Fic: Cover Up The Damage [2/?]
Title: Cover Up The Damage
Author: elphie_uk
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: M
Characters/Pairings: Morgana/Arthur, Merlin, Gaius, Lance(lot)
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: The public believe that Morgana le Fay has it all; she’s stunningly beautiful, envied by most women and fancied by most men, she’s going out with ‘Britain’s sexiest man’ and she’s a world-renowned classical pianist. But something has just blown her world apart.
Warnings: Pre-fic Incest (nothing graphic). Expletives. Modern AU.
A/N: Beta'd by thelovelylaura , pizzazzical and themirrorofsin for reviewing; it means a lot! =)
Master Post
2. Fraction of the Girl
Morgana lay in the deep bath, imagining that the soapy water was rinsing all of her troubles away. She didn't know how long she'd been lying there just letting the water run over her slightly raised stomach. She watched the water swirl and ripple around the bath, running free yet trapped inside the deep container. Salty tears streamed from her closed eyes and merged with the lukewarm water.
"Morgana?" Merlin knocked on the door, "Morgana are you okay?"
She opened her eyes but found that she couldn't speak. Instead, a large sob emerged from her mouth.
"Morgana? There's people waiting for the shower," he said worriedly. He looked at his watch; she'd been in there for over an hour. "Morgana I'm going to come in, I need to check that you're alright." He knew that the lock on the door was on its last legs and would only need a slight shove from someone to break it.
After a few minutes of deliberation, he crashed through the door and ran over to the bath. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Morgana's beautiful face lying just under the water's surface, her ebony hair splaying out all around her. An image of Ophelia seeped into his mind. He couldn't seem to get to the bath quickly enough. It was as if everything was in slow motion, and he was running through tar. He finally dragged her naked, frozen body out of the water onto the cold tiled floor.
"Morgana!" he grabbed her face, moving his ear to her mouth to listen for signs of life. "Oh God Morgana!" He tried to remember his first aid classes from when he did the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme back in year 12, but it was all a fatal blur. "Help!" He shouted, "I need some help!"
Suddenly Morgana started to cough and splutter and it was the most wonderful sound Merlin had ever heard. "Thank God," he whispered. He grabbed the nearest towel and wrapped it around her shaking body. "What the hell were you playing at Morgana?" He held her ivory face between his shaking hands.
"What's going on?" A face appeared at the door.
Merlin looked around, "Lance, you need to ring an ambulance."
"Is that Morgana le Fay?" His eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight of the world-wide celebrity lying naked on his bathroom floor.
Morgana took some deep breaths, "No ambulances, no hospitals." She looked up at Merlin's worried face, "Please Merlin." She begged
Merlin looked into her eyes, struggling with the decision, "Okay, but I'm ringing Gaius."
"No! He'll tell Uther. Please don't," she begged.
He attempted to pick her up to take her back to his room, "Look, it's that or the hospital." Merlin still couldn't get his head around what had just happened. "What were you thinking?"
"Do you want me to carry her?" Lance asked. When he got a reply he slowly picked up the trembling beauty.
Merlin followed them upstairs, pulling out his mobile and calling speed dial #3.
"Hi, it's Merlin, I…yeah, I'm fine, Gaius I need you to come to my place right away, It's Morgana… I don't know, she's had an accident… she's conscious, but… I just need you to get here."
*****
"What's all this about then?" Gaius asked Morgana. He looked at the pale body lying under numerous duvets and blankets, a fraction of the girl he had seen only three days before.
He remembered her as a child when she had visited Camelot with her father. He remembered her running around the Pendragon mansion, playing hit with Arthur, her father pinning her down so that Arthur could tickle her. She was an unruly, wonderful little girl. When Gorlois died and Morgana returned to Camelot, she was a different child. Morose and quiet, she didn't even respond to her new little brother's taunts anymore, well, not for a few weeks anyway. She spent days in her new room, not wanting to leave. She didn't cry though, at least not while anyone was around. As she grew into a teenager, she adapted to her new life with the Pendragon's. They often saw hints of that troublesome eight year old that they once knew, but there was always an air of sadness about her. Of course the seven year long emo phase didn't help with that.
Morgana bit her lip, unsure of whether she wanted to divulge her woes to Gaius, "I… I… I'd rather not talk about it." She turned away from the doctor.
Gaius sat down beside her, "Morgana, you can talk to me, you know you can."
Morgana pulled herself up, "You probably already know anyway."
'He's finally told her?' He thought, "Know what?" he asked just in case.
"About my father. You knew didn't you?" She tried to hold back her tears, "You knew that Uther's my father."
Gaius bowed his head, "I'm afraid I did, yes."
"You knew," she started shaking in confusion and anger, "You knew that Arthur was my brother and you let us… you let me fall in love with him?"
Gaius stood up. For the past year, those who knew Uther's secret had been in turmoil over the knowledge that these perfect lovers had more in common than they had ever thought, "We just… we just didn't want you to get hurt."
Morgana laughed in disbelief, finding a sudden energy from somewhere, "You didn't want me to get hurt?! Then why didn't you tell us a year ago when you found out that we were… that we were… I can't even say it!!"
"We didn't think the relationship would go anywhere… neither of you had ever had a long term relationship before… the longer it went on-"
"The harder it became, yes, I heard this all last night thank you; it doesn't change anything!" she could no longer hold back the tears, "You have no idea what you've done to me."
*****
"What d'you want?" A drunken growl came from the opposite end of the phone call.
"Arthur, it's me Merlin."
He heard a crash, "Look Merlin, now's really not a good time."
"I'm with Morgana; she's told me what's happened." Merlin couldn't imagine how hard this was for the pair. He got no response, "She's in a bad way… Arthur, I think she tried to drown herself. She's alright now but, Arthur, maybe you should come and see her."
There was another long pause before he answered, "Or maybe you should come and get pissed with me."
Merlin coughed uncomfortably, "Arthur, it's not even midday yet."
"Suit yourself." And with that, he was gone.
*****
Morgana curled up underneath the thick blankets, remembering what things were like only twenty-four hours ago. For a few moments she was back in her own bed, Arthur at her side. The two had slept in, feeling content with the world. Morgana was harbouring a secret…a happy secret. She kept imagining how she'd tell Arthur and how happy he'd be, "I have something to tell you Arthur," she giggled
"Really? What's that then?" he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'll tell you tonight," she smiled.
"But I want to know now!" Arthur whined like a little child, "You know you want to Mor."
"No!" she laughed, "You'll have to wait!"
"Morgana? Are you feeling any better?" Merlin returned to his room.
She shrugged, "Physically, a little."
Merlin sat down on the bed beside her, "I'm so sorry Morgana."
Gaius joined them, "Morgana, I am curious, why did Uther finally decide to tell you?"
Morgana stood up and went to look out of the window to watch the traffic go past, "He found a pregnancy test."
There were a few moments of shocked silence, "Are you…" Merlin asked
She shook her head, still looking away from the men, a tear running down her cheek. "No."
"If you are Morgana-" Gaius began.
"I'm not!" her head snapped back towards them, "It was still in the box; I guess the…the incest finally hit home and became too much for him."