21 June

One of the surprises Arthur had for me at our one-month anniversary dinner was a diamond necklace. It's tasteful and small, exactly my taste. I was impressed. And, very touched. He's so sweet. I had a gift for him, which I gave him at home, a new leather wallet embossed with his initials. It wasn't anything fancy or expensive, but he loved it. I noticed his wallet was in really rough shape, so I got him a new one. He told me he loves that I notice details like this.

The other surprise was the news that Morgana is throwing us a party. A wedding reception, technically. Apparently, she had her heart set on it, and when Arthur and I had our little... whatever that was... she had a minor freak out. Had already started planning, unbeknownst to either of us. So, after she found out we were okay, she told Arthur about her plans. It's going to be at her house, hopefully in her (very large) garden.

Fortunately, the weather gods have smiled on us. It rained Sunday through Wednesday, but it's been sunny and beautiful since Thursday. So, plenty of time for things to dry out.

The only sad bit of news is Elyan can't be there. The band is in France right now. He sent me a shot of the Eiffel Tower this morning in fact. We've really gotten better about communication. We talk about once a week and text almost every day, even if it is just a "hello" or a silly picture. I had a bagel that turned out looking like a bum one day, so I snapped a photo of it and sent it to Elyan. Then, I ate it. I sent him a picture of that as well. Had it clenched between my teeth. He loved it.

Anyway, the party is this afternoon. We asked that it be casual, so I am wearing a simple lavender sundress and Arthur is wearing a white shirt and khaki trousers. He looks way too good in white. He favors red, but something about the white offsetting his golden coloring is just... yum.

What was I talking about? Oh, yes. The party...

"Are you sure I look all right?" Guinevere asks as they walk up to the Pendragon-Rupert house.

"Guinevere, you look absolutely beautiful," Arthur reassures her. "And, I'm not just saying that." He leans down and kisses her, his hand caressing her cheek.

"You lot forget you're outside?" Gwaine's voice interrupts them and they separate, laughing.

"Hey, mate," Arthur says, greeting him.

Guinevere gives him a hug. "No date?"

"Nah, not for this," Gwaine answers. "Elena said she'd take pity and dance with me if she had to," he adds.

"Well, don't make it sound like a chore," Arthur says, chuckling as they walk around to the back garden.

"Have you ever danced with Gwaine?" Guinevere asks, looking up at Arthur.

"Obviously not," he answers. "Are you a bad dancer?" he asks the other man.

"I'm a good dancer," Gwaine protests.

"He gets a little... hands-y," Guinevere clarifies. Seeing the look on her husband's face, she quickly adds, "Not with me though."

"She nearly broke my finger the one time I tried it," Gwaine elaborates, pushing open the gate.

Guinevere and Arthur walk through and as they come around the side of the house, both stop dead in their tracks.

There is a large stage set up at one end of the garden, and the Knights of Swing are setting up.

Guinevere stares, gaping in shock. "But... how... Arthur?"

He is as surprised as she. "I had no idea," he answers, smiling brightly, thrilled Elyan is here after all.

Finally, Morgana sees them, grabs Elyan, and runs over.

"Surprise!" Elyan says, hugging his sister, then his brother-in-law.

"Are you surprised? Really?" Morgana asks, clearly ready to jump out of her skin.

"Yes! But... I... you... France..." Guinevere stammers, unable to collect her thoughts. She hugs Elyan tightly again, kissing his cheek, then embraces Morgana.

"How on earth did you do this? You're supposed to be in France!" Arthur asks, hugging Morgana, then Elyan.

"We were. Going back tomorrow morning," Elyan says. "Hey, Gwaine," he greets his friend, standing to one side.

"Hey, El," Gwaine answers, and they quickly hug. "Miss Morgana."

"Tarzan," Morgana answers, grinning. "Bar is over there, mate."

He winks and disappears.

"Where are Leon and Mordred?" Arthur asks, looking around.

