As I am not entirely au fait with the legal system, I have fudged this a little and quite frankly I just wrote it off the top of my head, searched out what I could on the subject in a half hour slot and Arthur's fate was decided on that... but on the bright side, I got this chapter out... ;-)

Arthur roused slowly, moving his limbs carefully. There came a dull ache from the general area of his knee, but it seemed like the rest of him felt fine. Studying it a little more he felt an odd weightlessness. He didn't remember anything beyond the conversation with his father. Arthur hadn't wanted to talk any more and Uther didn't press. He couldn't actually remember anything after the ambulance.

Opening his eyes carefully he blinked, his vision obligingly clearing, a definite improvement from the previous night. The sunlight obscured behind the thin curtains told him it was daytime, he just wasn't entirely sure when. Very slowly Arthur lifted his head and a dark shadow moved across the front of the curtains, identifiable by the untamed hair.

"Elena?"

"Arthur." She breathed his name with a sigh of relief, moving closer to the bed to take his hand and sit in the chair by the bedside. "Typical of you."

"What is?" Arthur asked his voice still slurring slightly. He blinked again, his vision stayed steady and he took a slow deep breath.

"I get distracted for a moment and that is the time you decide to wake up. Are you all right?"

Arthur considered that. "My knee feels weird but the rest of it is fine, I think. My eyesight is better."

Elena smiled, tightening her grip on his hand. "Good, you had us a little worried, they ran a few tests on you. And they took a few blood samples. You didn't like that very much."

"Didn't I? I don't remember. I was in the ambulance with dad and then… not a lot."

"They brought you back here, Gaius tried to check you over, and Uther brought in another doctor. I didn't think you were fully coherent, if nothing else I have never heard you swear before."

"Oh god! Was it bad?"

"Very; I never heard some of those combinations before. They ran very well."

Arthur groaned and then suddenly opened his eyes again, looking around. He recognised the room instantly. One of the resident rooms in the Camelot annexe. That also stood to reason because Elena had been watching over him.

"Where's Merlin?"

"He's back in his own room. He's fine, no change. His mum is with him and Gwen is taking her turn there. We're looking after him."

"I want to see him," Arthur announced, sitting up. He couldn't quite describe it but he could feel a strange nagging pain in the pit of his stomach. His instincts stirred and as he concentrated for a moment he tired to do something he had never consciously done before – consider what power he might have. As he let his eyes close, partly at least, he felt a shiver of nerves and concern. He thought that might be Elena, and then beyond that, Arthur felt a call.

It felt like a gentle tug, and instinct that made him want to turn his head, to look at the wall behind him. Beyond that wall lay Merlin's room. Arthur's belly clenched, deep inside and he felt it again, as Merlin tried to find him. The only sense of it Arthur had was that Merlin wanted him and couldn't get a sense of him, probably because he had been sleeping so deeply. He felt the odd tension in his torso ease as the connection strengthened, it also eased Arthur's anxiety. Merlin appeared to still be reachable.

"Careful Arthur!" Elena almost yelped as Arthur, driven by determined instinct almost got up. She managed to grab his shoulders in time to prevent him from standing up and putting weight on his damaged knee.

"Are you all right?" Percival asked suddenly appearing in the doorway holding two white enamel cups. "Oh, hello."

"Arthur you can't get up," Elena told him after a frantic glance in Percival's direction. The large man immediately came into the room, putting the mugs down. Arthur took a second or two to take in the firm wrappings on his knee before he carefully started to level himself up. Elena glanced in Percival's direction. He had already started to move to Arthur's side to keep him steady. He tentatively put his foot down, testing his injured knee.

"According to the doctor it's just severely bruised," Percival told him. "Although you are probably better to rest it than go wandering about."

"I am not wandering about, I am going next door to see Merlin."

Percival assessed him for a moment and then huffed, moving to Arthur's side and putting an arm around his waist. Arthur glanced at Percival in mild shock and then after Percival steadily returned the gaze Arthur wrapped his arm around Percival's shoulders.

