Where are we going?"
He smiled. "How do you feel about go karting?"
"I've never done it before."
"Brilliant. It's about time you tried." He cast a glance at her. "Plus it's really good for releasing stress."
Arthur was right. As Gwen sped down the track, laughing and warning Arthur she was going trash him at this, all the things weighing on her shoulders disappeared. Despite her best efforts, Arthur beat her every round. As she stumbled out of the go kart, with Arthur's warm grip on her elbow, she chided Arthur for not letting her win.
He threw his head back in laughter. "Surely you would rather win on your own merits."
"Huh, I've learnt a win is a win, no matter how you got it."
"Guinevere! And here I thought you were a woman of morals! Had I known, I'd never have hired you."
This time, she laughed. "So says the lawyer."
Arthur rolled his eyes, then lunged forward and tickled her, causing her to scream.
After go karting, they had lunch at a small pub which had a duck pond. Gwen tossed them bread from her sandwich, to much disapproval from Arthur. Then, they watched a romantic comedy, stuffing themselves with popcorn and soft drinks.
"If only life was like a romcom," said Gwen lightly as they left the movie. "I would meet my perfect match, he would be head over heels in love with me, we'll get married and my life would be perfect."
Arthur laughed. "If only."
"I bet you have females throwing themselves all over you anyway."
"I work far too much and anyway, the one person I want doesn't seem to want me." The warmth and happiness that cocooned her over the course of the day faded as she remembered that despite the laughter and fun they shared, any feelings of intimacy were purely fantasy on her part.
"Mithian?"
Arthur nodded and Gwen felt her heart break. So she plastered on a bright smile.
"You must really like her." Gwen wasn't sure why she was even pursuing the topic. They reached his car and he opened the door for her. "Not that it's surprising."
"Yeah. Frankly, I thought things were going well in the beginning but I have a feeling that she's been trying to avoid me the past few days. I don't want to push her but, well, I think we work well together." Arthur started the car and for a while they sat in silence.
"You know, I'm going out with her this weekend. We're going to look at furniture for our bedrooms."
"You're really redecorating your house!"
"Merlin is very enthusiastic about it. Anyway, maybe if I talked you up a bit, Mithian might be more open to a relationship?"
The car pulled to a stop at a red light and Arthur turned to look at her, but Gwen couldn't read his expression in the darkness of the car. "Are you offering to matchmake me?"
"Well I'm not guaranteeing anything."
"Hmm."
"Well?"
"What about you? Do you have your eye on anyone?"
You, she wanted to say but wisely kept her mouth shut. "You want to play matchmaker too?"
"Seems like I should do something for you as well. But if you have no one in mind, I think I can introduce you to a few people."
She sat up in the seat. "What?"
"This is a great idea! You sell me to Mithian and I will find you a match. I know lots of people."
"Arthur, I don't know about this."
"You like men right?"
"Yes but -"
"And you're open to a relationship?"
"I suppose." Maybe this wasn't a bad idea. She couldn't realistically continue to harbour feelings for Arthur and perhaps meeting new men would stop her completely inappropriate feelings. "You're right. I should meet new men."
"Great. So we have a deal?"
Although Gwen insisted he didn't need to, Arthur still walked her to her door. It felt far too much like a date and her body was completely ignoring the sensible messages her brain was sending and her heart started to speed up.
"I had fun," he smiled, standing far too close to her.
"Me too," she said, appalled that her voice came out huskier than usual.
Thankfully, Arthur took a step back before she did something foolish like lift herself up for a kiss. "I hope you feel better. I'll see you at work tomorrow. I imagine we'll have quite the pile of work to get through."
She stood at her door, watching him walk away. Then she closed her eyes and wondered again why her life wasn't a romcom. If it had been, she would probably be in her apartment being kissed desperately by Arthur. Images of Arthur's hand sliding up her arm until he was cupping her face, his thumb stroking her lips before he brought his head down flashed in her head and she quickly shut them out. She did not want to fantasize about Arthur she told herself firmly as she finally entered her home. She needed a cold shower.
"I cannot believe that I was in Essetir doing research when you and Gwen were out go karting and watching movies!" Merlin grumbled as he stomped into his office and tossed down a file Arthur assumed contained the fruits of his labour.
