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 2. Road Trip to Murderville.

"You mean they're actually letting you do that?" Arthur asked him, voice slightly disbelieving.

"Yes. He's got no family left, and if I hadn't, he'd just be put into child services. He said he would like that and all the papers are done so stop bitching about it." Merlin snapped.

"I'm not. It just hard to see you as a parent." That sentence sent them into silence for a few minutes.

"All right. I get why you adopted him and that you need to get your place fixed up so he can stay there so you're taking him to your uncle's place for a few weeks. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now tell me, why am I stuck driving you there?" He demanded, ignoring the snigger in the back seat as Mordred listened to them talk.

"Because, my car's dead at the moment and you're the only person I know with a car who has today off. So deal with it."

The car was silent for a few more miles as they contemplated their own thoughts before a voice rang out. "Are we there yet?" Ten minutes later. "Are we there yet?" Another ten minutes later. "Are we there yet?"

"That's it, shrimp. You are so dead when we get there." Arthur snapped glaring at Mordred behind him through the rear view mirror as Merlin let out a tired sigh.


They pulled up in front of a stone cottage set back from the road. It was two stories with flower beds following the path to the door and a vegetable garden peeking out from

behind it. The stone had been painted in earth tones, making it blend into the surrounding trees and plants.

Getting out, they all trooped to the door, Arthur carrying Mordred's things as the young druid stared about him. "Your uncle actually lives here?" He asked, not noticing the opening door.

"Where else would I live, young man?" Mordred turned to stare at the older man. His long gray hair was swept back, exposing its widow's peak. He had a beak of a nose and laugh lines bracketing his eyes and mouth. His outfit was a simple pair of slacks and an older fashioned button down shirt.

"Uncle, may I introduce Mordred Alder. Mordred, this is Gaius Emrys, my uncle." Merlin introduced them.

"Hello, young man. It appears that you will be staying here for a few days." He said aloud, humor leaking out slightly. Gaius had always been a softy around kids, no matter whose kids they were.

"Hello." He said, holding out a hand to the older man. Gaius took it and shook.

He turned to Merlin and Arthur. "I'll show him around if you want to get him settled in." Merlin nodded and grabbed Arthur's arm to drag him into the house.

Leading him into the stairs, he half dragged, half pushed him up the stairs. They ended up in front of one of the many doors in the upstairs hallway. Pushing the wooden door open, he let Arthur walk in ahead of him. It was a smallish room with a bed, desk, and lamp, some shelves on the wall, a book case and an empty closet. "It's not much, but I think Mordred will like it." He said aloud as Arthur set Mordred's suitcase on the bed.

"Merlin…" He turned from examining the full book case to see Arthur was directly behind him.

"What?" He asked, suspicious. Arthur just grinned evilly and leaned forward to press Merlin's back into the wooden shelves. "Arthur, this is neither the time nor place for this." He whispered hotly, trying to push Arthur away, albeit weakly.

"Any time is a good time." He whispered right back, bending his head forward to nibble on the rim of his ear. Merlin just held on tighter as Arthur played with him. He let out a sigh of defeat as Arthur kissed him on the lips. It was a slow, steamy kiss that had his knees weakening and his pulse pounding.

He heard footsteps on the stairs and finally pulled away, pushing Arthur off of him as Gaius and Mordred's voice floated into the room. He tried desperately to push his arousal down and gain some sort of composure as he waited for them to enter the room. It was then he realized that the door was still open and he shot a 'paint peeling' glare at Arthur before he composed himself as they entered.

"˗is where you will be staying." Gaius was telling the druid as they entered the now quiet room, unaware of what had been going on moments earlier.

Gaius turned to them. "I will be cooking dinner soon so if you want to do anything before then, do it now. I've also made up the beds in the guest room, but you'll have to share the room." Gaius only had two guest rooms, the one they were in now and the second one at the other end of the hall with the two twin beds in it. The room was left over from his children when they were young.

Merlin nodded and left, with Arthur trailing behind him like a smug puppy. He ignored him, going back to the car to grab his overnight bag and took it to their room. Arthur flopped down onto the left hand bed, his own bag thrown haphazardly on the floor. They could make out the sounds of Gaius cooking with Mordred talking with him.

"Is Gaius like you and Mordred?" Arthur asked him, staring up at the ceiling.