"Percy, you probably shouldn't encourage him," Elena scolded.

"Ellie, he's a Pendragon, and if he's anything like the one I know, then there is no point in trying to stop him."

"Too right," Arthur announced. "I want to find Merlin."

"Okay. He's fine you know," Percival added as he helped Arthur limp to the door.

"I know, I just want to see him," Arthur snarled through gritted teeth. He had only taken a few careful steps and his leg had started to throb. Arthur had no choice but to lean heavily on Percival who eased him through the door. It took a few moments of careful manoeuvring as the door width did not allow them to pass through at the same time. Instead Percival urged Arthur out first, while still keeping hold of him to stop him from falling. As soon as he got himself through the door he wrapped his arm back around Arthur and led Arthur along.

Percival did make him take it slowly, so he could balance himself properly, steadying his weight before he took each step. On reaching the doorway of Merlin's room both women sat in there looked up sharply.

"Arthur, you shouldn't be walking about," Gwen said. "Elena, you'd better get Gaius, and get someone to call DCS Pendragon."

"Where is dad?" Arthur asked his voice sounding mildly distant as his gaze lingered on the bed. Merlin lay there, in a pair of blue pyjamas, the bedding pushed down. He had obviously rolled over at some point while he slept, now he lay on his side, eyes open. Kilgharrah had been placed on the bedside cabinet, in his line of sight, presumably as a reassurance, and Hunith now sat close to the bed as well, where Merlin could see her.

Arthur shuffled further in, wincing as his knee continued to ache.

"Arthur, you really shouldn't be up," Hunith added.

"I needed to check on Merlin," Arthur said, eyes fixed on Merlin. "Is he all right? I don't think he got injured."

At least not physically, Arthur said to himself. Looking at him lying in the bed Arthur couldn't see anything wrong with him.

"No, he's not injured. They were concerned because he felt very cold, but they don't think it's too serious. We just need to keep him warm and make sure he eats."

Arthur eased himself clear of Percival's grip, lowering himself down to sit on the bed, just at the end. Reaching out he took hold of Merlin's ankle through the bed covers.

"It's all right Merlin. I'm here, I'm fine."

Hunith gave a light gasp and Gwen and Percival watched as Merlin's hand flexed. Only by a small amount but enough for them to see. That made Arthur's mind up, he hadn't actually gone very far, but it felt like far enough. He still felt a little tired and his knee had started to complain about the exertion. He shuffled up the bed, crawling a little but making sure that he didn't put any further pressure on his damaged knee. At the back of his mind he wondered how long it would be so sore but he felt better as he lay on the bed. The mattress was just big enough to accommodate them both, as they both lay on their sides. Arthur snuggled his chest against Merlin's back, spooning against him and reaching round the others watched as Merlin spread the fingers of his hand as Arthur reached over to search for it. Merlin let Arthur lace their fingers together and they both held onto each other. Hunith watched as Merlin's eyes, which had remained open since he had woken, slowly close, and her son seemed to relax into Arthur's embrace.

"It's all right Merlin," Arthur assured him confidently. "You'll be all right now."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur roused feeling the warmth of Merlin's body tucked against his. He lifted his head and looked around, sensing something different about the room. As he turned to glance at the end of the bed Arthur raised his eyebrows as he met his mother's gaze. She sat in a chair at the end of the bed, looking tired, and angry.

"Your father," she announced with an odd level of calm. "Is an asshole."

"Okay," Arthur said lying back down again, not really feeling in the mood to get into a conversation about his parents relationship. He heard the sound of her standing up and crossing the room, hearing the light swish of her skirt and the dip of the mattress as she sat down close to him, putting her hand into his hair.

"He didn't tell me anything."

Arthur frowned, not really wanting to say anything. There came the sound of another set of footsteps and Arthur felt his mother's hand tense. A moment later he knew why as he heard his father's voice.

