Chapter three

Full A/N will be at the end, guys, because I want to explain a couple of things about this chapter once you've read it. enjoy!

'That's it,' said Merlin grimly. 'We've got to get you to hospital.'

Freya didn't even try to protest. She straightened up from the toilet and steadied herself with Merlin's arm, swaying slightly. It had been a week since they had told everyone about the pregnancy- everyone except their parents, of course. The original plan had been to tell Freya's parents the next night, but the next day Freya had been so ill that she couldn't get out of bed, so they had had to cancel, which Merlin was secretly glad about. Hunith was meant to be coming over for dinner tomorrow night, but at this rate, Merlin didn't see that happening either. Freya's morning sickness was only getting worse, with her barely able to leave the bedroom most days except to go to the bathroom. She was losing weight rapidly, which Merlin knew for certain couldn't be good for the baby, and he had finally put his foot down this morning: she was being admitted to hospital. This amount of morning sickness couldn't be normal.

Sure enough, by lunchtime, a doctor had diagnosed her with acute morning sickness. They agreed with Merlin that her weight loss was not good, and decided to keep her on the ward for a few days, so she could be kept under observation and fed through a drip. Thankfully, a scan had shown that the baby was fine, but it was for the best.

Merlin didn't leave the hospital until mid afternoon, and it was to find fifteen missed calls from Arthur. He sighed and rang him back. Arthur picked up after three rings.

'Where the hell are you?' was the greeting he received. 'Father made me sit through the entire table read of this new film- you know, the one where Gwaine got my part. You know how many lines I have? Six. Six lines, and I had to sit there for three hours next to Gwaine, who I think you need to have a word with, actually, because he must be smoking about twenty a day now, and it stinks. And -'

'I'll have words with Gwaine,' Merlin sighed, running a hand through his hair. 'Is he still at Camelot?'

'Yeah, we're all having lunch together, although he's just gone out for a smoke. Get here soon, won't you, I need someone to insult.' The line went dead, and Merlin sighed again.

He arrived at Camelot Studios twenty minutes later and after signing in, went through to the cafeteria, where Arthur, Gwaine, Leon, Morgana and Percival were sat in the corner, eating lunch. Merlin pulled up a chair next to Gwaine and wrinkled his nose very obviously.

'Was someone smoking?' he asked the group at large, and everyone looked at Gwaine, who grinned sheepishly.

'Sorry,' he said, although he didn't sound sorry at all. 'Long day.'

'Right,' said Merlin, nodding. 'Yes, that does sound like a good enough reason to deliberately put poison in your lungs.'

'Oh come on, don't give me all that health crap,' said Gwaine a little crossly. 'That's not what I need.'

'What do you need?' Merlin retorted. 'To fill yourself with more tar? More poison? Yeah, great idea, Gwaine. And of course, apart from the poisoning, there are so many health benefits of smoking, aren't there? In fact, Arthur, I'm sorry for making you quit the other year. You should be poisoning yourself, too, I mean it's so good for you! Isn't that right, Gwaine?'

'For God's sake, Merlin, shut up,' Gwaine muttered, brushing his hair out of his eyes. 'I don't know what you're trying to do, but-'

'I'm trying to make you see sense,' Merlin exclaimed. 'And I'm trying to work out why you thought smoking would be a good idea in the first place.'

'Because it helps me cope with arrogant twats like you who think they're so perfect and above everyone else just because they're "healthy".'

The table went very quiet. Arthur, Leon, Morgana and Percival were all staring between Merlin and Gwaine. Merlin's expression was closed, but his knuckles were white. Gwaine was glaring at Merlin, who stood up. 'I'd better start getting some work done,' he said quietly, and left the canteen. Gwaine looked round at the rest of them.

'Anyone else want to tell me how to live?' he said loudly. Several people looked over. 'Good,' he continued. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

And he followed Merlin's example and left the room. Everyone stared after him.

'What just happened?' asked Leon in a low voice.

'No idea,' said Morgana, frowning. Merlin and Gwaine had always got on so well, ever since they had first met.

'I'll go and see Gwaine,' said Percival, standing up. 'See what's wrong. Maybe he's having a bad day.'

He left, and Arthur stood up too. 'I'll see where Merlin went,' he told Leon and Morgana grimly. 'First he turns up four hours late, then he starts a fight...'

