AJ's Random

A place for my Mergana pics and fics- a little writing, a little graphic art.

[castielstiel-deactivated2023020]

[itsallyouhavegotinsideyourhead]

Merganaweek 2017: Day 5

Angst or Fluff

[ajsrandom]

Rehearsal

It was finally the night before the wedding. The rehearsal dinner, which felt like a family dinner, was in full sway. Everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. Even shy Hunith, who’d been exchanging child-raising stories with Uther and Vivienne seemed to be out of her shell.

Arthur was conversing with Gwen, the maid of honor and only bridesmaid. She and Morgana had hit it off from that first game night. Morgana had asked her because she was the only friend Morgana had who didn’t ask anything of her and didn’t run to the press whenever Morgana talked to her.

Gaius spoke occasionally but mostly he watched the others around him. He’d had to close the coffee shop for the occasion, but had been glad to as a favor to Hunith and Merlin. They considered him to be an uncle who had been friends with Merlin’s father before he died.

Merlin and Morgana held hands and watched their family and friends hitting it off. She leaned over to him to ask, “Do you think Arthur has a chance with Gwen?”

“Oh, I think he’s got a shot. Lance hasn’t been around much lately. Didn’t she tell you?”

“Well lately we’ve only talked about wedding stuff.”

Merlin chuckled and they went back to watching their family chat.

At the end of dessert, Hunith glanced over at Merlin, who nodded at her. She tapped on her glass with her spoon. When everyone was looking at her, she stopped and stood with her glass. “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate Merlin and Morgana’s wedding.

“Morgana, you’re everything I could have asked for in a daughter—kind, generous, and famous.” Everyone laughed. “Thank you for making my Merlin as happy as I have always wished he could be.

“And a special thanks to the Pendragons for helping me fund this dinner, as well as being genuinely good friends. And thank you, Gaius, for letting us use this wonderful place. I felt it appropriate, considering how Merlin and Morgana met.”

There was laughter and clapping as Hunith smiled and sat down. Everyone turned to face Merlin, who picked up his glass and stood.

“I’d like to thank Gaius for giving me the time off to plan this wedding with my lovely fiancée.” Gaius chuckled. “He’s been the best boss a guy could ask for.”

“Don’t think you’re quitting on me,” Gaius interjected.

“Of course not. I plan to be here as long as you’ll have me.” Gaius nodded and Merlin smiled. He turned to Morgana. “And I’d like to toast my beautiful bride. Sometimes I don’t feel like I deserve her, but she’s quick to point out that I’ve brought out the best in her.” There was a collective “aww” around the room. “I thank you, my love, for also bringing out the best in me. I love you and so happy I get to spend my life with you.”

There was more clapping as Merlin sat down. Morgana turned to him with shining eyes. “Thank you.” She leaned over and kissed him gently while the room “aww’ed” again. He took her hand and together they faced the rest of the table.

Everyone was clapping. Arthur even whooped. Together they basked in the love of family and friends, knowing tomorrow would be a glorious day.

[rocket-sith]

Reblog if you write fic and people can inbox you random-ass questions about your stories, itemized number lists be damned.

[ajsrandom]

definitely. :)

[ajsrandom]

Best Man

“So what is it you have to ask me?” Arthur asked Merlin.

Merlin had invited him to the coffee shop to ask Arthur a rather important question. They’d gotten to be rather good friends over the last few months, and as Will would be out of town for the wedding, Arthur was the best person to ask. He’d run the idea past Morgana, and though she’d laughed pretty hard, she’d agreed that Arthur was the best choice.

“Um, are you sure I can’t get you anything first?”

“Merlin, I purposely took a long lunch break so I could be over here right now. Time is money, mate.”

“Right, so I wanted to know if you’llbemybestman?”

Arthur frowned. “Come again? I didn’t catch the second part there.”

Merlin sighed. “Sorry. I was wondering if you’d be my best man?”

Arthur’s brow rose. “Really? That’s what you wanted to ask me?”

