Whatever twisted game you are playing, I want no part in it. I would rather stay here and die.

Gwen watched Morgana breathe. Her breaths were even and constant. And Gwen hated how beautiful she looked. Even with dirt smeared across her face and her hair curling down her back in messy parts.

Gwen, you're not alone now.

Gwen sighed pushing the palms of her face into her eyes until her vision danced with colorful spots.

You need never be alone again.

For the longest time, Gwen had believed that Morgana would come back home. That she would realize what she was doing and come to seek the comfort that Gwen had always given her. Gwen could still remember the days Morgana would wake up screaming, only to calm at Gwen's words.

I am the only one you can trust.

The first time Gwen's hope had faltered was when Arthur had tried to take back Camelot from her. When she had attacked Gwen simply because she might one day become queen. If the ceiling of the corridor hadn't crumbled, Gwen knew she never would have won that fight. Not against Morgana.

I am the only one you have left in the world.

But her hope had completely drained after the dark tower. Gwen remembered very little about what happened afterward when she was enchanted. But what occurred in the dark tower itself was as vivid as the day it happened. The dark air and haunting laughs of those she loved still sent shivers down her spine. Morgana's almost kind face as she reached a steady hand out to take Gwen's trembling one.

Gwen bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. She could still remember the amount of trust she had felt for Morgana at that point. The sympathy. The love.

And now, according to Lancelot, Morgana had also been the reason she had betrayed Arthur. The reason she was banished from Camelot. From her friends. From Arthur. And all Morgana had cared about was that she was away from her throne.

Looking back, Gwen also remembered the first time she and Arthur had gone out together. When Uther and Morgana had just happened to show up right about then. She could still see the dark smirk curling at Morgana's lips as Gwen was dragged away to her execution. Gwen had dismissed it afterward but looking back, she knew that it was just another one of her schemes to get on the throne. And it made Gwen ache a thousand times more.

She had been the one to tell the others to give Morgana a chance, but Gwen herself was terrified of what to expect. In this world, there was no Camelot. No throne. No magic. That was all Gwen had to count on. And she had to hope that Morgana could let go of all the anger and hatred in her. That Morgana would help them get Merlin back. Because that was the only thing keeping her going.

-0-o-0-

Merlin stumbled over his feet, laughing. "Are you from the country or something? Have you never seen a TV?"

Elyan touched the screen, his eyes filled with awe. "Are they trapped in there or something? Can they get out?"

"They're not trapped in there, mate. It's a news channel. They're sitting in a news studio somewhere and being recorded."

"Recorded?"

Merlin stared up at Elyan, raising an eyebrow. "Jesus. Ok, you have a lot to learn. How the hell have you survived in this world for so long?"

Elyan shot Merlin an uncomfortable smile. "I haven't been out much. I mean that's why I have you right? You can be my guide to the world."

Merlin pulled Elyan away from the TV. "Yeah. Because that's all I am to you. I see where I stand now, Elyan. Thanks."

Elyan grinned at Merlin. After going to the shop every day for nearly two weeks, Elyan had finally got up the courage to invite Merlin to lunch. After a very awkward conversation of assuring that neither of them had intentions of going beyond friendship, they had gone out to get some Italian food, which was quickly becoming Elyan's favorite food. Thankfully, Merlin had insisted that he pay, since Elyan had barely any money on him.

Merlin was different. It was the first thing Elyan had noticed when he got to know him again. This new Merlin was more open. Less stressed and freer. Elyan hadn't noticed at the time but in Camelot, Merlin always looked like he had a huge weight on his shoulders. Even though all his easy smiles and banter, he had this curve to his back that suggested he was under pressure. Now, Merlin's eyes were relaxed. His entire attention was focused on Elyan rather than darting around to constantly take in their surroundings.

Elyan couldn't help but wonder how Merlin didn't know. He must have noticed that he was immortal. And Elyan honestly didn't think that someone could be alive for so long and still be so… happy.

