A.N: I have no excuse for taking so long to update... life's gotten in the way and I'm gearing up for a vacation... this girl's heading to San Diego for a week for the Con! Woot! So I probably won't update again until I return... Sigh... Sorry about that. But somehow you all have stuck by me... and I couldn't be more grateful. You're still enjoying this story and encouraging me to write. I'm glad. We've entered Phase II of this story... And Arthur's not good at relationships. Gwen isn't either, but Arthur's the worst! You'll see that in this chapter. There's still plenty of drama to go around. Plus, I'm gearing up to introduce Uther Pendragon... what? Did you really think I'd write a fic and not include Uther? Seriously? That's going to be fun to write. Given his history with Tom. As always... read and review... your motivating words is what keeps me writing! I love you all! ;-)
Chapter 12
"Careful…"
Arthur groaned holding his side as he slowly walked into Merlin's home. "I'm not some fragile girl, MERlin…. Stop treating me like I am…"
"I just don't want you ripping into your stitching because then Gwen will rip my head off."
Arthur shook his head in amusement.
"It's not funny…" Merlin whined. "That girlfriend of yours is mad..."
"Are you afraid of your best friend now?"
"I just never seen this side of her is all…" Merlin shrugged. "Did you see how she talked to those detectives?"
"I was there…"
"Exactly!" Merlin said closing the door. "Uncle Gaius… we're back from Arthur's flat…"
"I still think I should stay in my own flat…" Arthur frowned. "You don't have to keep an eye on me…"
"Arthur, your flat is still a crime scene…" Merlin shrugged. "Plus, Mr. Leodagrance wants you out of trouble and you're safer here."
"I don't know why I need a lawyer… I didn't do anything… I'm the victim here."
"And Tom is going to prove that. Just give him time." Gaius walked into the room and smiled tightly. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"
"No, sir…" Arthur shook his head. "I do have a slight headache from an annoying chirping sound that continues to follow me around though… do you have anything to remedy that?"
"I've been trying to come up with a Merlin Repellant for years…" Gaius laughed.
"Very funny…" Merlin rolled his eyes. "Gwen should be stopping by with her father soon… he wants to go over your case."
"I still can't believe he agreed to help me…" Arthur said with a groan as he sat on a nearby couch.
"Gwen can be very persuasive," Gaius grinned as he tried to make Arthur more comfortable.
A knock on the door startled them.
"That's Gwen…" Merlin said with a smile. "I'll get the door."
His smile wavered when he swung open the door to find Tristan and Percival on his doorstep instead.
"Mr. Emrys… nice to see you again… Is Mr. Pendragon here?" Tristan greeted. "The officer at his flat said he wouldn't be staying in his own flat for the time being…"
"Uhhh…"
"Chief Inspector…" Tom greeted as he took the steps to Merlin's door two at a time. "Nice to see you… I hope you aren't here to harass my client without his legal counsel present."
"Legal counsel?"
"Mr. Pendragon is my client now… and no officer of the law will speak to him without me being present."
"I apologize, Mr. Leodagrance… I did not know that Mr. Pendragon had hired a lawyer. Only guilty men do such a thing."
"As do wrongfully accused men…" Tom smiled icily revealing a document from his jacket. "A new witness has just turned up that can confirm Mr. Pendragon's alibi for the evening of the alleged fight."
"New witness… who?" Tristan asked tearing into the document.
"My daughter." Tom said with a frown. "Now, if you don't mind, Chief Inspector… I'd like a word with my client… in private."
Tom handed the papers for Percival to read with a knowing smirk. "You're lying… your daughter is lying to protect him and you're allowing her to do it. Why?"
"Believe me, Chief Inspector… I was angrier than you are when I learned about my own daughter's whereabouts. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
Tom walked into Merlin's home and the younger man shrugged before slamming the door closed in Tristan and Percival's faces.
"Now I see where Gwen gets it…" Arthur muttered to himself when Tom walked into the room.
"What was that?" Tom asked.
"Nothing, sir…" Arthur tried to sit up. "Thank you… for…"
"Let's get one thing clear, Pendragon…" Tom scowled. "The only reason I am helping you is for my daughter. I'm not particularly fond of you and your family… I do this for her. Don't forget that."
"Yes, sir…" Arthur nodded.
"Now, I want you to tell me the whole truth…" Tom sat across from him and opened his briefcase to take out a notepad. "How did you meet Gwaine? How did you get involved in fighting? And why the hell did someone beat you to a bloody pulp?"
"I met Gwaine at school…" Arthur frowned. "I needed money and I'm good at fighting…"
"You trained?" Tom looked up from his notepad.
"Yes."
"So did your father…" Tom mumbled.
"You knew my father?"
Tom cleared his throat and continued questioning him for next few minutes. Arthur noticed he didn't answer his question about knowing Uther but he decided to leave it alone for the time being. He could always just ask him later when this was all over.
"I don't have to tell you that there is no fighting allowed, do I?" Tom asked.
