Replies:

Sakhr al-Jinni: Here is the update! Most of your questions are answered here and thanks for reviewing!

Sjritts: Thank you for reviewing! Now you can find out about Morgause.

Yesthenlucky9: You're siding with Merlin? Interesting… now you'll find who was right, if anyone was!

IcarusLSU: Haha, I'm kind of glad you don't know who's right, because that was my intention. Thanks for reviewing!

Merlinlovr: It's about to get even stranger, I'm afraid! Thank you for reviewing! :)

Scarletbanner: HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TUESDAY! (it was on Tuesday, right?) hehehe, I'm glad you're conflicted, I like confusing you.

Toddnelanderperry: (for chapter 7 and 13) I'm glad you like the story so far! Although, I haven't heard much else from you, so you might have stopped reading.

Gespav: I love reading all the analysis things you put in your reviews, they're great. Thank you for your review and I really hope you like this chapter!

Pay attention, readers! Lots of things going on in this chapter!

XXX

"Merlin."

She watches the duvet move slightly but only from his breathing in and out. He looks so peaceful that she doesn't want to wake him. But, after a minute or so, he senses her presence and turns to look at her.

The soft tone of his voice reaches her ears. "Morgana?"

"Hello."

He pats the space next to him as a gesture for her to join him. "You're back late."

Morgana slips her jacket off and hangs it on the back of the door, delving into the heat and comfort of the sheets. "I was talking with Morgause for hours."

He doesn't ask what about. "I'm glad you two are getting on so well."

"Me too. She's a good friend."

"Did you see Mordred as well?"

"Yeah, we watched In the Night Garden together. He's a good kid. Morgause was saying she's thinking about taking him to Disneyland in the holidays."

"Lucky Mordred. I wouldn't mind going to-" he stops mid sentence and frowns. "Are you wearing jeans?"

"Mm-hm."

"Aren't you hot?"

She shuffles closer. "Not really."

"But it's July," Merlin points out.

"Yeah, so?"

"It's way too hot to wear jeans in the day, let alone in bed."

"We live in the UK, Merlin. It's hardly California searing temperatures and white sandy beaches. And besides, if you're so insistent on me not wearing them, why don't you take them off for me?" Morgana teases.

"You want me to undress you?"

"If the offer's there."

Morgana flings her legs in the air, a silent demand for him to start the task. Merlin huffs tiredly and sits up, kneeling at her feet to remove the tight-fitting trousers that unhelpfully showed off every curve and muscle.

"Enjoying the view?" He looks up to see her smirking and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, definitely. You could say that I enjoy being between your legs a little too much," Merlin retorts, tickling her bare feet and grinning as she squirms and kicks at him.

"Careful you don't pull my knickers down as well, Merlin." Morgana sits up, leaning on her elbows.

Stop being such a tease." Merlin rolls his eyes at her comment, laughing slightly. "I, uh, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I just hate that Alvarr is still a part of your life."

"Me too. I mean, he's been messing around with my life for more than 20 chapters now."

Merlin blinks. "What?"

"I'm writing a book."

"Since when?"

"I've done it ever since I got sacked from that office job," Morgana explains, lying on her back again.

Merlin does the same. "What's it about?"

"Me, you, Alvarr. It was supposed to just be an emotional outlet, but now it's almost turned into a guide on how to cope with all of… this."

"Can I read it?"

"No."

"Have you ever thought about getting it published?"

She laughs. "No. I don't think it could ever help someone and it's not like it's even finished."

"Then finish it when you can and then consider getting it published. You've got a degree in journalism as well so I bet it's great, even if I don't get to see it," Merlin says, although his words have little effect.

"Maybe."

"It could be your big break."

"I doubt it. But thanks, Merlin." She rests her head on his shoulder.

"Don't get all soppy on me now. Where's the hard-faced bitch reputation Gwen was telling me you had in secondary school?"

Her mouth drops open. "Gwen said that about me?"

"Of course not, you doorknob. Now go to sleep."

XXX

"I could lose my job for this." Morgause looks torn.

"You don't have to do it," Morgana tells her for the fifth time.