"Oh, Mordred was just waking from his nap. He'll be having a change and some yogurt, then they'll be out. Leon knew I wanted to be out here when you arrived, so he's on Daddy detail," she explains.

Guinevere nods, recovered from her shock. "How did you arrange all this?"

"Oh, it wasn't that difficult. Just a little planning and creativity," Morgana shrugs.

"This woman has connections like you would not believe," Elyan says. They start walking towards the stage. "Well, maybe you would," he says to Arthur, who chuckles.

"How did the two of you even get in touch?" Guinevere asks.

"You told us all about Elyan at brunch that day," Morgana casually says. "From there, it was easy."

"Oh, yeah, convincing our manager to rearrange our schedule, booking flights, getting all this," he waves his hand at the stage, "set up. Piece of cake."

Morgana grins proudly, enjoying the praise. The rest of the band members start coming down from the stage, all warmly greeting Guinevere and Arthur before returning to start tuning and warming up.

"Thank you so much, Elyan," Guinevere says, hugging her brother tightly. "You don't know how disappointed I was that you weren't going to be here." She looks up at him with tears in her eyes. Then, she remembers something. "You obviously didn't take that photo of the Eiffel Tower this morning," she adds with a watery laugh.

"I never claimed I did, Gwennie," Elyan answers. "And, you're very welcome. I wouldn't miss this. You're my only sister." They hug once more and he goes up to the stage.

Guinevere turns to her sister-in-law. "Thank you, Morgana. This was beyond anything I could have imagined." She hugs Morgana again, then wipes her eyes.

"Thanks, Sis," Arthur says, hugging her as well. "This is brilliant."

"Oh, I really didn't do anything," Morgana says again, walking between them, her arms linked through theirs, heading for the food table. "I just did the leg work. Elyan paid for everything."

Guinevere stops walking. "What?"

"Yeah. He insisted. I couldn't talk him out of it," she explains.

Guinevere looks back at the stage and finds her brother. He smiles and lightly shrugs, as though he knows what she's just learned, and resumes tuning his bass. No big deal.

"I can't decide if I want to kiss him or kill him," she says.

"Don't kill him, Love," Arthur says, pulling her into his arms. "I know you think it's too much and he shouldn't spend his money on you this way, but it obviously means a great deal to him."

"I know," she sighs against him. "I'm just overwhelmed. In a good way." She chuckles. "Seems to be a pattern," she adds.

Arthur smiles warmly at her and kisses her forehead.

"Your brother's a great guy," Morgana says. "Cute, too. Talented. Why is he single?"

Guinevere laughs, pulling away from Arthur. "Says he's too busy with his career."

"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard," Morgana says. She starts looking around the party. People are trickling in fairly steadily. "Is he straight?"

"What are you doing, shopping?" Guinevere asks, laughing. "Yes, he's straight, but..."

"Give it up, Love," Arthur says. "Matchmaking is a sport for her."

"You always managed to avoid my efforts," his sister retorts, glaring playfully at him.

"Something for which I am quite thankful," Arthur declares. He looks over Morgana's shoulder. "Oh, Merlin and Freya are here. And, Percival. Come on, Guinevere. I don't think you got to meet him at Merlin's party," he says, taking his wife by the hand.

xXx

Arthur and Guinevere make their way through the party, trying to talk to everyone. There are still people they haven't yet met from each other's lives, so lots of introductions are made. Guinevere meets not only Percival, but several people from Arthur's office. Arthur meets Annis and Isolde and her husband, Tristan.

There is a large spread, but no head table or any formal dining arrangements. Arthur and Guinevere wanted a simple garden party. The band plays quiet background music for the first couple of hours so people can easily converse.

"Gwen... Gwen!" Elena appears out of nowhere, tugging Guinevere's arm.

She turns, chuckling at her. "Yes?" she calmly asks, grinning at her mysteriously-excited friend.

"Who. Is. That?" Elena pointedly looks across the garden, where, about 15 yards away, Percival is standing and chatting with Gwaine as if they'd known one another for years.

