Merlin slowly came round and found himself in the little sunken in area, lying on the hard bench. "Arthur?" Someone swam into his vision, and Merlin recognised it as Jack.

"Merlin"

Merlin was suddenly fully awake. "What did you do to me?" He sat up and his stomach heaved. Jack grabbed a bucket and held it under Merlin's mouth whilst he threw up. When he had finished, Jack handed him a wad of tissues and let Merlin wipe round his mouth with them.

"That's just the anaesthetic, it can have that effect. Take it slow for now and you'll be fine" Jack sat on the bench next to Merlin. "We had to knock you out because you were getting a little dangerous, and we needed to find out what you are."

"How? What did you do?"

"We took some blood samples, scanned you, and checked cerebral activity and reflexes etcetera."

"How do you do all that?"

"We have the technology"

"The what?"

"Technology, I suppose it would be equipment to you."

"And what did you find? Am I a monster? Gaius said I wasn't to think that but…" Merlin's voice trailed away. He missed Gaius and his wise guidance, he needed it right now. He looked up into jack's face. "You think I'm a monster, don't you."

"No, no you're not a monster, don't think that, you're….you're special." Jack put an arm around Merlin.

"You said I wasn't human." Merlin pulled his legs up and rested his hands on his knees. "You said what I did wasn't human. You were right, it was-" He stopped himself, he couldn't tell anyone about his magic, he just couldn't trust them.

"It was what? We need to know, Merlin."

"I can't, Uther will have me killed"

"Uther?"

"The King"

"We won't say a thing" Jack looked into Merlin's eyes. "I promise. You can trust me, my team; they trust me with their lives every day."

"He's right" Owen came down into the medical area and handed Jack a mug of coffee. Jack nodded. "I trusted Jack from the day I joined Torchwood." Owen sat on his other side. "I'm Owen by the way" He smiled and extended a hand.

Merlin gingerly shook it. "I'm Merlin."

"Nice to meet you, Merlin." Owen got up. "Sorry about the whole testing thing earlier. It had to be done."

Merlin just nodded and Owen left the medical area. Merlin yawned.

"You should get some rest" Jack went to a cupboard and pulled out a pillow and blanket. "Here, the bench isn't all that comfy but it'll do for now."

"Thank you" Merlin lay down and put his head on the pillow. Jack put the blanket over him.

"It's okay, you need to rest." Jack smiled and Merlin closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

"Still no sign of him?" Gaius stood in his chambers, half heartedly mixing something with a pestle and mortar.

"No, I've searched where I could, and kept an eye open for him, but he's nowhere."

"How long has it been?" Gaius looked at Arthur, and Arthur couldn't help noticing more lines had formed on the physician's face.

"Two days" Arthur sat down heavily on the seat Merlin had used. "I'll tell father soon. Somebody has to know he's missing, even if he is just a servant."

"He's more than just that to you" Gaius looked back up at Arthur, a small twinkle in his eye.

"What!"

"Nothing gets past me, boy! I know he means a lot to you, and he means a lot to me too, even if he is a bit clumsy."

Arthur smiled. "Clumsy, stupid, sometimes lazy, but he's something quite extra ordinary, something about him that I just cant put my finger on."

"That's Merlin." Gaius sat down and rested his head in his hands. Arthur moved closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll find him, Gaius"

Gaius looked up. "But how? He could be anywhere by now" he sighed and lowered his voice. "He could be….dead."

"No! Don't say that!" Arthur looked into Gaius' eyes. "I know he's not dead"

"How could anybody know?"

"I don't know, but I just know he isn't, he can't be." But the idea had planted seeds of doubt and dread in Arthur's mind. "Don't loose hope, Gaius."

"What else can I do?"

"Keep hoping. I'll inform father now and search again." Arthur got up to leave and stood in the doorway. "I'll find him." He repeated softly and left.

Arthur sighed as he stood before his father, the royal court assembled around him.

"Arthur, what is it that you want?" Uther said it in a rather disinterested way.

"I'm reporting someone missing, father."

Uther sat up and looked squarely into Arthur's eyes. "Who? Who is missing?"

"My manservant, Merlin. He's been missing for nearly a week and a half now. I fear him dead."

"Is this true, Gaius? Is Merlin missing?" Uther turned and his eyes bore down onto the old physician.

"It is, my lord. He disappeared on Wednesday evening running an errand and didn't return."

"I see." Uther returned his gaze to Arthur. "And why does this worry you so much?"

"As I said, I fear him dead. But I also fear sorcery had something to do with the disappearance."

Uther's back straightened. "Why do you think this?"

Arthur's shoulders dropped. "I…I don't know, I just have a feeling."