"A little. He tends to do things the old fashioned way than to use magic. He actually has a degree in herbal pharmaceuticals and medicine. He makes them all by hand and sells them." He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at Arthur, curious. "Why'd you ask?"

"Just curious. So is he going to teach him to use magic?" He asked him, reaching out a hand to run his fingertips along the patch of skin on his inner wrist.

"Yes. Mordred has a good grasp on magic, but he still needs to learn control. It will be good practice while he's here. Gaius did the same for me when I came into my powers." He moved his wrist away from the seeking fingers and instead intertwined them.

"When was that?"

"About two months ago. It just came out of nowhere and was the reason I transferred. Ealdor is too far away for Gaius to have been any help."

"Do you miss Ealdor?" Arthur asked, not meeting his eyes as he watched their hands.

"Sometimes, when I get homesick. Mostly I just miss mum or my mates Will and Freya…but it's brief and far in-between." He gave a small sigh and lay back, resting his head on Arthur's stomach.

This was still kind of new to him, this easy intimacy with Arthur. They just seemed to fit together like two puzzle pieces. Sometimes, it was embarrassing the way Arthur acted in public since he wasn't used to being so public with emotions. Other times, he was glad the way Arthur acted, helping his self-esteem soar when he was feeling his most insecure about himself.

It looked like Arthur was the unsure party this time. Not surprising since they'd hardly had any time to get to know each other. One month was too short a time for anyone to truly know someone else…and they always seemed to avoid the topic of either his magic or his home.

He poked him in the side with a bony finger. Arthur gave an unmanly yelp as he rubbed his side. "I'm not thinking of going back, if that's what's got you so quiet."

"Shut up, idiot." Arthur grumbled, running his hand through Merlin's hair as they lay there listening to the two down stairs. They stayed like that until Gaius called them down for dinner.


They woke up early to the sound of Mordred knocking on the door. Stifling a yawn, he walked to the door and opened it. Mordred was dressed and wide awake. "Mordred it's…" He glanced blurrily at the alarm clock on the table. "Six in the morning."

"I know, but I wanted to go exploring, but Gaius said I had to take one of you two with me since he's with a customer right now." They heard Arthur groan and throw his arm over his face.

There was a muffled reply. "Give us an hour to wake up and get ready." Merlin turned in time to see Arthur push himself up, the blankets pooling around his hips, to run a hand through his tousled hair.

Mordred nodded and walked back down the hall to climb down the stairs. Merlin shut the door softly and turned back to face Arthur. "That kid's certainly opened up a lot more since we first met him." He commented, remembering the withdrawn, quiet boy that had seen his mother murdered before his eyes.

"Yeah, the shrimp's certainly grown, though not in height." He stood with a grumble and stalked out of the room into the bathroom across the hall. Merlin heard the shower start up and smiled as he lay back down to wait for his turn.

Ten minutes later, Arthur was shaking him after he had dozed off. Blinking sleepily, he dragged himself into the shower, putting the water on cold to wake himself up than as hot as he could stand to finish the job.

Fifteen minutes later, he was dress and downstairs shoveling cinnamon flavored porridge into his mouth as Arthur munched on some toast and Mordred sat across from them with a glass of orange juice as he waited for them to finish.

Exactly an hour after their wake up call, they were shrugging into some light jackets, pulling on their shoes and left the cottage to start their exploration of the lands surrounding Gaius's cottage. "Over there, you have pasture lands. You have the woods behind Gaius's house which leads to Avalon Lake. That's about it for this area." Merlin informed them as they stood outside trying to pick a direction.

The sun was up, though barely, and was painting the sky in shades of gold, pink, red, blue and orange.

"Let's go see the lake." Mordred piped in. So they started off, trekking through the woods for about half a mile. Arthur spent part of the time laughing at Merlin's clumsiness and the rest pointing out different plants to Mordred, admitting to having studied plants for a semester before he had changed to a different degree.

Finally after having spent about an hour walking through underbrush, trees, over roots, rabbit holes, and other debris, the trees started to thin out and they finally arrived at the lake. It shone bright blue in the sun's light.

They started around the edge, keeping away from the rim so as not to go falling in. Mordred roamed ahead of them, keeping in sight, but otherwise occupied in his own little bubble of the great outdoors. Merlin and Arthur walked side by side, sharing a thermos of coffee they had brought with them.

