Hello! This is a happy chapter – as in, it will make a lot of you happy. Happier than the last one. But take note, reader, for storm clouds are approaching...so I thought I would let you have this chapter.

Enjoy! And please please please review, I would love to get fifty after chapter ten – which probably isn't going to happen but oh well!

And that reminds me. I got so excited that I was actually near chapter ten that I created a book cover for this fic, and I will put it up with the tenth chapter. And it was so much fun that if anyone wants a book cover feel free to PM me!

Thanks again to my trinity of loyal reviewers – TimelordinCamelot, RenaissanceBookLover and Grayember13. You guys are the awesomesauce on my awesomepasta. Wow that failed. But seriously I love you guys. And Shelle-ma-belle! You're back!

They lay together for what felt like hours afterwards, their legs entangled, their foreheads pressed together gently. Merlin could smell her hair. It smelt like Dove shampoo, mixed with that warm, comforting scent that you can't quite describe, but makes you giddy with love. He wrapped his arms around her body, encircling her and she kissed him again, softly and lovingly. Morgana shivered as she nestled closer to Merlin, the cold autumn breeze creeping through her window, which they had forgotten to shut in the...heat of the moment. His hands cupped her face, stroking her cheekbones. He frowned.

"Are you crying?" Morgana looked bewildered as she put her hand to her face, feeling the tear tracks.

"I am. Why am I crying?" Merlin nudged her.

"Was I that bad?" Her laugh was delicate and quiet as she propped herself up on her elbow to look at him, tracing patterns on his chest and looking deep in to the swirling azure mass of his irises.

"I love you Merlin Ambrose, you know that?" Merlin smiled warmly as their lips met yet again, her bare legs wrapping themselves around his middle.

"As I love you, Morgana Lefay." Morgana frowned.

"Why did it take us so long to say that?"

"We've only had a couple of months..."

"No, it's taken us longer." Merlin looked at her worriedly.

"Morgana, are you OK?" She brushed her thoughts off with a shake of her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. It just feels as if this was a long time coming." Merlin smiled, kissing her hair and whispering in to it,

"That it was, sweetheart. But we understand it now. You were right, Morgana; you often are. We must choose to believe in it. And I do, I see it with my own eyes and it is almost tangible – I believe in it!" He cried out the last part, and Morgana shushed him with a giggle. He kissed her again – and then he couldn't stop kissing her, and decided that any speech should be short and between kisses.

"So – my darling – what do we do now?" The last kiss held on for longer, their lips and tongues entwined as he pulled her legs further around him, like a cape. She broke off from him and he pouted, giving her his puppy dog eyes. She considered the question.

"Do? Why we..." she was interrupted as Merlin kissed her again, and she tried to get words out against his lips.

"We go out for coffee." Merlin raised his eyebrows and checked his watch.

"It's half one." Morgana's eyes widened.

"It can't be!" Merlin's stomach rumbled in answer, and she sighed.

"Well, I suppose we had better get up." Merlin moaned.

"Do we have to? Who needs food – I reckon we've got a good two days before we actually have to hydrate." She giggled and pushed him off, getting up and opening her wardrobe.

"You came so early, I didn't even have time to put on anything nice."

"I don't think you need to put on anything to look nice," Merlin said cheekily, and Morgana swatted at him. She blushed though, and he considered that a small victory as he climbed out of bed and began to run his lips up her neck and down her shoulder, pausing in that place that he knew would drive her wild.

"I need to get dressed."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do and I need to make you some lunch." Merlin's stomach rumbled and he acquiesced, though not before turning her around and placing a soft kiss on her lips. She sighed in response, and pushed him back on to the bed. "Now get dressed. You'll catch a cold."

Merlin emerged from the bedroom; in the check shirt and jumper he had put on that morning. Morgana had told him to heat up the oven whilst she fixed her make up, and whilst it had taken her seven attempts, (Merlin had many inventive ways of distracting her,) she eventually got him out of the room. Making his way to the kitchen, he was met by a shirtless man with long hair and rugged, manly looks, who was flashing him a devilish smile.

"Morning." Merlin flushed beetroot red.

