Chapter Five

The following Saturday afternoon found Gwaine, Leon and Percival all stood outside St Mary's Church in south London, awaiting the arrival of Freya, Morgana and Gwen. Arthur was already inside with Merlin, trying to keep him calm (Freya was already ten minutes late) along with a handful of guests, including Hunith, Merlin's mother, a couple of people from Camelot Film Company whom Merlin knew and several of Freya's friends from her orchestra. Her parents had not appeared.

Finally, after another agonizing fifteen minutes of waiting (Gwaine had even begun to allow himself to dare hope that Freya had finally come to her senses and realise she didn't want to marry Merlin), a black car pulled up and out stepped the bride, looking radiant behind her veil, and Gwen and Morgana, both in their long green bridesmaid dresses.

'Sorry, traffic was terrible,' Morgana explained while Gwen made some last minute adjustments to Freya's veil.

'We'll go and let them know you're here,' said Leon, smiling at how stunning his fiancée looked. 'Merlin's being going spare, he thought you weren't going to turn up at all.'

'Tell him it was the traffic!' Freya called after him as he, Percival and Gwaine disappeared into the church.

The three women turned to face each other, smiling, Freya's a little nervous. There was silence for a moment, and then they heard the beginning of the bridal march coming from inside of the church.

'Ready?' Gwen asked softly. Freya took a deep breath and nodded, turning to face the open doors. She could see Merlin standing with his back to her at the end of the aisle.

'Okay. Let's do this.'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

'It was such a beautiful ceremony,' Gwen sighed happily, her arm looped through Arthur's as they took the short walk to Arthur's car which was round the corner from the church. It was a five minute drive to where the reception was being held: an old family friend of Merlin's called Gaius or something, who had a house large enough that the dining room was being turned into a space for the reception.

'It was,' Arthur agreed begrudgingly. 'You looked beautiful, by the way. Still do, in fact.'

Gwen smiled as he planted a kiss on top of her hair. 'Thank you.'

They arrived at the car to find it completely surrounded by paparazzi. They looked at each other and then the bombardment of photographs started, along with the questions being shouted at them: 'Mr Pendragon! What do you say about the claims that you and Guinevere were actually attending your own wedding ceremony, and this false friends' wedding was just an elaborate cover-up?' 'Miss Leodgrace! When do the pair of you hope to start a family?' 'Arthur! Over here! Are the rumours about you having been disowned by your father true?'

'Get in,' Gwen whispered in Arthur's ear before he could punch the last reporter. 'Come on, you drive, these heels won't let me.'

Arthur did as he was told and got in at the driver's side, revving the engine to make the cameramen move out of the way. Once they did he shot out of his parking space, racing down the road at a speed Gwen was sure wasn't entirely legal.

'They don't know what they're talking about,' she said quietly when they stopped at a set of traffic lights. She looked over and saw he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

'I know,' he said. The traffic lights turned green and they shot off again, turning left into a street of huge, eighteenth-century houses. 'It just pisses me off that they think they know everything.'

They screeched to a halt outside number seventy-two, where an old man was standing outside in a suit. 'That must be Gaius,' said Gwen, looking up at him as Arthur switched the engine off.

Arthur frowned. 'Yeah. He looks familiar.'

They stepped out of the car and walked up the steps to the old man.

'Arthur Pendragon,' said the old man. He had white hair nearly down to his shoulders and piercing blue eyes. 'It's been a very, very long time since we last met.'

'Er,' said Arthur, 'Has it?'

'Oh, yes.' Gaius smiled. 'I do believe you were a little over seven years old.'

'How...'

'How do we know each other?' Gaius smiled. 'Your father is a very close friend of mine. Why, he was here just last week. That was the first time we had spoken in many years, however. A slight clash of opinions on some business matters...' Then he turned to Gwen and smiled again. 'And you must be the lovely Guinevere I've been reading so much about in the papers recently. The fresh face of fashion, they're calling you! Isn't that nice?'

Gwen smiled, abashed. 'I suppose it is.'

'Well, I'd say we've done enough of the small chat that is expected of us. Shall we step inside before we freeze to death?'

