A/N: So, i've been thinking about this story for a while, it's modern AU. Basically, Morgana runs away when she can't take the stress of her aristocratic life, ends up in a rehab center, and later falling for a sick schizophrenic teenager who goes by the name of Merlin. Parings: Morgana/Oc Morgana/Merlin Aurthr/Gwen Gwen/Lancelot ( a bit). Morgana has a longer story that will be introduced in the next chapter. Be prepared, it involves money and sex. Anyway, hope you like this chapter, sorry if it's boring and long, it's just the introduction. My BETA is Yamiga, check her out, hope you like it. This is my first Merlin and Morgana fic. I'm thinking of one though, it's gonna be rated M, so, be prepared. Enjoy this one!

Diclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Starting Over

She pulled her dark hood over her head as she walked through the streets of busy civilians. Long dark hair spilled out of her hood as pale hands frantically attempted to push the strands back, in order to keep her vision clear. She was following a woman, a woman who was her ticket out of her old life, and a step into her new.

Guinevere walked back home from the bus stop, head down and her thoughts in a whirl. Her first day of her internship hadn't gone as planned, or as she would have liked. She thought she could do it, she thought she was strong enough to bare the problems of the mentally disturbed, she thought she could see as they did, but she couldn't. Her friends had recommended the job for her, as did her college and highschool professors. But she could not do it. She spent her life pursuing it, ever since the day Merlin had moved in with her, she'd sought to understand his damaged mind, but with her recent internship, she felt as if she'd been as lost as she was before.

She didn't like the atmosphere, she didn't like the constant sounds of patients wailing and screaming because of something they thought no one could understand. Agony and loneliness lurked around every corner. She told them she wasn't ready, the facility had been kind to her and told her to return in six months to a year, and they would hold her position for her. She was a promising candidate, but she needed time.

She still worked part-time at the cafe down the street from her house. She looked forward to that job, the environment was peaceful and forever smelled of chocolate. She smiled at the thought of the it and decided to go and buy a quick cookie or something in order to make her feel better. It was only a little past noon, and the sun was at it's highest and cool air blew all around. She'd be home a little before her roommates medicine wore off and he was awake. Maybe she'd buy something for him as well.

With a lighter mood, Gwen quickened her pace and headed towards the cafe, taking no notice of the dark figure following behind her.

The area she lived in was beautiful, it always had been. There were trees everywhere in her neighbourhood, and each house was different and unique. Here's happened to be a gray two story, with a black roof and a black door. The windows were always open, allowing fresh air to scent the house.

Just outside of her neighborhood was a large park that opened off into the woods. Just before the park were a series of small stores and bakeries, all in walking distance from her house. This was the town square, the most populated area of her small community. Elsewhere, about a forty five minute drive from the town was a hospital, an essential part of Gwen's life. To get there, she drove, or when it was just her, she took the bus. She hardly ever left the town though, her roommate was her top priority. Other than that, there was a church deep in the woods, it's cross visible to all.

The figure behind Gwen took all of this in. This was so different from where she used to live. Whereas she was surrounded by mansions and city lights, camera's and paparazzi and loveless relationships, this place was surrounded in small houses, trees and laughing children. This place did not hold the stress and expectations she'd grown up with, no, she could feel a burden lifting off of her chest.

With shaky fingers, the young woman chanced fate and removed the dark hood, revealing a bone thin pale face, large blue eyes and a sullen expression. A young Morgana Pendragon made sure not to lose sight of the woman in front of her. Something about this failed psychiatrist told her to follow her outside of the rehab center, take the exact same bus she took, and continue to follow her to this warm and sunny town. It was almost as if Morgana knew the woman, but instead, based her actions on the intern's personality.

Morgana was a runaway now, she couldn't live in the world in which she was born into. She was a promising actress and model, she was famous around the world. Everyone knew her name, almost everyone. She noticed no double takes as she walked through the small town square, no camera's or whatnots. She could actually start over here, she could be more than a tool to the media, a tool to her father.

