Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This story doesn't begin right away. Only a few days after, right when Jim visited Strickler for the first time and he spotted the Amulet Of Daylight. His eyes became saucers at the sight of them.

And he wasn't the only one. A senior girl, one with short black, slightly curly hair and bluish-green eyes, not exactly big but not exactly skinny and fairly tall saw it too as he left the office. She was presenting as 18, so she could leave the school without many problems, but she knew it would be much faster to teleport. 

So, she found one of the empty broom closets and in a flash of pink, she was gone from the school and in her place of work and home. 

"Welcome to the GDT Arcane Books, lovelys," Came a voice from below. She was up on the second floor and she hoped that he wouldn't come up here with others. 

Thankfully, she knew where a certain glasses wearing cat liked to nap this time of day. Keeping her head down as he continued talking, she snuck to the window that had the best bit of sunshine in the afternoon. 

"Psst!" She whispered. "Psst! Archie. Archie. Arch!" She shook him gently. He didn't move or make a sound. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Wake up, you damn cat!" 

"Actually, he's a familiar, love," said the same voice that had just been downstairs a minute ago. The girl whipped around with a hand on her heart. 

"Douxie!" She exclaimed. 

"Angel, what are you doing here?" Douxie asked, worry a small feature on his face. 900 years old and still no better at hiding his emotions. 

"Isn't school going on right now? What would make you risk exposing yourself-" 

"I saw it!" Angel said, a bit too loudly. She seemed a bit out of breath like she had just sprinted instead of teleported. "The- the amulet. I saw it!" 

"Calm down, love," Douxie said, putting his hands on her shoulders. His hazel eyes bore into hers kindly. She took a breath. "Where did you see it?" 

"At school. This kid, Jim has it. It was sticking out of his bag, glowing bright blue." Douxie pulled back in surprise. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He put a palm to his head and hand on his hip and breathed out heavily. Trolls could take care of themselves easily and most were taught to be fighters from a young age and trained for centuries. Hell, the last trollhunter had a son at the battle with the first trollhunter. 

But a human? 

"A-and you're sure-" 

"Yes, I'm sure, Douxie. I've seen it on every trollhunter so far. At least, for the past few years I've known about this. And no, there is no way it was a phone either. I know the difference between new phone and ancient relic." 

"Ok, this is new," he said. Then he glanced down the stairs. "I-I need to get back to work and you need to get back to school. And I don't care that you're over 30 years old. You choose to go undercover there." He had a smirk as he said that last bit, like he just shut down her entire argued. 

"I know I saw a changeling there. I just, don't know who." An embarrassed blush coated her cheeks which made Douxie chuckle more. "Hey, how bout you try and find one without a Gaggletack!" 

"Alright, love. Just get back to school and keep an eye on him." Despite his playful tone, she could still see and hear the unease he tried to hide. She brushed some of his blue tipped strands out of his eyes, causing his guise to fall. 

"Hey, it'll be ok. The amulet chooses people for a reason, right?" He gave a small nod, his guard down, every bit of emotion showing at the lingering touch. His eyes were wide and puppy like. 

"Then don't worry. And until he's properly trained, we help keep an eye at him." Douxie seemed ok with the idea, gently moving her hand from his face. 

"Then you better get back to the school before you're missed. You are pretty ra- pretty nuclear." It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but settled on that. 

"Thanks," Angel blushed. "I'll see you for dinner." Backing away and focusing on exactly where she left from, she vanished in bright pink flash. Douxie smiled at the place she left from. He would have continued to stare at it were it not for Archie's voice cutting through the air. 

"If you're done being a hopeless romantic," the familiar yawned, "then you best get back to your cover job." 

"Oh, right," Douxie said, snapping out of his trance. "See ya Arch." Douxie ran down the stairs, but turned back for a moment and pointed an accusing finger at the familiar. "And I am not a hopeless romantic. Angel is just my roommate and my friend." This time, he went down stairs, greeting customers as he went. Archie groaned and sat up. 

"I swear, the older they get, the more hopless they are." 

. . .

Hours later, Angel had decided to follow Jim and Toby after school. Jim rode Toby to the dentist and then home. Nothing happened until the next day. 

Bular chased them around the town, almost killed the two. If she hadn't slowed the truck down or gave Toby just a little push through that alley or even slowed Bular down himself.... 

"Ahhhh!!!!" Came from below the bridge. Angel smirked and let the spell she was casting fall. She had bought them just enough time to get to Trollmarket and safety. Her job was done and Bular was none the wiser. 

"I know you're there, wizard." Her blood froze as she hid behind a nearby pillar. 

Or maybe he was. 

"There was no way that truck wouldn't have hit them." He continued, a strange tone in his voice. He was on the brink of laughing, but there was no humor in his voice. "And I would have caught the Trollhunter if you hadn't warded the rooftops or slowed me down just now."

Angel didn't move and she didn't dare teleport. That cause a flash and him to attack the bridge. If she focused, she could discretely turn invisible. Well, it wasn't invisible per say, but it would make sure no one knew she was there.

"You've been a thorn in our side for almost as long as Kanjigar was. I can't wait to tear your head from your body and rip out your heart!" He jumped on the bridge growling. Angel held her breath but was unfortunately unable to cover her mouth. The illusion would be broken if she moved. 

As he moved from pillar to pillar, her heartbeat picked up. Faster. Closer. Faster. Closer. Until she felt his breath on her face. It stunk like a thousand dead bodies. Whether they were human or animal, she wouldn't ever try to guess. 

"I can smell your fear, wizard," he said, his eyes glowing with amusement and joy. "It's smells delicious." Bright lights came rushing down the road, causing Bular to run. Angel didn't dare to let out her breath until she was sure he was gone. 

One whimper and couple tears left before she collected herself enough to teleport to an alley just a block away from the Cafe Douxie worked at. It was a nerve-wracking walk, one that had her jumping at every car honk, every cat's meow, every dog's bark. By the time she got to the hostess stand, she was visible frazzled. 

"Hey Angel," the hostess, Susan, greeted with a smile, barely looking at her as she grabbed a menu and silverware. "Just one in a booth in Douxie's- Hey, are you alright?" 

"Yeah," Angel said, looking over her shoulder. It was a slow night, not a lot of foot traffic. "And that's what I want." 

"Ok then. Follow me." Angel did as asked, following her to a back booth. Susan didn't take anything but water as her first drink order and said she'd send Douxie over as soon as he could. Angel thanked her, but asked for some Dr. Pepper too. 

She leaned her head back and tried to relax in the dark red booth with the soft lights above her, giving her a warm glow. Her heart had slowed, but not by much. 

"Angel, what's going on?" Douxie's voice helped. Opening the eyes that she didn't even know that she'd closed, she saw Douxie's hazel eyes look down on her with concern. In one hand he had a delicious fizzling soda with no ice. And the other was ice water. She reached for the soda first, but it was pulled away. "Nu uh uh, love. Water first. You look like death." 

"Yeah, I just avoided it," Angel said without thinking and took the water reluctantly. Before taking a drink, she facepalmed. Douxie sat down across from her. 

"What happened? I thought you were just following-" Douxie stopped as realized what happened. "Did- did he attack you?" 

"No," Angel said as she finally took a gulp from the water. It actually did feel nice going down her throat. "Not me, anyway. But Douxie, he was so close. I- I- I could smell his breath." She started gulping it down, if only to get to the sweet crisp coolness of the soda sooner.

"He was that close to you?" Douxie's eyes widened. It was easy to see that he was upset, and worry would be an understatement. "How did he know you were there?" At this, she looked down guiltily. "Angel, what did you do?" 

"He was about to kill Jim and his friend. I'm sure they didn't see me, but I had to use magic a good few times. And, of course, our wards tipped him off." Douxie started to put a hand to his head, but Angel grabbed it and held it over the table. 

"Bleeding Balroths," Douxie breathed. But both seemed to be calmed by the simple act of hand holding. "No wonder you came in looking like you did." 

"I couldn't go back to the store alone right away." 

"Ok. Then you stay here till I get off. You want your usual?" He asked, slowly getting back to a happy face. But it was tainted with worry. Still, Angel nodded as he got up and moved around to hug her. "My treat." 

"What? No!" Angel protested, pulling away only enough to look at him. He chuckled. 

"This isn't up for debate, darling." He got up and started to walk off, but not before berating her for reaching for the soda when her water was only half gone. She didn't listen. 

He put in her order, went to check on his other tables (it was a slow night, so he only had two), cashed one of them, cleaned a couple tables, then went to wait by the window where the food came out. The perfect place to keep an eye on Angel. 

She had her LED headphones one, likely listening to some Disney songs or anime themes to calm down. Her look was neutral as she scrolled through her phone. Likely looking at fanart, reading or preparing to write a fanfiction. Ever since they became a thing, she had become almost obsessed with them. Especially when she was upset. 

"Order up, Doux!" The cook, Randall, said, sounding fairly annoyed. He must have said it a couple times already. "Oggle at your girlfriend on your time." 

"Sorry, Ran," Douxie said as he grabbed the tray. "And she is not my girlfriend." Randall muttered something along the lines of 'whatever you say' and Susan, who was passing by just rolled her eyes. Douxie resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her. 

"Knock knock," Douxie said as he set the tray down and knocked on the table. Either she didn't notice or she just didn't care. Her soda was almost gone and water filled a little more than halfway full now that some ice had melted. "Hey, you need to eat, love," he chuckled as he gently removed her headphones. 

"What? Oh," she blushed. "Sorry." 

"No worries." Douxie was about to leave, but all Angel did was push the pasta around. He put a hand on her shoulder, put she didn't look up. "It'll be ok. I promise." 

"How close have you ever gotten to him?" Was her answer. Douxie didn't even get a chance to answer it before she spoke again. "It smelled horrible, his breath. Like it was a death omen." She just stared blankly at her food, pushing it around every now and then. 

Douxie didn't say anything, just putting her headphones back on. Music calmed her like it did him. She gave him a small and almost unnoticeable smile in thanks before he left.

. . .

The rest of the night passed by slowly. It might have been the best for Douxie since she was so close to him, clinging onto his arm. 

But she jumped at the slightest sound and her fingers dug into his flesh. She kept looking around wildly every now and then, not even letting him put her headphones on. He was carrying her uneaten meal. 

It made sense that she was so upset. She only started helping him in the past decade, during Kanjigar's reign as Trollhunter, one of the quietest ones a trollhunter could have. She had never really been in danger like that before. 

So again, the walk was bittersweet. 

"Angel, where were you?" Archie scolded when they walked into the store. He was walking nimbly down the stair railing as Angel finally let go of Douxie only so he could put up some wards. "You were supposed to be here hours ago to open the shop for the afternoon. The Trollhunter couldn't have taken that long.. to.... " 

Archie seemed to talk himself into the conclusion as his eyes widened and he took in her hunched form hugging herself. 

"She... she had an encounter with Bular," Douxie said as he finished up the wards and walked to her side. 

"Oh my." 

"Oh my, indeed," Angel muttered. "I can't stop repeating his threat in my head." 

"Threat? What threat?" Douxie asked and Angel nearly facepalmed. She wasn't going to tell him about it. 

"What did he say to you?" Archie asked, turning into a dragon just to quickly fly over and perch on Douxie's shoulders before turning back to a cat. Well now that just wasn't fair, the two ganging on her. But there was no way out of it now that her mouth had betrayed her already. 

"He-" She started, but had cut herself off because she heard it again, clear as day:

You've been a thorn in our side for almost as long as Kanjigar was. I can't wait to tear your head from your body and rip out your heart! 

"He- he said that he couldn't wait to... to tear my head from my body and rip out my heart. That I was a thorn in his side almost as long as Kanjigar was. Douxie, I-" 

Douxie only waited until Arch left his shoulder to cuddle Angel to put more wards up. She absently scratched behind his ear as she looked on with worry at Douxie. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but you would've just made us take off right then." 

"Yeah, and for good reason," Douxie said, his tone both worried and angry. Angel supposed he had a right to be. "Bular is aware of our presence and threatened you, and you should have told me." 

He turned back to her, hazel eyes shining with hurt and fear. His lip quivered with some unsaid word. He probably didn't know what to say or was having to many cross his mind. 

"I'm sorry, Douxie, I am. But- but he isn't aware our presence." 

"What?" Douxie asked, and his voice cracked a little. Any other time, Angel would have giggled a little. 

"He said wizard. Singular. He only thinks there's one of us." 

"What difference does that make?" Douxie scoffed. Archie gave him a look that told him to hush and listen. 

"It means that if he- or he- just- ugh! I hate words sometimes!" Angel complained, dragging a hand down her face. Then she took a deep breath and counted to a few numbers. "You know what I mean. If he comes, you'll have the element of surprise. He saw the color of my magic." 

"I don't care about some stupid surprise attack!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her a bit closer. She could feel his trembles. 

"Angel, it's worse if he just thinks it's you." 

"He didn't see me." 

"I don't care! You're in danger." 

"Not more than usual." The two stared each other down for a few minutes, with what emotion, no outsider could tell you. The two couldn't tell you themselves. Angel felt his fingers twitch before he sighed and went upstairs. "Douxie. Douxie!" 

"Eh, eh," Archie hushed her. "My familiar has a habit of getting emotional. He needs time alone when this happens." 

"I know," she sighed. "I just don't want him to worry about me." 

"He worries because he cares, Angel. And even more so when you don't tell him things like that. It-" Archie stopped and sighed. 

"You want him to tell me how he feels, huh?" Angel chuckled humorlessly, petting him again. Archie nodded. 

"However, even after 900 years, he's no better at talking about his feelings." This time her chuckle had humor in it. Archie glared, shutting it down. "Oh don't think you're off the hook, Missy. I only give you more leniency because you're young." Angel scoffed. 

"I'm 30 years old, Arch." The cat jumped nimbly off her shoulders to the ground and began walking up the stairs. 

"Exactly. Young." 

Chapter Text

The A-Team

Douxie shouldn't have walked off like that. He knew that. And above all else, she was right. He knew that. Of course he did. She had such a logical mind and yet, that was how she often saw the bright sides to things.

She saw the darkness too. Always. Angel found it unhelpful and illogical to not look at every possibility. It was a bit detrimental sometimes, but there were times when it made sense. 

Like now.

He groaned as he fell back on his bed. It wasn't just because of the near fight. No, working in customer service, even on slow days, did that to you. The fight just added to it. His aching feet, back, and mental state made him want to fall asleep right then.

But he at least needed to properly get ready for bed. As he kicked off his shoes, he heard her and Arch come upstairs and move to the living room. The TV turned on and Archie asked her what she was doing. She said she couldn't sleep and that she was going to watch some of her favorite crime show.

He should be out there, helping calm her down after everything. He even made it as far as the door. But he paused before he grabbed the handle. 

Did she even want to see him? His mind told him no, so he backed away and continued getting ready for bed.

. . .

"Ms Sweet?" Mr. Stickler said as everyone began getting ready to leave. Angel was out cold on her desk, little bit of drool on her arm. And part of her book. "Ms Sweet?" He gently shook her shoulder but all she did was swipe at his hand and mutter.

"Arch.... off my shoulders... Archie..." the bell rang and she shot up, breathing heavily with the jolt. Mr. Strickler backed up just a little, eyes a little wide but full of concern.

"Easy. You're just at school." Fairly quickly, she seemed to realize that. Angel sighed and started packing her stuff up, grimacing at the drool on both her arm and book. "Why are you so tired today?"

"Um.." she yawned. "A- I didn't sleep well last night."

"I can see that," he chuckled but quickly let it fall. "The question is why?"

"I- I watched a scary movie, last night," her words were breathy, like she was still waking up. "I couldn't.. I couldn't get to sleep after that. I was too scared." Mr. Strickler hummed his answer, but it was obvious he didn't believe her. Not in full.

"Right. Well, I suggest not watching anymore horror films on school nights if they cause you this much distress."

"Right. Thanks, Mr. Strickler." She got up and left the classroom with only a quick smile in his direction.

The rest of the teachers were not so lenient about her sleeping. Mr. Uhl especially didn't like it. Said he'd already dealt with Jim's weird video call that day.

Angel had to force herself to stay awake while working the counter at the bookstore. Reading just made her sleepier and she couldn't listen to anything other than soft instrumentals. Wearing headphones wouldn't work either as she had to pay attention to the customers.

By the end of the night, she was more exhausted than usual. She didn't even feel up for patrol tonight. A shame. Douxie always looked forward to it and so did she.

But after last night, maybe she shouldn't go out for awhile. Bular was still very much out there and though she tried to hide it, she was sure he saw the color of her magic. So she was probably staying in for the next few weeks.

After putting up some of the wards she knew, one of the first things that she had asked to learn, and trudged upstairs. She was going to just head straight to her room, wake up a little earlier to do homework, but a soft melody came from Douxie's room. She stopped just before his door.

"He's been in there for hours," Archie whispered. It still made Angel jump. "Playing the same song over and over."

"Oh fuzzbuckets," Douxie muttered. Apparently he had gotten a note wrong. She didn't notice anything wrong with it.

"I didn't know that he came home," Angel whispered. She didn't want to disturb the quiet melody Douxie was playing. It was one of her favorite songs. The melody was calming, but she'd only recently understood the lyrics. Not all of the lyrics matched her life, but it was still a great song. 

"He came through the back," Archie said. "You should talk to him." She didn't need to be told that.

"Douxie?" She knocked lightly. The melody was soft enough that he heard her and said she could come in. He didn't look up when she entered, just focusing on his guitar. He wasn't playing anymore. "The A Team, by Ed Sheeran." Still not looking at her he nodded. She sat next to him and looked at her shoes. 

"It's one of my favorites. But you knew that." Douxie chuckled and glanced at her. "Mind playing it again?" He hesitated for a moment, but sighed and complied.

As the melody began again, Douxie's fingers dancing over the strings, Angel let him play it in silence for moment, till it got to a place she knew the song lyrics started.

"White lips, pale face

Breathing in the snowflakes

Burnt lungs, sour taste

Light's gone, days end

Struggling to pay rent

Long nights, strange men." 

Angel was swaying gently back and forth as she sang, not looking at anything in particular. She was focusing on the music and lyrics in full.

"And they say

She's in the Class A Team

Stuck in her daydream

Been this way since 18."

"But lately, her face seems

Slowly sinking, wasting," Douxie took over the next lyrics, finally able to share his voice and in turn, his feelings. "Crumbling like pastries

And they scream-"

"The worst things in life come free to us," she continued, a small solemn smile pulling on her features. "'Cause we're just under the upper hand 

And go mad for a couple grams."

"And she don't wanna go outside tonight." Douxie looked at her with a softness that would rival a silk feather pillow on a bed of clouds.

"And in a pipe she flies to the motherland

Or sells love to another man." 

"It's too cold outside

For angels to fly

Angels to fly."

As the interlude played, Douxie let his eyes train on Angel. She was starting to relax, leaning back on her hands. When it came time to sing again she didn't notice, so he kept it going.

"Ripped gloves, raincoat

Tried to swim, stay afloat

Dry house, wet clothes

Loose change, bank notes

Weary-eyed, dry throat

Call girl, no phone." 

"And they say

he's in the Class A Team," Angel sang. Douxie gasped, only able to continue playing because of centuries of practice. So she was openly singing about him now. Unless she was singing about someone else. Hopefully the former. "Stuck in his daydream

Been this way since 18." She elbowed him, even though she didn't know him when he was 18. So him. He chuckled.

That was fair. He was singing about her.

"But lately, her face seems

Slowly sinking, wasting

Crumbling like pastries

And they scream-"

"The worst things in life come free to us,

'Cause we're just under the upper hand;

and go mad for a couple grams."

"But she don't wanna go outside tonight

And in a pipe she flies to the motherland

Sells love to another man

It's too cold outside

For angels to fly,

"An angel will die," Douxie sang, voice faltering ever so slightly. Angel noticed and studied him as he sang. He features didn't mask any of his worry. "Covered in white

Closed eyes and hopin' for a better life

This time, we'll fade out tonight

Straight down the line," 

"And they say

he's in the Class A Team

Stuck in his daydream

Been this way since 18,"

"But lately, her face seems

Slowly sinking, wasting

Crumbling like pastries

They scream-"

"The worst things in life come free to us. And we're all under the upper hand

And go mad for a couple grams."