“Yes? Look, if you don’t want to do it—”

“Merlin, you idiot. Of course I’ll do it. I’m honored, actually.”

“Really? I mean, great! And thanks so much. That’s about the only thing I get to do for the wedding and I didn’t want to screw it up.”

Arthur chuckled. “Right, I get it. And no problem. Just out of curiosity, what did Morgana think of this?”

“She laughed, but when she was done laughing, she agreed. I guess she really does values you.”

“That harpy! It’s a good thing she’s my sister.”

Merlin laughed. “Yeah, that’s why we love her, huh?”

“We do indeed.”

[thethiefandtheairbender]

she is the darkness to your light. the hate to your love.

[ajsrandom]

Our Place

Merlin ran his fingers through Morgana’s hair. “Where do you want to live when we’re married? My place, your place or somewhere else?”

“I’ve been thinking about that too. While I love both of our places, I like the idea of creating our own space somewhere, together.”

“Any ideas of where you’d like that to be?”

“Well, it’s quiet uptown. And there are lots of places to go. It’s even closer to the coffee shop.” Morgana grinned.

“Very cute,” Merlin agreed. He kissed her nose. “When do you want to go looking?”

“Today.”

“Today?”

“I’m off work, you’re off work . . . it’s the perfect opportunity.”

Merlin laughed. “All right. Today it is. But first . . .” He leaned over to kiss her, and soon they were involved in much more pleasant things than hunting for a flat.

[ajsrandom]

More Than That

Merlin and Morgana were sitting and having dinner one evening, when out of the blue, Merlin asked, “Morgana, what do you see in me?”

Morgana looked at him, eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”

“I’m just a simple guy who works at a coffee shop. I am as imperfect as they come. You’re Morgana Pendragon, rich and famous actress, loved by millions. Compared to you, what am I?”

“Oh Merlin.” Morgana reached out across the table to grasp his hand. “You’re so much more than that to me.”

“Tell me, please. Because I’m feeling woefully inadequate compared to you.”

Morgana got up, walked over to Merlin, pulled out his chair then sat on his lap. “Merlin. You are the kindest, most generous man I have ever come across. Look how you treated me when we first met. You helped me hide without a second thought, never mind becoming star-struck. That is so not normal in my business.”

“But you gave me your autograph later.”

“Yeah, because I liked you! You weren’t fawning all over me to please me, and you didn’t use any horrible pick-up lines to try to win me over. That’s what I was prepared for. You were and still are a breath of fresh air to me.”

“But look at me—I’m clumsy and my ears are too big. I even trip over my words sometimes.”

She took his face in her hands. “Merlin, I love you because you are different. You are perfectly imperfect to me.”

With that, she pulled his lips to hers for a thorough, loving kiss. And by the time they parted, Merlin could no longer remember what he’d been so concerned about.

[ajsrandom]

Their Story

The flashy morning show hostess Erin Meyer turned to the camera and said, “Good morning everyone! I’m here with Morgana Pendragon and her fiancé, Merlin Emrys. We’ll get the scoop on how these two got together.” She turned to the couple. “Welcome Morgana and Merlin.”

“Thank you, Erin,” they said together.

“Oh that’s so cute!” Erin exclaimed.

Morgana grinned while Merlin blushed. “I think so too,” Morgana replied.

“So, Morgana and Merlin, you two became media darlings when you announced your engagement six months ago. Well, Merlin did. Morgana’s used to all that. Tell me, Merlin, how did you two meet?”

“Oh, you’ll want to hear Morgana’s version of that story. It’s much more entertaining,” Merlin said.

“Thanks, love,” Morgana replied, smacking Merlin lightly on the shoulder.

“You’re welcome.”

“All right, now I definitely have to hear it,” Erin said. “Morgana?”

Morgana grinned. “It’s like this. One day last spring, I was being chased by the paparazzi. I rounded a corner and saw this cute little coffee shop, so I ducked inside. Merlin was behind the counter there.”

“I sense there’s more,” Erin said.

