This fic is coming along slowly but surely! Thanks to my betas TARDIStraveler and Meg, and everyone who's sent supporting reviews on the last three chapters.

If you're interested, I do post previews of each chapter on my blog on Tumblr: dawnbently. tumblr. com

"How do we know you're not trying to kill us?" Gwaine asked, voice defensive, eyes narrowed. He was seated in the passenger seat of the car Morgana had rented from the airport after Merlin conveniently did not appear to pick them up after their flight ended. Not that he'd believe her that she'd rented it. Of course, he was also convinced she was on Interpol's watch list—which she was, but under an alias and for entirely legitimate reasons.

"Because if I was," Morgana started, then paused to jerk the steering wheel violently. The car pulled over into the next lane so fast that the three men in the car were thrown to the side, but the honks from outside the car were louder than their protest. The engine roared louder when Morgana pressed into the gas even more and sped up to pass three cars in the right lane before she jerked back into the lane, narrowly missing an accident with another car in front of her. "I'd have already killed you," she finished finally.

"I think you're trying to make it look accidental," Leon put in from the back seat. Morgana grinned at him through the rearview mirror, keeping her eyes off the road for longer than any of the three cared for.

"Am I?" she asked as she leisurely shifted her eyes back to the road and continued driving in a manner they'd all deemed reckless.

"Yeah, in a car accident," Leon replied, and Morgana laughed. She shook her head as she shifted her hand to the center top of the steering wheel, using her free hand to fiddle with the radio. When Gwaine tried to intervene, she knocked his hand out of the way and continued to push buttons and twist dials on the radio face at her pleasure. When she found a station to her liking, she reached for her phone in the cup holder and used the same free hand to locate Merlin's phone number.

"Watch the road!" Percival yelled at the same time Gwaine said the same thing in other words.

"You used to be Knights, you know," she chided them as she started the call and pushed the phone up to her ear. Groaning when it went straight to voice mail, she chucked the useless device into the backseat, ignoring Percival when he complained that she struck him in the knee. "You'd best start acting like it or you won't need me to get yourselves killed."

"If you told us what's going on-"

"I apparently didn't need to," Morgana snapped before Leon could finish. "Considering how the three of you did just get on a plane to fly across the world with someone you don't even trust to drive," she explained, her voice far too victorious and condescending all at once for any of the three men's tastes. They'd finally realized the losing battle they were fighting and opted to remain silent, prompting Morgana to turn up the music to the volume she preferred it to be at. It was an optimal noise level that completely canceled out the sounds of the men's bickering as well as the honks of the other drivers who, in her opinion, needed to learn how to drive like they meant it.

The drive to Penn Hall took an hour despite the fact it should've taken at least an hour and a half. Upon pulling up to the house, Morgana turned down the volume of the music and took a deep breath as she peered out the front window at the tall imposing building. She'd not been to Penn Hall in quite some time, and it struck her how successful Merlin had been in channeling Camelot when he reconstructed the building's outer architecture.

When a hand touched her arm, she instinctively twisted it around to grab the offending wrist in a tight grip and twist it upward. "Morgana! Morgana!" Merlin yelled as he immediately went down to his knees under the unnatural strain she'd put on his wrist out of sheer habit. She released him immediately, her eyes flickering up to where the three Knights she'd traveled with, plus Arthur and Elyan, were standing near the front door of the house. Arthur had taken steps forward but stopped when Merlin put up a hand that he was ok.

"Sorry," Morgana said softly enough that only he could hear her.

"We need to go shopping," Merlin said simply as he got back to his feet and rubbed his wrist to will away the pain. "And they're not ready to talk to you just yet," he added, voice lower than usual as he leaned down to put his head in the window. Morgana raised an eyebrow as she looked to him, well aware that they were being closely watched.

"You didn't talk to them?"

"Not really," he admitted. "I wanted to do it all at once," he explained, then turned his head to see Lance and Gwen had appeared in the doorway as well. Not one of the seven standing there had a favorable expression on their face. "But I don't know what to say," he added eyes still on the seven.

"Get in," she told him, and he nodded as he stood up straight and moved to walk around to the other side of the car. Gwaine and Leon had already gotten all the bags out of the trunk and had them set on the ground near the front steps of the house.

"We'll be back in an hour. We're going to get some food and supplies," Merlin told them, stopping when Arthur took another two steps forward to block Merlin's way.

"Merlin, you promised that you would explain."

"And I will," Merlin replied as he held Arthur's gaze. "I just need an hour, alright?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow at Arthur. The blonde drew in a deep breath as he turned and met Morgana's gaze. Morgana's eyes were cold and defensive, but Merlin knew she would not be the one to open up to the seven. It would have to be the seven to accept her, and Merlin recognized that would be the more difficult path but the necessary one. Arthur sighed heavily as he took a step back and let Merlin pass.

