Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I don’t suppose you could drive a bit faster?” Harry asks. The cab driver waves dismissively and doesn’t accelerate at all. The engine is already making an alarming rattling sound, so it’s probably for the best. The taxi pulls up at the dock, and Harry gets out just in time to enjoy the sight of the ferry cruising off into the distance.

His shoulders slump. He was so sure he was going to make it this year, but there had been too many last minute items for him to sign off on. He can’t believe the sheer amount of work to be done to manage an agency with only three agents, and that’s counting Harry. But his grandson is celebrating his very first birthday in a few days, and Harry is going to be there no matter what. If the world needs saving in the next week or two it’s just going to have to wait.

The only problem now is how he’s going to get there. If only mid-level banking executive Harry Bright could show up on Kalokairi in a borrowed yacht or a private helicopter.

“Ahoy there!” he hears from behind him. He turns, grinning, to see Bill waving from the deck of his sailboat, Sam standing beside him.

As soon as he’s aboard he pulls Bill in for a hug, and in that moment he’s so glad to see them both that he can’t let go right away.

“Hey, it’s okay, Harry.” Bill rubs his hand up and down Harry’s back.

Harry clears his throat and steps back just far enough to grab Sam in for a hug too. “I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s been such a long year.”

Bill still has a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “We’re just glad you made it.”

Sam pulls back and holds Harry at arms length. “You look pretty good for a dead man, Harry.” Harry touches his eyepatch self consciously. “No, I mean it.”

“What are you both doing here anyway? I thought you and Rosie arrived a week ago, Bill,” Harry says.

“Oh, we did. Sam and I made a special trip to pick you up.”

Harry huffs. “I might have made that ferry, you know. You’d both be feeling pretty silly right now.”

“I guess it’s a good thing that didn’t happen,” Bill says as they get underway. “You might want to take that fancy suit jacket off, I’m putting you in charge of the mainsail.”

“Aye, captain.” Harry tosses him a salute and gets to work.

Sophie leads the way up the stairs, chatting a mile a minute. “I put you in one of our updated guest suites, you’re going to love the view. Donnie should be waking up from his nap in a bit, I can’t wait for you to meet him.” She laughs. “Well, you know what I mean. The last time you saw him, all he did was eat and sleep. He’s so big now.” Her smile turns wobbly. “When I thought you wouldn’t be here to see him grow up…”

Harry wraps an arm around her shoulder. “I was very, very lucky. I’m sorry I couldn’t get word to you, or make it out for a visit any sooner. A hundred and one pictures of his chubby little face were not enough.”

They pass a room with an open door. Harry hears singing from within.

“I find it very, very easy to be true…”

He stumbles to a halt. He would recognize that voice anywhere. But it’s not possible.

Sophie stops and holds his elbow. “What’s wrong, Harry?”

“Nothing, dear.” He tries to smile at her and also to not panic. He hasn’t experienced hallucinations in weeks, and he’s never experienced auditory hallucinations. This cannot be a good sign. “I thought I heard something is all.”

“As sure as night is dark and day is light…”

“Oh, that’s just Merlin. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” Now all he can hear is a high-pitched ringing in his ears. He blindly follows her back towards the doorway. “Merlin! Come meet Harry!”

Harry braces himself but he’s still totally unprepared for the sight of Merlin stepping out of the room, wearing overalls with a tool belt fastened around his waist. Merlin, who Harry last saw stepping off a landmine so Harry and Eggsy could finish their mission. Merlin, who is holding his hand out to Harry with a friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bright,” he says. “I’ve heard so much about you.” There’s not a shred of recognition in his eyes.

Harry’s years of experience as a gentleman spy kick in. “You have me at a disadvantage, I’m afraid,” he says, shaking Merlin’s hand while he frantically wonders if he’s having a full blown psychotic episode.

“Didn’t I mention?” Sophie says, wide-eyed, one hand on Merlin’s shoulder and one hand on Harry’s. “Merlin is our new handyman. Bill recommended him, they met while Bill was researching his latest book. I almost don’t know what we’d do without him now.” She gives Merlin’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll let you get back to work but we’ll see you at dinner, right?”

Merlin gives them both a nod and retreats back into the room. Harry follows Sophie to his suite in a daze. He manages a few vaguely agreeable noises when she tells him to come find her once he’s finished settling in. He closes the door behind her and sits on the bed, staring at the wall.

It’s not possible.

He fumbles for his glasses and slips them on, blinking through the commands until he connects with Agent Whiskey.

Her face appears on the display. “Arthur! Is everything okay? I thought you were on vacation.”

“I—” He doesn’t even know what to say. “I saw—”

She sounds concerned. “Are you in danger?”