Unsure of who was going to sing next, they ended up harmonizing the last verse.

"And we don't wanna go outside tonight

And in the pipe, fly to the motherland

Or sell love to another man

It's too cold outside

For angels to fly

Angels to fly

For angels to fly, 

"An angel to die," Douxie sang before she had a chance to, brushing her hair out of her face. She lifted her head to meet his eyes. They were filled with concern, hurt, worry. Angel nodded.

It said enough for now. Not everything, for she had a good few secrets left. He did too.

But it was enough for now.

. . .

Bacon. That was the first smell Archie woke up to the next morning. That and-

"Road salmon?" He asked, stretching over the back of couch. Angel was thankfully in her own room this time. Singing with Douxie and talking through the night helped them both. "What's the occasion?"

"Morning Arch," he greeted jovialy as he flipping some bacon over. "And no reason in particular. I convinced Angel to stay home today because of the, well, circumstances."

"That still doesn't explain why you're cooking when you usually avoid the kitchen like the plague." Arch began licking himself as Douxie proved his point by dropping at least three bacon slices on the floor.

"Owch!" He exclaimed when he bent down to pick them up, forgetting that they had just come off the pan.

"You do know that they are hot when they come off the pan?"

"Yes, Arch, thank you." By his tone alone, his eyes would have rolled out of their sockets. He then reached into the nearby drawer to grab a fork to pick the bacon and throw them away. 

"Ugh, I still don't like this," Angel yawned as she came out of her room. Douxie immediately tried to get up but hit his head on the counter. Archie sniggered as he got up, rubbing what surely would be a bump on his later. "Why do I have to stay home again?"

"Because you're so jumpy that people will notice something is off," Archie explained as he jumped to the counter searching for the salmon he smelled. Douxie glared at him as he moved across the table.

"It's actually because you, well, y-you," Douxie started off strong but began to falter as he came to the part about the other night, he faltered. "Well, uh, anyway. I made breakfast."

"Hmm," she hummed, looking over his shoulder. "Is that what's burning?" He sniffed the air, grimaced, and turned around to see the bacon in the pan nearly on fire.

"Fuzzbuckets!" He quickly pulled it off the stove and putting it in the sink. He turned on the water to cool it down, backing away in case it still caught on fire. "Um, how do you feel about waffles?"

"I feel like 900 years should make you a better cook," Angel laughed as she got the milk from the fridge and a cup from the cupboard to pour herself a glass.

"You'd think, wouldn't you?" Archie replied dryly.

"Give me a break, Arch," Douxie complained as he maneuvered around Angel to get to the waffles in the freezer. He didn't think about how close they were, or at least tried not to. "I just don't like cooking all that much. And I never really had to in Camelot."

"So, what's the plan for today?" Angel asked as she put the milk jug. Then, when the freezer door shut she quickly shut the fridge door and popped up in front of him. He froze when she smiled at him with a goofy expression. She was so close, all he'd have to do was lean.

Archie cleared his throat and Douxie realized she had been waiting for an answer and all he'd done was stare. He backed away, hiding his blush as he made the waffles.

"I was thinking maybe some magic lessons," Angel continued after a moment. He sighed in relief and smiled at her. "I think that lasso thing you do could prove useful." 

"It has helped me a good few times. That's a good choice."

She seemed to want to say something, but every time she tried her jaw locked up. Angel often did that which was why she used nonverbal communication more often than not. So when she only nodded, he understood.

. . . 

"Alright, just focus," Douxie instructed. "Visualize the magic as a rope."

"I've been doing that," Angel countered. They were in the woods a couple miles from town lest the magic shine bright enough for others to see and expose them. 

"Well, uh, try- try... Bleeding Balroths.." He drug a hand over his face as he looked at her hands. She had tried again after he spoke, still only managing to create a small and thread. "I warned you I was no good at teaching."

"No, you're doing fine, Douxie. I'm just not the best student."

"That is not true." Angel scoffed. "The only magic I've ever been good at have either only helped me hide or run away." She was looking at the ground, like she wasn't exactly there at that moment. 

Douxie knew the basics of what happened to her. Her mother and step-father fought all the time, she practically raised her three sisters while that happened. One night it got so bad that she'd called the police, effectively saving her sisters lives. 

Then she went to live with her father and step-mother as her sisters went into foster care. Eventually, they got adopted into a great and progressive family. The same was not said for Angel. Gaslighting and mental abuse constantly.

Her life had been filled with so much fear. Douxie had been lucky to get Merlin to help him when he was younger. 

"If I may?" Archie asked from his place in the small circle of trees. Douxie jumped having forgot that he was there, but quickly nodded to cover it up. "Each wizard is born with innate abilities, for example, Douxie had wards and shields down as soon as he first began using them."

"What?" Douxie's eyes widened. "I wasn't good at any magic before Merlin came along."

"That's only because you never tried or knew about that magic before meeting him. You only bothered with palor tricks."

"You helped."

"Only because you're my familiar and I would follow you to the ends of the earth." No matter how many times Archie said that, it still was a surprise to him. Douxie didn't know how to handle it.

"So, what you're saying is that I was born with my abilities?" Angel asked surprising both of the boys. She rolled her eyes and continued. "I know I accidentally teleported to the roof of my school when I was fifteen. That was fun day," she scoffed, like it wasn't at all.

"What age did you discover you had magical abilities?" Archie asked. Angel began to look sheepish.

"That roof incident was the first time I discovered magic." 

"Really? So late."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, accidental spells are common signs," Douxie said, scratching the back of his neck. "Most wizards start showing them at the age of 6 or 7."

"Well, it wouldn't be because of my home life. The bad things didn't start until around fourth grade for me." 

"That's actually when late bloomers start," Archie pointed out. "And that was when the 'bad things' started for you, yes?"

"In full, yeah." Archie scrunched up his face in suspicion, obviously not believing her. But he shook his head and gave it up for the sake of the lesson.

"A mystery for another day, then. What I'm trying to get at is that you can use what you feel when using those spells to accomplish the new ones." 

"Oh, I get it now!" Douxie exclaimed. "Thank you, Arch." The familiar nodded as he turned to Angel. "Tell me, what do you feel when you teleport? What emotion drives it?"

Angel had to think about it a good moment. Thoughts of her encounter with Bular cane to mind. His breath, his bloodthirsty eyes, his dry and insane laughter..

You've been a thorn in our side for almost as long as Kanjigar was. I can't wait to tear your head from your body and rip out your heart!

"Fear, I guess," she answered, resisting the urge to hug herself. She felt pale just thinking about it so it was no wonder Douxie tried to comfort her. "I'm fine. So, I just focus on the fear and then what you said earlier."

"Uh, yeah. Do that and try to grab Arch with it."

"I still don't know how I let you talk me into this, by the way," Archie groaned. Douxie smiled but kept his eyes on Angel as she closed her eyes to focus on it all.

The fear she felt with Bular was easy to control, honing it into a long rope that flowed gently through her fingers. It felt like silk and lighter than a feather, but she somehow knew it was stronger than steel.

"Good," Douxie's gentle voice came through. "If you open your eyes, do you think it'll dissappear?" She nodded. The only way she could focus in full was if her eyes were closed. "Ok, let me know when you think you can, when you can hold it without thinking about it much." She nodded again.

Bular's face was an easy one to focus on, his eyes boring into her soul in her memory. But the longer she lingered on it, the more it didn't look like Bular or the bridge. The scene morphed into a derelict house with dim yellow lights and the stink of unwashed bodies. She saw a few roaches crawling on the wall behind her... her...

"You gonna cry? Hmm? Hmm?"

"Angel, open your eyes!" Douxie's voice cut through the one from her past, but she couldn't do anything about it. Her mind locked itself in place, stuck in that fear.

Hadn't she gotten over this already?

Soft hands gripped her shoulders firmly, making her aware of her ragged breathing. 

"Take deep breaths," Archie's voice was calming too. And sounded closer, so he was likely on Douxie's shoulders again. 

"Angel listen to us, we're right here." Douxie began rubbing circles on her shoulders to calm her. It was working a little bit, but it felt new so it wasn't working as well as it could have. "Whatever you're seeing, it's not real. Bular isn't here. He won't get you, I won't let him." 

Angel shook her head, trying to convey that it wasn't Bular she was thinking of. She tried her best to speak but nothing came out. She tasted something salty. It was likely some of her tears entered her mouth. When had she started crying?

"Douxie, look! The rope." The bit of magic, the lasso did feel heavier now, more powerful. And based on Douxie's reaction to touching it, it was true.

"Bleeding Balroths... I've never seen that spell do that." He sounded fascinated, like he was about to ask her a million questions. Normally she would have laughed or at least giggled.

"Focus, Douxie."

"Right." Angel felt his hand on her face, wiping away tears. The action made her open her eyes but it also made her flinch. She backed up eyes wide with fear. "Sorry, sorry." 

Looking down, Angel saw that the magic pink rope she had created was buzzing with electricity. Lightning. And it had hurt him.

"Oh, Douxie.." she whispered looking from the rope to Douxie. "I'm so- I'm so sorry. I-I-I didn't-"

"Sh sh shh, it's alright," Douxie assured him.

"I thought I was over this; I really thought I was over this."

"It's alright, Angel. I promise, I'm not upset. Neither of us are. Look into my eyes." They were still locked on the weapon in her hands. "Angel, please."

Slowly she tore her eyes away from the thing in her hands and looked into his hazel eyes. They were filled with concern and worry, but they calmed her still. Silently he led her through a breathing exercise, demonstrating for her to follow. 

The rope disappeared. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, looking away from the two. Douxie tentatively took a few steps closer and Angel closed the distance, wrapping her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. It caught him off guard, but he still hugged her back.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. Douxie shushed her and ran his fingers over her head.

Chapter Text

"Hey," Claire greeted as they entered the auditorium, which was just the gym with a stage and chairs set up like an auditorium. It had been a few days since her breakdown in the forest with Douxie (now Monday afternoon) and she was still a little jumpy.

"Dah!" She yelled as she jumped away then sighed in relief when she saw who I was. "Oh. Clarie. It's just you." 

"Yeah, it's just me. What's got you all jumpy?" Claire was both suspicious and joking at the same time, crossing her arms and staring at her. Thankfully, Angel was spared having to answer. Unfortunately, it was because of Steve.

"Ladies," he whistled when he spoke. Apparently, Angel's mental health day caused her to miss Jim punching Steve. She was both glad and upset that she had missed it. Moreso upset as Steve put his arms around the both of them. "What do you think about the Palchuk joining your play about Roby and July?"

"I think that if you don't let me go in the next 20 seconds, you won't be able to breathe for the next 30," Angel threatened. She may look 18, but she had been around for over 30. She wasn't taking anything from anyone, especially not this high school jerk. 

"And it's not Roby and July," Claire said as she pushed away. Angel followed suit. "It's Romeo and Juliet." 

"Like it matters," he scoffed, pushing past them. Moving on to other game. 

"Is it bad that I'm wishing Jim had done more to Steve?" Angel muttered as she reluctantly followed him. Claire muttered that she was wondering the same thing. But to not tell Jim that.

Jim didn't show up until it was almost over, bursting in just as Steve came out on his cue. Angel winced from her spot behind the curtains as he tried his best to undo the disturbance. He'd done this so often that he now only got a few glances his way before they went back to business as usual. 

"Of all the people to be my understudy, why does it have to be him?" Jim asked to no one in particular.

"Claire did say that we were having a hard time getting guys to audition," she answered. He started but didn't jump in full. Guess he had a better reaction to Bular than her.

"But still, him?" Angel chuckled as she began closing the curtain.

"Trust me, I'm with you. I'd give anything to have seen you punch him and knock him down a peg."

"I'm actually starting to regret that," he chuckled humorlessly. Angel didn't have to ask because Steve came by and pointedly made a 'tick tock' sound and motion with his fingers. Angel just rolled her eyes as she hid a smile.

If only he knew what kind of training Jim was getting.

. . .

Douxie like the bookstore ten times more than working at Benoit's French Bistro. The people who worked there were nice, if not constantly teasing him, he got to take food home at the end of the night sometimes, and a good amount of his regulars were nice to him.

But the ones who were overly picky and self assured grated on his nerves. They either left without paying, refused to leave without a refund, or worst case scenario, had to have the police called in on them. So many times Douxie was very tempted to use magic on them just to shut them up.

Archie was lounging on the arm of the couch, since in was late afternoon and that's were the sun was then. He flicked his tail as he watched his familiar climb the latter to put some books on the higher shelves. Precariously.

"It would be a lot safer if you used a levitation spell to put them up there," he said, Startling Douxie so much that he nearly fell off the latter.

"Really Arch," Douxie sighed, regaining his balance. "'Magic is not a permissible shortcut for hard work.'"

"It's not a shortcut, it's a safety issue." Arch sat up as Douxie strained to put another book up. 

"Mortals don't have levitation spells. Besides, I'm almost done."

"Alright. Just hurry up." Archie looked out the window and noticed that Angel was walking up the sidewalk. She had quick reflexes and was decent at magic for only really having had been practicing for 5 years. Archie smirked.

Time to show Douxie not to make him play the middle man again.

"So, what is it about Angel that has you so enraptured?" Douxie hesitated with putting the next book up but shook his head and continued. 

"I, don't understand," Douxie said in a way that said he knew but didn't want to talk about it.

"I mean, the way you look at her, the way you act around her. It's different."

"I don't act differently around her."

"Around who?" Angel asked as she entered. Douxie turned around, forgetting that he was on a latter and falling. Archie was right about Angel's quick reflexes as she caught him and the books in a rush of pink. One accidentally hit him in the head, but he played it off.

"Thanks love," Douxie sighed in relief. But it was short lived when he saw the strain she had on her face. It was the same look she had in the woods. "Angel?" She didn't answer but with a mumbled groan. "Angel, put me down."

"You'll fall," she said, her voice strained.

"It's alright," he said as he went through the different runes on his bracelet and mixed his own blue glow with her pink. "I can catch myself. You can let go." Her eyes only glanced at him before doing as he said. Douxie dropped gracefully to the ground while Angel collapsed with her hands over her ears.

It's making them uncomfortable.

Do you realize what that says about me?

It hurts me that you think that.

You never think about others.

It hurts me.

You are a lot like your mother.

"Angel!" Douxie hated to shout, but her breathing had become ragged and tears streamed down her face. He didn't dare touch her because of her reaction to it last time. "Angel, you're ok. You aren't near him anymore." He only knew that she heard him when she shook her head wildly. Douxie kneeled in front of her.

"I didn't- I won't- I'm not her! I'm not!" Books and little things around them began to rise up, this time in a harsh red.

"Not who?"

"Douxie, I don't think this is about Bular anymore," Archie muttered to Douxie.

"You think, Arch?" He glared, but it only lasted a moment as he noticed what was going on around them. All the while, Angel was muttering that she wasn't going to hurt anyone and that she 'wasn't her'. He didn't have time to focus on that right now. "Angel, you're OK. I want you to take a deep breath."

"I can't-" Angel stopped when she felt his fingers brush her hand. It wasn't enough to make her flinch, but it was more a test for Douxie. To see if she was OK with the touch.

"Yes you can. I'm right here." Slowly, he gripped her hand lightly and moved it from her head gently. When she didn't back away, he repeated the action with the other hand. "I promise. Whatever you're going through, I'm here." He gently rubbed the palms of her hands in calming circles.

Leading her in a few breathing exercises  took some time, but it worked. Soon she was leaning against the counter on the ground, Douxie next to her holding tight to her hand as the sun went down. The things were still floating but the light wasn't harsh anymore. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her in a near whisper. She sniffed.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she said. Douxie looked at her with surprise.

"For what?" 

"For this." She gestured to the floats objects then to herself. "For breaking down."

"That wasn't your fault." She just scoffed and knocked her head against the counter.

"I thought I was over this. I haven't had an attack for years and now I've had two in a week."

"You've had them before?" Slowly she nodded.

"Not even often enough to be a big problem. What really got me was the fear I constantly felt. After the... the incident, I lived with my Ma-maw, my great grandmother, for about a year. Then I went to live with my father and Step-mother and three siblings. A brother, sister, and step sister.

"Coming from what I did, when I did, it was hard adjusting. It also didn't help that I was pretty critized for everything I ever did." Douxie chuckled humorlessly at that. Right. Merlin. "I guess you know how that feels."

"Yeah. But, go on." 

"You sure? I really don’t want to be selfish." He squeezed her hand.

"Hey, you aren't being selfish. If anything, it's your turn to rant. After all, you've listened to me countless times." She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Step sister runs off and I get in trouble for little things I did. Leaving three plates and a butter knife in the sink. Yeah, that's so bad."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. And any little misunderstanding, my step mom never allowed me to clear up. Her word was practically absolute."

"Even Merlin wasn't that bad. Hard on me, maybe, but not like that."

"I should have seen the signs. The few times I visited before them were fun and nice, but too tense. And it didn't help my anxiety." Archie had come over to them, sitting in between them, and laying his head on her leg. Angel absently pet him.

"If it was like that, why did you even go? And why stay?" He treaded carefully, making sure that she could tell from his tone that if she didn’t have to answer if she didn’t want to. 

"I was desperate for a proper family that I couldn’t see the red flags. I was stupid."

"That's not stupid," Archie whispered, not wanting to break the quiet that had fallen. "And it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is," Angel insisted. "I'm a stupid-"

"Don't start," Douxie interrupted. He quickly but gently lifted her face up to look at him. "You are wonderful, and smart, a-and just- just stop talking like that." He sighed and leaned his head against hers, looking into her eyes. 

"... ok," she answered in a small voice. The red glow disappeared and there was a symphony of falling objects around them.

. . .

Hours later, the two were cuddled together in their sleep on the couch, Archie sprawled across both their laps. Unconsciously, of course. It was unclear on who initiated it, but as a random comedy show played real laughter with tracks of it, it didn't matter.

However, a couple miles from them in the museum, Strickler with his group, cleaning up a mess. 

"What was I to do?" Nomura defended against Strickler as they walked to the 'renovated' exhibit. Just a cover for their real project, the one that had just been discovered. "The boy turned them on me. The goblins were supposed to hide our tracks, not lead them to us!"

"I will see to it that your mess is cleaned up," he spoke matter of factly as they entered the renovation room. He pushed open the large tarp as Nomura gave a glared at him. She stepped through but stopped in her tracks stopped as the sound of a sword scraped against rock and her eyes widened. The sight of Bular sharpening his sword against his arm gave Nomura a sign of what her fate was going to be. 

She hardly heard Strickler's next words, only turning to him and growling before finding a sword pointed near her chin. She backed up as far as she could, yet, Bular stayed on her path, the sword still aimed at her throat.

"Please, Bular, spare me," she immediately begged. 

"Groveling, impure?" Bular growled.

"You need me. If you dispose of me, who will replace me? The boy already knows I'm a changeling. How long do you think it will take for him and that wizard to find out Strickler is one, too?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there without you," Strickler said, sounding almost sorry.

Her hand was held over her head as she let out a scream, watching as Bular raised his sword. She backed away from the large black troll. Bular slashed at the crates, using them to throw her to the floor.

Her eyes caught a glowing green cascade onto the ground. Before she could reach for it, Bular stood tall above her, pointing his sword and raising it once more. As he brought down the weapon, Nomura pulled the Fetch from its crate, using it as her shield, stopping the killing blow. 

"Wait! I've acquired the Fetch!"

"The Fetch? More changelings?" 

"But we are nearly finished. What good would it be to bring another-"

"Be quiet, impure," Bular said off-handly. His eyes were lit up in a twisted way.

"Think how proud your father will be to see his legion grow," Nomura pounced. Bular didn't even think about his answer.

"Prepare the exchange. In case we're ever one changeling short." He glared at Stickler as he left, giving him one last order. "Find the wizard, impure, or you'll take his place in death."

As he walked off, Nomura stood, Strickler, turning around to find her glaring with a grin. Stickler barely had the energy to glare back before leaving himself.

After all, he had papers to grade and a blasted wizard to find.

. . .