“Oh yes. I could tell he knew who I was. But instead of asking for an autograph or plying me with bad pick-up lines, he offered to hide me. Well, I asked him to and he agreed.”

“Aww.”

“Yeah, I was very surprised. Anyway, I hid in the restroom and when the paps left, he let me out. Then he offered me all these things to disguise me—a hat, a t-shirt, his apron, and some glasses. He wouldn’t even let me pay for them, but I left him with my autograph. And my number.”

“That was so sweet of you, Merlin.”

“I couldn’t leave her defenseless, could I? And she was so nice, so down-to-earth,” Merlin said.

“Oh you two, you’re making me blush,” Erin replied. “So what happened next? I bet you thought you’d never see her again, Merlin.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever have a reason to call her. But then I told a few friends about our encounter and they kept bothering me to call her. Things came to a head one week when my friends put together a game night. They pressured me to call her, to get her to come.”

Morgana patted his arm in sympathy. “When I left him my number, I meant for him to use it. He’d seemed like a genuinely nice guy and I wanted to repay him for his kindness. So when he called, I said yes. And naturally his friends were surprised, but very nice.”

“She did me a further favor. At the end of the evening, she kissed me.”

“That must have shocked you,” Erin said.

“Oh I’ll say,” Morgana smirked.

Merlin blushed again. “It did. And she surprised me further by showing up at the coffee shop again one day.”

“In my defense, he hadn’t called me for a while,” Morgana interrupted.

“I hadn’t wanted to presume too much. But she straightened me out rather quickly.”

“How so?” Erin wondered.

“I claimed him as my boyfriend,” Morgana said.

Merlin blushed. “Then I got to meet her half-brother. That’s how I knew she was serious.”

Erin turned to Morgana. “And they got along?”

“Better than I’d planned.”

“So you dated for a while. How did you get engaged?”

Merlin ducked his head while Morgana spoke. “I invited Merlin to a day at my movie shoot. After it was all over, I asked him to marry me.”

“And how did that go over? Merlin?”

“I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t take it well. I invented an appointment and left. Then I didn’t talk to her for a week.”

“Why not?”

“She’d surprised me and I got so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn’t know what to do.”

“So how did you come around?”

“Morgana showed up at the coffee shop again. We went on a walk and talked. By then I thought I knew what I wanted but it had been so long I didn’t know how to approach her. She brought it out of me, and the rest is history.”

Morgana held up her left hand, where the diamond sparkled under the lights. Merlin grinned and put his arm around her. They looked at each other for a moment before Merlin bent down to give her a quick kiss.

“Aww,” Erin said. “And there you have it, folks. The story of how the cutest couple in Britain got together. Thank you and have a wonderful day.”

[ao3feed-merlin]

Journey to Avalon

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2s1esyf

by AJsRandom

All these years Arthur had been waiting for his rising in Avalon. Sleeping under the surface of the lake where the realm of Avalon once had bloomed. When the certain day had finally come, it is up to Merlin to go to Avalon and awake his king from his deep slumber and bring him back to horizon. Just how? Avalon is waiting.

Words: 3755, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Merlin (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Freya (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)

Relationships: Freya/Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)

Additional Tags: Friendship, Romance, Action/Adventure, Monsters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Magic, Excalibur, Arthur Wakes

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2s1esyf

[ajsrandom]

After

(to celebrate my 2nd anniversary on tumblr, I give you this)

Merlin clapped along with the others as the lights came up in the theater. It had been a truly amazing movie, where Morgana had played leading lady to an action/adventure star. He was sure he’d have loved the movie even without all the cars and explosions, but those gave it extra appeal.

“What now?” he asked Morgana.

“Now we wait for the limo to come pick us up,” she said as they walked from the theater.

“And how will we know when it’s out there?”

She reached into her tiny bag and pulled out her phone. “This, you adorkable man.” She kissed his cheek and smiled brightly.

While they waited, different people wandered over to converse with Morgana. He felt like he had before the movie, totally blown away that Morgana knew all these people but still loved him, Merlin the humble barista.

