A/N: Thank you for reading! I love one-shots. It's also the way I write longer stories, more like a string of shorter scenes together, and I cut the parts that don't work. I'm very impatient sometimes : ) But hey, the next installment.

Three.

.

Morgana stepped on the train, still reeling from the unexpected encounter. It was him, definitely Merlin. She'd last seen him centuries ago, briefly, fighting at Arthur's side. It was the time of reformation and she was still young, ready to rebel against anything that resembled power. But that was long ago. What brought them both together now was another mystery. A twist of fate, a cruel reminder? After four lifetimes with Uther, Morgana had learned not to hope anymore. For all she knew, this could be the most difficult one yet.

The overhead radio switched on, an apology for the delayed departure resounded in the carriage.

She had tried to be friends. Tried coaxing it out of him, testing him, luring him in, not ready to let go, not really. And all the while his eyes hovered on her, probing, asking, wanting... answers. How could he not know?

Morgana pressed herself past the other passengers, trying to find a seat. She hadn't wanted to leave it like that, but Merlin insisted on going his own way, and she had already played every card in her sleeve.

A hand grabbed her elbow, scared Morgana out of her musings. She looked down, realized there was no danger. The old lady who had sat with them gave her the kindliest smile.

'Oh dear, did I give you a fright? A boy was here just now, looking for you. I said you'd changed your seats. A very charming young man, he was... Like the other one.'

Shit.

Without bothering to excuse herself, Morgana pushed her way out to the doors, and took a furtive peek at what was happening. Outside, two men in suits were arguing with the conductor, causing their delay.

Before they could turn to see her, Morgana jumped off the train - and ran.

Arthur was about to call off his search, when something flashed in the corner of his eyes. A woman ran across the crowded platform, took cover and darted for the nearest exit. Her hair was hidden under a green hat, and she moved too quick. At the elevators, she turned around. It was definitely her.

Within an instant, Arthur took off after her, and more men followed under his command.

She shook them off once or twice, but he found her again, her sandy brown jacket called out like a beacon amidst the sea of greys and blacks. He had manned all exits and the tunnel, knowing she could not keep this up for long.

'It's a girl, for Chrissakes. A girl.' Arthur glared at each of his men, equally out of breath. 'How can a girl outrun four full-grown man?'

Percy, the tallest one, was the one to open his mouth. 'She can't, sir.'

'Then she's still got to be in here, somewhere. Search everything, ask questions. Someone must have seen her. Go.'

Arthur turned, rubbing his head. He was too close. Too damn close to give up.

Morgana was holding on to Merlin's shoulders, crammed together in the tiny cubicle. She was balanced on the edge of the stool, so that outside the photo booth, only one pair of legs was visible behind the curtain.

Two sturdy men rushed by, third one at their heels. Minutes passed. Morgana tried breathe more quietly, but the lack of air made her dizzy.

'What the hell just happened?' Merlin whispered when the sounds stopped. He didn't trust to get her out of there just yet, and she surely couldn't show her face around here anymore.

'They found me.'

'Yeah, but how?'

'The ATM. I took money from my account when we left.' She covered her face with a palm. 'I didn't think they'd catch up, just yet.'

Half an hour stop. Luck never favoured her side.

'We can't stay here forever,' he prompted. She was clinging on to his shoulder at an awkward angle, her legs still wobbly from the chase. No, they coukd not stay there.

Two people had confirmed seeing her run in that direction. But the tunnel was empty. Except... A man, crouched at the photo booth, busy scraping something from under the machine with a metal wire.

'Hey, you,' Arthur's officer mode kicked in. 'What the hell do you think you're doing?'

The guy turned around, didn't bother to stand up. He appeared young - in his early twenties at most, with a short mess of black hair and sharp blue eyes. There was something about that boy that caught his attention, something he could quite not put his finger on.

'Why,' Merlin smiled cheekily, seeing no badges, no uniform of a security guard, 'is finding money a crime now?'

Being used to commanding respect wherever he went, this was not the answer Arthur had expected.

'No. In fact, since you're so good at finding things...' He gave a grim smile, pulled out a photograph and held it to thew boy's face. 'Maybe you've seen her. This girl has recently gone missing. Age 23, green eyes, long dark hair, average height...'

The boy stared at the photograph, barely even listening. Morgana was wearing a V-neck polo, hair brushed to the side, smiling wide into the camera. It could've been a picture from a sorority yearbook.

'Well?' Arthur was growing impatient.

'She's hot.' Merlin smiled in his face.

Arthur resisted an impulse to punch him in the face. The boy had balls, more than he could say about some of his men.

'This may be a joke to you, but this girl is in danger, and she has a family who want her back.'

He straightened up, returning the photo in his pocket. 'And what's wrong with your friend here?' he pointed at form wrapped in blankets. He lay, shaking, face against the wall, head and a a pair of old sneakers sticking out of the sleeping bag.

'Uhm, he's sleeping off last night.'

Arthur did not believe him for one minute.

'Well, make sure he's gone by the time I'm back. We can't have any addicts in here.'

This time, Merlin had no counterarguments. And he had a search to conduct.

Outside the station, it began to rain. Umbrellas appeared, big and small. Hidden, half-way around the block in a dead-end alleyway, behind huge trash-containers, Morgana began to unbutton her jacket - the dead giveaway - and threw it on the ground. Next, she pulled off Merlin's old shoes and replaced them with her own.

'Take this,' Merlin handed her his black overcoat. He was wearing nothing but a gray hoodie, shivering slightly in the wind-

'No.' Morgana backed out. 'What about you?'

'I'll survive.'

She crossed her arms. 'So will I.'

'We can't risk any more attention. Now, stop being stubborn and put this on.'

'You said we?'

Merlin took his duffel bag and nodded.

'You should come with me, if you need a place hide. Think about it - it's the best plan. We don't know each other, there's nothing to link you back to me - they would never look for you there.'

It was true. But Morgana hesitated. He still did not remember. There was so much he didn't know. Yet, he trusted her blindly, without a doubt.

'Or is there some another place you need to be?' Merlin peered at her with so much boyish charm and excitement, she began to wonder if that was the man who once rose armies against her. That she did the same, time and again, and never regretted, never begged.

'Nowhere,' she admitted, and accepted the jacket.

Merlin laughed.

By the time they arrived in Carmarthen, it was already dark. The bus drove away, the red backlights glowing in the distance. Wind picked up, reminding her exactly what she would have to endure had she chosen differently.

'Come on,' Merlin tugged her gently at her arm, lead her through the passageway into the city. Morgana hooked an arm around his, testing his reaction. She did not expect a shot of fire in her belly, when he took it without hesitation, pressed her hands in his for warmth.

Since their arrival, Merlin had been increasingly more at ease, joking and pointing at things in the dark, the pride of the city, the ruins of an old medieval castle. And, in the middle of it all, a river blinking in the night, winding its way to the bay, and the sea, which could not be too far from here.

She found herself envying Merlin's situation, how easily he had moulded into Cal and the place around him. Morgana could never really let things go, her past and her memories the only reality she knew.

'Here we are. Welcome to my home,' Merlin said, breathing in a lungful of the evening air, the cold smell of wet grass and mouldy leaves that filled the night. He opened the gate and stepped up to the door. The house they had arrived was small, whitewashed stone, shrouded in ivy. A young rowan grew behind the hedge. Witchbane, she remembered, and her fingers ran over its smooth bark.

A/N: So, Morgana remembers, but is she the only one... Next chapter will be in work soon. Expect more Merlin/Morgana, plus, we learn more about Cal's/Merlin's home.