A/N: As always, a huge thank you to all those who have liked, followed or reviewed. You guys make my day! A small warning, this is the first chapter to play out in the modern time. That said, I'll hope you'll like it! please review to let me know your thought on this chapter!
Disclaimer: Despite my trying, I still don't own anything.
Chapter Four
'Cause though the truth may vary
this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore.
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Merlin smiled as he narrowly avoided being tackled to the ground by two young children who were chasing a ball. The boys were Simon and Gregory, and they lived down the street. Their parents were getting ready to head to the Farmers' Market a few blocks over, which they greatly enjoyed.
Merlin had decided that today was as good as any to head out to the market himself. He really needed to buy some food or he'd have to order take out. Since he hadn't grown up eating that kind of food, he preferred to cook his own.
As a man who was twenty-five, worked at the accident and emergency department in the local hospital and helped out in the children's ward once a week, that had surprised his friends when they'd discovered it.
At least they hadn't figured out he wasn't at all who he claimed to be. His name was strange enough as it was, they didn't need to know he was a thousand five hundred years old. They would probably think he was crazy and have him locked away before he could say a single word.
That didn't mean he didn't still dream about his old life, his true life as he called it in the confines of his own head. He remembered it all as if it was yesterday: the sounds, the smells, the people and the places. They were a permanent part of him, and he had had to struggle to come to terms with that.
Not that he had completely succeeded. The losses he'd suffered more than a thousand years before still hurt from time to time when the birthdays or anniversaries of the deaths of his friends arrived. Or when he met someone that reminded him of Lancelot, Gwaine, Gaius or one of the others.
He'd actually considered looking for a job that meant he wouldn't have to deal with people too much in an attempt to make life easier. But Merlin enjoyed human contact too much to do that. He needed to be surrounded by people, he needed them to understand his life really still had a purpose. He'd allowed himself to start doubting that about halfway in, and he couldn't go back there.
Simon and Gregory now ran towards him again. They waved and Gregory put the ball up to wordlessly ask Merlin whether he could throw it. Merlin nodded, catching the ball when it flew towards him at considerable speed.
"Having fun, boys?" he grinned as he threw the ball into Simon's arms. The children were usually pretty well-behaved, he'd seen that the few times he'd watched them so their parents could have some time to themselves. It had been as easy way to use a small amount of extra money to buy cd's while he was in college.
"Loads of fun!" the boys exclaimed as one, hopping up to him. They liked the calm, inventive young man, he often played with them even if he wasn't supposed to watch them. His house was open to every child or grownup on the street.
The boys had even held their last birthday party at Merlin's house, since his garden was a lot larger than theirs; they hadn't even had to beg. As soon as they'd asked, Merlin had agreed it was a wonderful idea. He'd entertained them with magic tricks and had fed them the most amazing pies.
Merlin liked having them around because they were at the age where he didn't have to lie to them yet. He could simply say he was a magician and they wouldn't question the truth. Neither would their parents when they explained which tricks he'd shown them. They assumed he was just doing what regular people did when they did tricks.
"Well, that's good to hear. I'm going to be out for a while, so you won't be able to hang around while your parents are gone today, I'm afraid. But I'll make up for it next week. How does that sound?" he asked, knowing the answer already.
"That sounds really good! Can you bake apple pie then? Please?" Simon asked, giving Merlin the puppy dos eyes the warlock could never say no to.
After agreeing that he'd bake them apple pie, Merlin watched them disappear into their house. There was no doubt in is mind that he would be seeing them tomorrow. He'd better make sure to buy apples and whatever else he didn't have in his cupboard to make the cake. On second thought, maybe it would be better to bake small cakes they could hold in their hands. And he'd have Jane and Robert join them for tea.
The walk to the market wasn't all that long, ten minutes at a moderate pace. When he arrived, he wondered why he didn't go there more often: the kind people at the stand, the delicious smells and the happy sounds were enough to make him feel like today was the most perfect day.
He'd really needed that pick-me-up, if he were honest. And being Merlin, the would-have-been Court Sorcerer of the legendary King Arthur's court, he always tried to be. He'd needed it because he'd been dreaming of Arthur a lot lately. The visions of their times spent together had come to him about once a week in previous years, but now they were there every night.
It worried Merlin a little. He was certain it meant Arthur was about to come back. But when or where was anyone's guess. And that was the most annoying thing Merlin had ever experienced. He wanted to know whether the memories were already awakening in Arthur, or whether his lover was only a newborn at this time, waiting to meet the world a second time.
As a warlock, he could have attempted to use his powers to discover Arthur's location. He could have asked for a vision or he could have used the spell Kilghara had given him as soon as that nagging feeling in his gut that Arthur was back had taken hold.
