A.N: Here it is... the moment I think you all were waiting for... I really hope it lives up to your expectations. I also come with gifts... as you already know, we have the trailer that has been on Youtube for the last couple weeks. Now, my good friend Jessica has created a poster for the fic. It's lovely. She's also created a manip that may or may not have inspired one of the scenes in this chapter (*Hint* It was the last scene). The link to that is on my main page. I hope you enjoy. And as always, reviews are welcome. Both good and bad. Constructive is always best. Thank you again to everyone who has expressed such interest in this story. I'm really enjoying writing it. I'm finding it so easy to do so. I'm still so in love with these characters. And being able to give my own spin on the characters we know and love is a lot of fun. So thank you again for reading it and for all your kind words. You are amazing! :)
Arthur shuffled into the theater room early the next morning. He'd been told by the old man to be there on time or he'd make sure to report him. Arthur scowled, dropping his backpack on the floor next to him and falling back comfortably into one of the empty chairs. He crossed his arms and tossed his head back, closing his eyes hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep.
Someone clearing their throat made him snap his head toward the door.
"Who are you?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow toward the gangly young man who'd just walked into the room. He stretched a hand in the form of a greeting. "I'm Arthur… Gaius said to be here before my classes. I'm supposed to meet with-"
"Me and Gwen!" Merlin interrupted him with a nod. "I'm Merlin. Uncle Gaius won't be joining us and Gwen just phoned to say she's running late."
Arthur looked down at his watch. "Do you know how late? Because I've got a class to get to-"
"Well, we can probably reschedule…"
"Yes! Great! That'd be perfect." Arthur grinned lifting his bag from the floor and turned toward the door. "Just let me know when-"
"Of course, I'd have to tell my uncle that you couldn't stay and then he's going to have to let the Chancellor know who's probably not going to have any trouble calling the detectives handling your case."
Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed before turning back toward him grumbling, "I guess I could get a note."
"A note? What is this? Primaries?"
"I really can't miss this class-"
"I'm here! I'm here! Sorry, I'm late!"
Arthur turned toward the voice that just interrupted him and narrowed his eyes. "You!"
Gwen was taken aback by his reaction. "Sorry, have we met?"
"No, of course not… Princess…"
"Excuse me?" Gwen asked with confusion.
Merlin glanced between his best friend and this new person suddenly dropped into their circle. "Uh…. Time out." He stepped in between the two people currently glaring at each other. "How exactly have you and Gwen met?"
"We've never officially met." Arthur glanced from Gwen to Merlin. "She just almost ran me down twice in one day."
"I did?"
Arthur nodded. "Once was your driver." He shrugged. "Not that it matters. Your kind doesn't exactly notice the rest of us mere mortals… can we get started? I have somewhere else I need to be."
He dropped down in the same chair as before and leaned forwarded clasping his hands together.
"Um…" Gwen turned toward Merlin.
"Arthur is the artist who will be helping us with the musical." Merlin started. "Uncle Gaius… hired him…"
Arthur scoffed.
"He's volunteering…" Merlin clarified trying to be evasive.
"I'm just here because-"
"Because you wanna do something good for your uni…" Merlin cut him off with a glare.
"Well, okay…" Gwen shrugged. "Do you have something you can show us? Something you've designed?"
Arthur sat up with annoyance and leaned over to pull out a sketchpad from his backpack. "I've never designed a set before… but I'm decent at drawing sketches. Just tell me what you need me to draw and I can probably build it."
He handed Merlin the thin book completely ignoring Gwen. Merlin gasped when he opened the cover.
"Wow, Arthur… these are really good…" he showed Gwen who tried to hide a smile.
"They are."
"I do alright." Arthur crossed his arms. "It might be a little different what you want me to do for you though."
"I'm sure you can pull it off." Merlin grinned. "Gwen's the visionary here. She wrote the manuscript. I'm just writing the music to accompany it. She'll have to explain to you what exactly we need."
Gwen looked up from her hands and almost gasped at the intense blue eyes staring back at her with the most annoyed look she'd ever seen directed at her. "Well, um…" she cleared her throat. "It takes place in the thirties… 1930's London to be precise. It's going to be about a jazz band dealing with the prejudices that came along with performing in predominantly white clubs and hotels. I was thinking our set design could be simple but grand… just elegant… and then maybe you can draw a backdrop of the city of London in the 1930's for outdoor scenes." She leaned forward and pulled out pictures she'd found using the internet. "Here are some examples…" she tried handing them to him.
He went to take them from her when their hands touched. This time she did gasp before pulling back her hand as if she'd been electro shocked. "Sorry", he mumbled.
She shook her head and whispered, "It's fine."
Merlin eyed the exchange with a hidden smile and cleared his throat. "So… do you think you'll be alright?"
"I should be." Arthur nodded. "When does it have to be done?"
"The show is in May. Just before classes let out."
"I thought it was the Spring Musical."
Merlin nodded. "It's usually in April. This year we got a bit of a late start so it's been pushed back two weeks. It gives you more time to work at least."
Arthur nodded and reached for his sketchpad. "Yeah… thanks." He put the pictures in his backpack along with the sketchpad. "I'll get started on drawing some designs. I'm assuming you'll want to see them before I get started?"
"If it's not too much trouble?" Gwen asked with a soft smile.
"I suppose it's not." Arthur shrugged before standing. "Are we done here?"
"Yeah…" Merlin nodded. "We'll see you, Arthur."
He nodded before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.
Merlin turned toward Gwen. "What the hell was that?"
"What?" she asked innocently.
"You gasped!"
"He shocked me!"
"I know he's good looking but my God Gwen… have some control."
"No… I mean he literally shocked me." She rolled her eyes.
