I'm sorry for even writing this...but for gods sake, I'm extremely depressed over Merlin ending, and the finale was everything I'd hoped for(excluding where I wanted a kickass showdown between Merlin & Morgana..fine, I'll just pretend there was one.) so I wrote this bit that only took me what...20 minutes? or so, Idk, I'm half asleep don't blame me if it sucks, I just saw the finale(since I'm american, I had to find it online..HUGE pain in the ass) and I'm in pain, this had to be written. So now. I'm off to wait for Merlin to air here on syfy so I can rewatch and be sad with my mom. enjoy the fic!

Merlin avoids that lake,
avoids it like it is the plague, every time he's in England (he scoffs at the name, its Albion) he tries to avoid it, but every time, its hard and he eventually goes.
While there, he walks the whole lake...which takes hours...the better part of a day..but that doesn't matter much when you don't age.
He thinks about, Morgana(even when he tries not too, he always has to pass where he killed her,she's bound to appear somewhere in his mind)Arthur, all of their relationship in his mind, seared there where he cannot remove a moment of it.
Gwen, before she was queen, after Arthur died..she made a wonderful queen.(he'd even been the one to send:The king is dead,long live the queen back to Camelot). She even made magic legal, maybe she'd been in hopes that Merlin would come back...he couldn't. he just couldn't have gone back to Camelot, where Arthur would have been a reminder every second of the day, so instead he'd run, he'd ran far far away.
Where he'd hoped to escape it.
But here he is, May 21st 2012, and he's going 'round this lake again, he's aged himself since being an crazy looking old man walking the lake attracts less attention than a young one, the lake sings to him as he walks away from it once more, a truck whishes by, he sighs as he stares out over the lake once more, before moving on. He's moving in the direction of Camelot for some god-forsaken reason, and there's basically nothing where Camelot used to be. So he doesn't know why, he reaches the village by the lake(yes, people LIVE by the lake he reminds himself, and their normal, they don't think anything about the lake!) and he finds a tavern(yes, he still calls them taverns) and makes himself younger, before he goes in to order a drink. and while he's sitting there, he hears someone laugh. a laugh that sends prickles up and down his arms. He knows that laugh like the back of his own hand. He turns around to find who just really-
And there's Arthur, standing in the doorway, with a group of friends,(the knights) and what appears to be Gwen(so, his girlfriend?) Arthur looks straight at him. but doesn't come over, smiles for a moment, and walks on. Merlin supposes he was expecting too much, Arthur probably doesn't remember him, so no surprise, that just means Merlin will be moving to this village to watch Arthur from now on. as he's deciding this, hours pass. he begins to plan where he'll magic a house, close to the lake he thinks, even as he loathes the thing.
"So, you new in town?" a voice surprises him by asking, Merlin jumps, he JUMPS for Christs sake.
"Yea, just finding a house, liked the surroundings, nature 'ya know." he answers, and it doesn't sound too much like a stutter.
He turns around, and there's Arthur, staring back at him. seating himself next to Merlin.(Smiling like he's got a secret.) there's a few moments of silence while Arthur orders another drink, for himself and Merlin, until he finally turns to Merlin and says,"MER-lin, I know its you." in the same drawl he always used to use.
"You big prat." Merlin says as he turns back 'round to facing Arthur instead of the bar.
Arthur laughs, that golden laugh that makes Merlin smile far to happily to himself.
"I don't think they recognized you though." Arthur points out as he glances back at the knights.
"They will...in time. How'd you know me?" Merlin's simply curious.
"I've had dreams of you since I was a small child, Merlin. I just recently had a rush of memories proving my secret thoughts right."
Merlin smiles, and Arthur smiles back, "So. Merlin, I told my friends, that I was coming over here to hit on the new guy...I seem to be forgetting that mission." Merlin splutters in his drink. "What?"
"Flirting Merlin, Flirting, 'ya know, the main objective of talking to strangers at bars...well, not the main...but a step in the right direction."
Merlin stares at him, thinking he can't believe his own ears.
Arthur laughs and just grabs Merlin's arm, starts taking him outside,
"So, Arthur, taking me home are you?" Merlin taunts as they begin walking in one direction
"I could be, would you object to that?"
Merlin's thoughts are too rapid for him to pin one down, only one that stuck was that No, no he really wouldn't mind. and he says so with a sideways smile as they pass some brick building up the road from the bar.
Before he can comprehend whats happening, Arthur's got him up against the brick wall, inches from his face...breathing the same air once more.
all of this is moving so fast and Merlin's having trouble keeping up...its not as if Merlin's been celibate this whole time, he'd even been with a guy last week,(and a girl last month..he won't even tell that story) but that'd been when he didn't know Arthur was back...and he'd been in Italy for a spring vacation...or so he called it...when really it was-Merlin's thoughts are cut off almost in the same manner they began, abruptly.
Arthur's kissing him and that's all he can focus on,all he will focus on,at least for tonight,tomorrow, they have a million things to sort out.

I sort of wanted to continue it, since I was going to go on with Merlin's conflicted feelings over this Arthur being so publicly into Merlin(yes,he's always into Merlin. shut up.) but...I decided against it. so, review?

Thanks for reading.

-Rae