They were led through the house to the dining room, which had been turned into a small reception area. Merlin and Freya were at the far end of the room, talking to several women who Arthur assumed were in the Camelot orchestra- he hadn't seen them in the studios before.

'Congratulations!' said Gwen happily, hugging the pair of them as soon as they reached them. 'You both look beautiful- Freya, is the dress all right? Is it too tight? I can loosen it if you want-'

'It's perfect,' Freya told her with a smile, which grew as Merlin put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer subconsciously while he talked to one of Freya's musician friends.

Morgana, Leon and Gwaine walked through the doorway. Leon and Morgana walked straight over to Gwen and Arthur as soon as they spotted them, while Gwaine made his way over to the drinks table. 'This is all so beautiful,' Morgana gushed, looking around at all the flowers that decorated the room and the twinkling lights around the windows. She turned to Leon. 'Do you think we should have freesias at our wedding?'

'Yes,' said Leon automatically. 'I'm, er, going to go and see Gwaine...' He wandered off towards the drinks table with Arthur by his side, where Gwaine was already helping himself to a glass of champagne.

Morgana rolled her eyes. 'Honestly. The only thing I've got his voluntary help in has been the guest list and the music. Everything else he says he trusts me with, which means he can't be arsed. Men...'

'I don't know,' said Freya, looking up at Merlin. 'This one was pretty wonderful, weren't you?'

Merlin didn't seem to hear her. Instead, he was stroking her hair gently whilst gazing absently at her ever-growing stomach. 'Hm?' he said after a pause.

Freya laughed. 'I take it all back.'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

'Jesus,' Arthur muttered, looking past Gwen. 'He doesn't look good.'

They were now three hours into the reception. Toasts had been made, cake had been cut and the dancing had begun as the evening began.

Gwen turned to see Arthur was watching Gwaine, who was steadying himself in the doorway whilst sipping from a glass of brandy.

'How many has he had?' Gwen wondered out loud, smiling slightly as she watched Gwaine wave at them. Gwaine had always been a very amusing drunk, for as long as she'd known him.

'Too many,' Arthur decided, and walked over to approach him. 'Gwaine, mate,' he said, clapping him on the back, 'Don't think you've had enough now?' He gently removed the glass from Gwaine's grip and set it down on the table. That was always a sign that Gwaine should stop drinking: if he was too drunk to notice his drink had been taken from him, then he had had enough.

'Nah, I'm fine,' Gwaine slurred with a lazy grin, and put his hand on Arthur's shoulder to steady himself. 'In fact, I'm more than fine. I'm perfect. This is the best day ever!' he declared loudly, and several people looked over. 'I mean, we're at a wedding! Who doesn't love a wedding?'

'Quite,' Arthur muttered. 'Maybe it's time you went home...'

Merlin walked over, leaving Freya for the first time since they had met at the altar, and grinned at Gwaine. 'You okay?' he asked, examining him closely. 'God, you stink of smoke.'

'Cheers,' said Gwaine drowsily, raising an imaginary glass, and then fell back against the doorway. 'Seriously though, I'm very pleased for the pair of you. I wish you a lifetime of happiness.'

'Okay, I think it's time you went home,' said Arthur firmly. He hadn't realised that Gwaine had drunk this much. He looked around for the nearest strong person he could find. 'Oi- Leon! Give me a hand getting Gwaine home, will you?'

The pair of them half-supported, half-carried Gwaine out of the house and into Arthur's car, Leon sitting in the back with Gwaine and Arthur driving the twenty-minute drive that took them to Gwaine's building. Thankfully, there was no paparazzi outside both Gaius' or Gwaine's building, meaning it was fairly easy to transport him. Gwaine was mostly able to walk by himself once they reached his flats, although they still decided it was probably safer to use the lift rather than let him climb three flights of stairs.

'You going to be all right?' asked Arthur warily, watching Gwaine drink the water they had given him once they had sat him down at his kitchen table. 'We can stay, if you want.'

Gwaine waved a hand at them. 'Really, I'll be fine. You should get back to the party. See you.'

