AN: I hope you have as much fun reading this as I have had writing it.

"Merlin," a voice purred from the doorway.

The voice was soft, affectionate. And familiar.

Merlin turned in his seat and his heart nearly stopped. It had been almost twenty years since he last saw her. He knew it couldn't be her; she looked exactly as he remembered her, as if she was able to defy the passage of time. She was even wearing the last thing he physically saw her in: an empire cut red dress with a pearly white pea coat.

Now that he acknowledged her presence, she walked over to where he was sitting, frozen in his seat. Bending over slightly, she gently lifted his glasses from his face and placed them on the desk facing away. "My, my," she said with a smile. "Even in middle age you are still a handsome gentleman."

She adjusted the navy blue tie.

Merlin swallowed a lump in his throat, remembering the feeling of those elegant, yet strong, fingers. Her nails were painted in the same shade of red as her dress. Then Merlin noticed that her lipstick was also the same color.

"I'm only here for a little while," she said, perching herself on the edge of Merlin's desk.

Merlin opened his mouth, trying to form words. He struggled with all his might to say something, to say anything to keep her here with him.

"A…" he finally managed to mumble out.

"You should have gone with me," she said somberly. She forced a small smile on her lips. "I wish you had gone with me." There was no anger or resentment in her voice; just a deep sadness that indicated acceptance of what had happened and couldn't be changed.

She leaned over to kiss him.

Their foreheads touched.

Their noses brushed.

But before she could kiss him, Merlin was jolted awake.

Breathing heavily, Merlin sat up straight and looked around his lab. Nothing was out of the ordinary. He noticed the two young Kingsman agents who were now in the lab with him. He brought his right hand to his face to rub his temples.

"Are you alright, Merlin?" Roxy asked.

"I'm fine," Merlin replied in his typical stoic tone of voice. "I'm fine," he repeated, as if saying it again would make the statement truer.

He stood up and adjusted his sweater. He plopped his glasses on his nose and snatched up his clipboard, tucking it under his left arm. "You're here to try out the new handguns. We've outfitted them with…" Merlin spoke to them with his business-as-usual tone, as if they hadn't caught him sleeping.

Roxy and Eggsy shared a look, but they were too well trained to know not to ask questions.

/

Eggsy came barreling into Merlin's quarters when he heard that Merlin was leaving for an unspecified period of time, but not for a mission. Before he even got through the door, Eggsy was asking all sorts of questions.

"I'm taking a trip," Merlin said without losing any focus on his packing.

"A trip?" Eggsy raised an eyebrow.

"Personal holiday," Merlin sternly replied.

"You?" Eggsy asked in total and utter surprise. "Taking a personal holiday? Are you taking a piss at me?"

Merlin stopped packing and crossed his arms over his chest. "I've been here for almost thirty years. I believe it is time I took a personal holiday."