Thank you all so much for favoriting/following and reviewing! I hope the swearing isn't too excessive, and the rating probably won't go up since that's not the main focus of the story. I hope Morgana doesn't seem too over-dramatic, though I think she would be, dealing with her parents' deaths and the affair and all of that going on in her life.

You'll probably notice a hint I dropped in this chapter regarding Morgana and Uther's actual relationship. It's to do with noses, if you need a hint to find the hint. Or maybe it's a red herring. Bwahahahaha.

X

Gorlois Lefay's office was lined with bookshelves full of volumes of books on any and every topic imaginable. History, check. Mathematics, check. Natural sciences, check. Political science, check. Law, check. Needless to say, the late Lefay was a well-read man. His table in the centre of the room was large, topped with an old computer system and modem, deemed ancient by the two university students who had spent the better part of an entire day in that very room.

Morgana sat at her father's desk, scrolling through old word documents. She had easily guessed the computer password (her birthday), and now was reading old articles he had written. She had brought her old whiteboard from her room and used the aged markers to scrawl notes. It read: Affair - letter 1 month prior - accident. Connection? Dad's snooping around government - old Prime Minister or his officials?

Merlin sat on the floor, surrounded by papers they had found in his desk drawers and file cabinets. Insurance papers, notes to Vivienne, some of Morgana's old drawings. He had laughed quite a bit at Morgana's drawing of a princess and prince, the princess with long dark curls and the prince scrawny and big eared, with a mop of dark hair. He had laughed more when she mumbled something of it not being a prince.

"What?" he chuckled, all the while sorting through papers.

"He's not a prince, he's a servant," she mumbled.

Merlin laughed, and Morgana glared at him, "It was because of that stupid story my mother used to tell me, okay."

"Right, I get it," Merlin calmed down and grinned at her, "how'd you know he had such large ears?"

Morgana shrugged it off, "Big ears are adorable."

"Really?" Merlin batted his eyelashes, "I didn't know you felt that way."

"Fuck off," Morgana threw a pen at him.

"Sorry," Merlin rolled his eyes. He was about to comment on her use of the word 'fuck', but decided enough writing utensils had been thrown at him for one day. He turned back to the papers and wrinkled his nose.

"Hey," he said.

"Yeah?" Morgana looked up from the computer.

"Your parents sold the shares in Uther's company before they died," Merlin stood, bringing the papers over to her. She took it and started reading.

"I thought the shares went back to the company after they died," she murmured, gears in her brain turning. Something was amiss, and she was determined to figure out why. She scribbled that on the board: 'Shares sold'.

"Oh?" Merlin frowned, "what was the company for?"

"Alternative energy, like using electricity instead of fossil fuels," Morgana couldn't see how this was important, but something was nagging at her yet again.

Merlin nodded and went back to the papers on the floor. He found one of Morgana's old school grade books and tossed it aside. Brilliant as Mr Lefay was, organised he certainly wasn't. It was nearing dinner time and they'd been in the study all day. Christmas fell on a Tuesday this year, meaning all offices closed early on Monday. It was late Wednesday evening, so Morgana had decided to gather as much information and potential evidence as she could by Sunday to take on Monday. She also told Merlin he should be home for the holidays, with his mum. Merlin pointed out that she'd miss the Pendragon Christmas party, and she had responded with a glare, and informed him that she couldn't deal with Uther Pendragon now that she knew of her mother's affair. She did however want to speak with Uther, the sooner the better.

They were interrupted by Mrs Gibbons calling them for dinner, which they refused simultaneously.

"You two need to eat something," she tutted.

"Just bring us some tea and sandwiches, then," Morgana requested, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her glasses sat on her face, and she felt as though her vision would blur permanently.

"Of course," Mrs Gibbons headed out.

"Thank you," Merlin smiled at the woman, earning a smile in return.

After a few more moments, Morgana let out a gasp. It was one of her father's articles, one left unpublished. The byline was dated a week before the accident.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, twisting around to face her.

"My father was reporting on how the government took great interest in Camelot Co. In particular, interest in their advancements of using nuclear energy for everyday use," her face was grim.

"They wanted to use nuclear weapons for electricity and energy?" Merlin's eyes widened.