A couple minutes into the conversation with Morgana’s handsome co-star, her phone rang. She fished it out of her bag and looked at the number. “Time to go. See you later, Chad,” she said to the co-star.

Morgana looped her arm through Merlin’s as he held it out, and together they walked out through doors held open for them. Again they walked the red carpet through yelling fans. Merlin remembered to smile, wave and hold onto Morgana. At one point, someone called his name and he turned to face them, but tripped over his own foot. Fortunately Morgana caught him before he went down all the way. Unfortunately he’d twisted his ankle, so he limped the rest of the way to the limo.

As if he wasn’t embarrassed enough, the driver asked if was all right in a very loud voice as he held the door open. Merlin replied “yes” and slid into the car. Morgana followed and watched as Merlin flushed and hung his head. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

“What for?” She raised an eyebrow.

“For embarrassing you like that.”

She scooted closer and lifted his head with her hand. “Merlin, you could never embarrass me.”

“But I just tripped walking down the red carpet. THE red carpet!”

Morgana smiled. “What, you think that hasn’t happened before? I’ve snagged my heels on that thing myself. I don’t even know why I wear these death traps.” She kicked off her extra-high heels. “I’m more worried about your ankle. Let’s see it.”

He reluctantly lifted his foot so it lay across her lap. She removed his shoe and sock. “It looks a little swollen but you were able to put your weight on it, right?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t feel too bad.”

“All right. We’ll see how it is in the morning.” With that, she slid the sock and shoe back on and slid as close to Merlin as she could get. “Besides, I have plans for you.” She again took his face in her hand and pressed their lips together. Merlin soon forgot all about his ankle and the red carpet.

[ajsrandom]

Blessed

Merlin shivered with excitement. One of Morgana’s movies was soon to be released to cinemas and theaters worldwide, and the premiere was to be held at the uber famous cinema in London where many premieres were held. And he would be walking down the red carpet with her! Him, a humble coffee shop worker, will be walking down the red carpet with his movie star fiancée. He could hardly believe it.

The day of the premiere, two of Morgana’s stylists showed up at Merlin’s flat. They brought a tuxedo, makeup and hair products and went to work on him. Merlin had had no idea that men actually wore makeup, but he supposed it made sense. In today’s world of HD-everything, even the smallest flaws were visible.

After two hours, they pronounced him done and handed him a mirror. Even he had to admit he looked amazing. His usually unruly hair was tamed and stayed in place when he shook his head. The makeup made him look like his best self—flawless indeed.

About half an hour later, a knock sounded at Merlin’s door. He recognized the man as the limo driver from before. He gulped and shivered again. This was for real—he was actually doing this! The man escorted him to the limo and opened the door for him. He saw Morgana sitting there and she gave him a little wave.

Without further ado, he slid inside and over to Morgana. She looked absolutely stunning in a relatively low-cut, sleeveless, emerald-green gown. Merlin found himself having to consciously close his mouth before he drooled all over the leather seat.

Morgana smiled and said, “Cat got your tongue?” She slipped her hand into his and held on tight.

“Have I told you lately how gorgeous you are?” he replied.

She laughed. “Not in so many words. But do go on.”

“I can’t believe that such a stunning creature fell for me, a humble coffee shop worker.”

“Oh Merlin, you charm me so. You made it easy for me to fall for you, love. I am so grateful for that day when you took me in and hid me from the paps.”

He laughed. “Hey, I couldn’t turn down a damsel in distress.”

“That I was.”

They reminisced for several more minutes as the car drove on. When it finally slowed, they looked out the windows to see crowds lining the street. “We’re here.” Merlin said.

“Looks like it. Now we join the queue.”

They moved forward slowly as the limos in front of them let out their passengers. Merlin could see the bright lights of the cinema in front of him, and the flashing lights of cameras. Soon that would be him and Morgana being photographed. He’d gotten used to it over the past couple of weeks, but this was a huge event and he found himself suddenly nervous.

