Part 20: link
Gwen finishes her call with Morgana and sets her phone to silent. She sets it on Arthur’s dresser and flips the overhead light off. Arthur had made himself cozy under the covers of his tempat tidur while she was talking, sitting propped up against the headboard on pillows. He beckons to her with one finger, despite the fact that she is already walking towards him.
“Remember your shoulder,” she warns as she climbs in selanjutnya to him, on his right side.
“Somehow I don’t think you’ll let me forget,” he smiles as he reaches over to ciuman her. He brings his arms around her waist, grateful to be able to hold her properly – almost properly – again. He does notice that while he is trying to pull her across him she is careful not to rest her weight on him. As if she weighs anything at all, he thinks, pulling her closer.
His hand slips beneath the sheets, down to her thigh. He slides it up and around to cup her backside and she groans into him. His hand roves higher, pulling at the t-shirt she has on. He can’t reach high enough to pull it off of her, so she pulls away for a detik and whips it off over her head.
She is pressed back into the pillows as he leans over her, touching, kissing. His tongue is doing sinful things to the interior of her mouth while his left hand seems to be making up for lost time, roaming around her stomach, caressing her breasts, her thighs, dropping between her legs to stroke her. Gwen’s eyes flutter closed and she exhales as he swirls his tongue around her earlobe, taking it between his teeth for a moment.
Gwen reaches down to remove Arthur’s shorts. No shorts. She pulls away and looks at him, raising an eyebrow at him. He grins. “What?” She just shakes her head with a smirk, and grabs him in her hand, a bit suddenly, making him gasp at the unexpected sensation.
“You little…” he growls seductively as he drops his head to a breast, hand redoubling its efforts below the covers.
“Ah…” Gwen sighs, trying to concentrate on keeping her hand moving on him in her own distracted state. Their hands seem to be moving in sync with each other. She reaches her other hand over to the nightstand, opening the drawer and reaching in. She finds the box and pokes her fingers inside it, finding it empty. She pulls away from him to look in the drawer. There’s not much in there: fingernail clippers, a packet of tissues, a rubber band, a pencil, and a book of matches. Nothing else.
“Arthur,” she says. He leans over and looks.
“I must be out,” he says casually and leans back to ciuman her.
“Arthur,” she says, lebih emphatically and tries to pindah out from under him.
“Gwen—“
“I’ll go check my bag. I may still have some in there,” she starts to rise.
His right hand shoots out, quick as lightning, and grabs hers. “Guinevere.”
She stops and looks at him.
“Come here,” he says gently. She sits. “It’s all right,” he continues.
“I suppose we don’t have to…” she starts.
“I didn’t mean that.” He pauses, choosing his words carefully. “I meant we don’t need one.”
Her brow furrows and she frowns, confused and upset. I can’t believe he would be so insensitive, she thinks, but says nothing. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, as if she is trying to say something, but no words come out.
“Guinevere,” he begins again, voice gentle. “You’re on the pill, right?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“You take it regularly.”
“Religiously.”
“Same time every day.”
“Yes, of course. How did you—“
“I did some research yesterday. Having an incapacitated arm in a firehouse gives a man a lot of free time.”
“Oh.”
“The pill is 99.9% effective when taken properly, as anda do. I don’t think we have anything to worry about, love.”
“It’s not 100%,”
“Neither are condoms. And they are much lebih likely to fail. anda know that. And they’re only 98% when used properly.”
“That’s why I’m on the pill, too.”
“Gwen, anda do realize that you’re just helping prove my point. It’s like… opening an umbrella inside the house because it’s raining.”
“What?”
“If the umbrella breaks, anda are still dry because you’re inside the house.”
“Arthur, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yes. I know.”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t think anda can understand.”
“Perhaps not. All I know is that you’re still afraid. Still hurt.”
“I’m not. I’m fine.”
“Guinevere, look at yourself.”
