Hi guys! Back with a new story! I don't own Merlin. Hope you like it! Please review!

A tall woman with curly dark hair stood by the Lake of Avalon patiently. Her hands were clasped in front of her while she waited and the wind blew ever so slightly to tussle the already tangled mass of hair. She was dressed in a light, white tank top and dark blue skinny jeans, and tan sandals. It was a warm day, although the wind gave it the chill that made it necessary to wear pants instead of shorts.

Morgana was waiting for her brother to finally return from his long sleep in Avalon.

A ripple caught her eye. She had been waiting nearly an hour and any abrupt movement caught her gaze. Then a hand shot out of the water where it rippled and a head emerged, and she saw her brother take a deep, gasping breath for air. She smiled, but said nothing. As he swam over to shore, he didn't seem to see nor recognize her for the moment. He spluttered as he pulled himself onto land until finally he looked up and saw her standing there. Immediately he looked at her with no lack of hostility and stood up as quickly as he could manage.

"Morgana," he said accusingly, "What are you doing here? Where's Merlin?" Arthur looked her up and down and frowned at her outfit. Freya had given him a basic rundown of the new generation, but she'd conveniently forgotten to mention fashion of the age.

"Merlin is...not here right now," she said hesitantly, "Actually, I'm here to show you around. And take you to Merlin, eventually."

Arthur eyed her warily. "But you...hate me. Last time we met, you wanted to watch me die. You took great pleasure in my misery."

Morgana bit her lip. This is what she was afraid of. "I, ah, I apologize for that. Really, I do."

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. "You're sorry. Seriously? You...should I even waste my breath reminding you what you did?" Morgana shook her head and looked at him shamefully.

"I don't really know what else to say, Arthur. I've changed, and you'll find I'm more like the Morgana you knew when I was still at Camelot before I ever met Morgause." Arthur had been brought perfectly up to date with the lingo of the age, however lacking his knowledge was in the fashion, and quickly snapped,

"That's bullshit. How can you just...change?" He shifted uncomfortably in his medieval armor, which weighed down on him heavily.

"To be quite honest with you, I never really changed at all. I was still the same, but I'd been taught by my sister to turn my inner resentments, mostly little things, outward so that I could learn to hate...you. And Camelot. And everything I ever stood for. I was angry from recent events and completely open to manipulation and Morgause took advantage of that. I should never have let her change who I was. I don't think I ever hated you, Arthur, never you. Just Uther and Camelot and most everything else. And Merlin. Still not sure how I feel about Merlin." She tilted her head to the side curiously as he asked,

"Why would you hate Merlin?"

She stared at him for a minute before replying, "You don't...you don't know what he did, do you?" She looked hesitant to say, but added, "He poisoned me." At Arthur's surprised look, she quickly explained, "He did it when the sleeping spell was going all over Camelot. I was the host, although I didn't know it, and Merlin did. He knew threatening to kill me would save Camelot. To be fair to him, he didn't see another way. To be fair to me, had he explained the situation, I may have tried to kill myself to save you all. So I have mixed feelings about him. Plus, he killed me. So that's not exactly something I admire in him either." She sighed heavily as if she had a lot to talk about.

"Listen, there's a lot to fill you in on, Arthur, do you want to talk about it in the car while we drive back to our flat?" Arthur frowned again, not completely convinced his sister was telling the truth, but he decided he didn't have much to lose. He let her take him where they were supposed to go and Arthur's eyes widened when he saw the city. It was so big, so full of people. It was about an hour drive to get there, but they finally arrived and Morgana proudly showed him their flat.

"It's so...small," he started. Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Arthur, it's a flat. We don't own a castle anymore. I'm sorry it's too freaking small for you. Get over it." Arthur snorted at her, more with relief that she sounded like the sister he knew and loved in Camelot. She showed him his room and a closet full of clothes that were custom fit to him. The flat was quite large seeing as Morgana was pretty well off, so the clothes were not shabby whatsoever. Arthur decided on a red t-shirt and blue jeans with black converse. He came back out, feeling much lighter than before without his knight's clothes on.

Morgana briefed him on what was going on, who was around, what he had missed. Gwen lived in the building across the street, but was hooked up with Lancelot - now going by Lance. Gwaine lived with Percival. Elyan, Leon, and Mordred lived in the same building as Gwaine and Percival, but a floor below them. They were all enrolled in a public college, and Morgana had arranged an identity for Arthur. All the others had been reborn and had legitimate identities, and still had their memories, while Arthur was trickier since he didn't have a record officially. Morgana had taken good care of that issue. They were all in the same college and Morgana was good friends with all the knights, and was going out with Mordred. Arthur initially sneered at the age difference, but Morgana happily explained that Mordred's rebirth came early and they were the same age. Arthur still thought it was gross, but he didn't press anymore on the subject.

"So...Mordred doesn't hate me either anymore then, yes?" he asked her nervously. He had always been fond of the druid boy and knight and had been very sad by his betrayal. Morgana bit her lip again.

