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You Said Forever

The door they headed towards was guarded, the bloke on the right opening the door for them once he got a nod from the suit that worked here. Wherever here was. Either way the suit was a man of his word in that he didn't try to enter the room with them, just told them he'd wait outside and would be standing by if they needed him. While giving him personally a look that said that if he hurt the three men he knew somehow the fancy suit would try and fail to beat the piss out of him.

'Good luck with that, Bruv.' He silently communicated before stepping through the doorway after Hottie Harry.

Inside the room looked a lot like the one they'd held him in before, when they'd wanted to interrogate him. Though this one didn't even have chairs in it. Just a bolted down table with his briefcase on it.

A briefcase he was supposed to open for them. If he could.

He hadn't been about to cooperate with any of them before, so he hadn't really given much thought as to whether or not he could actually open the thing up. He'd had other things on his mind like the fact that he was sore as fuck, couldn't remember much of anything, and all that seemed ta matter to his brain besides those two things was 'Harry'.

And Harry either didn't know him or didn't want to admit that he knew him in front of his posh co-workers. He didn't much like thinking that that was the case-and the fact that he knew this Merlin bloke too suggested that it wasn't just a case of Harry pretending not to know him. Less they were all in it together. Threesome? Far from the most unpleasant mental images to enter his brain today. Or it would be if not for the ring he'd caught sight of on the Scot's finger. He did NOT poach. Uh uh. No fucking way.

Or at least he didn't think he would. This whole not fucking remembering who he was was so fucking annoying. To the max.

The door closed behind them and then eyes of the other three men on his expectantly, prompting him to walk over to the table to take a close look at the case, picking it up by the handle.

"Huh."

There was no dial for a combination. No button to push or knob to twist. Nothing to indicate how to separate the two parts to find the surprise inside.

"Try to do it instinctively."

Turning to look at the old man, he-Mr. Nameless-silently asked what he meant.

"Muscle memory. You know how to open it. Don't think. Don't question. Close your eyes, block us out...and open it."

Worth a shot.

So he stood there and he closed his eyes and imagined it. Imagined that he needed to open the case. Needed to open it for Harry, since that seemed to be what was most important to him for some reason. For Harry. Harry. Harry.

Hand moving on its own volition to slap against the side of the case, he found himself opening his mouth and words, lyrics coming out.

"If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up and punch them out
'Cause they're all wrong."

Click

Opening his eyes in reaction to the feel of the case coming apart, he changed his hold to hold it better as he set it down on the table, open now for him to look at.

Weapons. More tech stuff. Stuff he both did and didn't recognize in the built-in pouches on the 'lid' part...and two envelopes.

Picking up the envelopes he read the names printed on each in two different sets of handwriting.

"One is for you, Merlin. The other for someone named Kay."

Turning around to face them he held out the one with the name Merlin on it to the man in question. Hopefully it would have some answers for them. Starting with his bloody name.

)

The boy had an excellent singing voice, though Harry hadn't recognized the song. It would be interesting to know its significance to the boy though. The emotion in those few lines, the pain of loss...that had felt real in his gut. The boy had lost someone, someone important to him recently. Harry would bet quite a bit on it. But for now that wasn't what was most important. No, what they needed to focus on was the letter with Merlin's name on it. And the fact that there was another one for Kay, apparently.

Taking the letter Merlin angled it first in his father's direction, then in Harry's. Wanting them to see, as Merlin had, that the man's name had been written in Merlin's handwriting. Just like the other pieces of evidence apparently.

Opening the letter Merlin paused, attention caught, understandably, by the photograph that had been placed against the paper. More than one photo, actually, but for the moment the majority of their attention remained focused on the picture they were looking at.

A picture of Merlin, his wife, their two children...and someone who looked a great deal like the young man in front of them. In a very family looking pose with their unknown man's hand resting on Rachel's shoulder. A Rachel who mostly looked like Rachel...only a little older. Merlin looked the same. But their children...their children...looked a great deal older. Like in their twenties older.

"Dear God." Arthur whispered, fingers coming up to brush over the photograph's glossy surface. "He looks so much like me."

"Uhm...wot ya lookin at?"

Harry briefly looked up and over, meeting the boy's gaze. "Give us a minute."

"Okay." Was the unsure answer.

"What's the next picture of?" Harry murmured to Merlin. He sympathized...but they had to know more. Now more than ever.

Nodding shakily, Merlin flipped to the next image.

"Holy Fuck!" Merlin.

"Dear God." Arthur.

"Holy shite!" Harry.

