AN: This chapter is currently unbeta'ed, as the precious proofreading puffin (Nance) is temporarily out of commission. Thanks to IcarusLSU for doing a pre-read of most of this chapter and helping me catch a couple things.

This chapter is mostly filler and catch-up concerning the last part of the SG-1 "The Quest, part 2" (*denotes the couple lines of transcripted dialogue from that ep) But, I wanted to get to the ending part of this chapter, which I really hope you all enjoy! Each time I think I'm going to go more AU from SG, I keep getting drawn back into that canon as the background story behind this. So, there is going to be at least one more that will be twisted a bit.

Thanks Aerist and Matthew72 for the reviews! Next chapter will be up by the 24th.

Bright light flared; startling her from her sleep. She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.

"Sorry," She heard her husband mutter, and the room was instantly bathed in darkness again. "I wasn't thinking, even though Laney told me you were here."

"S'alright," she responded sleepily. "How'd it go?" Martha asked, reaching out to touch him, as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Long. I got the information I needed, but..." His voice trailed off, while he removed his shoes.

"...but?" Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around her him, and he leaned back against her.

"Lancelot helped us, and we think he was caught for interfering by the Ancients."

"What does that mean?"

He shrugged. Merlin really had no idea what it meant. He had a little information from Daniel Jackson, about the archaeologist's time among the Ascended beings, but there was very little else to go on. "I kind of overdid it, with my magic a bit. Gwaine and Percival decided to stay with SG-1, while Leon and I came on home. I slept pretty much the entire return trip."

"You still sound tired, love." She began to massage his shoulders. A part of her wanted to chide him for being reckless, but she knew that he must have done it for a good reason.

He hummed and nodded. The magic he'd used had completely worn him out physically, but dealing with Morgana again and then, watching Lancelot torn out of this existence had hit him emotionally. Pushing the issues aside, he asked, "How're Gwen and Arthur holding up?"

"They're hanging in there. I think Arthur will be glad you've come back...especially, since the doctors are considering moving up the due date," she said, sensing that he didn't want to talk about his trip.

Merlin stood up and finished undressing. "Moving it up? How soon?"

"They were talking about doing it end of this week. The doctors are pretty sure she's at least at thirty weeks...so, with all that's going on, and she's started having Braxton Hicks Contractions, they feel it would be best to go ahead and do it. There's a 95% chance of survival...but, it's been really hard for them both to wrap their heads around it."

"Well, the world they came from babies like that had no chance...aside from an absolute miracle."

Martha pulled him into the bed covers with her. The rain outside kept the manor a bit chilled. So, she was happy to have him home to snuggle up to. "I came back here today to get a few things Gwen wanted for the baby. I was planning on heading back to London in the early afternoon, after I spent some time with Laney...but, if you and Leon are back...I suppose she doesn't need my company."

"She may not, but I know someone else who does."

"Who would that be?" Martha asked with a smile.

"Oh, just some bloke who keeps running off to the stars. No one important."

"Hmm...wonder if it's the same man whose car just got transferred across the ocean, and is now sitting in the garage, thanks to Mickey?"

An impish grin spread across Merlin's face. "Have I told you, how much I love you?"

"Mmm, not recently." They kissed gently, before she cuddled back down in the hollow of his shoulder. Her fingers played with the dark hair on his chest, as she debated pushing him. Her mind was full of questions about his recent journey. He'd said he'd gotten the answers he needed, but she wanted to know more.

"Go ahead and ask." He said, as if reading her mind.

Martha was grateful to realize they had finally gotten back to a level of understanding they had shared before everyone else came into their lives and threw their relationship for a loop. "I just want to hear the details. You know me...always needing to know more about things."

Shifting to get comfortable, he pulled her in tightly and nuzzled her coarse black hair. "Well, we found Morgana...or Adria, actually...with Colonel Mitchell's team. It took a bit to draw her out, once Lancelot defeated this...well, it was called a dragon...but, I really don't know what it was. That's where I had used my magic. I had to fight her into submission, and show her what was happening to Aithusa."