"I heard you talking."

"He's awake. How could not tell me what had happened to him?"

Arthur opened his eyes again. Uther stared at Igraine. It occurred to Arthur that this had to be the first time he had seen his parents in the same room for years. His gaze moved from one to the other.

"I didn't want to worry you. Until I knew what was happening."

"He was back here for hours before you deigned to ring me. He's my son, I had a right to know the moment he went missing. And what if you hadn't found him, how long were you planning to keep it from me?"

"I wasn't keeping anything from you, I just…."

"Oh, stop it," Arthur murmured in a vague attempt to shut them up. He felt bad for his mother. Arthur himself hadn't even asked for her, the only thing he had wanted was Merlin. Anyone else had been obliterated from his thoughts. Neither of them heard him, and he sighed heavily.

"You were just what?" Igraine demanded. "Going about things in your own way, not bothering to discuss things with anyone else... and..."

"Enough!" Hunith's voice cut across Igraine's. "Don't either of you dare, if you want to argue then go outside to do it. Arthur is not up to hearing this, and you are certainly not upsetting my son by arguing in his room!"

Arthur lifted his head again. Uther moved out of Hunith's way looking absolutely gobsmacked. There were not many people that would talk to him in such a way. Hunith glared up at him.

"It's entirely your fault," she informed him tartly. "How could you not have told Igraine what was going on?"

"I didn't want to worry her."

"Morgana phoned me so you obviously thought it was fine to worry me!" Hunith said.

"I thought you just said nobody was meant to be arguing in here," Arthur said, his voice low and sleepy.

"Don't you start. Gwen's bringing up something for you to eat," Hunith said. "Both of you need to keep your strength up."

She had sat down, reaching to smooth down a lock of Merlin's hair. Arthur felt his mother do the same. She paused as she felt the slight tremor. Arthur felt the tears rise and he pressed his face into Merlin's back, trying to control himself as the tears rose. In the end he could to nothing to stop them. He felt Merlin's hand tense in his, clinging onto him harder, although that just seemed to make Arthur worse. His own shoulders hunched as he felt his mother take a firmer grip, intending to extract him from Merlin.

"Leave him," Uther ordered, his tone gentle, but the instruction firm. Arthur felt his mother hesitate. He couldn't see her but he had no doubt of the expression his mother had on her face. It was always a little wistful when they talked about Uther, now he knew it would be exactly the same as she looked at him.

After a short pause Arthur felt his mother's hands carefully retreat, one running through his hair before she said.

"I won't be long sweetheart."

Arthur sensed everybody leave the room, so he was alone with Merlin. For a few seconds he kept his face pressed into Merlin's back, taking sharp shuddering breaths as he tried to control himself. Merlin's hand remained warm and tight in his and Arthur slowly calmed, while he heard the low murmur of conversation outside.

"Is he all right?" Igraine asked as they stepped outside. Hunith had also taken the hint, leaving the two men alone in the room to hear what Uther had to say.

"Arthur is fine, although..." Uther hesitated and then sighed, looking at Hunith. "He thinks something happened, that somehow he broke a connection between Merlin and the woman Morgause."

"Connection?" Igraine asked. "What sort of connection?"

"Something like a psychic link? That's what Merlin had, to draw those pictures, seeing what she had done," Hunith said, immediately understanding Uther's meaning.

"I believe so. From what I could understand of Arthur's ramblings. He was in pain, and cold and disorientated," he added to Igraine. "He killed her while something appeared to be happening between them. In doing that he thinks he might have done something to Merlin."

"Merlin seems the same as..." Hunith turned to look at her son. He lay on the bed, eyes fixed, but he held onto Arthur's hand. Arthur appeared to have recovered from the sudden burst of emotion, but remained snuggled against Merlin. Something that Merlin seemed entirely content with. After the trauma of the night Merlin probably wanted comfort as much as Arthur did.

"His condition hasn't changed."

