It had been years. Merlin was still looking young and he was still alone. His friends had passed thousands of years before and he had gone to college out of boredom several times. He had been a doctor for a while in the twenties and a biologist in the sixties, he worked as a university teacher at Princeton and a preschool teacher which he enjoyed for a while before having to go off the grid again.

It was now 2013 and he needed a job and some money, he came across an add on a high school website, where he found three openings; grade twelve chemistry teacher, grade ten English teacher and night time custodian. The choice between the three was kind of hard for him to decide upon. If he chose English he would get to teach Romeo and Juliet, which was one of his favorite Shakespeare plays, if he chose the custodian he would get some peace and quiet while he cleaned. He wasn't exactly the cleanest person himself, but he did enjoy being alone and listening to music and the big floor buffers they have now are cool as heck, so he was considering this quite a bit.

After a few days of thinking he had made a decision. Starting September, Merlin would be a grade twelve chemistry teacher. He would teach one of the things he loved most, and one of the closest things to magic there is. Who knows, maybe he'll even throw in a little bit of magic while he's teaching, just to make the class a little more interesting for the kids.

Merlin applied online, sending his resume and his letter of recommendation to the school board by email. After a day or so he got an email back asking for an interview. He agreed and they made a meet up date and time. Merlin had to get his police check for them and a few other things that were boring and time consuming, but he didn't have much else to do and he loved meeting new people even if it was just for a short amount of time.

When the day finally came for Merlin to meet with the people of the school board Merlin was actually a little nervous, but things went extremely well for him. He got the job and when he started at the school the kids loved him.

Two years had passed since he started working there, they had already lost the English teacher that started shortly after Merlin and Merlin who had signed up for the exchange student program had two students live in his guest room throughout the two years. It was the beginning of a new year and Merlin was very excited to meet his new exchange student, Alex, who was coming from America and the new principal who he had heard was a woman named Morgan Pendington. He had heard nothing about the new English teacher however and that was making him a little anxious. He could be anyone. He could be a she. He could be an evil chipmunk from hell, looking for revenge for the forest they cut down to make the school. OR WORSE! He could be a know-it-all prat.

A few days before school started again, Merlin had some shopping he had to do for a few extra things he got for the class every year so far, just some things to make his class a little more fun. He also wanted to get some things for Alex to make his stay a little more homey.

When Alex got to the airport in England Merlin drove there to pick him up, humming softly to the songs on the radio as he drove and when he got to the airport with a sign that had Alex's name written on it he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Mr. Emrys...?" Said a familiar, dark haired boy, who wasn't all that much younger than Merlin's appearance. The boy had a warm, slightly devious smile and a hand extended to shake his new teacher and roommates. "It's been a while, Merlin... I'm your exchange student."

"Mordred... How... You're dead." Merlin muttered, fighting back the distress that was boiling in his gut, as he didn't want to make a scene in the middle of a busy airport.

"And now I'm back.. Strange, isn't it? Did you think that Arthur was the only important person back then? No. I'm American now and very important and I have a pretty hot accent." Mordred said with a small shrug then put a hand on Merlin's shoulder, seeing as he wasn't going to shake it, and lead the stunned man out of the building. After a moment of looking around he asked. "Which car is yous?.. Please don't tell me it's the dirty beater.." He said, looking at an old, rusty beetle that he assumed Merlin had gotten for cheap at a junk yard. "It is your, isn't it?" Mordred grumbled, watching Merlin take his keys out of his pocket, his eyes rolling at how much the other male spoke.

"Yes... It's mine.. What happened to you?.. You use to be so quiet." Merlin complained, unlocking the trunk and letting Mordred put his bags in.

Mordred sighed and rolled his eyes, closing the trunk and getting into the passenger side. "I was born in America... What did you expect? Don't worry, it probably won't be as noticeable when everyone else shows up."

"Well I would recommend shutting up before I just kick you out of my car and make you go back to America...But first tell me who 'Everyone' is..." Merlin said with an annoyed expression After he got in and started the car.