Arthur shook his head. "Guinevere already told me to stay away from fighting…"
"Guinevere?" Tom asked. "I'm sorry… her mum was the only one who ever called her that."
"She might have mentioned that…" Arthur smiled softly.
"Why did someone attack you, Arthur?"
Arthur frowned. "I don't know… I'm not even sure it was Gwaine."
Merlin snapped his gaze toward Arthur and frowned.
Tom gave a curt nod before noting something on his legal pad and stood. "I'll be going now… Gaius, as always, thank you for your hospitality…"
"You're always welcome here, Tom."
"Thank you…." He turned on Merlin. "And you… stay out of trouble…"
"Yes, sir…" Merlin saluted with a grin. "Is Gwen coming by later?"
"She may have mentioned it." Tom said with a wink. He turned back around. "She's not allowed to stay over while he's here though…"
Merlin tried to bite back a smirk. "Of course not."
"I'll see you again tomorrow, Arthur," Tom said as he walked toward the door, "the police need to speak to you… no point is keeping them away any longer."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll be by early to pick you up and give you a lift to the station. Goodnight."
Arthur watched him leave and waited for Merlin to close the door before he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"That was intense…" Merlin said turning back toward them.
"You're not kidding…" Arthur grumbled. "He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you…" Merlin frowned. "He's just a little overprotective."
"A little?"
"I'm off to bed." Gaius interrupted their banter. "Merlin, you heard Tom… don't let Gwen stay the night."
"Of course not, Uncle." Merlin said with a smile. "I'll make sure she gets home safe later tonight."
"Goodnight… behave you two."
"G'night!" Merlin waved while Arthur fumbled with his mobile. "Will you stop looking at that thing… she's coming…"
"I know… it's just…" Arthur started before shaking his head and leaning his head back.
"What?"
Arthur lifted his head toward his friend. "Didn't you find it odd how Gwen's dad knew that my father trained?"
Merlin shrugged. "Your dad's pretty well known… maybe that's common knowledge…"
"Maybe…" Arthur muttered before smiling. "I'm sure it's nothing."
"Why did you lie to him? About Gwaine?"
"I don't want Gwen or her father anywhere near Gwaine…"
"But Arthur…"
A knock made Arthur's head snap toward the door with a smile cause Merlin to stop trying to knock sense into him.
"That's definitely got to be Gwen…" Merlin said with a frown walking toward the door. "Thank God you're here…"
"Why? What's wrong?" Gwen asked with widened eyes before stepping in through the door. Her gaze landed on Arthur and she sighed, releasing a breath of relief.
"He's been unbearable…" Merlin rolled his eyes. "He keeps checking his mobile."
She smiled softly, walking toward him. She sat next to him before she leaned in and kissed his cheek lightly. "How are you feeling?"
"Better now that you're here…"
"My dad called as soon as he left… I was already on my way here… he said those detectives were here when he arrived."
"Yeah…" Merlin nodded. "You should have seen your dad! He puts your evil eye to shame, Gwen!"
"Where do you think I got mine?" she smirked.
"Did your dad tell you anything about me?" Arthur asked wrapping an arm around her.
"He just said not to spend the night…" she sighed leaning against him comfortably.
"He warned me too," Arthur said pulling her as close as he could without hurting his side and yawned. "How long can you stay?"
"Not long…" she whispered. "I wanted to come by and see you though…"
"I'm going to give you two sometime alone then…" Merlin said with a knowing smile. "Gwen, we'll take you home when you're ready. Uncle Gaius lent me the car."
"Thanks, Merlin…" she smiled.
Arthur watched his friend disappear around the corner before turning toward him. "Hey… what's wrong?"
"Hmm?" she asked. "Oh nothing… I'm just sleepy…"
"You want to go home?" he asked.
"No…" she smiled softly. "Being here with you in just what I needed…"
"You sure you're alright?" he asked. "You just look live you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders…"
Gwen frowned. She wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know the truth about his father and about why his father was never truly affectionate with him. But she couldn't. She'd made a promise to her own father last night.
"I'm fine…" she lied with a soft smile. "Just hold me…"
"Always…" he wrapped his arms tighter around her and kissed the side of her head before resting his cheek there.
Merlin would have to wake the two of them to remind them that Gwen needed to go home later.
"Gwen was acting weird last night… wasn't she?" Arthur asked Merlin at the kitchen counter the following morning.
"I didn't really spend much time with her…" Merlin shrugged. "Besides… you two fell asleep… how could you tell?"
"She was just more quiet than usual…" Arthur frowned. "More withdrawn…"
"Maybe she was tired…" Merlin turned toward him and leaned against the stove. "It's been a long weekend… With you landing in the hospital Saturday night… it's been non-stop for her…"
"I'm sure I caused a fight between her and her father too…"
"Probably…" Merlin agreed.
"Why does he hate me?"
"I think he just doesn't like the idea of his daughter spending the night with some strange bloke in a park…" Merlin shrugged. "When you have daughters, you'll understand…"
Arthur threw a dirty rag at him and glowered. "Shut up, Merlin."
