Title: Duty of the Heart
Disclaimer: Merln is owned by the BBC and other associated parties. I do not make any profit from this story and the plot is purely fiction.
Summary: AU, slash, A/M, Merlin is the new guy on the police force in Camelot and has just been assigned as Arthur's new partner. Follow them through some of their cases as they become even closer than intended.
Warnings: violence, kidnapping, slash, sex, gore, racism against druids (not me), torture, drugging, murder, bondage, hurt/comfort,
Pairings: ArthurxMerlin, GwenxLancelot (Only mentioned in passing)
Author's Note: I have gathered a few of these plots from other sources, but though I won't say what sources, know that they are there. Also know that, although I may have borrowed a few ideas, I don't gain anything from them. So no flaming about how I stole a plot from this book or that movie, etc.
xXx
Case 1. Death of a Sorceress.
All sound tuned out as he focused on the papers in front of him. Never let it be said that Arthur Pendragon, son of Commissioner Uther Pendragon, didn't do any paper work. Though he would say one thing, he hated doing it and wish for a distraction every time.
This was exactly what he got this time. In stormed Morgana, half-sister and closest friend, her face set in annoyed lines. Gwen followed cautiously behind, trying to stay out of the line of fire. "Arthur." She called out loudly, not even caring about the others around her and that she already had his attention.
"What is it now Morgana?" He demanded tiredly. She'd just come from Uther's office which could only mean one thing.
"I want you to try and talk some sense into your father. He just won't listen to me, no matter what I say or how many years I've worked here." She shot heavy glares at his closed office door down at the other end of the hall.
"You think he'll listen to me any better? I'd have better luck getting a pinhole at the shooting range. [A/N: All shots hitting the same point like a pinhole.] He continued to work as she paced his office. One of the benefits of working here for so long was that he now had his own office; well it was his own until Lance came back from paid medical leave.
Finally, she sat down with a huff. Gwen, a relived expression on her face, followed suit and sat down next to her. "So, did you hear the news?"
"Hmm, no what?" He asked, signing a sheet than grabbing the next in line. He was a great multi-tasker.
"We're getting a new recruit. From up north, I believe he's from Ealdor's police force. Wonder what he'll look like." She thought aloud, but he was ignoring her, tuning everything out as he rushed to finish his last report. With a sigh, he sat back, stretching the cramping muscles in his hand.
"Are you even listening to me?" She asked him, voice annoyed.
"For the most part." He paused as he heard the tell-tale sound of the intercom coming on.
"All personnel present, report to the staff room." His father's monotone voice echoed down the slightly empty halls. Most were out on duty with calls, others not coming in until the next shift. A few, like Lance, were out sick or worse. This meant that those that gathered only made the room slightly cramped: about fifteen people in total, not counting Uther or the new arrival.
The soft chatter stopped abruptly as the door opened and in walked Uther. Another male, slightly shorter than the man before him, shadowed his steps. Both of their faces were composed as the headed for the front of the room.
Arthur and the two women didn't get a good look until he was in front of them. He was tall, but thin though he looked to have some lean muscle on him. His ink black hair was slightly wind swept and damp from the storm that was going on outside. His eyes were a dark blue, though the slight shadowing under his eyes made them look even brighter. He was pale too, his skin slightly translucent under the harsh glare of florescent lighting. With his clothing consisting of a white shirt and black slacks, he looked like, well like a very thin penguin. The clothing didn't do anything but make him look tired and washed out. Compared to their slightly less formal dress which had some color in it, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
Uther turned to look at them all, hard eyes scanning over the faces of men and women alike before resting on Arthur's face last and longest. Finally he looked away. "As I'm sure some of you have heard we are getting a new member to our district. This is Merlin Emrys, formally of Ealdor's police force." He waited for the group to quiet down again before continuing. "For now, I'll need someone to give a brief tour, but I will later look into who he will be partnered with. I'll inform everyone before the end of our shift." With a sharp nod, he left them in the room.
The door closing was like a signal and the tension seemed to dissipate. Morgana was talking to Merlin first. "So Merlin, what was the weather in Ealdor like?" She asked him.
"Like here only slightly colder." He replied softly, only a slight accent affecting his speech. He seemed to have relaxed slightly, but still looked stiff in his formal wear.
"That's nice. How about Gwen, Arthur, and I give you the grand tour. Once we finish that, we can go out for lunch." He just nodded and followed her out.
Arthur could tell he was indulging her, Morgana had a stubborn streak a mile wide and wouldn't take no for an answer. Apparently Merlin had seen that and decided not to resist her orders. That alone made him smile, though the fact that he'd just noticed his larger than normal ears was an added bonus. This man was certainly an odd looking person, but he looked like someone he could come to like, if they could get him to string more than two words together. Looks like Morgana was going to have to ply her charm. It had worked wonders on shy Gwen and it would work just as well on Merlin.
They all sat around the circular table, silverware out as they scanned the menus. This was slightly better than what they normally bought, but Merlin wouldn't know that. Arthur wondered if Merlin even liked Chinese food. Pushing that thought aside, he went back to examining his own menu.
Once they all ordered, it descended into an awkward silence for a moment before Morgana went for the kill. "So Merlin, tell us about yourself. What's life in Ealdor like?"
"Ah, I guess it was good there. I'm not to…uh sure since I spent most of my time, well…working. Never really had much of a social life. There was Will and Freya, my mates, but that's about it." As he spoke, the accent seemed to disappear slightly.
"That's nice. Any siblings? What about any family here?" Morgana seemed to have an endless arsenal of questions to shot at the poor man, and Arthur was starting to feel sorry for him.
"No siblings and my Mother. Uh, I believe my uncle Gaius live pretty close to here, just outside of the city." It looked like Morgana's charm was working; the man seemed less tense, his shoulders relaxing.
Before Morgana could throw out another question, the food arrived and they spent a few minutes in silence as they ate. It was a comfortable silence, as if they'd all been friends for years instead of only having just met Merlin.