"Well...I actually don't know how he'll react. He knows you're coming and he remembers everything, but Kara never showed up in this world. He doesn't talk about her and he doesn't talk about you. I only ever brought you up to him once or twice and he seemed indifferent. I honestly don't know."

"Alright, so what about Merlin? You've said absolutely nothing about him since I've gotten here." Morgana avoided his gaze and said quickly,

"That's because I haven't found him yet. I saw him once on the campus and he's been actively avoiding me since. I didn't even get the chance to talk to him. And for all I know Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Leon, and Mordred haven't talked to him either. He's avoiding everyone on purpose." Arthur was taken aback.

"He's doing...what? Why?" Morgana looked incredibly upset.

"I don't know! The only one of us he actually talks to is Gaius, who teaches chemistry. I've talked to Gaius a few times, and he says Merlin doesn't want to be found. He's hiding from us. Gaius doesn't know why either." Arthur let out a long breath and fell back on the couch behind them. Morgana set down delicately next to him. "So what are you going to do?"

Arthur stared at the wall for a minute before standing up again. "I'm going to find him."

"You can't just - Arthur, have you been listening to a thing I've said? He doesn't want to see us! Besides, the campus is huge!" Arthur walked over to the door and pulled on a hoodie hanging there.

"He doesn't know I'm here. And he doesn't know I'm looking. He also doesn't know I'm going to give him a good sock when I find him." His face was steeled with determination. Morgana stood up and had walked over to where her brother was standing, putting a hand on his arm.

"Come on. At least wait for morning. It's nearly eleven at night. No one will be awake. Just wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow is Monday, we'll have classes, and maybe you'll find him then. By the way, I have to talk to you about your schedule…" And just like that, Morgana managed to keep Arthur home for the night.

((()))

The next morning, Arthur found that Morgana had put him in the basic core classes for a college sophomore. He had chemistry last, and Arthur decided that Gaius would be the best person to talk to in order to find Merlin. Most of his classes were a bore, but luckily he found most of them came easily to him. Finally, at the end of the day, having seen no trace of Merlin, Arthur approached Gaius, who had obviously recognized him.

"Good to see you, Arthur," Gaius said kindly. Arthur gave him a thin smile and immediately asked,

"Have you seen Merlin anywhere? I've seen most everyone else, but Merlin is the only one I have yet to see again." It was true; Arthur had seen the knights in a couple of his other classes and they had been absolutely thrilled to see him.

"I, ah, can't say that I have. Not recently. I take it you're adjusting well otherwise?" Gaius asked, changing the subject. Arthur was immediately annoyed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm rooming with Morgana. I know Merlin's here, Gaius, and you can't say you haven't seen him because he's required to take chemistry this year."

Gaius happily corrected him, "No, he's not. He's a freshman, so he's taking biology."

"So you have seen him."

"Well...yes, but not much."

"Gaius," Arthur said exasperatedly, his eyes pleading, "Please."

Gaius sighed. "I don't think he wants anyone to see him right now. He's having a hard time adjusting to the fact that you're all back, although he doesn't know you're back yet. I should tell him next time I see him." Arthur threw his hands up in the air.

"Why can't you tell me? I'm his best fr - we were close, you know that! Can't you at least tell me where he's living so I can try to find him myself?"

Gaius looked at him sternly. "Arthur, I'm respecting his wishes. I assure you when he wants to talk, he'll find you." Arthur scowled at his old friend and spat,

"Fine." He whirled around and stormed out of the room. Gaius watched him go sadly and sighed to himself. Merlin didn't want to be found, but Arthur wanted to find him. Whose wishes should he respect?

((()))

Arthur stormed back into the flat where Morgana looked at him with an expression of pity.

"I take it you didn't find him then."

"Not only that, but Gaius was deliberately unhelpful!"

"Arthur…"

"What?" he snapped.

"I thought I should tell you that Gwaine decided to plan a party for tonight. He's inviting Gwen, the knights, and you and I. Are you coming?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Merlin won't be there."

Morgana rolled her eyes and came to sit next to Arthur who was sulking on the couch again. "You can't ignore everybody else because you're missing your best friend," she said softly. Arthur glared at her.

"He is not my best friend," he growled.

"Then what is he?"

"I don't...a friend...he isn't...I don't know," he spluttered, "But he's certainly not my best friend if he doesn't even want to see me."

"He doesn't know you're here. Maybe he'd stop avoiding us if he did."

"Yes, maybe. Or maybe he does know I'm here and still is avoiding us." Just then a knock came on the door.

"Come in, door's open!" Morgana called. A tentative hand came around the doorframe and Gwen's face appeared. Arthur's eyes brightened.

"Gwen!" Morgana exclaimed, "Hi! Not to be rude, but what are you doing here? You're going to the party later, right?" Gwen closed the door behind her and looked at the two of them.

"Hi Morgana! I'm coming, yes, but I wanted to see Arthur before I did. God knows the knights won't leave him alone for a minute, so I wanted to say hello."

"Hullo," Arthur said sulkily.