Mordred stopped some distance ahead, eyes scanning over the lake as something caught his eye. They had just reached him when he turned and stated boldly, "I think there's a body out there."

Merlin blinked a few times before he turned to follow Mordred's pointing finger. The sun was reflecting off of the water, making it hard to see anything, but he could just make out a flash of red. Arthur must have seen it too, because he felt him stiffen beside him. "Dammit." He cursed softly before pulling out his phone.


An hour later saw them being questioned by the local authorities as they extracted the body, a young male about twenty nine, from the water. "You do not know," He glanced down at the waterlogged wallet, "Mr. Alex Calvin, then?" The deputy asked them again.

"No we do not. As we told you before, we were walking in the woods when we found the body." Arthur explained patiently to the officer as they waited to be released from questioning.

"Alright. You're free to go for now. Leave your contact information with that officer over there and we'll be in touch with you three later on. Also, please don't leave town until we have contacted you."

"What? We were supposed to leave tomorrow." Arthur yelled at him.

Merlin smacked him on the head. "We won't leave until then." He pulled Arthur a little away. "We'll just have to call Uther and explain to him why we will be late getting back. Who knows, maybe he'll send people to hurry things along." Merlin told him.

"I highly doubt that." Arthur muttered, but followed Merlin to the waiting officer.


"Mordred's quieter than usual." Gaius commented later that afternoon. They sat in the kitchen sipping tea as Gaius mixed some stuff in his mortar.

"I think he's just slightly shaken up because of the body. It probably reminded him of his mother. He'll come to us if he wants to talk." Merlin explained, eyes watching the small TV in the kitchen as the news report was broadcast. So far, only a mentioning of a body being found in the lake was said. No clue as to whether it was a murder or something else.

"Merlin." Arthur's voice rang out warningly.

"What?" He asked, annoyed, a stab of guilt cutting through him.

"This is not our case. You will not get involved in this." Arthur said authoritatively, glaring down at him as he leaned against the counter.

"I wasn't going to get involved. I was just curious." He tried to defend himself. Arthur continued to just stare down at him. "Fine, I won't get involved." He shut the TV off with the press of a button on the remote. "Happy now?"

Arthur just turned away, still sipping his tea as he stared out the window into Gaius's back yard, in the direction of the woods and lake. He jumped when his phone went off, the ring tone sounding too shrill and high pitched for the quiet of the room.

He pulled it out of his pocket, glancing at the number before answering. "Hello?" He pulled it away with a wince as someone started to yell over the line. "Jeez, Morgana…No need to make my ear bleed…Yes…It's exactly like I told Uther…No, I didn't go looking for it…No need to sound so bitchy….Yes, I know that…Alright…I understand, but that is still no reason to yell…Fine…I'll see you then…Bye!" He hung up with a growl.

"What was she calling about?" Merlin asked, standing from his chair.

Arthur glared at the phone one last time before answering. "She's pissed that we got ourselves dragged into this. Apparently, she thinks we went looking for the body. I told her no, but she still wasn't very trusting. She also told me that Uther is sending her and Gwen down to help the authorities out so we can get back faster. We're to meet her at their hotel tomorrow morning with Mordred and then we're heading over to the local precinct." He gave an annoyed sigh as he stuffed his phone into his pocket again.

"I'll go tell Mordred." Merlin said walking out of the kitchen to the room he was staying in.


The next morning found them in front of one of the town's small hotels. Checking with the desk, they trooped upstairs to the room the two were staying in. Arthur, deciding to get some revenge for the yelling from yesterday, pounded on the door nonstop until it was yanked open with curse.

Morgana and Gwen were both dressed in normal clothing instead of what they normally wore to work. "Arthur, who would have guessed you could be this annoying in the morning." She drawled as she shot a venomous glare at him.

"Hi, Morgana, Gwen." Merlin said softly, drawing her wrath away from Arthur.

"Merlin." Morgana stepped forward to pat him on the cheek before squatting down in front of Mordred. "I hope you've been giving Arthur here a hard time." She said softly, like they were conspirators in some large scheme. He nodded enthusiastically, making her grin fondly and pat him on the head.

"Morgana, we really need to be going. We told them we would meet them at eight and it is a quarter till." Gwen said, glancing at her watch.