Finally Arthur looked up from his plate, most of it cleaned. He watched Gwen and Morgana eat, their food disappearing just as fast as his was. You learned to eat fast on the police force, never knowing when the next call would come and you would need to run. He turned to watch Merlin, the man's head bent down as he picked at his food. It was barely even touched, and the slightly green cast to Merlin's face meant that no more would be eaten.
"Merlin?" He asked, fearing something was off with the food.
The paler man looked up, pupils blown and glazed, his face still sickly with a slight sheen of sweat covering it. "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought. I…I think I need to go to the rest room." He stood abruptly, shoving his chair back as he walked towards the restrooms at a fast pace.
Morgana raised an immaculately plucked eyebrow at him, the message clear: go after him and see what's wrong.
He nodded and followed at a slower pace, his steps trailing the other man's path. He stood in front of the door for a second before opening it a few inches. The unmistakable sound of someone heaving up their stomach reached his ears and he winced in sympathy. Closing the door, he flagged down a waiter. "Can I have a napkin please?" She nodded and handed it to him, keeping the silverware.
Nodding in thanks, he walked back to the restroom, finally going into room. It sounded as if Merlin had stopped for a few minutes. Stopping at the sink, he ran the cloth under the cold water, letting it get soaked, than ringing it out somewhat.
Heading for the open stall, he saw Merlin bent over the porcelain bowl, chest heaving, and his shirt darkened in some places from sweat. Taking a step forward, he placed the cool cloth on the back of his neck, leaving it there as he squatted. "So what's the matter with you?" He asked him.
"I guess it was worse than I thought." Was his muffled reply, his voice roughened and husky from vomiting?
"What do you mean by that? You sick or something?" He asked him.
"I wasn't feeling too well this morning, but I thought it was just a cold. Just took a couple of aspirin and left. Didn't…want to…be late for my first…day…" He chest spasmed and heaved as the rest of the little he had eaten came up.
Arthur rubbed his back as the man panted. "Looks like you either got a stomach virus or the flu. Take your pick." He gave a small sigh. "I'll get one of the girls to call in and tell them you're sick. For now though, let's get you out of here and home." The man just nodded, letting Arthur haul him to his unsteady feet.
Taking the cloth, he helped the man over to the sink, wetting it and handing it to him. He gave a weak smile before wiping his mouth on it. Leaning down shakily, he rinsed his mouth out.
By the time he finished and they had reached the door, Morgana and Gwen were already waiting outside. "Well?" Morgana demanded worry slightly hidden.
"Well, apparently, this idiot decided to come to work sick after only popping a couple of pills." Arthur replied, ignoring the soft 'prat' the other man said as he leaned on him. "I need one of you to tell Uther what's happened; I'll take this bag of bones home."
Gwen nodded and grabbed her keys. Stopping at the front of the restaurant, she paid for their meal quickly and then was gone, jumping in her car. "I'll come help you." Morgana told him. He just nodded; it was no use to disobey her.
Helping the paler man through the restaurant, they found Arthur's car and piled in with Merlin in the back lying down and Morgana in front with Arthur. Turning around briefly, she asked him, "Alright, where to?" Merlin laid there, an arm thrown over his face as he spoke softly, giving directions to his flat.
By the time they reached his flat, Merlin looked pale and exhausted. Arthur half carried him up the short flight of stairs, holding him up as Morgana opened his door. Hauling him into the room, they followed his still soft directions to the bedroom.
Setting him down on the bed, Arthur went to the bathroom, searching for more ibuprofen. He heard Morgana's muffled order to strip and when he walked back into the room with the pills and a glass of water, the man was stripped down to his boxers and was being tucked under the duvet. A pale blush spreading across his face and chest the only indication of discomfort though where he got the energy to blush was a mystery.
"Here." He handed the items to him and watched him knock them back.
The silence was breached as Morgana's cell phone went off. She picked it up and listened to the person on the other end. Giving a sharp nod, she thanked whoever it was that called. "That was Gwen. Uther's been informed and says for Merlin to get over it soon so that he can get to work. He also said he'll delay picking his partner until he comes back." She looked at Merlin, who only nodded weakly, lying back against the mountain of pillows behind him.
She gave a pointed look to Arthur. "I have a message for you too. He says you are to stay here and help him get better. Note that this isn't his exact wording, but that man is too blunt for his own good." She told him, annoyed, but didn't tell him to not follow the order. Only his father would think taking care of the new guy would help better him.
He let out a small sigh and turned to look at Merlin. Sometime during their brief conversation, he'd gone asleep, he face slack and peaceful. "Well, it can't be too bad. A few days at most." He lied slightly. Most likely it would be boredom with nothing to do. "Since I'm stuck here for now can you stop by my place and pick up a change of clothes for me and my mp3 player." Morgana nodded, looking much put upon at the moment, but she didn't say anything else.
Pecking him on the cheek, she left, shutting the door quietly behind her as Arthur followed her into the living room to look around. It was slightly bare, feeling unlived, but that was to be expected since he'd probably just moved in. There was a couch, a coffee table, plus the TV, stereo system and DVD player. They were all slightly older models than what was out at the moment. The only thing that looked like he'd spent any amount of time on was his book shelf which took up a whole wall, though it was a small wall.
Walking over to it, he ran a quick eye over the spines, scanning titles. Some were histories, others text books, mainly on astrology or horticulture or herbs. There were a few of the classics, some Shakespeare, and even some books on ancient science or alchemy. Deciding to read while he waited for Morgana to get back with his things, he grabbed one of the Shakespeare plays, Romeo and Juliet, off of the shelf. He needed a good laugh and why not a tragedy to blow off some steam.
Three hours later found him on his third tragedy, Othello than Hamlet, with Morgana having already stopped by. He was nearly half way through Hamlet when he heard the sound of footsteps in the hall to Merlin's bedroom and looked up in time to see the other man walk in.