"Gwaine," Guinevere answers with an impish grin, knowing full well that's not the answer for which Elena is looking.

"Gwen!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. That's Percival Thomas. He's a school friend of Arthur's and works with Freya. Have you met Freya?" Guinevere asks.

"Dark hair, looks like a woodland fairy? Yeah. She's adorable," she absently says. "Tell me more about Thor there. Single? Straight?"

Guinevere laughs, looking for Arthur. "I'm probably not the best person to ask, since I only just met him tonight." She spots her husband, running nearby with a laughing Mordred on his shoulders. "Arthur?" she calls.

He trots over, and Mordred reaches his little hands down to Guinevere. "Auntie," he says. Arthur lifts the toddler from his shoulders and hands him to Guinevere, where the boy promptly drops his dark, curly head on her shoulder.

"What's up?" he asks, reaching over to smooth Mordred's hair. He's been running nonstop since he came outside, and his hair is slightly damp.

"Elena wants to know about Percival," Guinevere says. She suddenly realizes she's been slightly swaying from side to side since Mordred landed in her arms.

"What would you like to know?" Arthur asks, grinning like he knows exactly what Elena wants to know.

Elena raises an eyebrow at him.

"He's single," Arthur says. "And, straight."

"Why the bloody, buggery hell is he single?" Elena demands in a whisper-shout, flabbergasted. "There's got to be a reason. He's completely gorgeous. Wait. Does he know he is? Is he a wanker? Stupid?"

Arthur is laughing rather hard now. "No, he's a top bloke really. He's just a little shy, that's all."

"Isn't he a teacher?" Elena asks, confused.

"Doesn't mean he's not shy with adults," Arthur says. "Especially female adults. Come on," Arthur says, beckoning. He winks at Guinevere.

"Morgana's the matchmaker... right," Guinevere knowingly nods.

Arthur kisses her cheek, then escorts Elena over to Percival and Gwaine while Guinevere heads to find her overheated nephew something to drink.

Ten minutes later, Mordred is asleep on the now-seated Guinevere's shoulder, and Elena and Percival are still in the same place, talking, without the help of Arthur and Gwaine.

Arthur returns to his wife's side and smiles warmly at her, enjoying the sight of her with a baby in her arms.

xXx

"Hello? Hi. Thank you for coming, everyone," Morgana's voice rings through the garden some time later, and everyone turns towards the stage. "Did you like the food?" There are general affirmative murmurings. "Good. Now. The Knights here are going to start to... kick it in, or whatever the kids today say. So, if you feel inclined to dance, there's room for that. In fact, we expect the bride and groom to be out here," she waves her manicured hand towards the area in front of the stage, "dancing."

The guests laugh quietly, and she continues. "Now, I'm not going to give a toast or anything like that, but I do need Mr. and Mrs. Pendragon to step forward."

"What's going on?" Guinevere asks Arthur, a little wary.

"No idea, Love, sorry. I'm a little worried myself," he says. "But, we'd better go up, because the longer we wait, the more irritating she'll get."

"Waiting..." Morgana sings.

They start walking forward. "See?" Arthur mutters, and Guinevere giggles.

"I'm not going to embarrass you or anything. Not horribly anyway," Morgana cajoles. "I also need my lovely assistant. Lovely Assistant, where are you, darling?"

Arthur and Guinevere reach the stage and turn, expecting to see Leon walking forward. Instead, it's Merlin, with something in his hand. It's flat and white, with a red bow stuck to it.

"Merlin is your lovely assistant?" Arthur asks, laughing.

"I'll have you know I am incredibly lovely, Cabbage Head," Merlin protests, intentionally bumping into Arthur's shoulder as he walks past.

"We all chipped in and got you this gift," Morgana explains, and Merlin very pointedly hands Guinevere the envelope.

