Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! I only own my OC, and any other characters or plotlines I make up along the way!
AN: Sorry about the gap! School and this episode was boring and yadda yadda yadda enough of my excuses!
You can thank Buddy02 for giving me that final push to finish this chapter! Buddy02, this chapter is officially dedicated to you!
ENJOY!
"Gaius, there have been disturbing rumours from outlying villages," Uther announced to his court physician.
We were all in the throne room, and I was fighting to stay awake.
"Sire?" Gaius prompted.
"Someone, some kind of physician is offering treatments. I fear magic may have been used," Uther said, and I fought not to say "You always suspect magic's involved".
"What is it that makes you suspicious?" Gaius went on.
"There are reports of miracle cures," the King answered. "A boy thrown from a horse, a farmhand mauled by a boar. All hopeless cases it seems, and yet each and every one has made a full recovery."
"It's very hard for me to comment, Sire. I'd have to examine the patients myself," Gaius informed him.
"That won't be necessary, as a new case has arisen here in Camelot," Uther told him.
"Who?" Gaius asked.
"The innkeeper," Arthur answered for Uther. "He's returned to work."
"That's not possible. The condition was critical, I saw him only days ago," Gaius insisted.
"So you agree that magic must be involved," Uther deduced.
"Well, I couldn't say for sure," Gaius offered.
"Then go to the tavern and find out. If sorcery is at work here, we must act quickly," Uther ordered.
"Yes, Sire. I'll see to it right away," Gaius said, and afterwards the court was dismissed. I lifted my skirts as I caught up with Gaius and Merlin as they were leaving the throne room.
"It's unbelievable," Merlin shook his head. "Uther has no problem turning to magic if his family are threatened."
"Merlin, not so loud," I advised as I dropped my own voice to a whisper.
He didn't listen as he continued on, "Oh, he is such a hypocrite."
"He's also the King. So, if you value your head, use it," Gaius told him.
We came to the front of the castle to leave to the inn, but Merlin turned around at the last second and said, "You should stay here."
"Why?" I asked as I crossed my arms.
"If there's something truly wrong with the inn keeper, I don't want anything to happen to you," He said.
I rolled my eyes, but Merlin looked around to see if anyone was looking before bending down and dropping a kiss to my cheek. That made me smile, and I waved him off. "Go on then. I'll be waiting in your chambers and I expect a full report."
"Of course," Merlin said as he turned around and ran after Gaius, who had walked on ahead.
I shook my head at the boy. It was never a dull moment.
"I think it's great, what you did, protecting the innkeeper like that," Merlin said as he and Gaius walked into their chambers, and I lifted my head from the desk where I had fallen asleep reading a book on healer's magic.
"What do you mean?" Gaius asked as I stretched. He didn't even seem fazed that I was sleeping in his chambers, he was so used to it.
"He was a sick man. It was a matter of life and death. Magic was his only hope," Merlin said.
"But he didn't use magic," Gaius shook his head.
Merlin frowned. "The potion was enchanted, I saw it with my own eyes. We both did."
"What you saw, Merlin, was a release of gaseous pressure. Entirely normal in a preparation of that kind," Gaius explained.
"But what about the totem?" Merlin questioned.
"What totem?" Gaius asked.
"The totem in the innkeeper's doorway bore the marks of the Old Religion," Merlin explained.
"Nonsense. You're obviously tired, Merlin. I recommend you get some sleep," Gaius said as he turned to his mini kitchen to begin preparing dinner for himself and Merlin.
Merlin could tell that Gaius was done with the conversation, so he nodded his head at me and then towards his bedroom, and I nodded as I stood up and followed him inside.
"I know the marks of the Old Religion when I see it," Merlin said as he paced back and forth in his room.
"But why would Gaius lie?" I asked.
Merlin threw his arms up. "I don't know. You know Gaius as well as I." He stopped as he crossed his arms, much like I did whenever I was thinking really hard. "He's hiding something."
I nodded. "But what?"
The next morning, I went to go visit Merlin before he had to go to work for Arthur, since Arthur usually worked Merlin to the bone till the very end of the night and I didn't get to see him because I felt bad and I would send him off to bed to get some rest.
"Did you go out last night?" Merlin asked Gaius as I sipped from a cup of water.