Mordred hummed softly and leaned his seat back before turning the radio on which was instantly turned back off by Merlin. "Well first of all; you can't send me back to America unless you pay for my ticket and I doubt you have that kind of money, and second of all; I have no idea who 'everyone' is." He said before putting his hands behind his head, using them as a pillow. "You should calm down a little bit though... I've been doing a lot of reading on the internet and stuff and this century is hilarious... Cheer up... Get Tumblr.. Watch some shows and read some fanfictions.."

The words that came from the younger male made Merlin cringe a little. 'Cheer up'? How was he suppose to cheer up when he was sitting in the car with the man that killed his best friend? He felt a rant coming on like a freight train and there was no stopping it. "You're kidding... Right? I have finally, almost gotten over the fact that everyone I have ever cared about is dead. I've been waiting for the day that Arthur comes back and for some reason he hasn't. There have been so many wars where we could have used Arthur, but he hasn't come back. I have been through hell and what do I get? Not Arthur, but the brat that killed him! So sorry for not being happy enough for your liking, Mordred, But I've really wanted to run over you with a car since the bloody things were invented, so excuse me for not being cheerleader of the year at the moment, I'll try a little harder next time!"

Mordred stayed silent for a moment, thinking over the others words before straightening his seat a little bit and looking down at his lap where his hands were now neatly placed. "I'm sorry... I didn't know you still had such strong feelings about that. I'm sorry I killed your man crush." Mordred added then glanced out the window as Merlin started to drive the car slowly out of the large parking lot.

Merlin sighed softly and nodded, eyes fixed on the road as he shook his head. "And I'm sorry I got your girlfriend killed." He muttered.

The rest of the car ride was silent. Mordred didn't speak, Merlin didn't speak and there were no more attempts to turn on the radio. When they got back to Merlin's house they both got out and Mordred looked at his new, temporary home with a nod. "I was kind of scared your house would be as crappy as your car.. But it's actually pretty decent."

Merlin rolled his eyes and didn't reply to the statement about his house. "Is this the new transfer student, Merlin?... He looks a lot like my grandson." Said an old voice from behind Merlin. Merlin's lips almost instantly curled up into a smile and he turned around to see his neighbor, Jerry, and the atmosphere around him instantly went from tense and angered to light and happy. Jerry had been in the hospital for a few months and this was the first time Merlin had seen or heard of him, so this was very exciting for the young man.

"Jerry. You're out of the hospital?" He asked with a smile then reached out a hand to shake the elderly mans. "You had me very concerned for a while. I thought I wouldn't have you over for tea anymore."

"Hah! You can't get rid of me that easily... You youngsters think I'm just a fragile old man, but I just got a new hip and after a month of physical therapy I'm good as new. I could probably even beat you in a race, now." Jerry said in a chipper tone that made Merlin laugh softly. This man was always so sweet and like a grandfather to all the people in the small neighborhood they lived in.

"I bet you could have beaten me before." Merlin replied with a small laugh.

"Well then.. Now that that's out of the way... Who's this?" He asked with a smile, looking at Mordred who was silently waiting for Merlin to take him inside.

"This is Mordred... He's from America and he's a bit of a brat." Merlin answered in a whisper, smiling softly before glancing back at Mordred. The student now was glaring at him, but Merlin wasn't too concerned about that at the moment. In fact he was almost use to the expression.

"You know I'm standing right here... Right?... I can hear you." Mordred growled out before holding out his hand to Jerry. "Pleasure to meet you, sir... Mr. Emrys didn't tell me that he had such a lively neighbor."

"Well, I'll try my best to keep it down on bingo night." Jerry joked as he shook Mordred's hand. "I'll take you out sometime and show you around town... Merlin needs a little bit of space sometimes.. He's been through a lot lately, with the school year starting and the English teacher leaving. From what I hear, he fancied her quite a bit." He added in a soft tone, causing Merlin to look down with a small blush. It was true though, she had reminded him quite a bit of Freya and they were even together for a short while before she had to go to France to visit her dying grandmother and for some reason never got back in touch with him.

Mordred paused for a moment before smiling softly and nodding slowly. "That would be nice, thank you." He said happily before turning to get his bags. "It was nice meeting you, but I would really like to go get settled in my new home before it gets dark.. And I would like to get to know Mr. Emrys a little better."