"Um, hi – look sorry about that."

"Oh it's alright, I brought keys with me this time. Anyway, God knows something needed to happen between you two."

"Ken, what are you doing?" This came from Morgana, standing in the doorway and now fully dressed. "Put a shirt on for God's sake." Ken raised one eyebrow.

"That's rich, considering what you two have just been doing." Now it was Morgana's turn to flush, looking up at him with loathing in her eyes.

"That is...it's not like we're – oh shut up Ken." He broke in to fits of laughter, clapping Merlin on the back. Merlin catapulted forward, saving himself from face planting spectacularly by grabbing on to a chair.

"I'm going out to get a crib etcetera, so I'll leave you two to it." His face cracked in to a wide grin at the thought of Morgause, who was now able to walk more than a few steps without falling over, coming home with Lizzie the next weekend.

"For God's sake put a shirt on to go out."

"Might get me a discount,"

"It will not get you a – shut up!" Morgana pushed him out of the kitchen and slammed the door, listening to his laughter echoing down the hall. She turned to Merlin.

"Sorry about Ken – the aim of his existence is to torment me. Now, you like falafels?"
"Um, yeah, they're delicious."

"Good, because I make a mean falafel." She grinned at him coquettishly, and soon enough he had crossed the small distance between them and captured her lips in his, lifting her up and setting her on the table. Morgana scraped her nails down his back as her moan vibrated against his lips, grabbing at his shirt and pulling it off as her legs wound themselves around his waist.

"Oh Jesus, I'm not looking, I'm not looking! I haven't even left the house yet, could you not wait five minutes!" Ken's voice was a mixture of horror and disgust as he walked blindly in to the room, his hands over his eyes as he felt around for his wallet. Morgana broke off in to giggles, burrowing her head in to the crook between Merlin's neck and shoulder. She called out,

"There's a taste of what it's been like living with you and Morgause for the past year!"

"Just use protection, all right?" Merlin felt as though his face would burn up from the number of times it had gone red that day, and Morgana threw back her head and laughed, before deciding that since Ken probably wasn't going to come back in, and she wasn't that hungry... she fiddled at the button of his jeans, whilst Merlin resumed his attack on her lips. Merlin was right, food was really overrated.

They sat eating together, the time now reading three o'clock. Morgana hadn't lied when she said she made a mean falafel, and together with pitta bread, salad and hummus, Merlin felt like he hadn't eaten this well in a long time. Whilst the two eventually admitted to themselves that they were ravenous, they had decided that it would be disastrous if this meant that they actually had to stop touching each other. So currently Morgana was perched on Merlin's lap whilst Merlin alternated between eating and kissing her throat.

"You know if you hadn't started spouting Kant at me those few weeks ago we would have had a lot more time for this." Morgana breathed.

"I'm an idiot."

"Agreed." Morgana reached across the table for her phone, only to see thirty two missed calls from Gwen.

"Jesus Christ, what can she want?"

"Does it matter?" Merlin whined. Morgana dialled Gwen's number, signalling for Merlin to be quiet. Gwen picked up on the first ring.

"I hate you and this friendship is over." Gwen said vehemently down the phone.

"God, what did you do last night?"

"Well, you're little plan succeeded. I got drunk, hooked up with someone and had an amazing night."

"Well then what's the problem?"

"Because the amazing night was with Arthur fucking Pendragon!" Gwen screamed, Morgana having to hold the phone away from her ear."

"No way."

"Yes way and now he has left me his number with a smiley face and I have no idea what to do or how to let him down gently, and - Morgana are you necking whilst I am trying to tell you about my problem?" Gwen screeched the last part, and Morgana gulped audibly.

"Um, no...?"

"Morgana..."

"Fine, if you must know, Merlin is here."

"Hi Gwen," Merlin said sheepishly down the phone.

"Oh well that's just brilliant. You know what, when you two are married with adorable Irish babies and I'm still trying to fend off the advances of your foster brother, I hope you'll spare a thought for your poor, harassed friend."

"How hungover are you?" Morgana's voice took on a maternal tone.

"I feel like there are a million workmen drilling in my brain."

"What actually happened?" Silence on the other end.