The reason he hadn't done that was that he'd been getting extremely restless when it came to Arthur recently. He'd begun to think that it had to be about time for him to return. Not because Albion's need was dire per se, but rather because his was. His best friend Henry had found his one true love a few months back, a wonderful girl named Amy. That had made his heart ache more than anything in the past one and a half thousand years.
For the first time since he'd left Camelot all those years ago, he had slept in the old tunic of Arthur's. He'd used his magic to keep it in perfect condition. He'd also taken to not wearing it every evening after a few years in an attempt to keep Arthur's scent in it as much as possible. It had taken some more magic to do it, but he'd succeeded relatively well considering.
By now, Merlin had reached the market. Immediately, he walked over to a vegetable stand. He bought some spinach, some leaks, carrots and cauliflower. He could prepare those and put them in the freezer until he needed them.
"Thank you. Here you go. Keep the change," he added quickly when the woman wanted to hand him a few coins. She positively beamed, making him smile in return. It was such an easy way to make the world a better place, making someone smile, yet no one did it anywhere near enough. In these modern times, people seemed to have forgotten the power of the smile just a little.
The next stand he spotted was one with all types of fruit. Merlin walked over, ordering apples, a few oranges and some pears. He liked to take a piece of fruit to work as a snack, and he absolutely loved freshly made orange juice.
He paid, humming to himself. If things continued like this, he would be able to start baking soon. And he'd probably make a few chocolate cakes as well to get rid of the last bars of chocolate he had left from the package he'd bought a week ago.
Even more happy now that he had what the most important items on his shopping list, he turned away from the stand. He had his arms full of stuff already, but he wasn't bothered by it. In comparison to the things he'd carried around in his time with Arthur, this was a breeze.
And those happy thoughts were what made that he was completely unprepared when he collided with someone. His bags went flying, and he dropped to the ground. His apples ended up rolling away, and his butt would most definitely be bruised. But he wasn't hurt too badly, which was all that mattered.
"I'm so sorry. I should have been looking where I was going. I'm not usually like this. Are you okay? You didn't break anything, did you?" a male voice that was very recognizable asked him, obviously worried.
When Merlin looked up, his eyes connected with the two pools of blue the love he felt for his blonde King was reflected in at all times. The blond hair the man turned out to have was exactly the same as Arthur's had been too.
It took him a few seconds to realise that he was in fact looking at Arthur. He forgot to breathe altogether then, his heart pounding in his chest. It was totally ridiculous that he'd been assuring himself Arthur would turn up soon and it had turned out to be today. He should have known that would be how it would come to pass. As he'd once said, magic worked in unpredictable ways.
"I'm fine. Really. The only things that's broken is my ego. But hey, that can be mended really quickly. I'm Merlin, by the way," Merlin finally managed to say, painting a smile on his face that he hoped was convincing.
It seemed he succeeded, because Arthur smiled back at him and extended a hand. He took it, but soon doubted his own sanity. The reason for that was that the sparks of electricity dancing across his skin when he touched Arthur again were just as strong as they'd been the first time around. It was an almost fruitless struggle to keep from gasping out loud at the sensation.
"I'm Arthur. Maybe I could help mend your ego by buying you a drink? I have a little time to kill as I wait for someone, and I haven't made a lot of friends yet. I only moved here two months ago. Maybe having a drink with you would be a good start?" Arthur said, looking at Merlin confidently.
It was the same confidence he'd carried around in his swordfights, on his hunting trips and when he'd asked his subjects to accept that Merlin was the love of his life and no one would ever be able to break them up. It was so typical of Arthur that Merlin would have recognised it even if Arthur hadn't looked at all like his former self.
Merlin wanted to spend some more time with Arthur. He needed to find out exactly how much Arthur had changed, whether he knew anything. Only then would he ready to determine how to proceed from here.
But there was one thing Merlin was certain of, and that was that he would have to win Arthur's heart again. Now that he had him here, he wouldn't settle for just being friends. He couldn't do that. And he didn't think there'd be any reason for having been put through so many changes and so much suffering if he couldn't have another chance with his beloved.
Of course he wasn't expecting to have Arthur remember everything. It might take some time. But if there was the smallest chance of them getting back together, then he didn't mind it taking a while. It hadn't been an easy road the first time either, and they'd made it in the end.
"I'd like that. I'm thirsty as it. There's a small pub around the corner where we could go. It's quiet, the drinks are good and the people there are usually very kind as well. A good place to meet more friends," Merlin suggested.
Arthur nodded, finale letting go of Merlin's hand. The sense of loss was immediate, and to make up for it he made sure to fall into step beside Arthur straight away. It didn't help quite as much as he'd hoped, but it was at least enough to take the sting out of it a little.