He shakes his head. “Whiskey, I just saw Merlin.”

There’s a long pause. “I didn’t realise you had appointed a new Merlin.”

“No, I saw Merlin,” he stresses. “My Merlin.”

“Your Merlin.”

He tries to clarify. “Hamish. He’s here, on the island.”

“Arthur, you know that’s not possible,” she says slowly. “How are you feeling right now? Are you experiencing any other symptoms?”

“No, I’m not, I don’t,” he trails off again. “I don’t think so? It’s not a hallucination. My daughter introduced us. She said he’s her handyman.”

“What did he have to say for himself?”

“He didn’t recognize me at all.”

She frowns. “You’re sure it’s him and not somebody who looks like him?”

As if Harry wouldn’t know every freckle on that beautiful head. He readjusts his glasses with shaking hands. “It’s him.”

Her image shifts offscreen. “Let me contact Galahad, see if he can fly out to meet you.”

“No, he and Lancelot are deep undercover right now.” Harry says. “I want to try to talk to Merlin alone. Sophie thinks I work in finance, and Merlin knew that. Maybe he’s trying to help me keep my cover.”

“If you’re sure.”

A few more slow breaths and the shaking is under control. “Please don’t mention this to anyone else yet.”

“I won’t, for now. Keep me informed, Arthur.”

Harry walks back down the hall and knocks lightly on the open door of the room Merlin is working in. Merlin looks over from the window frame he’s painting. “Sorry, is the singing bothering you? I can give it a rest.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Harry stares for a moment, drinking in all the details he missed at first. Merlin’s glasses are thick generic frames. He has a small wound at his temple that looks almost healed. He’s very tan. His smile is starting to get a bit strained around the edges.

“Sorry!” Harry says. “I wanted to ask if you had any shoe polish on you. My oxfords need polishing,” he adds significantly.

Now Merlin is the one staring. “Your...oxfords?”

Harry nods hopefully.

Merlin turns to put down his paint brush, almost knocking the can over. “I don’t—I don’t have any on me, but I can check with housekeeping—”

Now Harry feels like an ass.

“No, please don’t trouble yourself. I’ll let you get back to your work.” Harry backs out of the room as gracefully as he can. He lingers outside the room for another moment but forces himself to leave before it gets creepy.

It’s a struggle to not spend the entire dinner staring at Merlin, but Harry does his best. Every time he feels the urge, he takes a sip of ouzo instead. Possibly this wasn’t the smartest strategy.

It’s clear Merlin doesn’t remember him, but it’s not clear how much he does remember. Harry hopes to find out. Bill is lovingly describing what must be every mountain peak in both Thailand and Cambodia. All Harry asked was how Bill and Merlin met; apparently the story needs a lot of set up.

Tanya stands, interrupting to ask if anyone needs anything from the kitchen before she makes another trip. Harry’s gaze zeroes in with laser focus on her hand resting casually on Merlin’s shoulder. Tanya catches the look and Harry clears whatever expression may have been on his face, but not quickly enough. Tanya smiles slowly, glancing between Harry and Merlin once more before she leaves. Harry is afraid.

But when she returns with another bottle of wine, she only says “Bill, enough about the mountains. Harry wants to hear about how you found Merlin.”

Bill looks startled for a moment before picking up the thread once more. “Yes! So there I was, deep in the rain forest. I had planned on another two days of hiking to get me back to Kampong Som. Only I got a bit turned around coming down off the summit, the vegetation there is so thick you can barely see the sun. All I had was my satellite phone, and that wasn’t working! I was able to follow the faintest of trails to a village on the river. By now I’m overdue for my check in.”

Rosie cuts in. “I was back at home, ready to call in the cavalry. This was right after the terrible business with that lady drug dealer, you know. Bill and I don’t indulge often, but…”

“Right, I missed all that! So I make my way into the clearing, it couldn’t have been more than a few tiny houses on what was barely a river. Even if they can help me get my bearings, it’ll be days before I can let anyone know I’m still alive,” Bill says. “The first thing I see is a couple kids sitting by the river, fishing or something maybe. They jump up, and they’re so excited to see me, they start tugging on my sleeves. My Khmer is not great, so I have no idea what they’re saying, but I follow along anyway. They drag me over to one of the houses and inside I found the one man even more lost than I was.”

Merlin just shrugs. “I still don’t really know what happened.” He gestures to his temple. “I woke up one day feeling like I’d been hit by a lorry. Everybody in the village took turns caring for me while I was laid up, nursing me back to health. But by that time I could tell they were starting to think, okay, it’s been long enough, he’s eaten enough of our food, time for him to move on. But where was I going to move on to? I could move around pretty well by that point, but I didn’t have the slightest clue how I’d ended up where I was. And it seemed pretty obvious nobody was coming for me.”