Morgana nodded, "Apparently."

"What does that tell us?" Merlin asked.

"That Uther Pendragon may have had some idea of what was going on. Maybe it was his employees or business partners who wanted my dad gone. Who knows?" Morgana bit her lip. She refused to believe that Uther would want his oldest friend dead. No man could be that cruel, affair or no affair.

Before Merlin could say anything, Gibbons returned with their tea and sandwiches. After thanking her, Morgana joined Merlin on the floor. She took a sip of tea slowly, mind racing.

"I feel like I have nearly all the pieces of the puzzle, but I'm missing something? Shit, what else?" Morgana groaned.

"You'll figure it out," Merlin said hopefully.

"So Vivienne and Uther were having an affair. His company was dealing with nukes. My dad knew about it and was going to expose the corporation to the public. He and Vivienne die before the truth gets out. It's all connected, I know it is," Morgana mused aloud. She found early on that she could hypothesise better if she spoke aloud, which led quite a few people to think she was mental.

Merlin picked up a document with the Camelot seal and frowned.

"Who's Aggravaine Brittany?" he asked between sips of tea.

"Uther's brother-in-law, Arthur's uncle. He took over the company when Uther got interested in politics and elected to Parliament," Morgana answered nonchalantly. She furrowed her brow. Aggravaine had been in charge of the company for nearly twenty years, now. That's how long Uther had been a member of the House of Commons. He'd only been elected as Prime Minister for the first time six years ago.

"So he was in charge of the corporation when your parents, well, your mum, sold the shares and then died?" Merlin prodded.

Morgana nodded. Aggravaine. She had only seen him occasionally on Arthur's birthdays, the snake playing the doting uncle. It wasn't Uther at all. It was Aggravaine.

"Uther sold his shares to my parents when he got involved in government, and Aggravaine had the rest of the shares and took over the company entirely," Morgana said with a frown. If Uther knew about the nukes, was he proposing their usage for energy to Parliament? Why did no one mention that ever again? It'd been years. Maybe Uther didn't know, and it was all Aggravaine. When her parents died, all the shares went to Aggravaine, meaning that he had 100 percent control over everything. Surely Uther wouldn't want her parents dead: they were the only ones protecting his old company from Aggravaine's schemes. There was so much that she wasn't aware of, and digging for the truth just made her have more questions. Part of her thought being left in the dark was better for her than knowing how much crap went on in her family. Ignorance may have been bliss.

Merlin seemed to understand exactly where she was going with this, and held her hand. She looked at him and smiled gently. She squeezed his hand, glad that he was there with her.

"Hello?" Morgana picked up her mobile. She sat in her old room (it wasn't really her room anymore, her room was the one she shared with Gwen) on her bed.

"Hey!" Gwen greeted over the line.

"Gwen! How are you?" Morgana asked.

"Fine, fine. How's being home?"

"Good," she answered. It was mostly a lie, but Gwen need not know that.

"So, how's Merlin doing over there?" Gwen asked with a small smirk, not that Morgana could see.

"What?" Morgana nearly paled.

"He told Lancelot, who told me, about the change in plans," Gwen said lightly.

"Please don't be mad, Gwen. He's just here to help me with something, completely platonic. I wasn't sure if you still fancied him. He's all yours," Morgana rambled.

Gwen laughed over the line, "Relax, Morgana. I'm just messing with you. I don't fancy Merlin. He's just too...Merlin."

Morgana let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "So, Lancelot's been with you, eh?"

"And on that note, I need to go. We'll talk at the Christmas party?" Gwen asked.

"I may not be able to make it, but I'll try," Morgana said. Maybe the best thing would be to go and speak to Uther before storming the police station with what she believed to be evidence. She needed a day to sort herself and everything out before making a rash decision.

"You better. Lancelot still thinks I'm being too hard on Arthur," Gwen scowled uncharacteristically.

"He's not so bad, Gwen. Just give him a chance," Morgana said, surprising herself. No, Arthur wasn't terrible.

"Right," Gwen said skeptically, "My dad's calling me to go. We're going to the cinema."

"Have fun. Bye," Morgana said.

"Bye," Gwen chirped, hanging up.