"So, was it like something out of a movie? Where you were both throwing fireballs at each other?"

He chuckled, "Naw, nothing so glamourous. But, when I finally connected to her mind, she showed me what I needed. Celestis isn't just the galaxy. It's also a massive city where the main base of the Ori power is, and where they reside. Morgana had a pretty good guess of where in the city they were keeping her."

"Her?" Martha asked with a snicker. Following the initial revelations, Merlin and Gwen had occasionally bantered about the dragon's gender. Until this point, he had been adamant about referring to the dragon as male.

"Don't start with me." He warned playfully and ran his fingers across a ticklish spot on her hip.

"Alright, what gives?"

"Hm?"

"I'm standing here, almost completely naked, and you haven't even looked at me."

Leon cringed, and then raised his eyes slowly from the bottle in his hand to the window pane in front of him. He could see Laney's curvy form reflected in the glass, as she leaned next to the post of the four poster bed in a skimpy black negligee.

Glancing back down at the drink, he lifted it to his lips. "Sorry, just got a lot on my mind right now."

Coming up to his side, Laney grasped his bearded chin in her fingers and turned his face. Standing on her tip toes, she kissed him gently. "What's up?"

He shook his head. His thoughts still wrapped up in the events that had taken place a few days before, on two different alien planets. Leon knew he was probably still in shock.

It was well past dark when they had arrived, and Laney had met them on the porch. She immediately peppered them with questions about where her brother and Percival were. Once she was assured that they were safe with SG-1, did she inform Merlin that his wife was upstairs sleeping.

Both men appeared haggard and worn, their eyes betraying the centuries they were feeling. Merlin nodded his thanks and slipped inside the manor. Leon pulled Laney into a tight embrace, and held her for a few minutes before excusing himself to take a much needed shower.

Slipping into a revealing negligee, Laney had entered his room unnoticed to find him staring blankly out the window.

"You said Gwaine and Percival were fine, right?"

"Yeah...Yes, they are." He took a shuddering breath. "It was...something else that happened, after we split up from them."

She kissed him again, trying to draw him out of the dark mood. While they hadn't known each other long, she could sense the pain in his every move. It was something that went far beyond the physical. His eyes were old and tired when he looked upon her.

Part of her wanted to run away from the haunted look. Laney had known personal loss, and the anguish she saw in him, scared her. Swallowing down her fear, she took the bottle from his hand, set it aside and then, nestled against his chest. He was the man who had rescued her. If anything, she owed it to him to be there in his time of need. Even if he couldn't seem to put it into words.

His chest heaved, attempting to control his emotions. Leon didn't want to grieve. He didn't even know the true fate of the only man who had actually known him for all the centuries of his life. It shocked him to realize how painful it had been, to watch as Lancelot had been torn away.

Lancelot had been the first one to come to him, when Leon was certain he should have died on that battlefield in France. Throughout the ages, when Leon had found himself doubting, or in trouble, and the soft-spoken knight would appear to offer a friendly smile or words of wisdom. He knew the moment he saw the pain on Lancelot's face, that the Ascended knight had truly been his best, and sometimes only, friend.

Finally, he felt himself relax in her embrace. He wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her hair. He wanted to forget about what had happened, if only for a short while. "I don't want to talk, or even think tonight."

"Then, what do you want to do?" She asked in a sultry tone. Her breath was warm against his ear.

He pressed his lips against the skin of her neck, before he lifted her up and carried her over to the bed.

They had gone back in the mountain, once Adria was revived. She knew something had happened and threw a minor tantrum, demanding to know what had been done. No one responded to her, not even Ba'al, though the Goa'uld smirked haughtily at having knowledge the Orici did not possess.

Jackson had tried to pick up the Sangraal again, and instead of a crystal, he had activated a sequence of teleportation and wormholes. The first jump had put them in a room with the frozen form of an ancient man. He was revived and - while loopy as all get out - Moros had begun work on the weapon that would supposedly destroy the Ori.