It took a while, but Arthur eventually found Merlin in Arthur's dressing room, sitting in the middle of the floor and polishing Arthur's shoes he had worn to the premiere a few weeks ago. He looked up when Arthur entered the room, and then returned to his job silently. 'I've been looking for you,' said Arthur, shutting the door behind him.

Merlin scrubbed the shoes even more vigorously. 'Yeah, right, you're going to ask me to polish the rest of your shoes, and tidy the rest of the dressing room, and pick up your dry cleaning,' he said quickly, and Arthur couldn't help but notice how he swallowed after he spoke. Arthur sat down next to him on the floor.

'Something's upset you, hasn't it?' said Arthur quietly. He wasn't an idiot. They'd been friends (no, Merlin had been working for him) for years now, and he had long ago learnt which signs meant Merlin wasn't himself.

Merlin barely looked up. 'Maybe,' he said shortly, and returned to his polishing.

Arthur racked his brains for anything he might have done, and came up with nothing but the phone conversation they'd had half an hour ago. 'Was it when I said I needed someone to insult?'

Merlin paused, and almost chuckled. 'Wasn't very nice,' he said truthfully.

'It was a bit unfair,' Arthur admitted. 'Like you turning up for work five hours late with no excuse.'

'Why was that unfair?' asked Merlin with a hint of a smile.

'Because I employ you to turn up-' he began, and then remembered that he was supposed to be being nice to him. Instead of continuing, he lunged forwards and trapped Merlin in a headlock, who stopped polishing and struggled to break free.

'Ow! Geroff!' he exclaimed.

'Still think it's all right to turn up five hours late, do you?' Arthur asked, messing up Merlin's hair.

'Ow! No! I'm sorry!'

Arthur released him and let him rub his head, trying to smooth down his hair. 'That's better,' said Arthur with a grin. Then he paused. 'But you were right.' Merlin frowned. 'You do need to polish the rest of my shoes, and tidy the rest of my dressing room, and pick up my dry cleaning...'

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Meanwhile, Percival had followed Gwaine out of Camelot Studios and down the street. 'Gwaine!' he shouted, but Gwaine didn't turn around. Unfortunately, his shout had alerted the attention of passers-by, who suddenly realised which famous actors were standing right next to them. Percival broke into a run to catch his friend up, who was trying to light a cigarette despite the wind.

'What do you want?' Gwaine snapped, still trying to light the cigarette.

Percival grabbed the cigarette from Gwaine's mouth and threw it into the gutter. Before Gwaine could begin to swear angrily, Percival said, 'Let's go and get lunch. Come on.'

'I don't want...' Gwaine began angrily, but stopped when he saw the crowds that were gathering around them. It wasn't every day they saw two world-famous film stars arguing on the street. 'Fine,' Gwaine muttered, and let Percival lead him to the nearest cafe. It was fairly empty considering that it was lunchtime, and they chose the table furthest away from the window in the darkest corner.

'What can I-' the waitress began, and then stopped when she saw who she was serving. Percival smiled at her.

'Two coffees, please. Gwaine, do you want anything else?'

Gwaine shook his head.

'Coming- coming right up,' the waitress said breathlessly, and bustled off to the counter. Once she had left, Percival dropped the smile and turned to look at Gwaine.

'What's going on?' he asked quietly.

Gwaine frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'Well, something's wrong. We've been friends since we were teenagers, Gwaine. We shared a flat for four years. We've lived opposite each other for three. I can tell when you're not okay. What is it?'

In that moment, Gwaine seriously considered telling him everything. He considered telling him about what he was injecting himself with more and more regularly. He considered telling him about how he needed a drink with breakfast in order to get through the day, or how some nights he didn't sleep at all, or how he was getting through at least a packet of cigarettes a day. He considered telling him about Freya. But then he remembered that if he told him, Percival would make him stop, and the only thing that was now worth living for- the drugs, the parties, the girls- would be taken away from him. So instead he plastered a smile on his face and said, 'I'm fine, really. It's just the pressure of taking Arthur's part, you know? It's a massive responsibility, it's a lot to get my head around. But I'm fine. Really.'

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That evening when Arthur got home, he looked around his flat and sighed. Guinevere was coming round tonight, and to make up for the fight yesterday he was determined to do something nice for her. She was always taking the piss out of him for not being able to cook, so he decided to have a go at one of the recipes from the cookbook Morgana had got him as a joke several years ago. If Morgana could do it, how hard could it be?