She sat at her father's desk once more, writing on the whiteboard and then writing in a notebook. Everything that she had found out. She printed out her father's unpublished article and placed it in a folder with the other documents she and Merlin had found. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and took her glasses off, closing her eyes.

"You should get some sleep," Merlin said from the doorway. He leaned against it, arms cross. He looked tired, too, and she immediately felt guilty for dragging him into the mess that was her life. He should've been with his mother and Will and Freya. She frowned unconsciously at the thought of the girl who didn't want Merlin. He was incredibly loyal to his friends, and she didn't know why. Perhaps she didn't know what loyalty was. After all, who did she have left to be loyal to?

No. She had someone now. A couple of someones: Gwen, her first real friend, Merlin, the boy who was always there for everyone, and Arthur, who she had grown up with and would be affected by Uther and Vivienne's betrayal as much as she was. She hadn't really thought of how the truth would affect Arthur. Arthur, the boy who was like an annoying brother to her, the boy who used to play with her dolls when she asked, the boy who had always defended her against the prats at school. He had even beaten up one bloke after he had called Morgana a 'goth whore'. Morgana hadn't been aware of this until well after the fact, since Arthur ignored her at prep school and never actively sought her out. She supposed she was to blame for that, being the ice queen and all. Arthur had always protected her, whether she knew it or not, and now it was time for her to protect him.

Arthur Pendragon believed in his father and in everything he said and did. She couldn't tell him the truth and make Uther the bad guy. Arthur would be a mess. She couldn't do that to him. She wouldn't. She still wanted to speak to Uther, but she resolved to be calm about it and not bring up the murders. She was all but completely certain Uther wasn't aware of what Aggravaine had been up to. She didn't want to cause more problems than she already had.

"I'm not sleepy," she responded to Merlin's suggestion.

"Right," Merlin deadpanned.

Morgana stood and collected her notebook and file full of documents.

"You get some sleep, too," she said.

Merlin narrowed his eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she smiled as best she could, given the circumstances.

The two left the study and turned the lights off, closing the door behind them. They padded up the stairs and lingered in the hallway, between their rooms.

"How much longer do you think you'll stay here?" Merlin asked.

"At least 'til Friday," Morgana shrugged, "I need tot talk to Uther, but I'm not ready yet. You should get back home." She wouldn't go to the police. Not yet. Not until she saw Morgause at the Christmas party and until she spoke to Uther.

"I'm staying, Morgana. You shouldn't be alone right now," he frowned.

"I'm not alone. I have Mrs Gibbons," Morgana said lightly.

"Bullshit. I'm staying until you go back to London," Merlin said firmly.

"I'm not a child. I can handle myself," Morgana scowled.

"I know you're not, and I know you can. Haven't you heard that song, getting by with a little help from your friends and all?" he told her.

She shook her head, "Good night."

"Night," Merlin smiled sadly and disappeared into the guest room.

Morgana went into her own room and immediately flopped down onto her bed.

Uther stared at Arthur across the table. Arthur wore his football uniform as he had practice in an hour, and shoveled food into his mouth. The house was incredibly quiet with his and Morgana's bickering. Arthur dare not admit this to anyone, let alone himself.

"Didn't Morgana tell you when she'd be returning?" Uther sounded tense.

"Nope," Arthur took another bite of eggs, "Just that she was looking into a few things regarding the manor and visiting old friends."

"What old friends?" Uther narrowed his eyes.

"How am I supposed to know?" Arthur shrugged.

Uther pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses off of his face. Arthur frowned.

"Why are you so concerned? Morgana's a big girl, she can take care of herself," Arthur said. It was true, Morgana was fairly self-sufficient. It's not like she accepted anyone's help, anyway.

"She's all alone in her old house, filled with memories of her dead parents. How would you feel?" Uther snapped at his son.

Arthur frowned, "Pretty crappy, I'd think. We're sort of in the same boat." He was referring to his deceased mother's belongings scattered around the house, mementos of the woman Uther had loved so much and lost so soon.

"She knew her parents, Arthur. She has memories of them. I'm so sorry you never met your mother, but maybe that makes it easier," Uther said quietly.

"Sometimes I feel like you care about her more than you care about me," Arthur was equally quiet, "I'm your child, not her."

