Author's Note: Hahaha! Look at all your faces. I'm loving this. I don't understand how I've managed to gain 30 followers, 11 favourites and 23 reviews from this. But thank you to everyone! This is such an awesome journey we're all embarking on. I promised you death, and death you shall have. Sorry for being so cruel. I swear, after this and the next chapter, no more death.
And for those who want mysterious character - you shall get. And you'll find out about who started the fire - oh, and for those who guessed on that - you're wrong! Enjoy! Well, try to! Mwahaha!
Arthur returned to the door frame, and leaned against it, wondering what all the commotion was about. Lance and Uther opened their doors as well, Uther reaching the frame a little slower than Lance, well, with age, you can understand.
Lance was heavily breathing, a little distressed. "Lance? What's wrong?"
"It's Gwen!"
"Oh god no! We can't lose two at the same time?"
Lance and Arthur turned to Uther, who was also in distress. "Dad? What's happened?"
"M..Morgana."
"What do you mean, Morgana?"
"The baby is coming!" Arthur was flabbergasted. He never recalled of Morgana becoming pregnant, and so had changed to the formation of a ghost.
"When in what land was Morgana pregnant? I never knew she had a man."
"We all know that Morgana is really reserved. She and Leon are expecting their first child, but she isn't due until another month time."
"Oh god." Arthur turned to Lance. "And Gwen?"
"The baby is also coming for her. Her's is due though. The problem is that her breathing has decreased rapidly, and she and the baby might not pull through."
"Two babies and many deaths. Great."
Uther and Lance returned to their rooms, and Arthur went to Merlin to tell him the news, as Gwaine went to every one else, and told them the news as well.
"Merls. You're going to have to wait for food. Gwen and Morgana have both gone into labour."
"Oh lord!" Merlin got out of bed with pain, and hobbled bare foot to the door, where Arthur was standing. "Arthur, I'm so sorry. For everything."
"Thank you. I never get apologies. Now let's go and see the others."
Merlin hobbled along with Arthur over to Morgana's room, where Leon still wasn't present. "Where's Leon?"
"Still on the M5," Uther replied, Morgana screaming abuse at the current contractions. Others could hear Morgana's distress as they came towards the door, and peered through. "He last phoned about 20 minutes ago, so he should be close to the hospital now. If things continue this way, she'll have to go through a caesarean section. I'm just hoping that Leon will be here for that."
"Jesus." A knock came at the door, and Lance stepped in, hair plastered to his forehead in lumps from the build of sweat, probably from anxiety over Gwen, as tried to calm himself down. Leon was behind Lance, as he nudged Lance a little to get inside the room.
Morgana turned to see her boyfriend as he kissed her forehead, before she clung onto his tie as she yelped in agony, removing the oxygen mask to pant a row. "Where the hell have you been?"
"That's a good question," the one nurse began, who was trying to put the mask back on Morgana, as it was vital for her. "Where have you been?"
"Stuck on the M5 coming back from Birmingham. It's not my fault I had to attend a conference! Since the fire broke out earlier, I left early and made my way down the M5. I've been stuck on there for four hours through a traffic accident."
"Lance? Why aren't you with Gwen?"
"I've come to tell all of you that she's gone done to have a caesarean section done. Because I have to wait outside, and there is no guarantee that she or the baby will pull through, following earlier events, can one of you be there with me?"
Lance diverted his gaze towards Gwaine and Arthur, but Merlin opted instead, causing Arthur distress.
"I'll come with you."
"No Merlin! You're not well enough. I'll go!"
"Arthur. You need to be here for Morgana. She's your half-sister and right now, she needs her family. I'll be fine." Merlin planted a kiss to Arthur's forehead, which Arthur stilled a little at. Merlin knew that from the problems over the last week, he needed to make it up to Arthur a lot, regardless of Merlin's trust issues, and was genuinely surprised on how Arthur had stepped in to help Merlin like nothing had happened. Merlin wished for that trip to have never taken place, and that he had deactivated his account as soon and him and Arthur had begun dating.
