Thanks for reading, reviewing and adding to favourites and alerts. Thank you very much.

I had wanted to do a modern story, the whole Bachelor thing but got side tracked, but thanks for reading the story anyway.

The phone refused to get out of my head; you know like that song that refuses to go away, so I just wrote it in and changed this chapter to fit it in.

The Phantom of the Opera doesn't belong to me.

It's a bit rushed but I hope you'll like it and enjoy reading it. The earlier chapters are a story that they were listening to.

I truly hope it makes sense, I know nothing about publishing

Enough about me, here goes

Eight: Then I looked into your eyes and knew, today would be a first for me, the day I fall in love

Arthur watched Guinevere walk out of the room and hoped that nothing was seriously wrong.

Arthur, Morgana, Merlin and Guinevere were guest judges at a London University creative writing contest. They had been listening to aspiring writers present their scripts the whole day.

The four of them had met while at university and on completion, three years ago, had began a publishing company, their aim was to help young people who wanted to write a chance, they did this by going to schools and giving talks as well as offering financial aid to those who couldn't afford to pay for school.

This contest was very dear to their hearts; it was based on the Arthurian legends and was specifically about Guinevere and Arthur finding true love and this particular story had captured their attention because the writer had decided to use Morgana and Morgause as the villains and hadn't included Lancelot in the story at all unlike all the other writers.

000

Gwen answered the phone. It was her brother Elyan.

"Gwen, have you found somebody, anybody?" he asked her. He had asked her that at least ten times every day for the past month.

"No," she replied. "I can't just marry to make other people happy. And by people I mean you."

"Those were the terms of dad's will. You've known about this for a month." Elyan complained.

"The terms weren't realistic, I'm a grown woman, and I should be allowed to make my own choice in my own time."

"I agree with you and if it didn't concern me directly I would say, more power to you. But we're running out of time."

Guinevere and Elyan's father Tom Leodegrance had been a very rich but eccentric man, when had had died a little over a month ago, they had discovered that he had left all his money to them with one condition. Guinevere had a month to find a husband, whom their lawyers found satisfactory, or all the money would go to a charity.

When Gwen had first heard this news she had said fine, let the money go but they discovered that even Elyan would lose his fortune unless she married, hence his great interest in her love life. On his part, Elyan had introduced to all his friends and she had to admit she had found Lance and Gawain very nice and interesting; however she couldn't see herself spending at least fifteen years married to either of them, which is what her father's will stipulated.

Her friends had asked her what was wrong but she couldn't bring herself to share the conditions of her father's will with them. Now she had exactly six days to find a suitable husband or her and Elyan lost their very way of life.

000

"Are you alright?" Morgana asked Gwen.

"Fine, just some small, really minor family issue," she answered.

"So what do you think about the stories? I think the last one is definitely the winner." Arthur told them.

He looked at Gwen, she was worried about something. He wished she would confide in him, tell him what was bothering her. He knew she wouldn't tell them, they'd been asking her what was wrong for the past three weeks without getting a straight answer. He made up his mind to talk to Elyan.

They all agreed that the last story they had heard had been the most original, Maria Tomlin, the author hadn't mentioned the Guinevere – Arthur – Lancelot triangle and her using 'The Bachelor' had really impressed Morgana who liked that film. They decided that she would get the cash award and a chance to get published in their next book of short stories. Gwen had found that the story hit too close to home; art imitating life and vice versa, she couldn't wait to get home.

000

As soon as she could Gwen left her friends and went back to her flat to think. She could always ask Arthur, she thought to herself. He was suitable, coming from a respectable and wealthy family and in addition to that she liked him, more than liked him, if she was honest and he wasn't indifferent to her.

She remembered the first time she'd become aware of Arthur's feelings for her; it was about two years ago. She'd always thought that he too handsome for his own good, and that he wasn't good for her peace of mind, that he took up entirely too much of her thoughts, and that he didn't notice her at all, except as a friend. They'd been in the office working late and he had sent out for take-out, and they had eaten together.

