Renaissancebooklover108: Hehe, thanks I'm glad you liked the letter and there's more adorable Merlin in this chapter.

Sakhr al-Jinni: This chapter is longer than the last, but I hope the quality is still there. And I will definitely have fun on my holiday, thank you!

MICKEY.G.B: Haha, I'm glad you liked that bit! Here is the beach chapter you've been waiting for.

Grayemeber13: I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for your reviews!

Dawn Ruthless: I love reading your reviews because they always bring a smile to my face. I'm happy you like the Merlin/Morgana relationship, there's more of the fluff this chapter.

Sjritts: Arthur's letter was great fun to write. Hope you like this chapter!

IcarusLSU: Thank you for your review!

Gespav: Thanks for reassuring me on the length. There is quite a bit of romance in this chapter, especially at the end. I hope their first date lives up to your expectations!

Thanks for your reviews, lovely readers!

"Are we nearly there yet?" Morgana whines childishly, winding her window up and down for a source of entertainment.

"I can't make the beach any closer," Merlin says, not really answering her question.

Morgana stops playing with the window and turns to face him with a charming smile. "But you can make the car go faster."

He rolls his eyes at her suggestion. "Are you saying I should break the speed limit just because you're impatient?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that you could use old Humperdink here to his full potential."

"I prefer slow and steady and so does Englebert," Merlin states, putting on a posh, snooty voice.

"Yeah, but that's because you're boring," Morgana says bluntly, going back to the window.

"I'm not boring, I'm sensible. Which is hardly a bad thing when I'm around you," Merlin explains, resulting in Morgana hitting his knee-cap with her fist. "Remind me how you got fired from your last job again?"

"Oh, shut up. You're just jealous that you didn't get one of the copies of my backside."

"I don't need a blurry photocopy when I can see it in 3D and high-definition whenever I want to." Merlin smirks at her shocked reaction.

"I take back what I said about you being cute and innocent," Morgana says in annoyance, propping her feet up on the dashboard and admiring her flip-flops. "All of the sexual frustration has gone to your head."

"Not for much longer," Merlin says cryptically, trying not to laugh at Morgana's puzzled expression.

"What's that supposed to mean? How many days do we have left? What have you been planning? Merlin!"

"Ow! Stop hitting me!" He rubs his reddened knee after Morgana hits it for the second time.

"Answer my questions, then!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We're here now!" Merlin exclaims happily, thankful for the change in conversation.

"I'll get it out of you later." Morgana jumps out of the car and stretches her legs out. "What should we do first?"

"Walk?" Merlin extends an arm for Morgana to take and they step on to the pebbly beach. "There's a chip shop near the end of the beach if you want to get some."

"Share or get a bag each?"

"I am not sharing chips with you again. Not after last time when you put about a litre of vinegar on them and didn't tell me," Merlin says, pulling a face.

"It enhances the experience!" Morgana insists.

"My cheeks felt like they were being sucked in by a black hole!"

"Oh, stop complaining. You're such a big girl, Merlin," Morgana insults him, which she seemed to be doing a lot of lately. She couldn't be nice to him all of the time, that would just be weird.

Merlin steers her backwards towards the sea. "We'll see who the 'big girl' is."

Her heels come into contact with the cool water and Morgana sends him a wary look.

"Don't you da-"

He pushes her back into the waist-deep salty water and Morgana screams at him. She lands on her bottom and stays there for a few seconds, defeated, before turning to Merlin, who was laughing like

a madman, with a murderous look in her eyes.

She stands and walks from the water like it's nothing. They both know it isn't.

" Do you know how much I love you, Merlin?" She goes up and hugs him tightly before he can get away, transferring some of the cold water onto him, too. "This much."

"You are very kind, Morgana. Thank you," Merlin says sarcastically, through gritted teeth.

"But I think I could be kinder, don't you? We should treat each other the same way. So why don't you just step in to the water so I can take a photo of how much fun you're having on our date," Morgana smirks.

"You don't have a camera," Merlin points out.

Morgana glares at him. "It's a pretend one. I get the feeling that I'm going to remember this image for a long time, camera or not."

Merlin sighs, giving in. Morgana was extremely stubborn when she wanted to be, so he could either do this himself or she'd push him in anyway. "Can I take my t-shirt off first?"

"Nope."

"Not even my trainers?" He tries, not feeling very hopeful at all.

"Definitely not. I didn't get the chance to take any of my clothes off, so neither do you," Morgana tells him, looking very pleased with herself.

"What do I have to do?"

"Go and stand in the water – just the shallow bit," Morgana instructs him. "Okay, now turn so that you're facing me. Start walking backwards - slowly. Perfect."

"I'm so glad that practically everyone else has gone home."

"Why?" Morgana teases him. "Do you find it embarrassing to be seen under the control of a woman?"

"Not at all. It's quite nice, actually. Perhaps we could use it in the bedroom..."

"Merlin!" She runs forwards and smacks into him on purpose, sending them both splashing down into the sea, with Morgana accidentally gulping back some of the horribly salty water.

She surfaces first, coughing and spluttering and looking for Merlin. She feels around under the waves for him, but there is nothing apart from strands of slimy seaweed and some shells. She starts to worry after a few minutes pass, but when a cold, slippery hand wraps around her ankle and topples her over again, she forgets about it.