"Hey. Earth to Elyan?"

Elyan jerked back to reality. Merlin's eyebrows were furrowed, watching him with worry. "You with me? You kind of zoned out."

Elyan struggled for a moment to recall what they were talking about. "Sorry. I was just thinking about some of my other friends. They grew up kind of sheltered. Similar to me. And I thought that it would be nice if I could introduce you? It would nice to have someone who knows what they're doing because we're basically homeless and broke."

Merlin's mouth fell open. "Oh. Oh shit, I'm sorry. You're homeless? Why are you telling me this now? I could have made all your drinks on the house. You shouldn't be wasting money."

Elyan waved him off. "Hey, no it's fine. I just thought that maybe you could help us find some jobs or something. We don't need money from you or anything so I don't want you to worry but it would be nice if you could drop by?"

Elyan held his breath, hoping that it wasn't too soon to spring his friends on Merlin. It had only been two weeks and he could not afford to scare Merlin off after all his hard work.

Merlin's face lit up. "I would love that. Where are you guys staying? Just on the road? Because I have a spare room in my flat. I don't know how many friends you have but-"

"Woah. Hey, no. That's alright. We're at a homeless shelter a couple of blocks down. Really we don't need any charity or anything."

"It's not charity. I mean what kind of friend would I be if I don't help?"

"Really, it's fine. If you just drop by that would be more than enough. Truly."

Merlin glanced at his watch and then turned around, looking down the street. "I'm free now if you want me to come by. I think I can skip my usually sketching session for one day."

"Are you sure? You can always come by this weekend if you're busy right now," Elyan said, trying his hardest to shove down the hope rising in his chest.

Merlin pressed his lips together. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Do you want me to come by this weekend? Because I can but I'm also free now. Whatever you want."

Elyan knew that Percival and Gwaine were probably at the pub working and Lancelot and Arthur were out exploring so only Leon and Gwen were back with Morgana. He knew that Arthur would likely want to be there when she wakes up but there was also a high chance that Merlin would recognize Arthur and flee. He made a split-second decision. "Come by this weekend. Saturday around 2? It's at the Restorative Homeless Shelter a couple of blocks down. I can drop by the shop to take you there if you can't find it."

"Oh. I've seen that shelter before. I can find my own way there. Ok, so tomorrow at 2. I'll see you then?"

"Yeah. I'll see you." Elyan said.

Merlin turned before hesitated slightly. "Do you want—? I mean- Do you need dinner or does the shelter offer that?"

Elyan scuffed the toe of his boot into the ground. "Um, we- we manage a few scraps. A couple of my friends work down at the bar so for right now, we're okay."

Merlin nodded. "Ah. Ok. Here. It's not charity, okay? It's just a thank you. I've been stuck with the same friends for a while and as great as Rowan is, it's was nice to get out with someone else. Take it."

Elyan stared at the fifty dollar bill. His gaze flickered to Merlin and then back at the bill. "Merlin—"

"I'm not taking no for an answer." Merlin grabbed Elyans hands and pushed the money into it. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Elyan curled his hand around the bill. "Yeah. See you."

Merlin smiled, turned on his heel, and left. Elyan didn't realize he was clenching the money in his hand until he had gotten back to the shelter.

"This weekend? Are you serious?" Arthur demanded, his voice going high.

Elyan rubbed his forehead. "Yeah. At two. And I don't think that you, Lance, and Gwaine should be here."

"This is my sister, Elyan. I'm not leaving."

"Arthur, he's right. He's already seen you guys and might get scared. You three just go off and explore. The rest of us will take care of Morgana. Don't worry." Gwen pleaded.

"Explore? I've been exploring for the past two weeks, Gwen. Besides Merlin's seen you too. I'm tired. I-" Gwen cut Arthur off.