"Yes. I had to get some herbs," Gaius answered.
Merlin and I shared a look. He was obviously lying. "Herbs?" Merlin repeated.
"A...a new supplier just arrived," Gaius offered.
Merlin nodded. "Right. Do your suppliers normally kiss you?"
I nearly choked on my water. Who was kissing who now?
"You followed me. How dare you?" Gaius practically thundered.
"Gaius, it was the middle of the night, I was worried. I thought you might be in some sort of trouble," Merlin explained.
"There's nothing wrong," Gaius insisted.
Merlin and I were silent for a moment before I asked, "So what's her name?" in a teasing tone.
Gaius gave me a look that said that he didn't appreciate the tone but he answered, "Alice. She's an old friend. Well, more than a friend, if truth be told."
"What do you mean?" Merlin asked.
"We were once engaged to be married," Gaius confessed.
Merlin and I exchanged surprised looks. "When was this?"
"More years ago than I care to remember," Gaius answered. "I had just been made physician to the King when I met her. It was like finding a kindred spirit, we had so much in common. Our love of science, or healing, and of magic."
"Magic," Merlin repeated.
"I was just a novice, but Alice's power and ability was uncanny. She had the gift. Soon she had mastered every aspect of sorcery, healing above all. It was wonderful to behold, Merlin. She saved a great many lives."
It clicked in Merlin's mind at the same time as it clicked in mine. "It was Alice that cured the innkeeper."
Gaius nodded. "Indeed. There was a time when her skills were famous in Camelot."
"What happened?" I questioned.
Gaius sighed. "Uther declared war on magic. Overnight her world was turned upside-down."
"The Great Purge," Merlin mumbled.
"Uther drew up a list of everyone suspected of using magic. One by one, they were hunted down and executed. As a close friend of the King, I was permitted to see this list. Alice's name was on it," Gaius said.
"What did you do?" Merlin asked.
"The only thing I could do. I struck her name off," Gaius explained.
Merlin's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Gaius, if you'd been caught..."
"I know, but it bought her time. Just enough to get out of Camelot, to escape," Gaius said.
I shifted from the position I was in before (my elbows on the table and my chin in my hand) to lean on the back of the chair. "You didn't leave," I deduced. "Why?"
"I was scared," Gaius answered. "I felt I had no choice. I thought I'd never see her again. But now here she is, after all these years. I feel we've been given a second chance."
Merlin and I were smiling affectionately at Gaius's words, then we looked to each other as we slowly reached over and took each other's hands under the table. Merlin smiled at me, and I smiled back.
After sitting in on one of Arthur's practices, I let my boyfriend lean against me as I led him up the stairs to his chambers. Arthur really hacked away at the shield Merlin was holding with that weird looking hammer thing.
"What if he had hit my head?" Merlin asked as we made our way.
"He'd probably say that there wouldn't be much difference in the regular you and the you that was hit over the head with a mallet," I answered as we got to the door. I leaned Merlin against the wall as I reached for the doorknob.
Merlin opened his mouth to argue, but then paused. "You're probably right."
I nodded as I opened the door and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards me. "Come on," I said as I led him inside.
"Ah, Merlin, Elizabeth," I heard, and Merlin and I turned to Gaius, who was obviously waiting for us. "I'd like you to meet Alice."
The famous Alice herself stepped out from behind Gaius. She was an old woman, obviously, her gray hair braided down her back. There was something off about it, but overall she was a nice looking lady.
Merlin and I shook hands with Alice as she said, "Merlin, Elizabeth, it's a pleasure to meet you. Gaius speaks very highly of you."
"You too," Merlin nodded.
"Yeah, when he finally did mention you," I couldn't help but say, and Merlin elbowed me in the side at my rudeness.
Gaius ignored it as he said, "Alice will be staying with us for a while."
"Great," Merlin said, and he seemed really genuine about it too.
"That's alright with you?" Gaius asked.
"Of course. I'll make up the spare bed," Merlin offered.
"So you won't mind if she uses your room?" Gaius asked tenatively.
Merlin's face faltered a bit, but he turned back to Alice as he said, "Be my guest."
After the two of them huddled off in the corner, I turned to Merlin. "You can stay in my chambers if you want, Merlin."