"I'd give you the day off today but Mordred is coming in and after Morgana let us down yesterday, I'm not facing him alone."
Merlin flopped on his sofa again, stretched then wriggled until he was happy with his position. "Did you have fun then?"
Arthur thought back to the day before, remembering how carefree he felt and how much he'd laughed. He hadn't laughed so much in a long time. "Yeah, it was good."
"You certainly look more relaxed. I take it Morgana didn't have any evidence for you?"
"Nope. In fact, she didn't even bother to turn up, just sent me a curt text message." Arthur rubbed the back of his neck as the usual tension started creeping up on him. "I'm pretty certain she has evidence. She's just holding out on us."
"Hmm. So we're sure that instead of tossing the faulty parts, Mercia Constructions used them in order to save costs. And Morgana claims that she has evidence of this."
"Essentially. If she does come through with the evidence, then we're all good. Mercia's lawyers still think we're floundering so that's one thing. I rather them be smug and overconfident."
The phone rang and when Arthur heard Guinevere's voice, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. It didn't last long when she announced that Mordred had arrived. A short while later, Guinevere was showing Mordred in. With a look, Arthur indicated she should stay.
"I think we should get the news out, put it on twitter, facebook." Mordred, dressed in his usual black clothes slumped on the chair and glared sullenly at Arthur.
"I know the case is moving quite slowly but that isn't the solution."
"We need to publicise this - tell the world of what Mercia Constructions is really like -"
Arthur sighed. "And we will do that in due time. Right now -"
"I'm tired of waiting! That's all I have been doing. Waiting. Waiting for my father to get better. Waiting for justice to be served." Mordred suddenly stopped talking and looked up at Arthur, a mix of defiance and vulnerability in his eyes and Arthur felt guilt rise in him. He was just a young kid having to deal with a really lousy situation. Quietly, Mordred said, "He's going to be coming home this weekend."
"How are you going to cope?" Arthur asked.
"Like I always do. He can move around on his wheelchair. Anyway, that's not your business. Your business is to make sure my father gets justice!"
"Of course. But even when we get enough evidence to move forward with a trial, that itself will take some time. You need to understand -"
Mordred pushed himself off the chair, his eyes flashing with anger. "What I want to understand is how a company can treat my father who was a loyal and hard worker like this!"
"Mordred -"
"Forget it. You're like them. All you rich corporate men." Grabbing his bag, Mordred stomped out of the office.
"That went well. At least he didn't break anything this time," said Merlin as he got off the sofa.
Guinevere moved from where she was standing and he remembered he'd asked her to stay. "I'm worried about him."
"I know. His anger and frustration is only going to make things more difficult for us."
"I wasn't thinking about the case. I was thinking about Mordred. I noticed from the files that he doesn't have any other family so it's just him and his father. He's so young. How will he cope?"
His mind still on how to best salvage the case, he waved a hand. "We should focus on the case and how -"
"He's a kid!"
"Gwen -" Merlin stepped forward.
"He's a kid who has to go to school and look after a father who can no longer walk and your only concern is the case?"
"If you hadn't noticed, that's Mordred's biggest concern as well," Arthur said tightly, annoyed at her tone and assumptions. "And I am responsible only for the case. It would do no one any good if I spent all my time looking after him and not working on the case. And if you didn't notice, he's not exactly open to help."
"That doesn't mean we just leave him to struggle on his own!"
Arthur sighed. "I'll think about it ok? Right now, I have this other case to work on. Guinevere, try and set up another meeting with Morgana."
She still looked dissatisfied but she nodded and left the office.
"Why didn't you tell her that you paid off Mordred's university fees?" Merlin asked as he sat down opposite Arthur.
He shrugged. "She's right though. He is only a kid."
"He's a kid who's been talking to Morgana."
"What? I told Morgana -"
Merlin shook his head, interrupting him. "Like Morgana listens to anyone. All you rich corporate men. Exactly what Morgana would say."
Arthur let his head fall into his hands and groaned. Merlin was right. Clearly, Morgana had somehow gotten to Mordred despite his best attempts at keeping them apart. No wonder he was going on about talking to the news. Publicity - it's exactly what Morgana loved.
"Damn."
"Yeah. Not going to say I told you so -"
"You just did."