"Yes.. Well have a nice night, Mordred. You too Merlin.. I hope to see you again soon. Perhaps the two of you can come over for tea sometime?"

"That sounds nice, Jerry. Thank you." Merlin said with a smile then shook his hand again before turning to close the trunk after Mordred got his bags and was halfway to the door. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, after I'm done my paperwork.. Goodbye Mr. Jones." He said with a smile, walking to his door, waving at the old man and receiving a wave back before he turned away to unlock and open the door. "Take off your shoes... I just vacuumed." Merlin said in a soft grumble before kicking his shoes off and closing the door behind them.

"What's your wifi?" Mordred asked as soon as he walked in the door.

"I'm not telling you until you get unpacked." Merlin said and rolled his eyes. "You're room is right next to the toilet... The toilet is the only room up there with the door open... And I'm ordering pizza, so you better like it." He explained as he walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Go get settled... I'll give you the wifi when you come back down." He told Mordred with the phone up to his ear.

"I'll give you a bit of money if you get extra cheese on it." Mordred told the other before walking up the stairs. He set his bags down as he walked into the room that he assumed was his. "And bacon!" He shouted from the doorway before looking around and biting his lip. No desk. Where would he put his laptop?

After a few minutes of folding clothes and putting them away in the dresser that was next to the closet, Mordred sat down on the bed and pulled out his laptop then his charger. What's the password?" He shouted from his room, not wanting to get up.

"I already told you! I'm not telling until you're down here and done packing!" Merlin shouted back from the bottom of the stairs. "Or!... You could tell me who 'everyone' is and I'll go up there and tell you!" He added with a bargaining smirk that Mordred couldn't see, but just by hearing the tone of his voice he could tell what his facial expression was. They did spend quite a bit of time together after all.

"No can do, Mr. Emrys. I'm not allowed to tell you." Mordred said with a shrug then slowly started downstairs, a small smile of his own on his lips. "And when I say, 'Not allowed to.' What I really mean is, 'I want you to come up with really crappy thoughts because it's funny when you get paranoid and irrational.' plus I don't know."

"I figured." Merlin said and rolled his eyes as he turned around. "And I'm not scared about who it is... You seem to know a lot about this century and I think that whoever it is will know as well, and if they really want to take over the country then they can just run for Prime Minister, so I think we're okay." He explained then let out a soft sigh before walking into the living room and sitting on the sofa.

Mordred followed, letting out a horrified gasp when he looked in front of him. "Where the hell is the TV?!" He shouted, grabbing onto Merlin's shirt. "Please tell me it's just out for maintenance!"

"Mordred...I don't believe they do that with tellies... I'm fifty two percent sure they fix those in the house.." Merlin said in a calm voice, brushing the other males hand away from his shirt. "But I do have one.. Don't panic. I got a new one online a week ago, it'll be here in a few days."

A long breath of relief left Mordred's lips at the others words. "Oh thank god... Don't ever do that again. I brought my android box, so we can watch all the good shows with no commercials. Like iZombie and Supernatural."

"Dear lord.. You're a dork." Merlin muttered then leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling.

"At least I'm a tidy dork! You have folded clothes on the back of the couch and books all over the place! 'Just vacuumed', my ASS!" Mordred almost shouted then stood up. "This place will be cleaned before the TV comes in."

Merlin sighed softly and looked up at Mordred with a questioning expression. "I picked everything up off the floor and put it on the sofa and table so I could vacuum.. But if you want to clean up, be my guest. I don't see why it's a problem though. None of my other exchange students complained... And you're the American.. Aren't you guys suppose to be messy.. America is where all the hoarders are, on the show."

Mordred listened and shook his head slowly. "No no no... Merlin... You were the first hoarder. Now get off your little tooshie and put your clothes away in your room.. And while you're up there, get all the dirty clothes off your floor, I know they're there."

"What about the wifi?" Merlin asked, trying to get out of having to clean his room.

"It can wait."