An hour later, Arthur was discovering that yes, it was actually very hard. The chicken pieces had burnt themselves to a crisp when he tried to fry them (the recipe said to roast them, but he wasn't going to risk trying to work the oven), he had cut his finger while trying to cut up peppers and the rice had stuck itself to the bottom of the pan. Sighing, he looked around at the mess and threw the whole lot away before starting again with a fresh batch of ingredients (good thing he had bought extra of everything). His second batch wasn't nearly as bad, and although the rice was a bit soggy and the chicken was slightly black around the edges, he thought he'd done reasonably well. He was just beginning to consider maybe changing his shirt (turns out the smell of burning chicken sticks to clothes) when his phone rang.

'It's me,' said Guinevere's tired voice. He could hear people talking in the background. 'Look, I'm really sorry, but I don't think I'm going to be over until much later- half ten, maybe eleven. There's been a stock mix up, and... but I won't bore you with the details. Just the warehouses have messed everything up, and the orders are wrong. I'm really sorry.'

Arthur turned his back on the table he had just been laying. 'That's all right,' he lied.

'So I'll just get a sandwich here so we don't have to order takeaway at yours again- anyway, it's not like we had anything planned, is it?'

'Exactly,' said Arthur, scraping the contents of the serving bowl into the bin as he talked. 'Nothing planned.'

'Are you sure you're all right?' Gwen asked. 'You sound quiet.'

'Yeah, I'm fine.' He yawned. 'Long day. Merlin and Gwaine-'

There came the sound of someone talking to Gwen, and she said hurriedly, 'Look, I'm going to have to go. We'll talk when I get to yours, all right? I love you.'

'I love you too,' said Arthur quietly, and the line went dead. He looked around the kitchen and blew out the candles he had lit before grabbing a beer from the fridge. Staring round his empty flat, he realised he didn't want to be alone, so he took out his phone again and dialled Gwaine's number. He picked up after six rings.

'Hello?'

'Gwaine? It's Arthur.'

'Oh, hi, Arthur!' Gwaine sounded exceptionally happy. 'How's things?'

'They're- they're good, thanks. Listen, you don't fancy going to a bar or something, do you? I'm not really in the mood for staying in tonight.'

'Arthur my friend, you are talking to the right person. I'm already in a bar, let me give you the address.'

When Arthur arrived (he had left a key with the security guard of the building who he knew and trusted to give it to Gwen, in case she arrived back before he did) he found Gwaine already at a table waiting for him, a tray of shots in front of him. 'Arthur!' Gwaine said happily, standing up to hug him. Arthur could smell there was alcohol already on Gwaine's breath. 'I got you some drinks...'

Arthur paused as he sat down. He hadn't done proper drinking since before he had met Gwen; he hadn't needed it. But tonight, when his girlfriend had stood him up, and the paparazzi had been following him all day, and the media were making up stories about him and Guinevere having "problems", and the tension with his father, he felt he deserved a bit of light relief from it all. They split the tray between them and began to drink.

'Merlin rang me by the way,' Gwaine said during their second round. 'Don't worry, we sorted it all out. He said he was sorry, and...' he screwed up his face to remember. 'He said he was just stressed because Freya's in hospital and he took it out on me.'

'Freya's in hospital?'

'Something to do with the baby, but Merlin says they're both fine, which is a relief.' Gwaine stopped smiling. 'Which is good, because I think if Freya died, I would die.'

Arthur pondered on these words, the alcohol slowed his brain. 'I don't want you to die,' he declared. 'So I don't want Freya to die either.'

'Well, that's good, because we're both alive.'

The conversations they had gradually made less and less sense with the more they drank. Arthur had obviously grown used to not drinking as much, because he was struggling to keep up with Gwaine. Eventually, their conversation turned once again to women.

'I love Guinevere,' said Arthur, his words beginning to slur by this point. 'I really do, but when she does things like this, I hate her at the same time, you know?'

'I completely understand,' Gwaine slurred back. 'You're Arthur Denpragon. You shouldn't stand for it. No, wait- Pendragon. There you go.'

'You're right,' said Arthur. 'I shouldn't stand for it. I would never stand her up! Never! Because I love her!'

'Yes you do!' Gwaine agreed.

'But does that mean she doesn't love me? If I wouldn't stand her up because I love her and then she stood me up, that means she doesn't love me back.' Arthur slumped back in his seat. 'Fuck, Gwaine. My own girlfriend doesn't love me.'