"So what now?" Merlin leaned back into the chair. "Frankly, to win this case, Morgana is our best hope as much as I dislike her methods and being in her debt. No one will go on the record but there's a lot of gossip that fits with the evidence Morgana claims to have."
Sighing deeply, Arthur said, "Looks like we're going to figure out how to work with Morgana." He pulled out some of the papers from the file Merlin gave him earlier. "How was Essetir anyway?"
"Boring. It's an industrial town - everything is grey. I'm amazed Gwen lived there for so many years. I did manage to interview Mrs Ganesh and she more or less collaborated everything we heard."
"Great. Let's have a look then."
When, later that day, Guinevere informed him that his father was looking for him, it was just the icing on a very long day. Katherine eyed him warily as he approached his father's office. That wasn't a good sign. Still, he put on a smile, nodded politely to Katherine, then entered the lion's den.
"The Mordred case," his father said without preamble. "I've had a call from Olaf yesterday. It seems you turned down yet another deal?" Silhouetted by the sun, he looked the imposing figure he was and Arthur had to remind himself he was no longer that 5 year old boy at his father's mercy.
"It's my case."
"And this is my firm. You are fighting a losing battle and everyone is talking about this, laughing behind our backs. We're not some sort of scraping the bottom personal injury law firm. We are a distinguished firm with years of history and you, my son of all people, are dragging this firm's reputation down."
"Mordred has a case. It's not easy but he and his father deserve justice and I am going to try my best to give it to them." Arthur stated as neutrally as possible. He did not want to end up in a shouting match with his father. "This is my case and after all I've done for the firm, you should trust me to do what is best."
Uther sighed loudly and slammed the mug he was holding onto the table. Dread pooling in him, Arthur noticed the lines of anger etched on his father's face. "I am giving you two more months. By then, if you do not have a strong case to bring to court, then I want you to settle."
"But -"
"You report to me Arthur and you will do as I say. I have been too lax on you recently and you're starting to let your heart colour your decisions."
"Father -"
"Like your new PA. I thought she looked familiar then I asked HR. She's that Thomas girl isn't she? It's bad enough that you socialise with her criminal brother on occasion but to actually hire her?"
His hackles rose and all determination not to fight with his father disappeared. "Guinevere has been a wonderful PA."
"Her father was a -"
"Don't. I know you and him had your differences. I know you think the whole family is the scum of the earth but you will not treat Guinever or talk to her any less than the way you speak to anyone else in this firm."
A vein throbbed in Uther's jaw but he nodded curtly. "Get out and don't forget who is in charge here. Two months."
It was childish but Arthur slammed the door behind him. Katherine frowned in disapproval but he simply ignored her.
Merlin was perched on her desk frantically texting someone. She leaned over and tried to peek but Merlin tsked at her before hiding his phone.
"Do you have a secret girlfriend? Because I'm your best friend and this is the sort of thing you should tell me." Gwen asked, laughing as she shoved Merlin gently to get him off her files. Both of them were waiting for Arthur to return from his meeting with his father. It was past office hours but Merlin was determined to wait for Arthur and since Gwen didn't have anything pressing on, she waited with Merlin.
"Uh -" Merlin glanced around, then moved closer to her. "Actually, it's Mithian."
"You're dating Mithian? Isn't Arthur -"
"No, we're just friends. Why do you look so upset?" Merlin narrowed his eyes, looking at her suspiciously. "I know Arthur is interested in her. I wouldn't do that to him. More importantly, since when do you care about Arthur's love life?"
"I don't," she muttered and tugged at the file Merlin was sitting on. She didn't care about Arthur's love life outside of that little deal they made. "Stop sitting on my file."
"Something is up between you and Arthur. Spill." Merlin tapped her nose and she swiped at him. He could be so annoying at times. "Don't make me ask Arthur." Then he made that face he always did when he was trying to persuade her to do something. She rolled her eyes but felt herself caving already.
"Arthur and I have a deal -"
"Are you two going to marry each other in the event that you two are single at 40?"
"What? No! That's ridiculous!" She shoved at him harder this time and laughing, he pushed himself off her table, only to lean against it right next to her chair.
"Well then, what deal is it?"
Suddenly feeling very self conscious about the whole thing, Gwen turned to face her monitor, cursing under her breath when she saw Merlin's grinning mug reflected in it. "Basically, I said I would put in a good word for him with Mithian and he'd introduce me to his eligible friends."