'He's going to have a nasty hangover tomorrow,' Leon chuckled as they made their way back down the stairs. 'All that brandy...'

Arthur chuckled to himself. 'Maybe that'll teach him so he won't do it again so soon.' They left the building and got back in Arthur's car, this time with Leon sitting in the front. 'So, how's the wedding planning going?' Arthur asked as they set off back to the reception. 'Morgana said you'd set a date. June, is it?'

'Yeah.' Leon nodded, and grinned. 'It's going well. You know how much of a control freak Morgana is, so I'm not allowed that much to do with the planning, which is great. I'm just responsible for my suit, which has to go with the colour scheme she's picked out, and to occasionally give an opinion on what type of fabrics we should use, or the guest list and the seating plan.'

'Sounds ideal,' Arthur grinned. When they pulled up outside Gaius' twenty minutes later, Arthur paused before turning the engine off. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure,' said Leon, intrigued.

'How did you propose to Morgana?'

Leon's eyes widened. 'You're not-'

Arthur bit his lip and nodded, trying not to smile. 'Maybe. I'm thinking about it. Not tomorrow, or anything, but... maybe sometime in the near future.'

'Well, this is brilliant! Congratulations.' Leon grinned again. 'How did I propose to Morgana? Well.' He folded his arms. 'Don't know if I should be telling you this. It'll ruin my reputation for being well 'ard and all that.'

'One, you've never had that reputation, and two, Morgana's probably going to describe it in immense detail on the next chat show she goes on.'

'Ah, fair enough.' Leon smiled. 'Well, you know that restaurant she loves, Gambrino's? They've got a seating area on their roof, and I got them to clear the whole roof one evening except for one table, and then I surrounded it with lanterns and fairy lights in jars and stuff. This was in the summer, mind, so it was really warm. I had a small band playing in the corner, and they played 'The Way You Look Tonight,' which is her favourite song, as she arrived. And then, you know, I did the whole thing of getting down on one knee and giving the ring, and... she said yes.'

Arthur let out a low whistle. 'Blimey. Don't know if I'm going to be able to top that.' He ran a hand through his hair. 'I don't even know if Guinevere even has a favourite restaurant.'

'It doesn't have to be a restaurant,' said Leon. 'Just make it personal to her, and make it something that she'll never forget.'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

'We should probably get going,' said Gwen, once they had waved Merlin and Freya off. It had got dark long ago, and the reception was finally winding down. Arthur smiled and watched as she drained the last of her champagne and then laced her fingers through his.

'Yeah,' he agreed, and they made their excuses to the others and Gaius before leaving the house. 'Nice place for a reception,' he commented idly, looking up at the house as they drove away.

'It was.'

'Would you live somewhere like that?'

Gwen shrugged and smiled. 'Maybe. It was a bit big. I'd like somewhere perhaps a little bit smaller.'

Arthur nodded. 'Cool.' Then he smiled and turned to look at her. 'Maybe one day we'll have a smaller version of that.'

Gwen smiled again. 'Somewhere with more than one floor would be nice, yes. Maybe not quite yet, though. I mean, we've only just moved in together. I don't properly know what you're like as a roommate yet. What if you turn out to be a psychopath after all this time? I wouldn't want to buy a house with a psychopath.'

Arthur laughed. 'Yeah, it's only been, like, two years since we met. I've actually been hiding my insanity from you all this time...'

'You never know. It's possible.'

'Of course it is, darling.'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Over the next week or so, Arthur spent a lot of his time off (and he had a lot of it- his tiny role in the new film meant he was only needed in one rehearsal a week, and sometimes not even that) coming up with half-formed plans about how to propose. Leon's version with the restaurant and the band was brilliant of course, but Arthur was sure that Morgana would have already told Gwen about it in minute detail, and he didn't want her to think that he was simply copying his friend's idea. He had thought about taking her away on holiday for a week or two to somewhere where there would be no press- maybe a private island- but he knew how busy she was at work, and would feel she simply couldn't leave the business for that long. A weekend away, perhaps? Nowhere abroad, but perhaps somewhere in the countryside, far away from everyone else?