The intern turned seemed to be in a lighter mood than she had been on the bus. She actually smiled now, and it was hard for Morgana to believe this to be the woman who ran out crying because of a tragic story involving a car wreck a child told her. Morgana was there for a six month rehabilitation process, and was to get back to her father's agent immediately afterwards. It had just been four months, and she felt as hollow as she did before. Something about the dark skinned woman had brightened her up, and the two had only shared a glance, and the dark skinned woman smiled at her as to say she understood what she was going through.

Gwen walked into the care and inhaled the scent of chocolate and smiled. She held the door open for a woman behind her who looked oddly familiar. Her face was rather pale and her skin was hollow. Her eyes were a lifeless blue and her pale skin clung to her skin like plastic wrap. With a few more meals, this woman could be stunningly beautiful.

The woman in the rehab center! Gwen thought to herself, but quickly dismissed the fact when she thought of the small possibility.

The woman smiled and took a seat by the window. The cafe wasn't very large. There were two large windows, in between them, the door. On each window was two booths that held about six people each, and scattered around the small space were eight more tables that held about four each. Than, on the wall, was the counter and behind that the small kitchen and a restroom. The cafe itself was a dark brown, while the seats were a creamish red color. The counter displayed many different and delicious food items for sell. Gwen loved working here, and usually spend her her off time that she had to herself just coming and grabbing a bite.
Morgana stared at the woman and saw how she looked at the restaurant with awe. She must've really loved this place.

"Buenas Tardes, Gwen," from behind the counter came a young man with shoulder length brown hair, tan skin, and dark eyes. He smiled when he saw the intern, now known as Gwen to Morgana, enter the cafe, "how did your internship go?"

"I cried like a baby, Lance," she confessed, walking to the counter and resting her elbows on it, "It was too much, they told me I could come back, but I don't think I can fathom it." Gwen sighed and looked at the pastries in the glass case, "One child told me about a car wreck and how it's been since he's lost his family, another teenager had an eating disorder because her mom told her she was too fat. She only weighed 110 at first!," Gwen exclaimed angrily, thinking of the emotional and mental pain that the teen had to go through, "it's the stupid media! The girl is anorexic now and won't even eat a chocolate bar Lancelot, a chocolate bar!"

"The world won't change in a day," Lance replied earnestly, "It'll take time...Now...on the brighter side, what would you like to eat?"

"Oh...just a cookie, make that two," she said, considering her roommate, "and maybe a donut."

"How's Merlin?" Lance suddenly asked as he fetched fresh cookies from the display, "is he getting better?"

"Merlin's just Merlin, he won't be getting any better, but that's fine by me," Gwen said, regarding her roommate, "he was the reason I wanted the internship anyway."

Lancelot laughed, "Merlin has a very animated mind, but I think he'd beyond the help of a psychiatrist," Lancelot handed her a back with her items, "Don't worry about paying, it's on the house."

Gwen smiled as she took that back and thought of Lancelot's comment, "Thanks Lance, come by later this week, i'm sure he'd love to see you!"

"Whenever I get the time I'll stop by," Lancelot replied to Gwen as she headed towards the door, "I wouldn't mind seeing him again too, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" Lancelot asked, thinking back on the last time he'd visited his friends, "Tell him I wish him good health, and I'll visit him when I get the chance."

"He'd love that Lance, i'll be sure to tell him, thank you," and with that, Morgana watched as her target left the cafe and hurriedly stood up to go after her.

The walk to Gwen's house wasn't a long one, and Morgana was thankful that the trees prevented Gwen from noticing that she was being followed.

Gwen fumbled in her pocket and pulled out her keys and opened the door.

"I'm back, Merlin!" she shouted loudly, knowing she'd get no real response. Merlin was still asleep upstairs. Gwen sighed and closed the door.

Her two story house was the same house she'd grown up in. It's floors were soft carpet, it's walls a light green cream color, and the atmosphere inviting. There were four rooms, two upstairs, and two downstairs. She had three restrooms, two upstairs and one downstairs. Downstairs was the large living room with a sofa and two chairs, behind that, the kitchen which shared a space with the washroom, and a door that lead to the garage and a another to the backyard.