He looked better for the sleep. Some of the darkness under his eyes had faded away and he didn't look so sickly. It was certainly a vast improvement. Then of course he realized that Merlin was still in his boxers at the same moment he realized that he wasn't alone in the room.
"W-what are you still doing here?" Merlin stammered, face flushing slightly.
Arthur held up his hands open, a sign of piece. "Don't bite my head off. Direct order from the Commissioner. I'm here to make sure you eat properly and don't end up drowning yourself or something along those lines. He wants you healthy and able to work."
Merlin let out a breath than turned around and walked back down the hall. He reappeared a few minutes later with a pair of sweat pants on. He shuffled over to the fridge in the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water he shuffled over to where Arthur sat and slumped down onto the other end of the couch. Turning his head slightly, he examined what was in Arthur's hands. "You read Shakespeare?" He seemed genuinely surprised by that.
"Yes, though usually to just laugh at the tragedies. It's amazing what they thought was appropriate during their time. Though it still hasn't changed that much since then has it?"
Merlin just groaned and flung an arm over his face. "Please, I'm too sick for philosophical debates right now." Arthur let out a snort of laughter. "So besides laughing at tragedies, what else do you read?" Merlin asked him, still covering his face.
"Uh, some sci-fi, a little fantasy. Medieval histories are somewhat interesting. What with all the knights and dragons and rescuing maidens." Merlin gave a snort of laughter at that but didn't comment.
There was a few minutes of comfortable silence. Finally Arthur got up the nerve to ask. "Why did you join the force?" He wondered if Merlin would answer. He knew that for many officers it was a very personal reason and one they might not like to share.
Merlin did seem to be one of those people. "I was in my second year of high school when I decided. My dad had gone out to the store late one night and walked in the middle of a robbery. The guy shot him without even blinking and fled. They never caught him. It was pretty simple after that to figure out what I wanted to do. I guess mainly I joined to try and find him." Merlin's face look tired and resigned, but he didn't look like he was about to curl into a ball crying so Arthur left it at that.
He wasn't expecting a similar questioned fired back at him. "So what about you? What made the mighty Arthur Pendragon become an officer?"
He answered voice flat. "My father." Merlin glanced at him, confused. "My father's the Commissioner, though at the time he was only a sergeant. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I was too much of a coward to say no, and by the time I'd gotten the courage up, I'd decided I liked being an officer so I stayed. Not much of sob story, but it has its moments." He joked, a wry grin gracing his face. Merlin smiled back, but he looked like he was getting ready to fall asleep again.
"Go back to bed. You'll feel better in the morning." Merlin just nodded tiredly, groaning as he pulled himself into a slumped standing position. Arthur listened to him shuffle down the hall and the door closing before he let out a small sigh. Leaning his head back, he stared at the ceiling. He wondered why he had told him so much. Normally, he kept it to a minimum, but Merlin just seemed to make him want to speak, those big blue eyes looking at him, drawing out the words like poison from a wound.
Stopping that train of thought and shoving it to the back of his mind, he went back to the play. Might as well finish it now before he was needed.
By the time Merlin woke again some hours later, Arthur had finished the play, cleaned up the place a little, explored the rest of his flat, and had some chicken soup on the stove heating up. He knew it looked like he was very domestic, but the simple truth was that he had learned early on in life to take care of himself. When your father dedicated his life to work, he spent little time teaching you the basics of life.
He heard Merlin walking down the hall and turned to lean back against the counter. Seeing him a second time, he looked a lot better. The shadows under his eyes were nearly gone, and his skin seemed to glow with a healthy sheen. His eyes were clear too.
"So, I'm guessing you feel better?" He asked Merlin as he stopped in the doorway to yawn and stretch, arms reaching above his head as his jaw opened to show white teeth and a pale pink tongue. Arthur took in the sight of lean muscle and stretching pale skin. A light dusting of dark hair graced his lower abdomen, leading down in a line below his waistline. He certainly looked healthy, though slightly on the thin side.
Merlin didn't notice his staring, too busy going over to the fridge to rummage through it until he brought out two beers. Handing one to Arthur, he nodded. "Yes, must have been a one day thing." Opening it, he took a gulp of the murky fluid. Sniffing at the air, he smiled. "That smells good. Is it ready yet?" He asked at the same time his stomach growled aloud.
"Yes, help yourself." Merlin opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a couple of bowls. Handing one to Arthur, he turned to the stove to serve himself. When both bowls were full, they sat in the living room, eating in silence as the TV showed them the news. It was the only thing on at the moment since he hadn't gotten his cable hooked up yet.
It was nearly midnight by the time the TV was turned off. Merlin turned to Arthur. "Um, I have a spare room you can use if want or the couch if you don't want the room."
"Aw, I can't stay in your room, too bad." He gave a wink and a snort of laughter when Merlin flushed slightly. "I'll take the spare room. I don't feel like waking up with knots in my back." With a small wave, he walked past the bewildered Merlin, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Merlin lay in his bed again, mind going over the scene from earlier. He knew Arthur was joking, but the way he'd said it had almost sounded like he'd meant it. That seemed absurd. Even if Arthur liked men, why go for someone like himself.
Merlin had never really liked how he'd grown into himself. Too tall, too skinny with his large ears and extremely high cheek bones made him feel like a freak show. That and the fact that he'd spent most of his teen years being laughed at for being so clumsy, his constant growth spurts hadn't helped him gain any coordination, had left him with a slight self-esteem issue which he'd never truly gotten over.
When all this was coupled with his fresh out of high school discovery that he'd somehow gone from liking women to liking men had left him slightly off balance for a while. It hadn't been until he'd met Will and Freya that'd he'd started to change for the better. He'd even dated Will for a few months before they both broke it off to be friends instead.
They'd both been sad when he'd transferred, but he'd needed to. He'd told them about his gift about a year after meeting them. At the time it had been small, barely even there, but a few months ago, he'd woken from a dead sleep sweating with half the objects floating around his room with his eyes glowing gold. He'd called Gaius; his uncle had helped out with this before.
