Chapter 3: Take It Easy

Freshman Year – 1999

Backpacking in Europe had been an experience Arthur would never forget. Sure, he'd been to Spain, France, and Italy before. Many times. His father had a villa in Provence. He, Percival, and Merlin had spent a week there while they plotted their two-month adventure. No one had believed that they would actually rough it in the wild. He knew money had been on whether or not he'd flash his AMEX and settle on a suite at the Ritz or something. But he'd proven them wrong. In good weather, they slept in tents. In bad, they tracked down the nearest hostel. It had been one of the best trips in all his eighteen years.

When his friends returned to the States, Arthur stayed on an extra month. With a pack on his back, he was just an anonymous kid on an adventure and not the heir to a fortune. When girls checked him out, he could be sure it wasn't because of his bank account. Now that he was stateside, it was back to the same ole thing. The constant buzzing of his Nokia had put him into avoidance mode. Instead of answering his cell phone, he unpacked his condo. He had just sat down to set up his new Mac and printer when Morgana allowed herself entry. In the back of his mind, he wondered if giving her a key had been a mistake.

"What the hell?"

"Welcome back, bro," he said in a high-pitched voice. "Hey, sis. How's it going? Not too bad. You?"

"Shut up," she said. In her keenly observant way, she inspected his place from where she stood. When she finished, she planted her hands on her hips and gave him the evil eye. "Why didn't you call me back?"

"When?" A sick feeling attacked the pit of his stomach. He pulled his phone from his pocket. He had thirteen missed calls. Four of them were from his sister. The other nine were ones he wasn't in the mood to deal with.

"Well?" She tossed her pursed onto the sofa and plopped down onto his favorite recliner. She crossed her legs and waited.

He frowned and slid the phone back into his pocket. "I had reasons."

"What are their names?"

"Names?" he asked with a smirk. He headed toward the kitchen for a Coke. He grabbed one for her, but she declined. They sat at the counter as he swallowed the cold beverage down. "You want names?"

"First I want numbers."

"Numbers?" This was different. "You want their phone numbers?"

"No, dumbass." She kicked him. "How many are on your jock this time?"

He cringed. "Don't be crass."

"You're my brother, not my father. What's the number?"

"Seven."

Shaking her head, she laughed. "You're ridiculous." She grabbed an apple from a bowl and polished it on her shirt. Before she bit into it, she asked, "What gives? Why aren't you calling them?"

"I thought you wanted their names."

"I want all the deets," she said. "Names and why you're running."

"I'm not running. I just got home. I'm breathing." He took another swig.

"Now, you're stalling."

He grunted. Morgana could be a royal pain in the ass! So, she wanted deets…

"Nikki, Blythe, Elle, and Sue want to own me." He rattled their names off without blinking an eye. "Tyler and Kari want to stone me."

He grabbed her apple and took a bite out of it. She punched his arm.

"That's six."

He shrugged. "You wanted deets."

"You said there were seven." Morgana held out her hand. "Give me the phone."

"You can't have my phone. "

He left the counter to ransack the fridge. Other than Coke and juice, there was nothing interesting inside. He'd have to remind the maid to stock up. Pizza and burgers were okay, but he liked home cooked meals on occasion. He wasn't the best cook, but he knew the basics of frying eggs and bacon.

"Something is up with seven."

Arthur closed the fridge and returned his sister's speculative gaze with one of open honesty. "There's nothing up with seven. She's a friend."

"A friend?" Morgana rolled her eyes. "Who is this alleged female friend?"

"You don't know her."

"Name."

He muttered an expletive under his breath. LAPD should call Morgana for their next big case, he thought, because she was being wasted on him! He folded his arms across his chest and considered the ramifications of not telling her. The last time wasn't pretty. She was just too damn nosy and his soft spot for her was too damn big for him to stand firm for too long.

"Morgause," he said.

"What?" she asked, disbelief clearly etched on her face. "You're making that up."

"Don't be rude. Her name's Morgause."

"What the hell kind of name is that? Morgause. It sounds like a condition."

