AN: Sorry this chapter was delayed. Life and kid's birthday parties taking precedence :D Bit of a feely-filler. Next chapter, the action picks back up.

Thank you for the reviews! I'll try to get the next chapter out by this weekend.

*strong parallel in content and timeline for SG-1 Episode 10x10 "The Quest, part 1" for the next few chapters. * denotes transcript dialogue from that episode.

(Currently unbeta'ed)

"You're certain?" Merlin asked, excitedly. He pointed to one of the stars on the holographic display. "That one there?"

Percival nodded and smiled, "It took some ingenuity, but we're as sure as we are going to be about it."

Five men were gathered around the console, each studying it, attempting to find a solution. Once the image of the triskelion had been lined up, they began to see a pattern. With Mickey's help, they had run through known Gate addresses stored in Leon's ship computer, and discovered that combining the addresses of the three outer systems on each arm of the druid symbol, along with inputting the Camelot planet's chevron as the address of origination, produced only one possible world.

"If there are defenses that prevent beaming or something, as Gwaine had overheard, we can fly to a nearby planet, park the ship, and gate in from there." Leon suggested.

"If Ba'al's figured out the same thing, though..." Gwaine let the statement hang. They all understood the implications. If the Goa'uld knew where the planet was, his extensive knowledge of the Gate system would have led him to that same conclusion. Trying to get off of Leon's ship, and remain undetected while they activated the Gate, would be difficult at best.

"Why don't we just go straight from here?" Mickey suggested, indicating the crystalline Gate in the room with them.

Merlin rested his chin in his hand, and stared at the large ring. It could be easy to walk through this Gate, but anyone on the other side would see the incoming Gate address. He still wasn't ready to give up the secret. "No." Pointing to another world, near the one they were discussing, he said, "This one. It's far enough out that Ba'al or the Ori might not have considered it, but close enough that it might give us a chance."

Leon nodded, "I believe that could work, at least as far as getting through to the Gate. Although, I really don't want to just leave my ship there. I'd rather take a look at the planet we're going to first...see if it might be possible to access it that way."

They all turned toward the door, when they heard it slide open with a hiss. Arthur walked in, his face was serious and his eyes were rimmed with red. Before any of the others were able to question it, he spoke softly. "Merlin, I need to speak with you alone, please." He turned and walked back out without another word.

The warlock cocked his head to the side in worried curiosity, and immediately followed his king out. He shrugged at the questioning looks the others gave him. He knew as much as they did about whatever was going on with Arthur.

Merlin walked beside his friend, as they exited out into the forest, offering silent support for whenever Arthur felt he was ready to talk.

"There's a problem with Gwen and the baby." He said, finally. "They have ordered her to be on total bed rest, and want to...to remove the baby."

"I see." Merlin placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "What exactly did they say?"

"It shifted...like they thought it would, but in the wrong direction."

Merlin nodded in understanding. He knew enough about medicine and the human body to know what Arthur was talking about.

A few days earlier, Arthur had gone with Gwen and Martha to what was supposed to be a routine ultrasound. Martha had called him to explain that there were some issues and they wanted to admit Gwen for a couple of days for observation. At the time, she didn't elaborate on it; just said that she would fill Merlin in when they returned home.

Early on in the pregnancy, a concern had been brought up with the placement of the placenta. The doctor had assured them that it was more than likely that the placenta would shift out of the way of the way as the baby continued to grow. From the look on Arthur's face, and the few words he had said, Merlin surmised that it had, instead, moved the opposite direction. Placenta Previa, a condition where the placenta shifted to block the cervix was rare, but not unheard of.

"Can you do something for her, Merlin? I...can't lose Guinevere." The amount of despair in Arthur's voice was heartwrenching.

Shaking his head, Merlin exhaled loudly. "You won't lose her, but I'm sorry, Arthur, it's not like healing battle injuries. If I tried to use my magic, it could cause more problems -"

"...But, they want to cut her open, Merlin!"

"I understand, but it's not like back in Camelot. Medicine here is much different, much better. Women have this procedure all the time and it really is the safest solution. What's happened is..." He bit his lip, searching for a way to explain, "It's a natural thing.

