A/N: Please check out my sister's AU story – The Case of Merlin Emrys (which can be found on my profile because we both post stories through this penname). It's written like a CSI episode. I'm sure you'll enjoy it like I did. Read and review! Thanks!

Brenda K – You should definitely get an account so I can review reply to you. :P And thanks. I'm the same way with Merlin story settings.

Chapter 13 – Secret Search Party

The platform was crowded with people, tens of hundreds of them tumbling off or piling on the train. Amidst the chaos of people, I searched and scoured for the one person I was looking for. Still, as the seconds ticked by, I saw no Merlin. Plenty of men were moving around the station, but no Merlin. And that's when I saw the stick.

I saw it hit the stairs to board the train. Then I saw it hit the ground. It was Merlin… with a walking stick. I'd never seen him with one before. He'd never needed one before. Sometimes I forgot he couldn't see until he stumbled… but there was no way to mistake that he was blind now. The way he walked cautiously across the platform, making his way to the exit to find his way home, feeling out the space in front of him with the cane as he went to make sure he didn't run into anyone or anything, it was obvious his sight was gone.

I didn't like it. He seemed more helpless this way, like anyone could just run up and steal the bag he had hooked over his shoulder, like anyone could kick his cane and knock him to the ground like a cripple. It wasn't that I just didn't like it, I hated it. I never wanted him to need that stick again. I wanted him to walk free like he normally did…. I wanted to be his walking cane. I wanted to be his eyes. I wanted to be the one to keep him safe and catch him when he stumbled. I wanted him to use me to see and keep him safe… I didn't want him to use that cane.

As soon as Merlin passed the boarding line, I rushed over to him. I wrapped my arms around him and lifted him from the platform an inch before I set him down, but I did not let go. I buried my face in his shoulder. Merlin was so shocked that he actually dropped his walking stick. He gasped, but I didn't let him speak.

"Okay, I lied. I missed you even before you left," I said honestly. Merlin instantly relaxed at my voice. His arms just about snapped around me, holding me close. It was loud in the station, but even if I couldn't hear it, I could still feel the deep breath he took in, leaning his head down on my shoulder too.

"You jerk, you're not wearing the whistle. You nearly gave me a heart attack," he scolded.

"Then I win. I finally surprised you."

"You're such a baby."

"Sore loser."

"Prat."

I didn't respond. I took a deep breath and smiled. Only Heaven knew how much I'd missed him… and maybe Morgana. I picked him up and moved him around till I was facing the exit. I set him down and pulled back. His cane was partially on my foot. I half glared at it but kicked it up into my hands anyway. The hollow sound of it made me hate it even more. Merlin recognized the sound.

"Can I have my walking stick back?" he asked. I wanted to say no, but I handed it over.

"I'd rather burn it," I answered. Merlin snickered.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," he said, setting the end of the cane on the ground and looking rather stylish about it.

"Welcome home."

I took Merlin to a play, like to an actual theater. It was his idea. He said he couldn't see it, but he could hear the words and the actions… besides, just because he was blind didn't mean he didn't like shows, after all, he'd seen all my movies, hadn't he?

"I was a big movie and theater fan before I lost my sight. After the accident, I thought I'd hate all of it, but it turned out that I still loved it, maybe even more than before," he'd said.

So we sat through a Shakespeare play, Othello, and then went out for dinner. I got to choose our destination this time, so I picked a rather fancy Italian place that my mother and I loved. I made Merlin leave his stupid stick in the car. Maybe if I could make him forget to take it home, I could make it magically disappear.

Merlin told me about his family and the funeral. Apparently the family wasn't very big, but they also weren't very close. He said the two sides of the family argued for the entire viewing, became civil during the eulogy, and then stood on opposite sides of the grave during the actual burial. There were lots of tears. At the mention of these sad emotions, Merlin became really quiet. He moved his straw around his glass and stared down at the table.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He seemed generally upset. At first he didn't answer me. That stabbed at my annoyance center, but I held that back. I didn't need to be like that with Merlin. I took a breath, ready to ask again.

"He wasn't there," Merlin finally said.

"Who wasn't there?" I asked, subconsciously leaning closer as if that would reveal the answer.

"My father." Merlin's voice was quiet, almost sad. "I thought he'd be there, but he didn't show."

"What, you never even saw him at the house?" I asked, surprised. His father was a props master, but he should still have time to go to a funeral or at least go home.

"My father hasn't lived with my mother for… almost six years," Merlin murmured. "He left after the accident… something about being a danger to his own son. He never told me directly. I had to listen in through the door while he spoke with my mother. Then one day he went off to work and… never came back. Mum doesn't like to talk about it, so I don't even know if he's still in show business or turned into a hermit or something."

"Ah." Yep. After all my growth as a person and all my emotions coming out, and all my feelings for Merlin, I came out with 'ah' in response to his depressing family history. Yep. I was officially the biggest loser on the planet, the entire planet – not just in Camelot. I was the most epically ineloquent speaker in the history of boyfriends!

Oh… Well that was new. At the thought 'boyfriends', my chest gave off this odd hop feeling that made me want to smile a little. I held it in for the sake of the conversation.

