Something Old, Something New

22

Merlin's concentration broken with that simple word, he was violently thrown back from the doctor, landing on his back on the floor, too shocked to feel pain. Dr. Parra had slumped over in his chair, and Merlin remained absolutely still, until, finally, he saw the man's chest rise and fall. Merlin let out a sigh of relief. Alive. He had been sloppy, allowed that one occurrence of Emma Johnson to break his concentration, something that could have resulted in the doctor's immediate death. Even so, who was to say Dr. Parra wouldn't have permanent brain damage.

Merlin scrambled to his feet and approached the unconscious man. The clipboard had fallen to the floor, and as Merlin glanced down, he felt something between annoyance and the odd urge to laugh. It was full of random doodles. There was not a single note about Merlin on it. He had been the unwilling participant in a mind game, it seemed. 

"Doctor?" he said cautiously. There was no response. Merlin reached out and gently shook the man's shoulder. He stirred slightly but did not wake. Merlin bit his lip in concentration.

"Sorry about this. Dare salebra." A current of electricity ran down his arm and through his fingertips, and Dr. Parra jumped in his seat, eyes opening in shock. Merlin stepped back hurriedly.

"Ah. Mr. Emrys. Is it time for our appointment?" the doctor asked politely. All things considered that response was more than Merlin could have hoped for.

"Actually," Merlin said, pointing to the clock. It was one minute after the hour mark. "We've just finished. Don't you remember?" Did he feel bad for playing with this innocent man's mind? Maybe. Was he going to do it anyway? Yes. The doctor looked from Merlin's face to the clock, and then down to the floor, where the clipboard still lay. He picked it up, looking puzzled at the doodles. Then he seemed to come back to himself, shaking his head slightly, and standing up.

"Of course."

"And you were going to clear me for active duty," Merlin added, firmly ignoring the slightly guilty pang of his heart. Dr. Parra cocked his head to one side in confusion, and Merlin stood there, praying to the goddess and any other deity that might have been listening.

"Right. I'll send your clearance papers to your captain at the end of the day." Dr. Parra held out his hand. Merlin took it and they shook.

"It's been a pleasure," Merlin lied.

"I think we both know that isn't true," Dr. Parra replied, coming more and more back to himself. Merlin chuckled slightly, releasing his hand.

"Fair enough," and he was out the door. It would be up to Iris to get herself cleared for active duty after he appointment. By the end of the week, her ankle would be fully healed, and hopefully they could go back to normal, or whatever their new normal was. In the meantime, now that he knew Emma was involved with their new case, he'd be leaving Iris out of it as much as possible. Emma had caused his best friend enough trouble for a lifetime, and he'd die before he allowed that witch to cause Iris any more pain.

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As Iris walked into Dr. Parra's office, her mind was a swirling sea of random thoughts that she couldn't seem to get under control. Merlin had called her after his appointment the day before and said nothing more than that he had been cleared for active duty. She had thought he'd have managed to figure out something to do with the case. The call hadn't lasted more than thirty seconds. Something was wrong with him. There's no way he had exited this office having learned nothing. He was Merlin. He had to be lying to her.

But she wasn't even sure of that. He'd lied so effectively through the duration of their relationship that she honestly didn't know anymore. She had always thought that she could read him like a book. Turns out she'd been reading an entirely different book, and the real book was written in a language that hadn't been used in a thousand years. 

Dr. Parra looked slightly dazed, and he kept forgetting things that had just been said throughout their appointment, making it impossible for her to get any information out of him, and only furthering Iris's suspicions of Merlin. They had talked about nothing of substance because Dr. Parra had never tried, and Iris was fine with that. She was. She didn't need to talk to anybody. She was fine. 

I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. A mantra that she had been repeating in her head every waking moment since her life had been turned upside down. But at night, in her dreams, there was no mantra, there was only Emma, and the cold dead eyes of William Terell. They stared at her, accusing. Sometimes he spoke, screamed at her. It was her fault. All her fault. She had killed him. He hadn't been some criminal. She hadn't been defending herself. He was an innocent man, and she'd stabbed him through the heart.

The nightmares had actually been getting better. Freya had helped, especially when the lab tech slept over, and Iris could feel safe in her arms. Iris had been able to tell herself that she had saved the world. It had all been for a reason - a very necessary reason - to keep King Arthur from being brought back to life. 

A new case had been good for her. Things between her and Merlin were tense, but they would be okay. She knew he felt terrible for what had happened, and that he was using all of his willpower to give her the space she needed. They were going to be okay.

Then they'd gone to Shady Grove. And there, sitting in a corner reading a book, was a solidly built man with dirty blond hair, and an air of authority that was unexplainable in that setting. Merlin's reaction had been enough to cement in Iris's mind who exactly was sitting before her. Arthur Pendragon. King Arthur. The King Arthur. The reason for all of her pain - sitting there - reading a history book. 

And as she'd watched Merlin interact with him, she knew, without a doubt, that if it came down to it, he wouldn't be able to kill Arthur, not even if it saved the world. William Terell's sacrifice had been for nothing. Her sacrifice had been for nothing. The bastard had come back to life anyway, and Merlin was so blinded by his happiness that he couldn't see how sinister the circumstances were.

His short call about nothing more than being restored to active duty had been the last straw. It was almost like a physical thing. Their friendship had fractured, and Iris didn't think it could ever be repaired. There was too much damage; too many lies.

Bit of a short one, but more action is on the way, I promise.

xoxo

-Sierra <3