Harry accepts a handkerchief from Sophie. “Somebody did come for you though,” he says. “Bill rescued you.”

“That’s right, Bill did rescue me,” says Merlin, as Sophie moves the bottle of ouzo further away from Harry. “Not that he had much of a choice. As soon as he showed up, my hosts were practically packing my luggage. Not that I had any luggage. They must have assumed he was here for me.”

“You rescued me too, don’t forget,” says Bill. “I said, you’re welcome to come with me, but I’m not sure where I’m going. I showed him my satellite phone that didn’t work. He looked at it, and said, hm, and poked a few buttons, and next thing I know, I’ve got a signal, GPS coordinates and everything. I said, how did you do that? And he said, I don’t know, I just did.”

Merlin laughs. “And then Bill said, what are you, some kind of magician?”

“And he said, just call me Merlin. So I did! The things this man knows! I didn’t let him leave my side until we got to Greece.”

Merlin shrugs. “I’m good with my hands, that’s all.”

“It’s a great story, Bill,” Harry says. “And Merlin.” He smiles at Merlin and Merlin smiles back. Tanya, Rosie and Sophie are conversing in furious whispers at the other end of the table. Harry ignores them. “If you don’t mind my asking, what brought you to that part of the world in the first place?”

Merlin brushes the corner of his mouth with his thumb briefly before he answers. “I was there on holiday. Got tired of the grey weather, felt like a change in scenery.” Harry recognises the tic from previous lies such as ‘St Petersburg is lovely this time of year, you’ll love it Galahad’ and ‘I just need another twenty minutes to finish up here, I’ll meet you at the pub.’

Harry doesn’t press him on the matter. That can wait until Harry can get him alone.

Harry doesn’t manage much sleep that night, but still waits until a suitable hour to see what he can find for breakfast. Sophie, Rosie, and Tanya are lying in wait for him on the patio.

“Good morning Harry!” Sophie says.

“Good morning, darling.” He kisses her on the forehead. “I hope there are still a few pastries left for me?”

“Don’t worry, I saved you a tray.” She smiles sunnily. “I’ve got coffee too, although I do have a favor to ask?”

“Anything,” Harry says. It’s a good thing he didn’t know about Sophie until she was already grown, she would have been spoiled rotten otherwise.

“Would you mind taking the tray over to the courtyard and sharing it with Merlin? He’s been working all morning and he forgets to take a coffee break sometimes if we don’t remind him.”

She looks innocent. Tanya and Rosie look anything but. Harry really shouldn’t be encouraging this. But he does want to see Merlin again. He takes the tray. “Consider it done.”

Merlin is on a ladder in the courtyard, fiddling with one of the speakers in a corner. He gives Harry a wave when he comes in. “Morning, Mr Bright.”

“Harry, please.” Harry holds up the tray. “Care to join me?”

Merlin makes his way down off the ladder. “I could use a break.”

Harry takes a seat at one of the smaller tables. “How are the repairs coming along? Will they be ready for the party tomorrow?”

“I think so. I’m not an expert but the system’s pretty straightforward.”

“Quite a range of skills you have. Is that the sort of work you did back home?” Harry asks.

“Something like that,” Merlin says, sipping at his coffee. Harry reins in his frustration. He really shouldn’t have expected anything different, trying to get information out of someone with years of experience in secrets and lies. Even if that someone can't remember those years.

He tries another tack. “I enjoyed the story you and Bill told last night,” he says. “I’m not much of a traveler myself.” Or at least, Harry Bright isn’t.

“No? Sophie mentioned you do some traveling for work.”

“Going from the airport to the hotel to the office and back again isn’t especially exciting. Nothing near like whatever adventure left you with that battle scar.”

Merlin doesn’t immediately respond to this. Harry waits patiently. “My memory around the accident is a bit spotty,” he finally admits. “I’m told that’s common with head injuries,” he adds when Harry still doesn’t say anything.

“That must be difficult,” says Harry.

Merlin shrugs. “Not really. Whatever happened, I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant. It’s probably better this way.”

“And then you decided to stay here, afterwards. There’s nobody waiting for you at home?”

The corner of his mouth lifts, and Merlin shakes his head. “I’m a single man.”

“But you said yourself you don’t remember. Isn’t it possible there’s somebody out there who loves you and is worried about you?”

The smile falls away, and Merlin turns his empty coffee cup around in his hands a few times. “I think, if anybody was out there who cared about me that much, I wouldn’t have been alone in that jungle when Bill came along.”