"Of course. Come on boys. Let's get your butts out of the fryer." She sauntered off, leaving them staring after her for a moment before following.


"Ah, Officer Le Fay, Officer Smith. So glad you could join us. I hope we can get this solved quickly so your associates can get back to work back home." Officer Hector Arrow, chief of the city's police, sat down in front of them, cup of coffee in hand.

"Thank you. Commissioner Pendragon sends his greetings and hopes for the same thing. He has also asked that though Officer Pendragon and Officer Emrys not be on the case, that they be kept up to date." Morgana had her regal air on, the one that demanded everyone do whatever she said.

"Of course. An extra pair of eyes might be just what we need to solve this case. Now if you would like, I can bring you four up to date as it is now." She nodded. "As you know the latest victim was Alex Calvin. To date, there have been four other murders all near or around the lake in question." He held up a file and passed it to them. "So far, we have been unable to find any connection as to why they were chosen. All have differing race, religion, sex, age, everything. Three of them have a possible match, but it is still inconclusive if that is what ties them together."

"May I see?" Merlin asked aloud. He nodded and he looked at the photos from the autopsy. He started flicking through them, looking for anything out of place. He was aware of all eyes on him, but ignored them as he skimmed each photo.

They watched him stiffen as something caught his eye. He scanned through the next three, finding the same thing. He looked up, eyes grim. "I believe I may have your connection."


"Druids?" Hector asked, confused.

"Yes, this symbol," He held up one of the photos to show the tattoo marking one of the victim's body, "it is the mark of a druid. Only the ones who are fully initiated into the religion get the tattoo. The rest, though they practice, do not. This explains the unmarked victim."

"And you know of this…how?" He asked, suspicious.

"I was friends with a few of the druids back in my old home. They explained a lot of their religion to me." He looked down at the photos again. "You might want to start by getting in contact with any confirmed druids. Try and spread the word around for them to keep wary. That's the best you can do for now until you get more evidence."

"We'll do that, but what do you mean by confirmed?" He asked, curious.

"Druids, from experience, are mistrustful. Too much persecution and hate. They tend to stay to certain crowds out of force than choice." He explained easily, keeping his voice mellow and emotionless.

"Ah, well thank you for this information. We will keep you informed if anything new comes in." They nodded and left, steps even as they walked out.


By the time they had collected Mordred and reached the hotel, Merlin was shaking visibly. "Merlin, what's wrong?" Gwen asked concerned.

"Not here. Wait until we get to the room." He said tersely, eyes scanning the passing people warily.

They reached the floor they were staying one and shut and locked the door behind them before turning to look at Merlin expectantly. He wasn't looking at them, but at Mordred.

"I don't think Mordred should stay here. It's too dangerous for him."

"What are you talking about Merlin? He's got us and Gaius looking out for him. Now please explain, what's the matter?"

"Mordred…I know I told you that I wouldn't tell them, but it's important. Life and death. They need to know to understand why I'm so concerned. Do you understand?" Mordred nodded, lower lip trembling slightly. "You need to show them." He nodded. He unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off. Hesitating slightly, he unbuttoned the shirt's collar and then tugged it down, showing them the black ink curving along his skin, marking him for what he was.

It was hushed in the room as they stared at the tattoo that proclaimed quiet loudly why Merlin was so wary and nervous. Mordred hastily covered the tattoo back up, before hugging Merlin, waiting for their condemning remarks that he was sure would follow.

"So that's why…" Gwen couldn't even finish her sentence.

"This comes way too close to home for comfort." Arthur murmured, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Mordred." Morgana called softly. He peeked up under the fringe of his bangs. "We don't hate you. We could never hate you for what religion you practice." She reassured him softly. He nodded, but still held onto Merlin.

He looked down at the small figure and called his name softly. The pale boy looked up. "You have to understand why I had you do this. Mordred, someone out there is killing off druids and you would be too tempting a target for them, whoever it is. They had to know why so they can keep you safe." He nodded and pulled back, smiling a watery smile at him.

"Wait a minute, what about Gaius?" Arthur asked.

"No, Gaius isn't a druid. He studied them, but never practiced. He deals strictly with herbs and herb lore." Merlin stated.

"Alright. Our first priority is to make a plan so at least one of us is always with Mordred at all times. We'll work from there." Morgana said authoritatively, taking control of the situation with ease of practice.


