tampered | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

When; 01/10/13
Rating; (coming soon)
Characters; Charlie and her husband, Merlin
Summary; Charlie's dad is back in the City. Sort of. It's a ghoul and they decide to herd it to the stadium.
Log;

Charlie'd taken to sitting in the living, ducked below one of the windows as she watched the device. This was nothing but pure chaos. Her friends were being hurt in more ways than she liked to think about. Emotions were being screwed with, people were being injured. She didn't like it. So she kept her eyes on things from the safety of her house, fingers flexing occasionally with the need to just burn one of the things outside.

But she couldn't. They multiplied each time. She'd already dealt with seeing and beheading several copies of Captain Hollister and while it hadn't been emotionally trying (What did she care he was an asshole who tried to get her killed and kept her from her father no good son of a---) it had been physically exhausting trying to keep that fire back.

And occasionally on the device, she was sure she saw the craggy, scarred face of someone else. A man with an eyepatch that dug into his rotting skin but then he'd disappear. So Charlie just set her device down, nudging it away with her foot and standing slightly to peek outside.

What she saw filled her with cold dread, an icy feeling settling over every part of her and freeze her in her tracks.

When she could move, she stood and ran barefoot through the house, wordlessly searching for her husband. She was ghost pale when she found him, obviously shaken and slightly sickened by what she saw.

"One of those things looks like my dad. He's outside, staring at the house." Even saying it, she was convinced it wasn't a thing and was really him so she didn't say it easily. It came out stuttered and shaky.

"What do we do?"

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It had been a trying time in every way, really. Merlin hadn't faced anything too scarring yet, but there had been a few familiar faces, such as Gilli and Alator of Catha, and he was getting more and more tired. Not just mentally, but physically too; he didn't really remember a time when he had slept this little for such a long time. And he was worried about handling these things when he was so utterly exhausted.

Still, neither could he just stay inside and do nothing, either. It was just beginning to seem so... hopeless, and he really wished he had Excalibur here. But even then, he doubted that would work, when Excalibur had never let them down.

He just didn't know.

He was standing in the kitchen with a wash cloth in his hand - as if cleaning was on anyone's mind right now, but he had to occupy himself with something (not that he was actually doing it - when Charlie found him. Immediately, his focus was turned from staring out the window to her before he even realised how she looked. It was just something about the way she stepped, the very air about her, and a moment later he had dropped the cloth and grabbed onto her upper arms.

Oh... Her dad. They had both been fairly lucky, both of them, really, but... Shit. He nodded as he racked his mind for an idea, just to show he heard her, and licked his lips. Okay. She wasn't going to burn him and... honestly, he didn't think he could do that to her either.

So.

"We'll take him to the stadium."

Him. They'll take him to the stadium. Him. It. That thing that's her dad but isn't. He was outside the house. Just standing there, last Charlie saw. She wanted to faint until the end of this and probably would have, had Merlin not grabbed onto her arms.

Her fingers clutched a his sleeves, hands noticeably shaking. She was trying to keep her breathing even but it was difficult so she focused instead on her husband. He was keeping her from losing it, entirely.

And she wasn't going to burn her dad, even if it wasn't him and was a threat.

"Okay. We can do that." She nods twice, the first one shaky and the second one more certain, even if the look on her face is one of dread and confusion and flat out hurt that this was happening. The City could be a vile place sometimes.

"Let me get my sword." A pause as Phantom brushes her bare foot, looking up at his owner with obvious concern. "And shoes. Meet me by the front door? Don't let him see you."

She leans forward, kissing her husband for a moment or two. It's needed, it's a steadying touch for Charlie and she needs the clarity just touching her husband can bring. When she pulls away, she looks a bit more like herself and less like the scared idiot that she was sure she was when she ran into the kitchen and while there is still some reluctance when she steps out of her husbands arms, they have things to do.

So it's off to their room to pull on her boots and grab her sword. She's at the front door a few minutes later, peeking through the curtains at the thing. It hasn't moved since she last saw it.

Merlin nodded, but she kissed him before she could answer and then she was rushing off. That was more like her, and brought a smile to his face as he put the wash cloth away properly. Then, he made his way to the front door, as he was completely dressed and had nothing he needed to bring. Magic was such a useful thing, and all. Always there when you needed it.

When Charlie looked out the window, he made sure to run his hand down her back as comfort. It would be all right, he would make sure of that.

"When you're ready," he said softly, a slight smile, reassuring, on his face.

Charlie kept her eyes on her not!father, a myriad of emotions in her eyes. Hurt. Annoyance. Concern. A hint of guilt. They're hard to hide, even from Merlin who was the last person she should hide emotions from. But she felt like she had to keep them in check and focus on the task in hand.