Guinevere opens the envelope and withdraws a card about the same size as the envelope. She reads it. "It's a travel voucher," she quietly says, showing Arthur. She looks over at him and sees her expression mirrored on his face. Wow.

"Because you two weirdos got married the way you did, you didn't take a honeymoon," Merlin explains.

"So, there you are. Go someplace good or you owe all of us our money back," Morgana teases.

Guinevere tucks the card back into the envelope, touched and humbled by the unbelievably generous outpouring from their friends and families. She reaches over and squeezes Merlin's hand, blinking back tears.

"Thank you so much," Arthur says, loudly enough for all to hear, even without the microphone. "We really weren't expecting this. It's beyond brilliant. Thank you."

"All right. Music. Dancing. And, do not skip dessert; it is not to be missed," Morgana concludes, passing the microphone to Bedivere. When she comes down from the stage, Arthur and Guinevere each hug her tightly, thanking her again.

They walk away as the band begins playing "Beyond the Sea." A few people step out to dance, but Morgana detains the bride and groom another minute or two.

"By the way, I don't need to find a girl for your brother," she tells Guinevere.

"What? Oh, don't tell me he's secretly married, too..." Guinevere jokes. Arthur laughs, and Morgana chuckles a little, but feels a bit like she's missing some important information.

"Um, no, but he's definitely sweet on one of the backup singers," Morgana explains, looking up at the stage.

The two backup singers are not needed for this song, but they sit nearby. One of them, a petite, beautiful young lady with large, deep brown eyes seems to have her attention focused on Elyan. He glances in her direction a fair amount as well.

"Ooo, I'm going to need to have a chat with my big brother," Guinevere says. Then, Elyan happens to look her way. She raises her eyebrows at him, then glances over at the singer. Elyan grins and quickly turns his attention back to the song.

"Do you know her?" Morgana asks. "She's gorgeous, so I hope she's nice."

Guinevere nods. "That's Grace. She's very nice and very smart," she answers. "I like her. I just have to take the mickey out of my brother. You know how it is."

"Indeed I do," Morgana agrees.

The song ends and a new one starts, an original tune of theirs, a Ballad called "Come Springtime."

"Mrs. Pendragon?" Arthur asks, holding out his hand.

"Mr. Pendragon," Guinevere replies, taking it and letting him lead her to the center of the garden.

He holds her close as they dance, Guinevere's head tucked under Arthur's chin. Occasionally, he kisses the top of her head or his hand creeps up to caress the skin on her upper back and shoulders.

"Guinevere." He leans back a little, slightly relaxing his hold on her.

"Hmm?" she asks, opening her eyes.

He leans down and places a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. "You had your eyes closed?" he asks, his lips brushing hers.

"Yeah," she answers. She kisses him, then adds, "I figured I could trust you to keep me upright."

"Always," he replies. "That was a great gift. So unexpected."

She nods. "It's wonderful."

"So... where would you like to go? Hawaii? Greece? Spain?" he asks, taken with the thought of going away with her.

"Disney World?" she asks, her eyes alight.

"Honestly?"

"I've always wanted to go there," she admits.

He smiles and kisses her. "Well, if it's someplace you've always wanted to go..." he starts, then pauses. "However... why don't we wait until we have some children to bring along? Wouldn't that be so much better?"

Her heart swells at the thought. "Yes, it would," she agrees, her voice slightly breathy.

"We'll go someplace romantic and..."

"Tropical," she supplies.

"Definitely. Romantic and tropical, just the two of us. Then, when there are three or four..."

"Or five..." she quietly interjects.

His eyes widen. "Five?"

"Maybe," she shrugs, biting her lower lip.

"Okay, three or four or five of us, we'll do Disney World. Deal?"

"Deal."

"So, back to my original question then..."

"I'm going to have to think about it." She cocks her head at him. "Where would you like to go, Arthur? You're always doing what I want. What do you want?"

He barely hesitates. "Italy."

"Italy it is then," she nods.