"I want to do it. I want these answers as much as you do," Morgause says firmly, straightening the baseball cap on her head. "Do I look normal enough?" She gestures to her jeans, t-shirt and jumper.

"Yes, you look fine. Have you got the letter?"

Morgause pats her back pocket. "Check."

"And you know what questions you want to ask him?"

"Oh, I've got a few in mind."

"And remember to say about-"

Morgause grabs her shoulders. "Stop worrying. I know what I'm doing."

"What exactly is your job?"

"It's like… tidying up the mess that the police usually make when they try to solve a case, except we get it right."

"How do you mean? Is it like a private investigator?"

"It's similar."

"So, is it like Sherlock?"

Morgause laughs. "Not really. There's a group of us."

"A secret one?"

"Sort of."

Morgana frowns. "So when you said you worked for the police…"

"Not the official ones," Morgause simplifies unhelpfully. "Anyway, you just make sure that you stay here while I'm talking with Alvarr."

Morgana nods. "Of course. And don't get angry with him or they might stop you from talking to him."

"I know, I know. Don't worry. I know exactly how to play this."

XXX

"You're a cousin of Mr Monroe?"

"Yes. We used to play together when we were children, but since I moved to the US with my parents, we've barely spoken since. It was a bit of a shock when I found out. Especially under such awful allegations," Morgause says with a slight American accent. "I'm sure he'll be found not guilty."

"Hm." The female officer shows her into the meeting room. "He's at the back on the left. We weren't expecting a visitor for him."

"I don't think he was either," Morgause mutters under her breath as she takes a seat opposite to Alvarr.

He waits until the officer goes away to speak. "Alright, cousin?"

Morgause scoffs, dropping the accent straightaway. "Better than you by the looks of it."

He looks as pale as a ghost, with dark rings under his blood-shot eyes.

"Why shouldn't I get you chucked out? You're nothing to do with me."

"I kicked down your door. That's something."

Alvarr rolls his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them," Morgause says calmly.

"What makes you think I'll tell the truth?"

"Because I'll know if you're lying. You'll tell me the truth eventually."

Alvarr's eyes dart across to the clock on the wall. "Visits only last for 20 minutes," he says smugly.

"You can tell me the correct answers within these 20 minutes, or think about them for the next 15 years while you rot in prison."

Alvarr scowls.

"It's your decision, cousin."

He shrugs and leans back in the plastic seat. "Go on, then. Ask."

Morgause smirks. "I knew you'd comply." She hands the letter to him, carefully watching his response.

His face is blank. "What's this?"

"You've never seen it before?"

Alvarr shakes his head. "No."

"Really? Because you've written it."

"Well, yeah, it's got my name on the end of it, but that doesn't mean I wrote it," Alvarr says, reading the letter through. "I mean, some of the things that are on here are true, but-"

Morgause narrows her eyes. "What parts are true?"

"How I feel about certain things like us and the baby, but I never wrote them down."

"What about this part?" Morgause points to a paragraph. "The bit about Uther and Sarrum wanting to hurt her."

"That part is true, but they weren't threatening me or anything like that." He picks at his thumbnail.

"So what did you get out of hurting that poor girl?" Morgause hisses at him across the table.

"They paid me."

Morgause sees red. But punching him, kicking him and trying to kill him won't help anyone.

"The sex was pretty good, too."

"If you had any idea how much grief she's gone through because of you-"

"She's your weakness, isn't she?" Alvarr interrupts.

Morgause feels her expression soften, if for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Morgana. You'll do anything for her, even this."

"I care about her."

"Obviously. Oh, and I didn't catch your surname, Morgause. Does Morgana know who you are?"

Unexpected tears spring to her eyes. "How do you…?"

"You're forgetting we live next door to each other. I got given your post by accident one morning; all these letters from ancestry and family tree websites."

Morgause bites down on her tongue and grips the seat until her knuckles glow white.

"What did they pay you to do?" She asks through gritted teeth.

"All sorts. Things I should say, how I should react to certain things, ways to hurt physically and emotionally."

"Do you know why they wanted to hurt her?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "That's none of my business."

"Morgana said you sold drugs. Why do that if you were already being paid by Uther and Sarrum?"

"It was more of a hobby," Alvarr says dismissively. "Any other questions?"

