A/N: Wow you guys are amazing! So many people followed this story and all the reviews were fantastic! I was so overwhelmed! So as a reward, here is your next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! And anything you wanna say about it, just leave a little review!

Chapter Two

Merlin must have walked for hours. Hours and hours and hours. He was very nearly dead on his feet. The irony didn't escape him, having spent the last millennia walking around the Lake to protect Arthur and now he couldn't even walk more than seven miles without feeling tired. He let out a half-hearted laugh and picked his feet up, plodding onwards. His magic flared again when he passed the sign that marked Camelot, the black printed 'Welcome' standing tall and proud. He shouldered his backpack and pushed further.

The laptop he had purchased from Gaius was getting heavier in his arms. Merlin was so tired. So tired. But the fact that he had something tangible to hold on to – something that would lead him to Arthur – kept Merlin going.

The warlock felt vaguely guilty about the way he had treated Gaius back at Sparks. He had been distant. Not that fawning all over him would have put Merlin in the best light. But still, he had wanted to be able to say that he had met old friends and managed to keep them. Now he supposed that they were acquaintances at best, just a random customer at worst. In truth he had been overwhelmed by the magic, the pulsating mess that strained to be released when he got near to the computer he was holding. It had taken a lot out of Merlin, even if he didn't realise what a struggle it had been at the time.

Merlin sighed. He would probably find a reason to go back to Sparks at some point. But for now, finding somewhere to live would be nice.

Suddenly a warm body crashed into him, nearly making the warlock drop his lifeline. He stabilised himself with magic swiftly, and then looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Luckily the only person in sight was the woman who had walked into him and she was still quite disorientated. He was safe.

Merlin offered a hand to the lady, steadying her. "Are you okay?"

She giggled a soft sound that made Merlin feel very comfortable with her. "I should be asking you that, surely. But I'm fine, thank you. I'm so sorry I didn't see you there. Off in my own little world." She babbled.

"Must have been nice, you did seem quite out of it." He grinned at the woman and stuck out his hand, "I'm Merlin."

"Gwen." She took his head, not noticing that Merlin's hand had suddenly gone limp. Of course it was Gwen, how had he not realised? Merlin supposed that she did look different, slightly, but not so much that him not recognising her was excusable. Her soft brown curls hung down around her face, framing her cheeks. The deep brown, soulful eyes were exactly the same. Gwen's lips were similar – though thinner than the last time he had seen her. Her cheeks were fuller, rounder, and full with life and vitality. Definitely different to last time Merlin had laid eyes on her. There was no stress carving lines in her face prematurely, there was no hint of having watched people she loved suffer. It was the pure innocence in her features that made her different. Merlin hadn't seen this face in a long time.

Eventually he regained his senses and shook Gwen's hand. He grinned at her, God it was nice to see someone else. It also put Merlin's mind at rest, the laptop obviously wasn't a mistake and his magic definitely knew what it was doing. While Merlin was busy regaining the trust in his magic, Gwen had been babbling on.

"... I mean, if you don't mind. You're probably busy and I don't want to inconvenience you. It's just that you look a bit lonely... Not that I'm saying that you don't have any friends! I'm sure you do, you're too nice not to have any... And I'll shut up now." Gwen squeezed her lips together in an effort to stop the words pouring from her mouth.

Merlin laughed, it had been too long since he'd chuckled at Gwen's expense. "Coffee? Sure, so long as you don't make me drink it."

Gwen blushed and gestured with her head. "Come on, Merlin, I know the perfect spot."

-o-O-o-

Merlin wasn't quite sure when he'd agreed to move in, but before he knew it Gwen was pressing a key into his hands and telling him to make himself comfortable.

The flat where Gwen was currently living was in a slightly rough part of town, but the building was apparently not too rough. She was holed up in apartment 2C, and the environment just screamed GIRL! The settee was covered with cushions and throw blankets; the coffee table was decorated with flowers and pots of potpourri; there were net curtains over the windows. But despite all of the emasculating items that surrounded Merlin, he relaxed. It was homey and comforting and God knows that it had been too long since he'd had a true home to go to.

He shoved his backpack on the floor and almost fell onto the sofa, still clutching his laptop. All of his joints creaked with the sudden lack of movement but Merlin couldn't think of anything nicer. The mass of cushions nearly swallowed him whole and Merlin was pretty sure that if Gwen hadn't come back from her kitchenette that he would have fallen asleep.

"Tea, Merlin? Can I get you something to eat?" Gwen asked, smiling at her new flatmate.

