Chapter 4

Well she'd gotten herself into quite a tight spot this time. Morgana yanked her arm to escape the tight grip Merlin had on her wrist, but it was to no avail. She smoothed her dress with her free hand as she got control of her emotions. Really, how could she have been so careless? She had feared that Merlin tackling her at the end of her spell might have meant that he'd be affected as well, but for her to blow her cover so early in the game was a crying shame.

"I'm going to ask you one last time, Morgana," He spat out her name like it was poison. "What have you done?"

"Or what, Merlin? You'll polish my silver to death? I admit that your involvement in this latest…well scheme of mine is less than ideal, but seeing as your skill set is limited to being a servant, and a lousy one at that, I suggest that you release me. You're no match for me," Morgana raised her head confidently looking him in the eye. What she saw there frightened her a little. There was a confidence and prowess right there, just beneath the surface, making her wonder who was really in control of this situation.

He leaned in pushing her back against the door. A shiver crawled up her spine. His eyes flashed anger and he lowered his head so they were eye to eye. "Don't play games with me, Morgana. Did you hurt anyone?" He stared at her intently awaiting her answer. She noticed the way he said her name again. Poison. Like it was utterly despicable. She made a mental note to work on his perception of her.

"No," she sneered. She looked over him and added "Well not yet anyway. Now be a good boy and let go of me before I start screaming. In case you didn't notice, we've traveled to the past and in this time, if memory serves, Uther doesn't take kindly to young men pressing their bodies against me and making threats."

A blush crept into Merlin's cheeks as he let go and hastily took a step back. She smiled her Cheshire smirk as the tables of control turned in her favor once more. She trailed her hand over his chest and shoulders as she circled around him predatorily.

"Merlin the ever loyal servant. Well since you're here I suppose we can have a bit of fun, but I'm afraid I can't reveal my plan just yet. No that would be no fun at all." Her hand lingered on his chest as she faltered for a second, a mix of the tolls of time traveling and her current proximity to a man that never ceased to intrigue her, were waying down on her.

She caught Merlin's gaze on her hand now resting on his heart. He made no move to push her away. She could feel his heart beating at a disturbingly normal rate in comparison to the rapid fire her heart was doing.

"Well I think I can guess….hmmm you've retained all the knowledge of the future so I'm guessing you're here to kill Uther….for a second time….and kill Arthur as well. Maybe save Morgause too? Keep in mind I'm just spitting out ideas, it's not that you're totally predictable," Merlin's clear display of boredom aggravated her greatly.

What did this stupid boy know about her? He thought he had her all figured out. Hah! The jokes on him because that wasn't even remotely her plan. She grabbed his chin in her hand roughly, only slightly aware that her nails were scraping his skin.

"How dare you presume to know my motives! You are nothing! You shouldn't even be here….YOU'RE RUINING EVERYTHING!" She realized she'd screamed at him after the deed was done. Her flushed cheeks and heaving chest revealed how angry she was. She lowered her voice to a raspy whisper, "This is not an expedition of revenge or retribution. It's a quest for a second chance." She looked away to hide the emotion threatening to surface. "You wouldn't understand."

She turned away from him, cursing herself for showing weakness. She'd never understand why Merlin always drew out what she wanted to keep hidden. She felt his hand on her shoulder whirling her around and suddenly, his lips were covering hers. Morgana was dumbstruck, at a loss. But as he moved his lips against hers, hungry and impassioned, and dug his rough fingers into her hair, she found herself kissing him back. When her brain caught up, she took control of the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth, eliciting a gratifying moan from Merlin. She bit his lip, harder than she should have perhaps but the bastard couldn't just kiss her and expect to get off easy.

She pushed him off, both of them panting. She had half a mind to slap him, but the other half wanted to push him onto the floor and see what he was capable of. They stared at each other, both flushed and both gasping for air. Morgana didn't have to look down to know that she'd gotten a reaction out of him. The door flinging open snapped them out of their daze.

"Milady! There you are- oh sorry….Merlin what are you doing here?" Gwen confusedly inquired.

"I was just leaving." Merlin snapped. His voice was husky still. And as suddenly as the kiss had happened, he was gone. Leaving behind two very confused women, though Morgana wasn't sure which one of them was more perplexed.

A/N Thank you all for the support! I won't be able to update again until Monday, but hopefully this will be a good tide over until then. I tried not to leave it at quite as dramatic of a cliffhanger. :) If you have any ideas of where you want to see the story go or how I could improve or anything, please share!