There was a knock on the door that interrupted the rest of their conversation.
"Looks like your future father-in-law has arrived…" Merlin smirked.
Arthur glared at him before standing to open the door. Tom wasn't playing around when he said he'd arrive early in the morning to give him a lift to the station.
"Good… you're ready…" he walked into the home and frowned. "Are you ready?"
"Yes… let me just get my jumper and we can go."
When Arthur disappeared, Merlin turned toward Tom. "He's really a good bloke, Mr. Leondagrance."
"Really… Merlin… we've known each other long enough for you to call me Tom…"
"Alright Tom, Arthur is a good man… and he loves your daughter… very much…"
Tom smiled. "Already speaking up for him, are you?"
"I am…" Merlin nodded. "You should see them together. It's pretty amazing."
Tom's features softened for a moment before his face hardened again. Arthur was coming out from behind Merlin as he carefully put his arms through the jumper's sleeves.
"I'm ready…" he announced.
Tom cleared his throat. "Thank you, Merlin…"
Merlin gave the older man a curt nod and watched him lead Arthur out the door.
"Anything I should know about today?"
"Only speak when you're spoken to and if I tell you not to answer something, you don't."
Arthur gave him a slow nod. "Sounds simple enough."
"Let's hope so…" Tom grinned before opening the passenger door for him. "After you, Mr. Pendragon."
"Where were you Friday evening?"
Arthur glowered at Tristan. "You know where I was for most of that evening, Chief Inspector."
"What about Saturday then?"
"I was inside my flat… unconscious… I believe you've seen my hospital file…"
"My client's injuries indicated that he'd been unconscious for hours before my daughter, Ms. Leodagrance and Mr. Emrys found him."
"But you have no alibi…"
"Don't answer that, Arthur." Tom glared at Tristan. "Now, you're just baiting my client, Chief Inspector."
"Your client is on probation, Mr. Leodagrance."
"My client's probation ended on Friday night, Chief Inspector." Tom narrowed his eyes. "My client's whereabouts have been accounted for Friday evening through Saturday…"
"Quite. He was with your daughter."
Tom clenched his fist. "That is correct."
Tristan gave him a smug smirk before turning back to Arthur. "Have you encountered Gwaine? Did he have you beaten?"
Arthur turned to Tom before shaking his head. "I did not see my attacker."
"You're lying…"
"Excuse me, Chief Inspector…" Tom interrupted. "But I believe you're not allowed to speak to my client in such a manner. Choose your words more carefully."
"I just find it hard to believe that your client is the victim of such a random attack given his history…"
"Assumptions will not get you anywhere…. Right now, you have nothing against my client that proves he's still involved with any illegal dealings." Tom stood. "And if you harass my client again, I will file counter charges against you, your partner and this entire department. Come, Arthur. We're done here."
Arthur stood abruptly and followed him toward the door. The pair walked out of the station quietly, toward Tom's car. Arthur reached the passenger side door with his hands in his pocket. "Thank you…"
"I did it for my daughter…" Tom said opening the door to his car and waiting for Arthur to slide inside before driving into traffic.
"You should have seen the way he handled them, Guinevere…." Arthur was telling her. "Your father is amazing…"
She grinned proudly. "I knew he could help you."
"I don't think those detectives will be coming by again…" Arthur smiled. "I'm glad. Having them breathe down my neck was getting to be a bit much."
"Arthur…" Gwen leaned further back against the counter in front of him. "Is it over? Are you done? With the fighting, I mean?"
Arthur sighed and walked up to her placing his hands on her waist. He leaned in and nuzzled her nose with his before kissing her softly. "I want to be…"
"Then what is stopping you?" she asked.
"Guinevere…" he shook his head. "You don't understand… Gwaine…"
"Gwaine can shove it up his arse!" she cut him off making him smile slowly. "My father can protect you. You can stay here with Merlin…"
"I can't live off Merlin and Gaius forever… I need my own space."
"We'll find you a new flat." She interjected. "Somewhere near me… or Merlin… wherever… somewhere Gwaine can't find you easily…"
"It's not that simple, Gwen…"
"Then make it simple…" Gwen whispered. "Tell my father how he threatened you… tell him the whole truth… he can help you… hire protection…"
Arthur pushed back a strand of her hair with a slow smile. "Okay…"
"Okay?"
"I'll stop…" he said. "But I'm not involving your father… I'll stay here with Merlin until I can find another place I can afford… I'll try to get a new job… My friend Leon owns a gym… I'm sure he has some work for me."
She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck before pulling him down for a bruising kiss. He returned her kiss with equal fervor and smiled as he pulled away. "I'm happy…"
"Good…" he whispered. "Me too…"
"Thank you, Arthur…" she smiled hugging him tightly. "I'm here for you… however you need me."
He tightened the embrace and laid his head on her shoulder sighing deeply before closing his eyes tightly. "Thank you, Guinevere…"