Harry feels that like a punch to the gut. “Merlin, no.” Merlin looks at him, wide eyed. Harry pulls his hand back from Merlin’s arm. “I just meant, I’ve only known you a day and I can already tell you’re someone I’d like to get to know better. After all, my daughter can’t say enough good things about you. And my co-fathers seem to like you.”

Merlin laughs at Harry now. “You know, when Sophie told me all three of her fathers were coming for the birthday party, I thought I must have missed out on some major scientific advances.”

Harry has missed his friend very much and wants to keep that smile on his face. “How much of the story have you heard? Did they tell you about Harry Headbanger?” Merlin shakes his head, looking delighted. “No? The year was 1979…”

As soon as he can get a spare minute in the afternoon he pings Whiskey again.

She responds almost immediately. “Arthur! I’ve been waiting to hear from you!”

“I know, I’m sorry. Trying to keep a secret from my daughter and the Dynamos would make for a good training exercise for any agent.”

“The who?” she asks. “No, never mind. What have you found out about Merlin?”

“He doesn’t remember me. The story they told involves Merlin waking up in Cambodia with minor injuries, being sheltered by locals until Bill came along. All I could get out of him is that his memory immediately prior to that is hazy.”

Whiskey is nodding slowly. “I have a theory. If only I could get some blood samples…”

“Well, supposing you can’t,” prods Harry.

“I think Merlin must have tried to use the alpha gel on himself. The nano-particles could have repaired a lot of the damage done.”

“But he barely has a scratch on his head. Why would he have amnesia?”

“There was probably a lot of internal damage from a blast that close.” She looks speculative. “We’ve never tested the alpha gel on multiple wounds of that severity. I can’t wait to get my hands on him.”

Harry frowns. “We’re a long way out from that. I don’t suppose you’ve developed any kinder, gentler ways of getting someone’s memories back yet?”

“The process should be a lot easier on Merlin than it was for you, since we know where to start. I made some inquiries for you. Tequila is helping MI6 with an operation near your location. They’ve got a leak again.” They roll their eyes at each other. “He should be finished within the next two or three days, I told him to contact you when he’s done.”

“You’re an agent now, can’t you come?” Harry will need help extracting Merlin without arousing his family’s suspicion but he would prefer to have as few people as possible involved for now.

Whiskey stares at him. “I’m on assignment. The tech bro who thinks I’m his girlfriend also thinks I’m making a video for my instagram right now.”

That would make things challenging. “I really appreciate all your help with this, Whiskey.”

“Good luck, Arthur.”

After signing off, Harry wanders back downstairs, at a bit of a loss. The ladies are decorating the courtyard for the party tomorrow, but Harry has been strictly forbidden from helping. Even though Bill and Sam were allowed to help. As if he can’t hang streamers with only one eye. Maybe he’ll go for a walk down by the water. As he’s pondering, Merlin appears from the rear of the hotel, with Donnie hanging from his arm.

“Hi Harry,” says Merlin. He swings Donnie up onto his shoulders.

“Hi!” echoes Donnie, waving. Harry’s heart melts.

“My job for the afternoon is to keep Donnie occupied while the ladies work. We’re going to take a walk down to the beach to look at the tide pools. Would you like to come with us?”

Harry’s ban from the decorating committee is starting to make more sense. He goes anyway, because of course he wants to look at the tide pools with them.

They make their way down to the water slowly. Donnie had been a little shy with Harry at first, as expected. He’s warmed up since then, helped along by the little stuffed dog Harry gave him at their first meeting. He’s also fascinated by the eyepatch, like most children.

Once they get to the tide pools, Donnie is more interested in doing lots of splashing than anything else, until Merlin points out the tiny minnows darting in and out of a rocky outcropping. Donnie watches them, riveted.

“This must be a far cry from the fast-paced world of international finance,” Merlin says, looking back up at Harry. He really cannot remember the last time he saw Merlin looking so relaxed, or smiling so much.

“I’m certainly in no hurry to get back to it,” Harry says.

The next morning, Harry takes a seat next to Rosie and Tanya on the patio and unfolds his newspaper. “Mind if I join you?”

“Go ahead,” says Tanya. They don’t appear to be doing anything other than enjoying the sunshine.

“Any plans for the morning?” he asks.

“We’re resting up for the parties later,” Rosie says. She takes a sip of something colourful.

“I think you ladies might have the right idea.”

“We usually do,” Tanya says, passing him a plate of something flaky that smells delicious. Rosie nudges her in the side and they both sit up a little straighter.

Harry looks to see what they’re looking at. It happens to be Merlin, walking up the path from the beach. He must have been out swimming, as he’s only wearing a pair of swimming trunks. His torso glistens in the sun. Merlin reaches the patio, crossing it towards the main part of the hotel. He nods at them. “Ladies.” His smile grows a bit wider. “Harry.”