The man had told him to transfer to Camelot. When asked why, he'd said that he would explain later. So following his order, he'd put in a transfer order, explained everything to the two of them, and two weeks later was packed and headed for Camelot.
The rest of the time up till now had been spent mostly at Gaius's place, working on control. Apparently he'd finally 'grown' into his powers or something like that. Just what he needed, his powers finally hitting puberty.
He'd barely had time to even unpack and get settled in. He wasn't really surprised that he'd gotten sick. He'd been running himself ragged for a while now and the many sleepless nights added to a somewhat poor diet and over use of magic had decided to combine into the flu to make him even more miserable.
The only reason he'd gotten up this morning was that he'd needed to report into the Commissioner and get a partner. He officially started work tomorrow.
That train of thought had him wondering who Arthur had for a partner. Was it man or woman, someone who complimented his personality and could work with him definitely, but wouldn't take any of his crap? Whoever that person was would probably be seen as a god send, if what he'd seen so far was any indication.
Sighing, he turned over, trying to get some sleep. It was going to be a long day and he was going to need it.
Merlin stood in front of Uther's desk, trying to comprehend what Uther had just told him. Arthur stood next to him, his whole body stiff as disbelief rolled off him in waves.
"You're kidding right? You can't be serious. Lance has only been out of work for two weeks and you putting the new guy off on me."
Uther just stared back at him, face calm and composed as he waited for his son to finish ranting. "As I recall, Lancelot will be out for another four months as he goes through physical therapy for that shattered kneecap. You will need a partner until then. Emrys will take his place until he returns and then if you want you can either have Lancelot for a partner or you may continue with Emrys as your partner. Until then, you will stop this senseless complaining and deal with it. Dismissed." Uther turned away from them, dismissal clear even if he had said nothing.
Growling, Arthur stormed out of the room and down the hallway to where his office was nestled between two others. Merlin followed silently, still in a slight shock at what had happened as his mind sorted through everything. He hadn't been expecting a warm welcome from his new partner, whom ever it was to be, but he hadn't expected this out right annoyance, as if he was unwanted burden.
Merlin felt his cheeks heat up in anger and was about to rip Arthur a new one, when he paused, watching the other man stare out of a window. The anger had faded from his face, left with a hard look in his eyes. Merlin jumped when a voice sounded in his ear. "Arthur's not mad at you, he just hates when his father forces him to do things instead of asking. He'll get over it in a few minutes." He turned to stare at Morgana, the pale woman shadowed by Gwen who stood there smiling at him.
"Oh, uh hi. Sorry about…the other day." He scratched at his head sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it. You couldn't help getting sick. Let me introduce myself properly this time. I am Morgana Le Fay, adoptive sister to yon sulking child over there. This here is Guinevere or Gwen Smith. We're partners for the moment since our original partners both decided to go on vacation for a few months, though they did deserve it." She smiled at that, Gwen copying her.
He waved to Gwen and was about to say hi when they were interrupted. "I'm not a sulking child, you harpy." Arthur had come up behind him and seemed to tower over him, even though Merlin was slightly taller.
"Well than if you were not sulking, what would you call it then? While you're at it, why not apologizing to Merlin here for taking it out on him." They stood there glaring at each other, the war of wills going on for about a minute before Arthur finally looked away defeated.
"Fine." He sighed out. Turning away, he called over his shoulder. "Sorry about that."
She grinned evilly at him, as she looped her arm through his.
"Merlin, get over here."
"Looks like your new partner waits. I'll talk some more with you later." She gave him a little shove in the back towards Arthur's desk, making him stumble. Before he could turn to say anything, he heard the door close shut behind him.
Sighing, he stalked forward until he was in front of Arthur's desk. "So what now?" He asked. He didn't know procedure here and felt out of his depth.
"Now we work on a case. Lance and I were working on this one before he got shot in the knee. I've been so busy working on reports and helping others out with their cases that I've not been able to get anything done with this one." He handed over the manila folder to him, his mind obviously elsewhere as he scribbled down some note.
Taking it, he scanned through the file, reading the case and other information. Turning another page, a picture was dislodged further back and the corner stuck out. Turning to it, he looked the picture over. He swallowed slightly at the sight. Six years as a cop, and he still couldn't get over pictures like this.
The woman's skin was pale, her life blood pooling around her from the gaping wound on her throat. Her body was resting in odd angles, blank staring ayes looking up from a drained face that sat on a broken neck.
Taking a deep breath, he scanned the others quickly, eyeing them for anything someone might miss. Nothing, they were clean. "So who is she?" He finally asked, shutting the folder to block out the pictures.
"Morgause, the daughter of a very wealthy business man. We think she was targeted to get at her father, but he claims he hasn't done any illegal activities and hasn't been contacted by anyone threatening him, or his grandson son. Her son was with her when she was killed, but she hid him at the last moment. We haven't been able to get him to talk, but we're hoping it is just shock."
"So do you want to go talk with them and see if he'll talk?" Merlin asked him.
"Hmm, sure why not. We'll talk to the grandfather after that and see if he's gotten anything new." Arthur stood up and grabbed his coat. They left, leaving the file on the desk.
"Come on Mordred. You can talk with us. We're not the bad guys here and we're trying to find out who killed your mother, but we can't if you won't talk." Arthur paced the floor, frustration rolling off him as Mordred continued to sit passively in the chair.
Merlin was watching him, just as silent, but Arthur didn't care. This kid needed to say something before the case was shut down.
"Arthur." Merlin called out to him softly. Arthur turned to look at him. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Arthur growled, but nodded, following the other man out.
He turned around to face him. "What?" He demanded, voice harsh with pent up anger.
"First off, stop yelling. Second, let me try and talk with him. Alone."
"Why?" You think you can do any better?" He asked annoyed.
