Arthur needed to break the tension, to distract Merlin if only just a little. His mind spun, searching for a topic, and finally settled on, "So you couldn't just leave your breakfast?"

At first he thought the warlock wasn't going to answer, but then Merlin shrugged. "Well, I might want it later. Or Branwen might. Besides, no one just abandons Maudie's cooking."

"It's just so terribly practical of you, Merlin."

"Don't get used to it. I've made it my life's mission to be as impractical as possible as often as possible."

"Really. And why is that?"

Merlin gave him the first real smile he'd seen since Branwen had disappeared. "Because it annoys you."

Arthur grinned back. "Oh, so like everything else you do."

"Nah. This is different."

"How so?"

"Annoying you is the sole purpose."

Arthur cuffed him affectionately on the back of the head, relieved that Merlin seemed to be in better spirits, although there was still tightness in his shoulders and his smiles faded quickly.

They'd apparated (a term Merlin freely admitted to stealing from the Harry Potter books) into the flat of a druid who lived close to where Branwen's trail ended. They'd left Gavin and Maudie there, ready to assist when (not if, Merlin kept telling himself) they returned with Branwen. Arthur had tried to convince Jazmine to stay, as well, but she'd adamantly refused. So here they were, walking through a less than reputable-looking neighborhood in London. Merlin had smiled a little, aching inside, when Arthur had grabbed Jazmine's hand as if to reassure himself of her continued presence.

"You know, this sort of reminds me of our old hunting trips."

"Oh, yes, Sire," Merlin answered, pointedly ignoring Arthur's scowl. "Except that there's no grass. Or trees. Or horses. Or wild animals. Or-"

"Shut up, Merlin."

"Killing," Merlin finished, then added, "There are still technically bandits, though, so I guess that's something."

"There's also still your endless prattle."

"That you missed."

"Did not," Arthur insisted, his smile giving lie to his words.

"Whatever you say, Sire." Then his demeanor changed, becoming wary, and he held up his hand, bringing the group to a halt. "We're close."

"Are there any wards?"

"Not that I can tell. There are cameras, but I've made sure they won't pick us up."

Arthur nodded, impressed. "We should still be cautious. Watch for guards. We want to get as much of a jump on them as we can."

They all nodded and Merlin took the lead for the last couple of blocks.

The building looked just as it had in Merlin's vision: nondescript, crumbling, nothing outwardly indicating what was happening inside. It was apparently deserted.

Jaxson glanced around. "Something's not right."

Arthur nodded. "Which is why we're here."

Jaxson shook his head. "No. Look." He pointed. "The building has no security cameras, even though there are cameras on the buildings on either side. There's no movement, no lights. And you'd think there'd be at least lookouts, but there aren't. There aren't even any pedestrians. At this point, I'd be surprised if the door was locked."

Merlin's brows drew together at the thought and he reached out with his magic to test Jaxson's theory. "You're right. It's open."

"So either they really aren't expecting anyone to come or…"

"They already know we're coming and they don't care," Jazmine finished.

Arthur cast an appraising look at the building. "So it's most likely a trap." He raised his eyebrows at Merlin, who shrugged.

"It's not like we have much of a choice. Branwen's trail ends here and if we're going to find her, this is where we have to start."

"Right. So into the trap."

Merlin gave a sharp nod. "Into the trap."

"Into the trap," the twins echoed.

OoOoOoOoO

Merlin led the way across the street and pushed the door open slowly, anticipating noise that never came. He normally appreciated well-oiled hinges but, in this case, he found the ghostly lack of squeak unnerving. He did his best to tamp down his ever-growing feeling of dread as they descended the staircase.

He led them down a short hallway and stopped at a nondescript, windowless door. He took a deep breath. "This is it," he whispered.

Arthur put his ear to the door and listened a moment. "I can't hear anything."

"And I can't sense anyone, but Maudie did say that Branwen has been hidden, so maybe others have been, too. We should be careful."

"Right. My sword then, if you please, old friend."

