Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, the characters or Katie and Colin, though Katie is in my top 10.
Warning: contains mentions of adult themes and a combination of fanfiction and Real-person fiction.
Summary: Morgana approaches Merlin in a pub with an offer to re-tell their story.
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Merlin looks around the empty pub as he sets up the pool table for a quiet game by himself. After a few minutes a hand comes to rest on his shoulder. He knows who it is without having to look up.
"Hello Morgana." He greets her with a small smile.
"It's Katie." she says brushing her hair back. "I haven't gone by Morgana in ages, or have you forgotten, Colin?" Morgana smirks as she replies. Merlin files that bit about her name and the slightly disturbing fact that she knows his own alias away later for consideration. Names were so confusing; they'd used so many over the centuries, only using their real names in private or in the throes of passion.
"Do you want to play?" He offers motioning to the pool table in front of them. The pair hadn't played pool together since the 1920s and Merlin hoped he wasn't too rusty, he didn't want to lose to her again. Morgana nods and grabs a pool cue stick and lines up to break. With a quick flick of her wrist the white ball scatters the coloured balls over the table. She feels Merlin watching her like a hawk.
"You're getting better at hiding from me." she comments idly as he lines up his shot. "You managed to elude me for fourteen years. Still-" Morgana rubs some chalk on the end of her cue stick. "- You haven't broken your record. Thirty years was it?"
"Thirty-two." He mutters, a smug grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I figured that you wouldn't think to look for me in Australia."
"No…" she admits tilting her head as he takes his shot. "Imagine my surprise when I had discovered that you'd smuggled yourself onto the First Fleet, that you'd *sent yourself* to the convict colony as a petty thief!" she replies tilting her head to the other side as her eyes follow one of the coloured balls rolling across the table and disappearing down a corner pocket.
"Didn't take much; all I had to do was steal a spoon," Merlin jokes, his lopsided grin present as he looked back at the sorceress. Morgana rolls her eyes, allowing a small chuckle.
"You really should stop running from me," she advises him running her hand up and down the pool cue in a suggestive manner as she tilts her head down and looks at Merlin through her eyelashes in a sexy smoulder that she knew the warlock was weak to. She is rewarded when his Adam's apple bobs as he gulps nervously.
"Maybe if you didn't try to kill me each time we met I might be more inclined to stay around," he replies, a slight edge to his tone of voice.
"It's 2007!" She exclaims. "It's a new millennium, Collin, can't we put the past behind us? Hasn't our little feud gone on long enough?" Morgana asks him. Merlin's shot missed the pocket bounces off another ball in its path.
"You started it Katie," Merlin shoots back almost childishly placing emphasis on her alias. She rolls her eyes knowing that he is sore that she knew his alias.
"And I'm offering to end it."
He stands back to let her take her own shot.
"I'm tired of the fighting, tired of us always running from the other," Morgana says, her face reflecting her sombre mood.
"What do you want Mor…Katie?" Merlin asks warily.
"I've been thinking-"
"- Plotting you mean" Merlin cuts in.
Morgana sighs. "I just want to chat, is that so bad?" She takes her shot sinking the ball.
"So you're not here to kill me?" he half jokes, half asks, waiting for her answer.
"No, I'm in a good mood this decade," she says moving to take her next shot.
"How long will that last I wonder," he mutters to himself as she sinks another pool ball. He glances to see if she'd heard his little comment. Morgana raises her eyebrow in ire confirming that she had heard him.
"Why are you really here?" he asks warily moving around the table using it as a shield between them.
"I have an offer," she states simply, frowning as her shot misses and the coloured ball bounces of the side of the table just missing the hole she'd aimed for. Merlin looks at her, waiting for her to elaborate.
"I want to tell our story, and not those Legends that are so horribly wrong."
Merlin laughs. "Firstly, they'll lock you away in a nut house if you go round telling people that you're Morgana."
"The legends" he air quotes. "Do still have the gist of what happened," Merlin replies watching her reaction out of the corner of his eye, much like how he always watched Arthur after delivering a witty insult to the King. He lines up his own shot but stops as Morgana strides around to his side of the pool table.
"The legends." she sasses. "Say that Mordred was my child-" She pauses, her face twisting into a disgusted scowl. "- with Arthur of all people," she hisses.
"Some legends say that Mordred is Morguse's son with Arthur," jokes Merlin with a grin trying to lighten the mood.
Morgana leans against Merlin pressing her body against his. "And let's not forget the forbidden romance between us that history seems to have forgotten," she whispers in his ear.
"History doesn't know about that because we kept it secret," he whispers back tilting his head towards her and smiling.
Morgana jerks her head away from his. "Well History is wrong," she snarks.
"It's been over a thousand years." He argues. "Stories like that are like Chinese whispers, full of false tales and exaggerated to be more entertaining."
"Yes like the legend tells of your apparent lust for the lady of the lake," Morgana replies jealously, "Was that false?"
Merlin feels a wave of sadness as he remembers Freya, he hadn't lusted over Freya. He knew in his heart that he had loved her for the brief time he knew her. He wished that Morgana wasn't jealous of Freya but the sorceress had proven to be very territorial and possessive especially when ever another woman came into his life.