"I've always wanted to go to Venice and take a gondola ride with a beautiful woman," he says, leaning down for another kiss.

"We'll do that and more," she promises.

"I love you so much, Guinevere," he whispers, suddenly realizing they haven't really been dancing so much as standing and slightly swaying.

"I love you, too, Arthur," she answers, cupping his face in her hands as she leans up and kisses him.

The band launches into "Sing, Sing, Sing," and Guinevere looks up at Arthur. "Can you dance to this?" she asks.

His eyes widen. "No," he says, drawing out the 'oh' sound. "Can you?"

Guinevere makes a face which clearly says, "Of course." She looks around, trying to find a willing partner. Merlin appears to be doing the same, so she walks over to him. "Doctor?"

"You can dance?" Merlin asks, his face resembling that of a small child's on Christmas morning.

"Let's see what you've got, Merlin," Guinevere says, taking his hand.

xXx

It is now fully dark out, but the garden is illuminated and lively. Mordred has been tucked up to bed. Morgana even seems to have made some kind of arrangement with the insects to keep them away for the evening despite the food, lights, and festivity.

The band is just finishing a break, and Guinevere quickly grabs Bedivere for a moment before he returns to the stage.

"You're sure?" he asks, eyebrows rising in surprise at her request.

She takes a deep breath, then nods. "If it's all right with you and Helen," she says.

"Of course it is!" he exclaims.

"You know the song?"

Bedivere rolls his eyes. "Please..."

"Right, sorry," she laughs.

"Give me two minutes," he says, jogging up to the stage to talk to the band.

Guinevere looks around for Arthur, wanting him to be around but not too close just yet.

"What's going on?" Merlin's voice makes her turn.

"Where's Arthur?" she asks.

"Loo. He'll be back out in a second – oh, there he is. What's going on?" he repeats.

"You'll find out in a second, provided I don't chicken out," she answers.

"Gwen?" Bedivere calls down to her, and she walks up the short staircase to the stage. She sees Helios in the back, grinning at her from the trumpet section. He gives her a thumbs-up. Elyan could not look prouder.

"All right, everyone, we have a special treat for you," Bedivere says into the microphone. "We've been hassling Gwen forever to sing with us. And, by 'we', I mainly mean Helios," he says, glancing back. Helios waves.

Guinevere sees Arthur walking towards the stage, curious.

"And, tonight, Miss Gwen – or should I say, Mrs. Pendragon – has agreed to finally grace us with her voice. Hell, she even asked if she could. So, um, Mrs. P., if you will?" He extends his arm to the side, and Guinevere walks up, looking slightly nervous. Bedivere gives her shoulder a soft squeeze, then heads to his piano at the side.

She sees Arthur standing in the center of the dance floor, near the front, smiling at her. His support gives her strength, and she nods at Bedivere, then steps up to the microphone.

The music starts, a slow, familiar introduction, usually played by strings, but soft saxophones make a very good substitute.

Guinevere takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and begins singing. "At last, my love has come along..."

She doesn't belt it out like Etta James, but sings the classic tune in a much sweeter, softer way that is no less heartfelt than the original. Her voice doesn't soar; it floats. When she opens her eyes, she looks only at Arthur. He gazes back, his face reflecting his love for her, and his eyes are glistening.

Uther has been keeping to the fringes of the party, mainly chatting with Annis. He's been watching Arthur and Guinevere most of the evening, observing how they interact. Now, as he listens to his daughter-in-law sing this heartfelt song, a song that always makes him think of Ygraine, he cannot help but be touched by what he is seeing and hearing. Her voice is lovely and clear; well suited to this style of music. He can tell that, while she is not entirely comfortable on a stage or being the center of attention, she is doing this for Arthur. She is singing only to him. Her eyes are locked on him, and he is completely smitten, standing alone in the middle of the dance floor. Others dance around him, but they stay to the edges, fully aware that this song is not for them.

Uther withdraws his mobile from his pocket and sends a text to Geoffrey. Cancel the postnuptial agreement paperwork. It will not be necessary.