His eyes widened. "As in, sleeping in your bed?"
I felt my face warm a little. "No! Well, yes, maybe, if you were comfortable with it. I'm just saying that maybe one of my chairs would be better to sleep on than the cold floor in here."
Merlin offered me a nervous smile. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll just stay in here. Besides, what if someone were to come into the room and find me in there? The last thing we want is Morgana finding out, especially since she's the only person allowed to come into your room without permission first."
I hadn't even thought of that. I tapped his head affectionately. "I knew I liked you for a reason."
The next day, Merlin confessed to me that he saw some kind of creature with Alice in his room last night, and that Alice was extracting venom from the strange creature. He said the magic that was emitting off of it was very dark, very evil, so the two of us decided to ask Gaius about it.
"When you first knew Alice, what kinds of magic did she practice?" Merlin asked as we walked alongside Gaius in the marketplace.
"All kinds. It was a time of experimentation, learning," Gaius answered.
"And what of dark magic?" I asked. "Did she practice that, too?"
"I daresay," Gaius said gravely, but he shook his head as he turned around and began walking again. "But those days are long gone."
"What if they aren't? Last night there was some kind of creature in your room," Merlin told him.
"Creature?" Gaius repeated.
"I've never seen anything like it. It had the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion," Merlin said.
"Oh, come on, Merlin. You must've been dreaming," Gaius dismissed.
"Gaius, Merlin wouldn't make something like this up," I cut in, and Merlin nodded gratefully at me.
"I saw it with my own eyes and I could feel its power," Merlin continued. "It was magic like nothing I've ever felt before."
"What utter nonsense," Gaius shook his head.
"If you don't believe me, Gaius, I can prove it. Come on," Merlin grabbed my hand and we began making our way back to their chambers.
Merlin pulled a box out from under his bed and put it on top of his bed. "This is it."
"Merlin, put that back. This has gone far enough," Gaius demanded.
Merlin shook his head. "Oh, it's in there. I know it is."
"Ridiculous," Gaius said, and he moved to open it. Merlin cried out for him not to, but when Gaius opened it, the box was empty. Merlin and I stared at it, perplexed, as Gaius said, "I hope you two are satisfied."
Merlin checked under the bed one more time, before looking over at me. We both turned to Gaius, but he was gone.
"I swear there was something in here," Merlin said.
I shook my head. "You don't have to convince me. I believe you."
"But we just have to get Gaius to believe us," Merlin mused as he got to his feet. He grabbed my hand and helped me up. "Come on, we're going to the library."
"Ugh, really?" I asked as he began dragging me away. "But today's my only day off of my studies this week! I don't want to spend it in the library!"
Merlin and I said swift hellos to Geoffrey as we ran into the library, and Merlin began looking for a certain book. He told me the title, and the two of us began looking for it. When he finally found it, he began flipping through the pages as I peered over his shoulder.
"There," He said as he stopped on the picture of the creature. It was exactly as he had described it. "If only it said what it was..."
The sound of Geoffrey clearing his throat made Merlin and I look over at him. "Can I help you?" He asked.
"No," Merlin said at the same time as I said, "Yes". The two of us exchanged looks of confusion before I just rolled my eyes and took the book from Merlin's hands. "We're not going to get anywhere just with the two of us looking," I whispered as I turned to Geoffrey and held out the door. "What can you tell us about this creature?" I asked as I pointed to the picture.
"Ah, now that is the manticore," Geoffrey answered.
"A manticore?" Merlin repeated.
"Nasty looking beast, isn't it?" Geoffrey asked.
Having seen the thing himself, Merlin nodded. "Yeah, you can say that again."
"I believe it was first referred to almost a thousand years ago. The Ancients lived in fear of it, trembled at its very name," Geoffrey explained.
"I've never even heard of it," I offered.
"I'm not surprised. 'Cause as far as I'm aware, the manticore is a legend, figment of the imagination," Geoffrey revealed.
Merlin and I looked at each other in confusion. "Are you sure?" Merlin asked.
Geoffrey nodded. "Oh, yes. So, erm..if you were hoping to see one, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."