"We both know this isn't about Morgana, okay? You want to see Merlin again, I know, but you have to be patient. We can't rush things. Aside from you and Merlin, I know Morgana best. I barely talked to Merin and he probably won't connect the dots. Elyan has Merlin's trust now and Leon and Percival haven't made fools of themselves and will stay quiet. If this works, then we'll be one step closer to getting Merlin back."

Arthur was silent. Elyan took that as acceptance. "Ok, so he's going to be here tomorrow afternoon. We don't want to overwhelm him so just the four of us is enough."

Lancelot spoke up, "Gwaine can go get some more money. Arthur and I will go out and try to earn something dancing or whatever."

"I am not dancing." Arthur spat.

"You most certainly are. I showed you the other day, remember?. We can give the crowd a show, yeah?" Lancelot winked.

Arthur gaped at him for a moment. "You are spending way too much time with Gwaine."

"Speaking of spending time with Gwaine, do you want to come work with me, Percy? Three people might be a bit less overwhelming than four?" Gwaine smirked, but his eyes were vulnerable.

Percival was waving him off before Gwaine finished speaking. "Nah. I'm sure you can manage one day without me, Gwaine. I'll stick around here just in case."

Gwaine's face immediately fell, but half a second later his lips curled up again. "Ok then. Don't miss me too much."

Gwaine turned and ducked away into the other room, leaving the air tense. Lancelot whistled lowly. "Jeez, Percy. What the hell happened between you two."

Percival yanked his eyes away from the door. "Nothing. I've just been spending too much time with him. I mean, you know what hours of nothing but Gwaine can do to you, right?

"Yeah." Leon tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Can it make you fall in love with him?"

Percival stiffened, his jaw audibly clicking shut. "I'm not in love with him."

Arthur scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm not in love with Merlin."

Gwen's face lit up. "Hey! Look at you finally owning up to your feelings. Does this mean you're cool?"

"I'm most certainly not okay with you and Lancelot getting lovey-dovey if that's what you mean." Arthur rolled his eyes.

Lancelot smirked. "Whatever happened to 'don't let her go' and 'you're the only one who deserves her'?"

Gwen's head snapped to Arthur. "Wait, what? You said that to him?"

"I most certainly did not." Arthur turned to glare at Lancelot. "I did not."

Lancelot snorted, curling an arm around Gwen's shoulders. "Don't worry, love. I got his blessing."

Arthur gawked at the two of them before muttering something beneath his breath and stomping out of the room. Gwen rolled her eyes, ducking out of Lancelot's arms. "I don't know why people ever called you the noblest knight. Goodness, Lancelot. Must you work him up so much?"

Gwen swept out of the room without waiting for a reply, leaving Lancelot snickering, something warm blooming in his chest. Elyan's gaze was still trained on Percival, whose eyes were unfocused at a point somewhere to the left of Lancelot, where Gwen had just been. Leon looked over at Lancelot and jerked his head towards Percival before going to follow Gwen and Arthur. Elyan took the cue and turned to go into the next room, where Gwaine was probably brooding.

"Hey, Perce." Lancelot lowered his voice into a soft whisper.

Percival finally met Lancelot's gaze. "I'm happy for you. You and Gwen look… happy."

Percival winced at the awkward words and scratched his jaw, turning away. Lancelot stopped him, muttering to himself. "Why am I the love therapist for everyone?"

Lancelot pulled on Percival's arm, guiding him towards the couch. "Come on, sit. I did this with Arthur, I can do it with you. Talk to me. How's Gwaine?"

Percival went boneless, sinking to the wrinkled cloth. "I don't know."

"Haven't you two been spending every day together at the pub?" Lancelot asked.

"We did the first few days and then I kind of moved to the other side and we don't really talk anymore." Percival's voice was reluctant, barely a breath.

Lancelot relaxed next to him. "Why?"

Percival was quiet, but Lancelot knew from experience that he'd talk soon or later. After several minutes, he spoke again. "I told Gwaine. About Helaine and my sons. I told him… that I fell in love again. And Gwaine's smart enough to know who."