"Claire, what's that?" Angel asked as the two left the auditorium that had turned back into the gym. Coach Lawrence had only agreed to let the play happen if they cleaned up afterwards. It left them with an hour less of practice replaced with cleaning. 

"Huh?" Claire asked, looking at where she was only to find a white envelope with her name on it. "What the? Who...?" She trailed, sharing a look with Angel. 

"Jim," they said together. 

"I thought I saw him earlier," Claire  scoffed looked at the letter in disbelief.

"I definitely heard him, but if he was backstage, he was in and out pretty quickly because I didn't see him," Angel managed to get out before Miss Janet shooed them out. 

By the time they got out, the sun just beginning to go down. Claire's parents weren't there yet, so Angel said she would join her in waiting.

"Really? Your parents are probably waiting for you." 

"Oh, I don't live with my parents. But I do have a roommate that I need to text."

Will be home a little later than planned. Waiting with Claire for her parents.

"You don't?" Claire tilted her head as Angel finished her text and looked up. She nodded as her phone buzzed. "Part of me wants to feel lucky."

K. Gtg to work, so I'll tell Arch

Stay safe, darling

"And the other part?" 

I thought you had tonight off?

Claire sat down on the front steps and Angel followed suit, only getting the chance to glance at her before her phone went off again.

Someone called in

They would have had only one waitress if I didn't come in

"The other part... is wondering what happened to make you leave." Claire phrased it like a statement, but it was clear it was a question. Angel stared at her phone blankly for a moment before answering them both.

You've worked almost ten days in a row

"My parents... they weren't the best. My biological mother was a neglectful jerk, my step-father was stubborn drunk. When I left them for my father and step-mother, it was never enough. So, at 18, I left with a friend and never really looked back."

Love, I'm fine

You're overworking yourself.

"That's- wow." Oh no. She made it about herself again, and now the mood was dampened. Great going, Angel.

"It's fine. I've made peace with it. So, what's in that letter?" Claire looked like she didn't want to let the topic go, but went ahead and took the subject change.

"Um, I don't know. Let me see." As Claire began working on opening and reading, Angel focused a bit more on her conversation with her stubborn roommate.

I am not

You are too

You do it a lot

I do not

Yes, you do

Ex 1: working ten days in a row for two jobs

Ex 2: if you aren't working, you're patrolling the city

Need I go on?

Ok, ok

Duly noted

"Woah," Claire gasped, causing Angel to remember her presence and turn to her. "This is a lot. He's fighting monsters? And saving the world in which we know?" Angel tensed. Did he really just tell her everything in a single note? Why? "His- his words are beautiful."

"Claire!" A woman's voice called as the sound of wheels on asphalt accompanied it. 

"Oh! That's my mom." Claire hastily shoved the letter in bag and got up. "Gotta go. Thanks for staying with me." She made to head off but turned back to Angel with a friendly smile. "And by the way- it took a lot to share that with me. I know you said you're fine, but if you need to talk, just let me know."

"Right. Thanks Claire," Angel answered with smile of her own, but it seemed strained. "I mean that."

Angel left right after, making only a small stop at Jim's to make sure he was OK. Other than making a big meal for his mother, he was fine.

But one had to wonder why a meal so big for just a normal night. And whether or not those shrimp cakes were really as good as Dr. Lake made it look as she bit down on them.

Chapter Text

"Fine!" Tobias exclaimed, giving up the fight for that Gaggletack that had been going around school. "We'll do it later." The bell rang and Jim was distracted enough for Tobias to grab it from his hands and throw it at Strickler's feet. His shoes almost touched it. 

Jim quickly apologized before going to retrieve it, however, Toby moved his arm in front of his tall, lanky friend, stopping him in his tracks. "Uh, mind picking that up for us, Mr. S?" Stickler scoffed, expression unreadable.

"And waste such idle hands as your own, Mr. Domzalski?" 

"Our backs. Coach Lawrence put us through the wringer this morning," Jim chuckled. He must have deemed it OK enough to check, if only to put Tobias' worries to rest. Smart, but so was Stickler. He was also keyed on to the pair of eyes watching the interaction.

"Here you go, Mr. Strickler," Claire said, saving him the trouble of navigating picking up the Gaggletack. "Here's your horseshoe back."

"Thank you, Ms. Nunez, but that belongs to Mr. Lake," Strickler evaded, careful to not make it obvious that he was backing away from the 'horseshoe'.

"Oh. Well, that would explain the flying horseshoes. So not going to ask." She handed the horseshoe to Jim and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as he let out a chuckle. Strickler came to his side - mocking him. Claire raised her eyebrow at his actions, so he worded his sentence carefully.

"Take care of your back, Young Atlas. Such is the danger of carrying the world on one's shoulders." As he left the Trollhunter and his friends to their devices, he let his eyes train on the culprit of his being watched feeling.

She was on her phone now, easy to miss the frantic way that typed. It was in her body language. She looked 18, but she held herself like she was accustomed to being around those this age, but a different way. A wisdom beyond her years it seemed.

"Hey, Douxie?" She said into her phone, making a call though the school day was still ongoing and 7th period was starting. "I think- I'm coming home. Right now."

. . .

She teleported again, this time to her room. But she didn't get much further for a long while due to an onset panic attack. That made three within a week. What was happening? Why was she so weak? Archie insisted that wasn't the case when he came to help her but she just absently pet him.

"Angel? Angel? Oh, Fuzzbuckets." Douxie had come in, the keys jangling after the door closed. It was a mundane but comforting sound. Her attack was nearly over now, but the feeling was still there. It was just like all the times before. "Are you ok, what happened?"

"She had another panic attack," Archie answered, Angel giving him a smile in thanks.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," Douxie apologized. 

"I don't even know what's triggering them," Angel scoffed, her voice strained and eyes red from crying. Strands of hair were stuck to her face with the wetness; Douxie moved them away, cupping her face in his hands as he touched his forehead to hers.

"We'll get through this, love. Promise." 

"If I may," Archie spoke, adjusting his glasses. "I have a theory as to what's causing them." Douxie sat down next to her, pulling her to his chest. It only took a little nod from him for the familiar to continue. "The first time this happened, you were teaching her a new spell. And with that, you told her to focus on her fear to help it work, which is what she feels during her attacks."

"Bleeding Balroths, I never-" 

"Don't do that," Angel and Archie said together. The wizard had wide eyes during Archie's words, immediately feeling guilty about the whole thing. 

"But I caused this, your attacks. I should've realized that-"

"That what, Douxie?" Angel asked, pulling away to look at him. He refused to look her in the eye. "That I would go into a panic attack? Even I didn't know that; I thought I was over them! So how could you have known?"

"But still, because of my teachings, you've had three this week alone. Merlin never would have-"

"Hisirdoux!" Archie yelled, stopping his spiral before it happened. Both Angel and Douxie jumped at his tone. It was a tone that Angel had only twice, and Douxie not much more than that. It was even rarer for him to use Douxie's full name. "Stop being so hard on yourself."

"Merlin wouldn't have been much better, from what you've told me," Angel scoffed. I swear, if I ever meet the man... she thought bitterly.

"Hey, he's centuries older than us," Douxie defended, though he seemed to agree with her, to an extent. "I'm pretty sure he's as old as time itself."

"She's not wrong," Archie muttered. "But I fear that using more magic at this moment will only cause things to get worse for you."

"I agree," Douxie piped in before she could protest and she was going to protest. "Look, I know you feel vulnerable without it, but it keeps causing your attacks."

"But that can't be what's causing it, right?" Angel reasoned. "I mean, I hid my magic since I found out about it, but it's never done this before."

"It's because- because I connected your fear to your magic use. I'm sorry." 

"Again, not your fault."

"And it's not yours either." Angel made a sound of disagreement, but didn't say more. It seemed the conversation was over but Douxie waited a few more minutes before offering to make them something to eat.

. . .

The museum at night was just as Jim and Toby said. Creepy. Even Strickler could admit that. Bular lording over him wasn't helping.

"She's a student of yours?" Bular questioned, and for once, he didn't seem angry. Merely curious and amused. He didn't even flinch at the fact that the wizard was a girl. "That means she's onto you."

"The only thing that she may be onto is the fact that changelings still walk amongst humans," Strickler defended. "Which would be a reasonable conclusion for a centuries old wizard."

"Hmm. You said she was on that magic box humans use?"

"A phone? Yes."

"What did she say?"

"She was talking to someone named 'Douxie', said she was coming home- I told you all this already!" Bular hummed and moved to watch as the goblins rebuilt the bridge. Strickler shook his head as he took out his phone, looking for a message from Nomura. "I fail to see the relevance in all of this."

"Because you weren't there, impure. You made a mistake. She isn't the wizard. He is."

"Well, that makes at least semi good news. Nomura just got back to me. Gladysgro has been slain."

"Well, then the impure served her purpose. She already brought us the stones from Madagascar. Her job was done." Bular waved the matter off and stepped away. Strickler glared at him, adjusting his watch.

"I'd advise you to care for those you employ." He watched with a glare as Bular stepped to the uncompleted bridge.

"Care? I only care to find the stones so my father can escape this wretched prison. Once we have them all, I will crush this troll-pretender and the wizard myself. And then, every fleshthing in this horrid world will know." 

Bular turned and stopped mid sentence as the small portal glowed green and a stone message was tossed through it-- right at Strickler's feet.

"It appears Nomura has gotten her way. Another changeling has been chosen." Strickler let out a laugh as he read who it was, Bular standing beside him, grinning. "And look who it is."

In trollish, the name read Enrique Nunez.

. . .

"Jim? Toby?" Angel greeted as she began to pass the Vespa shop. Shiny red was the only thing she saw when she looked in there, so she avoided it. Especially early in the morning. The two in question jumped at her voice having been ogling at the vehicles until then.

"Angel! Hi," Jim exclaimed, calming once he saw her. "What are you doing here so early?"

"It takes a bit to walk to school from my apartment. Plus, I have to get the bookstore ready for Douxie to run till school ends." She left out the part of getting breakfast ready for both Archie and Douxie.

"Wait," Toby stopped her. "You go from your house to your work before you go to school? Isn't that like over working you?"

"Not if you live above your workplace, Toby. And technically, I only do it to help him out."

"Wow. You're parents must be giant bookworms."

"Actually, I'm the only bookworm there. My roommate only reads every now and then."

"You don't live with your parents?" Jim asked, voice filled with concern. "What happened?"

"I chose to leave when I turned 18," she said simply. Toby's demeanor changed suddenly at her words, like he couldn't believe it. Jim sensed the sudden tension and decided to stare at the Vespa's again.

"Why would you just leave your parents like that?" Toby asked, his tone harsh.

"They didn't- they weren't the best."

"So you just leave them? Why couldn't you work it out?"

"Tobes..." Jim started, trying to consol his friend before it got too heated. Angel was obviously holding back her own anger; it showed in her tone when she spoke again.

"Toby, don't start. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Did you even try?"

"Toby, stop!" Jim yelled. Unlike Toby, who was blinded by his own feelings on the matter, Jim saw that there was more going on than she wanted to tell. And he knew that not all parents were good. "Just focus on how likely my mom is to get me a Vespa for my birthday." They started walking, but Angel had to follow since she went to the same school.

"Fine," Toby grumbled, but he soon sighed and did as Jim asked. "What are the chances of your mom getting you one for your birthday?" Toby wondered as he pointed backward at the display. Jim just gave a small smile.

"Only slightly worse than me winning the lottery and buying it myself," Jim chuckled.

"How much do you have?"

"Only 328 bucks and 32 cents," Jim scoffed. "By the time I have enough, these things will drive themselves."

As soon as Jim finished his sentence, an image in the window had caught Jim's eyes. Angel followed his gaze quickly, sensing the shift in his demeanor. A small figure had jumped on the roof that was only in their view because of the crystal clear window. In the creature's arms, was a baby who was crying after being swiped from his home.

"Do you see that?" Jim pointed to the window's reflection as the creature ran off. Of course, the furious pointing and the sudden gasp had startled Toby and caused him to turn in the direction Jim's finger pointed to while Jim turned away.

Toby had missed the evidence while Angel had noticed it in full. If that were what she thought it was and carrying what he thought.... 

Their eyes watched as the leader of such revolting creatures had run across a power line after making sure no human had seen him.

"Goblin!" Jim cried out before taking off in the same direction that the Goblin had been going, forgetting Angel's presence all together.

"What?" Toby turned quickly as his friend disappeared. He watched as Jim ran after the evil creature, following suit. It seemed he'd forgotten her too.

"It's a goblin, with a baby!" Toby chased after his friend, thinking that Jim had become delusional. 

"Come on, Jim! It's just a bird!" Jim didn't listen and turned down an alleyway, following the kidnapper. The creature let out a winning, yet, utterly disgusting laugh.

Jim stopped at the edge of the alley, not finding the creature for he was too quick compared to a human. As Jim searched the area, his eyes landed on a small stuffed animal laying helplessly on the concrete. 

His hand fell to gently retrieve the stuffed bunny as Toby had finally caught up to his best friend.

"Chill out, man! This trollhunting is making you hallucinate! I mean, what would a goblin want with a baby?"

As Toby ranted, Jim took his time inspecting the small child's toy. Angel decided to leave before they caught wind of her suspicious behavior, because it was suspicious, and made up her mind to call Douxie at lunch and tell him what she just saw.

Because whoevers baby that was, was just replaced with a changeling.

. . .

"Are you sure?" Douxie asked as he walked with Zoe down the trail in the forest. The sun wasn't going to set for a couple more hours but it took just as long to get there by foot. Angel seemed to be the exception to wizards in her teleportation ability.

"Of course," she assured. "And I'm not the only one. Jim saw it too- Ow!"

"What was that?" The sudden outcry of pain made him stop in his tracks. Zoe noticed and turned to him with a slight glare on features, but she was also ready to fight if needbe.

"Unbelievable," Angel scoffed but she didn't sound like she was in any danger; she was just annoyed.

"What?"

"You know how I said that there were flying horseshoes going around school?"

"Yes..."

"Well, Jim and Toby decided to throw it at me. Don't laugh!" She demanded, hearing his withheld laughter.

"Have you really tipped them off that much?"

"Nah, I just think that Toby is mad at me. I'll explain later."

"I am so sorry, Angel," a new voice joined hers over the phone.

"It's fine, Jim. Here's your horseshoe."

"Thanks." He said, and Douxie was sure that Jim was glaring at Toby by his tone alone.

"Oh, I wish I was there," Douxie muttered, and he heard Angel growl a little. She was likely glaring at her phone.

"Shut up," she told him, but there was no anger, only mild annoyance.

"Never."

"Toby!" another girl's voice reprimanded. "What the heck?"

"I gotta go. Have some fun, will you?"

"Hunting monsters is a wizard's version of fun, darling."

"I'm talking normal fun, like milkshakes and band practice."

"We have band practice right after." 

"Good. Hey call me when you're done so I can watch you practice?"

"Will do, love." Douxie hung up and turned to Zoe, who had been watching with growing amusement and now a smirk accompanied it. Douxie knew that smirk and narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as he backed up a few steps. "What is it?"

"Hunting monsters is a wizard's version of fun, daaarrrrling: will do, looovvvee," Zoe teased, in a horrible imitation of his accent making lovey dovey motions with her hands, and batting her eyes mockingly.

"I don't sound like that," he scoffed. "And I have never done that with my hands."

"The second part is true." Zoe motioned for them to continue walking. They did have a niffin to hunt. Niffins only came out at twilight to hunt. It was the only kind of sunlight their skins could handle and they needed Vitamin D just like humans.

"And the first?"

"You so sound like that. Maybe not all the time, but definitely when you're talking to or about Angel." Douxie's face heated but he denied all claims. Or he tried to.

"I don't-"

"Yes you do." 

"No, I don't." Zoe turned around with a smirk, walking backwards with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Really? So you don't feel happier when she's around?"

"Well, she is a friend, so-"

"And you don't want to be with her everyday?"

"There are some things going on that requires extra-"

"And you don't want to wake up to see her next to you every morning?" Douxie stopped in his tracks, his face completely red. Out of embarrassment or anger, Zoe couldn't tell.

"What do you want me to say? That I can't get her out of my head? That her laugh... is just so rare when it comes in full, but lights up the room when it does?

"That she's so thoughtful and kind, but puts others before herself so often, and she's too stubborn to accept help." Douxie sighed and looked up at the trees. Even though fall was just beginning, the leaves would likely stay green since they lived in California. "Angel's been through so much, Zoe. She needs me."

"I didn't know this would get so feelingsy, Doux," Zoe said, raising her hands up in a defense and turning around to walk normally. "I was just teasing you to get you to quit hiding your crush. After centuries of seeing it happen, and being on the receiving end of it once, it gets annoying."

Right. Of course. Zoe was never really one for deep emotions and Douxie was never really one to show them. It was why they had stayed friends for so long. That, and they loved to hunt Niffins.

Niffins were mainly scavengers, not unlike gruesomes who fed on troll remains; the only difference was that they also fed on flesh. Usually dead animals, but they would sometimes attack live ones and humans and only when they're threatened.

Or when you accidentally step on its tail.

The niffin they had found was relatively large, much like a scalely dog-cat hybrid. Especially in its roar, sounding like a bark and meow at the same time. It's teeth were rows of sharp rocks and it's tongue was forked like a snakes.

With a mutter of what was essentially his catchphrase, Douxie ducked a swing from its claws and tried to trigger a trap that he'd placed before the accident. But unfortunately, a niffins hearing was immaculate.

"That worked!" Zoe yelled from a tree the he hadn't even seen her climb. Despite having to run from another slash, he chuckled. Zoe made a magic rope and jumped from the branch, pulling the niffin into the tree.

"Magna twana truess!" Douxie unleashed a barrage of of magic beams and some pebbles from the ground on it. It did nothing more than agitate and distract it, but that was just what he wanted.

"Causa crepitoose!" She had let go of the rope and touched the ground, sending a bright pink tremor to it, knocking it over. Douxie went through the runes on his bracelet and came to a combo he wanted. 

Shooting a steady stream of magic caused the niffin to howl in pain. Douxie's spell wavered as Zoe cast another rope spell and wrapped it around the Niffin in full, preparing to throw and slam it around.

"Interminus nocti sluumberso," Douxie quickly changed spells to simply put the niffin to sleep. He really didn't know how Zoe kept talking him into this stuff. Though Niffins were like Phoenix's in that after death they were reborn, they still were more sensitive to pain than any other creature he'd known.

"What was that for?" Zoe glared, not letting the rope go. "It's not training if it's asleep."

"Why do we even need to train like this?" Douxie asked, kneeling down before the niffin and petting it gently.

"Because these are the only creatures that I've seen fight like trolls. And since the ones in Trollmarket aren't going to spar with us anytime soon...."

"I know, I know," he sighed, avoiding her eyes. "I just wish there were other ways that didn't include hurting innocent Niffins." Zoe didn't say anything. She just let Douxie check the niffin for injuries. 

She envied how he still had the heart he did after 900 years. She was 400 years old, but she ten times more cynical. A few times he had even compared her fondly to his boss, who was still not around by the way. 

Everytime he did, she immediately shut it down. That Arthurian tool-bag was not someone she liked to be compared to. But.... she had to agree with one thing that Douxie told her about him.

Douxie's heart was going to get him hurt someday.

Chapter Text

Band practice happened about every now and then, but when you spend centuries playing together, all you need to do is practice the song on your own and about once together. So seeing the product of a song Angel only heard one part of was always amazing.

Though Douxie had a hypnotic voice, Zoe was usually the lead singer. And that was definitely the case for this song.

"I got a secret, I'm telling everyone

Don't wanna keep it, I wanna play it dumb

I made a promise, I think I'm ready to break," Zoe sang with such conviction, that it made Angel's confidence with her own voice waiver.

"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na

Na, na, na, na, na, na," Douxie, the drummer, Jack, and the bass guitarist, Anna, vocalized together. The mix of their completely different voices sounded perfect together.

"It's just a question, there's nothing wrong or right

But your intentions could keep you up all night

You play with fire, you need a way to escape."

Was it just Angel, or did Zoe's smirk seem decidedly pointed at Douxie? And why did he have such a nervous look on his face? He was never nervous when he played or sang in the band. It was when he was the most relaxed.

"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na

Na, na, na, na, na, na."