By the time the three of them reached Gaius's cottage, they were tired with their heads buzzing full of plans. For the moment, it would just be the three of them keeping Mordred safe. If something came up, than Gwen and Morgana would look after Mordred.

Mordred was even more subdued, but looked a little cheerful. To know that the adults you liked and respected didn't hate you for what you were was probably a big weight of his thin shoulders. As Mordred went up to his room to sleep, Gaius, Merlin and Arthur sat around his kitchen table, voices low as they talked.

"So that's what this is headed for." Gaius seemed to sink deep in thought, the lines on his face deepening and making him appear older than he actually was. "The hard part is trying to figure out if this is just a hate crime, or for something even darker. Have you felt anything since you got here?" Gaius asked, eyeing Merlin.

He shook his head no, hands wrapped around his cup of tea as he watched the steam rise in lazy curls. "I've been too busy focusing on other things that I haven't paid too much attention to the surrounding magic…but I would have felt it if someone was amassing power, even as distracted as I've been. That either means they're not, or they've wards in place to dampen the magic's aura." He gave a heavy sigh, taking a sip from the tea. "I hate trying to figure these things out. They always make my head hurt."

"You'll just have to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. For now though, it would best if we turned in and got some sleep. We'll be able to think clearly with it. I'll stay up and call some of the magic users I know around here. They should be able to get the word out, while being discreet about who sent out the message. Let's hope that will be enough."

Nodding, the two stood up and trekked up the stairs to their room. Merlin stopped for a moment, looking in on Mordred. The pale boy was sprawled across his bed, blankets bunched in random places on and under him. He looked to be sleeping peacefully.

Arthur, seeming to see his mental state, tugged him away from the door, shutting it noiselessly. "We'll be fine. We'll make sure nothing happens to him, but in order to do that, you need to stop fretting yourself into exhaustion." He continued to tug him down the hall to the room.

Ignoring his murmured protests, he pushed him onto the bed and stripped him of his clothes quickly and effectively, leaving no room for argument. Quickly undressing himself, he lay down beside him. "I have my own bed you know." He muttered as Arthur just wrapped him in his arms.

"Shut up, and just sleep, Merlin." He ordered softly.

They lay there in silence, but neither could find sleep. Merlin rolled over, looking at Arthur. "What have we gotten ourselves into?" He asked lowly.

"Nothing. They'll solve the case and then it will be fine." Arthur tried to reassure him.

"But what would have happened if we never found the body…and if we left Mordred here alone? If whoever is doing this found out about him, we would be helpless to stop him."

"Merlin, shut up. It doesn't matter if this might have happened or if that might have happened. Just focus on the now." He said softly, shaking him gently to get his point across.

"But–"

"No buts!" He stopped him from speaking with a kiss, as he pulled him flush against his chest. He could feel the tension in Merlin's body, the fear for the young druid making him tremble slightly. Pulling away with a growl, he attacked his neck, kissing and biting at him until Merlin could do nothing but hold on for dear life, small gasps seeping through closed lips.

A hand trailed lower, leaving streaks of warmth in their path. The tension was still there, but was being added to with the tension of holding himself back, trying to keep his voice from sounding out. Deciding to rectify that, he reached down further, and wrapped his hand around him, squeezing lightly. Merlin could do nothing but gasp aloud as pleasure shot through his veins.

Arthur pushed himself over the lithe male, caging him, shielding him with his body, holding him captive as he tortured him with his touch. Merlin just arched up into his touch, breath short and labored.

He interlocked their legs, canting his hips forward until they were pressed together, cocks touching. Grasping them both, he pulled, drawing a muted cry from him, making him writhe underneath him. Merlin seemed helpless against the onslaught, unable to stop him or his own hips from pressing forward into his fist.

He kissed him slowly, drawing his tongue into a heated battle as they continued to rut against each other and his hand. Merlin buried his hands in Arthur's hair, hips moving franticly as he neared his release.

Arthur goaded him on, grip tightening, kissing him breathless, his own release close. Merlin came with a cry, swallowed down as Arthur continued to kiss him. His body tensing up as he spilled himself between them, his muscles trembling.

Arthur continued moving, rutting against Merlin's now pliant body until his own release hit him. He buried his face into his neck, moaning low in his throat as he too spilled himself between their sweaty and sticky bodies.