A nurse allocated Merlin with a wheelchair in order for Merlin to stay with Lance whilst the procedure took place. Arthur remained with the others. It was going to be a long night.
Merlin and Lance were downstairs on the ground floor of the hospital, where the procedure was taking place. Gwen was already in a vital state before she was transported, in a state of urgency. As the gurney was transported across the hospital, many dived to the walls of the corridor to allow them through. If the section could be completed in time, the baby could be saved, through a 75% chance. For Gwen though, it was only 50/50.
Both Lance and Merlin were tired, and Lance was tensed up, and to be honest, scared. Merlin, from the best he could, sat close to Lance, where through the first hour or so, reassured Lance that everything was fine. Lance had drifted off to sleep not long after, leaning against Merlin.
Merlin was sinking back into sleep when he heard some muffled sounds, from his eyelids half open, he could see a young woman with ebony hair be carted into the theatre next door, many surgeons following her into the large room. Two men were also with her, as visitors. They approached the bench, and the one leaned into Merlin, Merlin knowing the familiar scent.
"Arthur?"
"Merlin? Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No. I wasn't sleeping. Shh, Lance is still asleep. Poor man."
"How is he?"
"Scared to death. Gwen's only got a 50/50 chance of surviving."
"Bloody hell."
"I'm letting him get some rest whilst he can."
"Of course."
"How's Leon?"
"In the same boat as Lance. Morgana has a 60/40 chance. 60 of surviving. Dad has stayed upstairs, where's he grieving."
"How? What? Why?"
"Morgause is dead. It wasn't likely that she would survive this. She was the most fatally injured."
"So, how many now?"
"Three. Vivian, Morgause and the mysterious customer."
"I'm so sorry, Arthur."
"You don't have to keep apologising."
Merlin gave a faint smile, shaking his head. "No, it's not that. Well, yes it's that too. But, I'm sorry that you and Morgause didn't get all the time you deserved together, as siblings."
"It's something that can't be helped. These things happen."
"I'm sorry I never trusted you. I get jealous really quickly, as you've noticed." Merlin gave a sheepish grin, and then continued in a serious tone, looking at Arthur, right in the eye. Merlin is quite reserved about many things, and this was the first time he had told anyone about his trust issues since he'd graduated from university. "I suffer from trust issues, from my childhood. People have lied to me that much in my life, I don't trust people, especially when something radical and hurtful happens. I burst during that scenario. I know it's not like me and I'm sorry I never told you this earlier. I don't deserve someone as good as you, Arthur. I called you a liar and I take that back. Anyone should be lucky to have you as their man."
"Are you breaking up with me, Merlin?"
"Are you?"
"No. Couples do have arguments Merlin, and it wasn't an argument. It was a misunderstanding, and it was Vivian's fault on this. I should have told you sooner about Morgause, and I apologise for that, but all of that in the past now. You're not gonna leave me?"
"No. You're the best man I've ever met and I love you, Arthur." Merlin shifted so that he was mere inches from Arthur, and raised his free arm into Arthur's hair, creating gentle patterns with his fingertips as he brought Arthur closer, and kissed him. They had to keep the noise down, as Leon had fallen asleep, leaning into Lance, as Merlin's one shoulder was occupied by Lance. Arthur buried himself in the crook of Merlin's other shoulder, careful to not damage the already broken skin, as Merlin rested his head atop of Arthur, as the four drifted off.
It was early morning, when a nurse came out of the one theatre. A little bundle was in her arms, as she nudged one awake with her foot, in this case, it was Leon.
"Hmm? Excuse me."
Leon coughed to speak, as he batted his eyelids open, coming face to face with the blonde nurse, who happened to be the head midwife. "Sorry for waking you. It's been a long procedure." She has news. Her beginnings of a conversation begin to wake the other three up.