In the picture an older version of Kingsman agent Gawain-their resident crotchety, grumpy, and ill-tempered arse-sat on a couch with his Kingsman glasses in hand, the image taken while he was in the process of polishing the glass. But the man's gaze wasn't on the task but at his side where their unknown man sat looking as he did in the other photo, the boy caught in mid laugh, his whole face bright with it and his hand on Gawain's shoulder. Gawain was smiling at the boy. Actually smiling. With what looked like real, human affection on his face.

In other words…the world as Kingsman knew it had officially come to an end. What the Hell was going on here? Gawain could smile in a not scary way. That was possible?

"Yeah...you lot are freaky me out a little. Wot ya lookin at and are ya even readin that letter? I'd like to know my own bloody name if it's all the same to you."

Arthur plucked the pictures from Merlin's hands, leaving him only the letter to read. So that's what Merlin did while they leaned in to try to read Merlin's famously crappy handwriting. Or started to. The first paragraph seemed to be about things personal to Merlin, which was why Merlin twisted to hide what was written.

Harry was guessing something very personal had been in that paragraph.

"Give me some space."

Respecting the order Harry took a couple steps back, Arthur doing the same.

Only then did Merlin straighten the page and go back to reading. And after a few moments speak again.

"Eggsy."

"Eggsy?" Harry repeated, a chill going down his spine.

"Wait, wot? Are ya tryin ta say that's my name? Who the fuck names their baby Eggsy? Wot's it short for? Egbert?"

Harry looked at Merlin, asking with his eyes to tell him this wasn't the only Eggsy he'd ever met in his life. That this could not possibly be THAT Eggsy.

"It's not your birth name." Merlin said slowly, his gaze staying on page. "It was a pet name your father gave you when you were a wee boy. You went through a phase where you wouldna eat anything but eggs, he said. And when you got older you kept it. Because of him, and because you hate your actual given name. Gary."

"Gary? That's as bad as Egbert. Mum must have been hopped up on painkillers ta think that was...so you lot do know me? Or my dad, maybe?"

"He can't possibly be-he's too old!" Eggsy, the only Eggsy Harry knew whose father had gifted his son with that nickname was five years old. Maybe six now-his brains were too scrambled to remember birthdates-but Harry knew that the boy was still just a child. A child. Not a grown man.

"I wrote this. The fingerprints, the photos the tech we don't recognize. Bollocks. How scrambled his memories are. How he can know us but we don't know him. Yet."

"Merlin..."

Merlin handed the letter over to his father, asking him to skip over the first paragraph.

Then he asked for the pictures back, taking them and then walking over to where 'Eggsy' stood with questioning eyes, obviously very confused by all this.

"Here."

Taking the pictures from Merlin the boy looked at the first one, brows scrunching up as he looked at it.

"Well...that explains one thing."

"What?" Harry demanded to know, needing something to focus on other than the insanity that Merlin was implying. The idea that this boy, man, could be Eggsy Unwin. Could be Lee Unwin's son who in this time and place was a child but stood before them as a man which could only mean-

"I saw my reflection earlier. It seemed wrong, somehow. In this picture my hair's darker and my eyes are green. This looks right. But in this pic-you said you didn't know me but this looks...lay it out for me. Wot the fuck am I to you lot?"

"The Ghost of Christmas yet to come." Arthur stated cryptically.

)

Eggsy stared at them trying to figure out what the heck that meant. Cause right now he was getting that his name was Eggsy-which was growing on him-he apparently took very family like photos with this bloke Merlin, and he wasn't a natural blond. Oh, and apparently he was a specter from a Charles Dicken's novel sent here to what, scare the piss out of these men so that they let the Christmas spirit into their hearts and saved Tiny Tim from dying? Seriously?

The way his night was going Kermit and the bloody rats would burst into the room singing that song from the 'Muppet Christmas Carol'. It was his favorite movie version.

Merlin took a very deep, obviously very intentional breath, then let it out. "It's not safe to discuss this more here. We need to leave and take you back with us. Where it's safe and we can confirm...if you are who we think you are, we have your father's DNA to compare yours to. To confirm."

Bidding his time-he wanted to panic and knew he couldn't-Eggsy ducked his head and flipped to the next picture he'd been given. He was in this one too, not blond and sitting beside-

"Grandpa. This is my grandpa, right?" Eggsy turned the picture so it was facing Merlin.

Merlin's eyes went huge behind his glasses. "Grand-no. No he's not-no we have Lee's DNA, he's not your granddad."