They lay there, panting softly, the tension finally draining from Merlin's thin frame. Merlin dragged his face up to press trembling lips to his in a clumsy kiss. He smiled at him appreciatively, a knowing look in his eyes.

Moving to the side, he picked up one of their discarded shirts and wiped them down. He lay down next to him, holding him close. Holding his face, he forced him to look him in the eye. "We will protect him, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Do you understand?" He asked voice gravely.

Merlin nodded mutely, laying his head down on his shoulder and curling up along his side. They lay there, enjoying the post-orgasmic high until sleep finally dragged them down into its soft darkness.


The next two days saw them sitting around the cottage doing nothing. No new information was brought to them as the police continued their investigation. They left twice in those two days, both to meet up with Gwen and Morgana

Merlin spent most of the visits casting about with his magic, searching for any anomalies in the area. If there were any, they were too far away from him or hidden to sense.

The second night, they were just getting ready to eat when Arthur's phone went off. Glancing at it, Arthur gave a wary sigh and answered. He stood there listening, as whoever it was went off. Grimacing at the end, he said a soft, "Understood." and hung up.

He glanced up and saw eyes on him. Smiling wryly, he sat back down. "Uther's not pleased at how long it's taking 'these country bumpkins' to wrap up the case, his words not mine. He saying that he wants not just Morgana and Gwen, but us as well to get involved fully so as to wrap this case up."

"Alright, we'll go talk with Morgana and Gwen tomorrow. I'm assuming he told them as well?" Merlin asked, picking at his food.

He nodded. "And the police as well. Let's hope they don't take it too hard."


That night, like the one two nights before, they shared a bed, though they just lay there talking and nothing else. By eight, they had Mordred up and dressed and were pulling up in front of the hotel.

Morgana and Gwen were already ready and expecting them. They left soon after that and were waiting in the precinct for Officer Arrow to arrive.

When he did, he did with a black scowl on his face. Before he could say anything, Arthur was already talking. "We know, we know. Just ignore Uther's attitude. It's just the way he is. We're here to help in any way we can."

He nodded curtly and beckoned one of his officers over. "Officer Muirden here will keep an eye on the boy while we talk." The man in question was of middling height with short dirty blonde hair. What stood out the most was his face which bore scar tissue over half of his face, giving his mouth a slight droop. "Muirden, you will make sure nothing happens to the boy while he is here."

"Of course, sir. I think we may have some board games in the break room we can play on, or we can do something else, if you would like?" He asked Mordred. He eyed him for a moment before nodded cautiously. "Good. Right this way." He smiled brightly, holding out a hand for Mordred to take.

They walked off, Merlin following them with a slight frown on his face. "Officer Emrys." Arrow called. Shaking himself, he followed after into the conference room.


A few hours later and they hadn't gotten very far. The person struck randomly it seemed, never sticking to one area. The only common place was the lake and the woods surrounding it, where he always dumped the body.

Sighing in frustration, Merlin stood with a groan. He felt tension all through his back from sitting in an uncomfortable chair. "I'm going to go get something to drink and check in on Mordred. Which way is the break room?" He asked Arrow.

"Take a left, down the hall, fifth door on the right." Nodding, he left, following instructions to the room.

It was empty. "Maybe this is the wrong room. He looked in each one on either side. One was someone's office. The other a janitor's closet. Going back to the first room, he looked around. He spotted one of the board games they must have played. "Maybe they're walking around the place."

He turned and headed for the front desk of the place. The woman shook her head. They hadn't come this way. Worry causing his brow to furrow, he continued his search. He found one of the office's open, the room occupied. He asked again.

"Oh, Muirden. Yes, I saw him. He and a kid were headed out the back way to the parking lot about twenty minutes ago. Kid didn't look to well though." She said concern on her face.

Merlin thanked her before he walked back to the conference room. No one noticed him coming in except Arthur. "Merlin, what is it?"

The others finally looked up. "Officer Arrow, why would Muirden be taking Mordred to the parking lot out back?" He asked slowly, trying to keep the panic at bay.

"The parking lot? No idea. That's only where the officer's park their personal cars when their on duty."

"Where is his office?" He asked patiently.