"But has Arthur somehow made it permanent? Or is he simply expecting more than is possible. I don't truly believe it can be as simple as Arthur killing the witch and Merlin wakes like Sleeping Beauty."

"Maybe Merlin will be all right, he might just need time," Hunith said, sounding hopeful but practical at the same time. "But what now, what will happen to them now?"

"We can keep them here, and as isolated as possible. Gwaine and Percival can stay here to keep the press at bay, but Arthur will still need to be questioned. He'll have to tell his version of the story."

"Who will you bring in for that?" Igraine asked. "It can't be you, your his father."

"I've called DCI Bayard, on of the senior officers in the neighbouring station."

"I know who he is Uther, he's not exactly your number one fan."

"Nor I his, but he's a good officer and he won't take any investigation on that value."

"Will Arthur be all right?" Hunith asked.

"Most of what occurred can be put down to self-defence, but the fact of the matter is he killed two people. It has to be investigated," Uther said, looking Hunith decided, less like a police officer and more like a worried parent.

That changed when Uther's phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket he glanced at the display before pressing the button to answer. He didn't step away from the two women, who both watched him with concern.

"Morgana?"

Uther didn't miss Igraine's eyes narrowing slightly.

"Okay, keep me informed, and let me know any scene of crime results as soon as."

"What's happened?"

"That lead Vivian found on the web search panned out. Another building being renovated by the same company. They found the other missing boy that Merlin identified in his drawings."

"They haven't found him alive have they?" Igraine said knowing exactly what the expression on her husband's face meant. Uther shook his head.

"Oh God," Hunith gasped.

"She killed him," Igraine said flatly, wondering how the hell any jury in the world would convict her son of any wrongdoing.

"Worse than that, she left him to slowly die on his own, drowning in a water tank."

For a moment none of them spoke, then Hunith broke the silence, her voice filled with an unusual amount of venom.

"She killed all those boys, she watched someone else torture them. I for one am glad that Arthur killed her."

With that said Hunith turned and went back into the room to sit with her son and the man that had saved him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur had been kept quite firmly out of sight, although there was no hiding his name from the papers. He was the son of a high ranking police officer, caught up in and the victim of one crime, and the perpetrator of another.

He now sat quietly in the interview room of a police station, having patiently refused a lawyer, and also refused to let Uther, or Igraine, sit in with him. Slowly he flexed his leg, the swelling in his knee had gone down but it still ached, especially after sitting in the room for two hours while Bayard and his DS, a man by the name of Alined, went over exactly what had happened.

At least, they thought it was exactly. Arthur had had a week to process the information and realised a few things, which slowly connected to other small incidents. Ones he had made nothing off, but he remembered his arm being pushed when he fought, his aim truer than expected as he struggled against the affects of the drugs, the sudden ease that the very handy piece of metal had come away. The snapping of the chains as he had tried to free himself and Merlin's mysteriously unlocked handcuffs.

The little things like that added to other things. The reporters that had broken into Merlin's room, and the odd swing of the photographer's camera when it had smashed against the bed, after they had damaged Kilgharrah and after they had taken photographs of Arthur. Merlin hadn't reacted to his own picture being taken, but had he not wanted Arthur to be revealed. Had the reaction occurred simply because Arthur voiced an objection.

Merlin had a metal power, and it was strong. Arthur had felt it so much Merlin had spoken through him. Could Arthur find it inconceivable that Merlin had something more? He had not asked Hunith, he did not want to put the thought into her head that perhaps Merlin had affected the deaths of the two people who had damaged him so badly. Arthur didn't want to put the thought into anyone's head, and certainly not a police officer's. No one could get around the fact that Merlin had drawn those two boys, without having ever known them, Uther had been forced to give Bayard all the evidence, but by mutual consent they had decided to keep that fact from the press. They had enough of a story to play with.