Then there was the question of when. Valentine's Day was less than two weeks away, which was the typically perfect time to do it, but that seemed a bit too obvious. Still, it would save him buying her another present. He just needed to find the perfect ring.

He had started smoking again, too. It was Gwaine's fault. He was spending more and more time with him- Gwaine wanted his advice for the main role he had been given, and Arthur was happy to have something to do- but this meant a lot of smoking breaks. It felt rude to stay inside Camelot while Gwaine took a break, so he accompanied him outside, and after a while it felt rude to not be smoking with him too. Hiding it from Gwen wasn't an issue because he always made sure not to smoke any later than the early afternoon, and arrived back at the flat long before she did, which gave him time to throw his clothes in the washing machine (he'd finally learnt how to use it, which had impressed Gwen and Merlin) and shower and brush his teeth before she arrived home for dinner.

The following Thursday, when Arthur once again found he had nothing to do at Camelot other than throw paper at Merlin and ignore his father, he decided that he would surprise Gwen and take her some lunch at her office. Thinking about it, he realised, he had never actually been to her office before. He stopped off at a cafe on the way and picked up two wraps and salads and drinks and cakes, deciding he might as well do it properly.

When he arrived at the office, he was greeted by a rather beautiful receptionist (he was sure Gwen had mentioned her before: Louisa or something?) who stared at him as he approached the desk.

'Hello,' she said breathlessly. Arthur put on his best charming smile and leant forwards onto the desk.

'Hi,' he said with an easy grin. 'Could you tell me where I can find Guinevere?'

'Er- yes,' said the receptionist, never taking her eyes off him. 'She should be in her office.'

There was a pause, and then Arthur chuckled. 'Could you tell me where her office is?'

'Oh!' the receptionist let out a breathless laugh. 'I'm so sorry, Mr Pendragon. It's up on the second floor.'

'Thank you,' he smiled at her, and walked off towards the lift, rolling his eyes when he was alone. It was quite funny, how people reacted when they realised they were talking to a famous person.

The second floor was very quiet; this seemed to be the admin area, with people on phones and computers, writing stuff onto calendars and making lists of lots and lots of numbers. They all looked up when he stepped out of the lift, and several women whispered to each other in a way they obviously thought was subtle. 'Is Guinevere's office through there?' he asked one of them, pointing to where the corridor curved round out of sight. The woman nodded and they all watched as he walked down the corridor and out of sight.

Not bothering to knock, he walked into the office to find Gwen sitting at her desk, but she wasn't alone. On the opposite side of the desk, Arthur's side, was Lancelot.

'Arthur!' Gwen exclaimed after a moment, standing up. 'What are you doing here?'

He held up the paper bag he was holding. 'I brought you lunch.' Then he spotted the empty sandwich wrappers and coffee cups on the table, and his heart sank. 'Guess I should have asked first.'

Gwen's face fell, and she bit her lip. 'Arthur, I'm sorry, if you'd said then I would have waited...'

'See, Gwen, this is why it's important that people make appointments with you!' said Lancelot with a laugh, which stopped as soon as he realised Arthur was staring at him stonily. He stood up awkwardly and extended his hand. 'Good to see you again, though,' he said hastily. Arthur paused and then shook his hand.

'You too,' he lied. He was an actor, he reminded himself. He could pretend not to be pissed off at the fact that Gwen had had lunch with Lancelot and not him. Was this a regular thing, he wondered? Did they have little lunch dates every day in her office? What did they talk about? Did they talk about him?

Pushing this thought out of his mind, he turned back to Gwen and smiled. 'When do you have to start working again?' he asked. 'Have you got half an hour more to spare?'

Lancelot cleared his throat awkwardly. 'Actually, we have a video conference call due to start in five minutes with some buyers in Japan,' he said. 'It's the only time they're available, you know, with the time zone differences...'

There was a pause. 'Well,' said Arthur with another smile. 'I suppose that's my cue to leave.' He smiled at Gwen once more, who smiled back a little worriedly, and nodded at Lancelot before leaving the office. He walked back through the building in silence and then through the streets, not even caring that much that the moment his feet met the pavement paparazzi jumped out in front of him.