"On the left. Two doors down. Why–"

Merlin didn't hear the rest. Just left the room and headed for his office. It was locked, but a burst of magic had it opening with ease. He stood there, hand clenching the door handle in a death grip as the aura of the room washed over him.

He could feel the malice choking the air, clogging it like scummy filth on its surface. Ignoring the creeping feeling as it brushed his skin; he pushed open the door all the way and stepped in. He heard Arthur behind him, but ignored him as he sought out the source of the malevolence.

He found himself in front of one of his filing cabinets. It, too, was locked, with more than just metal, but he wasn't letting that stop him. He opened it harshly with a dull clang and he peered inside. He found some bronze instruments, a carved wooden box…and in a shallow crystal bowl rested bloody strands of hair, wrapping around some sort of carved piece of wood.

He spun around, finally seeing the others gathered in the office. "I believe we've found your killer." He spat out, hands clinched into fists.


Gaius stood in his front yard, watering his flower beds as the sun rose. Pausing to wipe his forehead, he looked up as the sound of a car drew near. He watched it go by, noticing the small slumped figure buckled into the front seat. "Mordred?" He said softly, taking in the figure next to him.

He watched the car turn into one of the side roads that led to the old abandoned church near the lake. Setting the hose down, he turned the water off and went inside, pulling out his small cell phone and speed dialed the first number on his list.


Merlin glanced down at his phone and noticed the flashing light that indicated a message. Flipping it open, he scanned the small text message. "Arrow, do you know where the old church by the lake is?" He asked, looking in the back seat where Arrow, Morgana, and Gwen had crammed into. Half of the available force was headed for Edwin Muirden's home, half was searching with them and had split up to cover the city better.

"Yes, take this road for a few miles and then take a right. I'll point out the turn off." Nodding, Arthur sped up, face a mask of concentration.


"So I was found out, and by an old man no less." The man stood from his crouched position over an unconscious Mordred. "No, this is too funny. Gaius, the plant man." He laughed loudly, holding his side. Gaius just watched him warily, edging forwards into the long since empty church.

"Though I'm surprised you don't recognize me. I admit, there has been much change, but you should at least have recognized my aura."

"I never said I didn't, young man." Gaius drawled in a deprecating voice. Edwin scowled at him, clenching his hands into fists, an angry retort on his tongue. "I'm not surprised you would resort to this. After the fire that took your parents, you never were the same. So why are you amassing so much power?" He asked him.

"Why, to create a resurrection of course. You need power to create life." He smiled manically.

"And the druids are because…?"

"They refused to help me. I begged, pleaded with them to help me bring my parents back, but they refused. Said it was against the laws of nature and magic. That they would not soil their hands for one made man's crazed notions. Well I showed them."

"It is against nature. It will never work and if you were sane, you would know it."

"Shut up!" He screamed, sending his magic out like a whip, striking out in anger. A line of blood showed on his cheek, but he ignored it, focused on him.

"You leave me no choice." He drew up his powers, shoving with all his might at the man, muttering a spell under his breath. It barely even affected him.

He laughed again. "You're getting old, Gaius. That was just a gentle spring breeze. Now if you want power, I'll show you a raging summer thunder storm." He felt the magic swelling around them, pushing him, making his knees go weak and his old lungs labor to draw in a breath of air.

His words whipped out like the crack of a whip, and flames sprang into life around him, where he leaned against a wall for support. They drew in, sucking his air away and heating the area around him.


They came to a screeching halt, tires squealing in protest. Merlin didn't even wait, just rushed out of the car and ran up the crumbling, moss covered steps into the church. Putting his shoulder against the door, he shoved with all his strength, but something held it back.

Glaring at it, he stepped back and shoved with his magic, the door groaned in protest as two forces tried to move it from opposite sides. Giving a low hiss, he shoved harder and the door finally opened slowly. He slipped through the small opening and his magic let go. It shut with a thud that echoed dully in the open spaces of the church.

He could hear voices and pounding on the other side as the others finally made it to the door, but he ignored them. He had to face the man alone. It was gloomy where he stood, but further he could see flames rising up against the wall. He could just make out Gaius's slumped form.

Shifting to the right, he spotted Edwin, knelt over Mordred's small frame. He stalked forward, magic boiling just underneath his skin as his rage fueled it into greater heights.