"And if she kills you?" Arthur asked as Merlin opened the passenger door.

"Oh, I don't think she will," Elyan said from the steps, lips pulled up in a grin, voice that of someone highly amused with themselves. Morgana glared as she looked to Elyan then turned her head to Merlin, expecting an answer. Merlin just shut his eyes and shook his head, and Morgana rolled her eyes. Without warning, she shifted the car into reverse, pressed on the gas, and shocked Merlin into the present.

"Morgana, no!" he yelled as she turned the wheel sharply and shifted into drive before the car had even stopped. "We are not professional drivers, and you're going to get us killed," he protested, but Morgana's laughter was the last thing the knights and Gwen heard as the car sped off down the gravel driveway. When they reached the dirt road, Morgana slowed down, though only by a fraction. Merlin didn't bother telling her where to go, even when she turned right, which led further into the nothingness of the countryside, rather than left to go into the city. The further away they drove from Penn Hall, the slower Morgana started to drive until she founded a large oak tree growing off the side of the road and pulled over to park beneath its shade. As she shifted the car into park, she turned towards Merlin.

"We have to tell them the truth," Merlin started as he met her gaze.

"We'll tell them only what's strictly necessary," she replied, voice still hard and determined even if Merlin was the only one to hear it.

"Whose decision is it what's necessary and what isn't?" he questioned, and Morgana huffed as she turned forward and started out of the front window.

"Ours, obviously, Merlin, considering we know what's going on, and what isn't."

"And they have no right to the truth, then?"

"They don't need to know the entire truth," she replied sharply and turned to him to raise an eyebrow in an effort to emphasis her point. "Some things are entirely inconsequential, and those things should be kept from them at all costs."

"At all costs? And what things, Morgana? Things like Morgause is reaching too far or things like you like to fall into bed with me when you get too drunk?"

Morgana said nothing as her fingers tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. Merlin let the silence linger as he turned away from her as well. They'd never had a real conversation about their relationship, and after so many years, he was letting those things bubble to the surface even if she was right. They were inconsequential, and in terms of what they needed to do, unimportant for the knights to know.

"I wasn't always drunk, Merlin," Morgana replied finally when her grip on the steering wheel loosened. Her gaze was still focused out on the scene in front of her, as was Merlin's. "Don't sell yourself too short."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Don't get used to it."

"Oh, who would, with you around?" he replied. Morgana actually smiled and let out a breath of a laugh as she shook her head. When she trusted herself enough, she turned to look at Merlin, and when he noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye, did the same. "I am assuming that this little mission of ours isn't going to change anything."

"No, not particularly," she admitted. Merlin nodded slowly as he turned away from her again. She shut her eyes just to avoid seeing the hurt in his eyes, knowing that she was the one to put it there. Never had she ever admitted it aloud, but it always hurt whenever Merlin hurt, but he'd never forced her to say it, to make it real. "It'll just get complicated if we-"

"Complicated?" Merlin repeated as he forced himself to keep his eyes forward. He knew how vulnerable Morgana could feel if under another's gaze. "You think this isn't already complicated? And it doesn't have to be, if you didn't let it. It's not that complicated, really. Arthur and Gwen-"

"Are nothing like us- this," she replied sharply, taking in a deep breath as she shook her head. "Arthur and Gwen have a different kind of…"

"Relationship," Merlin said, finally unable to avoid looking at her. As soon as he turned towards her, she turned away. "Humans call these interpersonal connections of a romantic nature relationships."

Morgana gritted her teeth as she forced her eyes to stay forward. She could feel the anger and disappointment and overall desire radiating from Merlin, and it was hard to block all that out when she battling all of that on her own as it already was. "How could you call whatever the hell this is a relationship?" she questioned finally. She gave up and turned to him, only to find his eyes narrowed at her rather defensively.

"Humans don't have a word for two thousand year old interpersonal connections-"

"Shut up," she snapped at him as she started the car and shifted it into drive rather carelessly.

"There's a ledge in front and you're going to-" Merlin stopped and groaned when Morgana went forward instead of backing out to leave the space the way she'd gotten there. The sound of the back bumper striking the ledge was loud and echoing within the car, but Morgan drove on like nothing had happened. "I'm paying for that, aren't I?"

"I used your credit card to rent it," Morgana admitted.

"How did you even get my credit card?" he questioned.

"Stole it from your apartment when you were changing."

Merlin would've been annoyed that she'd done such a thing, but he mostly blamed himself for leaving himself open to such a crime. Really, he should've been less in awe of seeing her again, and more sensible in picking up everything she could want to steal and taking it with him everywhere he went when she was in the apartment.

"Go into the city. We need to stock up on everything to feed nine people," he said eventually. Morgana laughed, able to discern his stance on her kleptomaniac tendencies.