"And when the lights go out, go out

We're just beginning

And all around, our eyes are looking down

You spin the bottle 'round

And 'round and 'round and 'round

"Na, na, na, na, na." Zoe quickly removed the microphone from the stand and leaned right into Angel's face. She probably didn't mean for it to be that way; it wouldn't be if she were on a stage. "Truth!"

"Last kiss on the tip of your lips

Really his?" Zoe had glanced Douxie then back to her, like she was silently asking the same question. Angel blushed as Zoe backed up, leaning against Anna, who was the only one who sang the back up this time.

"talk-talk."

"Where's your heart beat, beating?" Zoe put her hand on her chest, pumping it in a beating motion.

"Dare!" 

"Time's up, are you ready or not?" Zoe pushed off and pointed directly at Angel then Anna. So what she did earlier wasn't anything other than showmanship. So why couldn't she stop glancing at Douxie?

"Tick-tick-tock,"

"So don't stop

When you get that feeling now-ow-ow." 

"Talk-talk."

"'cause your heart'd be beating

Now-ow, it's just a game." Zoe stated walking around her band mates, leaning on them and the equipment ever so slightly so she didn't mess them up.

"I feel uneasy, I feel a little scared

I see the danger in being unprepared

I try to hide it before I make a mistake

"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na."

"So when the truth is out, is out

We're just beginning

And not a sound, our eyes are staring down

We spin the bottle 'round

And 'round and 'round and 'round

"Na, na, na, na, na

Truth!" Zoe suddenly grabbed Angel's hand and pulled her off the worn couch that served as seating for them and began twirling her around. 

"Last kiss on the tip of your lips

Really his?" Angel ignored Zoe pointedly asking her the question and just started dancing and bobbing her head to the music. 

"talk-talk."

"Where's your heart beat, beating?" 

"Dare!" Douxie and Angel said together. Now he was smiling and enjoying the song again. It might have something to do with the fact that she was no longer paying attention to the lyrics or that Zoe seemed satisfied with what she'd done or the fact that Angel looked so relaxed and free while dancing. Any of those were viable options.

"Time's up, are you ready or not?"

"Tick-tick-tock!" 

"So don't stop

When you get that feeling now-ow-ow"

"Talk-talk." Anna sang out.

"'cause your heart'd be beating

Now-ow it's just a game."

"I'm ready, so ready

So take me on."

"So take me on." Douxie likely didn't mean it as a challenge, Angel couldn't help but think just that. His eyes were determined as they locked eyes, along with some softness she couldn't place.

"Keep steady, don't drag this on

And on and on and on."

"Truth!" 

"Last kiss on the tip of your lips

Really his?" 

"talk-talk."

"Where's your heart beat, beating?" 

"Dare!"

"Time's up, are you ready or not?"

"Tick-tick-tock."

"So don't stop

When you get that feeling"

"Truth!"

"Last kiss on the tip of your lips

Really his?" Zoe subtly pushed Angel into Douxie but it didn't mess up the flow of the song. They stayed next to each the rest of the song.

"talk-talk"

"Where's your heart beat, beating?"

"Dare!"

"Time's up, are you ready or not?"

"Tick-tick-tock."

"So don't stop

When you get that feeling now-ow"

"Talk-talk." 

"'cause your heart'd be beat-beating

Now-ow, it's just a game."

Douxie, in the moment, grabbed her hand and twirled her. She giggled and whooped a little before looking at him again with such a happy smile that he forgot about his band. He just stared at her with probably the dumbest smile, but he found he didn't care.

Jack clearing his throat got his attention, making him realize that his hand was still clasped with Angel's. He pulled away awkwardly and muttered something about getting something to drink from the kitchen, Zoe following him.

The garage they played in was a house that a few wizards from around town shared. Actually, she'd only ever seen Ash Dispersal Pattern around here, excluding Douxie and herself. 

The walls around them had old pictures of the band before them that shared the same name. Because of glamor spells at the time and now, no one recognized them as the band from the 90's. Only in the past five years did she realize it herself.

They had redone the logo, but not by much. Just an extra bit of shading and a few skulls to make it edgier and with the times. Though, growing up in the 90's she could tell you that it could definitely be edgy. S.W.A.T. Kats was way too ahead of its time.

"So," Jack said, adjusting some things on his drums. "You and Douxie, huh?"

"What?" Angel asked, turning suddenly at the obvious accusation.

"At the very least, Douxie has a crush on her," Anna pointed out as she set her bass down on its stand. 

"Well, that's been obvious for years," Jack retaliated, pointing a drumstick to her. His brown, white tipped hair shined a little in the light of the garage. His clothes were always dark blue and light grey. The hoodie he was putting on was not an exception. "But now, I'm thinking that little Angel might have one herself."

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Angel said, a little harsher than she meant. "Please." 

"Oh come on. You can't deny it."

"I can because- I don't- I mean- ugh."

"Look, I know love," Anna said, her dual braids of red hair bouncing as she walked over to her. "Well, actually, my boyfriend does. Or, he knows love experts. The point is, I know that the way you two act together, you do seem to like each other. A lot."

"After all, you two do make eyes at each other all the time," Jack teased, a stupidly impish smirk on his face. 

"I definitely don't do that," Angel denied, face red. Jack laughed.

"Ah, to be a teenager again."

"I'm over thirty."

"And yet, you still act like a teenager."

"Well, you're over three hundred years old. So what does that say about you?"

"That I'm in touch with my inner child?"

"Is that inner child always so immature?"

"Are all adults this uptight?"

"You're technically an adult too, ya know?"

"And you two bicker like your five year olds," Zoe teased when she came in carried three cans of soda. Douxie carried two and handed one to Angel who opened it and took a drink. "So you're both immature."

"Yeah, even me and Elsa don't argue that much," Anna joked as she grabbed a soda from Zoe's hand. Her and Jack had raced to grab it for the simple act of defying one another, Anna wining with a satisfied smirk and pointed laugh. Angel and Douxie chuckled as they sat down on the couch.

It was relaxing, just sitting there and watching the band talk gigs and magic and just random stuff. Angel chimed in from time to time to comment, most on Jack and Anna's bickering. 

They were mostly planning the upcoming Papa Skull cover they were doing the next night and which songs they were doing. Since they were only able to do three songs, they chose the one they just practiced, Revolution (because of Douxie, and Jack smirked when he refused to answer why), and Who I Am which Zoe picked. 

Douxie felt bad that he would be the main singer for both those songs and that Zoe only got one, but she assured him it was fine and he blushed when Angel complimented his voice.

As they talked, Angel found herself just observing. She had always found that you learned a lot more by observing what and how people spoke, their body language. It was kinda fun to do.

Jack was often smiling impishly, no doubt plotting some pranks and who knew what.

Anna was a bright girl, but kept her movements mostly formal even when relaxed.

Zoe was the clear leader, only rivaled a bit by Douxie. She was definitely reserved and hardly smiled, but there were moments that she let go and actually smiled. Mostly when she was making fun of Douxie. And speaking of Douxie...

At the moment, he was engaged in a conversation with Zoe, smiling and laughing. Looking at his profile, she saw bits of blue tipped hair fall messily over his face. She had the urge to brush it away. He had the biggest smile on his face. Moving animatedly caused his skull necklace to bounce.

He had on only a grey short sleeved shirt this time. No hoodie, which she always wondered why he wore it in California. But it did make him look kinda cute. In fact, looking at him now, he was very cute. The way his eyes gleamed and crinkled when his lips turned upward as he smiled. Actually, he was very handsome....

Oh. Oh...

Angel looked down at her soda can. Playing with the tab suddenly became the most interesting thing about being there.

. . .

"Hi Claire!" Angel shouted over the music. It was Truth or Dare, the song that Angel had recently seen them practice. 

"Angel?" She asked as she hurried over. "I didn't know you- you have a VIP pass?!" Claire's eyes widened when saw the lanyard around her neck, the Papa Skull logo papered around it and her name on the bit of plastic. "The regular tickets cost over two hundred bucks! How in the world did you get that?!" 

"I know the cover band!" Angel couldn't help but smirk as she pointed up to the stage. 

"Holy Sheesh-kebab! I'm like, super jealous! What's their name?"

"Ash Dispersal Pattern! The one singing right now is Zoe, the girl next to her is Anna, the drummer is Jack, and the handsome guitarist with the blue tipped hair is Douxie!"

"Awesome! Is he your boyfriend?" Angel jumped and tore her eyes away from the guitarist who seemed to only see her. 

"What? N-no!"

"Hm. So you just like him?"

"No!" She said that too quickly and surprisingly too loudly even for a concert. "I mean, yeah- as a friend."

"But you think he's handsome?" 

"You can think a friend is good looking!"

"Ok, then how do you know them?"

"Douxie is my roommate."

"The same one you constantly talk about at rehearsals? The guy who's intriguing and holds you close and calms you down when you're having a bad day and has a hypnoticly kind voice?" Claire asked all of those questions with a growing smirk. Even in the purple and magenta lights she could tell her face was bright red. "That roommate?"

Angel just looked back at Douxie, noting things she never had before but had always seen. The blue tips of his hair always fell messily over his eyes, the way his smile made his too tired eyes crinkle; those same eyes kept finding their way to her even in the huge crowd and still strikingly hazel. And kind. And enchanting.

"Angel~" Claire sing-songed with a laugh, punching her shoulder. "You stare at him a lot for him to be just a roommate to you."

"I guess... but I could say the same about you and Jim." Claire tucked a hair behind her ear and averted her eyes as she responded with "I have no idea what you're talking about," making them both laugh. The two ended the conversation and just enjoyed the rest of the songs. Papa Skull was on their third song and the concert was fully ramping when Claire's phone.

"Fudgeknuckle! It's my parents! What do I do?"

"They didn't give you permission to come?"

"No! I'm supposed to be home right now! What do I say about this noise?"

"Alright, calm down. Just say that you're watching the concert on TV if they ask." Claire nodded and sighed, steeling herself to answer.

"Hey mom."

"Claire, the fundraiser's host got sick, so we're coming home sooner than we thought. You want something from the restaurant?" Her mom asked like she couldn't hear the concert noise. Maybe she trusted her daughter too much to think it was anything bad.

"Uh, nope! See you soon! Drive safe!" Claire hung up and immediately dialed Jim's number. "Jim? My parents just called! They're coming home early. I'm leaving now!" Claire heard music over the phone, along with yelling and crashing. "Who's there? What's that music? Are you having a party?!" Moments later, Jim hung up. "Fudgeknuckle!"

. . .

They didn't need to try to hard to convince Douxie to help. Jokingly, the rest of the band teased him about how he would do anything for Angel, but she didn't hear. She was busy getting Claire to go around and meet them at the side of the building. 

For Douxie, after he dropped off Claire and came back for Angel, it was one of the best moments of his life. The concert was a decent ways away from Arcadia so he felt her hands wrapped his waist, her head on his shoulder: it made it hard to focus on driving. And when they got home, and she said they should do it again, his brain stopped working for a good minute.

Chapter Text

"I fail to see the point of this disguise," Draal asked, poking at the fake horns on Jim's head. They were the same color and shape of his own. Jim's jacket had been traded out for one that mimicked the stone of his own skin. "You are obviously not me."

"It's not a disguise, Draal," Jim said as he put in the fangs that had cost him about 30 bucks off of Ebay, but were worth it to be accurate for his Draal costume. "It's a costume, just for fun. On Halloween, we dress up and go to different houses to get candy."

"Hmm, we have a holiday that is similar."

"You do?"

"Yes. It is called Blac-Norg. But instead of candy, as you called it, we would try and trick the changelings hiding among us into letting their guard down and showing their true selves so we could slay them." Jim didn't know exactly what to say, so he was grateful when the doorbell rang. Running out of the living room, he answered the door to see two Arrrgh's, one Toby sized.

"Toby! Nice job on the Arrrgh costume."

"Same to you, Jimbo," Toby gushed. "How did you find those fangs?"

"It was not easy, let me tell you. I had to go to like twenty different sites before finally going back to Ebay and finding these. What about your fangs?"

"They messed with my braces," Toby sighed, shaking his head. But he perked up immediately after, glancing to Arrrgh. "Come on, Jimbo! We gotta go if we want a good haul! I brought Arrrgh so we could split his bag, so we'll get double the amount. I mapped out the best route, starting at Coach Lawrence's house. Everyone knows he gives more in the first hour than any other." 

"Sure you don't wanna come, Draal?" Jim asked as Toby continued on about their route, almost dragging Jim out the door.

"I am sure," Draal answered, already heading back to the basement. "Stay safe, Trollhunter."

Bidding Draal goodbye once more, he let Toby drag him down the street. It was about thirty minutes before they saw anyone with costumes and about fifteen after that before they ran into Claire.

"Woah! Look at you!" Jim exclaimed. She was wearing a purple and black dress, a pointy witches hat on her head and sparkly broom in hand as she pushed a stroller.

"I could say the same about you," she chuckled. "What are you supposed to be?" 

"You remember that thing you saw in my basement?"

"You're dressed up as Draal?" Jim nodded. "Woah. I can't wait to meet him. Speaking of-" 

"I know, I know. I'm working on it."

"Hey, get a move on, sister!" Came from the stroller. NotEnrique's head poked out from under the cover. "You promised me socks for this!"

"You'll get them if you behave!" Claire scolded, quickly pushing the cover back down as someone passed by. 

"Jimbo! Come on!" Toby called. How had he gotten so far down the road in just a short amount of time.

"Looks like we both have somewhere to be," Jim chuckled with Claire.

"Looks like it. Call you tomorrow Jim." Jim blushed as she left, now anxious for the call.

. . .

"How did I let you talk me into this?" Douxie asked, looking himself over. The costume was little more than a skeleton onsie with foot holes for his shoes. Zoe, who was finishing up his face paint, chuckled.

"It wasn't me, loverboy," she said with a glint in her eyes. "It was your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Douxie denied quickly.

"Close your eyes," Zoe said, Douxie obeying as she applied the white makeup. "And she practically is."

"Isn't."

"Is."

"Isn't."

"What are we, five?" She laughed. "How much longer are gonna deny it, Doux?"

Forever, he thought. 

"Deny what?" He said instead. Zoe groaned but said she didn't say anything else. 

"Alright everyone!" Anna announced as she entered the living room just as Zoe finished Douxie's makeup. She was dressed as a beautiful princess, dark greens, purples, and pinks patterned around it. "I present to you, with a costume she made all herself, Angelia Sweet as a human ragdoll!" 

Angel stepped slowly into the room, red cape with little patches of randomly shaped fabrics, some places even just holes with thread carefully stitched over. Bits of braided yarn were stitched on it too. Her shirt was plain black with the same design. Her pants were a cool black, frayed at the bottom. She had white cloth wrapped around her hands and forearms.

She had black eyeliner on, and fake painted stitches around her mouth and on her forehead. Despite her protests, Anna had her put on a soft pink lipstick as well. 

And it left Douxie speechless.

"Did you really have to do all that?" Angel asked with an exasperated smile.

"Yes, I did because what you did is amazing."

"You don't think it's weird? Too... childish?"

"No! It's amazing. And the fact that you made it so well it lasted since you were seventeen, is just awesome!"

"You- you look ravishing, darling," Douxie muttered softly, nearly a whisper. He was glad for the white makeup. Angel's eyes darted to his in surprise, having heard him. Douxie quickly averted his eyes in embarrassment. Anna and Zoe shared a smirk.

"Guys, come on!" Jack called from the doorway, making Angel jump back in surprise and trip. Douxie instinctively rushed to catch her. Jack didn't notice at all. "I wanna be one of the first in the haunted house and it opens it ten minutes." 

Zoe and Anna followed Jack excitedly, leaving Angel and Douxie caught in each other's arms.

. . .

"I think I am getting the hang of this pumpkin carving ritual the humans have," Blinky told Draal as he continued carving. Draal growled at his own.

"I am not! How is one supposed to carve anything with this tiny knife?" He should be more quiet since Jim's mom could come home at any time, but the basement had a good sound warning.

"I believe that it is to make intricate designs. Like this!" Blinky turned his pumpkin to face Draal and it showed...

Something.

"What is that supposed to be?" Draal asked after a moment of blank staring. Blinky became flabbergasted and offened.

"It is our beloved trollhunter, Draal."

"Hmm... the legs are too skinny." Blinky groaned as the front door opened, Jim calling out that he was home.

The night was fun for everyone. Claire actually didn't mind NotEnrique's company after awhile, Toby got the haul he wanted, Jim got a night of fun and relaxation, Douxie had Angel clinging to his arm throughout the entire haunted house, turning the white makeup pink. 

It was definitely a great night for everyone.

Chapter Text

"I fail to see the point of this disguise," Draal asked, poking at the fake horns on Jim's head. They were the same color and shape of his own. Jim's jacket had been traded out for one that mimicked the stone of his own skin. "You are obviously not me."

"It's not a disguise, Draal," Jim said as he put in the fangs that had cost him about 30 bucks off of Ebay, but were worth it to be accurate for his Draal costume. "It's a costume, just for fun. On Halloween, we dress up and go to different houses to get candy."

"Hmm, we have a holiday that is similar."

"You do?"

"Yes. It is called Blac-Norg. But instead of candy, as you called it, we would try and trick the changelings hiding among us into letting their guard down and showing their true selves so we could slay them." Jim didn't know exactly what to say, so he was grateful when the doorbell rang. Running out of the living room, he answered the door to see two Arrrgh's, one Toby sized.

"Toby! Nice job on the Arrrgh costume."

"Same to you, Jimbo," Toby gushed. "How did you find those fangs?"

"It was not easy, let me tell you. I had to go to like twenty different sites before finally going back to Ebay and finding these. What about your fangs?"

"They messed with my braces," Toby sighed, shaking his head. But he perked up immediately after, glancing to Arrrgh. "Come on, Jimbo! We gotta go if we want a good haul! I brought Arrrgh so we could split his bag, so we'll get double the amount. I mapped out the best route, starting at Coach Lawrence's house. Everyone knows he gives more in the first hour than any other." 

"Sure you don't wanna come, Draal?" Jim asked as Toby continued on about their route, almost dragging Jim out the door.

"I am sure," Draal answered, already heading back to the basement. "Stay safe, Trollhunter."

Bidding Draal goodbye once more, he let Toby drag him down the street. It was about thirty minutes before they saw anyone with costumes and about fifteen after that before they ran into Claire.

"Woah! Look at you!" Jim exclaimed. She was wearing a purple and black dress, a pointy witches hat on her head and sparkly broom in hand as she pushed a stroller.

"I could say the same about you," she chuckled. "What are you supposed to be?" 

"You remember that thing you saw in my basement?"

"You're dressed up as Draal?" Jim nodded. "Woah. I can't wait to meet him. Speaking of-" 

"I know, I know. I'm working on it."

"Hey, get a move on, sister!" Came from the stroller. NotEnrique's head poked out from under the cover. "You promised me socks for this!"

"You'll get them if you behave!" Claire scolded, quickly pushing the cover back down as someone passed by. 

"Jimbo! Come on!" Toby called. How had he gotten so far down the road in just a short amount of time.

"Looks like we both have somewhere to be," Jim chuckled with Claire.

"Looks like it. Call you tomorrow Jim." Jim blushed as she left, now anxious for the call.

. . .

"How did I let you talk me into this?" Douxie asked, looking himself over. The costume was little more than a skeleton onsie with foot holes for his shoes. Zoe, who was finishing up his face paint, chuckled.

"It wasn't me, loverboy," she said with a glint in her eyes. "It was your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Douxie denied quickly.

"Close your eyes," Zoe said, Douxie obeying as she applied the white makeup. "And she practically is."

"Isn't."

"Is."

"Isn't."

"What are we, five?" She laughed. "How much longer are gonna deny it, Doux?"

Forever, he thought. 

"Deny what?" He said instead. Zoe groaned but said she didn't say anything else. 

"Alright everyone!" Anna announced as she entered the living room just as Zoe finished Douxie's makeup. She was dressed as a beautiful princess, dark greens, purples, and pinks patterned around it. "I present to you, with a costume she made all herself, Angelia Sweet as a human ragdoll!" 