Harry nods back and Merlin continues on. Harry’s gaze follows him as he goes.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” says Rosie.

Harry straightens back out and flips a page of his newspaper. “I appreciate your concern for my well being,” he says as he looks at them both, “but I can handle myself just fine.”

“I’m sure you can,” drawls Tanya. “The point is you shouldn’t have to. It’s obvious you enjoy each other’s company.”

“So we must be in love?”

“Who said anything about love? If he ever looked at me the way he looks at you?” Tanya fans herself. “You wouldn’t see us for the rest of the week.”

Harry doesn’t say anything for a moment. He certainly can’t explain that he’s loved Merlin for years, but was too cowardly to do anything about it. That the last thing he would ever do is try to take advantage of the situation now when Merlin doesn’t remember who he is. “Sometimes it’s more complicated than that.”

“Believe me, I understand how complicated it can get,” Rosie says. She pats his arm. “We just want to see you happy, that’s all. Sometimes when you get a chance for happiness, you should take it, even if it’s complicated.”

Harry can’t really argue with that.

Harry downs the rest of his fruity tropical drink and sets the glass aside. He can feel the beat of the music from his head to his toes. The afternoon party was for watching Donnie try to feed himself cake and tear apart wrapping paper. The evening has been set aside for a very different “Congratulations Mum and Dad for Surviving the First Year” party. But when Harry scans the crowd, he can’t find Sophie anywhere. He does spot Merlin approaching.

“Looking for Sophie?” shouts Merlin over the music.

“Have you seen her?” Harry shouts back.

Merlin points to a dark corner, where Sophie is tucked away, clutching a glass of champagne. Harry claps him on the shoulder in thanks.

It’s a little quieter in the corner where she’s hiding, but not much. “What’s wrong, dear?” he asks when he gets there.

She smiles at him. “Nothing, I’m just catching my breath.”

He doesn’t believe her. He’s about to hand her the fresh drink he picked up along the way when it clicks. She’s been nursing the one glass of champagne all evening. “No!” he shouts. He tries to tamp down his excitement. “Another baby?” Before she can say anything, he adds “I promise, I won’t tell anybody this time.” She laughs at him and it’s a little more believable now. He puts an arm around her. “It’s a good thing, isn’t it? A little brother or sister for Donnie?”

“No, I know, we just weren’t planning on it so soon.” She looks up at him. “I feel like we barely survived this first year. Now we’re going to do it all over again with another baby? I don’t know if I can. And I miss my mom.”

“I know you do.” He pulls her in for a proper hug. “I’m almost certain, the second baby is much easier than the first.” As if Harry would know. But one thing he does know without a doubt is that Sophie can handle anything. He just has to remind her of that. “You’re so good with Donnie. You’ll be just as great with this baby too. And don’t forget, we’ll never be able to replace your mother, but you still have three dads and two wine aunts and we will be here for you every step of the way.”

She squeezes him back. “I’m so glad I decided to invite you and Bill and Sam to my wedding.”

“Me too.” She still looks like she could use a little more cheering up. Harry steps back and does a little spin in time with the music, a little shimmying, maybe a small amount of flailing. “Now, I’m sorry you can’t drink as much as I have, but you can still dance!” He holds out his hand and she takes it, laughing again.

They’re swept up in a line of people, dancing and shouting and laughing and generally having a good time. Sky swoops in and twirls Sophie away and Harry keeps dancing, eventually ending up next to Merlin again. Merlin leans in and shouts something in Harry’s ear, but he can’t make it out. “What?” he shouts back.

Merlin shakes his head and leans in again. “Follow me!” Merlin turns away, beckoning over his shoulder. Harry follows. Merlin leads them up to the tiny balcony overlooking the courtyard on one side and the sea on the other. He sits down on the bench there, one arm spread out across the back. Harry sits next to him, taking a minute to catch his breath. The ocean breeze feels wonderful on his sweaty skin.

“What were you trying to say back there?” he asks Merlin.

“I was just saying you did a good job cheering Sophie up. What was she worried about?”

“I’m sworn to secrecy, I’m afraid,” says Harry. “But it’ll be good news in the end.”

Merlin holds his hands up playfully. “I won’t ask anymore questions.”

Harry grins at him. His blood is still singing from the exertion, heart beating in time with the music. The stars are bright, his family is healthy and happy. And his best friend in the entire world, who he thought he’d lost, is sitting right next to him.

Merlin grins back at him, then scoots a little closer on the bench. “Well, maybe one more question,” he says. Harry looks at him, waiting to hear it. Merlin hesitates a minute more, then leans in and kisses Harry.

Harry’s eye closes and for a moment he kisses back. Merlin’s hand comes up to cradle Harry’s head. Harry’s brain comes back online and he pulls back. “No!” he says.