He bit back a chuckle. It wouldn't do to indulge her. "She's French. I met her in Nice."

"A friend, huh?" she asked. When he nodded, she said, "Fine. Help me move into my dorm room."

"What dorm room? Your condo is in the next unit."

She shook her head. "I'm not using it. How can I have the true university experience in a condo off-campus?"

"You can't be serious." Upon her glare, he knew that she was. Then he asked, "Do you have a roommate?"

She nodded and went to retrieve her purse. She pulled out a printout and read the name. "Guinevere Degrance."

"Guinevere?" he repeated. "Is she American?"

"Says she's from Los Angeles. Since I signed up late, we didn't get a chance to email." She put the paper back in her purse. "Will you help or not?"

"Do I have a choice?"

She grinned. "No."

"You'll owe me."

Her laughter followed him as he grabbed his keys and wallet, and they headed out the door.

D*M

Gwen could hardly contain herself as her dad drove up De Neve Drive to Sproul Hall. It was the same dorm her mom had stayed in. She'd heard stories about the place all her life. When the letter arrived that her first request would be honored, she jumped with excitement and then cried because her mom wasn't there to share the news. She glanced at her dad. Sitting comfortably in the cab of his F-150, he looked over at her and smiled.

"Deira's in heaven doing backflips."

She patted her dad's arm and smiled. A few minutes later, they were parked and waiting in line at the front desk for keys to her room and mailbox. Her dad, who hadn't attended UCLA but was a Bruin at heart, looked fondly around the lobby.

"I can't tell you how much time I spent here."

"Oh, really? Elyan and I thought you and Mama met on your wedding day."

Tom laughed. The kids knew the whole story. "No, I delivered pizza. It was love at first sight for me, not so much for your mama. A working boy from South Central had to prove his worth to a college girl, but I did."

"You know Mama didn't care about degrees."

"I know, but her folks sure did." He laughed. "It's their loss that they don't know how fantastic their grandchildren are."

She nodded, but more in acknowledgement of his words. Her father's parents had more than made up for the absence of her mother's in her life. When retelling the story of their family, Gwen always marveled at how her dad left out the part where he worked two other jobs in addition to delivering pizza and eventually saved enough to open his own service station in Torrance.

"Gwennie, you're up next."

Checking in was easy. Finding the room on the second floor was even easier. It was just around the corner from the elevator. She'd secured a double. It was about the size of her bedroom at home. She wondered how two people would fare in the space. If her roommate was willing, maybe they could bunk the beds. On second thought, Gwen liked the beds the way they were. Each girl with her own space and side of the room. Her dad left to get some of her things from the truck while Gwen pondered her new residence.

Instinctively, she moved to the right, so she chose that bed. The mattress was firm enough. The wooden desk was okay. The closet was small, but she hadn't packed a lot of clothes. There was a small mirror on the closet door with a little basket for toiletries. She was imagining her set-up when a group walked in.

The girl in the lead had a cap of dark hair, cut into a bob. Her skin was pale and flawless. She wore tailored shorts and a designer t-shirt that put Gwen's cut-off jeans, tank top, and flannel shirt to shame. Then there were the three guys with her. One was as tall as a tree. The other was kind of skinny with ears that stuck out. The third was blonde, had startling blue eyes, and a pair of shoulders that made her weak. Their eyes met when he walked into the room.

"Guinevere?" he said.

She nodded. Her throat went dry. When had her name ever sounded like that?

"Yeah." She blinked and drew in a deep breath.

The girl stepped in front of him and extended her hand. "Never mind him. I'm Morgana Pendragon. We're roommates."

"Nice to meet you."

"Can we put these down?" asked the skinny one.

Upon his request, Gwen noticed that all the boys carried Louis Vuitton luggage. The girl, Morgana, carried nothing but her purse. Morgana patted the boy and told him to drop them.

"You're taking this side?" Morgana asked.

Gwen nodded. "Yeah. My dad is getting the rest of my things."

"Okay." Morgana smiled again. "Your dad brought you? That's nice. These are my—"

"Be nice," said the blonde one with the rich voice. "I'm her brother. Arthur."