Angel stepped slowly into the room, red cape with little patches of randomly shaped fabrics, some places even just holes with thread carefully stitched over. Bits of braided yarn were stitched on it too. Her shirt was plain black with the same design. Her pants were a cool black, frayed at the bottom. She had white cloth wrapped around her hands and forearms.

She had black eyeliner on, and fake painted stitches around her mouth and on her forehead. Despite her protests, Anna had her put on a soft pink lipstick as well. 

And it left Douxie speechless.

"Did you really have to do all that?" Angel asked with an exasperated smile.

"Yes, I did because what you did is amazing."

"You don't think it's weird? Too... childish?"

"No! It's amazing. And the fact that you made it so well it lasted since you were seventeen, is just awesome!"

"You- you look ravishing, darling," Douxie muttered softly, nearly a whisper. He was glad for the white makeup. Angel's eyes darted to his in surprise, having heard him. Douxie quickly averted his eyes in embarrassment. Anna and Zoe shared a smirk.

"Guys, come on!" Jack called from the doorway, making Angel jump back in surprise and trip. Douxie instinctively rushed to catch her. Jack didn't notice at all. "I wanna be one of the first in the haunted house and it opens it ten minutes." 

Zoe and Anna followed Jack excitedly, leaving Angel and Douxie caught in each other's arms.

. . .

"I think I am getting the hang of this pumpkin carving ritual the humans have," Blinky told Draal as he continued carving. Draal growled at his own.

"I am not! How is one supposed to carve anything with this tiny knife?" He should be more quiet since Jim's mom could come home at any time, but the basement had a good sound warning.

"I believe that it is to make intricate designs. Like this!" Blinky turned his pumpkin to face Draal and it showed...

Something.

"What is that supposed to be?" Draal asked after a moment of blank staring. Blinky became flabbergasted and offened.

"It is our beloved trollhunter, Draal."

"Hmm... the legs are too skinny." Blinky groaned as the front door opened, Jim calling out that he was home.

The night was fun for everyone. Claire actually didn't mind NotEnrique's company after awhile, Toby got the haul he wanted, Jim got a night of fun and relaxation, Douxie had Angel clinging to his arm throughout the entire haunted house, turning the white makeup pink. 

It was definitely a great night for everyone.

Chapter Text

Arcadia wasn't famous for much, but their Christmases each year were amazing. The town had a parade and the school did a secret Santa every year, fully optional. Thankfully, enough people participated every year to keep it going.

Strickler mysteriously disappeared after the play, so one teacher was randomly paired with a student. And that student gave Mr. Uhl a signed picture of one Steve Palchuk. Angel found out and gave Uhl a self made coupon for one free truck wash, inside and out, bumper to bumper.

Angel had gotten Eli, so she gave him a book on conspiracies he knew he didn't have. Eli had gotten Steve, so he just wired double the amount of lunch money into his account. Which only in turn got him an extra locker stuffing that day.

Jim and Claire ended up getting each other, the ensuing awkwardness something Angel and Toby could both agree was hard to watch. Toby ended up getting Angel, to which he complained about to Jim so many times, his ear almost fell off. In the end, he ended up getting her a gift card for the bookstore and leaving it at that. 

Mary had gotten Darcy, Darcy got Shannon, and so on and so forth. The day was filled with so much drama and tears of both happiness and fake sadness, yelps of joy and pain from great gifts and practical pranks, Angel fell into her spot at the desk with a sigh.

"Rough day?" Douxie chuckled, leaning on the desk in front of her with a smile. She only nodded and pulled out her gift card.

"And I also will have to wash Mr. Uhl's truck someday soon," Angel said with a small chuckle. "Steve is the worst secret Santa."

"Eugh, I'll bet. Who gave you that?" Douxie took the card from her.

"Either someone who doesn't know me, is too lazy to try and know anything about me, or is Toby."

"Huh? Why would it-"

"Ever since I said I left my parents at 18, he's had it out for me. Don't ask why, I can't tell you." 

"Well, at least you get two weeks off from school and seeing him, right?"

"Yeah but I still have to go into town for... things." Douxie eyed her suspiciously before walking off with a sly smile to put up some books. She didn't notice as she was looking up at the ceiling. "And then there's the parade and concert that you somehow talked me into doing."

"You have beautiful voice," he said. "I want others to hear it." Angel blushed and looked at him with bashful features.

"It's not that good, Douxie. It cracks and is uneven and-"

"And is soft and lovely and beautiful. Come on, love. Give yourself credit." 

"I- I..... thank you, I guess," Angel muttered, suddenly interested in the paperwork that needed to be done. 

. . .

"Come on Arch!" Angel begged the familiar cat. Douxie had the morning shift for the Cafe, so she had the entire morning to pester Archie it seemed. "Just give me some ide-"

"For the last time, no!" Arch said hopping onto the rail of the stairs to make it to his afternoon resting place. "It will mean more if you get it yourself, no help from me."

"But you've known him for centuries! I've known him for a decade, only really for half that." When Arch refused to answer her, she studied him with suspicious eyes. His posture had a fake relaxation to it, and he pointedly avoided eye contact. "You don't know what to get him either, do you?" Archie nearly lost his balance.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I do."

"You've known him for centuries!"

"That doesn't make it any easier to get the boy a gift!"

"I knew you didn't know what to get him!" The familiar just rolled his eyes as he made that final leap to the top railing. Archie ignored her the rest of the day except for wishing her to be careful before she left to run some errands. 

Angel was window shopping for what seemed like hours, finding nothing that Douxie didn't already have or wanted or needed. So she wasn't able to pick anything out today, but tomorrow she definitely would. 

Music blaring on her headphones, just with one off so she could hear her surroundings, she walked home. Douxie said he had a surprise for her; no doubt an early Christmas present based on his voice. It seemed he was glad she was out for the night.

She was glad for some time to herself. It was nice to just walk and listen to her music. Until her mouth was covered by some kind of cloth and her middle had an arm wrapped around it as she was pulled back into an alleyway. The world went black before she could even think about using any sort of spell.

. . .

"Douxie, how much longer is this going to take?" Arch asked from his place holding up the side of the shelf in his dragon form.

"Not much longer, Arch," Douxie said, drill in hand.

"You know, when I became your familiar, this was not in the job description."

"There! All done, Arch." 

"Finally," Arch sighed, letting go of the shelf and ploping down on it in cat form. It didn't feel nearly as sturdy as it should be for a bookshelf, but it was decent. Angel had been talking for weeks about how her shelves couldn't hold her books anymore, them being piled on the ground and desk.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad, was it Arch," Douxie chuckled as he started grabbing her books to place them on the brand new shelf. Arch reminded him that she was very particular about where things went, especially books, so he put them down.

"Shouldn't she have been back by now?" Now that it was mentioned, yeah. It was nearly nine and she hadn't at least called. When Douxie called her himself, he only got her voice-mail. 

Ok, sometimes she didn't hear it or was too busy. He tried again after a few minutes to no avail. Douxie frantically repeated the action for the next thirty minutes. He was probably being silly, but he had to find her. Arch and Angel could double team on a lecture after.

. . .

The first thing she smelled was the remnants of whatever substance had been used to knock her out. She felt chains around her wrists, holding them behind her chair. Adjusting ever so slightly so it could possibly be seen as a sleeping movement, she felt the ones around he feet too. 

"Why would you bring her here?" Wait... was that-?

"You're the one who wants to raise Angor Rot, Strickler," another voice answered with sickening glee in a German accent. She heard a tell tale goblin 'Waka chaka' in response. "And what better way to find the Inferna Copula then by interrogating a wizard. Wake her up." The sound of something being kicked her way made her lift her head up in response. 

"It seems she is already awake," Strickler said bemused.

"It was you!" She yelled, glaring at him. "You're the changeling I saw go into the school!"

"My my," Strickler's friend chuckled, circling her. "Aren't you a smart human? The wizard shared his secrets, did he?" Angel's eyes widened against her will.

"Wh- what wizard? I'm the only one Arcadia has." She was lying through her teeth and the changelings could see it. They were master spies so of course they could.

"Really?" Strickler asked with a smirk. "So Douxie doesn't have a familiar named Archie that is sometimes a normal black cat and sometimes a black dragon. And he hasn't been around since Camelot was around?" Angel's face must have said it all because his friend chuckled as his smirk grew. 

"We know all about your roommate," his friend said. "And you, mien friend."

"I ain't your friend!" She snapped. "And how the hell did you know?"

"We hear things," Strickler shrugged nonchalantly. "Your friend has given us quite the bit of trouble for the past centuries."

"Merlin's apprentice," the friend said with a malicious chuckle. "Bular would have been thrilled to have a chance at him."

"B-bular?" Angel couldn't help but whimper at the memory of him, his breath, his eyes. Suddenly she realized that he could be waiting on the other side of the door and wall. Strickler noticed her fear and faltered, concern flooding his features for only a moment. "H-he-"

"Unfortunately, he will never get the chance," Strickler assured, locking eyes with her terrified ones. Despite the situation, who he was, she calmed slightly at his kind eyes. The only thing kind about him in this moment.

"He was killed?" Strickler nodded. "Jim?" Another nod. Angel withheld her sigh of relief, but the sharp intake of a shaky breath let him know how much it meant to her. 

"You are not getting off the hook so easily, little girl." A knife was at her throat, the cold metal inches from her skin by his friends hand. 

"Otto!" Strickler protested, earning a glare from him. "You promised-"

"We need information from her," Otto glared at him. "If you're sentimental for another student, then you can leave."

"The apprentice is likely on his way already. If we do anything to her, what do you think will happen to us?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. She's been around for centuries herself, you know. She probably knows things he doesn't." As Otto readied to slice a part of her she didn't want to find out, she spoke wildly.

"Stop! I don't know anything! I'm only 30!" Otto and Strickler froze, knowing she didn't mean her looks. "I- I've only known Douxie for a decade, really practicing magic for half that! I have nothing for you, no information, I'm... nothing at all." 

It worried Strickler that she seemed to believe that herself.

. . .

Douxie asked the people at the store, in passing on the street, if they'd seen any sign of Angel. Nothing but the direction she had gone, leading him to find her dropped groceries and headphones before a dark alleyway.

"Fuzzbuckets," he muttered, kneeling down and examining the scene. She never left without her headphones, ever. It was a go to when something was troubling her or just wanted to listen to music. She said multiple times that she couldn't live without music of some kind. He picked it up and held it close, his blood turning colder by the second. Arch brushed up against his knee for comfort. "I-I should have gone with her, Arch. She- she couldn't use magic, she couldn't defend herself and there- there are changelings and Bular and... oh buckets.."

"This is not your fault Douxie," Arch tried to assure him but to no avail. He was almost to tears as he cradled the still blinking head "Listen, we-" Archie jumped when Douxie's phone rang, his familiar immediately answering the phone.

"Angel?"

"Guess again, apprentice," a familiar voice came through. "But we are hosting her. And she is rather comfortable, aren't you?"

"Right, this is so comfortable," Angel said sarcastically, but her voice was cracking with fear. Douxie's grip on the phone tightened as she spoke again. "Wait, who are you on the phone with?"

"Just your beloved wizard, Little Witch. He says hello."

"Angel!" Douxie shouted into the phone in relief and fear. "Don't worry, don't be scared! I'm-"

"Douxie, do not come! It's a- ahh!"

"Waka- chaka!"

"Ow! Get off of me! Get off! Ow!"

"Stop struggling, girl!"

"Come to the address I'm about to send you by dawn; without your familiar, or we take her where you won't ever find her. That is a promise," the first voice warned before the call disconnected. Though California was warm even in the winter, his blood ran cold.

. . .

Archie put up a fight about him going alone, rightfully so. Douxie was about to walk into a den of changelings, some of which likely older than him. And goblins. There would definitely be a nest hiding in there. So have no fear as he walked in there alone, with no backup and no idea where Angel was in that stupidly large abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. No problem; easy peasy, right?

Oh, this was a mistake. He knew that all too well. But the way Angel had screamed, the fear in her voice... it left a pit of something in his stomach that he couldn't place and really didn't want to.

"Douxie," came a voice from behind him. Immediately calling magic to his hands he turned to the man who took Angel. "Impressive, but put the magic away. You hurt any of us..." 

"Where is she?" Douxie asked him with a glare. The man didn't flinch away when he came closer, but his eyes did soften.

"Please stop. I do not wish another student of mine to be hurt."

"Student?" Douxie hated to put away his only defense, but slowly his hands stopped glowing blue. Especially as he realized who he was talking to. "You. You're Strickler, her history teacher. The one who refused to pick up a Gaggletack." Strickler only gave a bemused smile as he walked towards the warehouse, gesturing for him to follow.

"A very keen eye, she has. I'm truly sorry to see our relationship has to change. I'll-" 

"Stop right there," Douxie warned, blue dancing at his fingertips.

"Point taken, apprentice." The rest of the walk was in uneasy silence. The moment he saw her chained to that chair, head hung low and goblin defensive on her lap. To keep him away from her until they were ready. And he didn't fail to the blood dripping from her head, matting her hair; the scratches on her arms. And the culprit was sitting on her lap so nonchalantly that it took everything in his power not kill the thing right then and there. Having no fear wasn't a problem anymore, at least.

"Sorry about her state, mien friend," The voice that had yelled at her to stop struggling with a weird glee said, a man now standing behind her. He lifted her head up gently, revealing the curtain of blood falling over the left side of her head. "She's a surprisingly fierce fighter. You can't tell with her mostly frightened demeanor."

"Get your hands off of her," Douxie growled, clenching his fists so tight his knuckles were white. The changeling did as asked, letting her head drop with an oh so self-satisfied smirk. "You have me, so let. Her. Go."

"Sure," Strickler offered, with an equally satisfied smirk, sharing a glance with his friend.

"We just need one bit of information first," the german said, now just showing off his place in this situation by placing a hand on Angel's shoulder. Douxie tensed and glared profusely, but didn't say a word. In fact, he couldn't anything at all, barely managing to make even the slightest gesture for him to continue. "Have you heard of the Inferna Copula?" 

"What?" Douxie asked, momentarily having his anger replaced with confusion. Of course he had heard of it, it was something that Merlin found out Morgana did years before she became the pale lady. She was nice enough and had good intentions, but years of hardship changed her to the monster Merlin had to seal away. Well, in full especially after what she did too.... "No. Nope, that is a horrible idea! Raising Angor Rot, an unruly troll assassin?"

"I'm afraid that is not your place to say, young apprentice," Strickler said. 

"I think it is my place when it's very likely you'll be sending him after Angel and me once you raise him?"

"I won't if you promise to stay out of our business."

"I'm sorry, but I really don't want Gunmar getting out and-"

"He had his time! It's the changelings time now. Now-" Strickler motioned to his friend who immeadiately slid a knife from his sleeve and pulled Angel by the hair to lift her head up. the silver glinted against her nearly pale neck. "The Inferna Copula's location. Now!" 

Suddenly, a small but accurate burst of fire hit the german's hand making him drop the knife. another took out that god forsaken goblin. 

"I warned you to come alone!"

"I did come alone!" Strickler was only able to mutter liar before he was shot down by another blast of fire. Douxie finally spotted the culprit.

"Arch? You followed me?"

"To the ends of the earth, my friend," the black dragon with round glasses said, smiling fondly at the wizard. He barely had time to return it before chaos ensued.

"Dou- Douxie?" Angel's weak voice came, barely heard over Strickler's bellow to rouse the goblins. Archie started blasting them away as Douxie rushed to Angel, sending the german changeling into the far wall in anger, his eyes glowing blue. "Where- where-"

"Sh, sh, sh," he whispered gently, cupping her face in his hands, eyes dimming back to their normal hazel. "It's alright. I'm getting you out of here." He made it sound easier than it was; the freaking chains were magic proof. After a moment more of fruitless blasts, his eyes glew bright blue again and he drew the German changeling dangerously close. 

It was only a moment of the changeling yelling in pain that he got the keys from his pocket and began unlocking her desperately. Angel fell forward limply, Douxie barely able to catch her in time. And despite what was happening and her weakened state, she was thinking ahead.

"We were... a walk, coyotes... hit ..."

"We need to leave!" Archie yelled above the roar of Goblins coming after them in a slow and menacing manner. They had time, in there minds, because they blocked off all the exits. 

"I can... I can.." Angel said weakly, her eyes struggling to open as Douxie put up a shield. 

"No, it's too-" he started, but her eyes turning bright red cut him off. Douxie couldn't take his eyes off her. Her hair was flying up, her expression hard and fierce. Were it not for the blood on her face, Douxie would have found the sight forming a knot in his stomach. He was already staring in awe. "Arch!" He finally managed to get out. The familiar understood and flew to his shoulders just as a final burst of magic got them out of there.

Strickler was furious.

Chapter Text

"Do you want to tell me what happened, Ms Sweet?" Dr. Lake asked gently, but was hiding both worry and confusion.

And Angel didn't want to answer.

"I went out for a night walk in the woods, to look at the stars, and was attacked by coyotes; I ended up falling and hitting my head on a rock," Angel repeated as an answer. She hated lying, but what was she supposed to say? 

That she was attacked by a goblin in a warehouse after being chained to a chair. That she could remember every slash of those claws? That her throbbing head was due to more than just being hit on the head with something?

"Really," Dr. Lake sighed, giving way to a bit more annoyance as she sat down next to her. "Because my son came in about a month ago with those same scratches and said the exact same thing."

"What can I say? Arcadia woods has a coyote problem." It was flat when she spoke, almost a mantra. Dr. Lake picked up on that.

"Well, all I can tell is that these cuts aren't from coyotes. And if you're involved in whatever my son is-" She cut herself off, realizing that she was becoming harsher than she wanted. Sighing, she lowered her head. "Just- just keep an eye out for him. Please.

"Now," Dr. Lake got up, grabbing the chart she had set down and preparing to leave. "You have a mild concussion, so we're going to keep you at least one more night. I'm going to go tell your boyfriend he can see you now." 

Angel blushed at the nonchalance of that word, so surprised that she didn't deny it. But before Dr. Lake left the doorway, Angel made sure to say-

"I'll do my best."

. . .

Douxie tried to get her to cancel her performance at the parade, but she wasn't having it.

"Weren't you the one who wanted me to do this?" She asked as Zoe and Anna were doing her makeup and hair respectively. Anna had magic hands when it came to unruly hair.

"That was before-"

"I got kidnapped, I know. But aren't we supposed to keep up appearances?"

"Besides," Zoe interrupted, pointing a makeup brush at him like it was a knife. Douxie acted like it. "If those creeps think they can scare her away, they've got another thing coming."

"Exactly," Angel agreed, looking at the mini braids around her head, little beads of green, silver, and red in them. For the performance, she had those same colors dyed in her hair. At least she had been able to talk Zoe and Anna into letting her wear a toned down suit, not a dress. "I wanna show that I'm not afraid. Well, I am, but I won't cower and hide. I already went down that route with Bular."

"But-" 

"No buts, Douxie. Now, go get ready for the show."

. . .

By the end of the week, she was exhausted. She sang five consecutive times on the float that first day, twice on stage. After that, anytime she went out to try and get some shopping done, people pestered her about her performance and how good it was. 

Christmas morning came too soon for her liking because it meant that school was starting back up soon and she loved having days with just her and Douxie and Arch. And sleeping in. That was good too.

She smelled hot chocolate the minute she opened her door. Arch was actually acting like a cat, tapping at an ornament on the one of the lower branches curiously. Ding, ding.

"Morning love," Douxie said with smile as he turned to hand her a mug of hot coco, then a few marshmallows on the side.

"Morning Douxie," she yawned. "Thanks. So, what's the plan for the day?" Just after she said that, the tree crashed down in a cascade of bells. Arch just jumped on the couch, pointedly avoiding the two matching glares.

. . .

"Claire, I- this is," NotEnrique muttered as Claire herself was reading in the corner, listening for her parents so she could begin reading aloud. Technically, that was what she was supposed to be doing, but NotEnrique got tired of that in the first hour.

"What do you want now?" She asked, not looking up.

"Um. Toby explained to me about this whole Christmas thing and, and, well I talked six-eyes into helping me..."

He was nervous. Claire could see it plain as day, which proved that it wasn't a trick. Closing the book and getting up to walk over to the crib, she smiled both slyly and genuinely. 