"I see" Uther looked round the court, and his eyes rested on Gaius for a minute or so. "I wish to speak to my son alone" He nodded to the court. "Court dismissed."

Merlin woke up and forgot where he was. In a panic, he scrambled backwards and fell off the bench with a hard thud. "Ow!" he cried out.

"Merlin!" someone's feet came into his view and he was being helped up. He looked up into a face he didn't recognise.

"Who…" Merlin wobbled slightly and he was caught.

"Whoa, steady yourself." The man spoke with an accent that Merlin found a little difficult to understand. "I'm Ianto" He smiled and steered Merlin out of the medical centre and towards a small cosy looking sofa. "Sit there and I'll fix you up some coffee."

Merlin had no idea what coffee was, but he sat down anyway. Several minutes later, Ianto returned, expertly balancing a tray with two steaming mugs and a plate of biscuits. He set the tray down on the low coffee table and handed Merlin a mug. "Help yourself to biscuits."

Merlin sniffed the mug. "What's this?"

Ianto looked at him. "Coffee"

"What's that?" Merlin sniffed it again. It had a rich tangy scent.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes"

"You haven't heard of coffee?"

"No" Merlin drank some. It had a bitter taste that was strangely nice. "It's nice." He smiled and drank some more.

"Jack!" Ianto called across to the Captain. Jack turned and came over.

"What is it, Ianto?" Jack smiled at Merlin. "I see Ianto got you coffee. I was wondering how long that would take."

"Jack, Merlin here hasn't heard of coffee!"

"Really?" Jack looked down at him. "You poor thing, I don't think I could really live without coffee."

"I like it" Merlin said in a small voice.

"Who doesn't?" Jack smiled and ruffled Merlin's hair. He turned towards the hub and made his way back down to Tosh's workstation, chuckling under his breath.

"So, Merlin, how did you get here?"

"I don't know…I don't really remember much. Just…falling."

"Sounds scary"

"It was, this place is scary. At first I thought I was dead, but now I'm not so sure."

"No, you're not dead. How you got here is a bit difficult to explain."

"Was it magic?"

"No, there's this…rift. It's more of a rip in the fabric of time, and you fell through it."

"What? How does that work?"

"We don't know ourselves, we just control what comes through."

Merlin stared into his coffee for a long few minutes before looking up at Ianto. "Will I be able to get home?"

"We're trying to find a way"

"Gaius will be worried sick, and so will Arthur." Merlin put his coffee down on the table. "I have to go home."

"We know, we're trying, Merlin. For now we'll look after you here and make sure you're safe until we can somehow get you home."

"I miss Camelot" Merlin picked up his coffee and sighed. "I miss Arthur."

"So, who is this Arthur?"

"The prince. It's supposed to be my destiny to protect him. I'm his manservant."

"I see." Merlin spotted a flash of recognition in Ianto's eyes for just a millisecond and opened his mouth to speak. "I'd better go and sort some food out. Its takeaway night. You like Chinese?"

"Never heard of it"

"God, you've never heard of Coffee, or Chinese? I suppose that's not your fault though. You'll find out later the wonder that is Chinese food." Ianto picked up his mug and Merlin drained his and gave it to him.

"Thanks for the coffee."

"It's okay" Ianto picked up the tray and carried it away, Merlin watching.

He looked up to the cavernous roof and tried to imagine the sky above it, and imagined the same sky over Camelot. "I don't belong here." He murmured and sighed and wondered whether he would belong anywhere. He lived in Camelot, and was linked to it through his destiny, but did he really belong there? In a place where magic was punishable by death. But Camelot was where Arthur belonged, where Merlin should be.

"Arthur, why are you so worried about your manservant?" Uther stood face to face with his son.

"I fear magic and sorcery are involved in his disappearance, and that his may be the first of many."

"Have you not considered him simply running away?"

"Yes, and there's nothing suggesting that. His belongings are still with Gaius"

"I see" Uther sighed. "Can't you just get another manservant?"

"No" Arthur's face was set rigid. "I promised Gaius I would find him."

"I'm forbidding you"

"Father? Why?"

"Don't question me!"

Arthur stepped right up to his father. "Merlin saved my life, the best I can do for him is to try to save him. I fear he's in mortal danger."

"And so will you if you leave." Uther put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You're my only son. I can't lose you."

"You won't. I have to go."

"I've nearly lost you once already; I can't go through that again." Uther looked deep into Arthur's eyes. "You aren't going."

Arthur pulled away. "Doors" he called. The doors opened, manned by two armed guards. He ran to them and paused in the doorway. "I will find him, and you can't stop me!"