He shook his head, grinning back at his new friend. Well, technically, old friend. But no one needed to know that yet. Gwen really hadn't changed at all; the tea that he'd shared with her earlier proved that to Merlin. She was still bright and bubbly, determined to do anything for her friends. And she had taken Merlin under her wing once more. They'd talked about where she worked, her friends – they'd found out that they both knew Gaius - and their exploits. They talked about their pasts, both having come from small towns – Merlin had to improvise some of the details from a modern day Ealdor as he hadn't gone home, just continued to follow his magic until he'd turned up here – Gwen babbled for hours about Havant – from down South, but she had followed her dreams to become a painter, and Camelot was the best place for up and coming artists. So she had left her father, a welder, and her brother Elyan, currently in the private security business last she'd heard, and made a new life for herself paying her way through art college by picking up after some rich kids whose parents suddenly decided that they needed a cleaner.

After Merlin had broken through her initial reaction to over-talk and made Gwen feel comfortable they had traded soft words of banter and teasing. In fact, Merlin was quite shocked to find that the innocent facade was just that – a facade. Gwen, as it turned out, was not afraid to throw out the odd sexual innuendo that was thinly veiled so you would only notice what she had actually intended later in the conversation. He spent the majority of their tea break snorting in the middle of her sentences about something Gwen had spouted as the realisation would hit. The cheeky grin that was continually plastered across Gwen's face made Merlin like her all the more.

Though she was quietly funny, Gwen was not easily distracted and when she tried to question Merlin about his past Gwen wouldn't relent, not satisfied with his attempts to move the conversation on to safer topics. Merlin had to work hard to create a past that would be easy to recall and was as close to the truth as possible.

"Come on, Merlin. I've monopolised the conversation. Tell me more about where you're from. Who have you left behind? Best friends? Family? Really embarrassing exes?" Gwen had asked, raising her eyebrows in a way that was strangely reminiscent of Gaius.

Merlin had floundered for a few seconds before finally opening his mouth – hey, that eyebrow was ever-so-slightly terrifying. "Well, I'm from Ealdor. In Wales. Umm... It's quite a small town, not a lot really happens and I guess that's what drove me to leave. I used to live with my Mum, Hunith..." Merlin pauses, suddenly overtaken by emotion. Who knew if Hunith had come back? Everybody else seemed to be making an appearance. Oh God, had he become so Arthur obsessed that he couldn't even remember his own mother?! He took a shaky breath, ignored the concerned look that had overcome Gwen's face and continued, "And my best friend Will, he used to doss at mine. He practically lived with us, he was over that often. He's like my brother." Oh God, Will as well. Merlin hung his head. He really was a terrible person. Merlin silently vowed to look the both of them up as soon as humanly possible.

"So... What are you planning on doing in Camelot?" Gwen interrupted his internal musings with a very good question. Merlin hadn't really thought that far ahead. He'd just blindly followed his magic with the hope that everything would turn out alright in the end. The warlock scratched his head, running long fingers through the thick, tangled strands and shrugged.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought that far ahead."

Gwen had smiled indulgently, put her hand on top of his arm, "Well if you can promise me that you're not a suicidal maniac or like to cook human beings I'm sure that you can stay with me." She took a sip of the cappuccino that she'd ordered and sat back, satisfied with the completely bewildered look on Merlin's face.

"Are... Are you sure? I mean, you don't know me from Adam. I could be a homicidal maniac and you're just offering me your flat?" He blurted out, amazed at the sheer generosity. Maybe there was some hope for this generation after all.

But Gwen just pushed a spare set of keys into his hand and showed him the way to her apartment building.

"So Merlin, do you want to come out tonight? Meet some of my friends? We'll be going to The Rising Sun; it's a decent enough pub. And I'm sure we can find you someone who'll make you rise." Gwen winked at Merlin's shocked expression – it was going to be a while before he got used to the filth that occasionally spilled from her mouth. She looked at him expectantly, with such a hope-filled expression Merlin couldn't say no. So he didn't.

The grin that swiftly followed, Merlin decided, was worth it.

-o-O-o-

Merlin looked around his new room; it was definitely a lot better than his previous one, even if it was slightly unfair to compare them. Gaius certainly didn't have a lot to work with back in his physician's quarters and Merlin was grateful that the old man had given Merlin his own room. But the spare room in Gwen's apartment – now his room, as Gwen continually reminded him – had all the modern luxuries.

The warlock almost cried when he sank down onto the bed, feeling the springs give way under his weight rather than straw poking through the cover. The smell of fresh linen wafting through the air, making the entire room feel fresh and homely. Oh yes, he could get used to this, very quickly.

The walls were painted a neutral light green and Gwen had covered them with images of rolling hills and seascapes. The dresser and wardrobe were made of matching oak and were so large that Merlin could practically fit all of his belongings in one drawer. The carpet – a slightly darker shade of grade that reminded Merlin of the forests that once surrounded Camelot – was soft and springy underfoot, almost deep enough to lose his toes in.

Yes, Merlin could definitely get used to this.