“Are you nervous?” Morgana asked. He nodded. “You know what? The first few times I did this I was as nervous as hell, so I understand.” She squeezed his hand and he smiled.

Just then, the limo stopped. Merlin swallowed while Morgana lifted up his hand and kissed it. “Just smile and wave, love. And stay close to me, of course.”

The door opened and Merlin was temporarily blinded by all the light. The roar of the crowd surprised him a bit. Morgana slid over to the door and held out her hand. The driver pulled her out gently and the crowd’s roar ticked up a notch at her appearance. The driver reached in again and Merlin took his hand. He stood there a moment, taking it all in. The wide red carpet lay before them and it was bordered on two sides. Behind those barricades, huge crowds stood waving and screaming.

He held out his arm to Morgana, who took it with a huge smile on her face. As they walked toward the entrance, he heard people call out Morgana’s name. He even heard his name a few times. He smiled and waved in the general direction of those calls. Too many flashes to count went off in their direction, but he just held onto Morgana and kept walking until Morgana paused, which she did now and then.

Merlin couldn’t hide his relief as the doors opened for them and they went inside. It looked like a regular cinema, but much more upscale. “We made it,” Morgana said, turning to him. She kissed his cheek and began greeting her movie co-stars and other bigwigs. He was introduced to all of them but promptly forgot their names.

Finally the lobby lights dimmed. “Popcorn?” Morgana asked.

“Oh, I’m sure I can’t afford the popcorn here,” he replied.

“It’s complimentary.” She grinned.

“Then yes!”

They received their popcorn and drinks from the vendor and followed the crowd into the theater. They were guided to their seats by well-dressed men with those fancy lights. As the lights went down, he took Morgana’s hand and turned to her. She smiled at him then gave him a quick kiss. His head spun for a moment as he turned to face the screen. He thought about how truly blessed he was to be where he was now, with the woman he loved. He’d love her even if she wasn’t a movie star, but the added perks made him smile. He really was the lucky one.

[ajsrandom]

Official

The next day, Morgana and Merlin went out together to purchase Morgana’s engagement ring. Morgana insisted on paying for it herself, since she’s the one who did the asking. Merlin protested a bit at this, but finally went along with it. They ignored the paparazzi as well as they could, knowing the news would eventually get out anyway.

Sure enough, the story broke in the tabloids and respectable newspapers that night. The couple wasn’t surprised, but sighed at the inevitability of it all. Morgana called her agent to arrange for a series of interviews so she could legitimize the papers’ claims. She spent the next few days talking to reporters and presenters of television shows. She dragged Merlin to some of them, which he didn’t really care for but was happy to do because hey, it was Morgana and he loved her.

One night they found themselves at a dinner for one of Morgana’s favorite charities. Merlin had no idea there would be so many speeches before one actually got to eat the dinner. His stomach grumbled. Morgana smiled and leaned over to him. “Hungry, darling?”

“Only for you, love,” he whispered back.

She reached her hand to his under the table and gave it a squeeze. She knew he didn’t really care for these types of things, but as long as she was acting and they loved each other, he’d have to put up with them. They’d talked about it at length and agreed that he’d be her date to anything like this she needed to attend, but otherwise he’d stay out of the spotlight, like many celebrities’ spouses. He wanted to continue as normal life as possible and she agreed. 

[stormsborn]

Looking from a window above, it’s like a story of love Can you hear me?

[ajsrandom]

At Last

Merlin felt like his eyes were bugging out of his head, he was so surprised. Morgana had just asked him to marry her. Was she joking? Was she simply acting in character? What was going on here?

Meanwhile, Morgana felt confused at Merlin’s silence. He looked utterly shocked, and not necessarily in a good way. “Merlin?” she asked, uncertain.

His mouth moved but he didn’t speak. Finally something solidified in his eyes and he spoke. “I need to go. Yeah, I have a . . . appointment I forgot about. Yeah. I’m sorry, Morgana. See you later?”