"A few, actually. If you didn't write this letter, then who did?"

"Probably Uther. He knew they'd go in there looking for evidence, so he wrote a letter and planted it there."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He's just trying to fuck up her life as much as possible."

"A bit like you, then," Morgause says bitterly.

"Don't tell me you wouldn't hurt someone for money. I know that when you first moved into that house you'd have done anything to keep you and that boy above water."

"You know nothing about me."

"I know more than you want me to know and that's why you hate me so much."

"You're wrong. I hate you because you're a horrid, manipulative bastard who will do anything for money and an easy life. You disgust me," Morgause spits at him before getting up to leave.

XXX

"How did it go?" Morgana asks down the phone.

"It was okay," Morgause says thickly into her mobile phone.

"You sound upset."

Morgause clears her throat. "Some of the things he said just got to me a bit."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She sounds preoccupied.

"Where are you? I need to talk to you about what he told me."

"I'm at Uther's house. I know you told me to stay where I was but I got impatient."

Morgause's stomach flips over. "Is Uther there with you?"

"Uh, no. I can't find him."

"Don't try to. How did you get in the house in the first place?"

"The front door was unlocked. Why do you sound so worried?"

"Just get outside the house and I'll come and pick you up, okay?" Morgause rushes over to her car and starts the engine as soon as she's inside. "What's the house address?"

"It's on Victoria Street. The big one on the end."

"I know it. Are you outside yet?"

Morgana sighs. "Not yet. I'm just going to check upstairs because there's this awful smell."

"I don't care. Get out," Morgause demands, slamming the accelerator down to the floor.

"I think it's coming from the attic. I'm going to check it out."

"Morgana! I'm not joking! Get out of the house!"

It's like she can't hear her. "God, it smells rank, even worse than my cooking."

"For Christ's sake, Morgana!" Morgause screeches at her.

"Okay, okay, but I'm in the attic now so I may as well make the most of it."

"I swear to God, if you don't-"

"Shh, I'm trying to hear something… shit, Morgause there's other people up here."

"I'm almost there now, so just hold on where you are."

"Oh… Morgause? I think they're dead. Uther's got dead bodies in his attic… why has he got dead bodies in his attic?"

"Morgana, please," Morgause begs and finally gets through.

"Alright, I'll come out now, give me a minute…"

Morgause swerves up to the house and jumps out of the car, still holding the phone to her ear. "Where are you now?"

"Still in the attic. The door's jammed, I can't open it. I'm trapped." Morgana sounds frantic.

"It's alright; I'll come in and get you, just be quiet when you talk to me so that no one can hear you," Morgause instructs her, running into the house through the open door.

Unsure of where to go, she runs into the large corridor and tries to get her bearings.

"I hoped I'd never see your face again."

She whips around to see a man with a gun aimed at her head.

"But even after all these years, I can't get rid of you."

Morgause swallows nervously and tries to even out her breaths. "Which one are you? Sarrum or Uther?"

"Uther. Sarrum is in the attic with Morgana."

She sways on the spot and he traces her movements with the gun. "I won't let you hurt her."

"You're the one that corrupted her in the first place, all those years ago. You spread your evil in her like a disease."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Morgause says calmly, not wanting to anger him into pulling the trigger.

He laughs hysterically. "Of course you don't."

"How have I corrupted her?" Morgause asks, wanting to keep him distracted as she tries to dial 999 without him noticing.

But Uther sees and lowers the gun, firing a bullet at her phone. The device shatters, sharp splinters cutting into her palm and making hot blood ooze out, trickling down her fingers.

He grins at her injury. "Don't think you can call for help. Morgana is crying out right now and you can't even hear her."

"What are you on about?" Morgause tries to ignore the blistering pain increasing. "What's he doing to her?" She asks breathlessly as her left arm turns to hot lead, making her dizzy.

"Talking to her. Then we'll kill her. That's what we've always done."

XXX

Woah, did this just turn into a reincarnation fic? I think so!

I know it's been ages since I've updated, but I'd say this chapter was pretty action-packed, so I hope it was worth the wait! I really loved writing Morgause in this chapter, especially the confrontation with Alvarr.

Anywho! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, so please review!

Thanks for reading!