Uther sighed, "She lost her family. I've always tried to make her feel at home here. I am sorry you feel that I've set you aside."

Arthur shook his head and stood up, ready to go to practice.

"I get it, dad, really, I do. I want Morgana to feel at home, too. Always have," Arthur offered a quick smile before leaving.

Uther Pendragon was left alone at the immense dining table, and he wondered how he'd been left by everyone he'd ever cared for. Igraine, Gorlois, Vivienne. Now Arthur and Morgana were distancing themselves from him. That was inevitable. They were both eighteen, almost nineteen. Morgana technically didn't have to live there anymore if she didn't want to. She was eighteen, and he was no longer her guardian legally. She was a grown woman. If she wished, she could move back to Ashford. Arthur could move out, as well. He'd lose them both, and the thought terrified him.

He sighed. He'd lost his closest friends and wife; he didn't want to lose Arthur and Morgana, too.

Morgana stumbled into the kitchen sleepily to find Merlin at the stove cooking eggs while Mrs Gibbons sat at the counter, drinking coffee and eating a scone. It was all so domestic that she felt like she was in a strange alternate reality.

"Morning," Morgana greeted in confusion. It was a strange sight to see first thing after waking up. Merlin cooking, Mrs Gibbons actually taking a rest. She shook her head.

"Morning," the two chimed, weirding her out even more.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Merlin's just the most delightful boy, Morgana. I don't understand why you're so rude to him," Gibbons took a sip from her mug.

"Rude? Me? Merlin!" she swatted the man on the shoulder.

"See?" he looked to Gibbons, who nodded solemnly, "Sit down and break fast."

"Have you been reading Game of Thrones?" Morgana asked with a raised brow.

"It's so violent," Mrs Gibbons shuddered a bit.

"I think that's the point, Mrs Gibbons. War is brutal, and life is short," Merlin shrugged.

"When did you start getting all philosophical?" Morgana asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She'd have tea later.

"Since I've got philosophy next term," he said with a grin.

"With Keegan?" Morgana asked.

Merlin nodded.

"See you there," she said.

Merlin faked a disappointed groan, only to receive glares like daggers. Mrs Gibbons watched their exchange in silence, smiling softly. He set the eggs and plates on the counter, and Morgana got up to get the forks and a loaf of bread. She was pleased to find everything in the same place at they'd always been. She always liked breakfast with her parents, at the counter in the kitchen instead of in the grand dining room like at the Pendragons.

She and Merlin settled onto stools next to each other and ate while comparing their spring term schedules. They'd have philosophy and work on the university paper together.

"I should get to working," Mrs Gibbons stood up, taking her empty cup to the sink.

"Oh, no. Break fast with us," Morgana said, sending Merlin a smirk.

"I really should clean up around here," Gibbons said with finality and left the massive kitchen.

Merlin took a bite of food and chewed slowly before speaking.

"I think I'll leave tomorrow," he said.

Morgana nodded. To be honest, she was planning on leaving Friday, too. She couldn't prolong her stay any longer. She had what she needed. Now all she needed was to talk to Uther, then Morgause, and maybe Aggravaine. (Not that she thought Aggraivaine would tell her the truth, but it was worth a shot).

"I was thinking the same," Morgana agreed, "we could buy our tickets today."

Merlin bit licked his lips and Morgana looked at him for a moment before frowning. She wished he'd go back to London with her, but he should spend Christmas with his family. It wasn't his fault she had no family to speak of, well except for the Pendragons. She really did consider Arthur to be a brother to her, despite her protests and corrections of 'foster brother, there's a difference', but she didn't think she could ever consider Uther as anything more than her guardian. She was appreciative of his taking her in, but now that she knew of his relations with her mother, she couldn't look at him the same ever again.

"Sounds good to me. Are you going to be okay?" he asked gently.

"I'll have Gwen," she smiled reassuringly.

Morgana stepped off of the train, alone, again. She looked around and was surprised to see Gwen waiting on the platform. She waved gleefully and Morgana ran up to her.

"Gwen!" Morgana hugged her in greeting.

"I am so glad you're back! My brother is driving me crazy with his interrogations," she rolled her eyes.