"You have a son, Mr Grainger."
"Thank you, and how is Morgana?"
"She's not at her best. We're hoping she'll improve over the next couple of days. We're keeping her in hospital until she fully recovers, but for now, she is still alive."
"Thank you so much. For everything."
"It's alright, mate. It's what we're here for."
"Can I see her?"
"Of course. Follow me." Leon departed from the group, as did Arthur. Merlin was fine, and his sister was equally important to him as his boyfriend was, and deserved the attention. Arthur also wanted to see his father, who was probably still grieving over Morgause. He had every right to.
"You guys gonna be okay?" Arthur asked before he departed back to the third floor.
"Of course. If anything happens, we'll let you know." Arthur hugged Lance and kissed Merlin, leaving the pair.
Upstairs, Percival had come to see how everyone was coping from yesterday's events. Freya was rapidly recovering, but it would be a few more days before could be dismissed, the same as Will, who everyone though wasn't going to make it. Percival also had news for the group, but wouldn't deliver it until Lance, Gwen and Merlin were back upstairs, or they could all at least talk it over somewhere.
Gwaine and Percival were continuing to flirt with each other. Seriously though, who would have thought that through a disaster, a new ship could be created as others sank?
Arthur left the others with Morgana, as he went to see Uther in the other room, where Morgause lay still, cold and dead.
"Dad?"
"Hi son. How's the others?"
"Morgana is still alive, you're a grandfather to a son." Uther smiled weakly, at least some hope was there. "And Lance and Gwen?"
"Still no news."
"How is Merlin?"
"He's fine. Still having a little trouble to walk though. How are you?"
"I don't know. I'm upset I've lost my eldest daughter but I'm happy for Morgana, Leon and their newborn."
"I know what you mean."
Percival and Gwaine were keeping the others entertained in the other corridor, where Freya and Will had been wheeled in to see the others.
Meanwhile, Merlin and Lance were still downstairs. The doors eventually opened, it now being early morning, and another nurse came out. This one was a male, and looked around his early thirties, so part of the team, not at the top of the ladder though. "Mr du Lac?"
"That is I," Lance commented, looking up towards the slightly older male. "I'm afraid we've had some complications." This never brought good news. Lance had gone completely blank, and Merlin was immediately there to support him, Lance's hand connecting with Merlin's.
The male continued speaking. "The baby is fine. Your fiancée has given birth to a girl. But I'm afraid it's your fiancée. I'm afraid she hasn't made it." Lance got up, and bashed his brains into the nearest wall repeatedly, howling through the loss. Merlin jumped up from his wheelchair, a little uneasy on his feet, and managed to persuade Lance to come away from the wall, Lance breaking down as Merlin clutched him. The nurse brought Lance some tea to drink, which calmed him a little, but said that he's going to need help to raise the child, if he was prepared to raise the newborn alone.
The baby was taken to the newborn unit until Lance was strong enough to see the baby for the first time. Merlin went in with Lance to see Gwen, who was on the table, a white sheet covering her, as Lance crippled with sorrow. Whoever had started that fire was going to pay.
Upstairs, the nurse transported Merlin and Lance, who was delivered back to the group. Lance looked broken, and now with a killer headache. Merlin was following behind him, as Arthur got out of the chair for Lance to sit in, who clearly needed it more than he did.
"Lance? What's happened?"
"Gwen... she's... she's gone."
"Lance, I am so sorry." Everyone gave Lance condolences, with many hugs. He mentioned that the baby was fine, but needed to stay in hospital for a little while.
Percival was then to break out the news.
"As many of you know, this incident has brought much trauma over the last two days. With the death of Vivian, Morgause, Gwen and a customer, everyone wonders what started it, or more in particular, who? We've checked the security cameras from the other shops in the square, and to surprise, Vivian might be cruel, as some of you have mentioned, but she isn't that cruel."
"She never started the fire?" Freya asked.
"No."
"How did she die then?"