Merlin's eyes turned golden and the blade materialized in Arthur's hand. He gave it a twirl as the twins drew their own weapons.

Merlin eased the door open, every sense on high alert. It opened onto another staircase, this one of metal, giving him a view of the whole room below. When no danger immediately presented itself, he entered cautiously, the others creeping after him, blinking in the harsh light.

The room was just as Branwen had seen it, large and filled with equipment whose purpose Merlin could only guess at, and seemingly devoid of life. Something about it grated on him, but whether it was the too-bright lighting, or the constant electrical hum, or something else, he couldn't say. He turned to the others. "Let's find Branwen and get out of here."

They nodded and silently dispersed around the room. Merlin headed for the likely-looking spot that seemed to be curtained off from the rest of the room. His magic told him that there was something back there, but he could coax no further information from it. He was almost there when Jazmine's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Oh, gods. There are people in these."

She was standing amidst what at first glance seemed to be large storage freezers. The sides sported biohazard symbols and each lid was secured with a heavy-duty padlock. The sudden vision of Branwen trapped in one of them had Merlin sprinting toward Jazmine, arriving just ahead of Arthur and Jaxson.

There were small viewing windows in the lids, just big enough to frame the face of the person within. Merlin started searching down one row and the others followed suit. It was several moments before Jaxson called, "Here! I found her!"

Merlin rushed to him, nearly colliding with the container in his haste. He leaned over, peered through the tiny window, his breath of relief nearly a sob when he saw her face.

She appeared to be sleeping. Although he could see her, he still couldn't sense her. He stepped back and, suddenly, all the fear and worry he'd been feeling transformed into pure, blind rage. Someone had stolen Branwen from him – his sweet, wise, funny, courageous Branwen, and locked her inside this thing. Arthur may have been the other side of his coin, but Branwen was the other half of his soul and whoever had torn her away from him was going to pay.

Dearly.

He focused his magic on the padlock and it cracked into pieces with a sound like a gunshot. He pried the lid open and the wave of magic that was released was so intense his knees nearly buckled. He gripped the edge, white-knuckled, until the dizziness passed. Then, with utmost care, he lifted Branwen out.

The foreign magic still clung to her, but it was fading and Merlin's magic was starting to catch faint, brief glimpses of Branwen's beneath it.

He sank to the floor and settled her in his lap, searching for any sign of consciousness. When none seemed forthcoming, he jostled her gently. "Branwen?" He caressed her face. "Sweetheart? Wake up. Come back to me."

To his relief, she drew a shuddering breath and her eyes fluttered open. He smiled softly as they found his face. "Hey."

She frowned. "Go away," she whispered.

He was sure his heart had stuttered to a stop. "What?" he choked. "Branwen-"

"No. You're not real, so just go away."

"Sweetheart, I am real and I'm going to get you out of here."

"That's what you said last time, and then you," her lip trembled and a tear slid out of her eye as she looked away, "you left me."

"No! Branwen, I didn't, I would never…" he trailed off as the realization hit him – she'd been hallucinating.

And not only had she known it, she believed she still was. The magic that had cut them off from each other was still preventing her from sensing him, just as he was still having trouble sensing her. He needed to get rid of it.

He concentrated on the magic, seeking out the structure of the underlying spell. When it revealed itself, he was amazed at the complexity. There were key components that he recognized, though, and he did what he could to deconstruct them, compensating for his lack of skill with raw power.

It was messy and inelegant, but it achieved what he desired. The foreign magic dissipated and Merlin's magic reached greedily for Branwen.

She gasped and her wide eyes returned to his face. She reached a tentative hand up to touch it. "Merlin?"

He nodded, fighting back tears. "Yeah."

And then her arms were around him and she was sobbing into his shoulder and he was crushing her to him like he'd never let her go again, noting distantly the quiet cheers and high-fives happening around them.

"Such a sweet reunion."

Merlin's head snapped around at the unfamiliar voice. A man had appeared and was observing their tableau. "And as loath as I am to interrupt, you and I have much to discuss, Dragonlord."