Merlin's grin got impossibly larger. "That's brilliant."
"Really?"
"Arthur has some really interesting friends. Hmm, let's see. Gwaine is quite the charmer but maybe you'd prefer the more romantic Lance." He plopped himself on her table again. "And don't worry, I'm not going to agree to Mithian's suggestion that we check out The White Mountains this weekend."
"I wasn't serious anyway."
Eyebrows raised, Merlin said, "I think Arthur is pretty serious about Mithian. He thinks she's the answer to - oh, Arthur's back."
Immediately, Gwen looked up and saw Arthur, his face a blank mask, eyes colder than she'd seen before. Merlin glanced at her as Arthur stomped past them and shut himself in his office. hat
"He's always like this after a serious meeting with his father," murmured Merlin.
Gwen stared at Arthur's office door. In spite of everything, she and her father had a pretty good relationship. She couldn't imagine what it was like to have a father like Uther Pendragon. Clearly it wasn't easy.
"I'm going in," said Merlin after they had been waiting for a while.
Through the door, Gwen heard raised voices and her heart sank. Eventually, after she'd arranged and rearranged her table several times, the two men emerged from Arthur's office. Merlin looked vaguely pleased and the anger that was all over Arthur's face earlier had softened into unhappiness.
"Arthur's buying dinner. Want to join us?" Merlin chirped happily, his eyes suggesting she'd better agree. Beside him, Arthur said nothing.
Picking her bag up, she nodded and followed them out of the building.
By the time dessert arrived, Arthur's mood had improved considerably and he and Merlin were embroiled in an argument over which one of them was better at cooking. Gwen had already been deemed the winner (despite her pointing out that she was really only good at baking) and the two of them were fighting for second place.
"This cake is divine," sighed Gwen during a rare lull in Arthur's and Merlin's squabble. Then she looked up to see Arthur staring at her with a strange look on his face. She grinned and licked her spoon, then squeaked when Arthur knocked over the salt bottle.
"Sorry!" Arthur grabbed a napkin and swept up the salt. When she reached over to help, her hand brushed against his and he snatched it away as if he had been burned. She looked up at him but he turned away.
Merlin didn't even notice. "This is silly. Why are we arguing over cooking with words? We should actually demonstrate our cooking abilities."
"What? Like a cooking competition?" Arthur tossed the napkin on the table and shifted his chair away from her. "Because I am game if you are."
"Brilliant. Sunday. Your kitchen. Gwen will judge." Merlin looked at her and she nodded. If nothing, she would at least get a free meal out of it.
Frowning, Arthur shook his head. "That's completely unfair."
Brushing aside that strange moment, Gwen put on a look of mock outrage. "Are you suggesting that I cannot be trusted to be unbiased?"
"I remember someone saying she'll take a win anyway she can get it. This does not give me much faith in your morals." Gwen gasped. "And, you've been Merlin's friend forever. I think I am at a disadvantage."
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
Arthur looked at her and was about to say something when Merlin interrupted. "Fine. You look for someone unbiased to judge then. I'm confident that I will triumph no matter what."
"You know, I have just the person in mind," Arthur replied, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Just the person."
"Who?"
Arthur raised an imperious eyebrow at Merlin. "You'll just have to wait to find out." He paused, then said in a much quieter voice. "Thank you for tonight."
"I wouldn't mind a raise. You know, as a show of gratitude."
"Shut up Merlin."
Arthur dropped Merlin off first, leaving them both alone in his car together. For most part, they chatted lightly about inconsequentials things like how it was ridiculous that Uther thought Monday morning meetings were a boost to productivity.
"So, any cooking tips?"
"I thought you were confident of winning," Gwen laughed lightly. "You have cooked before right?" He didn't respond and she looked over at him, sighing when she saw a hint of a smile on his face. "You have never cooked?"
"I've made the odd sandwich," Arthur muttered mutinously.
The smile on her face widened and she bit her lip to stop the laughter that was bubbling up in her at his expression of defiance and uncertainty.
He cleared his throat. "I also watch Chef King."
Gwen couldn't contain her laughter anymore, unable to get the image of Arthur lazing in front of the television, with a bag of chips, engrossed in the antics of the contestants on Chef King out of her mind. "Chef King? Really? The show whose biggest draw on Tuesday was - oh my god, I remember now. You rushed home from work on Tuesday because you wanted to watch the food fight."