"She was shopping in the square when the explosion occurred. Because she was passing the shop as it occurred, shards of broken glass with some of the bricks and rubble, along with the force killed her immediately. She's not responsible."
"Then who is, sweetie?"
"A bunch of idiotic teenagers messing about, presumably from Avalon Secondary School. We have them on camera, and one of them died through it as well. The others have been arrested for arson."
"Who are they? Can you give us their names?"
"Valiant Duncan, Mordred Garrison and Cedric Simmons."
"Students, Mordred's one of my students."
"Mordred has since died. He was in the shop when the explosion took place."
"The mysterious customer. If he knew the building was to explode, then why was he in there?" Freya continued.
"Maybe he was bulled and forced into. Maybe he didn't know what damage he and the others had done?" Merlin wondered.
"So how had the fire begun?" Lance demanded to know.
"Electric and gas faults."
During that day, Lance had gone to the newborn unit to see his daughter, where he named her Guinevere Rose du Lac, in honour of his late partner. Morgana still hadn't woke from the procedure, and so Morgana and Leon's child was still unnamed. Freya could return in a few days, but Merlin wasn't well enough to take care of her, and Freya couldn't climb the stairs to their flat, so Elena was looking after her.
Will was to stay in hospital, as more x-rays were needed from the waist below, as Will suffered the more fatal injuries than anyone else, not including the late Morgause. As for Merlin, he had a lucky escape. Merlin had returned to the burns and scalds unit where Gaius was applying a fresh set of dressings to Merlin, where Arthur was waiting had returned from the car park. Gwaine knew that Arthur had left the car in Avalon, so Gwaine took Arthur's keys to bring the car to the hospital, where Merlin could be wheeled out to the vehicle. Arthur went to take Merlin's other things to the car, as he brought Merlin some new items for him to change into, before they left.
The majority of clothing was familiar, as Merlin had modelled in them before at the shop. "Elena brought them in for you. She knows your sizes so, here." Arthur gave Merlin the clothes, as Arthur helped him to change, now the dressings and gause were in place. "Thank you."
"It's okay."
"I don't recognise the jeans."
"Do you remember when we went shopping together, and I saw them jeans, and you told me they weren't my size?"
"Yes."
"That's because I wasn't intentionally buying them for me. I was going to buy them for you, because I thought they suited you. I bought them a week ago for you, whilst you were away."
"Arthur, you're so sweet. Before we go home, can we pop back to mine? Just so I can get some clothes, until I'm well enough to return home? I also have something there to give you. I bought it whilst I was in Rome."
"Of course."
"Thank you."
The feeling of them being close together again was like going home. They both had missed the feeling of the two plastered together, fingers on skin, either dressing each other or undressing each other, or doing delectable things to each other, so with every touch of Arthur's fingers on Merlin as he helped him to get dressed, Merlin leant into the touch, peppering Arthur - when he got the chance - with kisses. He lost Arthur once, he isn't losing him again.
"Ready?" Merlin asked as he got into the wheelchair, which could be used until he was well enough to properly walk. Merlin would have to attend physiotherapy in order to properly walk again, thankfully, it was just a temporary measurement. Merlin would also have the dressings changed by Gaius every 48 hours for the next seven weeks.
"Ready." Arthur thanked Gaius once more, and he wheeled Merlin out of the hospital and towards the car, glad to have his Merlin back, and that they were both on equal terms again.
A little preview for the next chapter...
"I'm deleting my Facebook account. It's up to you what you do."
"Oh no, I'm deleting mine as well. I'm not going through that again."
"Facebook just ruins relationships anyway. We can do better than that."
"And our real friends actually communicate with us in the virtual world."
Merlin and Arthur browsed through their Facebook profiles one more time, before they both sent a text through Arthur's phone that they no longer will be on Facebook, and so went through the settings.
"On 3, hit the deactivate button. 1,2,3." Both clicked the button, a new life for both of them.