While Gwaine assisted Carter in figuring out the Gate program, inside the cave Jackson and Moros had merged. That was when the merry-go-round ride of Gating and teleportation had started. For a couple of days, every six hours, or so, the Gate would active and they would find themselves on another planet.

The interior of each cavernous lab never changed. Each one was set up identical to the one before. Carter had her suspicions that the programming was not in the Dial Home Device, associated with each Stargate, but instead was linked through nearby obelisks that caused the actual teleportation.

Ba'al was assisting...sort of. Even the Ancient Merlin had gotten fed up with Ba'al at one point and used his abilities to silence to Goa'uld. Unfortunately, the quiet Ba'al didn't last beyond the time the old alien died. He soon reverted back to making his snide comments. When the blond Colonel had swallowed her pride enough to ask Ba'al for his help with the obelisk, his insult about her being not only human, but a female as well, sent her over the edge.

Gwaine watched, his finger on the trigger of his weapon, as she walked casually up to the Goa'uld and decked him. He flinched sympathetically, when the blow hit, but then chuckled at the arrogant alien lying on the ground, cradling his broken nose.

"You know, if you're not gonna help, then you're really not much use to us. And if you're not much use to us, then there's really no point in keeping you alive any longer. Wouldn't you agree?"* Carter said, giving the alien her most innocently sweet smile.

Ba'al had looked at Teal'c, then Percival, and finally Gwaine...searching for sympathy in their faces. All he found were malicious smiles and the wrong end of their weapons trained on him. All three men were waiting for the order to take him out of the picture once and for all. "I'd, uh, be delighted to help."*

Things went smoothly on the outside after that, for the most part, while in the lab Jackson's personality was being split in two: his own and Moros'. With that knowledge, he began building the weapon.

A part of Gwaine wished his Merlin would have stuck around. He knew that his friend would have relished in the chance to meet with and talk to the Ancient who had known his father, but time was short, and two old men telling stories about the past would not have been much help.

Shortly after Ba'al and Carter had started working together on the obelisk, Carter announced that they had found the command protocol. That was when things went south. The Stargate opened and Ori soldiers began pouring through. A good old fashioned firefight ensued, but they were soon overrun.

Dark clouds rolled in quickly and lightning erupted from the sky. Percival and Gwaine had looked at each other, both remembering Camlann. An aged wizard in red robes, stood high on a cliff and had called down a similar lightning storm upon Morgana's Saxons. The wormhole deactivated, and Carter began dialing out, almost immediately.

Vala ran towards the mouth of the cave, yelling over her shoulder about checking on Jackson. She didn't get far before the archaeologist came flying out, and landed on the ground next to them.

Mitchell ordered everyone through the Gate, just as Adria appeared at the cave entrance. The Orici held up her hand to blast them all, when Jackson stood up and met her energy bolt with one of his own. He yelled for them all to get through the Gate, saying he would be right behind them. Reluctantly, they complied...only to have the wormhole close behind them, and no sign of Jackson with them.

After the debriefing, Gwaine took a shower before he headed for some fresh air outside the SGC. He needed to touch base, find out if Merlin and Leon had made it home, and inform them about the situation.

The world sped by outside the car. Trees, now full of leaves, shadowed the winding road. Martha's fingers tickled the hair on the back of his neck, as her arm bridged the seat backs in the new Jaguar.

They had spent the night talking and sleeping happily in each other's embrace. When dawn came, Merlin had taken some time to do his morning stretches before heading out to the Crystal Cave for a while. He used the time to recharge and begin inputting the information he'd gained from Morgana, before going back to the manor.

By the time he and Martha left, it was later in the afternoon than he had anticipated. He wanted to get to the hospital in London and see Gwen, before visiting hours were over.

Leon stayed with Laney and the boys. Although, he wanted to see Arthur and Gwen, as well, Merlin could tell the ancient knight was still trying to come to terms with what had happened to Lancelot. The man had been a type of guardian angel to them both, even though Merlin didn't even know it until he had shown up at the lakeside. Leon, on the other hand, had talked to Lancelot, and knew of the dark-haired knight's presence throughout the centuries.