His mouth twitched but he stared straight ahead and said nothing. She poked his side. "Come on Arthur. Admit you're a fan of a cheesy, trashy reality show."
"It's a serious cooking competition. And stop poking me. I'm driving."
"So," Gwen smirked, "you're Arthur Pendragon, son of the most powerful guy in town, alumni of the country's best university and a successful lawyer but your idea of fun is romantic comedies and reality shows."
"It's not like I watch Leather and Cuffs: Home with Cenred."
Gwen laughed some more. "Does Merlin know about this?"
Pulling to a stop outside her apartment block, Arthur killed the engine then turned to stare at her. "What do you think? He's nosey as hell. Of course he knows. In fact, he loves Rebuild My Life. You should ask him about it."
"Did you two bond over your love for reality shows? I've always known of Merlin's predilection for reality TV but you -" She chuckled.
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "What is so funny?"
"It just doesn't fit my image of you."
Shifting in his seat so he was facing her, Arthur cocked his head, curiosity in his eyes. "Your image of me? What exactly is your image of me?"
"Look, thanks for the lift home -" Gwen pushed open the door and moved to leave.
Swiftly, Arthur put his hand on her arm and she froze at the feel of his skin against hers. "Nope. You don't get off so easily. Tell me what your image of me is." When she looked back at him, he flashed her a grin, one of those that made her shiver inside.
"Um, you're smart and ambitious." There was no way in hell she was going to be honest with him, not when his hand was on her arm and he was staring at her with those eyes.
His finger touched her chin and he smiled. "Liar," he whispered.
She swallowed, unable to stop looking at him. "I also thought you were out of touch with the ordinary people -"
"- arrogant and insufferable and selfish -"
"You remember."
"When I hired you, I didn't quite expect to be put in my place on your first day of work."
"If it helps, I don't think that anymore." Finally she found the strength to move away from his light touch. "It's late and -"
"Guinevere. Hey." Again he touched her. "As much as I am loathe to admit it, I deserved that."
"You did."
It was that smile again and if he kept it up, she was going to be a puddle of goo on his seat. "Mmm. Let me walk you to your door."
At her door, he smiled and brushed a kiss against her cheek. For the rest of the night, she imagined she could still feel the touch of his lips. Sighing, she punched her pillow then hoped desperately that whichever guy Arthur was planning to hook her up with would be able to distract her from her hopeless crush.
Morgana continued to play cat and mouse with them and Arthur was frustrated. Meetings were set up, then abandoned and all attempts by him or Merlin to contact her proved futile. Not unsurprisingly, Mordred was becoming more and more tetchy about the whole situation and while Arthur didn't particularly enjoy being yelled at, Mordred's current attitude of icy refusal to engage worried him even more.
He slammed the folder close and swore under his breath. He needed air. Picking up the phone, he called Merlin, his bad mood deepening when it was clear that Merlin was not in his office. It didn't matter. A cup of coffee at the cafe round the corner would clear his mind.
"Guinevere!" As usual, she was buried in files and he smiled at the sight. There was something comforting about being able to leave his office and see her there.
"Mr Pendragon?" She looked up from the files, slightly ruffled. "What can I do for you?"
"It's Arthur. How about giving me some company? I've just got off the phone with Morgana's PA and I need a break."
"Umm -" She looked like she was about to turn him down and for some reason, it was suddenly important that she join him.
"Come on. You've been working hard too. Let me buy you a coffee." She still looked unconvinced, chewing on her lip as she looked up at him. Something clenched in him and he cleared his throat. "Don't make me order you."
Guinevere sighed, then dropped her pen onto the table, grabbed her purse and stood up. Although she rolled her eyes at him, he could see the slight smile that she was trying to hold back. Pleasure curled in him. "Lead the way."
As expected, the little cafe was buzzing with people and it took them awhile before they could secure two seats at the corner. He quickly grabbed a coffee and a tea from the counter then settled down next to Guinevere. "Don't all these people have to work?"
"Maybe their bosses are lazy and made them take time off work to hang out at a cafe." She returned his answering grin. "You realise it's the second time you've pulled me out of work."
"Don't you think that makes me a great boss?"
