Installment 2: On His Majesty's Flight Guard

Chapter 1: I-Spy an Anomaly

Merlin had always known there was something off about Captain Jack Harkness. His magic always started to spark when he was near. It wasn't necessarily warning him against the man, just feeling unsettled around him. As if something wasn't normal about him. It wasn't magic and he was human, Merlin had checked, but it was something different.

Either way, Merlin liked the man.

They had met at an officers ball. Somehow, and Merlin still wasn't sure how, Jack had grabbed him for a dance and didn't let him go. Luckily Merlin was decent at dancing and it was fun. They talked later that evening and Merlin made an effort to stay in contact with the man.

With a little bit of strategic manoeuvring they were able to arrange shared missions as often as they could. It was always more fun to do recon with a friend on the radio. Merlin had set up a private network for himself that he had connected Jack into. They were then able to play I-Spy without their teams knowing.

"I spy with my little eye," Merlin would radio in. "Something blue."

"Is it that pool in the posh part of town at 0800?"

"Right in one, Jack."

"There's not much that's blue, Will." Merlin had chosen to use his childhood friends name this time around. "Alright, I spy with my little eye, something green."

Merlin groaned. "Is it the grass?"

"No."

"The trees?"

"No."

Merlin took a second to tilt his plane and look harder. "Is it the terrible camouflage of that German tank at 0700?"

"Right-o Captain! I'll call my men around to get an aerial while you watch our bellies."

"Copy that." Merlin flipped back to broadcasting on the wider radio network. "Captain Harkness is taking his men to shoot, it's our job to watch their backs. All planes in Piccadilly formation."

"Copy that Cap," his second radioed back as his team split off.

It was a steady friendship. They worked together when they could, spend their breaks together since neither had family, and frequently ate together. It was a friendship that was like many others between Captains. It was the twentieth of November in 1943 that their relationship changed.

"Captains Beckett, Morose, Emrys, Greene, and Harkness," the General called out. "You will be taking your men on a bombing raid. I will give you each a list of target coordinates for your teams, it's a simple run, we don't expect any trouble from the Luftwaffe. Wheels up at 2200. Any questions?"

"No sir," they chorused and saluted before he dismissed them with their papers. Merlin and Jack gravitated towards each other and compared coordinates.

"Ours are fairly close. It'll be good to have you on my wing," Jack remarked cheerfully.

"So long as there's no I-Spy something dark," Merlin quickly shot down Jack's plan.

"Fine. See you in the air."

Merlin was more than used to things not going according to plan. Apparently Jack was as well. Despite assurances that there would be no encounters with the enemy, they had quickly encountered enemy fire.

"Harkness, take the high ground," Merlin barked over the coms. "My team, circle low to drop bombs and head home."

"Copy that Cap," his second in command responded.

"We'll keep them off your back Will," Harkness added. Merlin lead his team in low, releasing the bomb over the specified coordinated. He disliked the method, but couldn't deny the effectiveness of destroying bridges and munitions factories. Gunshots peppered the air above him and he heard one of his men swear as he rolled to avoid a German plane falling from the air. He flicked his eyes over to the consul and saw that everyone had dropped.

"Back home troops. Oxford formation to keep them back. Harkness and I will run perimeter."

The planes all swooped around and headed back toward England. Jack and Merlin flew tandem still fighting off the Luftwaffe until the head of each team began to circle back. It was a good pattern that allowed at least two planes at all times to be facing the enemy and cover their retreat. The planes with rear facing guns flew slightly above and helped cover their retreat. It was going well until Merlin heard a burst of swears from Jack.

"I've been hit," he radioed in. "Right wing nearly gone. Transfer command to Captain Emrys. See you in a month boys." They were currently over Allied territory but they all knew the low survival rates of pilots who bailed out of their planes. Merlin glanced over in time to see Jack's right wing snap off and Jack open the hatch. He made a split second decision.

"Get ready to be caught," Merlin told Jack over the private com as he shot free of the falling craft.

"What?" Jack yelled over the wind.

"Trust me," Merlin replied as he tipped his wings and spiralled into a dive. To anyone else it may have been a risky manoeuvre but he had been in the RAF since its founding. It was with a high level of precision that he pulled out of the dive and levelled out, opening his hatch as he did so. A glance upward revealed Jack plummeting without his parachute, spread eagled to gain what little drag he could. A glow of Merlin's eyes slowed time just slightly to allow him to line up correctly. As Jack fell from above, Merlin stalled the plane to avoid what whiplash he could. Like a glove Jack fell into the back seat with wide eyes.

"Strap in," Merlin grinned over his shoulder as he put the plane back in gear. "Can't have you falling out now can I?"

Back on base, Merlin was sitting at his desk writing up his report when a knock interrupted.

"Come in." Jack poked his head in. "Ah Jack. What can I do for you? You aren't planning on jumping out of another plane so soon, are you?" He gave only a small smile at that and closed the door behind him. Merlin set his papers aside as Jack sat down.

"I wanted to say thank you. For saving my life."

"It was nothing. Really. Anyone would've."

"Not true." Jack shook his head. "Even if someone else had the same level of flying skill as you, which was very impressive, most people would've let me parachute down. We were over Allied territory. I would've been safe."

"Now that's a lie and you know it," Merlin shot back. "If you survived the fall to the ground you would've still been in a foreign country. You have no food or water and your only shelter is a parachute. You might be able to hunt for a little while but you still need to find a way back home in a country where you might not speak the language and have no money to barter. You and I both know the chances of making it back home were next to none. I did what I had to."

"Most people would not have viewed it as a duty."

"Well I see you as a friend and I prefer to see them alive." A silence had fallen in the office, both men staring at each other, trying to see what emotions the other was hiding. Jack looked away first.

"Thank you for being a friend, Will." Merlin's face softened at Jack's tone. "I haven't had one of those in a while."

Merlin smiled and walked around the desk. "No matter what happens in this war, I promise I will always be there for you if you need my help." Jack reached out and they firmly shook hands.

As fate would have it, Merlin was transferred elsewhere a few months later when he was promoted. He had tried to avoid it but apparently his ability to function in a crisis meant he was needed in higher ranks. Merlin tried to find Jack after the war but he had been listed as MIA. He mourned for the loss of a friend but was glad he wouldn't have to watch him grow older as he remained the same.

It wasn't until 1995 that he realised how true that was. There was a ceremony at the Tower of London to honour those who had given their lives to end the war fifty years ago this day. He no longer looked the same age as those who had fought with him but he solemnly wore his dress uniform and attended the ceremony. Among the veterans he could pick out three or four fellow members of the RAF that he served with. After the ceremony, the casual observers slowly left and only those with a personal connection remained. He was lost in his memories when a familiar feeling started invading his senses. His magic was sparking again but not quite in the way that meant danger. In the way that it always did when Jack was near, yet stronger now. He was surprised, therefore, to look to his left and see Jack standing there. Although not as surprised as Jack was to look up when he felt the eyes on him and see Merlin also there. Merlin walked over to him.

"Is that a new coat, Cap?" he asked without preamble. "Looks like you've taken better care of the coat than yourself lately."

"Well not everyone can live up to your standards of perfection Emrys."

"I think I can make an exception just this once for you. Lunch at mine?" Jack let out a short laugh at the normalcy of this bizarre meeting.

"Lunch sounds good. I think we both have a lot of catching up to do."

"That we do."

fin