Merlin sits back, eyes wide. He moves over to give Harry space, head hanging down. “Sorry,” he murmurs.

Internally, Harry is panicking. He’s imagined this moment roughly a million times, and he never imagined that he would turn Merlin away. “No, I didn’t mean—”

“No, it’s fine, I, uh, think I see Bill waving at me.” Merlin is down the stairs before Harry can say anything else.

Harry scrubs his face with his hands.

Someday they’ll probably have a good laugh about this, about how it took Merlin literally losing his mind to think kissing Harry was a good idea. But it doesn’t feel very funny right now.

Chapter Text

Harry wakes to a headache and an urgent beeping from his glasses. He slips them on and activates the connection. “Arthur speaking.”

“Arthur! Listen, I need your help with something,” says Tequila. Harry can hear something heavy landing on something fragile in the background. “They’ve got me cleaning up MI6’s mess over here. I’ve got the leak contained, but this asshole,” there’s a muffled grunt here, “already sent some guys out after one of their retired agents. I talked to X or Q or whoever the fuck and he can’t make contact with the agent. You’re the closest person we have.”

Harry has his suit on by the time Tequila finishes speaking. His brain catches up with what he’s hearing. “How can I be the closest agent? I’m a 45 minute ferry ride from the mainland.”

“The agent is on Kalokairi. I’m sending the coordinates now.” A map of the island pops up on his display. There’s a tiny bullseye hovering over Sam’s cottage.

“That’s impossible,” says Harry. “There must be some mistake.”

“Could be, but if I’m right, those assassins might already be on the island by now. Can you check it out or not?”

“I’ll see what I can find out.”

Harry jogs towards the front of the hotel. He can hear the whine of a speed boat engine in the distance. His fastest option is going to be one of the hotel’s vehicles. Unfortunately when he gets to the garage, Merlin is there, tinkering with the little van they use to transport guests. Harry gives him a wave. “Good morning. I’ll be borrowing the jeep for a bit. Won’t be long.” He grabs the keys without making eye contact.

“Where are you going? I’ll drive.”

“Not at all necessary! Just popping over to visit with Sam for a bit.” Harry hops in the jeep and starts the engine.

Merlin climbs into the passenger side of the jeep. “At 7 in the morning. Dressed in your suit.”

Harry squeezes the steering wheel in his hands. “Merlin, please get out of the car.”

Merlin sits back in the seat and props his arm across its back. “I don’t think I will.”

The faraway sound of the speed boat suddenly cuts off. It could be nothing. What kind of assassin drives a speedboat? Surely Tequila’s information is flawed. Why would an assassin gunning for MI6 agents be targeting a retired architect? But Harry’s instincts are telling him something is wrong. He floors the accelerator and the jeep lurches forward.

They careen around the winding roads towards Sam’s cottage, Merlin clinging to the side of the jeep with one hand braced on the dash. Maybe if he decides Harry is a madman he’ll stay in the jeep once they reach their destination.

At the cottage, Harry cuts the engine and spends a minute listening intently. There’s nothing but the faint roar of the ocean. Then, a crash from inside. Harry leaps from the car and makes one last attempt at keeping Merlin out of this. “I need you to stay in the car,” he says.

Harry approaches the house swiftly and silently. There’s a giant of a man lying on the floor of the kitchen, bleeding freely from a wound to the head. Sam is wrestling with another man over a gun. Harry hesitates for a moment, sizing up the scene. He grabs the heavy frying pan sitting on the stove, and uses it to knock Sam’s assailant unconscious.

Harry and Sam stare at each other for a moment.

“What the heck is going on?” asks Merlin from the doorway.

“You’re MI6?” asks Harry. He still can’t believe it.

“Who said anything about MI6?” Sam pushes himself to his feet slowly, gun in hand. “What are you doing here, Harry?”

Harry gives Sam a significant look. He steps over to the man he put down with a frying pan. “Give me a hand with this one, Sam.” Sam hesitates for a moment, then flips the safety and sets the gun on the table. He grabs the man’s feet, Harry lifts the shoulders and they carry the man outside. Merlin watches them go, wide-eyed.

As soon as they’re out of earshot, Harry starts up again. “You’re lucky I was here. Also, you really should be checking your messages more often.”

They toss the unconscious man in the back of the jeep. Sam wipes sweat and blood off his face. “I thought I was untraceable. I never would have stayed here if I thought I was putting Sophie or the baby in any danger.” He looks at Harry now, at the suit, at the glasses that have replaced the eyepatch. “You’re Kingsman, aren’t you. I had no idea.”

“Likewise. I’ve got a contact at an American agency, he’s the one who sent me. He claims the leak is contained.” Harry sighs. “We’ll have to work out a plan for these two loose ends.”