He watched the man stand and come closer to where he stood. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." His hand came up, gun pointed straight at Merlin's chest. Merlin froze, glaring daggers at the man. "Good. Who would have thought someone as strong as you existed? After I'm finished with these two, maybe I'll go onto you next." He murmured to himself. The pounding on the door increased. "And you brought friends as well. How lovely."

"Let them go, Edwin and I won't hurt you." He said softly, trying to reason with him.

"Why should I? I've worked hard to get them. Their magic will just add to my own."

"They know it was you who killed the others. I found your little stash in the file cabinet." Merlin said softly.

"…You didn't." He said faintly.

Merlin reached into his pocket, pulling out a small evidence bag with the hair and wood in it. "One wrong move and it all goes up in smoke. All that hard work for nothing. All that power gone." Merlin threatened him.

Merlin blinked when the man just smiled. "That won't stop me. Because soon you'll be dead." His finger pressed down and the gun went off.

Merlin watched the bullet arch and spin towards him, time slowing down to a crawl. It stopped a few feet away, frozen in its deadly force. "I'm sorry, Edwin, but it's the only way." He pushed, ever so gently with his magic and the small bud of metal shifted, turned in its course. Then he released his hold on it. It shot back the way it came, aim true, to bury itself in-between his bulging brown eyes.

He collapsed in a small heap, the fire going out in an instant and the doors smashing open as the force holding them vanished. He ignored all of this as he rushed over to check on Mordred. He was out cold, probably some sort of sedative, but appeared unharmed.

The sound of running footsteps was coming closer and then Arthur was knelt down in front of them. "He's alright. Just sedated." Merlin reassured him as he held the boy up. He gave a soft sigh of relief and lay him back down in a more comfortable position.

"Good." Arthur's voice sounded rough. His hands gripped Merlin's upper arms and shook. "Are you crazy?" He yelled out. "You could have been killed, you stupid idiot." He was pulled roughly into an embrace and he could feel Arthur shaking under him.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't thinking. I won't do it again." He promised, resting his forehead against his shoulder.

"Why don't you take them home for now? I've radioed in for the rest of the search party and they should be here in a few minutes. We'll call you if we need anything and get your statements later." Arthur nodded and went over to help Gaius stand while Merlin picked up the limp druid.


It took a few hours before Mordred woke up, but they were happy to see it. Gaius had a few small burns, but he just brushed off any help and used his own medicines to help treat it.

They had a simple dinner and went to bed early that night, too tired to do much else. Merlin sat next to Mordred until the boy finally went to asleep, hand clasped tightly in his smaller one.

Pulling away, he tucked him in and left, flicking the nightlight on in case he woke during the night. Trudging down the hall, he slipped into their room and slowly started to undress. When he turned back, Arthur was sitting up in bed, watching his every move.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"Come here." Arthur just said quietly, holding his arms open for Merlin. He crawled onto the bed and let Arthur hold onto him. He was still shaking, muscles trembling as his arms tightened around him. "I thought for a moment that I'd lost you. All we heard was the gun go off and…jeez, I don't know what I felt, but I didn't like it." He buried his face into his neck, holding on tight.

"Shh, Arthur. It's alright. I'm right here, unharmed. I'm sorry for scaring you so. I wasn't thinking straight. I was just so focused on getting to Mordred…I should have realized sooner what Edwin was. God, I'm so stupid."

He felt Arthur snort against his neck. "If Morgana were here, she'd tell us we were being a couple of sissies, you know that right?"

Merlin grinned. "Well she's not here, so no need to worry."

Arthur nodded, pulling back. He leaned in, and pressed a light kiss to his nose, eyelids, cheeks, and finally his lips. It was just a simple kiss, but it didn't take long to deepen. He felt something in his chest clench, guilt for causing this hurt to Arthur.

That had him reevaluating the feeling. When had it gotten this far? When had their relationship changed so much? And why did he want more of this? It was confusing to say the least, so he pushed it to the back of his mind, setting it aside for another day, another moment to think since Arthur was making it hard to do that right now.

They pulled apart short of breath. Arthur lay back down, pulling Merlin with him. Snuggling up to him, he lay his head down on his shoulder, tucking himself up under his chin. Arthur just pulled him closer, one hand wrapped around his waist, the other resting against his chest over his heart, feeling the beat there. The sure sign of life beneath his fingertips.

Case 2. End.