"Of course he did." Merlin winked before standing and stretching. "Was that bit about James almost running him down true?"
"I don't know…" Gwen sighed. "I didn't make a good first impression, did I?"
"You were fine, love." Merlin shook his head wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "He just has a huge stick up his arse."
"I wonder why that is…" Gwen mused. "He seemed… angry to be here… annoyed even."
"I'm sure once he gets to know you and me… he'll have a different opinion of this arrangement." Merlin shrugged.
"If he doesn't want to be here, then why is he?" she asked.
"I think… that's something he should tell you. I don't want to spread gossip." Merlin said with a soft smile.
Gwen rolled her eyes. "You are such a liar, Emrys."
He laughed. "They're not my secrets to tell, Gwen… maybe once the two of you spend more time together, you'll become honest friends and he'll tell you."
"And how do you know? The reason he's here, I mean."
"Isn't it obvious?" Merlin asked. "Uncle Gaius told me."
Gwen shook her head and pushed him off.
Arthur glanced over his shoulder and leaned against the wall with a cringe.
"You don't look so good, mate."
He turned toward the voice and frowned. "What happened? Who snitched?"
Gwaine shook his head with a shrug. "I'm not sure. Heard you were taken though. Did you give them anything?"
"You mean did I rat you out?" Arthur shook his head. "No… and as punishment the fine detectives of our wonderful community have decided I need to give back."
Gwaine eyed him with confusion.
"They made me volunteer to build some sets for the uni's musical."
"You're going to be spending time with the theater freaks, then?" Gwaine said with a laugh.
"I met two of them and they're not…" Arthur stopped himself. "They seemed… normal."
"They're freaks." Gwaine shook his head. "Don't get close to that crowd, mate. It's not good for your… reputation."
"And getting arrested was?"
"At least that gives you… what do the American folk call it… street cred?" Gwaine smirked.
"Thanks." Arthur mumbled. "Are you scheduling anymore fights?"
"You're still healing from the last beating… maybe you should take this time off-"
"If I could afford it, I probably would." Arthur cut him off.
"Very well then… I've got something in the works. I'll phone you when I have the details."
"I need something fast." Arthur reminded him.
"I'll keep in touch." Gwaine said with a slight nod. "But it's best if you don't seek me out anymore… I'll find you. They may be watching your every move for now."
Arthur agreed. "Alright then… and you need to be careful. You may have a mole inside your organization."
"I'm already looking into that."
"What's going to happen? You know when you find the person…"
"The rat?" Gwaine asked. "An eye for an eye… they'll learn their lesson."
Arthur shuddered watching as he walked away.
She walked into the lunch pavilion and found him hunched over something on one of the benches. As she got closer she realized it was the sketchpad she'd seen that morning. She took a deep breath and walked up to him.
"Hi." She greeted softly. "Arthur? Right?"
He looked up and frowned turning back to his sketchpad. "Yeah, that's right."
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
He looked around him. "I don't own this bench."
She bit her lip, placing her tray down. "I'm sorry…"
He looked up with confusion.
"That I've offended you." She finished.
"Listen, Guinevere-"
"Gwen…"
"Guinevere…" he repeated. "My voluntary work is only supposed to last a few weeks and then we'll never have to see each other again. I'm not trying to make any new friends."
She looked around them. "It looks like you could use some…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Friends… I mean…" she answered his silent question. He glowered and she sighed. "I'm sorry. I just-"
"Why are you here?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why are you here talking to me, I mean? Aren't your friends waiting for you?" he asked exasperated.
"Um…" she cleared her throat. "I was just trying to be friendly."
"I didn't ask you to."
"Most people don't need to be asked… I thought I was being nice."
He sighed. "You are. I'm just wondering why that is? Guilt? Pity? Is that it? You pity me?"
"No!" she sat back. "I don't even know you… I-"
"Exactly!" he pointed with the charcoal pencil in his hand. "You don't know me… so why are you here? Am I your next charitable cause? Because I honestly don't want any part in it…"
She shook her head with a scoff before standing. "I'm sorry I was such a burden. I was trying to be your friend. We're going to be working together fairly closely in the coming weeks. I thought it would be a good idea if we could at the very least tolerate one another. But seeing that you have me all figured out in that narrow mind of yours… well…. Goodbye, Arthur. I will see you in rehearsal."
He watched her walk away and sighed. He looked down and noticed she'd left her lunch in her haste to leave. With a groan, he stood shoving his sketchpad in his backpack and picking up her tray to follow her. He found her sitting at another bench surrounded by three other girls. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the small group. She still hadn't noticed him when one of her friends with dark hair hit her arm and signaled toward him.
Her eyes widened in confusion.
"You forgot your lunch…" he tripped over his own words. "I… I figured you'd want it… I didn't do anything to it… just delivering it…. Um… here…"
He placed it down in front of her.
"Bye…" he said turning around and walking away from her quickly.
Gwen jumped out of her seat, ignoring the confused glances her friends were giving her and ran up to him. "Arthur…" She touched his hand and shuddered at the electrical current that surged through her. He turned toward her, looking down at their joint hands in confusion. She let go of him quickly. "Sorry…" she mumbled.
"It's alright." He gave a small smile.
"I just wanted to say… thank you…" she smiled in return.
"It's nothing." He shrugged turning away from her once again and walked away.
She watched him as his retreating figure disappeared among the crowd.
"Who was that?" Mithian asked when she'd reached her. "He was gorgeous."
"That's the artist I was telling you about." Gwen turned toward her friend and frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing… just… I thought he didn't want…"
"Didn't want what?" Mithian asked.
"Friends…" Gwen finished.
"Oh Gwennie…" Mithian smiled. "You and I both know that wanting friends and needing them are two different things… and that boy… could definitely use a friend like you."
