For months after, Merlin chased down every clue, every sign of an Arthur reborn. He thought maybe a baby born on Christmas day would be him but for all he knew, Arthur could have arrived at any time and at any age. The wanker, Santa-whatever, could bend time. Delivering all the toys across the world in a single night was proof of that.

For years after that, every tow-headed boy would have Merlin's heart beating again in hope, but it was never Arthur.

So instead, trying to forget his loneliness and desperation, Merlin studied harder, chasing down every hint of magic so that he could be ready when Arthur would need him again. Merlin followed politics and the sciences, the arts, military strategy, anything that could turn into enough of a horror that it could be considered Albion's greatest need were it to go awry.

Once Merlin thought about it, once he got past the hurt and the grief, he realised that what Santa Claus said about Merlin's neglect in keeping up with the world was correct. Merlin had ignored his responsibilities for far too long, wallowing in despair when he should have been preparing for Arthur's return.

It was past time to change that and to get ready for what was to come. Merlin did just that.

Then on Christmas day twenty-one years later, there was a knock on the door.

Arthur stood there, looking every bit as beautiful as the day he'd left, and handed Merlin a card from Santa Claus. Then he swept Merlin up into his arms and kissed him as if he'd never left and would never leave again. "I remembered," Arthur said. "I remember everything."

Merlin didn't recall closing the door or helping to take Arthur's jacket off or spinning them both into the lounge. He kept touching Arthur's face, letting his fingertips follow the contours of his cheek and his mouth before Arthur kissed him again. In between, Merlin murmured, "Is it really you? Oh, gods, please let it be you."

Giving a little laugh, full of joy and delight, Arthur said, "It's me and I'm here to stay. And after the mess is over, after we've solved whatever crisis there is to come, Santa told me he'd not taking back his gift this time and I quote 'ho, ho, ho', although whatever the hell that means I don't know. But I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Merlin didn't know what to do, where to touch. He wanted everything, wanted to dive into Arthur and never come out again. But, pulling back a little, worried about what Arthur might say but still Merlin needed to know, Merlin asked, "Are we… are we okay? With my magic and… things? I still can't believe you are here."

Leaning against the back of the sofa, Arthur pulled Merlin close, then nosing against Merlin's neck before sucking a mark into Merlin's skin—and oh how much Merlin loved being marked by Arthur, Arthur said, "We're okay. I thought a lot about it this morning. Even looked up the legends, well your legend at least and there is a lot of misinformation out there."

Merlin was so relieved that he couldn't help snickering a little. "The legends have been building for centuries. They really warped things a lot, but I didn't bother correcting them. It didn't matter to me at the time."

"I think this time I'll be less afraid of magic. A lot of science is magic to most people after all." Arthur said, then went back to kissing Merlin.

Merlin didn't want to stop him. Arthur's lips on Merlin's were brilliant and he wanted to sink into Arthur's embrace and never come out again. But he needed to know what happened.

"How… Arthur, how did you find me?" Merlin asked.

Arthur looked like he couldn't believe that Merlin was asking questions when they could be doing other things. Finally, he gave a little huff of annoyance and said, "Until early this morning, I had no idea of who you were or that I was once king of Camelot, but Santa Claus—did you know he's real? I still can't believe it. I thought he was just made-up—came and when he gave me the card, it all came flooding back." Arthur shook his head. "At first I couldn't accept it, but the memories were so strong that I knew I had to find you."

"Good thing I didn't move, then," Merlin said. He tried to make it sound like it were nothing, but it could have been a disaster. How hard it would have been to find him.

"I would have found you, no matter where you'd gone," Arthur said, sounding as sure of himself as he ever had been in Camelot. "Listen, I'll give you the basics and then I want to take you to bed. I've been thinking about it ever since I found out about you."

Merlin nodded, overwhelmed by Arthur's determination. He was certainly up for it. Literally.

Arthur grinned. "Well, it's my birthday today. I grew up in London, I'm going to uni there for my studies in military strategies and biological warfare. I never even thought about magic or legends, though. Why should I? I was more focused on footie and pub crawls and my studies."

"I looked for you everywhere, in London, too, but destiny can be a bitch," Merlin said, starting to crowd him then, reaching up to brush through that soft hair, letting his fingertips skim the beginnings of scruff. "Oh, gods, look at you."

Arthur grinned, grabbing Merlin's hand, kissing the palm, then pushing it to rest against his chest. "I don't know what's coming, but as long as we're together, I think we'll see it through."

Feeling Arthur's heartbeat under his hand, Merlin tried not think about taking Arthur right then and there. Gathering his wits about him, Merlin nodded over toward the fireplace. There on the mantle swag, a glass ornament was displayed, the Camelot they loved so much and Arthur on his favourite horse painted on it. "I kept it. I would hang it up every Christmas just in case."

Smiling, Arthur leaned over and gave Merlin a soft kiss, then began tugging him towards Merlin's room. "Well, now we can make new memories."

As they stumbled toward the bedroom, Merlin's hand firmly in Arthur's, Merlin thought about all the things they'd been to each other, all the pain and anguish, all the love and longing over the years, and he let everything go. Arthur was finally here, finally with him, and no matter what, they were together.

Arthur looked back, giving him a little grin before tugging him toward the bed.

It felt so good, it felt like paradise, it felt like coming home.

At long last.

And if the card lay on the floor, chiming out a Christmas tune, well, Merlin and Arthur didn't notice.

It was a Merry Christmas indeed.