Hope you're all prepared to meet your favourite physician this chapter. Thank you everyone for following.

Angels and Alcoholics

His hands were slick with sweat as he gripped the steering wheel as tight as possible, trying to keep his focus on the road despite every fibre of his body wanting to turn to check on the unconscious woman on the backseat. He compromised with a quick check in the rear view mirror, hoping with bated breath for some sign of her recovery. But no, Morgana remained limp, her head on Gwen's lap one side of the seat, her feet on Merlin's. They were holding her cautiously, enough to make sure she was safe, but not hard enough to hurt her. Though, without understanding what had happened, none of them quite understand what to do. And that feeling, a feeling of hopelessness in a way, was killing Uther.

'We need to find the nearest hospital.' Arthur had pulled a map from beneath his seat, and was trying to scan it frantically. 'There might be one a few miles away…'

'We can't go to a hospital, Arthur. We don't have any ID for Merlin or Guinevere, and their pictures will no doubt be all over national TV by now.' Uther's pale eyes did not leave the road as he spoke, though they were full of fear rather than his usual fury. 'Besides, we don't know what has happened to her. We can't risk spreading anything amongst the public.'

'She isn't possessed or anything, is she?' Gwen asked, her voice shaking slightly. 'She'll be OK?'

Uther ignored her, his heart pounding enough without anyone speaking his innermost fears as well. 'We need Gaius, Arthur. Phone him, now. Tell him we're driving to his, and to prepare for us. If he's out, tell him to get the Hell back. We need him.'

'I hope you know I don't approve, Uther. It's the middle of the night. We might be friends, but that doesn't mean I appreciate you storming in here at…Hell, what happened to her?'

Gaius watched as Arthur carried the dark haired woman into the dark house, her skin paler than some of the ghosts he'd fought in the past. He pointed the blonde man in direction of the sofa in the centre of the back room, and followed him, kneeling beside Morgana's limp figure. He placed a hand lightly on her neck, checking for a pulse. He then moved his hand to her forehead, shaking his head as he did so. Uther watched worriedly as the old man raised himself from the floor and instead sat at the table in the middle of the room, a half-glass of whisky in front of him. A shaking hand took the glass, and raised it slowly to his lips, downing the liquid, the whole room just watching his actions. Unnerved, he motioned to the empty chairs around the table.

As he sat, Uther spoke, 'What's wrong with her, Gaius? Do you know? Will she be OK?'

'I don't know why you've brought her to me, Uther. There's nothing I can do for her.' Merlin sat opposite the old man, taking in his appearance with a frown. Uther seemed to pin all his hopes on this man, yet he was nothing to look at. Long, white hair, a heavily wrinkled face like a crumpled parchment piece, one eyebrow that seemed to be a constant frown. Was that what a hunter's life did to you? Not to mention Gaius' hand reaching for the whisky bottle once more already, tipping more of the honey liquor into his glass. 'It's nothing I've ever seen before. She isn't possessed, no supernatural disease I can see. She would do better to be at a hospital, rather than here.'

'I can't take her to a hospital, not with these two.' Uther glanced over at the two newest additions to the hunting team. Gaius looked over at them, looking at them properly for the first time.

'They got no ID?'

'No, and there'll no doubt be some search party out there for them somewhere.'

'Look, they can stay here. Get her to a hospital.' Gaius sighed. 'There is nothing supernatural here. She fell, she's concussed. This long, I'd say there's something seriously wrong with her. You need to get her there, now.'

'Gaius, you looked after me before. Can't you help her, too? You must know something. I know this isn't natural, there is something not right about this. Please.'

Arthur looked up, attention snared by the pleading in his father's voice, a pleading he'd never heard in his life before. Gaius caught Arthur's glance, noting the concern in his deep blue eyes and he sighed heavily. 'I'm going to need a bowl of water, and a towel. I also have a book in my study down the hall, heavy, leather bound. Fetch that. Also, someone get me another damn bottle of whisky, I might be here a while.'