Gwen looks down. She is hugging her knees to her chest, sitting like a ball wrapped in a sheet. She has completely separated herself from Arthur. I’m shielding myself, hiding, she realizes, and reluctantly forces herself to uncurl. Arthur takes her hand.
“I’m not trying to make anda do anything anda don’t want to do. I would never do that, I promise. I’m just trying to… help anda get better. Help anda heal.” He kisses her knuckles.
“I thought I was better.” She looks down. She is now sitting cross-legged selanjutnya to him.
“Come over here please,” he asks quietly, dropping her hand so he can hold his arm out for her to snuggle into him. “I want to tell anda something. Something I’ve never told anyone.”
She sighs and lies down beside him.
“I don’t know that I can fully understand, this is true,” he begins, “But I think I can come close.”
“How’s that?” she asks his shoulder.
“When I was eighteen, I was driving on a motorway in a rainstorm. A big one. One of those rains so heavy that the ground and the sewers can’t keep up. I wasn’t driving fast; I was well under the speed limit, actually. Still, I hydroplaned and lost control of the car. I skidded across three lanes of traffic and hit a wall. I had spun 180 degrees.”
“Were anda hurt?” she looks up at him.
“That’s the amazing thing. I wasn’t. Sure, I was sore for a couple days after, but I didn’t hit any other cars, no other cars hit me, and if that median dinding hadn’t been there I would have wound up in the oncoming lanes. The car looked like I tried to fold it in half sideways.”
“You were lucky.”
“Yes. Still, it took me a good solid tahun before I was willing to drive on any major motorway again, rain atau shine. Especially that one. But, with time and necessity, I was gradually able to get my wheels back under me.”
Gwen says nothing, waiting for him to continue. She puts her hand on his chest.
“Then last year, Merlin and I went to Manchester for a training exchange. Merlin drove. On our way there, we drove through a rainstorm. A big one, just like the one when I was eighteen. We hydroplaned once, just a little, and suddenly all the fear, all the panic, came flooding back.”
“But anda weren’t hurt,” Gwen says, puzzled.
“That’s just it. I wasn’t hurt. But I could have been. It’s the ‘what-ifs’ that get anda every time. What if it happens again? What if I hit another car this time? What if I’m on a bridge when it happens and the car goes over the side? What if…”
“I get it.”
“Not only that, but I wasn’t driving this time. Don’t get me wrong, I trust Merlin’s driving. The man drives an ambulance; he’s required oleh law to be a good driver. So I was completely freaking out and had no control over anything.”
“What did anda do? Did anda have Merlin pull over?”
“He wouldn’t.”
“Really?” This surprises Gwen. Merlin is such a sweet person, why would he put Arthur through that?
“He looked at me and said, ‘Arthur, the only way you’re going to get through this is if we get through this.’ And he kept driving. I kept a death grip on the armrests, my leg, his leg, anything that I could. I even closed my eyes for a bit.”
“What happened?”
“When we drove out through the other end of the storm, Merlin looked over at me, shoved me on the shoulder and called me a girl. He never spoke of it again. Ever.”
“Wow.”
“My point is, that even if you think you’re over something, anda can’t know for sure until anda are actually faced with it again. And sometimes anda need another person, someone anda can trust, to pull anda through it.”
Arthur can feel Gwen’s tears falling on his chest. He reaches up and wipes them from her cheeks with his thumb.
“Do anda trust me, Guinevere?” he asks, voice little lebih than a whisper.
“Yes,” she replies, barely audible. She tilts her head up and kisses his jaw. He leans down to ciuman her lips. “I cinta you, Arthur,” she whispers.
“I know.” He kisses her again. “I cinta you, too. So much. And I promise you: I will not run away from you. Ever.”
Disclaimer: as a parent and responsible adult I feel I must add that condoms should be used as they are the best guard against STDs. Arthur and Gwen are clean and in a committed relationship and disease is not a concern for them. I don't mean to be a buzzkill after their beautiful moment, but I had to clarify my position.