Once he had left, Gwen turned to Lancelot and bit her lip. 'Oh, I feel bad now. Do you think I should go after him?'

Lancelot smiled. 'He's a big boy. I'm sure he can look after himself.'

'Hmm.' She still felt a little worried. Arthur hadn't been himself lately- there weren't many differences, but he was quieter at dinner and never spoke about his day. On the days when he wasn't needed at Camelot, he often wouldn't even get dressed, and she would come home to find him in bed, playing FIFA or sharing beers with Gwaine. It was hard to get him to talk about how he was feeling about being given such a small part, too. She supposed that having Uther as a father would have stunted his emotional development as a child.

'Come on,' said Lancelot, standing up and breaking her out of her thoughts. 'Let's go and set you up to talk to Japan.'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Arthur walked sullenly back through the busy streets of London, pulling his hood up against the wind. It wasn't fair. How come Lancelot got to spend all this time with Guinevere, and he, her boyfriend, didn't even get to have lunch with her?

A man crashed into him as he crossed the road. 'Watch it,' he said angrily, and the man wrapped an arm round his girlfriend's waist, who rested her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk. They were an odd pair, Arthur decided as he watched them go. The woman was wearing a brightly coloured patchwork dress, and the man was wearing a smart suit and carried a briefcase. They cae from opposite worlds, style-wise. They were each other's escape, Arthur decided. Their escape from their lives- one a painter, the other a bank manager- to cope with the low points of their careers.

And inspiration struck.

Years ago, he had tried to write a screenplay. He had handed it in to his father, just twenty years old, who had told him that it would never work on screen. Deciding that he had failed, he had gone straight home and threw the script in the bin. Since then, he hadn't written anything. But he no longer did things to please his father. He didn't give a damn what Uther Pendragon thought any more.

Arthur smiled to himself and turned left into the stationary shop he was passing, and purchased a notebook and a pen. He took them to the nearest park and picked his bench, opened the notebook and began to write.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

'I'm home,' called Gwen, shutting the door behind her. 'In here!' she heard Arthur shout from the living room, and she walked through to see him sitting cross-legged on the floor, scribbling into a notebook at full speed. 'Hey,' she said, surprised to find him doing something other than FIFA. 'What are you doing?'

'Writing,' he said cheerfully, holding up the notebook for her to see. 'I'm writing a screenplay. If my dad won't give me a good part in a good story, then I'll write one for myself.'

Gwen smiled. That sounded more like the Arthur she had fallen in love with- stubborn, and making things happen.

'Well, I can leave you to it if you want,' she suggested. 'There are some emails I need to send.'

'Great, thanks.' He was already writing again, and she left him to it.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Gwaine rolled over and vomited into the bath, not caring that it was getting in his hair and on his clothes. He didn't know what time it was. He didn't even know what day of the week it was. He couldn't keep living like this. He just couldn't. Something was very, very wrong with him, he realised. And he was scared.

He stood up unsteadily and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked a total mess, with pale, sweaty skin and dark circles under his eyes. Suddenly, he realised that he couldn't remember the last time he had been completely sober. What had happened to him? Why couldn't he stop using and drinking? It wasn't fun any more. It wasn't out of choice.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. Merlin would help him. Merlin had said he could come to him if he was in trouble. And he was. He was in very, very deep trouble.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Merlin looked down at his phone. A missed call.

'Who was it?' asked Freya as they made their way back to the Tube station, arm in arm.

Merlin pocketed his phone again. 'It was Gwaine. I'll call him back in a bit, he probably wants his DVD back. Right now, I think we should go and stick our first printed scan on the fridge, don't you?'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

'Come on, Leon. Don't ignore this. This is a very important decision!' Morgana insisted, holding up the two pieces of fabric next to each other. 'Which one for the tables?'