"Well for one thing I won't be yelling at the kid who's just lost his mother and is still grieving for her. Besides, it'll let you go talk with the grandfather and give you time to cool off. Okay?" Arthur stared at him for a few second, sizing him up before nodding. He had a point and he'd never been good at dealing with kids.
"Fine. Go talk with him. I'll be back later." Merlin smiled a little at that, but turned and walked back into the room. Rolling his eyes, he left, grabbing his keys to go to the grandfather's place.
Merlin sat back down in front of him. Mordred look slightly more relaxed. "Sorry about him. He's not good with kids apparently." Merlin joked softly.
"How long have you two been partners?"
"Actually, I was just assigned to him today. I'm the new guy in the station." He smiled sheepishly.
Mordred just stared at him before he sighed. "I have to ask this, but you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Are you a druid?" Mordred stiffened. "No need to be afraid. I'm not here to persecute you or anything like that." Taking a deep breath, he reached down inside him, tugging at his gift. When he opened his eyes, he knew they'd changed color. "I'm not a druid, but I'm still a magic user."
Mordred stared at him in wonder as he let the magic fade away and his eyes shifted. "How did you know?" He asked slightly breathless.
Merlin pointed. "Your mark. Few children would have a tattoo and even fewer would have that particular one. I knew some of the druids back home. They helped me out a couple of times. But enough of this. I know it's painful, but you need to tell us what happened, Mordred. If not, we won't be able to find your mother's killer."
"I'm not in shock; I just thought that he wouldn't believe me when I told." Mordred said softly, staring at him.
"Then I'm guessing this wasn't just a normal killing?" He asked. Mordred shook his head no. "Then start at the beginning. Tell me what you remember." Mordred nodded and shut his eyes, leaning further back into the chair.
"We'd just gone to dinner and she decided to walk back home instead of taking the car. She always did hate being driven around. It was dark and I couldn't see that well, but I saw them. Two, waiting on the corner ahead. They knew we were coming that way, but I don't know how. I think she saw them too because she grabbed my shoulder and then shoved me behind some garbage bins in a side ally. I heard her tell me to be quiet and to stay still and I obeyed, for once in my life I obeyed and then they came at her." He stopped for a breath, voice shaky and betraying his earlier statement about not being affected by this.
"She held them off for a few minutes. She'd always been good at shields, but she used most of her power to hide me and they got in her guard. They…they slit her throat while one of them held her up in the air a few feet. I tried to help, but I couldn't get past the barrier. I ran once they left. I ran all the way home to grandfather and told him what happened. He said to stay quiet about it when the police arrived, that they wouldn't believe me or understand." Merlin nodded, standing up and walking over to the small child.
He was only ten or eleven and had seen so much that could help them out. He wrapped his arms around thin shoulders, pulling in the shaking child as he finally cried for a lost childhood. "I've been dreaming a lot lately. About what happened, but grandfather just tells me to leave him alone. I don't like it, but they won't stop." He sniffed softly.
"You know, my father was killed when I was in high school. I cried and had bad dreams too. It's nothing to be ashamed of Mordred. My mother helped me through it by talking with me, but since you don't have anyone, I'll talk with you. Mordred, I want you to know that if you need help, all you have to do is call. Even if it's just someone to talk to. Just call." He felt him nod against his chest.
They both jumped when they heard a door slam closed. A few seconds later, Arthur came running in, out of breath. "Merlin, grab the kid. We need to get out of here."
"What? Why?" He asked him, glancing down at Mordred.
"The grandfather's dead, found him in the middle of the study. Place was ransacked, they must have been looking for something." He explained.
Merlin looked at Mordred. "Has your grandfather or mother acquired anything new lately, a book or some strange item that felt weird?" He asked, ignoring Arthur's impatient growl. Mordred nodded. "Where?" Mordred grabbed his hand, taking him over to a small book shelf hidden in a shadowed corner.
Most of the stuff was knick knacks, but there sitting in the middle shelf was a small crystal, wrapped in gold and silver wire. It had small symbols etched into its surface. "Figures." He muttered under his breath. "Do you mind if we bring it with us?" He asked Mordred. He shook his head. Merlin sighed, not wanting to touch it, but reached out anyways. The moment his flesh touched it, he felt something brush across his conscious, as his arm started to tingle.
"Alright, let's go. We need to get you to the station to keep you safe." Mordred nodded, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door, as if knowing he needed the help. It was taking most of his concentration to keep the crystal at bay.
They made it to the station without incident. "I'll go talk with Uther and have someone sent over to the grandfather's place. You take the kid and the stone to the office." Merlin let Mordred drag him along.
Arthur watched them for a second before turning and walking to Uther's door. He didn't even knock, just walked in. Uther looked up, annoyance written all over his face as he opened his mouth to chaste the intruder, but stopped when he saw who it was. "Arthur, what is it?"
"We've got another murder with my case and the kid was brought here. He told Merlin that his grandfather recently acquired some sort of crystal-like thing. We think someone's killing them off to get it. The grandfather's place was ransacked too." He reported, keeping his eyes on Uther.
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose softly. "Has the boy said anything else regarding his mother?" He asked.
"I'm not sure. I was too busy trying to get him out of there to see if Merlin was able to get him talking." He replied.
"Good choice. For now, we'll keep him here until we can find a place to keep him safe. I'm making you and Merlin his bodyguards until this case is solved, understood?" He asked.
"Yes." He nodded.
"Then go talk to your partner and see what he knows. Also, try and figure out what this stone is." He nodded and left, closing the door silently behind him. Sighing he leaned against the door for a second, letting it sink in. This case had just gotten that much more complicated and out of control. Shaking his head, he walked to his office.
Standing in the door way, he observed Mordred talking quietly with Merlin. He was rather animated and seemed happier than normal for someone who had just lost his grandfather. Merlin on the other hand seemed more subdued. His gaze lingered on the stone on front of him, incased in an evidence bag. He looked tired, like he'd just run a couple miles.