"I'm her cousin. Percival," said the tall one.

"I'm no relation. Merlin," said the skinny one, taking deep breaths. "You're Gwen?"

"Yeah, sure."

Arthur frowned, but he didn't say anything. Then he looked around the room and shook his head. "I give it a week at the most."

"A week?" Percival asked. "Maybe a night."

"That's harsh," Merlin chimed in. "I'd said the weekend."

Gwen looked at the three boys and kept her opinion to herself. It wasn't like she knew what they were talking about.

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Don't mind them. They're being asses, as usual."

"Yeah, asses who carried your luggage up two flights of steps," Arthur said.

Commotion at the door signaled the arrival of Gwen's belongings and to her surprise two unexpected visitors.

"Elyan!" She hugged her brother who had to drop the box he'd carried in when she claimed his arms. Then she attacked, "Leon!" who also had to lose the package he'd brought. Her father lingered in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

"We saw Dad downstairs and followed him up," Elyan said.

"No, what are you doing here! I thought your schedule was tight and you couldn't leave San Diego."

"We went AWOL," Leon said, grinning at her.

Morgana moved in to stand beside Gwen. "Are you military?"

"Nope," Leon said.

"We go to UVA," Elyan said. "We were at the base attending a seminar."

"How long can you stay?" Gwen said, taking their hands. She hadn't seen them in months. Their schedules kept them busy. They were on the fast track to high security government careers and she was lucky if she spoke to them on the phone or received an email from them.

"Not long enough," Leon said, squeezing her hand. "Have you looked around? I'm gonna check out the floor."

"I'll go with you," her dad said.

"He's taking it seriously, isn't he?" she asked Elyan.

Her brother laughed. "You know how he is. Did you notice the crew cut? I'm not ready to get rid of my fade." He ran a hand over his short brown curls. "I'll get the rest of your stuff from the truck."

"You don't have to—"

"I know."

He left before she could protest further. Gwen started to follow him, but Morgana pulled her into conversation.

"What year are they at UVA?"

"Fourth," Gwen said. She looked at the guys. "Are you all coming here?"

"Blue and Gold all the way," Percival said.

"Are you on-campus, too?"

Merlin snickered. "We are." He pointed to him and Percival. "We're in Saxon. E-22."

"The suites?"

Percival nodded. "Right across the street."

She spared a glance at Arthur. He was leaning against the desk, directly across from the open doorway. To her surprise, his attention was divided between the hall and her. When their eyes connected, he smiled.

Curiosity was dogging her. With Merlin's snicker and her natural nosiness, she really wanted to know where he was staying. But there was something about him that made her hesitate. He seemed more confidant than the boys she was used to. Merlin and Percival reminded her of friends from high school. Not Arthur.

"Go ahead," Merlin prompted. "Ask him."

She chewed her bottom lip. Prying was so tacky. Instead, she reached for the box Elyan had dropped on the floor. Before she could pick it up, Arthur lifted it.

"Where do you want it?"

"On the desk," she said. "I could have…"

"It was too heavy," he said with a shrug. "Don't mind them. They're being butts. I have a condo. It's walking distance. No big deal."

"Oh, you're sharing. How many roommates do you have?"

"Arthur? Share?" Morgana said, teasing. "No, it's his. Father's graduation gift. Or guilt gift. Take your pick. I forfeited mine."

Leon returned faster than Gwen could process Morgana's information about their father. Her friend wore a dark scowl on his face. Gwen looked to her father for answers, but only found amusement in his eyes. She didn't have to wait long.

"The entire floor is co-ed," Leon said. "I can't believe you're okay with this," he added, looking at her father. "Maybe she can get a transfer to an all-girls dorm."

"Is there one?" Arthur asked.

Elyan returned with the last of Gwen's things to hear the conversation. He joined in with his father's chuckles. "Our Gwen will be just fine."

Morgana appeared at Gwen's side again. "With all this moving, we should take a break. Maybe go down to Westwood and get to know each other."

"On that cue, the dad leaves." Tom kissed Gwen and hugged Elyan and Leon.