Leon sighed and clicked the reject button on his phone, cutting the ringing off. He would call Gwaine back in a bit, he told himself.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Percival sighed and pinched the top of his nose, desperately trying to make the lines go into his head. The rehearsal for this scene was tomorrow morning, and he knew how angry Uther would be if he wasn't prepared. His phone, lying face-down on the table next to him in the coffee shop, was on silent so he couldn't be distracted.

He missed the three calls that rang one after another.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Arthur frowned and picked up the call distractedly, not having time to look at who was calling him. 'Hello?' he half-shouted over the noise of the wind.

'Arthur- it's me -'

'Sorry, reception's terrible. Who is this?' Arthur yelled over the wind, which was definitely picking up. Two beeps told him the reception had been completely lost, and the call was cancelled.

Arthur shrugged to himself and put his phone back in his pocket. Whoever it was would call back later, he was sure.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Merlin arrived back at Camelot from his lunch break and let himself into Arthur's dressing room. It was once again a mess, and he supposed he should at least try and tidy it before the end of the day. He threw his phone onto the table and looked around for a plug for the speakers, hoping that he could work to music because Arthur wasn't here to annoy. He frowned as his phone flashed, and he opened it to see he had a voicemail and three missed calls from Gwaine.

'Merlin it's me,' said Gwaine's voice on the voicemail. He sounded out of breath and slightly fuzzy, as if he were crying. 'Merlin, I've been really stupid…'

Merlin frowned and pressed the phone closer to his ear, trying to make out the rest of the words.

'I tried to stop,' Gwaine said. He was definitely crying. 'I've tried to stop. But I have nothing that makes me want to stop, and I want something, Merlin, give me a reason to stop, because I don't have anything left to live for.'

Merlin's heart stopped.

'I don't have anything left to live for,' Gwaine repeated, and there came the sound of retching as he threw up. 'I don't-' and the line went dead.

Merlin leant back against the table, frowning as he mulled over Gwaine's words.

I don't have anything left to live for.

And suddenly, it all made sense. The drinking. Turning up late for work. The weight loss. And now-

I don't have anything left to live for.

'No,' Merlin whispered, and stood up. It was a fifteen minute walk from Camelot to Gwaine's- maybe ten, if he ran. Could he make it before anything happened?

Not even thinking to put on his coat, Merlin hurtled out of the office, down the stairs and out of the building, ignoring the security guard's yell for him to stop and sign himself out. People dived out the way as he raced down the street, ignoring the cars which screeched to a halt when he crossed the roads and the pouring rain soaking through his thin t-shirt. When he reached the gates to Gwaine's building, he suddenly realised he wouldn't be able to get in, but luck was on his side when a moment later Percival came round the corner, key in hand. It was his day off, Merlin remembered.

'Hello, Merlin,' he said with a smile, buzzing them both in. 'Forget your umbrella?' then he noticed his expression. 'Something wrong?'

'Need – to – get – to – Gwaine,' Merlin managed to gasp out, trying to catch his breath. 'Emergency-'

As soon as they were in, Merlin began to sprint up the three flights of stairs that would take him to Gwaine's front door. Percival ran with him. Once they reached Gwaine's flat, which was opposite Percival's, he began to bang on the door loudly. 'Gwaine!' he shouted, still banging. 'Gwaine, open the door!'

There was no response, and Merlin looked over at Percival desperately.

'Merlin, what's going on?' he asked him urgently.

Merlin pressed his ear to the door. He couldn't hear anything from inside the flat. 'Percival, I'm going to need you to break the door down,' said Merlin.

'But why-'

'Now! There's no time to explain!'

Percival looked across at him warily, but did as he was told nonetheless. It only took him one try to use the weight of his body to burst through the lock and let them into the flat.

Merlin immediately ran through to the kitchen, where they saw Gwaine's keys and wallet on the table. An empty bottle of vodka was next to them. 'Gwaine!' he shouted out, but there was no response. He ran through to the bathroom, Percival close on his heels, but it was empty. Only one thing seemed out of place: the cabinet above the sink was wide open, with boxes of tablets scattered across the floor. Merlin took a step backwards, nearly crashing into Percival, and the pair of them hurried through to the bedroom. When they reached the open doorway, they both stopped in their tracks.