Part 22: link
Gwen finishes her call with Morgana and sets her phone to silent. She sets it on Arthur’s dresser and flips the overhead light off. Arthur had made himself cozy under the covers of his tempat tidur while she was talking, sitting propped up against the headboard on pillows. He beckons to her with one finger, despite the fact that she is already walking towards him.
“Remember your shoulder,” she warns as she climbs in selanjutnya to him, on his right side.
“Somehow I don’t think you’ll let me forget,” he smiles as he reaches over to ciuman her. He brings his arms around her waist, grateful to be able to hold her properly – almost properly – again. He does notice that while he is trying to pull her across him she is careful not to rest her weight on him. As if she weighs anything at all, he thinks, pulling her closer.
His hand slips beneath the sheets, down to her thigh. He slides it up and around to cup her backside and she groans into him. His hand roves higher, pulling at the t-shirt she has on. He can’t reach high enough to pull it off of her, so she pulls away for a detik and whips it off over her head.
She is pressed back into the pillows as he leans over her, touching, kissing. His tongue is doing sinful things to the interior of her mouth while his left hand seems to be making up for lost time, roaming around her stomach, caressing her breasts, her thighs, dropping between her legs to stroke her. Gwen’s eyes flutter closed and she exhales as he swirls his tongue around her earlobe, taking it between his teeth for a moment.
Gwen reaches down to remove Arthur’s shorts. No shorts. She pulls away and looks at him, raising an eyebrow at him. He grins. “What?” She just shakes her head with a smirk, and grabs him in her hand, a bit suddenly, making him gasp at the unexpected sensation.
“You little…” he growls seductively as he drops his head to a breast, hand redoubling its efforts below the covers.
“Ah…” Gwen sighs, trying to concentrate on keeping her hand moving on him in her own distracted state. Their hands seem to be moving in sync with each other. She reaches her other hand over to the nightstand, opening the drawer and reaching in. She finds the box and pokes her fingers inside it, finding it empty. She pulls away from him to look in the drawer. There’s not much in there: fingernail clippers, a packet of tissues, a rubber band, a pencil, and a book of matches. Nothing else.
“Arthur,” she says. He leans over and looks.
“I must be out,” he says casually and leans back to ciuman her.
“Arthur,” she says, lebih emphatically and tries to pindah out from under him.
“Gwen—“
“I’ll go check my bag. I may still have some in there,” she starts to rise.
His right hand shoots out, quick as lightning, and grabs hers. “Guinevere.”
She stops and looks at him.
“Come here,” he says gently. She sits. “It’s all right,” he continues.
“I suppose we don’t have to…” she starts.
“I didn’t mean that.” He pauses, choosing his words carefully. “I meant we don’t need one.”
Her brow furrows and she frowns, confused and upset. I can’t believe he would be so insensitive, she thinks, but says nothing. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, as if she is trying to say something, but no words come out.
“Guinevere,” he begins again, voice gentle. “You’re on the pill, right?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“You take it regularly.”
“Religiously.”
“Same time every day.”
“Yes, of course. How did you—“
“I did some research yesterday. Having an incapacitated arm in a firehouse gives a man a lot of free time.”
“Oh.”
“The pill is 99.9% effective when taken properly, as anda do. I don’t think we have anything to worry about, love.”
“It’s not 100%,”
“Neither are condoms. And they are much lebih likely to fail. anda know that. And they’re only 98% when used properly.”
“That’s why I’m on the pill, too.”
“Gwen, anda do realize that you’re just helping prove my point. It’s like… opening an umbrella inside the house because it’s raining.”
“What?”
“If the umbrella breaks, anda are still dry because you’re inside the house.”
“Arthur, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yes. I know.”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t think anda can understand.”
“Perhaps not. All I know is that you’re still afraid. Still hurt.”
“I’m not. I’m fine.”
“Guinevere, look at yourself.”
Gwen looks down. She is hugging her knees to her chest, sitting like a ball wrapped in a sheet. She has completely separated herself from Arthur. I’m shielding myself, hiding, she realizes, and reluctantly forces herself to uncurl. Arthur takes her hand.