Mordred handed him a soda from the mini-fridge he'd just raided, which was Arthur's. "Thanks." His voice was kind of horse as he thanked him.
"Are you getting sick again?" He asked from the door way, watching as they both jumped.
Merlin choked a little on his drink, sputtering as he cleared his wind pipe. "No. Just tired all of a sudden. I'll be fine. Just need an energy boost." He took another sip.
Arthur nodded, but didn't ask anymore. He walked over to where they sat. "Uther's sending people over to his grandfather's place. We're to keep short stuff here until they can find a safe place for him to stay. We're also to be his body guards until this case closes." Mordred glared up at him, not liking being called short.
"Alright." He paused for a minute thinking. "We could always take him to one of our places."
Arthur cut him off. "No that will be the first place they start looking. Hang on; you said yesterday you had an uncle out in the country. That would be a good place to hide him." He stopped when he saw Merlin shaking his head.
"No, that will be the first place they look for me. I've spent most of the past two months over there getting things sorted out. I also don't want him to get involved in this. My place would probably be best. They won't know I'm a cop since I just started today and I'm a new face around here so no one will know me too well." He explained to him.
"I guess." Arthur compromised. 'So what is this?" He held up the plastic bag, the crystal shining dully in the lights.
"Um, well…it's hard to explain. In the old religion, what the people practiced before Christianity and the other major religions took over, it was said that many practiced magic. I'm not sure if that's true, but some still practice today and this stone is thought to be sort of an amplifier. You know…make you stronger, that sort of thing. I don't know if it's true or not, but if someone believed it to be true, I'm sure they'd be willing to kill to get their hands on it."
"All for a piece of rock and some wire. Can you read what's written on it?" He asked him.
"No, I never learned how to read druidic. My uncle might know a few words, but that's about it." He answered, eyeing the stone warily.
"How do you know this kind of stuff?" Arthur asked him.
"My mother and uncle like to read about these kinds of things. You pick up a few things after a while." He told him, voice wry.
Arthur nodded. "I'll tell Uther the plan. You get everything we'll need for the case and meet me in the garage." He left, leaving Merlin to pack.
Two days later, in Merlin's flat, they still had nothing. No clues, no leads, no notes or phone calls. Too make it worse; they were all stuck inside, since they didn't want to draw any attention to themselves just yet.
It was night and Arthur and Merlin were sitting on the couch watching the news as Mordred slept in the spare room. Finally, Merlin let out a sigh. "You know, you don't have to sleep on the couch again. My bed is large enough for both of us; you can sleep in there too."
"I'm fine, Merlin. We've already gone through this already so shut up." Arthur told him, not even taking his eyes from the screen. He ignored Merlin's comment about stubborn prats and kept watching.
He wouldn't have minded sleeping in the same bed as Merlin, but he wasn't so sure he could keep his hands to himself and he didn't want to scare Merlin off. The past two day had been kind of fun. He'd learned a lot about Merlin, and even if they argued more than he and Lance did, he was still a surprisingly good friend. He didn't want to ruin that by making some moves on the brunette.
Merlin stood with a huff. "Well, if you change your mind, the door's unlocked." He turned and left, Arthur watching him leave. Merlin had no idea what his offer would be seen as if it had been any other person. This was why Arthur didn't take him up on it. He wasn't going to take advantage of someone else's ignorance of his sexuality. Sighing, he shut the TV off and rolled up in his blanket.
"Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself Merlin?" He asked him for the third time.
"Yes Arthur. I know how to take care of myself and others. I haven't spent the last six years as a cop to not know." He turned a glare on him and he couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright. I'll be back in an hour. Don't let the shrimp over there mess with you too much." He turned and left. Merlin followed and locked the door behind him.
Mordred turned to Merlin. "Why does he keep calling me short? It's getting annoying."
"Well if his relationship with Morgana is anything to go by, I'd say that's his way of showing feeling. He's not trying to be mean, just ignore it if you don't like it. For now, let's get some lunch." Mordred nodded, running to beat him to the kitchen.
They'd been in there making grilled cheese sandwiches when he heard a knock at the door. "Probably Arthur. Knowing him, he forgot his keys or something." Mordred grinned at that, but continued to watch the cooking bread.
He headed for the door when there was another knock. "Yes, yes, I'm coming. What is it Arthur…" He stared down the barrel of a gun. "Shit, Mordred, run!" He screamed out, as he dived for the man.
There was a crash in the kitchen, but was too busy keeping his guy occupied to pay any attention. He kept the gun pointed up, a will of strength between them as they shoved against each other. "Enough, Mr. Emrys. Not unless you want the boy killed." Merlin froze, feeling something prodding him in the back. He turned and saw a struggling Mordred in the grips of another man.
"Good, now you will put your hands behind you back, palms out, slowly now." He followed directions and felt hand cuffs click into place. "Now this will hurt, but it's the only way to keep you quiet." He didn't have time to answer as something was slammed into his neck sending him pitching forward. The world blacked out.
Arthur walked up the sidewalk towards Merlin's flat. Bag of groceries in one arm and supplies from Morgana in the other, he didn't notice anything wrong outside the flat. Climbing the stairs he smelled something burning, but shoved the panic aside. Probably one of the other tenants had burnt something.
It wasn't until he got to the hall Merlin's door opened up into, that he saw the black smoke curling out of the open door. Dropping everything, he ran inside, searching for both males as he ran to see what was burning. In the kitchen, a blackened piece of bread and cheese sat on the burner. Turning it off, he put it in the sink and ran the water over it.
Glancing around, he saw a shattered plate, the bag of bread and an overturned stool just in the kitchen. The rest of the flat wasn't so bad. 'Merlin must have been surprised at the door then.' He thought to himself, going to stand in the door way.
There were a few signs of a scuffle, some scuff marks on the wooden floor of the hallway. Sighing, he went behind the door and pulled out the small bug there. He'd put it there last night, a just in case measure.