Lancelot sighed. "Look, Perce. Gwaine isn't very good at relationships. You know that. He's never had a real one. I know Gwaine. I see the way he looks at you."

"We slept together once. A year or so before Camlamn. Before he died." Percival whispered.

"You- you what?" Lancelot froze, gawking at Percival.

Percival sighed bitterly, shaking his head. "We were both drunk. I didn't know what I was doing until I woke up in his bed. It was that moment I saw Gwaine snoring into the sheets I realized how much I loved him. It was stupid of me to think it mattered. We never talked about it and I- I guess I was just another one of his drunken hook-ups."

"If you think that then you're even stupider than I thought."

Percival jerked up, twisting his head towards the new voice. Gwaine was leaning against the wall. His eyes were rimmed a light pink and his hair was pulled back into a small ponytail.

"You were never just another hook-up. How could you think that?" Gwaine's voice shook, his eyes more vulnerable than Percival has ever seen.

Lancelot stood up, gripping his shoulder, and made his way of the room, leaving the two men alone. Gwaine stepped forward. They were silent for a moment. Gwaine opened his mouth, considering his words before he spoke. "I've been in love once. It was years ago. I met him before I first came to Camelot. And I fell head over heels for him. I didn't realize it until I met him the second time. That was also the same time I realized that the man I was in love with was in love with someone else."

Percival studied Gwaine as he slunk over to the sofa and sank down. The name left his mouth before Percival's mind could even catch up. "Merlin."

Gwaine smiled softly. "Merlin. I'm not surprised you realized. I still remember when he came running into a tavern, miles away from the border of Camelot, asking me for help to go after Arthur." Gwaine focused on a point on the peeling wall. "Merlin was running after Arthur and I was running after Merlin. I got over him a few years later."

Percival furrowed his eyebrows. "Years?"

Gwaine glanced up. "Yeah. It was the first time I've ever been in love. It took me some time to realize that my affections weren't returned. And then a couple of years later, I fell for someone else."

Percival looked away, his face heating up. Gwaine caught his chin, forcing Percival to look at him. "We became best friends instantly. We would always run around and play pranks and steal food from the kitchens. And when it came down to it, I realized that what I thought was love for Merlin was more of a love of the feeling I got when I was with Merlin rather than Merlin himself. But at the end of the day, I couldn't see myself spending the rest of my life with him. He would get sick of me real quick.

"But this other man, he was different. I didn't instantly fall for him. We were friends. I hadn't realized when that careful line I drew between friends and more was skewed. I have one rule when it comes to sleeping around. I never do it with friends. Never. And when I woke up to you beside me, I wasn't surprised. I wasn't disgusted or ashamed of what I had done. It was natural. It felt right. And it took me a moment to realize what I had done. And I panicked. I pushed you away and if I ever made you feel like you were just another one of my hook-ups then I am so sorry."

Percival was silent. Gwaine pulled his hands away, tucking them beneath his thighs. His heart pounded in his ears and his mind was going a million miles per hour because it felt right? Percival took in a shaky breath and exhaled. "You don't have to worry about me getting sick of you. I've spent the past two weeks working with you while you were half-drunk the entire time. Granted, I kind of avoided you but, I'll never get sick of you. Really."

A soft smile curled at Gwaine's lips and before Percival knew what he was doing he pulled Gwaine into a hug. Wrapping his arms around his midsection, Percival tucked Gwaine's face into his neck and nosed through his hair, which was quickly falling out of its band. Gwaine relaxed into him and tightened his grip around Percival's shoulders. Time seemed to slow down but neither man had any intention of moving. Gwaine shut his eyes and gathered all the confidence in him. He whispered softly into Percival's neck. "I love you."

And though Percival didn't return the words, the tightening of his arms around Gwaine was more than enough for him.

-0-o-0-