"Did you, get me a gift?"

"Yeah, well. I know I can be a brat and unhelpful sometimes-"

"Very much so," Claire chuckled, ruffling the little bit of hair on his head. NotEnrique didn't push her away.

"Yeah. So, I made something for you." He jumped away so he could climb out and under the crib, fetching whatever he had gotten her. "It's not perfect and I will have to refill it every now and then, but.. here."

What NotEnrique handed her was like a compact mirror with a removable back. It glinted silver in the small lamplight of the room. 

"So you don't have to sneak away whenever you want to see your brother," NotEnrique explained. "The trick I showed ya before, I had Blinky help me figure out a way to make it work for you on command, though the time limit is the same. Now, I won't go into - woah!"

Claire had picked him up in a hug and twirled him, still holding tightly to the mirror. NotEnrique protested lightly, but laughed all the same.

"Thank you!" Claire exclaimed, tears in her eyes and grin wide. "Thank you, thank you! I'm going to get you two burgers tomorrow!" 

NotEnrique didn't expect that out of the deal, but was happy all the same. When she finally stopped spinning them, because he threatened upchucking, she looked out the window and gasped. NotEnrique followed her gaze to the little white flecks falling down.

. . .

"It's snowing?" Toby asked as he parked his bike while Jim opened the door to Trollmarket. "In Arcadia?"

"Tobes, grab the other bag," Jim said, either not hearing him or not caring about his words as he slung a bag of his shoulder. "We gotta get these delivered before my mom gets home."

"But it's snowing!"

"Come on, Tobes! We can enjoy it later!"

Toby took one last desperate look at the rare sight of white in California before groaning and picking up the other bag and heading down. He nearly tripped down the stairs, but got down in one piece.

. . .

"Can I open my eyes now?" Angel asked, not liking that she was blindsided by the entire band. She wondered how long they'd been planning this. 

"Just shush," Anna said, pulling her across the crunching lawn. 

"What am I walking on?"

"Hush!" Angel would have rolled her eyes if they weren't being pushed down by the stupid blindfold. It was a quick walk, but being pulling into pole wasn't a fun time. 

Finally, she was pushed up wood steps, almost falling down. She felt a steady hand on her shoulder, keeping her standing. Angel would know that hand anywhere.

"You can take it off now," Anna announced. "See you later, Douxie."

"Hey..." Angel blushed as she looked around. They were in some kind of gazebo in the- woods? Ho- oh yeah. Anna specialized in time and place allusion magic. She probably made the walk seem faster than it actually was. 

But the gazebo was a beautiful brown, green vines around the stands. She would've bet that they were perfectly camouflaged by both magic and nature. Or would have been, were the outside not blanketed in white.

"Snow?" Angel asked, turning to an equally red faced Douxie. "How is it snowing?" 

"I may have asked Jack and Elsa for help with that," Douxie said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Angel chuckled and leaned against a nearby railing.

"You mean you let Jack loose and asked Elsa to keep an eye on him?"

"Pretty much." The two shared a laugh before it awkwardly went quiet. Douxie slowly made his way next to her gesturing around them. "What do you think about your gift?"

"What is it, the snow?" Douxie took her hands gently and pulled her to the middle.

"You love the forest, and you're scared to go on your own, so this place is camouflaged and warded. You can stay here as long as you want and no one will bother-" he was cut off by her wrapping her arms around his neck. He stuttered but quickly hugged her back.

"Thank you." Angel let herself hold on a little longer before pulling away just enough to look into his eyes. They were beautifully hazel, a kind smile in them as always. No matter that he never aged; it wasn't just visible in wrinkles. The way he walked, the way he looked at others, sometimes his fashion sense. They all showed it.

At the time, his black sweater hid it well. But the way he was studying her like she was an artwork, like she was beautiful. What a wishful thought. Douxie was an art piece centuries in the making. Every crease mixed with smooth skin, mixed with the hazel of his eyes, mixed with his blue tipped black hair, mixed with his soft pink lips...

How bad would it be if I just kissed him?

"What?" Douxie asked with a jump, his voice cracking. 

"What do you mean?" Angel asked, tilting her head.

"Y-you just asked... 'How bad would it be if I just kissed him? Indicating me..'"

"Oh no," Angel pulled away, face a red mess. "I-i didn't mean that! I mean, I did but- I don't wanna ruin our relationship. Or friendship. Whatever we have- so can-" She was cut off in the most surprising way possible.

His lips were soft, so very soft. He moved gently against hers, his hands holding her face in place but not so firm that she couldn't back out if she didn't want this.

But she wanted it, only fully realizing once it was happening. Instinctively, she had closed her eyes and relaxed into it and reached out to put her hands on his waist, pulling him close. He made a sound of surprise but smiled. All the time of reading about how that felt weird against lips didn't prepare her for the actuality of it against hers. None of her books or shows did.

Eventually, stupidly, they needed air. You'd think being immortal would negate the need for air, but no. Still had to breath. Douxie still stole a quick peck before chuckling.

"Not bad, love," he breathed, the two sharing a pocket of air. A small pocket, but it was theirs. "Brilliant." He leaned his forehead against hers, eyes still shut as if he thought that it was a dream and he didn't want wake up. Angel only opened her eyes to make sure it wasn't a dream. "I've wanted to do that for so long."

"Really?" Angel asked and the genuine surprise made Douxie open his eyes in confusion. "How long?"

"A few months after we met." Douxie was nervous. Despite initiating the kiss, despite being completely calm in saying his own confession, admiting that particular bit of information was embarrassing.

"Why? I'm not, pretty or anything. I'm-" Douxie cut her off with another kiss. 

"Your are ravishing, darling. Don't ever think different." Angel blushed deeply but smiled. It was full of happiness, nothing hidden behind it. This time, she initiated.

Chapter Text

"Oh, apparently, Claire's the queen. But, yes, Jim wins the challenge! Mole Mania is the theme, but if I see one drop of mud on my gymnasium floor- Just dress like normal!" Angel chuckled as Toby gave Jim a thumbs up. But Coach Lawrence soon cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention as he spoke again.

"There has been a sudden departure. I have heard word that Principal Levit has taken an indefinite leave of absence. We wish him well. But he sent an e-mail recommending an interim replacement, which we all support. Please welcome Principal Strickler!"

Angel sat up at the name and tensed. She refused to run right now, willing herself to leave when everyone else did. No one clapped but Eli, cheering for him like it was a great thing he was back. Strickler grabbed the mic and looked back at Jim and Toby, before turning to the crowd.

"I'm very glad to be back and excited to get started," he said to everyone, but his eyes seemed to train on Angel. The fleeting kindness she had seen before was gone, replaced by a wicked grin.. "But let it be known, with me in charge, things are going to change."

. . .

A week passed with no real problems other than the tension between those three and Strickler. Jim would often glare at him, or have a painfully forced smile plastered on his face. Claire and Toby did as well, but with nowhere near the passion Jim did. And Angel...

Angel couldn't help but get jumpy around him. And getting sent to his office after trying to simply deliver some papers from the office as a favor after saying "Shut your hole" to Steve at the same time as Jim. How was she supposed to know the puns that were happening?

Strickler had the decency to not come after her in full and find her later on to tell her she was pardoned from her detention. She could only nod and back away after.

A couple days later, Angel found out by accident that she could use magic again, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to when she knocked over a stack of books and instinctively used a levitation spell to catch them. It scared Douxie half to death and he still refused to teach her more spells.

Upset and annoyed, Angel went through her day at school, only noting that Toby was floating at the flagpole but doing nothing since Claire was handling it proving that Jim had finally told her. That and her phone buzzed as she was heading back to class.

Hey, was Douxie's text.

At school. Can't talk now.

Come to the side of school

What part of at school, can't talk now, didn't you understand?

Just come on. It'll be fun, love

Fine 🙄

😋

So avoiding the Touch-a-Truckathon in the front and Mary as she ran to the bathroom, Angel made her to the side of the school. Douxie was leaning against his motorcycle with a knowing smirk on his face.

"What's so important to make me late for fifth?" Angel joked, but secretly she was glad to miss it. After all, she never liked algebra all that much.

"I was thinking. You and I need a break from the troubles of the world," Douxie said, hopping onto his motorcycle and gesturing for her to get on the back.

"I can't just leave school, Douxie."

"You are 18, darling."

"Yeah, but.." she trailed. Angel couldn't think of any real reason that she couldn't go. She had chosen to go to school, though she had finished it years ago. If Douxie was here, he had someone covering the bookstore and he didn't have to work at the restaurant.

"But...?"

"But.. You're a bad influence," she sighed as she rolled her eyes and got on the back. Douxie blushed as her arms wrapped around his middle, but quickly laughed and started his motorcycle. They left without hearing the familiar click of camera.

. . .

"How much longer?" Angel asked, her head lolling on his shoulder. "My back kinda hurts."

"We're almost there, love," Douxie chuckled. They had spent nearly an hour on the back of his motorcycle, long since passing the last if the houses of Arcadia over half that time. It had just been trees and one little pasture. It was beautiful, but the pain numbed the beauty.

Douxie was right because he stopped at an opening to a hiking trail after only a couple more minutes. He pulled his motorcycle out of the way and Angel put an illusion to keep it hidden from view, not missing the worried look he gave her when she did.

"Stop looking at me like that," Angel scolded. "I'm not gonna fall down in a fit of tears again."

"Can you blame me for it?" Douxie's voice sounded almost strained, like he wanted be happy but was too worried for her mental state. Angel flinched at his words but quickly gave him a smile. She walked over to him and placed a hand gently on his face, rubbing her thumb over his cheek. He tensed but didn't move.

"I'm fine. I promise." Douxie sighed as he put his hand over hers and weakly returned her smile, his tired eyes crinkling softly at the corners.

"I- I know, darling," he mumbled into her hand. "I know." His lips felt soft on her palm, his breath warm. Angel felt herself tense as she breathed in sharply. Damnit Angel, stop being so afraid! She thought as she pulled away awkwardly. Douxie noticed and took a step back nervously, quickly leading her down the path and away from their close positions. This was new to both of them.

The trail itself was beautiful. Spring was coming and all the flowers bloomed from both tree and ground. Petals of all colors fell around them, even if the wind only gave them a couple at a time. Though, the green light that filtered through the trees didn't look right on Douxie. Even though it was soft, it felt harsh on his skin.

Douxie however, thought she looked stunning in the light. It complimented her eyes, the softness of her face. A strand of her hair fell in her face and he brushed it behind her ear. She didn't look as he did, but she blushed. He couldn't help himself and gave her a tentative kiss on the cheek.

She chuckled and interlocked their fingers, moving closer to him. He didn't expect it but smiled all the same. It took only a few more minutes before they heard the rushing of water and the smell of wet, upturned earth.

Douxie smirked and started running, dragging her. Angel giggled like she never had before and let herself be pulled by him. Through a curtain of vines was a waterfall, foaming at the bottom. Around the little pond that looked like it would be a fun swim and just deep enough to do so, the greenery was bright and luscious.

Everything about this felt amazing. The slight breeze caused by the waterfall, the smell of it relaxing. Angel closed her eyes and let herself drown in it for a moment. When she opened them again, she was someplace else. 

It was rougher and dryer, less of a pond and more of a creek. The little hill they were on had long plants of which she didn't know the name. Train tracks towered over her on the topmost part of the hill, the rest practically a red bridge.

It was nice, this time to herself. No one to yell at her, no annoying sisters who never listened. She sighed, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she was back to the present. 

"Thank you, Douxie," she muttered, walking to the side of pond. When she heard him move next to her, her mind went to devious place. But he had been so nice.

"Well, you've told me about how nature calms you down," Douxie said, so close now. His fate was sealed the moment he put a hand on her shoulder. "You know, with the whole thing during the break and now Strickler, I just figured- wait, I know that look! Don't you dar-" 

"Too late!" She pushed him into the water. After a moment submerged, he emerged full of surprise, shock, and faked hurt.

"What in the world did you do that for?" He asked the cackling girl on the shore. When it was clear she couldn't answer due to it, he sighed dramatically and laid his arm across his head. "Unbelievable! I've been betrayed. And by you, no less, darling!" 

"S-sorry, Douxie," she said as she started to calm herself down. "I couldn't help- hey!" She yelled as she was lifted off the ground and pulled over the water. Douxie had a devious smirk, not unlike the one she'd had only moments ago. When she was a safe distance from the water so she wouldn't be hurt, Douxie let go of the levitation spell on her.

The ensuing splash sent Douxie under again, but they both came up after. Her hair was sticking to her face in wild ways as she spit out some water out. Douxie laughed, getting him splashed with water. 

This started a war.

. . .

"Where are Angel and Claire?" Darci asked Mary as they headed down the front steps of the school. "I haven't seen either of them since lunch." Mary wasn't listening, just focusing on her phone.

"Who knew she was into bad boys?" Mary muttered. "#neverknowsomeone #badboy #goodgirl #motorcycle #... hey Darc, what's another good hashtag?"

"For what? Who's into bad boys?" 

"Oh, just our sweet little Angel who rode off on a motorcycle with some college boy." Darci wouldn't have believed it if Mary didn't practically shove the phone in her face, and ergo, the picture itself.

"Wait, that's where's she went?! Omg!" Darci snatched the phone away to get a closer look. There was no doubt about it being Angel, since she had her galaxy backpack, blackish gray jeans, dark red flannel button up, and short black curly hair. The guy she was with was cute and she said as much to Mary.

"Not just cute- Hot! Honestly, she may not look like it, but to get him, she's gotta be a player."

"Not everyone has to be a player to get guys. Claire isn't and she has Jim."

"Jim is hardly on the level of that guy. I'm telling you, she's living a secret life. I'm going to find out that secret of hers and the first step-" Mary snatched

her phone away- "is to post this and see her reaction and anyone else's!"

Darci did not see this going well.

Chapter Text

"Angor!" Strickler yelled into the night. "You dare attempt to distort my mind with a pixie?" As Angor laughed, leaving the shadows, Strickler furiously turned to his troll form and turned to him. "The nightmare would scare the ring from my hand?" 

With a single punch, Angor was on the ground. It was strong, but he could have easily defended against it if it weren't for that infernal ring.

"You are a dog, and this is your leash! I am your master! Obey my command and kill the Trollhunter and wizards!"

"In that case," Angor growled as he got up. "You might want to avoid that school of yours tomorrow." Strickler changed but didn't leave right away.

"Be careful with the girl wizard and pixies. Her magic is more unstable when her subconscious runs it."

"Like I said before. I shall take them down my way." Strickler huffed and walked off, missing the next words out of Angor's mouth. 

"But the ring will be mine...."

. . .

"There's nothing much to tell," Claire admitted to Darci, Mary, and Angel as they stood by their lockers. Angel was smiling at a few pictures of Douxie on her phone. She kept looking at him different ever since they became... whatever they were. "Except, I asked him."

Angel, Mary, and Darci gasped, each different levels of surprise.

"Sweet," Angel said, giving Claire a fist bump.

"Good, girl," Darci clapped. Mary looked as though she were the only sane one.

"Excuse me girls," she interrupted putting her hands on her hips. "Do not celebrate! Educate!"

"What does that mean?" Angel asked, slight glare in her eyes.

"There are rules to being on top of the social food chain. What sort of world do you think we live in?" Mary, Angel, and Darci walked forward, Claire rolling her eyes as Angel and Mary began arguing.

"If only you knew," Claire said before spotting Jim at his locker and waved with a smile, the boy happily waving back. Claire made a strangling motion at the arguing girls, Jim couldn't help but smile bigger.

"So I'm guessing you asked that hot punk rocker boy to pick you up yesterday, huh?" A few minutes into the argument about what girls should or shouldn't do.

"What?" Angel choked, freezing in her place. Whatever rebuttal she had expected after her last comment, it wasn't that.

"I mean yesterday, when you left after lunch. His motorcycle is cool by the way." Mary's stare made Angel's stomach squirm and face heat. 

"I- no. I didn't- he- I just went home a little sick. Monthly, ya know." It wasn't a complete lie that she'd told the teachers. It had actually started later that night, one of the only times it had good timing.

"Uh huh," Mary scoffed as she took out her phone. Angel watched curiously as she scrolled through many selfies of herself till one that was familiar came up.

"Mary!"

"What?" Claire asked, looking over friend's shoulder, eyes widening slightly. "Woah. Wait, is that-"

"My roommate. Yes Claire." Claire didn't understand why she didn't want to brag that she was rooming with an awesome rocker, but gave her a nod still.

"For the record, I told her to delete it," Darci sighed, putting a hand on her head. "I barely stopped her from posting it." Angel glared at Mary. The two had never fully gotten along. Mary was often concerned about her looks and how people saw her, the status quo as it were.

Angel, even when in high school the first time, was quiet and shy. As she had grown old, part of that had dissipated. But with that also came less fear of how people saw her and more of would they let her be herself. 

So the two butted heads more often than not.

"Well, delete it now!" Angel yelled, a mistake as Mr. Uhl was nearby.

"Delete what, Ms Sweet?" Uhl asked as he looked over Mary's shoulder. Once he saw her phone and the picture on it, he studied Angel with a look that made her, Darci, Mary, and Claire shift uncomfortably.

"Um, nothing, Sénior Uhl," Mary tried, moving to put her phone up. Uhl was faster and grabbed it.

"So, this is why you left yesterday?"

"It's how I left. He's my roommate and he came to pick me up."

"That must have hurt, with your problems."

"Well, it was either that, or walking. We don't have a car." Uhl knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, and Angel knew it too. But the picture was hardly incriminating and her problems weren't able to be disproved either. So he sighed. "Very well.

"But," he said as he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. "I am cashing in on my Christmas gift. After the Touch-a-Truckathon, Suzanna needs to be cleaned. Mary." Mary jumped at her name and looked up. "You are to help her, if you don't want detention for possible cyberbullying." 

Mary tried her best to protest, but both Claire and Darci stopped her. Uhl told the two to meet at his house Sunday at 2 to get the job done. Angel left when he did, too scared that Mary would blame it all on her and a fight would ensue.

Angel was always scared of her anger, afraid of what she would do. She didn't exactly have the best role models for healthily outsourcing her anger growing up. 

She had a free period right before lunch, so she spent it in the library reading and perusing the shelves. She wondered if she could just hide in here the rest of the day, avoid Mary.

"Gah!" She exclaimed when something flew in her ear. Angel stuck a finger in her ear and hit the opposite side of her head, but nothing came out. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she decided to go to the nurse anyway.

. . .

Douxie liked working the bookstore more than the restaurant. The people were nicer, if not a bit weird. Right now there was this lady carrying a baby doll around like a baby, muttering to it and asking it questions like 'are you comfortable?' 'What book do you want?'.

Even after seeing people like this all his centuries, he never got used to it. Soon enough, he was left alone to stock and pick up. Angel insisted on doing the paperwork herself, something about doing it a certain way. 

Though he lo- liked her a lot, she got a bit touchy over some random things. She mentioned having a bit of OCD, so the things she could control, she'd like too. If he did them, she wouldn't be outright mad, just annoyed. And not even fully annoyed at him, just at herself for feeling that way.

Still, he loved the things that came with living with her, a thing that had been made better now that they were... something. 

Like sending her off to bed now included a kiss most of the time. Cuddling on the couch watching movies was a given and not something that happened by accident or only when the other was upset. And then seeing her wake up with wild hair and sleepy expression that was one of the only times she hid nothing....

Everything had gotten better. 

. . .

Of course Strickler would send Pixies to the school. No regard for the students at all.

"For the glory of Merlin," Jim started as he rounded a corner, his armor appeared on him. The Trollhunter let out a gasp as he saw Angor Rot, a student running in front of him with a scream. With a chuckle, Angor watched the students who had literally lost their minds, one kid swimming on the floor. Obviously the troll loved the view of the student body making a mockery of themselves. 

"Daylight," Jim tried though he knew it was futile. As soon as the sword appeared in his hands, it transfered over to Angor's and the haunting reminder of his curse fell upon his face.

"You've kept your wits, Hunter," Angor chuckled. "Let's see if you can keep your head." Angor taunted him, holding the sword forward, grinning mischievously.

