I'm fucked up, I'm faded
I'm so complicated

Chapter 19

The problem with Alvarr was that he had too many secrets that Morgana knew that she was never going to know. She always thought that she knew about the girls on the side just so that she had something else to think about other than what he actually did in a day. In the past, she had asked him and he had been very reluctant to tell her, going as far to say that he didn't want her involved in what he did. He would just provide the money and she could spend it, no questions asked. She supposed that she didn't help herself out in that aspect, playing to the spoilt rich girl persona that she had been trying to distance herself from.

Alvarr earnt enough money so that they could pay the bills and live quite a luxurious lifestyle without her having to work a day in her life, which was lucky for Morgana. Leaving school with good GCSE's but no A-levels left her in a position that meant that if she wanted a job, she more than likely wasn't going to get one. She had no idea why there was such an obsession with grades even for the simplest of jobs.

If anything, she should have realised ages ago that he was doing something dodgy. Alvarr was the least honest man that she knew. He couldn't be honest even if he tried. But it still was a shock when the true extent of his operation.

"Drugs?!"

"You didn't expect the money that I gave to you to be totally legit. Just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, doesn't mean that the rest of us are. We have to work hard to get to the heights of Uther Pendragon. Either that or try and get rich fast whatever way you can. I didn't see you complaining when I was giving you a grand in fifties."

She kicked herself for not realising before and felt like she was just giving herself more reasons to end her relationship with Alvarr. She wondered whether Morgause would allow her to stay with her for a little longer.

"You said that you would provide me with the money if I asked no questions. I thought that you might have been a builder or something like that and just preferred to be paid in cash."

"Good girl. That would have sounded good if the police came to question you. I would definitely be able to talk my way out of that one."

Morgana knew too well how well Alvarr could talk himself out of things and talking people into doing things. The charisma he had when he wanted to be was off the scale and it was what made Morgana forget sometimes how he had treated her.

"Why are you letting me into your little secret then?"

"I am in need of a little help. I am building my empire. I want this to be what I am known for. I want to be supplying all across the UK and I want everyone to have my drugs. I want it so that no matter who you buy it off, it starts off being my stock. I started in Glasgow and the operation is going so well that I can start up in London. I just have a little problem. It is getting a little too big for me. I know how to handle a few people and a few regular customers but we are at the stage where it is more than a few now. It is more like a hundred now. You've done some work for Uther. You know how to run a business. I heard that he was training you up to take over the Pendragon group."

Alvarr had a useful source. It was probably inventive that the business would have fallen to her as Arthur's football career started to grow. While Uther was throwing money at Arthur to make him famous, he was trying to show her the realities of life by telling her to live on a small budget. It was all part of Uther's master plan that she ruined by running away. She could have been a very successful businesswoman, with Merlin still on her arm.

She didn't want to help Alvarr grow his despicable 'company'. She didn't want to get involved.

Are you safe?

Her sister's voice was so clear it felt like she had just whispered it in her ear. She wanted to scream at her now. 'No Morgause. No, I am not safe. I am with some drug lord who I have never really felt at ease around.' She wished she had spoken to Morgause soon or started her cries for help sooner. Maybe someone would have listened to them. Maybe she wouldn't be in the situation that she is in now.

Who is the better of two evils? Me or Uther?

Alvarr couldn't have said a truer statement and Merlin was coming to realise that the better of two evils was definitely Uther. Merlin might have this debt with Uther but he was more than certain that he would never have to do what Alvarr wanted to do.

It still troubled him that Alvarr knew that Uther paid for Freya's cancer treatment. There were only five people that he knew, knew about it and they were Uther, Gaius, Arthur Gwen and, more recently, Morgana. He hoped that Morgana hadn't told him. It could have had something to do with this other thing that he was involved in. He was definitely involved in too many things now.

The knock on the window scared him and he started up the car to put down the window. The man standing there was one of the few men that Merlin had seen hanging around Alvarr.

"Here. The meeting point and time is in an envelope inside."

Merlin took the parcel off of him and it totally didn't feel right that he was handling drugs in one of Uther's cars. He leant over to hide it underneath the passenger seat.

"You can't bail on us now. We know you have the package. You can't run to the police or anything. You must deliver it. You don't want to know the consequence if you don't."

He gulped loudly. "I will deliver it."

"Good man."

It wasn't much after the man left him that Arthur opened the door behind him. It did anger Merlin that Arthur had to sit in the back but with what he had in the car, may it was best that he was in the back.

"What did he want?"

"Plain clothed traffic warder," Merlin said, impressed about how quickly he had come up with the cover. "I thought I might have to drive around the block if you were going to take any longer."

"I am sorry Merlin. No rest for the wicked. Dad's called an emergency meeting so back to Pendragon HQ"

"Hopefully traffic isn't bad." He said as he pulled off.