Morgana nodded, even more confused. “Sure.” He turned and began jogging away from her. “Call me!” she yelled at his retreating form. He didn’t turn and gradually disappeared out the building’s entrance. She walked slowly to her trailer, costumer trailing behind her.

oo0O0oo

Clearly Merlin had panicked. At least that’s what Morgana was beginning to think. He didn’t call her for the rest of the day. Or the next. And now she was beginning to panic. Was it too early in their relationship to make a proposal? She thought things had been going well between them. She’d gotten along with Merlin’s mother when she’d come to visit. He got along great with Arthur and even Uther. They could hardly become closer than they already were. Maybe she’d been moving a little fast, but that’s how she worked—when she saw something she wanted, she went for it.

Maybe Merlin was thinking about it. That was fair enough. Plenty of women made their men wait, right? So this frustrating worrying was normal, right? She ended up asking several of her co-workers these questions and was reassured that yes, women made men wait and yes, worrying about it was totally normal. But she didn’t feel better. She missed Merlin.

After a week she’d had enough. She couldn’t focus on anything—eating, sleeping, work . . . and it was beginning to affect others around her. So she decided again, to surprise Merlin at the coffee shop and she would insist on talking to him. The separation was driving her mad.

She called Gaius, the shop’s owner, to confirm when Merlin would be at work, then went in the middle of that time. Her heart beat with excitement as she opened the shop’s door and saw him helping a customer. He was so kind and patient and she knew then that her proposal wasn’t a mistake. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man.

When the customer left, he looked at her with trepidation on his face. She felt the bottom fall out of her stomach, but neared the counter anyway. “Can we talk?” she asked him.

“Morgana, I’m working. Can this wait?” he replied.

“No, actually it can’t. And as far as the work thing goes . . .” the door opened behind her to reveal a grinning Will.

Will stepped up next to Morgana. “You’ve got some explaining to do, mate,” he said. He stepped behind the counter to the back room and emerged a minute later wearing an apron. “Go on, get going.”

Frowning, Merlin took off his apron and handed it to Will. “All right. Apparently I’m free now.” He stepped around the counter to Morgana. “Where do you want to do this?”

A little stung, Morgana motioned to the door. “Let’s take a walk.”

He nodded and they left through the jangling door. He was silent for a minute or two, as if waiting for Morgana to speak first. Finally he decided she wasn’t going to and sighed. “I guess I do owe you an explanation.”

Morgana struggled to come up with un-snarky words. “I would appreciate that, yes.”

They passed a park bench and he pulled her over to sit on it. He kept a hold of her hand and spoke. “Morgana, you really surprised me that day.”

“The day I asked you to marry me? That day a week ago?” She cut herself off before her voice rose too much.

“Yes, that day. And I’m so sorry I haven’t called or anything. I’ve been thinking things over . . . and over . . . and over. I got so wrapped up in myself I didn’t know which way was up for a few days. Will and Gaius have been so patient with me. So now that you’re here with me, I think I know what I want to do.”

Morgana’s beat-up heart began beating faster again. “And?”

“Morgana, I love you and I’m pretty sure I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So yes, I’ll marry you.”

“Merlin! This is so wonderful I—” She was cut off by Merlin’s lips pressing against hers with some urgency. She wisely shut up and kissed him back. His hands went to her waist to hold her tight and hers ran into his hair.

When they broke for air, they were startled to find a clapping group of people surrounding them. They heard “way to go!” and “congrats!” from a few in the group. Several people clapped Merlin on the back or squeezed Morgana’s shoulder before going on their way.

When everyone left, they rested their foreheads together. “Shall we celebrate?” he asked.

“Your flat?” she replied.

“Let’s go.” And they were on their way.

[ajsrandom]

Movie Magic

Today was the day. Merlin had the day off and he would soon be doing something he’d always dreamed about—visiting a movie set. Luckily Morgana knew about his dream and was filming locally. She’d invited him to come for the day to see how the magic worked. She tried to tell him it wasn’t as glamorous as he thought it was, but he had no illusions. He just wanted to see the magic his girlfriend was a part of.