She leaned her back into his hand for a moment, smiling. "I don't think there's such thing as 'ready' in this situation. It has to be done, though. He...it could hurt someone."

And that would make Charlie feel so guilty.

"He'll follow me, which is good. I don't know of anyone else he'd be here for. It's been snowing a lot, though, so I'll have to focus on keeping the path clear."

At least she can melt the snow fast enough to not leave slush puddles for people to trip on. Plus, she's hoping her dad is a 'lumbering' zombie and not one of those speedy-as-fuck ones from '28 days later'.

"I can count on you to keep the other ghouls away from me, right? I'll worry about that one."

Calling the zombie an it and ignoring who it looked like was becoming easier. Sort of.

Merlin hesitated at that, silenced. Keep the other ghouls away and let her deal with... Well, it wasn't a completely unreasonable request, but he couldn't help finding himself wondering if she could do that. Which was... stupid, really, because she was Charlie McGee and it took a lot to get to her. But if there was one thing that really could, it was her father.

Still, just herding them to the stadium... That shouldn't be too difficult because, in a way, that was a bit like taking care of the ghouls too. Or. Something. And if she couldn't do it, he could always step in.

So.

"Okay, yeah. Of course."

He sounded a lot more certain of it than he really was. He was used to it; reassuring people that things would be all right no matter what because he at least would make sure of it, one way or another. The doubt, he placed in himself, and gave all the strength to others. Because knowing he could make them feel better... That was enough for him.

It wasn't the best plan, Charlie knew that. It was the only one they had and the only one that Charlie could think of that would work. And he was right. I did take a lot to get to her and for Charlie, her father was a lot. He was how sue survived being chased by the Shop. He was what motivated her to finally have her ability under her control, even if he was one of the reasons she couldn't control it very well at first.

It was complicated and him being here like this just made it worse.

So when she finally did step outside, she kept herself focused. The snow in front of her melted rapidly as she pushed at it with her ability, just using heat to clear the walkway.

"You did a bad thing, Charlie." She tensed at that, glaring at her father and holding still enough for her not!father to take a few sluggish steps closer. It was what she wanted, exactly what she wanted and she even smiled for a moment, glancing at Merlin before simply running. And Andy followed quickly, just like she assumed he would.

Oh, they were going to run. Merlin had just barely managed to rub his hand over Charlie's shoulder before she took off and, of course, he was quick to follow. Didn't quite expect it, but maybe it was just as well, and whenever other ghouls tried to get close, he sent fire nearby them to ward the off, or just knocked them off their feet.

The latter proved to be much more efficient, so after a while, that was nearly the only thing he did.

But at least Charlie was faring well and seemed to be fine now that she knew exactly what to do, and that was good. Very good, and exactly what he had hoped for.

Of course. She wanted this done quickly. Her dad was following her, managing to keep up much to Charlie's surprised. Okay, so this wasn't one of the lumbering zombies. Good to know in an 'oh shit this is unexpected' sort of way.

So, she speeds up some and that helps, keeping an even distance between herself and her dad. Merlin's help with the other ghouls is incredible and she spares a moment to thank God for him.

She turns, looking over her shoulder to make sure Merlin is okay and that her dad is still locked onto her then looks ahead towards the stadium.

Almost there. Good. Someone saw them coming and is already getting ready for their arrival, ready to help herd her dad inside. They were already busy with one Ghoul but Charlie doesn't even look.

She probably really should because that figure she thought she saw? He's there. He's the other ghoul that's being herded in and the second Charlie's close enough...

Well, what happens is a sort of blur, isn't it? One minute she's headed back towards Merlin, the next minute she's being yanked backwards, there are teeth in her shoulder and then whatever's biting her is backing away from the instinctual push of fire from Charlie.

It's a good thing the handlers back off, too, because the sword Charlie brought with her is out and in motion and Rainbird's zombie look-a-like goes down.

Headless.

Sif is so getting some kind of gift basket for those sword-fighting lessons. And Charlie, who to her credit didn't make a single sound when it happened, finally has something to say about the situation.

"Shit."

It happens a lot quicker than Merlin expects, really. He sees the ghoul turning for Charlie, but before he can do anything it's already got her and he feels as if his whole body goes cold, which his magic seems to react to instantly. The world around him slows down, he takes a breath, and Charlie's fire is further fueled by his own.

The moment the ghoul is off her time goes back to its regular pace, however, and he stumbles to Charlie's side and grabs onto her, fumbling to have a look at her shoulder. Shit, indeed, it doesn't really cover it properly.