Upstairs, there was a long hallway with two doors directly across from each other, and at the end, the door to the basement.

Gwen stayed across from Merlin's room due to the fact he could need her anytime in the middle of the night.

After Gwen put the bag of pastries on the table, she proceeded upstairs to check on Merlin. She was slow opening his door. His room was plain white with one window and a door to the restroom. On the wall opposite of her was a large hospital like bed where a pale, thin and still figure lay. The blankets had covered his entire body, and only a limp arm hung from the bed. Gwen heard the beeps of the many machines throughout the room, and looked around at the numerous papers on the ground.

Ever since Gwen could remember, Merlin loved to draw and paint. Due to his lack of physical movement and activity, Merlin drew and drew and painted and painted. His pictures were distorted though, but, that never stopped him from understanding them. He'd always claimed they'd been from dreams he always had, dreams so real they felt like memories. He told Gwen she was in them too, and even added her in one of his drawings, though, it was hard for her to tell it was actually her.

The entire room was littered in drawings, and a lot of them were hung up for all to see. Gwen decided it would be about another hour before Merlin woke, she decided to get his medicine ready anyway, knowing the consequences of not having it could be grim.

Merlin had been like this ever since she first knew him. As she walked downstairs, she remembered her parents being friends with his parents. He wasn't like other kids, he was born with schizophrenia, or at least, that's what the doctors had diagnosed. Gwen believed it though. Aside from that brain ailment, Merlin was diagnosed with a hereditary disease that usually required lifetime assistance and care. Merlin had become Gwen's family's problem when his parents had died in a car accident and he had no one to care for him. Gwen was very young, and got used to Merlin, he was like a little brother. Than after Gwen graduated high school, her parents were killed in an accident as well. Merlin then became Gwen's problem and friend.

She told him everything.

Gwen went into the kitchen and looked into the cabinets. She searched through tons of pill bottles and smiled when she found the right one. She got a knife from the drawer and began crushing pills with a knife. She'd put the powder in a glass of juice later, but for now, she left it on the counter.

Just as she was about to go back upstairs to check on Merlin again, there was a loud knock at the door.

Lance, she thought to herself, no, he's still working. It was rare that anyone visited Gwen if it wasn't Lancelot or Percival. Her older brother had left her life a long time ago. Cautiously, she walked towards the door.

She looked through the eyehole and saw the distorted image of a woman dressed primarily in black. Slowly, she opened the door just enough so the woman could see her and she could see the woman.

This woman looked oddly familiar, like the woman in the rehab center, but she hardly knew her, yet her presence felt familiar as well. Gwen could've sworn she'd known her from somewhere. She was pale, her eyes were a light blue and her long curly hair was jet black. She wore a dark hoodie and baggy pants. She looked immensely pale and thin, almost like Merlin, but she looked strangely beautiful too.

Blue eyes met brown eyes, and Gwen could tell that the woman in front of her was feeling the same strange feeling, and suddenly, a familiar name uttered from Gwen's lips.

"Morgana..." she said, slowly and drawled out.

"...How did you know my name..." Morgana asked, hoping this woman didn't know of her identity. To her relief, she didn't.

"Lucky guess..." she said, her eyes honest but confused, "How can I help you...Morgana?"

Morgana paused, she hadn't actually believed that she would make it this far. She needed a plan, but it needed to be quick and believable. "I need to borrow your phone.." she lied, hoping Gwen would buy it.

Gwen stared for a while, her expression as confused as ever.
"Sure, follow me," Gwen said, leading Morgana inside, "oh, and by the way, my name is Guinevere, but, people call me Gwen,"

"Thanks Gwen," Morgana said, the name sounding foreign yet oddly familiar on her tongue.

So, what will Morgana do, and why did Gwen just randomly spit out her name? Lancelot is of latin decent in this one, that's why he says, "Buenas Tardes". Anyway, please review and tell me how I started it, it's just the first chapter, so i'll go into more depth in later chapters. PLEASE REVIEW! Anyway, hope you liked this and God bless!