"How can I help?" Morgana asked brightly.

"Stay with me at the flat?" Gwen asked with large brown eyes.

Morgana grinned, "I was going to ask you the same."

Gwen hugged her once more and beamed at her best friend, "Thank God. Elyan won't shut up about Lancelot."

"Do you think he fancies him?" Morgana asked as they exited the train station and headed for the tube.

Gwen laughed, "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," she said truthfully.

The flat Morgana shared with Gwen was more of a home to her now than any of her childhood homes. Not the Lefay manor, not with the Pendragons (currently at 10 Downing Street). None of it but her and Gwen's flat. It was the place where she could sing terribly at the top of her lungs and stay in her pajamas all day. It was the place where she and Gwen watched shows on her laptop for hours on end, the place where they studied together and laughed together. Gwen Smith was her best friend, and she was so glad to be home.

"You seem tired," Gwen commented as she tossed herself onto the couch. She had told her father and Elyan that since Morgana was returning, she wouldn't stay alone any longer. Tom Smith had begrudgingly agreed and driven his daughter back to campus, Elyan grumbling something about Morgana's return being a flimsy excuse to be closer to Lancelot.

"A bit, yeah. Long train ride," Morgana shrugged it off. She didn't want to let Gwen know about the murder investigation, the affair. She was so ashamed. She didn't want to burden Gwen with that. She'd already dragged Merlin into this mess, and she wished she had kept her big mouth shut. She was toxic to the others around her, and she knew it.

Gwen didn't seem convinced and decided that Morgana would talk when she felt like it.

"How's Merlin?" Gwen asked.

"Good. Back in Armagh by now," Morgana said lightly, tiptoeing around the subject of Gwen's former crush.

"I haven't fancied him in a while, Morgana. Relax," Gwen said with a laugh. She had fancied Merlin at first because he was so sweet and adorable, but it was just a crush that passed fleetingly.

"Well that's because you have the dashing young Lancelot who is obviously smitten," Morgana said cheekily.

Gwen threw a pillow at her and Morgana laughed, heading towards their room to change.

"Gwen and Lance, sitting in a tree," she sang from the room.

"Shut up or I'll tell Arthur that Merlin was with you!" she shouted from her spot on the couch.

"Go ahead. Purely platonic," Morgana returned to the living room wearing a loose pair of jeans and tee shirt.

Gwen rolled her eyes and picked up the laptop.

"Care to watch some Doctor Who?" Gwen asked.

Morgana nodded. They were currently on a rewatch of the fourth series because Donna Noble was just that fantastic.

"I love this episode," Morgana said. It was companion-light, but she liked it well enough. The Doctor stranded on a flying bus with humans all too ready to turn on him was brilliant.

"That's just because Jethro looks like an emo Merlin," Gwen giggled.

"What?" Morgana frowned, "they look nothing alike."

"Are you blind?" Gwen looked at Morgana as if she had truly lost it.

"Jethro's hot. Merlin's, well, Merlin," Morgana shrugged.

Gwen shook her head and decided to remain silent. The resemblance between the two was uncanny, but if Morgana didn't want to see it, she wouldn't.

Morgana scowled and crossed her arms across her chest. Right now she'd enjoy some quality time with Gwen. She'd return to the Pendragon household sometime before the Christmas party on Monday night, Christmas Eve. She thought she would put-off talking to Uther until after Christmas, but she couldn't wait. She needed to make sure Uther was innocent. She needed him to be innocent, because she refused to believe such a heartless man would take in an orphan and care for her as he would his own child.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the skulking boy in the back as the Doctor was introduced to him. He did not look like Merlin.

So, yeah. Aggravaine! (shakes fist). I last mentioned him in chapter six, as a sort of set up, you know, the passing line about him running Uther's company after he got involved in politics. Coming up: some awkward moments between Lancelot, Gwen, and Arthur at the Christmas party, and some of how Merlin will spend Christmas with Will and Freya, while Morgana will interrogate Uther. Please review!

Side note: I am so excited for the Olympics. I was flailing over Comic Con photos and videos and Katie wanting Merlin as her magical pet, and now I'm waiting for David Tennant dressed as 10 to show up at the Olympics, as unlikely as that may be.