Eventually, they both re-emerge from the water, soaked to the core and shivering slightly.

"You made me swallow some of the sea water!" Morgana yells at him, but Merlin just laughs.

"I didn't make you do anything! You attacked me!"

"And you got my clothes all wet," she continues, trying to wring out her shirt.

"Now you've got a reason to take them off and just wear that swimwear you put on underneath."

"If you want." Morgana pulls off her t-shirt and shorts and hands them to Merlin, revealing a sheer red bikini and a lot of curves and creamy skin. Merlin stands there like a goldfish until Morgana snaps her fingers in front of his face.

"Sorry," Merlin says, still dumbstruck.

"I can put them back one if you want...?" Morgana leaves the question open, knowing full well what the answer will be.

"No! Don't do that!" Merlin says, a little too quickly.

"I wasn't going to, anyway," Morgana reassures him smugly. "Now what?"

"Food?" Merlin suggests and Morgana nods eagerly.

"Race you there!"

XXX

Merlin wins. Morgana says it's because she's wearing flip-flops and he's wearing trainers. Merlin says it's because she's unfit and Hunith could run faster than her while wearing her nightie and slippers.

They end up sharing the chips, too. They separate the bag in two with the little wooden forks so that Morgana can have all the vinegar she wants without it 'spreading like the bubonic plague' over to Merlin's side.

"I just don't understand how you can eat that," Merlin says in admiration and disgust, staring at the vinegar river that was running over Morgana's chips. "It's foul."

"It's nice! Try one!" Morgana flings a soggy chip at him and it splats against his cheek.

Merlin shrieks and sprints down towards the water's edge. "I've been contaminated!" He shouts, washing his face off with sea water.

"People are looking at you like you need to be in a straitjacket," Morgana calls down to him, which wasn't really true. There was only the man who sold them the chips and a few younger men who were diving and doing flips off of the rocks.

Merlin comes back without her noticing, because she is too engrossed in watching the men doing 'ocean gymnastics', as she was now going to call it.

He sits down next to her on the pebbles and nudges Morgana with his bony elbow. "Checking out the eye candy, are we?"

"Don't be stupid. It's just interesting to watch."

"Interesting to watch tanned guys with six-packs. Yeah, I bet."

"Well, I prefer men without them. It makes me feel thinner," Morgana says without hesitation. "And besides, a six-pack can't necessarily get your through a miscarriage, can it?"

"No," Merlin says, starting to see reason in what she says.

"But you can." Her voice is soft when she speaks and he knows that she means it, that she has an absolute trust in him.

He lies back on the small stones, which isn't very comfortable but he's willing to put up with it so that Morgana can rest her head on his stomach. "You think about that a lot, don't you?"

She pauses. "Yes."

"Does it still upset you?"

"A bit. I try not to think about it, about what might have happened. I don't like thinking about regrets and consequences."

"Don't think about the past or the future, then. Just the present. Like, are you enjoying our date so far?"

Morgana smiles into his t-shirt. "I am enjoying it very much. Apart from the fact that my hair is bushy from the sea water, my clothes are wet and I'm getting sleepy."

"Can you stay awake for about 20 minutes longer?"

Morgana sits up slowly and nods. "Mm. Reluctantly."

"Come on, then." He pulls her up and walks her in the complete opposite direction of the car park.

"Car park's that way, Merlin." She points behind him. "I may be tired, but I'm not stupid."

"I never said anything of the sort. And I know exactly where I'm going, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying."

"Good, I don't want you to worry. We're here now." He stops outside a small, red beach hut and reaches down under the door mat, bringing up a key. He sees Morgana's confused face and explains. "I booked it for the night."

"Why?"

He chuckles quietly, pulling her close and kissing her gently. "Guess what today is?"

"Wednesday?"

"No," he laughs. "Today means that we've managed the last three months and now we can-"

"Did you bring-"

"Yes. I felt really embarrassed when I was buying them. I kept looking over my shoulder expecting to see my mother, even though she's back in Australia. The woman who served me must have thought I was a right weirdo."

Morgana shakes her head at him, grinning. "You're so awkward, Merlin."

"I can't help it. I'm not very good at the whole sex thing."

"You'll get better. Just give it a bit more oomph."

Merlin sighs. "Define 'oomph'."

"You know, give it a bit of," she pushes her hips against his, smirking. "Now are we going to go inside or are we going to stay out here all night?" With both of them giggling and now feeling very awake, he pulls the door open and ushers them both inside.

Aw, this was a cute little chapter to write, so I hope you enjoyed reading it.

As much as I would have loved to write a passionate love scene for this chapter, I can't write them to save my life. Even if I did try and write one I'd be scared to put it out here in fear of a bad reaction.

Don't have too much too say about this chapter – only that it was just another fluffy one before some more plot development. I hope I wrote the date well and it was good enough for a first one.

I go on holiday on Friday to Tenerife for a week and hopefully I won't get too sunburnt. Also it's now the summer holidays for me, so that means six weeks off and hopefully more frequent updates, which you may be happy to know.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review to tell me your thoughts! I'll see you when I get back! :)