I have got to the stage that I didn't want to be in again... Help.

The time we stole your daddy's car
And drove around 'til it got dark

Chapter 9

2010

Living in London, there was noise all the time. There was always a siren going off or some disgruntled driver beeping their horn at some other driver. So Merlin paid little attention to the horn beeping outside of his house until it became persistent. He looked out of his window to see Morgana in one of her dad's cars, waving him down. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his bedroom door and shouted a goodbye to his mum before running out of the door.

"What are you doing?"

"The reason why I was being so secretive was that I didn't want to get your hopes up. I passed my test this morning and went straight home to put insurance on this car so that we could go out. I mean, dad doesn't know about the insurance or that the car is gone but he always told me that this was his least favourite car as he brought it as a bit of a middle life crisis."

"You do realise that could still be classed as stealing. If I want to be a doctor, then I can't be arrested."

She laughed at him. "I have told Arthur what I am doing and hopefully he will leave out the part that I am with you but I do want to spend one of the last days of the holidays with her boyfriend before we have to return to the hell that is school."

There was still a part of Merlin that couldn't believe that when Morgana Pendragon said her boyfriend, she meant him. It still felt so new even if they had been dating for the best part of six months.

"We haven't seen a lot of each other," Merlin said as he got into the passenger seat.

"You have been working most of it."

"I wish I hadn't but Gaius has been so short-staffed that even Mum has had to take time off of her job to help out. He was relying on staff coming back from uni for the summer but they didn't and didn't tell him until the last minute."

"Things will get better Merlin."

"I know, I do keep telling myself that and everyone else keeps saying it. I just wonder when it will."

"How about we leave that for the moment and you direct me to that place that you have been telling me that you would take me all summer."

Merlin was certain that he had found happiness as he rested his cheek on the top of Morgana's head as the looked out towards London. He knew that he would never be able to find the words to express how important Morgana was to him and what he truly felt for her. He knew that one day he might be able to organise his thought enough to tell her but he also knew that at that moment, everything was perfect.

"This place is perfect Merlin."

He knew why she felt that way. There was no expectation for them both where they were. There was no Uther to tell Morgana what to do and there was no Merlin having to be the perfect son to help out his heavily in debt mother and uncle. It was miles away from where they had to be and all the anxieties of life.

"I know."

Morgana sighed and he was worried about the words that were going to come out of her mouth.

"I know what I said when we started dating but as the new year of school starts, I think we might have to make our relationship more official. Like, tell people that we are together. Maybe with a little hope, dad won't find out. Just there will be so many boys that will think that I am single and even if I say that I am not interested, some of them don't know the meaning of no. Arthur can't be the protective brother all the time. I might just need a protective boyfriend as well."

"Don't worry Morgana. I understand and it's fine. I want us to be official. It will help me out as much as it will you."

"Your little fan club? You do know that if you thought people noticed you before because you were friend with Arthur, they are going to notice you a hell of a lot more being the boyfriend of Morgana Pendragon. Is it something that you want? The gossip? People asking you what I am like? Even questioning you as to why you are going out with me?"

"And they will never know the truth though. They see you as this rich kid who gets everything that she asks her 'daddy' for. I know you better Morgana. I don't care for the gossip because I know that you aren't that person. Look the rumours about you were unjust. We know the truth. We know that you aren't like that. It was just a stupid drunken mistake, and we all know that. Everyone else can think what they like."

"Your fan club is going to be so disappointed."

"I thought that was what you were hoping for. I thought that was why you joined the game."

"And aren't you so glad that it fell on me?"

Again, Merlin found himself lost for words. It was a night that he just about remembered but he could remember the shock of the bottle landing on her and the way her lips felt on his. It was a memory that he would cherish.

"More than glad Morgana. I don't think that there is a word that describes how happy I was. You mean everything to me and if I could give you the world, I would. Just… Always be by my side. Always wait for me to catch up."

"Merlin, at the moment, there is nowhere else I would rather be."

The 'at the moment' bit was slightly lost on him. He knew that he would think about it much later when she ran off, but it sort of gave him that answer that he wanted and he was happy with that.