A/N: I am so sorry that it took so long for me to upload this, but I have been having a few issues at school and I guess I let the stress get to me. From now on I'll try to not take so many days to put the next part up. I'm going to try and get to around fifteen chapters, so just hang in there. Thanks to all of you who still continue to show you support. This chapter is my longest yet to make up for being late on my update.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the show Merlin, if it did belong to me, there would have been more seasons in which Merlin and Arthur would have been made canon.

Chapter 7: Back to Reality

Time Jump: 2 months later

Arthur was getting quite used to being roused from his sleep by the incessant prodding of one Merlin Emrys' fingers. Arthur had early on given Merlin a key to his flat so that he wouldn't have to bother with formalities such as a door. Truthfully, Arthur enjoyed waking up to see Merlin's astonishing blue eyes above him, although it usually led to him practically having to run and lock himself up in his bathroom so that he could deal with a certain 'problem' that sprung up almost at the mere mention of Merlin's name.

On this one occasion it seemed that something else had woken Arthur up. It took a moment for Arthur to realize what it was that had woken him, and when he realized it had been someone knocking at the door he turned to look at his alarm clock in puzzlement. It was a half an hour earlier than Merlin usually woke him, so who was it that was at the door? Arthur pulled on a shirt that was on the floor next to his bed as he stood to answer the door.

Arthur looked out through his peephole and could already feel himself groaning internally. Morgana. She had gone on a mission to a remote location in Africa that she had disclosed to no one and had said she would return in six months. It had barely been four. What had brought her back so early; Morgana was not one to let small occurrences disrupt her goodwill work. Arthur knew that the only reason that she would be back was if something major had happened, so suppressing the urge to run and hide underneath his covers, he opened the door to his apartment.

When Morgana glanced up through her lashes at Arthur, he knew that he could never actually deny his half-sister anything. Morgana sidestepped him to get into his apartment and when she passed close to Arthur, Arthur could have sworn he had heard her sniffling. What had happened that would make Morgana, a woman that never cried not even when she had lost her sister, cry?

When Arthur turned his attention back to Morgana, he noticed that she had already taken a seat in her usual place at the end of his comfiest couch, an ivy colored one that made you want to melt into the back of it. Arthur took his normal seat sitting next to her right arm. He held out a hand to her and she gladly grasped it with both of hers. Arthur tried not to show just how badly Morgana's display of emotions was getting to him but it seemed that he was failing for Morgana sent a playful grin in his direction at seeing him begin to tear up.

"Morgana, what happened?" Arthur had begun to think that maybe not that much had happened if Morgana was still able to smile about it.

"Arthur, do you remember Percival?" Arthur remembered Percival, he was Morgana's boyfriend, or at least the last time he had checked up on her anyway. What could Percival have to do with this?

"Morgana. If he did something to you so help me I will tear him limb from limb!"

"No Arthur it is nothing like that I just want to explain something to you and I felt I had to start from the beginning." Arthur patiently waited for her to begin her story and once Morgana realized this she took a deep shuddering breath and began.

"When I went to Africa, Percival came with me, but while we were there we began to grow apart and, we both fell in love with other people. He had found this orphaned young woman named Lamia and they hit it off right from the start. I however fell in love with the project's supervisor. His name was Aggravaine. Percival and I split up soon after we realized we weren't in love with one another anymore but it still sort of hurt, we had been good friends before we got together after all. Well anyways, a week a go, Aggravaine got a call from the local police and he never came back. I tried going out to find him but I didn't even know where to begin so I decided to wait for his return, after of course filing a missing person's report."

By this point in her story, Morgana's tears were falling with greater intensity and at an alarming rate. Arthur thought he knew what had happened to Aggravaine if this was how his sister was reacting, but he waited for her to tell him. Morgana sniffled trying to clear her throat and then continued to tell her story.

"Two days ago, I got a call from the police asking me to go in to identify a body that they had found. When I got to the station I kept repeating to myself that it couldn't be him but I just knew that there was no other explanation for his disappearance. It was him, Arthur, he looked so peaceful, if I hadn't known better I would have just assumed he was sleeping. Apparently he had been shot in the chest and mugged on his way back to our home. The thieves threw his body in a dump, which is why it took them so long to find him. Why Arthur? Why does the world hate me so much that they had to do this to me? They had to take away the father of my child!"

Arthur was left speechless as he tried to process all that his sister had just told him. Her boyfriend had died leaving her alone and pregnant? Arthur leaned over and took Morgana in his arms and hugged her to him. He held her there for what seemed an eternity until he felt her breathing even out. He looked down to see that Morgana had tired herself out from the emotion and was now sleeping fitfully on top of him. He leaned down carefully and wrapped an arm around the back of Morgana's knees and lifted himself and her up off the couch. Arthur walked over to the guest room in his apartment and settled Morgana into the bed under the covers. It seemed that he wouldn't be going to work today.

Arthur was thinking of all the things that he would need to have moved around in his schedule to allow for a day off when he heard the telltale noises of someone unlocking the door. He looked over at the alarm clock to see that it must be Merlin coming to wake him up. Arthur stood up and walked out of the room and straight into Merlin.

"Hey Merlin. I need you to reschedule all of my meetings for today, I'm afraid I have a very urgent matter that I need to deal with here so I won't be able to make it in to work." Arthur had been whispering the whole time and it seemed Merlin was about to question it when Arthur put a hand on his mouth in a signal for him to keep it down.

"What is going on Arthur? I can't just let you take off a whole day! What am I supposed to tell your father?"

Arthur was deep in thought when he heard slight noises coming from the room behind him. He steered Merlin in to the living room and sat him down on the same couch that Morgana and he had only minutes before vacated. Arthur was lost in thought for a few more moments before coming up with a solution. It would have to do, because obviously Morgana knew what would happen if Uther were to find out about the baby.

"Merlin, I am going to tell you a secret but you must not tell Uther. It is too early for him to find out, he must not know until it is too late for anything to be done. My sister Morgana has returned from Africa."

At this Merlin looked confused before saying, "How is that a bad thing? Why shouldn't Uther find out?"

"Will you let me finish talking before interrupting me for once!" When Merlin made no move to continue, Arthur sank back into the cushions of the couch and turned his whole body so that he was facing Merlin.

"Okay, what you mustn't tell Uther is that Morgana is with child. Her boyfriend has passed and I know Uther would most likely make her get an abortion. I never got to meet her boyfriend but from how she talks about him I know that she loved him deeply. She would not want to get rid of the baby. We have to help Morgana conceal this from my father and I need your help."

Arthur was darting anxious glances at Merlin while he waited for his response. After around a minute, it seemed that Merlin had finally made up his mind.

"I'll help, after all, she is carrying my employer's niece or nephew inside of her. I'll do anything I can to help and keep her pregnancy a secret from Uther for as long as possible."

Arthur, without fully thinking things through jumped on Merlin, happy that he could always count on him to never let him down. Arthur reluctantly released Merlin, still keeping hold of both of his shoulders.

"Thank You Merlin, I don't know what I would have done with no one to help me and Morgana through this." It was said with such sincerity that Merlin leaned in for another hug.

What neither of them realized that Morgana had come out of her room five minutes earlier and thus witnessed the whole conversation all the while thinking, 'now I have something that will keep my brain occupied.' Both men had no idea what they had coming to them. Morgana smiled evilly at the pair still locked in an embrace on the couch and turned to go back into her room.