“I’m not trying to make anda do anything anda don’t want to do. I would never do that, I promise. I’m just trying to… help anda get better. Help anda heal.” He kisses her knuckles.
“I thought I was better.” She looks down. She is now sitting cross-legged selanjutnya to him.
“Come over here please,” he asks quietly, dropping her hand so he can hold his arm out for her to snuggle into him. “I want to tell anda something. Something I’ve never told anyone.”
She sighs and lies down beside him.
“I don’t know that I can fully understand, this is true,” he begins, “But I think I can come close.”
“How’s that?” she asks his shoulder.
“When I was eighteen, I was driving on a motorway in a rainstorm. A big one. One of those rains so heavy that the ground and the sewers can’t keep up. I wasn’t driving fast; I was well under the speed limit, actually. Still, I hydroplaned and lost control of the car. I skidded across three lanes of traffic and hit a wall. I had spun 180 degrees.”
“Were anda hurt?” she looks up at him.
“That’s the amazing thing. I wasn’t. Sure, I was sore for a couple days after, but I didn’t hit any other cars, no other cars hit me, and if that median dinding hadn’t been there I would have wound up in the oncoming lanes. The car looked like I tried to fold it in half sideways.”
“You were lucky.”
“Yes. Still, it took me a good solid tahun before I was willing to drive on any major motorway again, rain atau shine. Especially that one. But, with time and necessity, I was gradually able to get my wheels back under me.”
Gwen says nothing, waiting for him to continue. She puts her hand on his chest.
“Then last year, Merlin and I went to Manchester for a training exchange. Merlin drove. On our way there, we drove through a rainstorm. A big one, just like the one when I was eighteen. We hydroplaned once, just a little, and suddenly all the fear, all the panic, came flooding back.”
“But anda weren’t hurt,” Gwen says, puzzled.
“That’s just it. I wasn’t hurt. But I could have been. It’s the ‘what-ifs’ that get anda every time. What if it happens again? What if I hit another car this time? What if I’m on a bridge when it happens and the car goes over the side? What if…”
“I get it.”
“Not only that, but I wasn’t driving this time. Don’t get me wrong, I trust Merlin’s driving. The man drives an ambulance; he’s required oleh law to be a good driver. So I was completely freaking out and had no control over anything.”
“What did anda do? Did anda have Merlin pull over?”
“He wouldn’t.”
“Really?” This surprises Gwen. Merlin is such a sweet person, why would he put Arthur through that?
“He looked at me and said, ‘Arthur, the only way you’re going to get through this is if we get through this.’ And he kept driving. I kept a death grip on the armrests, my leg, his leg, anything that I could. I even closed my eyes for a bit.”
“What happened?”
“When we drove out through the other end of the storm, Merlin looked over at me, shoved me on the shoulder and called me a girl. He never spoke of it again. Ever.”
“Wow.”
“My point is, that even if you think you’re over something, anda can’t know for sure until anda are actually faced with it again. And sometimes anda need another person, someone anda can trust, to pull anda through it.”
Arthur can feel Gwen’s tears falling on his chest. He reaches up and wipes them from her cheeks with his thumb.
“Do anda trust me, Guinevere?” he asks, voice little lebih than a whisper.
“Yes,” she replies, barely audible. She tilts her head up and kisses his jaw. He leans down to ciuman her lips. “I cinta you, Arthur,” she whispers.
“I know.” He kisses her again. “I cinta you, too. So much. And I promise you: I will not run away from you. Ever.”
Disclaimer: as a parent and responsible adult I feel I must add that condoms should be used as they are the best guard against STDs. Arthur and Gwen are clean and in a committed relationship and disease is not a concern for them. I don't mean to be a buzzkill after their beautiful moment, but I had to clarify my position.
Part 22: link
![Arwen Epic Moments - A Walk Down Memory Lane [10]](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/33800000/Arwen-Epic-Moments-A-Walk-Down-Memory-Lane-10-arthur-and-gwen-33809894-245-245.gif)