The radio had been on and Tom Jones' It's not Unusual had been playing, suddenly he pulled her up to dance with him, the song had ended and The day I fall in love, had began to play. They had held each other and danced and long after the music stopped. Arthur had looked at Gwen, she looked so beautiful and for the first time he could act upon his feelings for her, without thinking about the consequences, Arthur had kissed Gwen and surprisingly she had responded. They would have continued hadn't Gwen remembered that she had a very real boyfriend, Adam Walker.

Arthur had asked her out but she'd refused saying that she had a boyfriend and besides he was one of her best friends and she didn't want to mess it up. So now they were just good friends; they talked to each other about everything, and how their fathers' frustrated them, Elyan's irresponsibility and the love lives. It was to Arthur that she had turned when Adam had cheated on her and even when her father had died.

Gwen loved Arthur and she thought he loved her back but she couldn't risk it, and Arthur had seemed to accept her decision. However he was always there, caring for her, waiting for his chance.

000

Arthur had thought of going to see Gwen as soon as he'd spoken to Elyan but decided to wait till the morning. She was having breakfast when he knocked at her door.

"Arthur," she said surprised but happy, "what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, obviously." He handed her a bunch of daisies and baby's breath, her favourite flowers. He was always surprising her.

"What are these for?" she asked him smiling.

"Do I have to have a reason to give my friend flowers?"

She shook her head.

She invited him in, to join her for breakfast. After breakfast, Arthur took her hand and led her to the sofa. "I have an important question to ask you," he said to her.

She looked up at him and Arthur felt his heart beat faster, he loved really this woman, she meant everything to him, he wondered why she couldn't accept it.

"Guinevere, will you marry me?" he asked her.

"What? Did you talk to Elyan?" was her first response.

Arthur nodded; this was not the time for half-truths and lies. It was time to be absolutely truthful.

"I can't take advantage of you like that," she told him, "it wouldn't be fair on you."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked her.

"Well if you talked to Elyan, then you know the whole story. I have to marry in less than a week, to a man my lawyers approve of and for at least fifteen years."

Arthur nodded. "None of that seems like a problem to me, being married to you is everything I've ever dreamt of, even if you'll have almost as much money as I have, and the will only stipulated fifteen years and not the fifty I intend to spend with you."

Gwen smiled thinly at his attempt at humor but much as she wanted to say yes, to jump into his arms and dance for joy but she couldn't, she couldn't do it to Arthur. She loved him too much.

000,

Arthur set out to make Gwen change her mind. Knowing Gwen as he did, he knew that she would try to avoid him for the rest of the week. He went to Merlin and Morgana for help.

"Serenade her," Morgana told him, "Gwen is a sucker for such things." Merlin agreed; Gwen was a romantic through and through. "Send flowers and chocolates to home and office and invite her for lunch, a picnic in the park."

"I'll take care of it," Morgana offered.

At lunch time Morgana and Gwen walked to St. James Park; after they spread out their rug, Gwen turned and saw Arthur, not Morgana waiting for her. She smiled at him and joined him for lunch; this was her favourite park in London. "I'll eat with you, but I can't marry you," she told him. Arthur just smiled at her.

Later that evening the four of them had planned to attend an amateur production of The Phantom of the Opera. It was being performed by a university drama group and since they had been invited to it more than a month ago, Gwen didn't suspect a thing.

When they got to the scene with Christine and Raoul on the rooftop; Gwen was shocked to see Arthur on stage playing the part of Raoul. He sang the first lines with the girl playing Christine and then he walked off stage to where Gwen was sitting and knelt before her and sang;

Then say you'll share with me one love one lifetime

Let me lead me from your solitude

Say you need me with you here beside you

Anywhere you go let me go too

Guinevere, that's all I ask of you

He remained there looking at her, while the man playing Raoul resumed his role.

"Guinevere, what do you say?" Arthur asked her. "I'm willing to 'sacrifice' myself for you."

Gwen looked at him and then got on her knees in front of him. "Yes, yes I will," she said to him and they kissed.

000

They got married two days later. It was a beautiful ceremony, Merlin and Morgana stood up with them and Elyan couldn't stop smiling.

"Thank God for your eccentric father," Arthur told Gwen, "without him, I would still be trying to convince you to marry me."

"That's what you think," she replied, "and you're wrong."

"I'm happy to be wrong, Guinevere, as long as I'm with you."

The end

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