Sam doesn’t respond, he’s looking back at the cottage in alarm. Harry whirls around to see the big man back on his feet, walking towards them holding Merlin out in front of him like a shield, gun to Merlin’s head.

Harry takes a cautious step forward, holding his hands in the air. “Let’s not be foolish here.” The man doesn’t say anything, moving forwards toward the jeep. “You want your friend back? We’ll trade. Your friend for my friend.”

“This was supposed to be an easy job,” the man says. “In and out, put a bullet in an old man’s head and leave.”

“You can still leave, we won’t stop you.” Harry eases away from the jeep slowly. Sam does the same. The man drags Merlin over to the side of the jeep. At the last minute he shoves Merlin to the ground and jumps in the driver's seat. Tyres crunch in the gravel as the jeep races off.

Harry races over to Merlin while Sam runs back to the house.

Harry kneels by Merlin’s side. This wasn’t what he had planned, but perhaps the incident was traumatic enough to bring Merlin’s memories back? He puts a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Merlin brushes gravel off his slightly shaking hands and straightens his glasses. “The next time you tell me to stay in the car, I’m going to listen to you.”

Harry’s shoulders slump slightly. He stands and gives Merlin a hand up. “Let’s get you back in the house, I’ll fix you a cup of tea.”

Sam reappears with a gun and takes careful aim at the jeep. He fires once, then twice. The jeep swerves off the road into a ditch. And then bursts into flame.

“So let me see if I’ve got this straight.”

They’re gathered around the burnt out remains of the jeep. The two would-be killers have been airlifted to the nearest hospital. They might even survive the trip. Merlin is back at the hotel being fed more tea and biscuits and probably scotch by Tanya and Rosie. Sky and Bill have come out, apparently just to watch Sam and Harry get chewed out by Sophie.

“Not one, but two of my fathers have secretly been spies this whole time!”

“I’m retired now, actually,” says Sam. “Have been for years.”

“You can’t have been that retired if they sent assassins after you!”

Harry steps in here. “I’ve spoken with my contacts and been assured that the situation has been handled. I’m sorry that we’ve kept this from you, but we’ll take the appropriate steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“And really, this only proved how safe we all are here on the island,” says Sam.

Silence from Sophie.

“The new jeep we bought you is already being shipped out as we speak,” Harry adds.

“Okay,” she says finally. “This is just a lot to take in.” Sky puts his arm around her. “Is that everything? No more surprises?” She looks at Sam, who nods.

Harry hesitates. Now would be the time to mention that her handyman used to be a spymaster, in the interest of full disclosure. But the more he thinks about it, the more concerned he is that this incident didn’t trigger the return of Merlin’s memories. What if they never get Merlin’s memories back? What if Harry has to build a little cottage next to Sam’s and retire here to keep an eye on him?

“Harry?”

“There may be times I can’t always be completely forthcoming.” He looks her in the eye. “That’s the nature of the job. But I will promise to keep you informed as much as I can.”

Sophie sighs. “Fine.” She turns to Bill. “Bill?”

Bill puts an arm around her on her other side. “Sweden doesn’t even have a secret service,” he tells her.

Harry narrows his eye at this but lets it go for now.

The next morning, Harry is sitting next to Tanya and Rosie on the patio with his newspaper again, but the atmosphere is decidedly chillier. No plates of flaky pastries are coming his way today.

Harry is relieved when he finally spots Tequila and his 10-gallon hat ambling up the path. The ladies perk up a bit too. Tanya looks Tequila up and down, then hands her drink over to Rosie. “Hold my calls,” she says.

“You don’t get any calls!” Rosie yells after her, but Tanya is already out of her chair and approaching Tequila.

“Hello there, cowboy,” she says, holding her hand out to him. “My name is Tanya. You look a little lost. Maybe I can help?”

Tequila grins slowly and tips his hat with one hand, taking hers with the other. “Much obliged, ma’am.”

“I’m afraid I need to have a little chat with him first, Tanya,” Harry cuts in. The look he gets from her now is positively arctic.

“Rain check?” asks Tequila as Harry pulls him away.

Harry hustles Tequila over to the old goat house, where hopefully they won’t be overheard. “Were you able to tie up our loose ends?” he asks.

“Yeah, I got everything on the ground cleared up. What’s with the cloak and dagger? I thought you said your family figured out you’re not really a banker?”

“They know about me, but not about Merlin,” Harry says. “I’m worried about what will happen if we can’t get his memories back. I’d like you to help me extract him so we can attempt it in a safe, controlled environment.”

