And Everything ComesTumbling Down (2/?)
She said.
AN: I was thinking this one would be a one-shot but found myself writing this when I woke up today. I know it's a little out there - but it's all in good fun and I think still very much tongue-in-cheek.
AN2: Flashbacks are italicized.
Prev
Gwen wishes she could chuck her phone out of the hotel window. It's been beeping and ringing intermittently for the last couple of hours and after reading the first few texts earlier, she knows the messages are most likely about the pictures that have exploded all over Tumbler. She's had to set it to silent and also unhook her room phone in order to avoid calls, not only from Morgana and Merlin but also from her other friends and family.
The sudden knock on her door startles her out of her reverie and she debates with herself for a couple of seconds on whether to pretend to be asleep already or to just go ahead and face the music. She sighs heavily as she plods towards to the door to see who was on the other side. She is not surprised to see Morgana.
"Gwen! Why haven't you been answering my calls?" she demands as she enters the room.
"I don't want to talk about it!" Gwen grumbles as she follows her friend/co-star after locking the door.
"So those photos were real?" Morgana squeaks as she sits on her bed, eyes wide. "Drats! I always miss all the fun." It was her day off and so she only found out when Gawaine sent her the 'evidence'.
Gwen groans in frustration. "I am so going to wring Arthur's neck!"
Morgana laughs heartily. "You mean you haven't already?"
"I don't know what that bloody idiot was thinking."
"Oh, I rather think he wasn't at that point." The Irish woman teased.
"How bad has it been?" Gwen asks her friend tentatively.
"Well… "
"I knew it!" Gwen grimaces. "I bet there are posts all over Tumbler of me with a scarlet letter!"
Morgana looks at her with horror. "Surely not?"
"Okay...maybe not…" she concedes. "But everyone knows that Arthur's with Elena..."
Morgana just shakes her head.
"What?"
But the brunette just rolls her eyes.
"I don't even know how I made it through the rest of the day…"
"Do tell…"
"We were supposed to shoot that fight by the courtyard, but we had to scrap that to do the interior scene instead because the fans were…" she couldn't continue.
"I bet it was bedlam."
"…complete and utter bedlam!"
Morgana laughs. "Merlin tells me JJ nearly had a heart attack."
"He read us the riot act." Gwen admits glumly.
"What did Arthur say?"
"That idiot had the gall to tell JJ we were just rehearsing!"
"That's Arthur for you."
"And when JJ said we didn't have any courtyard kissing scenes in the first script, he said we should have had one."
Morgana's comical expression causes Gwen to laugh.
"So why did he kiss you?"
The question throws her for a loop. "I have no idea." She answers. She truly doesn't.
"Did you kiss him back?"
Gwen blushes.
"You did!" Morgana chuckles.
Gwen groans and hides her face.
"So tell me again why you're not together?"
"You know why…"
"No, I really don't. I mean, it's obvious you've both got the hots for each other."
"Morgana!"
"What? It's true. For all our teasing about Arthur and Merlin, it's actually you two that has so much UST going on…"
"UST?"
"Unresolved sexual tension."
Gwen gapes at her friend.
"Oh don't give me that look woman. For all your assertions that it's all acting and mechanical and technical and like kissing a mate, anyone with eyes or half a brain can see that's not entirely true."
"We're professionals."
Morgana scoffs.
Gwen sighs. "Well that point is all moot and academic now anyway."
"Why ever for?"
"Because!"
"Because?"
"He's obviously moved on." She doesn't mention Elena.
"Right!" Morgana mocks. "Because that kiss surely means he's moved on."
"Morgana!"
"I just don't understand what happened. You were both doing so well during the fourth series shoot. I really thought…"
"So did I…" the words escape her lips before she could stop them.
"…then why?"
"Why won't you go out with me?"
"Quit fooling around Arthur."
"Why won't you take me seriously?"
"Because you and Merlin always take the mickey out of me…"
"Well, would you rather I pull at your braids?"