"Some legends name Nimueh as the lady of the lake, we both know that's false," says Merlin trying to avoid answering the question. This only seems to anger Morgana further, she steps away from him.
"Gana, you're the only person I've ever been with, you know that," Merlin says rubbing her arm trying to soothe the angered sorceress.
"What about your little French champion back in the 1400's, Jeanne?" Morgana asks possessively pacing a hand on top of Merlins.
"I just helped Jeanne to fight for the freedom of France," says Merlin defending one of his apprentices.
"A lot of good that did her! She ended up burnt at the stake for witchcraft." Morgana states watching Merlin's face darken remembering his fallen apprentice, a legend in her own right.
Merlin steps away from her, distancing himself from her both physically and emotionally. "Tell me your offer or leave. I don't want to fight you Morgana." He replies darkly.
"Now, now Colin, that isn't my name. My name is Katie. You wouldn't want people throwing you in the nut house for thinking I'm some evil witch now." she admonishes him, throwing his own words back at him.
Merlin glares. "That's 'cause you are one," he shoots back taking a step away from her, "Now tell me this offer or go."
"I may have whispered into the dreams of a couple of people to have the BBC produce a television series based on our lives. One more accurate than the so called legends-" she explains but Merlin cuts her off.
"- And… you want me to help you write the scripts?" he draws out his question. He is still wary of her but his curiosity starting to get the better of him.
"Yes and no. I want you to help me influence the writers but I was thinking that we take a more active role in the series." The centuries old warlock looks at her inquisitively.
"I want you to audition to for the role of Merlin," she says simply.
"You want me." He annunciates. "To audition to play myself in this TV show?"
"Let me guess, you're going to audition for the role of Morgana?" he questions, an eyebrow raised.
"Naturally," Morgana replies without batting an eyelid.
"Katie, this is crazy," Merlin replies shaking his head slightly.
"How?" she asks leaning in closer to him, "We would simply have to be ourselves. Besides, who would believe that we really are the Morgana and Merlin, all they'd see is Katie McGrath and Colin Morgan acting in the roles of Morgana and Merlin. We could be ourselves and no one would know."
"Hiding in plain sight as it were," Merlin says more to himself than to her starting to consider her offer.
"Don't you want to relive the past? Those days are called the Golden Age for a reason." She says hoping to sway him.
"The past is the past; it should be left that way." he says but stops when he sees her smiling victoriously.
"So, you are willing to put the past behind us and forget all my attempts to kill you and all the times you've tried to kill me?" she whispers moving closer to him.
"It's not like either of us ever succeeded," he admits, Not from a lack of trying he silently adds as she watches him.
"Maybe I was never really trying hard enough," she suggests t with a small shrug and a quick smile.
He steps back again. "Oh no, you've tried plenty hard enough, the Black Plague ring any bells?" She lets out a huff of annoyance but persists.
"I'm not always trying to kill you and you're not so innocent yourself. You started the French Revolution to kill me," she accuses.
"You were manipulating the royal family to make yourself Queen!"
"I missed sitting on a throne." Morgana huffs playfully as she moves closer to him. "Besides, there are times when my company hasn't been hazardous to your health." Morgana places a hand on Merlin's chest and tracing down his abdomen. "When my company was far more pleasurable." She says, accentuating the final words, by letting her hand linger on his hips and trace a line towards his manhood. "You never complained about those times," she adds seductively.
"Actually, I did a couple of times, like when you had me tied up? Trying to brainwash me to kill Arthur?"
"You only complained about the brainwashing, whips, and chains. Never once did you complain about the wonders my body gave you when I gave you my virginity," she whispers huskily into his ear.
"You stole mine," he bites back. Morgana steps away from him looking hurt. He was right. She'd been completely selfish their first time together. Caring only about her own pleasure and hurting him in the process. She desperately wished that she could take that night back.
"Leave me alone Katie, I'm tired of your games," Merlin says turning and heading towards the exit of the pub, their game left unfinished. Symbolic of their own lives.
"So am I. We're all we have left. At least think about it Colin?" she pleads. He nods slightly and leaves.
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Morgana sits outside the audition rooms reading over the script she'd inspired. She smiles to herself, A few implanted suggestions in the writers' heads and the true story of Camelot would soon be told. A small cough pulls her out of her thoughts and she looks up and smiles widely as she sees Merlin standing next to her.
"Hello Colin," she greets him warmly. A sense of hope fills her threatening to bubble to the surface.
"Katie," he greets grinning his lopsided smile.
"You came." she says happily as relief, and joy fill her. His presence at the auditions speaking volumes to her as she lets herself hope that this means that he'd forgiven her for their past and that he was here to stay.
He smiles at his volatile enemy-turned lover.
"You gave me a reason to."
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Heya,
This story was inspired by the promo pictures of Colin and Katie playing pool but decided to set the scene in modern times.
Something that I wanted to include in the story but could never find a place to put it was that Merlin and Morgana are immortal at the cost of their fertility. They both gave up the ability to create life (have children) in order to live multiple lifetimes. As Rumpelstiltskin says "All magic comes with a price."
I'd like to thank my Beta-reader Astiza for all their help. Thank you, your advice was immeasurable.
Hope you enjoyed.
Your Loveable Tiger