Deep down it was hitting Leon hard, Merlin could tell, but the older man controlled his outward emotions really well. Back in Camelot, Leon had always been a man whose moods had been easy to read. The current situation was very telling reminder of how much he had changed since those days. Merlin felt it was best if Leon stayed behind for the time being. The man needed to rest and find a way to come to terms with what appeared to be Lancelot's untimely end.

Merlin couldn't do that for him, but he hoped Laney might. Tapping the button on the steering wheel, he answered the incoming phone call. Merlin was surprised to hear Gwaine's voice on the other end.

"Hey, Gwaine. I thought you'd be gone for a few more days." Merlin said.

"Yeah...plans kind of took a turn on us. After you guys left, we went back into the mountain and got transported. Well, all of us, but Adria. She didn't seem to have a clue that anything had happened, and wondered where you and Leon went. Actually, she was a bit miffed that you had disappeared...and of course Ba'al was fuming about the sword." Gwaine started laughing. "He finally pissed Carter off so much, while they were working on getting the Gates fixed in order to get us home that she decked him! Laid him out flat! It was glorious!"

"That's great Gwaine, but you were saying Adria wasn't with you?"

"Naw. We were transported to another planet, and Adria got left behind. You'll never guess who we found there, though." Gwaine's voice lowered cautiously, obviously wanting to keep anyone from overhearing him.

"Who?"

"Your namesake. He was still alive...and frozen in stasis."

Merlin's eyes widened, "What?" He looked at Martha, to see if she had heard the same thing, or if it had been his imagination. The look on her face, as she drew her hand back and sat up straighter, told him she had.

"Yeah. Listen, I gotta go for right now, but a lot more happened that I really can't get into right now. Percival and I are going to hang around here for a while. See if we can help out SG-1 a bit. And, don't worry, I already called my sister to give her the heads up, too."

"Why...?" Merlin knew they were going to need some downtime, after what they went through. Plus, he wanted to be in a position where Arthur could accompany them to Celestis. He just wasn't sure he wanted to let Gwaine out of his sight for too long.

"Well, in the middle of this all, Dr. Jackson kinda merged his mind with this Merlin and then, he didn't make it through the gate with the rest of us. I'd like to stay here, help with the search for him." His voice lowered even more, "He'd nearly completed building the weapon using some Ancient technology when we were separated, but he still didn't have the last piece. I don't think it's something that can be fabricated like that either. Anyway, I gotta go. I'll call you later."

Merlin sighed, as the phone disconnected. If the weapon had been built from scratch, and was now possibly in the hands of Adria and the Ori, it couldn't be good. He slowed down, as the road ahead of them began merging with more cars and the city spread out before them.

"It'll be alright. You said you have the Sangraal crystal, yeah?"

Merlin nodded. Leon had given it to him on their trip home. It was now safely tucked away in the Crystal Cave along with the staff and the sword, for the time being. He worried about the other things Gwaine had said. Jackson and Moros had merged? Merlin couldn't wait to hear the rest of that story. He felt a pang of regret, that he hadn't stayed with the others to possibly meet the man that had known his father.

Patting his leg in comfort, Martha smiled at her husband. "Let's focus on Gwen and Arthur for now. Gwaine can help out at Stargate with Percival, in case they find out anything more concerning Dr. Jackson."

Arthur glanced up, as the door opened. He exhaled in relief, when he saw Merlin's smile peek through the gap. He motioned his friend back out, and followed him quietly. Gwen was sleeping. A band around her belly monitoring the tiny heartbeat inside her, while her own arms were hooked up to other lines that kept track of her own vitals.

"How is she?" Merlin asked, the moment door to the room closed.

The blond man looked between Merlin and Martha. He shrugged. He was confused by all the information the doctors had been giving him. His hand itched for a sword. Being in this sterile place, and not being able to protect his love from the situation was making him antsy. "How did the trip go?" He asked, not wanting to talk about his fears concerning Guinevere and the baby.

"It...went. It was rather uneventful."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Merlin, you are still a horrible liar."