Merlin and I returned later at night, narrowly avoiding Geoffrey to do more research, but I had passed out just a little after midnight. Merlin and Gaius were usually better at this "staying up all night to research" thing than I was, but I usually just tagged along for moral support and so that Merlin wouldn't go completely out of his mind. Plus, I did try to do a little bit of research. Of course, then I would pass out.
When I woke up in the morning, Merlin explained to me about Alice's box that was in her room, and the two of us immediately got up to go and find Gaius to tell him. We found him in a corridor, and Merlin and I stopped in the middle of it.
"Gaius, we need to talk to you about Alice," Merlin insisted.
"Merlin, Elizabeth, this must stop," Gaius pleaded.
"There's a reason the box was empty. It isn't a container, it's a portal, a gateway for the manticore," Merlin tried explaining, but Gaius was having none of it.
"This must stop now," Gaius insisted, but Merlin and I were having none of it, either.
"Alice is up to something, Gaius," I tried. "Whatever it is, it's not good."
"You're wrong, Elizabeth," Gaius shook his head. "Alice is the kindest and most compassionate person I've ever known."
"No. You're wrong, you're just blinded by your feelings for her," Merlin insisted.
"I can see perfectly well, Merlin. And what I can see is that you cannot bear for me to be happy. I cannot begin to guess why that should be, but it saddens me. More than I can say," Gaius said, and with that, he turned around and left the two of us in the corridor, utterly confused.
I turned around to face Merlin. "'We can't bear for him to be happy'?" I repeated in disbelief. "That old goat! Oh, I'm really going to enjoy saying 'I told you so' when we prove him wrong."
Later that night, I found Merlin sitting on some courtyard steps by himself. I sighed as I went over and plopped down next to him. "Why are you out here by yourself?"
Merlin groaned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Gaius and Alice are having dinner in our chambers and I would prefer not to be in the same room as the two of them."
I nodded. "I'd hate to be the third wheel, too. But Merlin, what are we going to do? Alice is obviously up to something and Gaius is obviously too blinded by the thought of having love again that he won't see there's something wrong." I huffed. "I mean, how can love make someone so blind?"
"Oh, I don't know," Merlin said as he smiled nervously, reaching up and tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "I'm still a little blinded by you."
Even though this wasn't the time to be flirting, that line was so smooth it deserved a kiss. I leaned forward to do so when the warning bells suddenly went off, and Merlin and I jumped in our spots. "What's going on?" I asked as Merlin leaped to his feet. He held out two hands as he offered them to me, and he helped me stand up as he said, "I don't know."
Merlin and I ran and asked a few questions, and it turned out, the warning bells went off because something was wrong with Uther. So we made our way to Uther's chambers, where we found him laying on the ground, Gaius examining him.
The two of us had just dropped to Uther's side when Uther's eyes snapped open, and his eyes were covered entirely in black.
Merlin and I physically flinched away from Uther, Merlin wrapping his arm around my front protectively. "What is that?" He asked.
"Hush, Merlin," Gaius commanded as he tried to concentrate.
Uther's eyes fluttered shut as Gaius found an empty bottle in his hand.
Merlin, Gaius, and I walked out of the room after we got Uther into bed where Arthur and the guards were waiting. "Well?" Arthur pressed.
"I am afraid I cannot yet determine the cause of your father's illness," Gaius answered.
"Well, he's been poisoned, hasn't he?" Arthur tried.
Gaius tried not to hesitate, but he clearly knew the answer. And the right answer. "I cannot say at this stage."
"Just look at him, Gaius. What else could it be?" Arthur asked.
"We must not jump to hasty conclusions, Sire. Please watch over him till I return," Gaius said, and Arthur nodded as he went into Uther's room. Merlin and I followed Gaius into the Phoenix Corridor as Gaius began to walk away.
"I don't think we need any more information," Merlin said.
"Since when are you the expert in such matters?" Gaius questioned.
"Gaius, even I know that Uther has been poisoned," I told him. "And my healing abilities suck right now!"
"I think we all know who did it," Merlin continued.
"What exactly are you implying?" Gaius asked carefully.
Merlin sighed. "It was Alice. It had to be. She's been helping you with the potions. She's had every opportunity to corrupt his medicine."
"Merlin, you have no proof of any of this," Gaius denied.
"Gaius, how else could Uther have drank the poison?" I said, gentler than Merlin's tone. "There is no other explanation."