'Arthur, my friend, you look like you could do with a cigarette. I'm going outside for a smoke, do you want one?'

Arthur frowned. 'I don't smoke any more.' But nothing was making sense in his alcohol-fuelled brain, including why he stopped smoking in the first place. 'I'll come outside with you.'

They went into the bar garden, which was empty. The whole bar had only been half-full really, which Arthur supposed was because it was a Wednesday evening. Gwaine lit two cigarettes and then handed one over to Arthur. 'You want it?' he asked. 'You've had a long day, you need it.'

'Yes I do,' Arthur agreed. And then he remembered just how addictive smoking was.

Six cigarettes later, Gwaine waved goodbye to Arthur, who was being driven home in a cab. He returned into the bar alone to carry on the night, alone or not. (If he did get lonely, he could always meet up with his dealer and his friends. He was running low on supplies as it was. Or he could find a girl- there was a very attractive redhead sitting by the bar...)

When Arthur returned home, the security guard still had his key, meaning Guinevere wasn't back yet. He stumbled up the stairs to his flat and let himself in and looked around his kitchen. Now he was alone and his head was beginning to swim, he remembered why he didn't drink so much any more. He stumbled over to the sink to pour himself a glass of water, and was just about to drink it when the door buzzed. 'It's me,' Gwen said when he picked up, and wordlessly he buzzed her in, tapping a rhythm on the table while he waited for her to arrive. After a minute there was knock on the door, and he let her in.

'Hello, Guinevere,' he smiled, and leant down to kiss her. She pulled away, wrinkling her nose.

'Where have you been?' she asked. 'You reek of smoke and drink.'

He shrugged and tried to kiss her again, but once again she avoided him. 'I went out with Gwaine,' he told her.

'Well, that explains the smell of smoke...' she muttered, and looked him up and down. 'Arthur, are you drunk?'

'No,' he said defiantly. 'No, I am definitely not. Why would I be drunk on a Wednesday? No one drinks on a Wednesday.'

'Okay, I think you need a shower,' said Gwen, pushing him towards the bathroom. 'Have a shower to sober yourself up a bit and get rid of the smell, and I'll make you a coffee for when you get out, okay?'

'Fine,' Arthur muttered, and locked Guinevere out of the bathroom. After a fairly quick shower (he realised after a minute that he had turned it to cold water) he was feeling slightly steadier on his feet, and decided to brush his teeth to get rid of the taste of smoke so that Guinevere wouldn't get suspicious. She would hate him if she found out that he had smoked.

When he went back into the kitchen, he found Guinevere sitting at the table with two coffees. 'Here you go,' she said to him, handing him one, and he sat down next to her. After a moment, he pulled her onto his lap and nuzzled his face into his neck. He felt her smile, which in turn made him smile.

'I'm sorry for not getting here earlier,' she said quietly after a moment, a hand running up and down his bare chest.

'It's all right,' he replied. 'I think we're even because I got drunk in return and I smell of smoke.'

She laughed. 'Well, I'm glad I'm forgiven.'

'You are this time.' He wasn't sure if he was joking or not. 'Do you want to go to bed?'

'I don't think I'm very tired yet.'

'We don't have to sleep. I just want a reason for you to be half-naked with me.' He gestured to his clothing, which consisted of only a pair of boxers.

She laughed again. 'All right, then.' They moved through to the bedroom, and Arthur sat in the bed, watching Guinevere undress on the other side of the room. She was so beautiful, he realised. In the dim light of the lamps her skin glowed, and a stray curl had escaped her bun. He was itching to move it out of the way so he could kiss her neck. When she had stripped to her bra and knickers, she slipped into the bed next to him and wrapped herself around his side. He kissed the top of her head softly, and felt her sigh.

'I really am sorry for being late,' she repeated.

'And I'm sorry for smelling,' he replied. 'Don't worry.'

She lifted her head up to kiss him properly, and his hands reached to frame her face. 'I don't have to be in work until after lunch tomorrow,' she told him. 'Because we had to work so late today. Do you want to go and get breakfast, or something?'

'Sounds good to me,' Arthur murmured, closing his eyes and kissing her again. Their bodies shifted so that she was almost straddling him. Then the shift in mood happened: the kisses became just a little bit deeper, the hands roaming each others bodies became slightly more determined.