It was early morning. Gaius was still knelt at Morgana's side, uttering some incantation he'd found in the book that Merlin had fetched for him. Uther was sat on the sofa beside Morgana's feet, another book in his hands as he flicked through it desperately. Arthur had left only minutes before, claiming he needed some food, yet Merlin knew by now he was heading to the nearest bar. Gwen sat curled on an old armchair by the window, sleeping fitfully, though whether that was worry or the cold room, it was impossible to tell. And Merlin had made sure of all this, made sure no-one was watching him, before he slipped out of the door and into the alleyway between the houses along the dark street.

He glanced around, pushing his hair back nervously, and he leant back against the dirty brick wall. Taking a deep breath, he looked skywards. 'OK, I know this probably won't work, but here goes. I pray to Kilgarrah, you annoying son of a bitch. Get your ass down here, right now.'

Silence. Complete silence. Then a faint flutter of wings, and a solemn voice. 'I'm here, Merlin.'

'Bloody Hell.' Merlin put a hand to his heart, as if to try calm himself from the sudden shock. He turned to see the suited man staring at him, dark hair slicked back, slight stubble around his thin lips. 'Is it impossible for you to just show up where I'm looking, and give me a bit of notice?'

'You prayed to me, I just answered you. I am an Angel, that's what happens.' He tilted his head slightly, as if confused at Merlin's anger. 'Why did you call me? And why are we meeting in an alley?'

'I couldn't call you in the house, I'm with some…people.'

'People?'

Merlin hesitated slightly before answering, 'Hunters. The Pendragons. They don't think I know anything about any of this. Oh, thanks for the warning about the vampires by the way, that advanced warning was so helpful.'

'I didn't tell you anything about vampires, Merlin, why are you thanking me?'

'It was sarcasm, Kilgarrah, you gave me no warning about those things. I didn't even know what the Hell they were. I thought there were only Angels and Demons, you told me nothing about anything else.' He was angry now, angrier than he'd allowed himself to be for a while. It only fuelled his fury that Kilgarrah didn't seem to care, even notice. 'Will got turned, Kilgarrah. Not killed. Turned. I killed him. Do you know what that feels like? Can you even imagine it?'

'Merlin, I'm sorry…'

'No, you aren't. You could have told me, warned me. You must know about these things.' He sighed, leaning against the wall once more, resisting the urge just to sink into a heap and weep in the alleyway, where none but the Angel could see. 'It's OK though, someone found me. The hunters. The Pendragons. They saved me, let me travel with them. They're the reason I've called you now.'

'The Pendragons?' The Angel's face paled slightly, a hint of worry in his voice.

'Yes. Uther, Arthur and Morgana, she's not a Pendragon though, just some family friend…'

'No, Merlin, you can't be with these people. You have to leave, now. They aren't safe.'

'And being on my own is safe? When you won't tell me anything?'

'Merlin, you are in danger. You cannot trust them. You cannot trust Morgana.' He stepped closer, placing his hands on Merlin's arms, looking him straight in the eyes. 'She is not safe, Merlin. You must leave.'

The boy frowned, brushing the Angel's hands from him lightly. 'You're wrong. She's been the most welcoming person, to both me and Gwen. She's a great hunter but she's also kind She's kept me safe, she isn't dangerous. How can you know this anyway? What have you been told about her?'

Kilgarrah looked away, the dark alley making it impossible for Merlin to see the pained look in his eyes. 'I can't tell you, Merlin.'

'Then why is she dangerous?''

'I can't tell you. Strict orders. To disobey is to Fall. But you need to know that while you are around her, you are in grave danger. That's all you need to know. Please act on this advice. Do not stay with the Pendragons. Put as many miles between you and the black-haired bitch as you possibly can.'

'Kilgarrah, I…'

But with a flutter, he was gone, empty space where he'd once been standing. The boy scowled, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He needed sleep. He needed all of this to be over. To go back to a time where his biggest worries had been feeding his fish and getting to work on time, not vampires and cryptic Angels.

Quietly, he pushed open the front door to Gaius' rundown house as he entered once more, expecting to find the scene he'd left. But bright lights and smiles met him, as Morgana was sat up on the sofa, Gwen holding her tightly. Behind her, Uther stood, his hand on her dark curls lightly. And as Morgana heard the door go, she looked over, meeting Merlin's eyes with a wide smile.

Though, he could swear he'd seen her peridot eyes flash black.