"Of course there is," Gaius insisted.
"Oh, come on, Gaius! I understand why you're protecting her. Really, I do. But in your heart of hearts, you must know what I'm saying is true," Merlin tried.
"All I know is that the King is gravely ill and that your place is by Arthur's side!" Gaius said firmly, before turning around and walking away.
Merlin waited until Gaius was gone until he turned to me. "There's only one option left," He said as his eyes flickered to Uther's chambers, where Arthur was sitting.
It clicked in my mind just as Merlin moved past me. "Merlin, no!" I tried as I reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving.
"Lizzie, there is no other choice!" He insisted.
"If you do this, Gaius will never forgive you!" I told him.
"If I don't, Gaius is the one who will suffer!" He threw back. "Arthur isn't as dumb as he looks. Sooner or later, he's going to figure out that the poison was from Gaius's remedy, and then it's down to Gaius or Alice. Who would you pick to keep safe?"
I sighed. My silence was all the answer that he needed as he gently took his arm out of my grip and left to tell Arthur who had poisoned his father.
"Do you admit to using magic?" Arthur asked as he questioned Alice in the dungeons. Merlin and I were off to the side as he did so.
"Yes," Alice said quickly.
"Admit to poisoning the King?"
"Yes, yes, but it forced me to do it. It, it made me," Alice insisted.
"Who forced you?" Arthur asked.
"The creature. The creature," Alice answered.
"You're lying! There's no creature. You're just trying to save your own skin," Arthur nearly growled.
"No, no," Alice said.
Arthur's tone changed to a gentler one. "Please, my father is dying. If you have a single shred of goodness within you, you will tell me how to cure him," He pleaded.
Softly, Alice answered, "I don't know."
With that, Arthur angrily hit the cell doors as he turned around and stomped away, Alice calling after him, " I don't know! I'm so sorry. The manticore..." She suddenly paused with a groan, and Merlin and I were horrified to see her eyes become covered in black, the same way that Uther's were, before they quickly changed to normal.
Before Alice could look at us for too long, Merlin and I took each other's hands wordlessly and walked out of the dungeons.
After checking on Uther, Gaius, Merlin, and I went back to their chambers so we could try and figure out a way to try and save Uther.
"We cannot counteract the manticore's venom. It's too deadly, by far," Gaius mused as we stepped inside.
"Then what can we do?" I asked as I shut the door behind us.
"We can kill the manticore," Gaius suggested. "The poison is imbued with its magic. With the manticore dead, it will lose its potency."
"How do I kill it?" Merlin asked.
"You can't," Gaius answered. "You don't have the power. It's a creature of the Old Religion. But maybe there's another way, if I can remember." He pulled out a book and flipped through the pages until he stopped on one. "Here. The manticore cannot live in this world long. It's life source is a ancient evil that exists in the spirit world."
"So if we can trap it in this world..." Merlin started.
"Exactly. If we were to summon the creature and you kept it at bay long enough, perhaps I could break the box," Gaius suggested.
"The gateway," I offered, thinking back to the black box.
Gaius nodded. "If the gateway is destroyed, then the creature's connection with its life source will be destroyed with it."
"And the manticore will die?" Merlin asked to confirm.
"I believe so," Gaius answered.
"Gaius, the box is enchanted. It would need magic to destroy it," Merlin reminded him.
"I am aware of that," Gaius told us.
"You think you can?" I asked. "Do that kind of magic?"
"There was a time when I could," Gaius reminded us. "Let us hope I haven't forgotten."
We got the box, and Gaius turned to us. "Are you ready?" He asked.
"What if this doesn't work?" Merlin asked.
"Then we're going to have a very angry manticore on our hands," Gaius offered.
"Lovely," I muttered as I stayed behind Merlin, at his insistance.
The two of them opened the box carefully. Merlin said a spell, and the manticore appeared. As soon as it did, it lunged at Merlin. Merlin pushed me out of the way at the last minute. He fell backwards on to the ground as he tried to keep it away from him. "Gaius!" He called out.
Gaius closed the box and tried the spell, but it didn't appear to be working. Merlin was clearly struggling with the manticore, and I stepped forward to try and help when Merlin called out, "Elizabeth, stay back!" He called out to Gaius, "Gaius! Gaius, it's now or never!"
