A/N - I was so sad at the series finale, so I felt the need to continue it where Arthur returns. Plus I thought that Arthur experiencing the modern world would be HILARIOUS.

Thanks to my fabulous beta, TheImpossiblePen.

Disclaimer - I do not own Merlin. If I did, a lot of flailing and 'asdfghjkl' would ensue.

'I have died everyday waiting for you, darlin' don't be afraid, 'cos I have loved you for a thousand years...'
Merlin switched off the radio as he got into bed. That song had become annoyingly repetitive recently, and brought back painful memories. It had been almost a thousand years since Arthur's death, but Merlin had a feeling he would return soon. He could feel his magic stirring in the pit of his stomach, his toes and fingers tingling, even as he lay in bed - in the year 2013, no less. He'd lived through births and deaths of generations, through countless discoveries and inventions, without Arthur.
He lay there thinking. When Arthur did return, and Merlin knew he would, how would the Once and Future King react? Would he be delighted, confused, scared? A lot had changed since Camelot's day. Kilgharrah had said that Arthur would return when Albion needed him most. Merlin had seen many bad things happen, including World Wars one and two, genocide and other unspeakable things, without Arthur's return. He dreaded to think what must happen to warrant it. Merlin had, at several points, thought of giving up on ever seeing Arthur again and seriously considered taking his own life, before remembering that he couldn't. Suffering without the relief of death was the curse of the immortal.
Merlin slept fitfully that night. He dreamt of terrible disasters - wars, attacks and natural disasters -, all happening at once without Arthur there to help. He thrashed about, tangling himself in the duvet. It was only when he woke, sitting bolt upright with sweat dripping from his pale face and his chest rising and falling like a ship on a stormy sea, that he escaped.
Running a hand through his hair, he shoved on a pair of shoes, grabbed a coat and made his way downstairs. It was still dark, though only just, but Merlin had found that sitting by the lake always calmed and relaxed him, so, after grabbing his phone and keys, that was exactly what he did.
He walked down the road from his cottage with his hands deep in his coat pockets, and the cold air turned his breath to steam. He sat down on the grass by the bank of the lake, leaning against an oak tree and not caring that the dew was slowly permeating his striped pyjama bottoms. Due to his interrupted sleep, he was soon succumbing to slumber.
It was for this reason that he didn't notice the waters of the lake begin to ripple as the sun peaked over the eastern horizon. He was also oblivious to the appearance of a young man - he couldn't have been more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of age - with golden blonde hair and piercing blue eyes as his head rose above the surface. The figure began to wade in towards the shore. In fact, Merlin only became aware of the situation at hand when he woke about half an hour later to find that the man lay on his side in the grass, as fast asleep as Merlin had been only minutes previously. Merlin's eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw the man. Far from being a stranger, he was someone Merlin knew very well indeed.
"Arthur?"

So, thoughts? Reviews are very welcome.