Offering his friend a cheeky grin, Merlin ducked his head. "Yeah, but it's nothing that can't wait. Seriously, what is the news on Gwen?"

Arthur gave a nod of understanding. It still amazed him how his friend would put almost everything aside, just for him. "She's doing alright. They want to do this thing tomorrow." He paused and gazed back toward the room. "I'm glad you're here, Merlin."

"Me, too." Merlin smiled encouragingly, "Let's go grab a cuppa while we can. Martha will be here, if Gwen wakes up." He didn't give Arthur a chance to argue, as he pulled his friend down the quiet corridor of the hospital, toward the lifts.

They spoke over the coffee's, and Arthur began to relax as Merlin relayed the stories. Leaving out key elements that would possibly stress his friend.

"He really thought you were...well, me?" Arthur chuckled in disbelief.

Merlin nodded and smirked, "He did. At least until Adria opened her mouth. It was the sight of the sword that drew her out, more than anything, I believe."

"Well, seeing the blade that killed you, it's probably understandable. So, when are we going?"

His friend shrugged, "That's up to you. I think Gwen will want you to stay around for a bit with her and the baby."

Arthur rolled his eyes. He would do it for Guinevere, but babies were messy, loud, and other than his toddler son, the former king had never been around them. "Oh, come on, Merlin. It's not like I can nurse it or anything. That's a woman's duty. Once Guinevere is safe, we should go ahead and leave. Besides, she'll have Martha, Francine, and maybe even Laney to help her."

"If I took you out of here that soon, your wife would kill me."

"She'll probably kill me, if I stick around. I have no clue about babies. I would only be in her way." Arthur's nerves were nearly at their end. He knew his wife was a capable woman, and had never excluded her from matters of the court. He recalled fighting along side her in Ealdor and other times. "Caring for infants is a woman's work," he stated with an authoritative tone.

Snickering at the old fashioned sentiment, Merlin sipped his coffee. "You're scared."

"I don't get scared, Merlin." His words were a shield around him. Deep inside, he refused to even admit to himself...he was terrified.

The following day was hectic, with people rushing around the room prepping Gwen for the surgery. For Arthur it was a blur. He argued with his wife about him being in the room with her. His nervous energy caused her blood pressure to raise to a point where Martha intervened and told Arthur to back down, or the doctors would have to remove him.

Merlin had pulled the surgeon off to the side and spoke with the man about his unique abilities. Thankfully, the man had once been a UNIT surgeon, and understood the basics of otherworldly abilities. It was decided that Merlin would be in the OR with Gwen to make certain nothing happened to her, while Arthur was to stay in the waiting room with Martha.

The warlock was still exhausted over the situation with Morgana, but he pushed past that to be with Gwen. He explained that if everything went smoothly, he wouldn't interfere and would wait to heal her at a more discreet time. Arthur grumbled, venting his concern and stress through insults thrown at Merlin, until he was escorted out by the staff.

Francine came by with Aurie, so the little boy could see his mother. She left shortly afterward, promising to bring him back once things settled down.

A high-tech bed, covered with clear hard plastic, was prepped and set against a side wall, ready to receive the new baby. The chances were good that the preemie infant would be fine, but the doctors explained that the baby would need specialized care in order to facilitate that. After being covered in surgical scrub gown, Merlin held his friend's hand, while she was wheeled into the OR.

Sitting, then standing, then pacing...Arthur couldn't seem to find anything to comfort his frayed nerves. He watched the clock on the wall tick by in one second increments, each one seemed to move slower than its predecessor.

Leon had called to check in. There was no news yet to give him. Percival sent a text, and still the response was the same. Mickey received the same answer. Each time, Arthur grew more nervous.

He mused about what would have happened, if he had been with Guinevere when Aurie joined the world.

Hunting? Joining a patrol, or out on a quest of some sort; perhaps dealing with the council...Hell, anything would have been better than just sitting in a windowless room, with the most uncomfortable chairs known to all of existence.

Arthur's mind began to wander. He wondered if his father had been around for his birth, or if Uther had found himself similarly searching for a distraction, only to come back and find his wife had died in childbirth. It was a common occurrence back then, but it didn't mean it was an easier burden to bear.

