Hello! Merry Christmas everyone! Well, after yesterday's finale I had to write SOMETHING to make it all better in my heart. So I did. :)

My gift to you. I hope you enjoy.

*Claire Jefferson*

Year after year, Merlin waited. He stayed in the same little town, walking past the same little lake, day after day. In hope that his King would return. But time kept passing.

Merlin never aged, in fact, he had to use spells to make it look like he did so that he could stay in the same town. He'd leave the town every couple decades and live a different life, magicing back into the town ever day just to make sure.

But it was painful, waiting for Arthur. He waited and waited. He lived many lives, took many different names, and learned a great deal of things. Merlin stopped making friends after awhile. It became too painful to do it all over again. Watch them die as he lived on. Each time was hard, never as hard as the first time, but hard.

It had hurt to watch Gwen, and Percival, Lion, Gaius, everyone really, die while he didn't age past twenty five. Merlin just stayed in a standstill, like a painting. He woke up every day, turning over as though he might get out of bed to go wake the King, but finding himself in a house in the twentieth century. And then he would remember Arthur was gone, and that he was no longer in Camelot. And then he would get up to play with the coffee making toy.

But what was centuries for Merlin, was only seconds for Arthur.

"Merlin?" he whispered the name of the last person he'd seen. He was in darkness. Was this death? But surely, death was cold, and Arthur felt warm. He blinked a few more times and thing slowly began to focus. "Merlin?" he repeated but got no reply.

With shaky limbs, Arthur stood. The world swirled around him. He was going to be sick. He grabbed his head, shutting his eyes tight shut. His legs wobbled, threatening to give way. When he felt a hand grab his arm. "Merlin?"

A pair of old eyes met his as he reopened his eyes very slowly. "Arthur," the old eyes began to melt away to reveal a pair of familiar, young ones. "Arthur, it's me."

"Well of course it's you," Arthur snapped fondly, "who else would it be?"

And then those eyes filled with tears as he clutched at his king. "It is you! I thought I'd never see you again. I waited so long."

Arthur smiled down at him. "Well I'm here now. How long was I out?"

"Out?" Very slowly and hesitantly, Merlin looked up at him. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Arthur demanded.

"Arthur, you died," she told him seriously and the eyes began to fill with tears again. "You died in my arms from Mordred's wound so very long ago."

That's when Arthur finally took in where they were. They were standing on the shore of the lake they'd been trying to reach. He was standing with his feet in the sand. But as he looked to the other way, things did not look as he remembered them.

"Merlin, where are we?"

Merlin frowned. "We're where you think you are, it's the when that is the problem."

"You've lost me."

Merlin took a step away from him and he noticed the strange clothing he was wearing. "Arthur, you've been dead for over a thousand years."

Arthur's jaw dropped down as he stared at the Warlock. "What? Come off it, I have not. You haven't aged a day."

Merlin looked so sad as he nodded. "Neither have you. Then again, you've been gone for awhile. Arthur, all our friends have been dead for a great many years. The castle, Camelot, it's all gone. We're all that is left."

"No," he muttered softly, "I only just…it couldn't have been that long."

Merlin looked down cast at the ground. "We'd better go. I have a house, not a big one mind you, but there is a room there made up for you. You know…in case you came back."

Arthur stared at Merlin with amazement. "You've been alone all this time?"

Merlin didn't reply, he just tugged Arthur forward to the road, where a little car was parked. "I felt my magic this morning, all strange. I knew it had to be you. I've been here since this morning."

Arthur stared at the odd contraption before him but Merlin opened the passenger seat for him. Arthur slowly sat down, looking around as Merlin shut the door. He watched Merlin climb in on the other side and then did as he did with the seat belt.

Merlin drove, thinking in silence for awhile. But Arthur's eyes never left Merlin. His heart ached a bit. For Gwen, for his knights, for his home, for his kingdom. But Merlin was here, like always, Merlin was waiting for him.

They pulled into the drive way and Merlin helped Arthur undo the seatbelt. They entered the home together and Arthur looked around.

"Up the stairs, first door on your right. You'll find some clothes in there for you. When you feel up to it, come back down and we can talk."

Arthur nodded slowly and ascended the stairs. His room was painted red and was very foreign. But laying across the bed was his sword. Something familiar. He pulled on the clothing in the closet that seemed quite odd but were similar to the things Merlin was wearing. He strapped his sword around his waist and clambered down the stairs.

"You could have taken more time," Merlin said, not looking up from his kitchen table where he was pouring two cups of hot drink.

"I think you've waited for me long enough," Arthur replied sadly.

Merlin's eyes snapped up and looked at Arthur with a smile. "Well you're here now. Is that your sword?" Merlin let out a bark of laughter. "You can't walk around like that anymore. People will think you're crazy."

Arthur looked down, puzzled.

"Don't worry," Merlin assured him, "I'll bring you to a shooting range first thing tomorrow. But for now…Welcome back Arthur."

Arthur smiled at the man and slowly sat down in a chair. "Thank you Merlin, it's good to be back."

Well, hope you enjoyed and that your holiday is merry and bright and such so...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. For my gift, I'd love some reviews :) Take care! ~CJ