'Arthur...' she breathed out, and he smiled.

'Yes?'

'You've had a lot to drink... do you think you can still...'

He pulled her over so that she was now sitting on him and grinded their hips together softly. 'Guinevere, it's you. I could drink all the alcohol in the world and you would still get me hard.'

She laughed, and he grinned with her. Guinevere laughing, he decided, was one of his favourite sounds in the world. 'Such a way with words,' she whispered, leaning down to kiss him.

'You'd better shut me up then,' he whispered back, settling down on the covers.

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Gwen woke the next morning to the sound of her phone buzzing. She lifted her head to see it was her dad calling, and she picked up, untangling herself from Arthur. 'Hello?' she said groggily.

'Hello, Gwen. I'm just checking to see how you are this morning,' her father said. There was something in his voice she couldn't quite place. Beside her, Arthur stirred, rubbing his eyes as he woke up.

'Um, I'm fine, thanks,' said Gwen. 'How are you?'

'We don't need to talk about me,' said her father comfortingly. 'How are you feeling? Do you want to come and stay at home for a few days? I know how you must be feeling...'

Gwen frowned. 'Feeling about what?'

'Well, about the break-up of course!' said Tom, sounding slightly surprised.

'Whose break-up?' she asked, confused.

'You- you and Arthur. You've split up.' He sounded just as confused as she felt now.

'What? No, we haven't! He's lying next to me right now. Arthur, say hi to my dad.'

'Hello, Tom,' Arthur called, looking confused.

'You really haven't split up?' Tom clarified.

'Well, not to my knowledge,' Gwen smiled. 'Who told you we had?'

'There was an article in the paper this morning...' Gwen's heart sank. She thought the press had been fairly nice to her and Arthur so far, but saying that they had split up?

'Which paper?' she asked, sitting up. Arthur's expression clouded over, and he reached for his iPad.

'There were quite a few,' said Tom uncertainly. 'The Sun, The Mirror, Daily Star...'

Beside her, Arthur swore as he scrolled down a page on the internet.

'Look, I think I'm going to have to go and see what's going on,' said Gwen quickly. 'I'll talk to you later, okay?'

'All right, then. I'm sorry if I've caused any trouble, Gwen, I just wanted to check you were all right. Love you.'

'Don't worry about it. Love you too.'

Gwen put her phone down on the bedside table and shifted over to sit against Arthur's side, looking over his shoulder and reading the article.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE?

It was the moment everyone had been waiting for- Arthur Pendragon, renowned bachelor famed for his womanising ways, had finally found the love of his life and had settled down once and for all.

But sadly, it wasn't to be, as just two months after going public it seems that his romance with fashion designer Guinevere Leodgrace has already fizzled out.

BUT HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

Well, details are still coming out, but here's what we already know:

Guinevere (known as Gwen to her friends) stood Arthur up last night, which apparently sent him into a rage and he walked out of his flat to meet his co-star Gwaine Noble at the exclusive bar Tony's in central London.

Our source tells her, "They started drinking as soon as they arrived. Arthur was furious at Gwen, and was in a really bad mood. Gwaine was trying to comfort him, and they both got drunk very quickly. They were talking about children- I think Arthur was saying he would never have children with Gwen because it would kill him, and Gwaine said it would kill him too.

"Arthur was saying how much he hated Gwen for what she did to him, and Gwaine was agreeing. Whatever the reason was they split up about must have been awful, because Arthur was fuming and saying how Gwen didn't love him. So I don't know who dumped who- she might not love him because of something he did, or maybe she's moved on."

Well, we don't know what to make about all this! All we know is that the so-called Arwen haven't been photographed together for three days now, and so a split has been on the cards for quite a while again.

Now that's all to do is see how the break-up pans out...

Gwen finished reading the article and looked up at Arthur, who was looking furious. 'I fucking hate journalists,' he muttered. 'All they do is make my life hell. And now we won't be able to go out for breakfast because there'll be cameras following us anywhere...'

'No,' said Gwen, thinking very quickly. 'No, I think we can still go out for breakfast. I was planning to go home and change first, but maybe if I'm in last night's clothes then it'll make a better story...'

Arthur smiled despite himself. 'What are you planning?'

Gwen shrugged, also smiling. 'Nothing major. What I need first, though, is a shower. Care to join me?' she stood up and stretched before smiling coyly at him and going through to the ensuite. He grinned before getting up and following her.

