Within a Dream Part II

A knock comes on their door. “Excuse me for interrupting,” the receptionist then gives a polite bow, “ but your next appointment is here.”

Merlin nods and turns his attention back to his patient. He then rips a slip of paper from his notebook. “Here is a prescription for a light sleeping pill,” says Merlin, handing him the prescription. “Take one pill before going to sleep and don’t think about the dream. Just forget everything and see if it helps. Try that for a week and we can continue our session if you don’t see any improvement.”

“But—”

“Just give it a try Mr. Pendragon.”

He sighs. “Alright. I suppose a week wouldn’t hurt,” he quietly obliges and gets up. “Thank you for listening to me, doc and you can just call me Arthur by the way. Mr. Pendragon makes me sound like my dad.”

Merlin shakes his hand and walks with him over to the door. “It’s my pleasure. You have my number. Contact me any time. That’s what I’m here for.”

“And not because I’m paying you right?”

“Well there’s that too,” Merlin laughs then pats him on the back. Together they both walk out of the office. “Take care now.”

He then motions for his next appointment to follow. She stands up from her seat and quickly bustles along, accidentally colliding with Arthur along the way. “Sorry.”

“It’s—” he pauses, looking down at the petite figure in front of him, feeling déjà vu all over. It couldn’t be, he thought, as she walks by and he stands there, gawking like a dumbstruck idiot. Immediately, he shakes himself out of the daze. “Excuse me,” he says, catching up to her. “But…erm…”

She flashes him a blank look.

“Do I—” he says then realizes how impetuous he’s being, especially since it can’t be her because that girl doesn’t exist and is only a figment of his imagination. “Sorry, I just thought you were someone else.”

She watches him leave before entering Merlin’s office and settles on a nearby chair. She then pulls her hood down, revealing a pair of beautiful round, almond shaped green eyes with red, pair with heart shaped lips, pale complexion and high cheekbones. Her face scrunches up moodily as she wipes the moisture from her face. “Is it fair to say that I hate warm climate? Centuries and it only seems to get hotter.”

He on the other hand pays no attention as he undoes his tie. “Is is fair to assume that you heard what he’s said?”

The frustration in his tone only makes her roll her eyes. “Calm yourself, Merlin,” she grins, leaning back comfortably into the chair, “and yes, in case you’re wondering.”

“Tell me why, in God’s name, is he dreaming about you?”

“He’s your patient, not mine.”

“This is not a joke.”

“Did I say it was a joke?”

He licks his lips dryly, not amused by her reply. “We can’t afford another mistake, you know that. If anything, you should be the last person—”

“Is that jealousy in your tone?” She wrinkles her nose teasingly. “What? Are you mad because he remembers me and not you?”

“Of what? You? Please,” he merely chuckles, “plus, you really shouldn’t be too proud of that since he remembers his death and you as the cause of it.”

“Still sound like a lover scorned if you ask me.”

“Me? Scorned?” He then tosses his head back and allows a string of laughter to escape like he’s never heard of a more preposterous idea. “Like I’d ever.”

“Right… of course not.”

Ignoring the sarcasm that’s practically dripping from her mouth, he then changes the topic. “You got what I asked for?”

She tsks and tosses a folder his way. “Centuries have made you boring, Merlin. Can’t even take a joke anymore.”

“I blame it on immortality,” he comments, rummaging through the files, “and having you to spend it with, of course.”

“Of course… well, according to the police’s records, Arthur’s mishap was ruled as an accident.”

“But?”

“I had someone else re-examined the car and it seems that the breaks were tampered with.” She then sighs. “I swear, they can’t ever be creative. If it’s not kidnapping, it’s tampered breaks. However, I will them some credit. They have managed to tunnel funds from the Pendragons and using it to buy out smaller corporations before Uther could get his grubby hands on them. In their efforts to bring down the Pendragon, they’re actually gaining notoriety as one of the new faces to watch out for. As of now, Uther’s dying to find out who’s the mole.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time now, would it?” asks Merlin, earning a laugh from her. “I will say this, Mordred has definitely gotten better with each lifetime.”

“How are you so sure that it’s him?”

“Who else would it be? And don’t forget that we’re like this because of him, not to mention we also have no magic on our hands thanks to that little prat.”

“What’s the next step then?”

“We need to infiltrate the Pendragon’s corporation and look over their records. At the same time, we need to keep an eye on Arthur. Just because he didn’t die the first time, doesn’t mean he won’t the second time around and who knows what they’re planning. Thankfully, neither task will be very hard,” Merlin then grins, “Getting you in however was a bit of a pain, but I’ve managed to do it.”

Rolling her eyes, she says, “I know. I know, the great Merlin has once again saved the day. What am I doing now?”

“You’re their new bookkeeper. Obviously, it’s only a title because you’re doing a full background check on everyone. I want you to go over everything, know everyone like they’re your family, and get all the information you can,” Merlin says quietly. “Adding onto that, you’ll work closely with Arthur since he’s the only one that Uther trusts. They’ll be the only two in the company that knows of your real objective and I know that I don’t need to remind you of this but I hope that you know what your duties are.”

“How can I possibly forget when you always drum it into my ears every seconds of every day?”

He stares at her for a brief second then raises a hand up in surrender. “You’re right… how rude of me to doubt you’ll do otherwise,” his smile then curves up naughtily. “By the way, I had to tell my contact that we’re husband and wife to get you in. He needed to make sure that you can be trusted and what’s a better the way to assure him than to say that you’re my spouse?”

“You’re an ass.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

A corner of her mouth curves up, amused by his blatant admittance. “Well at least when they ask how I’ve fallen for you, I can just say you poisoned me at first sight. It’s not too far fetch, is it?”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

Laughing, she shakes her head. “Till death do us part, Merlin. Till death do us part.”

Before she leaves, he calls out to her with a final warning. “Remember Morgana, though living may forget the promises they make, the dead never does. Keep that in mind for his safety.”

“Of course and you might want to be careful Merlin or I might think that you’re turning soft,” she mutters, “and that you actually care more than you let on.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“As you should.”

- TBC

Within a Dream Part I