"No, Mr. Degrance. Don't go," Morgana said. "I didn't mean…"

"It's fine. You young people should mingle or do whatever is it that you do," he said. "Gwen call me whenever. Boys, I don't have to tell you."

Gwen knew he was making his getaway first to prevent an emotional scene. Soon after he left, Elyan and Leon declined Morgana's suggestion.

"We'd love to, but our flight leaves in a couple of hours. We have to get to LAX."

Her eyes on Leon, Morgana said, "Maybe next time."

He shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Both hugged Gwen and were gone far sooner than she liked. Too cover her sadness, she started to unpack and arrange her things. Behind her, Morgana ushered her boys out so that they can collaborate on their room. Merlin lingered at the door.

"Let's all get together later. We can meet you in the lobby? Gwen," he said, "you have to come, too."

"Okay."

"Call us when you're ready," Merlin said. "We'll be at Saxon."

"I have your number," Morgana said. "Now, shoo!"

Four hours later, the boys were waiting in the lobby when Gwen and Morgana arrived. The walk from the stairwell to them gave Gwen time to assess her new acquaintances. The time alone with Morgana had provided her the insight that while her roommate was wealthy, the other girl was down to earth. They may have a few differences, but Gwen held onto hope that ultimately they would get along very well. As for the boys… Already, she noted how the fairer sex was not oblivious to Arthur Pendragon. The blonde hair, amazing physique and the inherent charm made him a magnet. Hell, Percival with his height and adorable smile was getting his fair share of second glances, too. Merlin had a couple who were chatting him up.

Arthur noticed Morgana and Gwen first. He left the circle of girls and headed toward them. "Where should we go? To the Pier or Malibu?"

"We're in Westwood. Why not stay here?" Gwen said. "There's a place my mom loved when she was an undergrad."

"Do you think it's still around?" Percival asked.

Gwen nodded. "Probably."

"What is it?" Merlin wanted to know.

"Sak's."

Arthur grinned. "Sex? There's actually a place called that?"

Gwen blushed. "No, it's a Japanese place. S-a-k. Sak's Teriyaki. It's not upscale, though."

"Who cares about that? Is the food good?" Percival asked.

"Yes."

In a secluded alcove above the kitchen and other diners, the group got to know each other by discussing majors and summer adventures. While her new friends talked about Europe and shopping sprees in New York, all Gwen could contribute to the conversation was how she did the books for her dad in his shop.

"So you didn't do anything fun?" Arthur asked. "You worked all summer?"

"Pretty much," she said, spearing a gyoza.

"Girlfriend, stick with me," Morgana said. "We're gonna have a blast."

The boys laughed, and Gwen couldn't help but wonder what she had gotten herself into.

[A/N: This is the answer to that cryptic hint in my last note. Flashbacks! Lily's review got the wheels turning. I tried to resist, but it felt like a good idea and a good way to show their backstory. So, does it work? I'm considering trying a pattern with the chapters. Maybe two chapters in the present and one in the past. We'll see. For sure, the next chapter will be the present and the fallout from Arthur hitting on Gwen. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is 'grovel' in his vocabulary or will he have to? Hmm…

If any Bruins are reading and notice a few inconsistences with present UCLA demographics, I'm working from my time there, which was a several years ago. Blue and Gold forever! Lol Also, if you recognize Eagles' songs and lyrics, do not adjust your computer screens. For some reason, the Eagles have been my muse for this fic. That, too, may change, but for now, chapter titles are Eagles' songs and if it works, the lyrics are in the text. Good luck finding them. *g*

As always, THANKS! Reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing are appreciated so very much. Don't be shy. I am sadly behind in responding, but I am going to catch up. I am! (Also, if you're into the FX Drama, Justified, starring the yummy Timothy Olyphant as US Marshal Raylan Givens, check out my new fic Kentucky Whiskey. I know, I know. A new fic? What am I thinking? There weren't enough Raylan/Rachel fics and I started feening, so… I am pretty sure it will be a short one. Just enough to get the edge off. lol)]