"No," he breathes, licks his lips. "What happens if you get bitten?"

He's trying to remember if he can think of something, if there's been any information about it, but he can't quite focus. Or focus at all.

The bite hurts and she's not hesitant to show it. She's frowning, shoulders hunched slightly. Her breathing is shaky from the shock of what just happened and she leans on Merlin for a moment, trying to get a hold of herself before speaking.

"I get sick." Very sick. "That's all I know."

God, please don't let this be like the zombie movies she's now swearing off for good.

"Can we go home now? Get this taken care of?" She doesn't want to be anywhere but home right now.

Okay, getting sick. That's at least possible to deal with. So. Merlin just nods, licks his lips, and wraps an arm around Charlie's waist.

"Yeah," he says, with another nod. "We can do that."

He would just have to think. This isn't just any kind of bite, so he'll have to... think. The fact that it's City ghouls makes him concerned - he might be able to try to find a few spells or... something. Anything. But he wonders if they'll work.

Once Charlie's steady, he'll start walking.

She's good. She's steady enough. Shaking slightly from what just happened, the stress of it finally hitting her but Charlie wouldn't be the girl she was if she let it get to her just yet. She had to get home. She'll let it get to her there.

For now, her arm went around her husband and she leaned on him slightly as they walked. Her other arm, the one that had been bitten, Charlie just let that hang. It hurt too much to move it and all she could really do was hold onto her sword. It trailed in the snow, melting it as they went and it was very likely Charlie was pushing remnants of the fire she'd used through it.

It worked for her. It's what it was made for.

Upon arriving home, Charlie headed straight to her and Merlin's room and sank into the bed, rolling carefully onto her stomach with a wince.

This was a nice place to be. This worked for her.

As Charlie headed for their room, Merlin went to fetch the first aid kit. He would probably have to bring Charlie to the hospital eventually, but for now he'd let her be and stay here. But he would definitely do what he could.

Since most if what he knew about taking care of the sick and wounded came from medieval knowledge and magic, he didn't only keep the modern things at home but had also gathered a lot of basic and some more specific things to store away. And while he couldn't really say he knew exactly what to treat this one with, he knew a thing or two about magical wounds and the undead, he thought, were definitely connected to that.

He put the supplies down on the night table and put his hand on Charlie's non-wounded shoulder.

"I'll have to have a look at that shoulder, love," he murmured.

Charlie's not fully awake when he returned. She's both emotionally and physically drained and somehow, one is just adding to the other and making it worse. But when she hears her husband, her eyes open and she pushes herself up.

Her shirts removed, dropped to the floor and will probably be burned later until there's nothing left. No way is she keeping that. She might still be shaking some from everything and not at all from how much that bite hurts. Nope. Not for a second.

"Huge favor, lie to me about how bad it is." She just doesn't want to know at all and at the same time is sort of curious.

"I've seen worse."

Not a lie, because after years at Gaius's and Arthur's side through physician work and battle, he's seen a lot of things. But it does give the illusion of it not being so bad at all, which he's sure will suffice for her.

If he wasn't used to looking after Arthur when he was wounded, this might be a bit worse. It's never nice to see someone you love hurt, of course, but this... should be fine. At least, that's what he keeps telling himself. His throat still feels a little thick, though.

"But this might hurt," he adds, before he starts cleaning it.

She smiles, nodding once and closing her eyes. She won't flinch or pull away when he starts cleaning though her hand will curl into the blankets on the bed and her face will scrunch up some, soft hisses escaping on occasion.

"Thank you for coming with me, Merlin." Which she probably doesn't have to say, she just needs to distract herself from having her bite cleaned.

Merlin exhales a soft laughter and shakes his head. It actually makes him smile, though, which is always a good thing, he supposes.

"I'd do it a hundred times over."

Charlie turns to look at him, smiling as well. She's still tired, still pale but at least she looks significantly less stressed. He helps, just by being there. Her arm reaches backwards for him, brushing against his side before her fingers curl into his shirt some. There's a slight tug. She wants him closer, just for how reassuring it is to have him near.

"People'd say you were nuts for even doing it once." Charlie'd think he was insane for doing it because it was a huge risk, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Then I guess I'm nuts."

He moves closer, presses a kiss to her cheek and he's done cleaning so he needs to move to get new things, really, but... Well, he can stay for a while, it's not a great rush now that it's clean, he thinks. Not so much that he can't cuddle with her for a moment, at least.

If he waits and whatever he does doesn't work, then it wouldn't have worked even if he would have done it this very second.

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