Once they were showered and dressed, they looked at each other and put on their coats. 'Well, here goes nothing,' said Gwen firmly, taking Arthur's hand in hers and they walked down the stairs and out of the building. As soon as they stepped outside, they were bombarded by blinding flashes of cameras. Arthur looked down at Gwen at the same moment she looked up, and something in both of their expressions changed. He nodded at her, and she nodded back, their hands still linked. This was what their lives were going to be like from now on, Gwen realised: constantly scrutinised by strangers, being photographed, and all the while having to stick together. She couldn't let go of him now, literally and figuratively.

Arthur pulled her by the hand through the crowds, and she clung to him, looking down and relying on his navigating. They reached the street and continued to walk, while the paparazzi followed from behind, occasionally circling round to get a front shot. 'Where are we having breakfast?' Gwen asked as they walked, trying to pretend that everything was normal.

'Costa. I need coffee,' said Arthur, and Gwen nodded. They entered the shop, and mercifully the cameras resorted to waiting outside. As they queued, Arthur turned to look at Gwen. 'Thanks for not freaking out,' he whispered. 'Most people would-'

'I know,' she smiled, and they kissed for a moment. The cameras went wild outside, and Gwen kissed him again, laughing. 'Well, you've got to give them something,' she reasoned.

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The next evening was Morgana and Leon's engagement party. They'd hired a restaurant and bar for the occasion, and Gwen had had to go straight from work, meaning Arthur had arranged to meet her there. He arrived first and was handed a glass of champagne by a waiter when he walked in. 'Arthur!' said Morgana, walking over. 'Such a shame you made it.'

He kissed her on the cheek. 'Such a shame I felt obliged to show myself. As your brother, I also feel obliged to say that dress is far too short, young lady.'

Morgana twirled round. 'You have to like it, Gwen designed it for me. It's her engagement present for me.'

'We have to get you engagement presents?' Arthur exclaimed. 'Surely me putting up with you compensates for that...' he looked around the room. 'Er, is Dad here?'

Morgana snorted. 'Me, put you and Uther in the same room? No, thanks. Have you spoken to him recently?'

Arthur shook his head. 'Not since the morning after the premiere. But enough about him. Where's the unlucky fella?'

'If you mean Leon, he's over by the bar with Merlin. It's a shame Freya couldn't make it, Merlin said she's been admitted to hospital to keep an eye on her morning sickness...'

'Yeah. Yeah, it is a shame. But she'll be out in a couple of days, I'm sure. Is Guinevere here yet?' he looked around the room again.

'She texted me to say she's on her way. Just think...' Morgana smiled wickedly. 'Give it a few months, and it could be your engagement party we're all attending.'

'Oi. We're taking our time. Don't go saying that too loudly, or the press will get hold of it and all hell will break loose.'

In the back of his mind, though, Arthur couldn't help picturing himself and Guinevere in a few months, receiving guests at their own party, her showing off a dazzling engagement ring...

'I'll go and see the boys, then,' said Arthur, snapping out of it. He walked over to the bar to greet Merlin, Leon and Percival. Leon and Percival were drinking beer, while Merlin had a glass of water.

'Arthur!' said Leon, clapping him on the back. 'What do you want to drink?'

'A beer would be great,' said Arthur, and the barman handed him a pint. 'Cheers...' he looked around to see if Guinevere was here yet.

'Well, Leon, I don't think I need to ask how you and Morgana are doing,' Merlin grinned, and Leon shook his head, also smiling.

'It's great, you know? We're living in my flat at the moment, and we're looking to buy a house together within the next few months- the wedding won't be until next year, and we want to have a house before then. But I tell you what, just living together feels like the best thing ever.'

'That's what I always think about living with Freya,' Merlin agreed. 'It's that feeling of, I don't know, security. Like you know that no matter how bad your day is, you're always going to be able to go home and spend the evening with your best friend. And you just learn to sort of fit around each other...'

'And then you know, when you wake up and she's lying next to you, and you both go to work, and even if we don't get to see each other all day, we come home in the evening and we get to do the whole amazingness again,' Leon continued.