The moment he set foot outside his apartment, he knew this was really happening. At the curb sat a black limo, complete with uniformed driver standing at the side. “Are you Mister Emrys, sir?” the man asked.

“That’s me,” he replied, stepping up.

The man opened the door and ushered Merlin inside. He found Morgana there, holding a mug of something steaming. “Coffee?” she asked with a smile.

“Please,” he replied.

She turned to a cupboard next to her and pulled out a mug and a carafe of coffee. The limo started moving then, and Merlin relaxed back into the pristine leather seat. “Do you go to work like this every day?”

Morgana laughed as she handed him the cup. “No, usually I catch the tube. But today is special.” She leaned over to kiss him right before he tried to take a sip.

“Mmm, thank you.” He’d gotten the mug away just in time. He drank all of it rather quickly in case she decided to surprise him again. “So what am I going to see today?”

“Well, I’ll do hair, makeup and costume in my trailer, then I’m on tap to film one of the last scenes in the movie.”

“What’s happening in it?”

“My character and her boyfriend are at a critical point in their relationship. They’re either going to break up or decide to get married. I’ll let you see which happens.” She grinned.

“Sounds interesting. I can’t wait to see which.”

“You’ll love it, I’m sure.”

At that moment the limo reached the movie lot and pulled as close as it could get to Morgana’s trailer. They both exited the car on the same side and moved through the onlookers as unobtrusively as possible. “You’d think people who work on movies would be used to seeing limos around,” Merlin commented.

Morgana laughed. “Merlin, you’re thinking too much about Hollywood. And even there people don’t arrive every day in limos. It’s just impractical.”

“Oh.”

“It’s all right.”

Three women waited near the door of Morgana’s trailer, all of them carrying cases. Morgana unlocked the door and all three followed her and Merlin inside. “You can sit over there and watch.” She pointed to a chair not covered in clothing and Merlin sat obediently.

He watched as the hair and makeup artists went to work. Morgana was transformed from “merely” gorgeous to absolutely stunning in what seemed like no time. Just as the finishing touches were being applied, a knock sounded on the door. “Come in!” Morgana called.

A woman carrying hangers full of chic clothes entered. The hair and makeup ladies began cleaning up their brushes and wands as the costumer carried the clothes to the main level. “Here’s your outfit for this morning,” she told Morgana.

“Ooh,” Morgana crowed as she glanced at the skirt and blouse combination.

The first three women left and the costumer stepped forward. Her eyebrow rose at Merlin’s presence, but Morgana quickly explained, “My boyfriend—he’s with me today.”

The costumer smiled then asked Morgana to undress so she could fit the costume on Morgana. Merlin closed his eyes while she changed. A couple minutes later, Morgana told him to open his eyes. He did, only to view his idea of female perfection. Morgana looked beyond fantastic in the outfit and he had to physically stop his mouth from hanging open in admiration. “Wow,” he said instead.

“Thanks!” Morgana threw her brightest smile at him and he nearly swooned. Like a girl. But he pulled himself together and watched as she twirled around, the skirt flaring wildly.

“So what’s next?” he asked.

“Filming. Follow me,” she replied, leading him out the trailer door and to the set. Once there, she squeezed his hand and said, “See you later.”

“Break a leg.”

Merlin watched as she stepped over cables and around people, greeted by everyone. She replied or waved back as she made her way to the director, who talked with her briefly before she walked onto the sound stage, which was set up as a cute outdoor café. There she greeted her handsome co-star and they talked for a few minutes. At one point he saw her point to him and wave, and he waved back. The co-star also waved and Merlin laughed to himself. All this was so surreal. Here he was on a real movie set about to watch actual filming. Holy cow!

Soon the director called for action and the cameras began rolling. Merlin observed the scene playing before him, Morgana and her co-star arguing. She was amazing to watch and he was entirely taken in by her role. He could hardly believe that this was the same Morgana who hung out with him, watching DVD’s. But there she was and she was amazing.