Taking out the small chip in it, he hooked it up to a video camera, playing the footage in it. Mostly it was people walking down the hallway, setting off its motion detector. The last two video clips were of him, and Merlin's attackers. Watching through the clip, he memorized the man's face that Merlin fought. Wincing at the blow he saw, he watched them pick up and drag Merlin down the hall, Mordred being carried over a shoulder followed behind them.
Shutting it off, he dialed his phone. "Morgana, I need a favor." He told her bluntly.
"What is it, Arthur?" She asked him.
"Merlin and the kid have been nabbed and I need you to help me find someone." He heard a small muffled conversation and then an okay before she hung up. Ten minutes later Morgana was walking in, Gwen in tow, each carrying a laptop.
"Where to start?" She asked him, an evil smirk on her face.
Arthur stared up at the old mansion. It spoke of money, old money. For someone who dealed in antique and ancient items, this guy sure had lousy security. Edward Ellington, the sole heir to the Ellington fortune was a collector. One who would go to any lengths to get what he wanted. Even kidnap a cop and a child.
They'd found out who he was through the man Arthur had gotten on videotape. One of Edward's cronies and paid thugs. He'd certainly squealed when Arthur started to lay into him. The man had a rap sheet a mile long, and had begged for a plea bargain.
So Arthur stood out here, having ignored Uther's direct order to not go after Merlin. Shifting slightly, he scanned the area, and then made a run for it. As he thought, the servant's door was unguarded. Amateurs. Slipping through, he felt his way along in the near darkness, listening for voices.
He'd traveled up two flights of stairs before he heard a slight scuffle in one of the rooms. He could hear Mordred yelling at someone before a door was slammed. Opening the door slightly, he looked in. He could just see Mordred, the boy was turned towards him, face a mask of concern for something he couldn't see. He guessed it was Merlin.
Opening the door more, he slipped into the shadowed alcove, hidden mostly by a tapestry over the front. Mordred's back was to him now, but he could see Merlin. He hung in the middle of the room, arms cuffed and held above his head by a rope that connected to a large hook there. He looked alright, only a few bruises starting to show on his pale skin.
Mordred was shaking him, trying to get him to wake up. Stealing out of the alcove, he whistled softly, trying to get Mordred's attention. The boy spun, looking for the noise. Holding a finger to his lips, he beckoned him over.
Mordred ran over, throwing himself at Arthur, burying his face in Arthur's chest. He hugged him close, trying to sooth him without speaking aloud. Leaning down he whispered into his ear. "What did they do to Merlin?" He asked him.
"They knocked him out. He came to in the car and they stuck him with a needle full of some clear fluid. He hasn't moved since." His voice was just as soft.
"Alright, I'll find a way to get him down, and then we'll leave here…" He felt the boy stiffen in his arms. He looked down, but the boy was watching the unconscious Merlin. "What is it?"
"Merlin." His voice was soft, scared.
"Don't worry, I'll get him down." He stepped around Mordred's still form.
"No, don't go near him." He whispered to him.
"How else am I supposed to get him down?" He reached out, hand reaching up to grab one of Merlin's arms. He pulled back with a hiss as something shocked his hand, making the whole arm go numb.
"I told you not to." Mordred said softly, eyes still on the limp man.
Arthur strode over to him. "Why? What's wrong with me touching him?" Mordred just blinked and pointed. Taking a second look at the paler man, he saw what Mordred had meant. The air around Merlin was shimmering, as if putting off some sort of heat source. He could feel it now. The air was becoming charged with something. "What's going on with him?" He asked Mordred.
"He's mad." Arthur turned to look down at him. "He's losing control. We need to stay behind him or else he may do something he'll regret." Arthur just nodded, not understanding a single thing the kid had uttered. "Look."
He turned and saw why his eyes had gone huge. The air around Merlin had started to shine pale gold. As they watched, his eyes opened and Arthur had to resist the urge to run at what he saw. His eyes were no longer blue, but a blazing golden hue.
His body straightened and as he watched, the metal cuffs seemed to glow white hot and melt off his wrists. His arms dropped to hang there, his feet already carrying him towards the door. It opened on its own, the bang echoing down the stone hallway.
Following behind him, they heard the sound of running feet coming towards them. Merlin threw the two guards against the wall, not even missing a beat. Arthur continued to follow, his mind racing as he tried to comprehend what was going on. If he didn't know better, he'd say Merlin had some sort of power, but that was stupid.
Except that the way Mordred was staring at Merlin in awe and his earlier words had him rethinking that last thought. Deciding to put questions off until later, he picked up Mordred, ignoring his protests as they followed Merlin out of the mansion.
They were deterred at the main door by the security, all pointing large guns at them. Hiding behind a pillar, he waited for the sounds of guns to go off, but when nothing happened he peered around the stone. Out of nowhere, a bunch of vines had appeared, ensnaring the men and wrapping around their guns and clogging them with leaves and stems.
They had been walking for a few minutes, the world around them silent and their progress unhindered when they reached his car parked off in the trees. The next thing he knew, Merlin was a collapsed bag of bones on the ground. Rushing forward, he placed a couple of fingers to his throat, feeling for a pulse. It was there, though slow. His breaths were shallow and he appeared to be unconscious again.
Sighing in relief, he turned to Mordred. "Help me get him in the car. We'll work on a story as to how you two escaped without getting any of us in trouble." Mordred nodded, running to the car to open it as he lifted his dead weight partner off the ground.
"So you two found the servant's passages and found a way out and happened to stumble across Arthur who had disobeyed a direct order." Uther said this last part turning a knowing eye on Arthur.
All three nodded, keeping to the story. When they'd been asked about the mess in front of the mansion, they'd said they had no idea what had happened. They'd left by then. They knew Uther didn't believe the story, but it was easier than asking certain questions. So he let them off at their word, giving them a few days off.