"I'm still amazed at all I've learned in these past months. Here I am, having lived with magic my entire life, and never quite understanding it. The information from Dr. Jackson, plus everything in the computer system in the cave, as well as what I learned from the Nox has finally given me a level of comprehension, beyond my imagination." Merlin explained to his friend. "I can heal wounds, bring the body back to its natural state, but certain diseases or natural development in this case...well, it can be done...but, for a price. I will not take that chance with Gwen.

"Now." He said in a calm voice, making sure Arthur was looking at him. "Afterwards, is a different story. I will be able to use my magic to heal the incision from the C-section, alright?"

Arthur's fists were clenched, as he tried to hold back his emotions. His mind had been on overdrive since he'd first heard the prognosis. He knew enough from his own experience that if a physician, even one as skilled as Gaius, suggested cutting a woman open to remove the baby, the mother hardly ever survived. Then again, the same thing might have happened if Gaius had ever tried to cut him open to remove the sword piece near his heart. Only a miracle would have saved him at that point. Yet, with modern techniques, he had been saved. Other than two scars, one where the sword went in and the other where Dr. Lam had pulled it out, Arthur suffered no other signs of what had happened to him.

"Here." Merlin said, fishing into his pocket for his phone. "Let me call Martha and discuss it with her. She is the one with the medical degree. Maybe you, Gwen, and Aurie can move into London for a few weeks. There are great hospitals there that are better equipped to handle these things. Plus, I'm pretty sure Francine would love to help out with Aurie. She's taken to him like a surrogate grandmum. That way, you won't be out here, in the near middle of nowhere, if something happens."

Arthur finally took a breath, and visibly started to relax. "What about our quest to find Aithusa for you?" He asked in a feeble attempt to distract himself.

"Don't you worry about that. We've got that covered. You..." He gave Arthur a pointed look. "...spend time with your family and take care of Gwen. She'd never forgive any of us if something happened to you before this baby is born.

"Gods only know the lengths she would go to, to exact her revenge. There wouldn't be a safe place in this galaxy - or any other, for that matter - for me to hide. Bloody hell, she'd probably mount my head above the mantle in the library; put antlers on it...or something. Can you picture me with antlers on my head? She'd show it off to the kids, when they got older. 'Oy, look there. See that head above the fire? That was your father's best friend, until I hunted him down and killed him because your father missed the births of both of you.'"

Arthur choked on his sudden laughter, imagining the scene. "Well, at least they'd know not to mess with her when she'd ask them to clean their rooms." He took another deep cleansing breath and spontaneously pulled Merlin into a hug. "Thank you."

He squirmed, and she continued to stare at him. Her arms rested across her chest. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out her car keys and held them out. Carolyn's eyes flicked toward the dangling objects and then back up to Gwaine's face.

He sighed and placed the keys on the coffee table between them. "I'm sorry. I lost my mind when I realized she'd been taken. I'd have done the same for you."

"I know," Carolyn said quietly. "I think that's what worries me, Gwaine. You didn't think, and now look at you..." She motioned to his arm and the yellowing bruises on his face.

Sitting back against the couch with a huff, Gwaine let his hair fall into his eyes. He'd convinced Merlin to use a spell to help it grow. It wasn't as long as it had once been, but at least, it was more than the military haircut he'd been sporting for the past year. There was a certain amount of security he found by hiding behind the dark locks.

They sat across from each other in silence for a while. "This is who I am, though. I'm an impulsive SOB, and will do just about anything for those I care about."

"I didn't mean that you shouldn't, Gwaine."

"Oh, no. I understand." He shoved against the couch with his good arm, and stood up. "You need someone who's a bit more reliable than I am."

"Damnit, Gwaine...I only meant that you could have been killed or something. I didn't mean -"

"Listen, it's okay. I get it." Heading toward the door, he grabbed his jacket. "I need to go meet with an actual realtor and see if I can get something moving on the house, anyway. I'll call you later."

She growled in her frustration, as the door closed behind him.

The moon cast a pale glow through the open window, highlighting the beautiful woman beside him. Reaching out carefully, he brushed a stray lock of dark hair out of her face. Her features were slack and peaceful, and her breath even; in a comfortable sleep.

He hadn't planned on staying in her bed, as often as he had of late, but after she had awoken, trembling from a nightmare, he had finally relented into sleeping at Laney's side.