He watched as the couple finally resolved their argument and kissed. After the kiss ended, Morgana’s character said, “Marry me.”

The other actor looked totally stunned before he agreed to marry her. They kissed again and the director called “Cut!” Lights came up and the crew clapped.

Morgana made her way to Merlin. “What did you think?”

“You were amazing! And at the end there, wow, I didn’t see that coming,” he replied.

“It is a pretty clever twist, isn’t it?” She smiled at him so sweetly he grew suspicious.

“Morgana, you’ve got that look again.”

“What look?”

He folded his arms and frowned. “That look that says you have a plan you’re not telling me.”

“Who, me?” Suddenly the coy look disappeared from her face and she whispered, “Marry me.”

[ajsrandom]

In the Heat of the Moment

Merlin looked up at the jingle of the door. Another customer—although this one was dressed rather shabbily. Oh. This time he recognized Morgana’s disguise before he could make a fool of himself. “Hello, Miss, what can I get for you?”

Morgana came close to the counter and leaned over it. “What I want isn’t on the menu,” she whispered. Louder, she said, “Hot chocolate, extra whipped cream. To go.”

“To go?”

“Well, you are off in five minutes, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” He’d been so entranced he’d forgotten his shift was almost over.

“Good.” She sat down at a table to wait.

Merlin turned to make the drink. Will came in just then, tying his apron on. “You ready to clock out, mate?”

“Yes I am,” Merlin replied, “as soon as I finish this.” He squirted the whipped cream on then took it over to Morgana, who sighed appreciatively.

“Thanks. Oh, and don’t be long.” She blew him a kiss as he turned to take off his apron and collect his things.

Once he returned to the front, he offered her his arm. “Going my way?”

“Why yes I am.” She stood and took his arm, hot chocolate in her other hand. They left the shop together and paused on the sidewalk in front.

“Your place or mine?” Merlin asked.

“Yours. It’s closer.” She gave him a bright smile and the set off in the direction of Merlin’s flat.

“So, what did you have in mind for this evening?”

She hummed. “Dinner and a DVD? I feel like Chinese tonight.”

He smiled. “All right. You’re paying.”

“Naturally.” They both laughed.

They kept up the lighthearted banter all the way to the flat. Once inside, Morgana took off her hat, sunglasses and jacket. She sprawled on the sofa and relaxed. “Well?”

“Oh, of course, your highness.” He picked up the phone and ordered her favorite Chinese entrées. Then he settled down next to her on the sofa. “So what do we do while we wait? Choose a DVD?”

“I can think of something better.” She leaned closer and pressed their lips together.

“Mm, I like this idea,” he said when they broke apart. He threaded a hand into her hair and brought her close again. He pushed their lips together and they turned to face each other.

Morgana licked at his bottom lip to gain entrance into his mouth. He let her then pulled her onto his lap. She straddled him and reached both hands around to hold his neck. He moaned and his hands drifted down her back to hold onto her hips.

A warm shiver ran down her back as their chests pressed together. She moaned when a hand reached under her shirt and began stroking her back. They broke briefly for air, but dove in again. He pressed his palms flat against her back to pull her impossibly closer.

He broke away to start kissing her neck. She mm’ed and let herself sink into the moment. He’d moved down to her collarbone when she spoke again, “I love you.”

Merlin paused in his ministrations and brought his head up so his eyes met hers. “What did you say?”

Morgana flushed, but decided to simply speak the truth. “I love you.”

“You love me? But—”

“It hasn’t been long enough?” She laughed. “Oh Merlin, it’s been long enough for me to know what love feels like. After kissing so many frogs . . .”

He grinned at her. “I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say, ‘But I wanted to say it first.’”

“Oh.” She cocked her head, puzzled. After a moment, the truth of what he’d said washed over her. “Oh!” A smile lit up her features and she leaned forward to press their lips together again.

By the time they were interrupted by a knock, both had swollen lips and bright eyes. Merlin straightened out his clothing and answered the door.

After dinner had been consumed, neither felt the inclination to watch a DVD.