"Yeah… He wasn't there. It was his grandfather who died, but he didn't show. Mum didn't say anything, but I'm sure she noticed too. I was hoping to see him again after so long… well, not literally, but you know what I mean," Merlin said, a bit of a joking tone entering his voice at the end.

I said nothing. I just watched him. The other patrons and workers around us bustled and made noise, completely unaware of the drama taking place and the moment we were having. I heard every noise as though it was right beside me and trying to pull my thoughts off track. My eyes stayed trained on Merlin, trying to figure out what to say to make him smile again. Nothing I was hearing from the restaurant was going to help or give me inspiration.

"Well maybe I can help," I decided to say. Merlin looked over at me curiously, his creased in confusion eyebrows saying everything he wanted to convey. "I'm in the movie business, remember? If your father is still working the sets, I'll see if I can find him for you. Would that make you drop the frown?"

I can't exactly describe how he replied. It was… it was like I'd given him water in the middle of a drought, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, like the lights had come back on after a blackout. He didn't exactly beam or shine or give me a huge smile, but I knew… I could somehow tell he was really happy at the idea of me finding his father.

"Thank you, Arthur," he said. "Really. Thank you so much."

"Right. Yeah. Look, let's just eat and we'll talk payment later, okay?" I teased, flicking a complimentary mint over at him. It hit him on the cheek and he flinched. Then he smiled.

"Hey!" he complained. He couldn't exactly retaliate. He wouldn't be able to see what he was going to throw, much less where to aim. Instead he retrieved my weapon from where it had landed in his lap and he ate it. "Now stop. I don't like mints."

"What? But you're-!" I began. Then I stopped and just laughed. Sometimes Merlin made absolutely no sense to me, and yet those times just made him exasperatingly funny…. or was it fun? I always did get those mixed up.

And, as was my luck, when the waiter came to serve us our appetizer, he surprised me so much I choked on my laughter and nearly fell out of my chair. Needless to say, I was embarrassed, and it was Merlin's turn to laugh.

'What are you doing right now?'

I closed my mobile without answering the message. As I slipped the mobile back into the pocket of my jacket, I stepped into an open meeting room. The room was wide and spacious, but empty to a fault. Across the room from the entrance, where I was, were two people having what appeared to be a lovely conversation. One was my mother, beautiful and glorious as she was in a simple blue dress. The other was a man nearly two heads taller with thick dark hair and a full beard. He wore clothes I determined to be between formal work wear and street casual. He wore worn Converse sneakers in black, which made me smile a bit. Merlin wore the same shoes, only not as worn down.

When I entered the room, both of them broke from their conversation to look at me. The man had been laughing, but when he saw me he instantly stopped.

"Oh, Arthur, there you are," my mother spoke cheerfully. "I need to introduce you. You probably don't remember this man. You were rather young last time you met him face to face. This is Balinor Emrys. He's a props master and is working with me for my next movie."

She was explaining things for the fun of it. I already knew who he was. I was the one who asked her to find him. He just happened to be working on my mum's next big project. If that wasn't some sort of fate, I didn't know what was. Balinor did not look altogether pleased to see me. Actually, that may be an understatement.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Emrys. Sorry. I don't remember your face," I said, bowing slightly to the older male. That had been the only piece of my mother's introduction that I hadn't expected. I'd met this man before? He didn't look familiar. Then again, I didn't usually pay attention to stage hands.

"I wouldn't expect you to. You were always a busy brat," Balinor replied. Then he cleared his throat and looked at my mother. "I mean no offense."

Well that was rude. He insulted me and apologized to my mother. How could this man possibly be related to Merlin? They didn't even look the same! Okay, so maybe I could pick out the hair color and the texture, and maybe if I squinted they had similar noses and facial structures, but under all of this man's hair it was hard to tell.

"None taken, I'm sure. Arthur doesn't hold grudges easily these days, isn't that right?" and mother looked to me. I straightened up and nodded a bit.

"So it would seem," I answered gruffly. I wanted to hold a huge grudge against Balinor. Only Merlin had ever been so rude to me from the start. Oops. Maybe they were related after all.

"I guess love changes a person. Anyway, Balinor, I'll see you later. Arthur, I'm making your favorite dinner tonight, so don't be late," Mother explained. She winked at me as she walked past and then the door closed with a resounding thud. It sounded like doom.

The room was quiet for quite a while. Balinor seemed in no mood to talk to me, and yet he seemed to know I wanted to talk. He made no move for the door, probably anticipating that I would block it. I promised Merlin I would find his reclusive father if he was still in show business, and so I had. Now I had to get him to go see Merlin. I debated how to begin while the intensity of his stare made the walls fold in on us and crush me in the emptiness of the room.

"Love?" Balinor broke the silence after all. The room seemed to spring back to its original form.

"Hm?"

"Mrs. Igraine said you don't hold grudges easily anymore because you're in love. Sorry. I'm just shocked to hear it. I haven't heard the reporters buzzing about any new relationships in any of the Pendragon's lives, much less yours. I wasn't aware you still had a heart," he explained. My face fell into a hard frown.