Why did everyone look freaked at the idea of the old guy smiling in the photo being his grandfather? What was the big deal? Though come to think of it they'd all freaked out when they'd looked at the second picture. That's when they'd started swearing and shite. But why? What was so important about this guy?

Staring at it, studying it, Eggsy noticed something. Something that had him leaning in close.

"He's wearin the same ring you all are. With the K." Eggsy wiggled his right hand for emphasis, then frowned. Stared at his right baby finger as he took in not just the tan lines that indicated he typically wore a ring there, but the fact that it really, REALLY bothered him not to have a ring there. It was important. It mattered. Big time.

"Eggsy. We need to go now and you need to come with us. We'll explain everything when and where it's safe to do so."

Looking at the old man-who looked a lot like a much older version of the young man in the pic with him and the rest of Merlin's family-Eggsy didn't know what to do. If he could trust. His gut said yes-but his head was screaming danger signals. Scared as fuck signals. Something was very, very wrong here and he didn't know what that something was. He didn't know what to do and he just knew that he had to remember, but how?

"Eggsy."

A feeling erupted in his chest, in Eggsy's heart at the sound of his name being spoken in that voice. A voice he knew. A voice that made him feel...so much. Too much. Every emotion there was.

But he was compelled to turn and look at Harry. The Harry he knew he needed to protect. To save.

Who was holding out a hand to him.

"You said you've come to protect me. Save me from something. You can't do that if you aren't where I am. Come. We'll figure this out. I give you my word."

)

Harry watched the boy stare at his offered hand and tried to figure out why the hell he'd offered it in the first place. Even if this young man was...was Lee's son...they'd only met the once and-and he really, really needed a stiff drink right now. A lot of stiff drinks, actually. This whole situation, the idea that this young man had somehow come from the future and-no. Just no. His brain was not ready to believe that. Right now the Doctor would have to appear in the Tardis for him to believe any of this. And even then...what the hell was going on here?

And then the other man stepped forward and took his hand, the grip tight. Eyes trusting. Asking him not to betray his trust.

In that moment Harry was back in that small flat, crouched down to better meet the gaze of a little boy in a knitted jumper playing with a snow globe. A little boy with no real idea what was going on; why his mother was crying and who this strange man was, giving him a medal. Telling him to take care of his mum. So solemn and serious. Green eyes sad not because the boy understood his father was dead but because his mother was sad. Hurting for her.

If the impossible was possible and this was Eggsy, Lee's Eggsy...then he needed to protect him. Take care of him until they figured this all out. He owed Lee that. Owed the boy that.

"I'll grab the case." Merlin stated, walking over to-

"No. I'll get it."

It was ridiculous. Beyond insane. But Harry's kneejerk reaction was to grab at the hand that slid out of his as Eggsy moved away and then spun around, hurrying over to the case.

And then stood there, staring at it.

"Eggsy?"

"It's...I need what's in here. It's important. My other stuff is important but I need..." Trailing off the boy started investigating the various pockets, looking for something. Possibly for more clues as to who he was, or, more likely, something he didn't want them to find. Because he couldn't be Eggsy. There was no way he could be Eggsy. The idea that he was Eggsy was insane and this was some very clever ruse cooked up by-someone.

Approaching Eggsy from behind with Merlin at his side Harry listened as the younger man muttered to himself, the majority of the words not understandable in the slightest. But then the boy reached into one of the pouches and withdrew...a pair of glasses. Simple black frames...that the boy very obviously did not need to see. Not to see from a distance, from what Harry had observed, and he hadn't squinted over the photographs and had had no problem reading Merlin's cramped handwriting on the front of the envelope.

The glasses Eggsy slid on and into place like it was the most natural thing in the world before going back to his search. Pulling things out and replacing them, studying some for a few heartbeats while others made him mumble some more.

"What are you looking for, Lad?"

"Something. I don't know what's going on and there has to be something-I'll know it when I see it. I-oh."

This time the boy pulled out what looked to Harry like an ordinary eyedrop bottle.

Slowly Eggsy's hands came up take off his glasses and set them on the table. Ordering them not to touch them. Then he unscrewed the cap. And then re-scewed it and put it back in its pouch.

Put his glasses back on and then closed the case, shutting it firmly.

Then case in hand Eggsy turned around and said they could go now.

And moved back over to Harry's side, and then walked beside him like he had before as they exited the room. Like he was there to protect Harry and act as his guard again.

For now Harry planned to let him while really, really hoping that the boy tried to kill him soon or did something equally rational and explainable.

Someone trying to kill him made sense. Someone time traveling from the future to save him...not so much.

Lord help him.