"Okay, then. Plan B." The thigh blades he'd just learned about were summoned into Jim's hands, the boy connecting the two and readying them. Yet, the fight was seized when a girl's voice was heard.

"I'm not her! I didn't hurt you!" Was that Angel? Jim started to call out, to warn her, but Angor grabbed her and held Daylight to her delicate human throat. "I'm not her!"

"Great," Jim groaned, his body slouching. Angor stepped forward, still using Angel as a shield, but would occasionally look at her with calculating eyes. Like he was debating whether take her and run, or fight Jim.

"Your fight is with me Angor!" Jim yelled, pulling apart the blade. That startled Angel, and she looked at Jim. She had trouble focusing on him, but she was definitely looking at him.

"Jim?" She asked, startling Angor. Did he look a little frightened? "Wait, this isn't real! Who's holding me? Let me go!" She yelled as she struggled against his grip, surprisingly strong.

Angor must have decided that she wasn't worth it because he tossed Angel to the side and spinning at Jim, hoping to land a blow. Jim did his best to block them, running from the tip of his sword.

At the chance, Jim swung, the small blade barely licking Angor's abdomen. Angor reacted quicker, kicking Jim against the wall, one blade embedding itself next to him.

Quickly pulling the blade from the wall, Jim dropped to his knees, grunting as Daylight pierced right where he had been. Not hesitating, Jim drug the blade against Angor's ankle, the assassin screaming in pain.

Angered, he stabbed the floor, Jim ducking and rolling before he threw the blades, the weapons twirling around Angor, Jim's eyes growing in size as he watched Angor swing at them. 

Finally, Angor landed a hit on the blades, both flying towards the wall, jamming themselves, leaving Jim to fend without a weapon. Before Angor charged, Jim held out his hands, hoping he could pull them out. Unfortunately they only wiggled at the invisible force but did nothing else.

"Come on! How do these thing work?" He cried out before rolling from the blade that had suddenly appeared. Angor was quicker, the blunt end of the sword colliding with Jim's stomach, the boy groaning as he wrapped his arms around the injured spot.

Angor gripped the Trollhunter's throat, lifting him in the air, the said boy kicking and struggling in hopes to be free.

"Even with your new toys, you're no match for me," Angor growled. Jim grunted, finally managing to free his blades and looked at Angor, making a gesture with his hand, controlling the blades.

"Maybe I'm not, but they are!" The blade sliced through the golden honeycomb-like cage, the pixies pouring out and swarming Angor like bees. Jim heard giggling, the little mind-controlling pixies made Angor drop Jim and swing the sword at the little yellow orbs. Completely distracting the assassin so Jim could run.

"No!" Angor yelled as he noticed the hunter leaving. He would have followed, but a blast of pink hit him in the back. Turning around, he saw Angel standing in a defensive position, hands glowing with pink magic.

"You aren't touching the Trollhunter!" She yelled, her eyes barely able to focus on her foe. Angor drove the pixies away, readying to fight the girl.

"Are you going to stop me, little sorceress?" He chuckled, still holding Daylight. Angel sent out a few blasts towards his face. He blocked them easily but cried out in pain as his wrist crackled with electricity. 

Angor was pulled forward by it, expecting to hit the sorceress, but just slid against the smooth floor. He felt the electric rope wrap around his neck, pulling his fist to punch his face. 

With a roar, he shot black fire behind him. Angor heard the collision of magic and knew she put up a shield. That and her electric rope disappeared. He swung with his stolen sword at her feet. Because of her shield, it only knocked her over. 

He picked her up by the throat not unlike what he had done to Jim only moments before.

"I'm not going to kill the Trollhunter," he whispered. "Not if helps me get my ring. And you-" he slammed her against the lockers. "You better hope he does. Or else you and your wizard lover will meet the same fate as him."

"How- how did you-"

"Your book lined walls don't hide you well, Sorceress. Now," he dropped her to the ground, the pixie flying out of her ear, "stay out of my way." 

Though she was knocked out, he stayed on the defensive until he met the Trollhunter in the school training area. And even he didn't fair as well as the Sorceress. She and her lover would be the last on his list, were he betrayed.

. . .

"I came as soon as I got word," Strickler said to the nearest policeman, looking around at the students who were explaining things to paramedics and parents. "Please tell me no one was hurt."

"They're all accounted for," the policeman sighed. "Looks like some kind of chemical leak in your science lab. That stuff can make you go pretty loopy. You're lucky there was only one injury." As he said that, he gestured to Angel holding an ice pack to her head. Apparently, Barbara had come to the scene as soon as she heard because she was ushering the girl to her car.

"Jim!" She yelled to her son who was standing with the other trollhunters and Blinky. "I'll be right back. I am not letting Angel ride home on a motorcycle, of all things." Angel muttered something of a refusal, to which Barbara replied, "or walk. Seriously, are you crazy?"

"Very lucky indeed," Strickler muttered as Angel was ushered in the car and driven off. Either Angor was incompetent or she was stronger than he thought.

. . .

"Thank you," Angel said, glancing over at the driver's seat. Barbara smiled back.

"It's no problem at all," she said. Then scoffed. "And besides, what kind parents only own a motorcycle? I think I might need to have a few words with them."

"Douxie is my roommate. I don't live with my parents." Barbara faltered, giving her a worried glance.

"You don't?" Angel shook her head then immediately regretted it as she winced. "Don't move your head around so much. You may as well have a concussion." It was silent for awhile after that, but even though it was likely a touchy subject, she couldn't help ask it as a parent herself. "Where are your parents?" Angel chuckled humorlessly.

"Miles away, no doubt. I left the day I turned 18."

"You what- why?" 

"Because I was constantly gaslit and told my feelings weren't important. Because I wasn't able to be myself. I have one girlfriend and it's suddenly me flaunting it everywhere. Being compared to pedophilia, being cut off from my biological mother's side of the family, take your pick." She was bitter, and upset. 

Her head injury was likely why she was telling her all this. It wasn't a concussion, but it was as close as she could be without tipping that line.

"Wow, ok. Well, I still should come in and tell Douxie what's going one."

"That's fair." 

. . .

Douxie figured trying to cook would be a nice surprise. Hamburger Helper was one of her favorites, and was easy enough to make, so that was what he was doing. In the middle of browning the meat, he heard the door to the shop open.

"Douxie? You home?" Angel's voice called out.

"You live in the bookstore?" Another answered, a voice Douxie recognized but couldn't place. Still, he hurried down excitedly to meet her. The smile faded when he saw the tired look on her face and bag of ice on her head.

"Bleeding Balroths," he muttered, practically jumping down the entirety of the spiral steps.

"Careful!" Angel exclaimed as he tripped on the last step. 

"What happened?" He asked, gently reaching out to touch her head. She winced and pulled back. He settled for a hand on her shoulder.

"There was a chemical leak in the science lab," the woman, Dr. Lake, he realized, said. "It caused the whole school to live their worst fear. Hers must have been a bit of a violent one. She needs to stay in bed for a few days."

"Will she be alright?" Dr. Lake smiled kindly.

"Yes. She doesn't have a concussion. But it's very close, so keep an eye on her."

"Thank you, for driving her home." 

"Anytime. And here's my number in case you need anything. If I'm off, I can most likely get to you guys faster than an ambulance."

"Hey, what's that burning smell?" Angel asked as Douxie took the little note. Douxie sniffed and face palmed. 

"Oh, Fuzzbuckets!"

Chapter Text

"That's it!" Zoe exclaimed excitedly as Angel finally shot a steady stream of magic into the red bullseye she'd made. And with one hand, no less. "You're getting better everyday."

"Thanks, Zoe," Angel said, letting go of the maroon beam and examining her hand. "Once I got used to a quick succession of little blasts, one continuous one was easy."

"So you really think you're past all your emotional blocks?" Angel considered for a moment as Zoe tossed a rock her way. It was easy to catch with a levitation spell, and even easier to toss back and forth. As she watched the glow change from pink to maroon, she sighed.

"I don't know," she said. "After those damn pixies and Angor-" Angel stopped cold, realizing her mistake. And Zoe had control of the rock at the moment.

"Do you mean Angor Rot?" Zoe asked calmly, but she knew the danger behind the words she spoke. "He's been risen?"

"Um.. yeah, I guess. You know that whole day is a blur to me."

"And yet you remember the legend of Angor Rot with it; and the fact that he used pixies too."

"I never said-"

"You didn't have too." Though they were at the start of an argument, Zoe was never one to pass up an opportunity to test reflexes. She launched the rock high into the air and as it fell, Angel made her electric rope wrap around her arm for a better grip and swung it at the rock. It split in two, and she swung it at the remaining pieces cutting them as well.

"Ugh," Angel groaned, letting the rope fall. She was able to easily control the rope after a week of training with Zoe, but she couldn’t shut off the electricity that came with it. "I'm horrible at this."

"I admit you are having trouble with some things," Zoe said, picking up the scorched stone and examining it. "But your training is going a lot faster than I expected."

"I can't even make a rope that can grab something without ruining it!" Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Wow, you are determined to talk bad about yourself."

"I'm just- it's just that I know I can do better." Zoe tossed the rock piece she had to Angel, who easily caught it in a maroon glow.

"Then maybe be better at telling the truth." Angel looked at her hard expression, only noting a bit of hurt hiding beneath. With a sigh, Angel told her what happened.

. . .

Douxie loved Jack and his company, his ability to have fun wherever...

Just not while he was at work.

"How can you two stand to work here?" He asked from atop the front desk, swinging his legs against the wood. Thump, thump, thump, thump. 

"Well, unlike you, we both like reading," Douxie countered as he swept. "Angel more than me, but still. Plus, I barely get any tips at the restaurant."

"Fair. It's just so boring here." Jack's head lolled back as he looked to the ceiling and made noises. Then he rolled it to the side and gave Douxie an impish smirk. The wizard didn't notice.

"So," Jack began, not slowing his leg swinging. "You and Angel finally got together, huh?"

"Um, yes. Sort of," Douxie turned to him rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We haven't exactly set a- well, a label for what we are." Always talking with his hands, that guy.

"Hm." Douxie's eyes narrowed, knowing that tone. Jack chuckled and raised his hands in defense. "It just sounds a bit suspect to me."

"Suspect how?" 

"Let's just say I've heard many people say that about a person that they are, but don't want to have it said, having-"

"No! No, no, no," Douxie said, his face redder than a tomato. "We haven't done... that, y- I'm not sure if we- I don't-" he continued stammering causing Jack's smirk to grow. 

"Really, I don't know why you're acting like a little kid right now." Jack propped himself up on his knees, stopping his swinging.

"I'm acting like a kid?" Douxie asked incredulously. 

"Mmhm. I am over here trying to have a mature conversation about sex-" Jack used magic to keep Douxie's mouth shut. "Which we've both had more than a few times. And you seem to want to avoid the subject all together." 

Douxie had tried to get the magical muzzle off to no avail, so he groaned and went back to sweeping.

"I don't get it," Jack mused. "You've been with a lot of guys and girls over the years. What happened to the confident Douxie that wasn't scared of the topic?" Douxie glared at him for a moment and when Jack shrugged, he rolled his eyes and pointed to the muzzled. Jack obliged with an "Oh."

"Thank you, Jack," he said with no indication it was true. But he sighed, looking down at the ground. "And I'm not scared. It's just- there's something about her that makes me nervous, especially with that subject."

"Sex." Douxie snapped his eyes up and Jack just shrugged. Douxie rolled his eyes and looked out the window, his expression softening. Jack dared a glance and saw that Zoe and Angel were walking up.

Douxie sighed and smiled, one that Jack had never seen on him before. It was gentle, soft, and awed at the same time. His eyebrows tilted down in some latent admiration.

He was in love. So Jack wouldn't push it again, at least for now. But he would have some fun. They had a magical trigger to tint the windows. He used Douxie's lovestruck gaze as a window to get behind the desk and make mounds of snow appear. Peaking out, he saw Angel was the first one coming in.

Perfect.

. . .

As soon as Angel was hit with the first snowball, there was no stopping the war. Douxie wasn't near as bad an influence as Jack was, so maybe she shouldn't have called him one.

"Hey!" He yelled as a snowball hit him square in the face. He glared at her accusingly but playfully as she hid behind the stairs with a grin just as impish as Jack's. "Really, love?"

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" She taunted. In response, she got a snowball to the face. "You cheater! No magic allowed!" But she was laughing as she threw another.

Jack had finally annoyed Zoe enough to get her to participate. Now it was Douxie vs Angel, which was playful and slightly flirty, and Zoe vs Jack, which was almost a downright fistfight on her end. Neither team noticed that the open sign was still facing outward.

. . .

"Why are we going to the bookstore again?" Toby asked Claire as they parked their bikes. She refused to even attempt to ride his Vespa, one because she couldn't drive and two.....

"Angel works here," Claire said, Toby groaning. She ignored him. "And lives. Point is, she hasn't been in school all week. I wanna make sure she's OK after Angor's attack. Since we have nothing better to do until Blinky finds some way to- ah!" Claire just barely dodged to oncoming projectile. It instead hit the door, falling apart in a white crumple.

"What the heck?" Toby exclaimed, looking around the store. Claire followed his gaze and gasped. 

"Snow? Inside?" Angel and some brown haired guy with frosted tips ducked behind the front desk, twin snowballs following them. Angel popped up and blew a raspberry at the attacker, promptly getting hit for her act of defiance.

Double laughs rushed past them and cornered the two in hiding. What sounded like monkey like laugh and thump of a punch sounded. The screech was just Angel laughing at what seemed like a tickle kiss attack from Douxie.

Claire felt something twist in her stomach when she saw them. She wasn't jealous in the normal sense. She wasn't attracted to Douxie and wasn't attracted to girls at all. 

But they were happy and they had each other. 

I can't lose anymore of you.

Jim had gone off into Darklands alone, no support, no allies; just him and the horrors that were there. Chompsky couldn't sleep with the lights out anymore. Or even just the TV light on, as the glow was too similar to what little light was there.

She refused to cry here, not when they were supposed to be checking in on Angel. She stalked off, letting the door almost close on Toby. That drew the attention of the pink, short haired girl and frosted tipped boy. Douxie and Angel were.... caught up in something..

"Uhh... hi?" Toby said stupidly with a quick smile and a wave before running off after Claire. "Claire? Claire, are you ok?"

"Yeah.." she said softly, almost so much so that he didn't hear her. He knew it was a lie, but he couldn't do anything. Except-

"Why don't come over for a bit? My Nana makes the best pumpkin pie." Despite her sadness and everything that had happened, Claire agreed to spend some time at Toby's house.

"Oh, you must be one of my Toby Pie's friends," Nana exclaimed when they entered and Toby announced they'd head up into his room and she had cut them off. "It's so nice when he brings his friends over. Why hasn't James been over lately?"

"Uh, he's been sick!" Toby blurted. "Jim Lake disease; he's the first case ever and it's very contagious. He can't go anywhere."

"The poor boy. I'll bake some cookies for him and Barbara later."

"Dr. Lake doesn't really want any reminders of it right now," Claire cut in. "It's hard enough not being able to treat him herself."

"Yeah, so don't mention it to her," Toby added, dragging Claire to his room. "Ever." 

Claire had never seen Toby's room before and to say it was small was a bit of an understatement. How he was able to fit Blinky, Arrrgh, and Jim in here all at once with no problems...

Thinking of Jim again nearly brought a tear to her eyes as she sat down on Toby's weirdly soft bed.

"So, what's the plan while we wait for pie?" Claire asked as Toby looked around the room wistfully, like he was getting reacquainted with an old friend. Or dealing with the loss of one. Had he not been back here since that fight? "Tob-"

"We can play video games," he said, quickly setting up the box to distract himself. "I have Crime Auto Thief, Battle Of The Ninja Zombies, and-" he stopped himself when the TV turned on, showing a paused game of Go-Go Sushi. A frozen moment in time. 

Claire looked on as Toby continued to stare at the screen. A reminder of the life before that radio in to go to Trollmarket, to find the last stone. Then the call to open the door, Dr. Lake needing that spell, Angor launching an assault on them, Jim leaving them for the Darklands...

She pushed herself to her feet only to kneel next to Toby and hug him. It was the last straw for both of them. Tears and silent sobs filled the room until Nana called that supper was ready.

Chapter Text

Douxie really hadn't meant to start a near make-out session, but with the random kisses to her face going all over, it was inevitable that he would hit her lips. 

And then it sort of just kept going, so deeply that they both forgot about Zoe and Jack being there until a cleared throat got their attention. Their red faces weren't just because of the kiss.

Now on patrol with her after weeks of refusing to even let her use magic without a fight, the threat of her going on her own, Douxie was more anxious than normal. And it didn't help what they were possibly hunting.

"You are sure it was a Heetling?" Archie asked as he jumped from dumpster to dumpster, cringing at every step. 

"That's what a floating ball of fire going after what was said to be the most precious item from each of the victims is," Angel said, squriting water bottle at the ready. "Oh, and the fact that every one of them had a burn on the back of their right palm. And the attacks only happened at night."

"Hmm. You know your monsterology." Archie looked proud of her, meanwhile Douxie looked confused. 

"How did you learn about all that from an offhanded comment from Darcy?" He asked and she suddenly got quiet. Douxie glared suspiciously. "Angel, what did you do?"

"Well..." she trailed, refusing to walk directly next to him or look at him. She was feigning watching her surroundings in full, but of course her face flushed as she tensed. The graffiti of the alley seemed so interesting at the moment. "Mary, happened to be one of the victims, as I found out when we washed Mr. Uhl's truck the other day. Then Darci mentioned that her dad was working on other cases similar.

"So... I.... may have skipped school to follow him around and look at the police reports." 

"What?!" 

"Shhh!! You'll scare the heetling!"

"Do you realize how, well, illegal, that is?"

"I was invisible! And I didn't talk or make any noises." That was a bit of lie. While following Detective Scott down a hallway, she had sneezed causing him to look directly at her. Thankfully he shrugged it off.

"Still, if you had lost focus for even a second-"

"I didn't!"

"But if you had-" 

"I wouldn't have!"

"How do you know?"

"Because Zoe is a strict about focus and keeping aware of my surroundings at all times. Happy?" As the words left her mouth, she stopped, tensing again. She dared a glance at a similarly frozen Douxie, his expression a mix between anger and hurt but otherwise unreadable.

Even Archie, who had stopped a bit back, stopped looking so proud. "Douxie, I- ow!" A burning sensation came quickly to her right hand, making her drop the bottle of water. The water was boiling, melting the plastic. 

They had drawn the heetling out, at least. 

In quick succession, little balls of flame started coming at them from all angles. Angel was a quick draw with the defense as Douxie used a rope to pull Archie too him right as the magic shield covered them.

"You don't know any water spells, do you?" Angel asked, struggling with the assault. How many balls of fire could heetlings turn into? There had to be a limit.

"What, Zoe didn't teach you one?" The bitterness in his tone surprised Angel, but it also twisted her confusion and focus into anger.

"Oh, you're really going there now?"

"Well, she apparently knows more than me!" 

"That is not why I went to her!"

"Then why?"

"I'll tell you later! Just get rid of them!" 

"I can't until the shield is down!"

"Ugh. And I can't lower it until they stop."

"It's not my fault."

"I didn't say it was!"

"Unbelievable," Archie muttered, turning to dragon form and hovering in between the two. "You're bickering is making you blind to the-"

"Not now, Arch!" The wizards spoke simultaneously. The dragon simply rolled his eyes and left the protective bubble without them noticing. Immediately, he got attacked by the fireballs, but his scales were resistant to it.

Since they couldn't do any damage to him physically, they flocked around his face, trying to blind him. Being a dragon and a wizard's familiar, his eyes and glasses were protected against the heat and light. They were, however, an annoyance for his mission. 

He flew around wildly as they blocked his vision. He knew where both a dripping pipe and hydrant was, in fact he was almost there before they started clouding his vision. Faintly, he heard Douxie call out his name but the roaring of the flames was too loud. 

Just a little further, he thought very unhopefully. He did hear the telltale sound of magic being used and soon felt water rushing over him. It pushed him all the way across the alley to the opposite wall. The heetlings were gone, but as he fell to the ground his glasses cracked. 

