New story. Hope you enjoy :)

Meaning of the name Axton: Swordman's Stone.

"There's still no sign of the young Axton Pendragon, son of Arthur and Merlin Pendragon – Emrys. Descendants of the founding families of the World known bankers corporations; Pendragon WorldWide and Emrys Enterprise. He's been last seen by his chauffeur when the car got hijacked just shortly after the young Pendragon had left school, last Friday afternoon. The car and his chauffeur have been found not far from the school grounds, with his chauffeur Lancelot being in critical condition . There has been found small amounts of blood on the scene of the crime that match the young Pendragon's blood type, however there was no sign of Axton in the area."

Arthur Pendragon fiercely turned off the news, shown on the flatscreen TV hanging in the vast living room. Throwing the remote against the wall, accompanied by a frustrating growl, making it splatter in a thousand pieces. The whole room full of police officers and investigators were quiet as mice, seeing the scene evolve in front of them. It's been twenty-one hours since Merlin and Arthur have been informed of the kidnapping, possible homicide – but Merlin and Arthur wouldn't believe that for a second – by the police. They would know if something had happened to their precious six year old son.

Merlin watched how his husband was getting more and more frustrated by the minute, but he couldn't do anything to help him or to extenuate the feeling of helplessness. He could only watch how Arthur was throwing and screaming out his frustrations, while he answered – or well tried to answer – the questions, asked by the constables standing closest to him. Questions about possible enemies they had that could hold a personal grudge against him, or Arthur. Merlin sighed deeply as he looked full of despair to the constable. He was the Vice-President of one the most successful corporations in the World and was married to a man who's family owned one other successful corporation. They had more enemies in their lives, than they had friends.

Letting his head hang low, so low that it almost touched its knee, Merlin let out his own stored up tears. Merlin had a different way of expressing his frustrations than his impulsive husband had. Merlin was always the calmer one, and always the one who could control Arthur's anger and fears, but right now he had no idea what to do.

How could one ever harm a little child, no why would anyone ever want to do that? and then there was that message earlier that evening. The message from the investigators that there has been found blood that matched little Axton's. Merlin just couldn't take it anymore. He sat himself on the couch, the cushion tightly clutched against his chest, sobbing his heart out. He could care less that the room was filled with grown men and women. His little boy was gone, ripped from his family, he needed a moment to himself.

Arthur caught eye of his distressed and crying husband and waved the police officers away, who immediately complied to the wish of the older Pendragon male. Arthur saw that Merlin was in no state to think rationally enough to answer questions that wouldn't be helping in the search of their little boy one tiny bit anyway. He did know that he needed to comfort his husband right this second, so he sat himself next to Merlin on the great black leather couch, wrapping a comforting arm around Merlin. Merlin tilted his head up slightly, only to let in fall again but now on the welcoming shoulder of his husband. He sobbed lightly, repeatedly and softly asking Arthur why someone would do this to his boy.

Arthur didn't know why and he just couldn't stand the state his husband was in. Merlin was the happy one, always wearing the biggest smile he could offer the World, no matter how grey it looked. He would smile like there was no tomorrow and it seems that today was indeed the no tomorrow. Arthur inhaled deeply through his nose, letting his hand stroke Merlin's hair and softly speaking some reassuring words, even if he didn't believe them himself for one second. Arthur was out of options now too. It was almost twenty-four hours since their boy was last seen and even he knew that a missing child had best chance of survival when found within the critical twenty-four hours.

The room was dead silent for at least five minutes, until one constable came forward, telling the Pendragons that Lancelotr had come out of his unconsciousness and as soon as the doctors gave the clear, they will interrogate him about the occurrence.

Merlin finally sat up straight again, looking around the room. The passing of the last day was all but a haze to him, he didn't processed much information and mostly stared blankly to the white wall at the opposite of the room, while Arthur was blazing out his frustrations and demanding for his son to be found. Merlin's mind was just too worried about his little boy and his good friend that was Axton's chauffeur for the last two years and his good friend for at least eight. He was relieved to hear that his friend was awake, but he also knew that Lancelot would never forgive himself of what happened to little Axton.

Morgana and Gwaine sat at the grand dining table at the far side of the room, letting the parents know they had their support while going through this tough time. Morgana is Axton's mother but only in biological sense, she didn't want any maternal part in the boy's life. That was all up to Arthur and Merlin. Being aunty Morgana was just as good for her.

When Arthur and Merlin had stated they would love to adopt a child, Morgana had offered them to not concider adopting, but to try in vitro fertilisation and she would happily be a donor. Arthur had been against it very much at the beginning, seeing how Morgana was his half-sister but after he had a good and long talk with Merlin, Morgana and her husband Gwaine, with also weighing the pros against the cons, he eventually succumbed and agreed for Morgana to be the female donor. That aside, they still had to decide who of the two of them would be the male donor. After some debating and some restless nights, they both decided that it would be Merlin to donate his sperm, because Arthur couldn't bear the thought that it would be him, with Morgana not only being the donor but also being the surrogate. And not totally unimportant was that this was also another way to give their child both the Emrys as well as the Pendragon DNA.

And so it was not five months later when they went for their first try. They didn't got their hopes up too much, as the doctor told them how sixty-five per cent of all first time procedures usually resulted in failing. That's why they were pleasantly surprised when Morgana told them the good news two months later that she was pregnant and that seven more months along the line they held their little boy in their arms for the first time.

Little Axton – a name suggested by his uncle Gwaine – was the spitting image of Merlin, minus the ears. Merlin was happy for that outcome, but Arthur had exclaimed his disappointment about their child not having the ears he so loved. Axton looked just like Merlin; black hair, fair skin and piercing blue eyes. How could he look like something else, both his biological parents were almost having the same external characteristics, with the only difference that Morgana was having just a bit more green/greyish eyecolor.

Just as it is with Merlin, there was innocence and goodness just pouring out of their little boy's every pore. He was that kind of child that played with the other kids that would be bullied by the so called 'popular' kids as well as having the fierce Pendragon personality when needed. His aunty Morgana made sure she taught him from very early on, on how to manage that little Pendragon trait.

Morgana offered him a small smile from where she was seated at the table, Gwaine clutching her hand tightly in his. Merlin saw him struggle to keep his tears in, after hearing the news of his little nephew. Merlin acknowledges the smile with a tiny nod, not being able to let a smile past his lips. It was too early for that.

At last Merlin looked at his husband, their fingers entwined together and Arthur's free hand was still stroking through Merlin's raven black hair. Merlin was about to say something when they were abruptly brought out of their moment together, hearing a ringing noise coming from the other side of the room. The police men immediately sprung to action, taking in their position at the bugging devices and giving Merlin and Arthur the signal, instructing the pair to do and say exactly what the police officers are suggesting.

The phone continued to ring and it could only mean one thing.

The kidnappers were seeking contact.