He thought about the time Morgause had summoned Ygraine. Merlin had convinced him it was a trick of evil magic. But now, as he contemplated the situation more, he knew that had been the lie. He'd had his sword pointed at his father, ready to strike the final blow, when Merlin and Leon had come bursting into the room.

It always came back to Merlin, even then. Arthur had been forced to come to terms with it all...the new world, no longer being king, Merlin having magic. Part of him still wanted to balk at the idea. Merlin was a different man now, but still the loyal friend he'd always been. The things Arthur had learned from him...just to survive in the modern age...were astounding.

What would his father have thought about all of this? Had Uther, like Mickey, been reborn? Had his mother? Would something like the level of technology and medicine available to Guinevere now, have saved his own mother?

"What are you thinking?" Martha asked, drawing him out of his mental ramblings. "You look sad."

Arthur sighed and flopped heavily into the chair next to his best friend's wife. "My mother. I never met her. She died the day I was born."

Martha reached out and took Arthur's hand. Giving it a squeeze, she smiled at him comfortingly.

The door that separated the waiting room from the rest of the hospital ward opened. They both looked up in anticipation.

A nurse came through and smiled at him.

"Guinevere?" Arthur asked in a hoarse voice.

"She's already on her way to recovery. Everything went fine, Mr. Pendragon. If you'll follow me, there's someone I think you'd like to meet."

He wanted to see his wife, but had been told that she might be a bit loopy after the surgery and want nothing more than to sleep. So, he followed the nurse through the doors and down the twisting corridors of the hospital, until they came to a locked set of doors. He was vaguely aware of Martha's continued presence behind him.

There was a security guard at a desk with a nurse on one side, and a cleansing station on the other. The woman he was following began instructing him on protocol for entering the room. His hands had to be sterilized and he was instructed to wear a mask, as the babies beyond were very susceptible to infections.

The room was bright and each wall was lined with stations that included clear plastic tubs hooked up with various equipment. It was eerily similar to the infirmary at the SGC, but with each bed being smaller and more contained. Only a small handful of them were being used. She led him to the far corner, where a man in a while coat was going over a small computer tab and comparing it to the current readings on nearby monitors.

He felt his heart seize at the tiniest human being he'd ever seen. It didn't even look fully human. The child was so small, it would fit in his cupped hands. Wrinkled pink skin had a slightly yellowish hue; and a plastic tube fed air into the baby's nose. He stood transfixed by the sight of it all. The legs were spread around the diaper and various other lines led off from arms and legs that were thinner than his little finger.

"Would you like to hold her?" The nurse's voice brought reality crashing in.

Her.

He and Guinevere had been told the baby would be a girl during one of the ultrasounds, but it wasn't until that very moment that he believed the technology had really been able to see into his wife's body.

She looked so frail, he feared even breathing near her...much less holding her.

Nodding mutely, his movements were mechanical, as the nurse instructed him to take off his shirt, and she fitted a robe over his shoulders. Skin to skin contact was the best for holding the fragile life, is what she said. It would keep the child warm and help with bonding.

He allowed himself to be lead to a nearby rocking chair, where he watched, still unable to speak. The baby was lifted out of the warm bed, and placed in his arms, against his chest, and covered with a warm blanket. Until that moment, it hadn't seemed real.

"What's her name?" The nurse asked, as she quietly and efficiently adjusted all the lines around Arthur.

He swallowed once, and then again. Hazy, blue eyes opened and blinked up at him from his arms. He was lost in a myriad of emotions. Arthur glanced up and saw Martha smiling nearby.

The doctor in her had taken the time to look at the charts, in order to help explain any questions Arthur might have had. His mind went briefly back to the conversation they had only minutes before.

He couldn't remember if he and Guinevere had chosen a name, but any possibilities they might have been considering were thrown out the window. He knew his daughter's name. "Igrane," he said, his voice was thick and heavy. "After my mother."

Reviews are greatly appreciated and do wonders for my muses! Thanks!