Arthur looked between them, smiling slightly. And then he realised- this was what he wanted for him and Guinevere. He wanted them to fit around each other, like Merlin had said. He wanted to know that they would always come back to each other. He wanted-

'Gwen!' said Merlin joyfully, and Arthur turned round to see Guinevere walking towards them. Arthur felt his eyes widen at how beautiful she looked tonight. Her hair was freely flowing down her back, and her dark green dress, although it was long sleeved and came down to her knees, was figure-hugging and showed off her curves. 'Hello,' he whispered, kissing her softly on the cheek. She smiled back at him, and then moved to hug Merlin, Leon and Percival in turn. 'Sorry I'm late,' she told Leon. 'I had to come straight from work, and the traffic was awful...'

'Don't worry about it, we're still expecting people,' said Leon. 'Actually, not even Gwaine's here yet, which is weird because it's a free bar and I thought he'd want to take advantage...'

The others laughed. Soon enough the party was in full swing, with nearly everyone there. There was music playing, but the tables weren't being moved to make a dancefloor until everyone had eaten. Finally, the tables were all pushed against the walls of the bar, and people began to dance to the music, which had been turned up. Arthur had always hated dancing- he had always been one of the guys just watching from the sidelines- but it turned out that dancing with Guinevere was actually a very enjoyable experience. They had both had a couple of drinks- they weren't drunk exactly, but like everyone else in the room, they were soaking up the party atmosphere. He had always known Guinevere was a good dancer (he had watched her in many of the clubs they had visited in France) but never realised how much better it was to dance with her, with his hands roaming her waist and the small of her back, feeling her underwear through her dress, feeling her hot breath on his neck and their legs rubbing against each other. Suddenly, a fast song changed to a slightly slower one, and they continued to dance, with his hands around her waist and hers around his neck. They swayed slightly in time to the music, and Arthur finally found the courage to say what he had been thinking all evening.

'I was thinking...' he said into her ear.

She smiled. 'Well, that makes a change.'

'Funny,' he said. 'No, I was thinking about... about us, and our relationship.'

Gwen leant back to look at his expression. 'Oh?'

'Yeah. And I was thinking, we've been together for how long now?'

'Um... over a year and a half. Nearly two years? Wow.'

'Exactly. And I know it's been difficult because we were living in hotels for like, at least half of that time, and then I went to America for over half a year, but I feel like, and I hope you feel like, this is it for me now, you know?'

'Of course,' said Gwen, smiling again. They kissed softly, still dancing.

'Anyway,' Arthur continued. 'There is a point to all this, you know. I was speaking to Merlin and Leon earlier, about how great they find it... living with their girlfriends.'

Gwen's eyes widened.

'And then I thought, well, there's barely a night where one of us isn't round at the others. Hell, half your clothes are at my house, and you have a toothbrush in my bathroom, and half my stuff's over at yours, so we're practically living together already, but across the space of two flats. So if you look at it logically, it just makes sense for us to put all the stuff into one flat, and...'

Gwen kissed him again, hard on the mouth, and then hugged him tightly. 'Er, is that a yes?' Arthur asked, just to make sure.

'Yes, it's a yes,' said Gwen, beaming. 'Let's do it. Let's live together. Wait, which flat would we move into, yours or mine?'

'Well,' Arthur scratched his head awkwardly. 'I'm not just being lazy, but mine's closer to both Camelot and your offices...'

'I was hoping you'd say that. Yours is bigger,' Gwen replied, and they continued to dance, revelling in the fact that their relationship really was moving on. In the corner of his mind, Arthur vaguely realised that Gwaine had never showed up, and was secretly glad. He made a mental note to get him to not tell anyone that Arthur had smoked with him the other night. Guinevere couldn't know. Besides, she hadn't told him about Lancelot. He doubted if she ever would. So why shouldn't he be able to keep a tiny secret from her, too?

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Hello! Please be amazed at how quickly I updated...

So you all seemed to think paparazzi was a good idea, so I've added that in, and they'll definitely play a very important role in one of the upcoming chapters ;) For those of you who also wanted Elyan, I've worked him into a later chapter, but he won't arrive for another three or four. As for Gwaine- I don't know if I should put a trigger warning in the next couple of chapters or not. I wanted to show his argument with Merlin as the drugs sort of pushing him away from his friends, and how they're impacting his everyday life.

Thank you so much to everyone for their lovely reviews. Seriously I love you all. Your feedback is what keeps me writing, so please please please review because it motivates me to write faster!

I start school again next week, so the next update probably won't be as fast as this one was, but I'll try to not let it go on for too long.

Please review and subscribe!

xxx