So, for Merlin's own good, Arthur decided to keep it to himself. It wasn't hard, it was only a subtle part to the story. He had inflicted the violence, something he didn't dispute.

"Are you all right?" Bayard paused to ask as Arthur flexed his leg.

"It aches but I'm fine."

"We can take a break."

"No, let's just finish this."

"So, in the lobby of the building, you confronted Morgause."

"I was trying to find a way out of the building. I needed to get Merlin out of there, but she was there and threatening him, although she didn't look very well. It was almost like she was possessed."

"The autopsy report revealed she was seriously ill. They found several cancerous tumours. To be honest the doctors were amazed that she had survived as long as she had."

Arthur clenched his jaw. Was that what the energy was for, he asked himself. Using that to survive, forcing her body on, using Merlin as a power source.

"She looked to be in pain," Arthur said.

"Quite frankly, I can't see how she managed to take you down in the car park, and she somehow spirited you away."

"I don't remember. I saw her in the car park, again she looked ill then, she seemed to run at me, something hit me and I woke up handcuffed to a radiator in that building."

Which was the exact same thing Arthur had said three times. Bayard seemed to accept what he was saying but did seem very inclined to want to go over it.

"Okay, so in the lobby, she threatened Merlin."

"Something seemed to be going on between them. I don't know if that was how Merlin saw the other boys."

"Yes," Alined said flicking through a series of papers to produce copies of the drawings. "Merlin drew these."

"I saw him draw both of them. Lancelot saw that one as well, he called me in on that night."

"The night Merlin animated," Alined asked.

"You could call it that."

"So you sensed something between them?" Bayard picked up the thread again.

Arthur nodded. "Yes, I was still struggling to co-ordinate because of the drug. I'd slipped over and she was threatening Merlin. I still had the bit of metal on me."

"Which you had gone back to pick up?" Bayard asked.

"Not exactly, I'd walked a circle around the building and came back to where Cenred was. I picked it up while I was there."

"Did you plan to use it?" Bayard said.

Arthur frowned, trying to recall exactly how he felt. Had he really intended it. Killing Cenred hadn't been difficult. It had been a fight, Arthur trying to protect himself and Merlin.

"Not deliberately, or at least, if I didn't need to use it, I wouldn't have. I just thought it would be stupid to leave it."

"But you left it there after you stabbed him, it was only when you came round to the corpse again that you took it."

Arthur swallowed heavily. "Cenred was still alive, I didn't want to go near him."

"Although, you had fatally injured him."

"That didn't seem to make him any less frightening."

"He had threatened to rape you?" Alined asked reading over his notes.

"And Merlin."

"And when you stabbed Morgause, she was threatening Merlin."

"Yes and when she came close to him, I stabbed her."

"You stabbed her in the neck, I thought you had fallen," Bayard said.

"I stood up," Arthur said.

"You were aiming at her neck?"

"No, I was just aiming at her, I don't think I cared what I hit," Arthur announced. "I just wanted her away from Merlin, away from me."

"So, after that, you found your way out and that's when the old couple found you, Tristan and Isolde."

"Yes." That part seemed fairly self-explanatory. Arthur didn't expand much on that as Bayard questioned him. And after another gruelling half hour as they went over the same facts again, and Arthur calmly gave them the same information Bayard sat back.

"I think that's probably enough."

'Thank God for that' Arthur thought to himself. All he wanted to do was go to visit Merlin.

"Interview terminated at three seventeen," Bayard announced turning off the tape recorder.

"Now what?" Arthur asked.

"I'd advise you to go home and sleep. You look like you haven't slept."

"I have, it just doesn't seem to help."

"It's not exactly been an easy week," Bayard said. He stood up and stepped around the table to help Arthur up onto his feet and Arthur gathered up the crutches he was using to get around.

"No."

"Is Merlin Emrys doing all right, in your professional opinion."

"I don't have a professional opinion at the moment. I suppose the hospital board make a decision when you do."