As they walked towards the pub, Merlin's head was spinning. He had no idea how to deal with this situation. He'd tried to prepare for it, had imagined a thousand ways in which Arthur might come into his life or might respond when they first met. But right now, none of the scenarios he'd painted out seemed fitting.
He shook his head almost imperceptibly. He'd just have to learn how to cope as he went along. If that meant being Arthur's friend before moving on to being more, that was what he would do. It had worked once, so it might work again.
"Might" being the operative word here, unfortunately. Merlin was well aware he had changed in some small ways, and Arthur was sure to have changed somewhat as well. This would be a very dangerous road to set foot on; he'd have to take things as slowly as possible to not risk ruining things before they even started.
Soon enough they were settled in the pub, the both of them holding a glass of water. Merlin had anticipated Arthur choosing wine or ale, but the blond man had shrugged and said he was having dinner with the person he was waiting for.
"What do you do for a living, if you don't mind my asking?" Merlin questioned, desperate not to let the silence linger on too long and discover all he could about this new version of Arthur.
"I work in a daycare a few block away. I've always liked children, so I love the job. They can be quite the handful, but usually I can manage just fine. It's a very rewarding job," Arthur said.
Merlin smiled. He remembered the soft, wistful look Arthur had always had over him when he saw children. His heart also didn't race a million miles an hour anymore, since he figured Arthur didn't have any just yet. Things would have gotten a lot more complicated if there'd been children involved.
"I feel the same way about my work in hospital. It isn't always all that easy, but it never fails to be rewarding. And I wouldn't have it any other way," Merlin grinned, knowing full well there were lights dancing in his eyes.
For a second it was as if Arthur's eyes bore into his soul when they connected to his own. But the moment passed so quickly Merlin couldn't be sure it had actually happened. Therefore, he decided to pretend it hadn't until he could be certain. He would deal with it either way.
"I thought about becoming a doctor once," Arthur admitted readily. "But I decided against it when I realized I would lose patients. I didn't think I'd deal with that very well. It's totally awesome that you're a doctor. Aren't you a little young for that, though? No offense," Arthur quickly added.
It was Merlin's turn to grin now. He'd heard that before. Fortunately, he had a story at the ready that he had managed to back up with some magically created papers. He had gone through the years of studying, but he'd done it more quickly than was normal. Gaius had been a good teacher, and he had picked up a lot of knowledge in different countries, where he'd carefully erased every detail of his existence.
"None taken. I graduated a few years earlier than is common. My uncle was a doctor, I picked up a lot from him before I even started medical school. And I turned out to be a little more intelligent than the average student, so I started medical school at sixteen already," he said, keeping his face as close to neutral as possible.
Arthur accepted the explanation without any fuss, which made Merlin breathe a sigh of relief on the inside. Things weren't as awkward as he'd expected, even if they weren't anywhere near as easy as he'd hope they'd be. But at this moment, he'd take anything he could get.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden beeping of Arthur's phone. The blond glanced at it, looking at Merlin apologetically. Merlin knew what was coming, and it made his heart ache. But as he had done so many times for this man in the past, he put on his brave face. The blond typed out a message before focusing on him again.
"I really have to go or I'll be late… Will you walk with me, though? it's just that you're great company," Arthur said, no sign of embarrassment over the words on his face. Not that Merlin had expected it, the man had always been too confident for his own good.
Merlin agreed to walk with him, and after paying the tab they found themselves outside again. As before, they fell into step straight away and continued the banter over anything under the sun. It was deceptively easy to talk to Arthur, the words pouring from his mouth without much thought.
"Ah, there she is. Doesn't she look stunning?" Arthur suddenly said, drowning out the last words of Merlin's sentence.
Merlin followed his eyes and his breath caught on his throat when he saw the woman Arthur was looking at. She was dressed in a beautiful red dress that contrasted gorgeously with her alabaster skin and dark brown hair. Her pumps were the same colour, and they had small flowers on them. There was a flower tucked in her hair as well, elegantly keeping the tresses out of her face.
When they came closer, Merlin saw that she had green eyes. And not just any kind of green, the mysterious green that Merlin knew Arthur loved so much. It was in fact the same shade of green as the tunic of Arthur's that Merlin had kept.
The last dash of hope that she was just a friend of Arthur's was crushed when he kissed her lips once before introducing her.
"Merlin, this is Isobel. Isobel, this is Merlin. We met when I literally ran into him a little while ago," Arthur told his girlfriend.
Merlin's heart sank through the ground as he realized this was the Guinevere situation all over again. And this time, there was no telling whether Arthur would choose him or this woman. After all, who said Arthur even liked men this time around?