Guinevere finishes singing, hardly able to believe she did it, and the guests erupt in applause and cheers. So does the band. She smiles, her cheeks feeling like they are on fire, says a very quick and quiet, "Thank you," and attempts to disappear.

Bedivere grabs her hand and pulls her into a hug, then Elyan comes down and hugs her as well.

"Bugger, I wish we could have recorded that," Bedivere laments. "That was brilliant."

"Oh, God, I'm so glad you didn't!" Guinevere exclaims, her hands over her mouth.

"So, one-time deal then?" Bedivere asks.

"Um, yeah," she answers. "I thought I was going to die."

"You were so good," Elyan insists.

"Thanks, El. Um, can I go see my husband now?" she asks. Arthur is waiting at the bottom of the steps.

"Oh! Right, yes, sorry," Elyan says. "Go, go."

Guinevere heads to the steps, and Helen stops her for just a moment. "You've got quite a voice there, Gwen. Helios and Elyan always said so, but... yeah, they're right. Any time you want to do it again..."

"Thanks, Helen, but I don't think so. I only did this for Arthur. I'll leave it to the professionals. How can you do this all the time?"

"You get used to it," she says, shrugging. She squeezes Guinevere's hand, then releases her so she can continue down to Arthur.

He is waiting at the bottom of the steps, but he pulls her into his arms before she's all the way down, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around as he holds her in a tight hug.

"That was amazing, Guinevere," he says in her ear, his voice slightly thick with emotion. "You are amazing. I can't believe you did that for me."

"I can't believe it either," she says, still holding his shoulders as he sets her on her feet. The band has started another song, a swing version of Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life."

"Are you all right? You're still shaking a bit," he says.

"Adrenaline wearing off probably," she says. "Let's go sit."

"Are you cold? Do you need your jacket? I can go get it from the car," he offers as they walk, her hand held securely in his.

"No, I'm fine," she says. "Just need some water."

"You sit; I'll go get you one," he says. She sits, and he walks over to where the drinks are.

"Guinevere, that was very well done," Uther appears from the shadows. "You have a very nice voice."

"Thank you, sir," she answers, smiling at him. "I've never done that before. Not publicly."

He nods. "Well, I enjoyed it. That song... it is a special song."

She smiles, having an inkling about his meaning. "Yes, it is." Arthur hands her a bottle of water. "Thank you."

"Father," Arthur greets Uther.

"Arthur. I was just complimenting your wife on her singing," he explains.

Arthur smiles. "Good. I'm actually surprised you're still here. Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Uther smiles a little. "Yes. I'm going to be leaving very soon. My driver will be here in thirty." He holds his drink slightly aloft. "Your sister certainly knows how to throw a party."

"That she does," Arthur agrees. "Glad you're having a good time."

"Yes," Uther replies. "If you'll excuse me."

"Sure," Arthur says.

"Have a good evening, Mr. Pendragon," Guinevere says.

Uther pauses, regarding his daughter-in-law curiously a moment. "Thank you, Guinevere. And, do call me Uther," he says, then wanders away.

Arthur looks at her, eyebrows raised, and sits beside her. "Well. Look at that."

"Yeah," Guinevere agrees, knowing full well there exists no universe in which Uther would request she call him "Father" or "Dad". Arthur doesn't even call him "Dad".

Arthur leans over, whispering in Guinevere's ear. "I'm quite ready to go home as well. I'm tired of sharing you." He pauses to kiss the edge of her ear. "I want you all to myself."

His lips on her ear send a delicious shiver through her. "I know," she sighs in agreement, enjoying the feel of his warm lips on her skin as he continues to kiss and nuzzle her neck.

Elyan's amplified voice draws them out of their little private bubble. "We have one last surprise for Arthur and Gwen tonight," he says, shielding his eyes as he tries to find them. "Where are you two?"

"Over here," Arthur calls. "We're busy."