The body of Gwaine Noble was lying on the floor with blue lips. An empty bottle of whiskey, a half-smoked cigarette and a needle lay next to him.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

'Arthur, what is this?' Gwen asked quietly, and passed over the magazine. Arthur looked down at the page it was open on. A picture was taking up most of the page: himself, smoking outside Camelot last week, eyes closed and leaning on the fence.

'Ah,' was the only thing he could think to say.

'You're smoking again?' Gwen exclaimed. 'Since when?'

'No I'm not,' he replied automatically. 'Well. Not properly. A little, perhaps...'

'I can't believe you would start smoking again!' said Gwen angrily, snatching the magazine back and throwing it on the coffee table. 'It's so bad for you, and you know how much I hate it! How long have you been doing it for?'

Arthur paused, trying to backdate to the time he had gone with Gwaine to that bar when Gwen had stood him up. 'A couple of months,' he decided. 'But it's not like it's a regular thing-'

'Months? You've been smoking for months and you didn't even tell me?'

'Well, maybe it wouldn't have taken you so long to notice if you actually paid any attention to me,' Arthur snapped before he could stop himself. Gwen raised an eyebrow.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Nothing,' he said at once, realising he shouldn't have spoken.

'No, please. I'd love to hear how I've been ignoring you.'

He could hear the tone in her voice and was almost too afraid to speak- that voice meant trouble. But he took a deep breath and decided he might as well let it all out.

'I've been really trying to make time for you, and to cook you dinner, and to not go out with the guys as much since we moved in together. I really have. But every time I try and make an effort it's as if you completely ignore it. You stay so late at work, and most of the time you're not even back early enough to have dinner with me. It's as if-'

He stopped talking, and she narrowed her eyes. 'It's as if what?'

He paused. 'It's as if you like spending time with your colleagues and your job more than you like spending time with me.'

There was a moment's silence, and then Gwen scoffed. 'This is ridiculous. You don't like the fact that sometimes, I have to work late in order to meet a deadline?

'What about all those times I've made time for you?

'Can you hear yourself?' Gwen shouted. 'You sound like a spoilt little boy who didn't get what he wanted for his birthday! You sound ridiculous, Arthur! And I shouldn't have to listen to it any more!'

She left the kitchen and stormed off into the bedroom. Arthur steadied himself for a moment and then followed her through. Her suitcase was lying open on the bed and she was grabbing clothes from the wardrobe and stuffing them in.

'What are you doing?' he asked from the doorway, even though it was perfectly clear what was happening.

'I'm leaving,' Gwen said shortly, continuing to pack. 'I can't live like that, Arthur. I can't have you telling me off for not being where you want me to be, I can't have you hating my work, my life, I can't have you not trusting me whenever I'm within ten feet of another man-'

'It's not like that,' Arthur insisted as she walked through to the en suite. A moment later she re-appeared in the doorway, toothbrush and make-up bag in hand.

'Yes it is,' she told him. 'It's been like that ever since I started working with Lance.'

Arthur's phone began to ring on the bedside table, but they both ignored it.

'It hasn't!' he insisted. 'I've always supported your work, I know how much it means to you. What I don't like is when you let it take over your entire life, because you know what? There's more to life than work!'

Arthur's phone stopped ringing. A moment later, Gwen's mobile began to ring in her pocket. They both ignored the buzzing.

'Oh, please,' said Gwen angrily. 'The only reason you don't want me working as much is so you don't feel so bad about the fact that you haven't got any work of your own lined up because you're not even grown up enough to be civil with your father!'

She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. Her phone stopped buzzing in her pocket, and there was a moment of complete silence before Arthur's phone began to ring yet again. He strode over and swiped to answer.

'What?' he nearly yelled down the phone. 'What is so important you have to keep on ringing? What do you want?'

'Arthur.' It was Merlin. Arthur knew at once that something was wrong. His voice was muffled, as if he'd been crying. 'Arthur, you need to come to the hospital. And Gwen.'

'What?' said Arthur, fear growing inside him. Gwen looked over, sensing the tone. 'What's happened?'

'It's – it's Gwaine.'