"I never would have taken you as a clean freak, Mordred... It's kind of funny because you look like a messy teen."

"Clothes... Now." Mordred retorted in a stern tone then pulled Merlin off the couch.

"But mooooom." Merlin whined then started up the stairs.

Half an hour and a lot of insults later, the house was spotless and the pizza was at the door. After the pizza was eaten and Mordred had the wifi the two of them went to sleep.

Merlin went to the school with Mordred to show him around the day before it started. He had to get his class set up and wanted to meet the new teacher and principal anyway, so he took the opportunity to do so on the warm Sunday afternoon.

"Mordred! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't touch the chemicals!" Merlin shouted at the other who quickly took his hand away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mordred said softly then started to walk around the room again, leaning against Merlin's desk with a small sigh. "Dude... I'm bored... Let's go back to the room with the frogs. it smelt weird in there."

"It smelt like formaldehyde, and no, we aren't going back in there." Merlin explained before walking away from the other to hang up a new motivational poster on the other side of the room. "Why don't you go bug someone else?... Go find the new principal or something.. And bring her back here, I want to meet her. Her name is Morgan Pendington, but you should probably call her Miss. Pendington, out of respect."

"Weird name." Mordred muttered under his breath then walked across the room and out the door. "If she's hot I call dibs." He said clearly before looking at the door and deciding to leave it open to annoy Merlin.

"Mordred! The door!" Merlin shouted then walked over, grumbling a few insults under his breath.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a man with a book stuck in his face, making his way toward the closed fire door that was only a few feet away from Merlin's classroom door. He watched for a moment and waited to see if he would look up and miss the door, but after he realized the stranger was in fact not going to look up, he cleared his throat loudly, causing the man to look up, but still hit the door and fall, the book in his hands flying to Merlin's feet.

"Oh! Are you alright?" Merlin asked then helped the man up, but one look at his face made Merlin's hand slip from the others and he fell right back to the floor. "S-sorry... I uh... Have sweaty hands... It's been a long day." He said in an almost inaudible tone.

"Oh no.. It's fine.. I'm fine... Thank you for trying to help. I'm Arthur Pendington, I'm the new English teacher." Arthur said as he pulled himself up off the floor and held out a hand to shake Merlin's.

"Merlin... Merlin Emrys.." Merlin muttered as he shook Arthur's hand. "Wait... Did you say 'Pendington'?"He asked in shock, receiving a nod from Arthur. "So the principal is...?"

"Oh heavens! We're not married!" Arthur said with a laugh. "Morgana is my sister." He reassured then looked at Merlin with slight concern. "Are you alright, mate?... You look like you've seen a ghost.

"Oh I'm... I'm just glad to see that you're alright." He said with a small smile then looked down a bit. "I should uhm... I have to go meet your sister.. So. Goodbye then. Keep your head up... We wouldn't want anymore accidents." Merlin said with forced laugh before taking a few steps back and turning to walk away. "It was nice meeting you." he said before running down the hall.

"No running in the halls, Merlin!" Mordred shouted when he saw him approaching the office.

"Why?" Merlin said sternly when he caught glimpse of Morgana sitting in her big principal chair in her big principal office.

"Well because it's the rules, Merlin.. No running in the halls." Morgana retorted, a smug smirk o her lips.

"You know that's not what I meant. Why!? Why now?! Why doesn't he remember me?!"

"Merlin.. He wasn't a warlock in his past life.. Mordred and I remember because we were born with magic in both these lives, but Arthur is different.. You can't tell him anything, do you understand. I'm here to help you and my brother, so please don't make me the enemy." Morgana explained, looking into Merlin's fiery, yet sad eyes. "Especially considering, I'm the principal.. If you piss me off, I'll have you teaching in that small class with misbehaving children... What was it that the teachers called it again?"

"You're still arrogant, I see." Merlin grumbled.

"Sweety, I'm back from the dead and in charge of a school that's almost the size of a kingdom.. I'm going to have way too much fun with this job."

Merlin rolled his eyes and let out a small sigh before walking out of the office. "Mordred, I'm going home... You can come now, or later, I don't really care." He said before leaving the building and going home alone.