"Yes. Sorry to burst your stone cold bubble, but it's true. I am with someone at the moment, but I'm keeping it quiet. I didn't think they'd enjoy the spotlight. Besides, it's hard to find a couple in the limelight that isn't suffering. I figured the relationship might last longer if I didn't show it off," I retorted, my tone becoming rough.

"That's quite a shocker too. You care what someone else thinks now? This must be some serious love to whip you into being so kind and well-mannered. It's funny. I'm not used to hearing such things about you." I could actually tell he was picking at me on purpose. This wasn't just distaste.

Balinor hated me.

I blinked and changed my expression into one of confusion. Balinor blatantly hated me, and for once I had no clue as to why. Balinor noticed my change. He fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Sorry. I know this must seem odd for you… but I'm confused. Listen, I didn't come here to fight. I just wanted to see if I could convince you to accompany me to meet someone," I said, shaking my head lightly. Maybe I'd ask later why he had such a strong distaste for me. Right now, I had business to take care of.

"Someone? Why me? You didn't even know I was here until you walked in," Balinor couldn't get that tone out of his voice.

"Well in a way, it's my fault you are here. I sent out a hush hush search party for you," I revealed, pressing a finger to my lips conspiratorially.

"If you don't tell me why in the next thirty seconds, I'm walking out that door," Balinor threatened.

I'd like to see you try, I wanted to say but kept it inside. Instead I nodded and dropped my hand to my waist.

"Well, you see, my boyfriend went home for a week to visit his family, and when he got back he expressed a desire to see you - though now that I've formally met you, I can't imagine why," I said. "But I told him I'd find you if you still had your old job. Lucky me, you did. Now do you want to come see him or not?"

"You're… boyfriend?" Balinor spoke slowly, inching toward me and the door. He dragged his hand from one chair to another as he went. He was seeming more like Merlin the longer I stayed in the same room as him.

"Yes. But if the press gets hold of anything I've told you in this room, I'll make your life a living hell for every time a journalist asks me about it or a paparazzi parade keeps me from seeing him or even going outside. Yes or no, Balinor?" I asked, getting slightly annoyed with his antics.

Balinor crossed the entirety of the room until he was standing before me. To my surprise, he was nearly a foot taller than Merlin. Damn. Now I knew where Merlin got it all. I looked up into the other male's eyes defiantly, not about to let him push me around like a child.

"Who is your boyfriend?" and his voice almost sounded worried. That was silly though. Why would knowing that his son was dating me make any…. Oh. Was Balinor one of those parents? He didn't accept Merlin? No wonder he didn't come to the funeral. Did Merlin's eye accident have something to do with his coming out about liking guys?

'He left after the accident… something about being a danger to his own son.'

Had Balinor hurt Merlin? I grit my teeth. If this guy was the reason Merlin was blind, I'd have to fight the instinct to punch him in the face. On one hand, it was in the past and if not for Merlin's blindness, I probably never would have given him a second glance. On the other hand, Merlin had been injured to the point of losing his eyes forever. If Merlin ever finally told me how it happened, I'd definitely have some unresolved issues with the person responsible.

"Tell me, Pendragon! Who is your boyfriend?" Balinor's raised voice ripped me from my thoughts. I steadied myself and held his gaze, now almost too close for comfort.

"Your son, Merlin Emrys is my boyfriend," I answered clearly and decisively.

Balinor's eyes widened in fearful shock. Then disbelief and worry replaced it. He clenched his hands tighter than I'd imagined he could without breaking the skin. Then his fist came up and caught me in the jaw, sending me tumbling into the table. I gripped it for support and flipped to face Balinor again. I was about to start shouting angry curses at him when he beat me to the chase.

"No! I won't allow it, you hear? My son will have nothing to do with a Pendragon, especially Arthur Pendragon. Do you hear?! I will tell him myself! You don't get to play with people like this, young man. I'm putting a stop to this," he declared loudly but not so loud as to draw passer-by attention. Then he got right up in my face and pointed at me. "Stay away from my son."

Then, before I could get out more than an annoyed 'hey', he was gone. The door sounded like the slam of a door in a prison. What had that been all about? I hadn't done anything to deserve being punched, at least nothing to him, and I definitely hadn't done anything to deserve being separated from Merlin. If nothing else, I had been gracious and loving to Merlin!

I pulled out my mobile so I could warn Merlin that his father was on the way. I hissed and felt my cheek. It was already becoming sore. God damn. What had that been all about?!

Chapter 14 Preview: The Corner of Your Heart

"My father did this to you." It wasn't a question. He knew.

"Unless you know another Pendragon hating man named Balinor."

I felt a sting in my chest. "That's it isn't it? This whole time has been a lie, hasn't it? Have you enjoyed watching me obsess over you and pour my horrible heart out to you?!"

"Arthur, stop it!" Merlin yelled. I stumbled back in fear. "This isn't a trick, and you know it!"

"Do I?" I snapped back.

"Okay. I'll tell you about the accident. I'll tell you everything."

I was childish to the end, I suppose.