They now all sat in Merlin's flat, Mordred asleep, head on Merlin's lap as they waited for the adrenalin to wear off. Finally Merlin looked down at Mordred. "I guess I better put him to bed." Arthur just nodded, leaning back against the couch with his eyes shut.
When he walked back in, the couch was empty. "Arthur." He said aloud.
"You, Merlin Emrys, have a lot of explaining to do." Merlin spun, facing Arthur who leaned against the wall.
"Um…well…what do you want answered?" He asked voice nervous as he watched Arthur.
Arthur took a step forward and Merlin took a step back. "Well…for starters, what the hell was it that you did out there?"
"Um…well…you see, I can kind of do magic, but I was born this way." He amended hastily. He held his hands up trying to keep Arthur from getting angry.
"So why didn't you tell me?" He took another step forward, Merlin backed up more.
"Well it's not something you can bring up in casual conversation. 'Oh guess what Arthur, I can do magic, but I'm not insane, so don't put me in a mental institute.' How else would you think I'd have sounded if I'd said anything?" He threw his own question out, cheeks flushed in anger.
Arthur smiled, making Merlin gulp and step back again, Arthur just followed him. "And did you ever think that maybe I might believe you? That maybe I might accept it and not send you to a psyche ward?" He took another step forward, forcing Merlin to step back, his legs bumping into the couch. He just realized that he'd been cornered. He let himself fall onto the cushions with a small bounce, face still tilted up to watch Arthur for any sudden moves.
"How was I supposed to know that? I've only known you for a few days." He argued, though it was a losing battle. Arthur had continued to step forward until he now stood in front of Merlin, staring down at him.
"Fine, I'll give you that. How about we start over? No misunderstandings, no lies. What do you say?" He asked leaning down to look him in the eye. Merlin gulped, feeling his pulse speed up. He nodded slowly. Arthur smiled, all tooth and no comfort. "Good. Then since there are no lies between us let me say one thing." He leaned forward, placing both hands against the back of the couch caging him in. "There's just something about you Merlin that I can't put my finger on. Though I certainly would like to try." He smiled again. His face inches from Merlin's.
He could see his eyes blow wide at that statement, his throat bob as he gulped. He couldn't hold back anymore, pressing his lips against him, feeling the soft texture of Merlin's own lips. A small gasp escaped between them and he took advantage of it, pressing forward, his tongue delving in exploring him. By now he was kneeling on the couch, knees on both sides of Merlin as he straddled his lap.
Merlin's hands had come up to fist in his shirt, holding on for dear life as he decided to either pull him forward or push him away. Arthur's own hands had traveled to fist in his hair, running through the short silky locks
He tugged slightly and Merlin let out a pained hiss: the bruise from being hit with the gun. Pulling back, he looked over his flushed expression, pupils blown wide, mouth hanging open slightly with swollen lips. He took in the still forming bruises, stark against his pale skin. Leaning forward, he ran soft butterfly kisses over them, kissing the hurt away. His hands busy elsewhere, had started to unbutton his shirt, working on the stubborn buttons until his chest stood bare. More bruises adorned his thin chest, the largest starting from his ribcage and spreading down to near his navel.
He worked his way down, kissing each new bruise that appeared to him. He could hear Merlin panting harshly above him, fingers digging into his shoulders that were sure to leave bruises of their own on him.
By the time he finished and came back up, Merlin's eyes were closed. His body trembled slightly as a full body flush worked its way down his chest. He chuckled softly, taking in his euphoric expression. Merlin's eyes slowly opened up, revealing a thin line of gold around the outer edge of his iris. "So, looks like I can make you lose control of yourself, huh?" He asked smugly.
"Oh, shut up you prat." His voice came out gravelly.
"I'd rather be shutting you up." He leaned in and kissed him, distracting him as he maneuvered them on the couch until he was crouched over Merlin's splayed body. He ran teasing fingers along his ribs, counting them as his hand traveled up his chest. Finding what he sought, he gave the pink bud an experimental tweak, watching as Merlin's body arched off the couch into the touch.
Smiling against his lips, he started to work his way down again, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. He was rather proud of himself. He'd turned Merlin into a quivering wreck, only his name coming out of kiss swollen lips now, in only a few minutes. Grinning, he bit down lightly on his collar bone, tongue lapping at the sweaty, flushed skin.
Rearranging him, he twined their legs together, pressing hips and erections flush against each other through clothe. He groaned softly at the feeling. Giving up on torturing him with kisses, he dove back up, capturing his mouth to battle with tongues, rubbing their hips together for much needed friction.
It wasn't long before they were both dripping with sweat, breaths coming out in pants as they moved against each other. Feeling the gathering heat in his lower abdomen start to unravel, he bent down and captured his lips one last time, stifling his groan as he came, his hips jerking in erratic movements.
He felt Merlin, stiffen, his whole body going taunt as he reached his breaking point. Then he, too, was letting out a small moan, pressing his lips against the side of Arthur's neck, trying to stay quiet.
They lay there, a post-cordial haze weighing them down as their breaths and heart rates slowed. Finally, he tuned his head to look down at Merlin. His eyes were closed to small slits, his lips parted as he panted for breath. Finally, his eyes opened fully. The pupils were still slightly blown, but the golden ring was gone. A goofy smile crossed his face as he stared up at Arthur. "I'm guessing you're not mad anymore?" He asked voice husky and worn.
"Oh, I'm still mad. It's going to take me awhile to get over it, if you know what I mean?" He said, lifting an eyebrow at him. Merlin snorted, but didn't say no. "So, is that offer of sleeping in your bed still open, because I really don't want to have to sleep on your lumpy couch again?" Merlin nodded.
"Then, let's go." He reached down to help him up. As Merlin stood, he gave his hand an extra pull, making Merlin stumble as he bent down. He ended up thrown over one of his shoulders. Ignoring his whispered protests, remembering that Mordred was sleeping in the guest room, he walked quietly to Merlin's room, opening the door and going through before he locked it behind them.
Case 1. End.