"What's wrong with him?" Gwen asked Morgana worriedly. Morgana mouthed 'Merlin'. Gwen nodded and sat down next to Arthur.

"Arthur," she started gently, "Merlin will show up soon enough. Who knows, maybe he'll even crash the party!"

"Not likely," he snorted, "That's not something he would do."

"No, it's not," she said awkwardly. She sucked in a deep breath and said, "I missed you." He sat up a little straighter and looked at her.

"Thanks Guinevere. It's nice to know someone did," he said pointedly.

"Hey, I did too!" Morgana protested indignantly, "And so did everyone else! Quit acting like nobody cares, Arthur!" Arthur sighed and looked at his sister and then back at Gwen.

"Sorry. I heard about Lancelot, how is he?" Gwen immediately blushed at his words and stammered,

"Oh...oh, he's...fine. Great, actually." She nodded and glanced at Morgana for help. Arthur caught the look and said softly,

"Guinevere, I'm not worried about it. If he makes you happy, then that's what's important." Gwen looked terribly embarrassed and blurted,

"But I don't want you to think you didn't make me happy! I chose you over Lancelot, you know I did. Our reincarnations are all slightly different, so now...I mean...not that I don't...I just…" Arthur put his hand on hers and looked her in the eyes seriously.

"Gwen. I'm not worried about it. Honestly, I'm not." Gwen nodded, but still looked embarrassed.

"I'd… I think I should get back. I promised Percival I'd help set up decorations for your party."

"My party?" Arthur asked. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Well of course it's your party! It's for you, stupid!" She ruffled his hair affectionately before bouncing out, "I'll see you later!"

As soon as she left, Arthur turned to Morgana, who was smiling broadly.

"What was that all about?"

"She's been terribly concerned, Arthur," Morgana said, as if it should be obvious, "She thought you'd be upset that she's with Lancelot now and she's thrilled you're not. Like she said, all our reincarnations came back a little different than they were before, so some of our opinions have changed. For me, I lost all that hatred and bitterness and for Gwen, it changed her preference from you to Lancelot. She still loves you as a friend, though, Arthur." She added more quietly, "And thank you for that, she really needed to hear from you that you're not all concerned about it."

Arthur looked slightly flattered. "I've had about a thousand years to get over Guinevere, Morgana, I knew there was a possibility she'd pick someone else. I love her as a sister now too, so there's nothing to get worked up about." He still felt an old twinge of that rivalry with Lancelot, but he had never harbored ill feelings against the knight. He was fine.

((()))

Morgana helped Arthur pick a good outfit for the party, although it was nothing formal, just more casual clothing. Arthur found he liked modern day fashion so far. It was lighter and easier to wear, although it seemed more vulnerable to the elements.

Gwaine greeted him by the door with a bear hug. Percival did the same and the other knights looked happy to see him. He waved at Gwen in the corner who smiled and waved back. He noticed that Lancelot slid an arm around her waist when Arthur walked in. So be it.

Morgana grabbed Mordred and dragged him over to Arthur. Mordred looked distinctly uncomfortable as he sat down on the couch across from Arthur.

"Um," Arthur started, "Hey." Mordred gave him a tight smile and said,

"Welcome back."

"Thanks." The silence was painfully awkward before Morgana interjected,

"Oh dear God, the both of you! Say something! I know for a fact there was more to your relationship than blatant hatred, on both sides." She glared at Mordred as she spoke and he flinched.

"I, ah, I'm sorry I killed you," he said awkwardly. Arthur stared at him for a second before replying,

"Forgiven. I'm sorry I killed Kara. I know you felt it was unfair." She only tried to kill me once or twice Arthur added in his mind, but decided to keep it to himself. He wanted to make up with Mordred.

"It was unfair," Mordred mumbled. Arthur said nothing, but hid his smirk when Morgana gave Mordred a light smack upside the head. Mordred looked up at her with an annoyed expression, but she smirked and leaned down to give him a light peck on the lips. Arthur made a disgusted sound and turned around. When he looked back across at him, Mordred was smirking with amusement at Arthur's discomfort.

Arthur stood and offered Mordred his hand. Mordred cautiously took it and Arthur pulled him into a short hug. Mordred looked surprised and Arthur told him, "There. We good now?" Mordred smiled shyly and nodded.

"I'm ready to put the past behind us. I missed you." Arthur smiled warmly and nodded,

"Great. Back to normal then." Morgana smiled and took a sip of the beer she had in her hand.

"Morgana, what is that?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Beer," she shot back, "Want some?"

"I...but you don't...yeah give me some, would you?" Morgana smiled indulgently and handed him a bottle. Arthur took a sip. It wasn't bad, no worse than anything he'd had in the tavern in Camelot. Gwaine, he noticed, had already taken quite a few large sips and was already in the process of knocking things over.

Arthur walked around the room several times, taking small sips of beer as he did. He glanced out the window to see the view and saw something very familiar. The bright lights hit two figures, two distinct figures. One that was very recognizable.

With raven black hair and the awkward lanky frame, Arthur identified one of the figures as Merlin.