Igraine stood up as Alined opened the door. Before Bayard carefully delivered Arthur over he looked the young man up and down. Although it was true Bayard didn't particularly like Uther Pendragon he knew the man was a good police officer. The level of tolerance between them had enough respect that Uther could trust Bayard to not involve his personal feelings, except one. Going over the information that Arthur had given he only had one opinion.

"It'll probably never get said on record," Bayard said. "But I can voice what I know everyone is thinking. They were two damn vicious people, so bloody well done."

Arthur blinked, staring at Bayard in shock. The man had spoken as if he was casually thanking Arthur for doing nothing more than a simple service. The officer turned to Igraine smiling politely.

"Mrs Pendragon."

"Is everything all right," Igraine asked.

"Perfectly, I'll have Alined escort you to the back door. I presume that loudmouth Gwaine is waiting."

"Actually Uther is waiting," Igraine announced. Arthur's eyebrows went up. After over fifteen years of well constructed animosity his parents were being weirdly congenial. Arthur wasn't entirely sure which was preferable.

Bayard nodded, and nodded at Alined who walked with them as they silently made their way to the back door. Alined opened it up, checking the coast was clear. Uther stood by the car looking tense but he relaxed as he saw Arthur. Alined helped Arthur down the steps, pausing for a moment, keeping a firm grip of Arthur's arm.

"By the way," Alined said in a low tone. Arthur turned to listen to him. "What Bayard said, I second it."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Bayard looked at the woman on the far side of the office and shrugged as she glared at him with ill-concealed irritation.

"There is no way the CPS will even get close to a conviction if you try to prosecute, Annis. Even if you do, you won't get him jailed. The papers will have a field day, as far as they are concerned he's a hero," he said.

"He killed two people, he admitted as such in his interview. We have enough to convict him. And the papers have their own spin on things."

"All the parents of the victims had gone on record to thank him. And lets face it, Cenred essentially admitted it, I saw the transcripts of the interviews Arthur Pendragon had with Cenred in the prison. He practically got him to admit there were more than six victims."

"Eight," Alined corrected absently. Bayard glared at him. Alined looked back calmly.

"There were the two recent kidnappings as well, that takes Morgause's victim count to a definite eight," Alined stated.

"So eight, you now have eight victims, with the defence that Merlin Emrys and Arthur Pendragon would be the definite ninth and tenth. You have self-defence, you have a list of extraneous circumstances. I think it is lunacy to take him to trial. You do that we make him a martyr as well as a hero. And we will have to close the trial, some of the information cannot be revealed."

"It can't be believed," Annis snapped.

"We have more than just Arthur as a witness," Bayard said. "The police were involved in every step of this and I am not going to pull DCI Pendragon's investigation into question."

"You don't exactly care about him."

"No Annis, I don't, but after two hours in an interview room with him, I like his son, and he didn't waver in what he told me."

"He has to take a guilty plea, and we won't take it to trial. If he admits culpability for the crime."

"Which he has by his statement, are you really going to put murder on his record. You'll ruin the boy's career."

"He's thirty-one he's hardly a boy Bayard, and he knew what he was doing. He has to accept a manslaughter charge, if he does, we won't take it to court and there is no question of a prison sentance. As to his career, he'll have to work that one out himself. All things considered the hospital board are likely to decide against him even if we don't."

Bayard gritted his teeth and looked up at her.

"With everything going on the way it is, we at least have to make it clear what he did, even if we don't enforce any sentence."

"You have a point. I don't think he will even argue with you."

"Even if he can't practice on the NHS, he's got avenues open. He teaches and lectures at the colleges doesn't he?"

"Yes, but I doubt that will be something he wants to do for the time being. Can I call Uther and let him know the decision, while you work it officially?"

"Yes, he had no lawyer in the interview did he? Does he have one?"

"Uther can get one for the formalities, I think he'll want to talk to Arthur himself. Poor kid."

Annis snorted. "He's a grown up like the rest of us. Take it or leave it."