"It will never be repeated. Ever."

"But Gwen...ah!"." Morgana gasped as Merlin mouthed his way down to her breasts, and she decided that this was probably a good time to hang up.

"I have to go Gwen."

"But Morgana..."

"Bye!" As soon as she hung up she gave a loud moan, fisting his hair in her hands. He mumbled in soft tones.

"You know, Arthur is going to kill me when he finds out." Morgana considered the matter.

"Basically. I think you'd better draw up your will now, detailing the bit that leaves your girlfriend everything you've ever owned." Merlin's grin was as wide as if someone had stuck a coat hanger in his mouth.

"You're my girlfriend now." Morgana laughed as he resumed his task, and she thought that for the first time she was really head over heels in love, in love with the small place under his chin on his neck that was soft and sensitive when she kissed it, in love with the smell of herbs and aftershave and the salty taste of his skin. She was in love, love without tragedy or speeches or cheesy soundtracks but a love so strong that she never wanted to let go.

Morgause was reading The Great Gatsby when the nurse announced that she had a visitor. Assuming that Ken or Morgana had dropped in to surprise her as they so often did, Morgause called for them to let the visitor in. To her surprise, however, it was neither Morgana nor Ken – but an entirely different figure.

"Nym, how lovely to see you." Miss Nym Ueh stood in the doorframe, her posture upright and formal.

"Morgause, how are you feeling?" Morgause shifted a little in her bed, already feeling the pangs of fatigue hit her.

"I'm doing fine, just wish that I could be out of this place!" Nym smiled, the action performed as if all the muscles in her face were staging a violent protest against it.

"And the baby?"

"Lizzie is getting on splendidly, she'll be out with me." Morgause did her best to seem polite, but she honestly didn't know this woman that well – and she really wanted to sleep. Seeing this, Miss Ueh changed tactics.

"What do you think of our Head, Sir Pendragon, Morgause?" Morgause's face hardened.

"Let us just say that there is no love lost between us."

"Why?"

"Chiefly because he's a misogynistic bastard who I believe to have been emotionally and in some cases physically abusive towards my little sister, his foster daughter." Morgause said coldly, wondering if this was Uther's latest tactic – to try and get her to slander him in front of his spy and use it to fire her. Well if it was, she'd fight him, toxaemia be damned.

"Do you have any proof?"

"No. Morgana refuses to tell me what went on, only that she preferred it at boarding school. And trust me when I say that that is bad."

"A pity." Morgause raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Nimueh smirked, walking around and sitting on Morgause's bed, patting her hand.

"You must know that there are many who are unhappy with Uther's presence in the school. He is an infection, that must not be allowed to spread. There are many who would rather see you as headmistress." Morgause sat back, stunned.

"Me?"

"Well why not? You have a doctorate in English, even if Sir Pendragon has banned teachers from being called doctor – whilst retaining his own title. You are smart, and collected, and I believe could do great things with this school." Morgause frowned.

"But even if that were true, we could never depose Sir Pendragon. His power is absolute – he hires and fires as he pleases, gives bonuses to his son whilst threatening to cut my pay for taking more than three months maternity leave – he is a law unto himself."

"Whilst that may be true within the school, he is still a subject to the laws of Ireland. And I have reason to believe that..." She glanced around at the nurse, and leaning in to Morgause, whispered something in her ear, something that made Morgause's eyes widen so much that they nearly popped out of her sockets.

"No..."

"Yes."

"Sir Pendragon."

"Yes." Morgause drew in a sharp breath.

"He would go to prison." Miss Ueh smiled deviously.

"Is that not what we want? To rid the school of Uther Pendragon for good. He is an evil man, Morgause." Morgause nodded, her head aching so much that it pounded in to her eyes. Nym let go of her hand. "Well, I will leave you to sleep on it. Just remember what I told you, Morgause. And don't tell anyone – except perhaps your little sister. It sounds as though she could be useful." The nurse came out.

"Ms Lefay, you must rest. Why you've gone as white as a sheet." Morgause nodded, pressing the button for more painkillers. She lay down in her bed, shaking, her teeth knocking together.