When they had arrived back at the manor, the boys had seen their mother and come running. She was nearly tackled to the ground by their enthusiasm. Tears and kisses had passed freely among them. Leon stood back, watching the sight with a warmth in his heart that had been growing for some time. On her right hand, she wore the ring he had given her. Laney had explained that she didn't want to confuse her boys by wearing it on the left, and Leon didn't mind at all.

It was two days, before she sat them down for a good talk. As she had expected, it hadn't gone completely smooth. Leon had wanted to step in, but he knew that it was not his place to do so. Time would work it out, he hoped, and he agreed with Laney when she suggested backing off a bit to give them all time to adjust.

He already had a bit of rapport with Toby, thanks to Arthur allowing the boy to sit in on some of their discussion. The younger two barely knew him, and vice versa.

He was awoken by Randy one night, softly tapping on his door, and asking for Leon to help his mom. The young boy had been in his mom's bed, when she had started crying in her sleep. It was the first outward sign that she had suffered any lasting effects from her time as Ba'al's prisoner. Leon had followed Randy to his mom's room, and taken the sleeping woman in his arms, and soothed her fears.

He sighed and focused back on her sleeping face, thinking about the days to come.

His ship had been repaired, the planet he and the other guys were fly to had been chosen. Merlin had gone to London to help get Arthur and Gwen set up in a flat, near both Martha's family and a hospital.

Mickey was back in Cardiff. So, Laney and the boys, along with the resident family that maintained the manor, were to be left behind. Leon worried about her, and hoped that they wouldn't be gone long.

When he looked back at her again, Laney's eyes were open and watching him.

"You okay?" She asked, softly.

He nodded and kissed her. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

The week began passing them by all too quickly. A townhouse, just up the street from the Jones', had been up for sale. Merlin was able to negotiate a lease for the next few months, with the prospect of purchasing it in the future. It was quicker than buying for the time being, and the location was perfect for being able to stay close to Martha's family, once their own child was born.

Another bonus was that he had been able to work in the furnishings as part of the deal. By the end of the week, Arthur's family was able to move right in. On the exterior, Gwen seemed so much calmer than her husband about the whole situation, but Merlin could feel the fear underneath the mask of bravery.

"They'll be fine." Martha said, snuggling against her husband's bare shoulder. She had made certain to be with Gwen for every appointment that had been scheduled at the nearby hospital. A more complete examination had determined that the situation wasn't quite as bad as they first anticipated. To be on the safe side, however, the doctors were still very insistent on Gwen's compliance to total bedrest, and a scheduled Caesarian section as close to full term as they could manage.

Merlin's fingers danced in lazy circles over Martha's bare shoulder. "I know, but remember...they come from a time where something like this would mean nearly certain death for both Mother and babe. It's got to be so hard for them to wrap their minds around it. Maybe I should tell the other guys to go on without me to check out this planet...stay here for Arthur's sake."

"Not a chance." She pushed herself up to look down into his blue eyes. She wasn't about to let him sacrifice his own chance for answers, just to hold his best friend's hand. "I'll be here with them. Mickey's going to be back at Torchwood, and I have Carolyn on speed dial. If anything happens, I'll get word out to you."

Martha slid her leg over his hips to straddle him. The satiny blue negligee she wore, moving like a second skin. "I need you to be alright, Merlin." She took his hand and placed it on the minuscule swelling of her lower abdomen. "We need you to be alright...and I know you've been using your magic on Gwaine. The hair was a nice touch, by the way."

He smirked, recalling how Gwaine now looked at himself in every reflective surface he could find. Laney had started calling him a myriad of names, most of which referenced various princess movies, and singing songs like 'You're so vain.'

"You put on a good front, but we can all see how tired you get from that, love." Martha said, pulling his attention back to her.

"Oy, it's not as bad now that I've figured out spoken spells take less effort than my natural ones." He squirmed under the look of incredulity she gave him. They had already argued this point earlier in the week, along with the possibility of more delays. Martha was exasperated by how Merlin tried to brush off the exhaustion. "Fine. I'll head back to the manor tomorrow, and the lads and I will head out, then."

Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his. So many worlds were being taken, and more bowed down to the Ori with every day that passed. It was just a matter of time before they built another Supergate. Martha was frightened for what might happen to her husband if the connection to that galaxy was reopened before he found a way to deal with his connection to Aithusa. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't," he promised. He pulled her body flush against his and held her tightly. "You won't."