His response is greeted with laughter, and he stands, taking Guinevere's hand and leading her back towards the stage.

"Okay, so, I've written a song," Elyan starts, suddenly bashful. "A song for the two of you. Gwen, after our conversation that evening – you know which one I'm talking about," he pauses, seeing his sister nod, "something you said about Arthur struck me. You said he told you he fell in love with you the moment he saw you, right?"

Guinevere nods. So does Arthur. Vehemently.

"That phrase just... rattled around in my head for an hour or so, then, the tune came. Another hour and a half later, I had a song."

"Oh, Elyan..." Guinevere says, her hands over her heart. "Arthur, he wrote a song for us," she says, looking up at him.

Arthur smiles down at her, chuckling warmly. "I know, Love. It's amazing."

Elyan smiles and continues. "We'd like to premiere this song for you now. It's called 'The Moment I Saw You'. I hope you like it, and I'm very happy for both of you."

Guinevere covers her mouth with her hands, overwhelmed again. Arthur gently pulls her into his arms, reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks as the music starts.

Elyan hasn't moved from the microphone, and Guinevere sees that Helen has stepped over to the platform in the back and is playing Elyan's bass.

"He sings?" Arthur asks.

Before Guinevere can answer, Elyan begins singing. His voice is husky and smooth, softer than Bedivere's. Not any better or worse; just different. It's been so long since I've heard his voice.

They dance, alone, everyone else watching from the sides. No one else dances this time. The words are simple but poignant. Elyan has somehow managed to capture the magic of that first meeting nearly perfectly, almost as though he had been there.

There is an instrumental break, and Arthur leans back just enough to prompt Guinevere to look up at him. Her tears have stopped, and she looks more beautiful than he's ever seen. I didn't think it was possible.

"You didn't think what was possible?" she asks.

"Did I say that out loud?" he replies. She nods. "I didn't think it was possible for you to look more beautiful," he clarifies. "But, right now, in this... moment," he smiles a little, "you look more beautiful than I've ever seen."

Guinevere leans up and kisses him, the fingers of one hand sliding into his hair, communicating her feelings without using words, heedless of the onlookers. She has completely forgotten about them.

Elyan resumes singing the final chorus, and when he finishes, everyone cheers. Elyan bows, then jumps down from the stage to hug his sister.

"Love you, Gwennie," he says, kissing her cheek.

"Love you, too, El," she answers. "That was amazing, thank you. I can't believe you wrote us a song!"

"You liked it?" he asks, looking back and forth between Arthur and Guinevere. They both nod.

"It was brilliant, mate," Arthur says.

Bedivere has started talking now, saying something about not being able to follow that up with anything and they hope everyone had enjoyed the performance.

"We'd like to put it on our next album, but I told Bedivere I wanted your okay first," Elyan says. "Is it all right?"

"Yes, Elyan it's fine. Just... don't put our names down or anything," Guinevere says.

"You don't want credit?" Elyan asks. Arthur also looks curious about this.

"Well, it... it makes it less special if everyone knows," she explains.

Elyan nods, understanding. "I see. Kind of private, right? I'd like to put something in the notes, but I'll be vague. Cool?"

"Okay," Guinevere says.

"Thank you, Elyan. Best gift of the night," he says.

"Oh!" Elyan exclaims, surprised. He recovers quickly and says, "You're very welcome. So, since it was the best gift, you won't be wanting that travel voucher then..."

Guinevere laughs. "Nice try." She sees the band beginning to pack their things. "You need to go," she says. "Grace is looking for you, too."

Elyan looks up at the stage. "Yeah," he says, smiling at the petite singer, clearly waiting for him.

"Make sure you write her a song one day," Arthur says, shaking his hand.

"Way ahead of you, mate," Elyan answers, pulling Arthur into a hug. "Take care of my sister. The threat about the kneecaps still holds," he adds, but this time he is chuckling.

"Of course," Arthur says.