"What?"
"Maybe I should push you out of the swings…of course there aren't any around here…"
"And that Arthur, is why I never take you seriously."
"Arthur…"
"Why won't you believe me?"
"You're young…"
"And you're three years older, what's that got to do with anything?"
"It's manufactured attraction."
"Bollocks!"
"I've seen this happen before…people working closely with each other for months on end ending up in a relationship and when the shooting ends, it fizzles…"
"It's been two years and some change…if it hasn't fizzled yet, I don't think it will any time soon."
"It might."
"So that's your excuse?"
"It's not an excuse."
"Why are you so afraid to take a chance with me?"
"Arthur just drop it."
"Arthur, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Why so serious?"
"Not everything is a joke Gwen."
"Arthur…"
"They're calling for me at makeup…"
"Arthur…"
"Look, you can't have it both ways."
"What?"
"I'm either a joker or not. You can't switch me on and off at your convenience."
"I don't…"
"You do! If you don't like me at all, the least you can do is to stop pretending you care about my moods…"
"That's not what…"
"But it is…"
"Arthur…"
"Just drop it Gwen…"
"I missed you."
"Okay."
"You didn't miss me at all?"
…
"Look Arthur, it's complicated…"
…
"We can't be like this…"
"Like what?"
"Like strangers. People can tell."
"I haven't heard any complaints about our acting…"
"Are we?"
"Are we what?"
"Acting?"
"You tell me."
…
"If you're really serious…"
"Unbelievable!"
"If you're really serious, then maybe…"
"Maybe?"
"…maybe we can…"
"What?"
"Will you let me finish…"
"Sorry…"
"If, at the end of this series, it's still there…"
...
"Then maybe …"
"No! No maybes. It's either a yes or a no."
...
"We're both adults here. I'M an ADULT. And I can be professional even if you say n..."
"It's a yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes!"
"And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime, let's just take things as they come…"
"Okay…I can work with that…"
"So can we do this again?"
"Again?"
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Welcome back."
"What are you doing Arthur?"
"It's the end of the series."
"There's a fifth…"
…
"Arthur?"
"You can't do this to me again Gwen. I'm not waiting another bloody year."
"I wasn't asking you to…"
"Weren't you? It's been four years! Four!"
"Keep your voice down…"
"Even our TV characters are blooming married already!"
"Arthur, stop cussing!"
"Unbelievable. That's ALL that you got from that? My cussing?"
"I was only…"
"You know what? Screw you! I'm done!"
"Arthur…"
…
"Oh, Gwen…"
"And you know what the funny part was? I was only joking when I mentioned the fifth series…"
"You should have made him listen..."
"I tried! I tried calling him, but he wouldn't take my calls. And then he left the country and then I was busy shooting and then time just slipped away and before I know it Elena was there again…"
"They're just friends…"
"No they're not."
"Gwen…"
"He loves Twitter…"
"What has that got to do with it?"
"He closed his account for her…"
"Gwen, that's not why he did it…"
"It doesn't matter. What's done is done…"
"So now what?"
"I guess now, I just live with it…"
"And Matthew Grayson? Where does he fit in all this?"
Gwen laughs. "I see Merlin and Gawaine have been carrying tales…"
Morgana doesn't even bat an eyelash.
"He's just a friend."
At the other woman's raised eyebrow, Gwen laughs.
"He is. He's just a nice guy who happened to see me break down while we were shooting…"
"Oh…"
"He's been with his girlfriend for years. And, as Arthur has helpfully pointed out to me last week, they have a daughter."
"Why the visit?"
"They're just vacationing here and he knew I was shooting so he dropped by."
"Without her?"
"Goodness Morgana, you're like a bloodhound."
"I'm still waiting for the answer."
"Fine! I might have told him…"
...
"Oh! You minx!"
"What?"
"You're trying to make Arthur jealous!"
"Shut up Morgana!"
___
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