Gaius tried the spell one final time, and the box exploded as the manticore leaped for Gaius, realizing that the gateway had been destroyed.
"Gaius!" Merlin and I called out, but the manticore exploded before it could reach the old man. The three of us just struggled to catch our breaths after nearly dying, and I dropped down next to Merlin as I put my hands on his face and kissed his cheeks. "You're alright, aren't you?"
He nodded, and then turned to Gaius, still struggling to catch his breath. "Not too bad for a has-been."
"Not too bad yourself," Gaius retorted, and the three of us couldn't help but laugh.
Merlin informed me later that night that Uther had sentenced Alice to death. Even though Gaius tried to stand up for her, saying that she was under the manticore's influence, but Uther would have none of it. Her judgment still stood.
Merlin and I were in my chambers, curled up on one of the chairs as we stared into the fire in my fireplace. I was practically sitting in his lap, my head on his shoulder as he played with my fingers. "Do you think Alice and Gaius are saying goodbye right now?" I asked.
"I would be, if I were Gaius," Merlin answered.
I turned my head so that we were nose to nose. "Would you have done it?"
"Done what?"
"If we were in Gaius and Alice's position," I started. "If it were my name on that list: would you have crossed it out? Sent me off?"
Merlin didn't hesitate. "If it meant that you lived, I would have absolutely done it."
I sat up a little as I punched him in the arm. "Ow!" He hissed. "What was that for?"
"Your answer," I replied. "Don't you ever do that to me."
"What do you mean?"
"Gaius and Alice spent their entire lives apart because of what Gaius had done," I told him. "Not knowing if the other was alive, or dead, or if the other had gotten married and had children with someone else. And that's not how I'd ever want to live. The only person I can see myself being with is you, so you can never send me off. Understood?"
Merlin grinned at me. "I was trying to be romantic, but okay. I promise to never let you go."
I snuggled closer to his side, more happy and content in his arms than I had ever been in my life. "Good. Unless, of course, I somehow do tire of you, then I'm letting you go faster than you can say 'magic'."
"Hey!" Merlin protested, and he began tickling me. I squealed as I tried to get away, but I just pushed myself farther into the chair and could only cry with laughter until Merlin eventually stopped and hugged me to him again.
We both fell asleep like that, wrapped up in each other's arms and lives. In that single moment, we were one.
"Did you hear what happened?" Merlin asked me the next day as he spent his ten minute break from his duties with me as we sat in the courtyard (okay, it wasn't so much as a break as Arthur being distracted enough for Merlin to slip away and come visit me for a while until he was caught).
"What?" I prompted.
"Alice escaped from the dungeons," He answered casually.
I fake gasped. "I can't imagine how that would happen. Camelot has the finest guards of all the Five Kingdoms!"
"I know," Merlin answered, and the two of us laughed. "I still can't believe that Gaius didn't go with her. He said he had to stay behind and look after me."
"Well, Alice was a part of his old life," I offered. "And you're a part of his new one. Besides, Gaius couldn't leave us: he's the only one who knows how to prepare potions."
Merlin checked the sun and quickly deduced that he had been gone from Arthur for too long. "I'm not looking forward to another day in the stocks," He said as he bent down and give me a kiss on the top of my head so fast that no one would see, and he ran off.
I shook my head as I watched the warlock run like the wind.
Yup.
Never a dull moment.
TBC...
Sorry for the long wait again!
We are a mere four episodes away from season 4! How did we end up here?
REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVOURITE! THANKS! STAY TUNED!
THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUE...
"Whatever relationship exists between Arthur and Gwen, you must destroy it," Morgause ordered her sisters, Morgana and Elizabeth.
Morgana plants a fake poultice under Arthur's pillow.
"It's almost as though he's been enchanted," Morgana said innocently to Uther.
"Morgana and Morgause have taken this too far this time," Elizabeth growled, fearing for her friend's life.
"Uther'll never believe that Morgana is responsible," Gaius reminded Elizabeth and Merlin.
"She has been found guilty," Uther decreed.
"You can't do this!" Arthur argued as guards had to restrain him.
"If we can't expose the true sorcerer, then we must invent one," Merlin suggested.
TUNE IN NEXT TIME!