Elyan hugs his sister one more time. "Take care of him. And, let me know when I'm going to be an uncle."

"Elyan!" she exclaims, laughing and lightly swatting him on the shoulder. "Have a safe trip and let me know when you get back to France, okay?"

"Of course," he answers. "Good seeing you both." He heads over and hugs Gwaine, who has been hovering nearby, then returns to the stage.

Guinevere looks at Arthur. "Can we go home?" she asks. She is tired from all the emotions of the evening. They are good emotions, but she simply wants to go home and be with her husband.

"Yes. We can definitely go home," Arthur confirms. "But, you know what? If we stop and say 'goodbye' to everyone, we'll never get out of here."

"True. Can we sneak out?"

Arthur looks around. "Go into the house, like you're going to the loo. Then, go out the front door, and I'll meet you by the car," he says, kissing her.

"Ooo, covert operations," she says. "See you in a couple of minutes." Then, she turns and makes for the house. Arthur sees her briefly stop and say something to Freya before she disappears inside.

"Go, man. I'll cover you," Gwaine says, close behind Arthur.

"Thanks," Arthur laughs, then walks purposefully towards the garden gate. Once through, he spots Guinevere waiting by the car, and jogs to meet her, pressing the button to unlock it. "Let's go home, my love." He opens the door for her. "Are you tired?" he asks.

"Not that tired," she says, caressing his cheek before ducking into the car.

xXx

6 September

We're going on our honeymoon today. Two weeks in Italy. Arthur is very excited. I'm very excited, too. I've never been there, and I'm actually surprised he hasn't either. He said they didn't go on holiday because Uther never wanted to be away from work that long. We went to the country a few times when I was a kid, but not much else. And, I barely remember those trips.

Morgana forgave us for sneaking out of the party without saying goodbye. She even admitted she was ready to have Last Call by that point anyway. I can picture her striding through the garden shouting, "All right, folks, last call! You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!" I told her this, too. She laughed and said she sometimes wished it was socially acceptable to do such a thing.

Speaking of the party, Elyan and Grace are Officially Very Serious. Elyan is ring shopping. Percival and Elena have been dating exclusively for months now, too. Merlin and Freya are getting married in the spring. Arthur is going to be best man, of course. I'm making their cake.

I've cut back my hours at work. Isolde mentioned she is always happy to cover for me at any time and I found out she was actually trying to tell me that she really needs more hours to make more money. So, we talked to Annis, and now I work Tuesday through Thursday, and Isolde works Friday through Monday. She really doesn't mind working the weekends, as Tristan does as well, so it works for them.

I don't even need to work actually. I'm still getting used to that. Arthur has suggested I leave the bakery and only do contract work. Things like Merlin and Freya's cake if they were paying me (I'm doing it free of charge for them). I would essentially be a freelance baker, which is kind of odd. Something to think about anyway.

Something else we've been thinking about is children. We both want them, but we've agreed to wait at least two years before trying for any. We need time to be us before bringing anyone else into the picture. It was crazy enough to immediately get married. Having children right away would not only be completely insane, but potentially harmful to the child. Not that I think Arthur and I will split, but because we need to get to know one another better first.

And, we're well on our way. I learn new things every day, and so does he. It's actually become something of a game we play, lying in bed at night. We have a "what did we learn today" conversation, and if one of us hasn't learned anything, the other must come up with something to volunteer. It's usually pretty entertaining. I've taken to making a note in my mobile when I notice a detail so I won't forget.

I love our bedtime conversations. It's the best part of the day.

I know I keep saying this, but I'm really happy. Deliriously happy. Pinch-me-because-I-might-be-dreaming happy.

Are things perfect? Of course not. Do we have arguments? Yes. We're still getting to know each other, so it's going to happen. But, I have never again doubted my decision to marry Arthur the day we met. I have never again doubted my feelings for him.

I have never, ever doubted his feelings for me.

Life is really good.

And, I am thankful. Very thankful.

For every moment.

-End-