"I think that makes you a lazy boss. I'm going to have to put in overtime to finish my work now."
"You wound me with your words. But seriously, thank you. It wouldn't do me much good to sit here alone, brooding."
"Do you want to talk about it?" She shifted and looked at him with those earnest, warm eyes. Who wouldn't want to confide in her?
He hadn't meant to but he told her of the frustration of dealing with Morgana, how it brought back memories of her scheming when she was still a part of the family, how his father was still breathing down his neck, issuing threats Arthur was no longer sure were empty and how Mordred was becoming less and less cooperative. "Basically, the whole case is falling apart and I feel completely helpless. I shouldn't have taken this on in the first place. My father was right -"
Guinevere's hand covered his and he stilled at her touch. "No. Your father cared only about the reputation of the firm. That's why he didn't want you to take on the case. You took it because you cared about justice and about Mordred."
"I took it because I wanted to thumb my nose at my father," he muttered, wondering why the disappointment that he wasn't truly how Guinevere described him was so keen.
Her hand tightened. "No, you took it because despite all your bluster, you're a good man deep inside and you give me hope."
"Hope?"
Guinevere snatched away her hand and Arthur, with much amusement, caught sight of a faint blush staining her cheeks. "Nothing. I spoke without thinking."
"Well, I think you need to tell me how I give you hope."
Her eyes focused on the tea in front of her, Guinevere said nothing for a while and Arthur was all ready to change the topic when she suddenly spoke again. "Because you're not your father. Your father practically destroyed my family. And for a long time, I believed that you and Morgana were no different."
This time, it was Arthur who placed his hand on her. "And that is why you left Camelot?"
"Yes. My brother was young, reckless, foolish but your father insisted on prosecuting him after he and his friends vandalised the monument he sponsored -"
"The one at the park we went to."
She nodded. "He let the others off, but insisted my brother was the ringleader."
"I remember that." He'd spoken to his father about it then, incensed that Elyan was the only one from the whole gang to be punished, harshly too, but his father refused to be budged. "I'm sorry my father was - is - such an ass." Looking at Guinevere's solemn expression, he resisted the urge to gather her into a hug and promise her he would make it better. He hadn't been able to make it better then, had he?
Her eyes flickered up to his. "I know you tried. Elyan told me."
"And yet you think I was like my father?" He smiled, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
A smile graced her face. "That's my point. You're not like your father and your name has influence in this town. So this give me hope. Anyway," she sat up straight. "I think talking too much about you means giving you a big head, so how about we think about what can be done to salvage the Mordred case? I mean, I may not have much legal knowledge but maybe I can offer a different perspective."
"Why not? But before that, how about sharing a cheesecake?"
By the time the two of them made it back to the office where a disgruntled looking Merlin greeted them, Arthur had a genesis of a plan in his mind.
"What is with you and Gwen?"
"What? Nothing. We just needed a change in environment." Merlin's raised eyebrow suggested that he didn't quite believe Arthur but Arthur merely brushed him off. He had ideas to share. "Anyway, I've come up with a plan - don't know why I've never thought of it before but we're going to bluff Mercia Constructions."
Merlin raised an eyebrow.
Arthur continued, ignoring Merlin's look. "So, they don't know that we don't have any evidence yet from Morgana. What we will do is put out some hints that we do actually have evidence and press them into a deal."
"They are hardly amateurs. They will call your bluff and then what will you do?"
"True. But as far as I can tell, they don't even know we are talking to Morgana so I think the fact that we have been in contact with them will make Mercia Construction wary. Right now, I just want to get the best deal possible for Mordred."
"Good luck telling Mordred that."
The good mood he was in after coffee seeped out of him. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. Guinevere had had such faith in him that he'd been swept along and actually believed that he would be able to salvage this mess of a case. His father was right. He should never have taken this up.
"Look Arthur, it won't hurt to try it," said Merlin. "But you just have to manage Mordred."
"How about you -"
Merlin raised his hands and took a step back. "Nope. You know we don't get along. Anyway, on to more important things." Arthur could hear the amusement in Merlin's voice and he braced himself for bad news "Don't forget! Tomorrow, 3pm at Guinevere's place. Bring your judge!"
He had completely forgotten. Luckily he was charming and resourceful and smart because with a single phone call, he easily snagged himself a judge for the cooking competition.