Tequila nods thoughtfully, glancing back behind Harry. “I don’t think we need to do all that, though.” He pulls out his gun, points it right at Harry, and raises his voice. “How about I just put a bullet through your other eye!”

Harry jerks backwards, but before he can protest there’s a crash from the window.

Tequila lowers the gun. “That oughta do it.” He shoos Harry towards the door. Harry races around the side to find Merlin on the ground next to a tipped over stepladder and toolbox. He’s clutching his head. Harry kneels cautiously. Hopefully.

“Merlin?”

“My head hurts,” he says. He lifts his head and looks at Harry. “Did you know you’re the number one cause of all of my headaches, Harry Hart?”

Harry rests his forehead on Merlin’s shoulder. “You can’t imagine how glad I am to hear that.”

Merlin sets his hand on the back of Harry’s neck for a moment and then gives him a gentle shake. “How long were you going to let me keep fixing squeaky doors on this island?”

Harry rolls his eye. “I’m sure it was very difficult, spending all this time on a sunny island in the Mediterranean. At least you weren’t stuck in a padded cell. In Kentucky!”

Merlin inclines his head. “I’ll give you that. I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t try to drown me.” He narrows his eyes at Tequila. “Or set my balls on fire.”

“Set your—” Harry must have missed that episode.

“Not my fault you got a habit of sticking your nose where it don’t belong. What were you doing over here by the window anyway?” asks Tequila.

Merlin looks down at his mostly empty toolbox. “The...shutter was loose, I was tightening it.”

Harry’s not the mechanical genius here, but the shutter looks fine to him.

Harry looks out across the dance floor. Tequila is walking Tanya through the steps of some complicated line dance with Sophie and Sky trying to match them. Merlin has picked the steps up suspiciously quickly and is showing Rosie how it’s done.

In a few days it will be time for them to leave and return to the real world. With Merlin back at his side, Harry feels ready to take on the enormous task of rebuilding Kingsman, in a way he wasn’t before.

His eye is drawn back to Merlin again. Nothing new in that, to be sure. He’s always, always wondered what it might be like. But Kingsman agents aren’t allowed to have relationships. Harry knew that going in, and he never questioned it. For a highly trained killing machine like Harry, a relationship could only be a liability.

But Harry has learned a lot since then.

He’s learned a lot from Eggsy, the finest protégé a man could ask for. Eggsy has a kinder heart than Harry ever had, and his love for his family and his friends and even his little dog has never stopped him from doing what needs to be done.

He’s learned that Sam gave up his 00 status to be with Donna and never looked back, and never regretted it.

He’s learned what a life without Merlin would look like, and it’s not one Harry wants to face.

But possibly the most important thing Harry’s learned is that Merlin, at least once, wanted to kiss him. And maybe with a little luck, he might want to kiss Harry again.

Bill steps over to Harry and hands him a drink.

“I recognize that look. You’re about to be spontaneous, aren’t you?”

Harry downs the drink and sets the glass aside. “Yes, I am.”

Merlin lets Bill cut in and sweep Rosie away. No one else is paying much attention so he takes the opportunity to step away from the floor. He loves Harry’s family and he’s going to miss them when he leaves, but they are very energetic. He steps up to the little balcony. He’s never gotten tired of the view from up here, but as soon as he sees the bench, he remembers why he’s been avoiding the spot.

It feels strange, to look back at his memories of when he didn’t remember.

He remembers everybody being so excited for him to meet Harry. He remembers wondering why no one had mentioned how handsome Harry was. He remembers feeling thrilled every time Harry seemed to single him out for attention. Worst of all, he remembers trying to make a move on Harry on this very bench, with these same terribly romantic stars hanging overhead.

He rubs his palm over his head. He’s lucky Harry hasn’t teased him about it at all since Merlin got his memories back. With a little more luck Merlin can avoid that conversation altogether. Maybe Harry will let it be and he won’t have to try to convince Harry it was a one time misstep, he got swept away by the moment, completely unrelated to the fact that he’s been in love with Harry for the past twenty years.

He still smiles when he sees Harry climbing the stairs towards him. With all the chaos, it hasn’t really been that long since he thought he had lost Harry forever. Harry smiles back at him and takes a seat next to Merlin. They sit in silence for a minute, until finally Harry says “Well, this is familiar.”

So much for luck. “Listen, Harry,” Merlin starts. Then he stops. Harry has taken Merlin’s hand in his.

“I’m listening,” says Harry. But Merlin has forgotten what he was going to say. Eventually Harry continues. “Now that you have your memory back. And I have my memory back. And there’s no more Kingsman. Well, there is Kingsman, but we get to decide what that means. So I thought, maybe—”

“Yes,” interrupts Merlin.

“Yes?”

Merlin kisses him and this time, Harry doesn’t stop him.