Every sound was amplified in his ears, pounding against temple. He must have hit his head. The last thing he could make out was a very blurry Douxie pounding towards him, calling his name, and Angel stopping her pursuit of the last heetling to run towards another sound. A sound that was so familiar but he couldn't place his paw on.

But the world went black and he couldn't think about that anymore.

. . .

Douxie felt horrible as he laid his familiar on his bed. Archie was stuck in dragon form, so a vet was completely out of the question. It probably would have been anyway considering he wasn't always a cat and he probably wouldn't have been able answer many of the questions anyway.

How had the night gone so bad so fast? She was just practicing with Zoe, who had taught him a lot of things though she was 200 years younger than him. And he hadn't been exactly helpful with Angel's magic anyway.

Still, there was a twist of jealousy left in the pit of his stomach. And he knew it was jealousy. It was stupid, but he'd felt it enough times through the years to know it when it came. Douxie buried his head in his hands with a groan. 

His moment of self pity didn't last long as a loud whine came from the living room. Right. Along with all the other items that were stolen, they ended up getting an extra surprise along with them. A baby.

The little brown haired, pale skinned boy thankfully seemed unharmed but Angel and Douxie both agreed to take him and the rest of the things home to make sure there were no magical harm done to them. 

And now Angel was holding the little boy who had a little stripped green sweater on and almost too big jean shorts. Angel had gotten one of her beanies to place on his head to keep him warm.

She was humming softly to him, keeping him quiet enough, gently rocking him and bouncing him. 

"How's he doing?" Douxie asked softly as he walked up next to her. The little guy was whining and struggling sleepily in his grasp. 

"He's hungry," she sighed, not taking her focus off of the boy. "And likely in need of a diaper change. Think you'd be able to watch him on your own while I...." Douxie had become increasingly nervous at the prospect of watching the baby on his own, and she let out a small chuckle. "Alright, I'll take him with me. You watch after Arch."

"You can't go alone with him. There might be other heetlings out there."

"I'll be fine," she said sternly, walking towards the door and grabbing her purse. "The store is right around the corner and the sun is coming up. They usually don't come out during the day."

"But-"

"I can handle myself, despite what you may think. I'm going and I'll protect him."

"I know, I just- Angel!" She shut the door on him.

. . .

"Since when did you have a baby?" Claire asked as Angel walked into the baby aisle. She was there herself because of a project her and Jim were working on. He had Petunia for the night and was going to watch her all day at school. She was still getting her head around him being back.

"He's not mine," Angel said and shifted the kid gently. "I'm watching him for a friend."

"Aw. What's his name?" Angel flushed and worked on getting some wipes off the shelf. Claire chuckled and grabbed them herself. 

"Umm, Ma...son.. yeah, Mason." The way she said that had Claire suspicious. Though, she had been for awhile. During the attack at school, Jim hadn't gotten as hurt as her, and he had said that she had fought against the illusion; the indoor snowstorm about a week ago; she always seemed to be more willing to believe her excuses that Claire knew she was making more unbelievable by the day. 

"Need some help?"

"Would you? I don't have anything to put him in."

"Sure." So the two went through the aisle talking kindly and quietly in the early hours of the morning. "My mom sometimes sends me on a 'milk run', as she calls them."

"I remember being dragged on them too. And let me tell you, three little sisters who are only two years apart garner a lot of stuff."

"You're a sister too?" 

"Seven years older than Marie, the oldest. Of those three, anyway."

"How many sisters do you have?" 

"Three from my mom, plus a step-sister, brother, and sister from my dad. Plus an older sister I've never met." 

"Wow. And all I've got is Enrique and a couple cousins I've never seen." 

"This should be enough," Angel said as Claire put some formula in the little basket that she had taken from her. She made to grab it, but Claire refused to let her since she was carrying Mason still. She seemed a bit more touchy about it than usual, but sighed. "Thank you for helping me."

"That's a cute baby you've got there," a woman said, startling the both of them. Looking up, Angel saw a lovely brown haired woman with amber eyes, almost like fire. Her dress was a dark grey, but there were some dark spots. She looked directly at Angel with a wide smile. "Is he yours?" 

"What?" She blushed. "No, no. He's- I'm watching him for a friend." The woman made a sound and turned her eyes back to Mason. "Who are you again?"

"Just someone who thought she'd help a young mother. Guess I was wrong about that part." When she looked to Angel, she made sure to meet her eyes. Angel took a step back and tightened her grip on Mason. 

Her eyes didn't just look like fire. They were fire. 

"Um, thanks, but we- we uh, gotta go. She has school soon, don't you Claire?" Claire had been watching the exchange that had started so nice turn so tense within seconds. She was suspicious, definitely; but she also knew and trusted Angel well enough to go along with it.

"Yup!" Claire exclaimed backing up with Angel but more steadily than her. "Can't stay long. Nice meeting you!" The woman didn't say anything, just smiled too widely to be normal. Angel pulled her to the next aisle, in view of the mirror that store employees used to make sure no one shoplifted anything. Luckily, it was for that aisle and the one opposite them. 

"What is going on?" Claire whispered as Angel kept her eyes trained on that mirror. 

"Umm... it's a-"

"Long story?" Angel chuckled slightly, though it had no humor.

"You know, girls," the woman spoke like there was no chance of her getting caught. "When someone has a baby, it makes them sort of, well, predictable. Especially when there's only a few places in town that caters to parents. All we had to do was clear out and watch those places.

"Here's what's going to happen, you two." The air around them suddenly turned stuffy with heat, like the desert at high noon. The woman had begun walking down the aisle and Angel didn't need to usher Claire backwards. "You two will give me the child and I'll let you live. After all-" She turned the corner to find them already gone and growled. "Gunmar loves Wizard flesh the best."

Angel didn't let that go in just yet. All she knew was that that creature was not getting the baby.

"Claire, get him to the bookstore," Angel said as she handed Mason to her. Claire had something in her hand, a grey cylinder of some kind. "I'll by you some time, and I'll meet you there."

"What do you mean? She's obviously not human." Angel caught her worried eyes and sighed as she gave her a determined look.

"I know. I'm not either." Claire would have said more, but the electric rope that wrapped around her arm only had her gasp.

"Holy Sheesh-kebab..."

"Claire, run as soon as I-"

"Found you," the woman's voice whispered in her ear. Angel didn't get a chance to react before white hot pain rushed down her back. Claire yelped but ran away as the heetling gave chase. Angel was quick enough to wrap the rope around her and pull her back.

The heetling screamed out of more annoyance than pain. Her hands were glowing red and her eyes flamed as she turned around. 

"Oh, I'm not saving you for Gunmar," she growled, sending balls of flame at her. Angel had to quickly let go of the rope to shield herself in a bubble. She got pushed back into the far wall, breaking some glass. Unfortunately, so did her bubble. "He'll make it quick!"

The adrenaline kept her from stopping the attack in full. The barrage of magic bullets kept the heetling from attacking her as she got up and ran to the side. With a quick thought, she pulled the glass pieces from her body. It wasn't much and she was bleeding more, but her movements weren't inhibited anymore. And they weren't deep either.

"Get back here, thief!" Now there was an echo to the voice, and the bright light of a glowing flame. Great.

"Oh yeah, I'm the one stealing from the people of this town," Angel remarked as she spotted some water bottles nearby. With a bit of strain, she opened the bag and held as many bottles in front of her as she could. They were on the cusp of breaking, so the heetling stopped. It let out an estranged growl.

"You have no idea what forces you are-"

"Police!" Uh oh. That was Detective Scott's voice, just outside the door. "Put down your weapons and come out with your hands up!" Self preservation went into hyperactive for the two. The heetling broke into little balls of fire and went after the cameras; Angel got rid of the lights and teleported home.

Soon after, Detective Scott burst in with his gun out. After a quick sweep, he determined no one else was there, but that the damage was in the hundreds to say the least. There were a number of burns all over. Especially on the cameras. He was going to have a tough time finding the hooligans who did this.

. . .

To say it was a surprise to see Claire drop into his living room through a shadow portal with the baby and some supplies was an understatement. And by the time she finished explaining what happened, why she was there, and began badgering him with questions herself, Angel appeared in a maroon flash. 

Claire jumped, not used to the form of travel, awakening the baby. Douxie drowned it out to rush over to Angel who was limping horribly towards them.

"Angel!" Douxie yelled, pulling her bleeding arm around him and helping her to the couch. His shirt was ruined, but he didn’t care at all. The two most important people in his life had been hurt badly in one night and he was only getting out with ruined clothes. "What happened?"

"What was that thing?" Claire asked as she got the baby to calm down again. 

"A heetling," Angel said, very strained. "It's what you get when a changeling and a hellheeti mate. I really don’t want to think about how their troll or human forms would basically fuck a fire cat." Despite what just happened, Douxie snorted. Claire gagged but quickly turned to Angel with wide eyes.

"Did you just curse?" She asked. Angel chuckled.

"I'm thirty. I think I'm allowed to say 'fuck' sometimes." Claire let out a little laugh just a loud fart came from the little boy.

"I think that's your cue, Douxie."

"Me?" He asked, pointing to himself. Claire wondered how he'd gotten that rag and bowl of water. "Aren't you the one with a little brother?"

"Yes, but I don't feel all that comfortable changing other people's babies if I don't have to. And if I'm being honest, I am not letting this responsibility get pinned on me until I get some answers." Douxie and Angel shared a defeated glance and he got up to take the boy. A bit awkwardly, he wouldn't lie, but still safely. She grabbed the rag and took his place cleaning her wounds.

"So, you're thirty?" She asked carefully as she washed away the blood from her hands and forearms. The cuts were thankfully shallow, already stopped bleeding, and would likely heal within a day or so and Claire said as much. Having a boyfriend with a doctor for a mother was helpful in times like these.

"That's good," Angel sighed. "And yes, I am. Born in '89." 

"Wow." Claire finished with her first task and was now faced with the problem of her second. "Um, how do you want to do your legs?" 

"Umm, I guess I could go put on a pair of shorts. They aren't that far up my legs. And I should change clothes anyway." 

"Really? Do you need help?" 

"Nah, this is nowhere near as bad when I got kidnapped by Strickler and his friends." 

"You what?" Claire gasped loudly. "Wait, is that why you were in the hospital during Christmas break?" Angel nodded before getting up on shaky limbs. "Dr. Lake mentioned it once. She seems to think you're involved with- what we've been doing." Claire followed her but stopped outside the door. Just in case. 

"That may be because I got cut up by a goblin and said it was coyotes as well." Claire chuckled.

"Great minds think alike."

"Uh, hey Claire! Angel!" Douxie called from his room. "I could use some help!" Claire sighed and walked to his room, which was right next door to Angel's, and expect to see him struggling with the random pees that came with a boy.

"Honestly, it's not that- what the heck!?" She was nearly blown back by the heat in the room. A glowing ball of fire with ashes of what was likely the kids clothes. Speaking of- "Where's the baby?"

"Um," Douxie said with a nervous grin. "That.. is the kid." Claire looked at Douxie like he was insane, but there was a weird echoing cry from the glowing fireball. She looked to it and back to him and he shrugged helplessly.

"Fudgeknuckle..."

Chapter Text

"I know what you're gonna say, Jim," Claire said into the phone. At least Angel wasn't lying about feeling better so she could help while she asked Jim to cover for her. "I promise I'll be there in time to help with the Gruesome."

"Isn't this usually the other way around?" Jim joked, but his tone revealed that he knew this was serious. A tone she was still very glad to have back. "What's this about anyway? Do you need help?" 

"Um... not at the moment." A whine cut through the air and she had to cover her free ear. "Just- just cover for me and Angel! I gotta go!" 

"Claire-" but she hung up the phone and threw it away as the heat became too much. 

"Arch!" Douxie yelled and Claire came in to see him running to his bed and putting a blue shield over himself and whoever was there. A small person, by the looks of it. Claire had her Shadow Staff out and stood defensively next to Angel. 

As the fireball cried, little bits of flame spread out. A guitar, blanket, and a couple records got hit and caught aflame. Douxie got upset, as he should at the loss of his things, but didn't move from Arch's side. Angel quickly put walls of magic over the flames to keep them from spreading.

"Claire, we need water," Angel ordered and she nodded. It was small, but Claire didn't need the portal to be big. She had it go to the kitchen sink and reached through. It was hard, feeling around for the faucet, but eventually she got it. Pulling back her wet hand, she closed the portal next to her and opened a new one above the fire on the bed first. 

The fire fizzled out, so she moved on to the other ones. It seemed like futile effort as the fireball kept whining and setting more fires. Until-

"The sky is dark and the hills are white

As the storm-king speeds from the north to-night," Angel sang softly against the rhythm of running water. It stopped Claire cold for a moment as the fireball stopped whining and made the same noises Enrique did when he was entranced by something. 

"And this is the song the storm-king sings,

As over the world his cloak he flings:" As the fireball slowly dimmed and floated towards Angel gently, she brought a blanket over and began wrapping it around him. The boy seemed to realize what she was doing and went back to a human form as she swaddled him. "'Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;' He rustles his wings and gruffly sings: 'Sleep, little one, sleep.'" 

The baby she had called Mason was falling asleep as Angel gently rocked him back and forth and hummed. It put Claire's baby skills to shame. She dared a glance at Douxie who lowered his shield and had a soft and thoughtful expression. 

"Please tell me you didn't grab the little heetling and that is your new adopted child I hear," a new voice said, the same accent that Douxie had, but a deeper voice. One look to the side of him revealed it to be a black cat.

"A talking cat," Claire stated simply. "Honestly, not the weirdest thing I've seen."

"I'm not a cat. Well, not always." The cat was squinting at her, like he was trying to determine who she was. 

"Who are you? And what are you? If you don't mind my asking, anyway. Uh, is that a rude question?" All three around her chuckled slightly with small smiles.

"He's a familiar, Claire," Douxie offered, petting the cat- familiar, fondly. He lost his smile and gave an apologetic look to the little animal. "My familiar. And someone who we both owe an apology. I'm so sorry, Arch." Arch turned to his voice, giving him a long look before sighing deeply.

"I'm really sorry too, Archie," Angel said, giving him the same apologetic look. "I really shouldn't have-"

"Yes, yes. Just don't make a habit of it." Douxie, in a rush of gratitude, bent down to hug him. Claire let her Shadow Staff close and glanced sidelong to Angel.

"What did you two do?" She asked. Angel flushed and tensed, the way she always did when she didn't want to say something. Douxie noticed and took over.

"We were arguing about, well, something stupid," he said as he looked at Angel with his signature kind expression. But there was a hidden emotion behind it, one that was strained and hard to place. Angel seemed to be as clueless as Claire when it came to reading him in this moment. "It's over now."

Claire couldn't help but think he was lying.

. . .

"Angel? What about Angel?" Steve asked the creep who was making it's home on Eli's chair. "I get Jim being the leader of the creeps, but she's-"

"Always been quiet," Eli said from beside him. "And she's been missing school on almost the exact same days as Jim. I knew there was something off about her! No one would be that nice to me." Steve internally winced as he knew who was responsible for his low self esteem. 

And he was daring to ask for his help. 

"Well, it makes perfect sense for Jim." Steve pulled Eli close. "My nemesis wants to destroy the world and has brainwashed Angel into becoming one."

"You're sticking with that theory?"

"Come on, Pepperjack!" Steve yelled as he spotted a cat carrier and motioned for the creep to get in. He surprisingly obliged. "We're getting to the bottom of this."

And with a quick trip to Jim's in Eli's mom's borrowed car, crashing because of mustache, they found out the best time to attack. They were going to the rock show the next night, Claire getting on the phone close enough to the window they were spying from to call Angel and ask her to come too.

"You owe me," her muffled and whispered voice said. "Especially if you want me to keep your secret from Jim of all people." A beat of silence followed from an unheard reply. "No. No, I just think having a little extra backup is a good idea." Another beat and Claire chuckled a bit. "Don't tell him that. Blinky likely wouldn't let me go after that.

"By the way, how did it go with that heetling?" That beat was longer, and they almost thought that she had hung up and Claire had left. "Huh. Do you trust them?" Beat. Beat. "I don't know. I've heard it a few times. I'll definitely ask around." Beat. "Ok, see you tomorrow night. And take care."

And so, the two had their plan. Steve and Eli would take out two creeps with one stone.

. . .

The events and information from the morning was still playing through her head at the rock show. Thankfully, being a trollhunter for a few months had already made her good at hiding things.

Angel was thirty, turning thirty-one in a few days. Douxie was over 900 years old and had a talking cat as a familiar. She really didn't want to think about how heetlings were made, or what they meant by 'getting their dues once night was eternal'.

Angel and Douxie had returned the baby, apologizing for the mix-up in thinking it was a human baby. But really, after learning that heetlings took that which is most precious from a person only to consume it later for strength, it was no wonder they fought tooth and nail to keep the baby safe.

Speaking of keeping babies safe-

"Jim! Did you blow up our child?"

"Trust me, she did not die in vain," Jim said, deactivating his armor. "The flour in the air; it hurt it. We need more flour."

"But we just had the one. Except... Sir Issac Gluten!"

. . .

Eli would have pulled the fire alarm, but Angel surprisingly beat him to it. While she was calm enough, there was a worried spring in her step. Luckily, she didn't notice Eli.

He didn't want to kill her. She was one of the only nice ones in school. But Steve had shut up long enough for them to hear Claire's conversation with Angel. How even Jim couldn't know what she was. How Claire had done her a favor earlier. She might be the bigger threat here.

He looked around for something to use as a weapon since his ninja stars were inside whatever that sludge was. A nearby mace caught his eye. But just as he was about to attack, he saw a woman coughing from what seemed like an asthma attack, unable to get her inhaler.

Angel noticed and began helping her, silently asking if it was OK to go into her purse. She just barely nodded before Angel quickly found it and helped her. The kindness she showed as she helped, the way that she kept making sure she was alright...

Despite what Steve said about it being an act, though that was about Jim, he couldn't hurt this kind and thoughtful girl that had been kind to him and many others all year. He'd just... let Steve handle that one.

. . .

Walking was a nice way to clear her head. After getting everyone outside and leaving once Claire gave her the go ahead, it was in her plan to go home, to talk to Douxie. But as her feet took her in the opposite direction, towards the woods, she didn't protest. 

The bridge didn't seem so bad anymore. Claire told her that Angor had been killed and Bular had been gone since before Christmas. So she felt fine walking across it alone. 

Night was when she felt she thrived. It was calmer, quiet; no chaos. Well, the owls hunting for their next meal and the crickets creating a symphony could be considered chaotic, but it really wasn't. It was just nature.

Fireflies seemed to light the way to her favorite spot in the whole woods. It was easy to miss if she weren't looking for it. The dark wood and green vines hid it well, though the wards and illusion spells negate that. 

Sighing, she pulled out her phone and sat on the steps. She stared at the last few messages that she had exchanged with Douxie.

It was such a mundane thing, the asking for what she wanted from the store. But she was finding that she like it, she missed it. Everything that made living with Douxie great. 

And she'd ruined it.

. . .

Staying at a friend's house. No need to wait up. See you tomorrow.

Douxie had stared at that text for a long while before finally deciding to practice his guitar. It was only random cords over and over, but it was calming. It cleared his head.

Angel needed space and he got that, truly he did. And she needed to learn magic, defense and offense. So far the most she could do was turn invisible, make little things float, teleport, and slow down time on an object for afew seconds if she really focused. 

She didn't like to use that last one much because it drained her. He'd worked on it off and on with her over the last couple years, but it never got better. Maybe Merlin was right. He was such an ignoramus that his own roommate- friend- whatever she was to him! Important to him, as much as Arch is, as much as Merlin was....

Where was that old guy anyway? Oh, right. He had been entombed somewhere that Douxie wasn't allowed to know. The whole conversation they'd had was fuzzy as were the events leading up to it. 

All he actually remembered was that he was practically useless in the Battle Of Killahead. He was pretty sure he got knocked out within the first minute. Arch said that he protected the boy during a three day coma he'd had after the battle. Arch had pointedly refused to talk about it as they traveled. 

Camelot was gone and it's people were in shatters by the the time he had made his way back from being stranded somewhere in the forest. He had done the best he could to help, but in the end, most traveled on their own to new kingdoms and lands. 

He went all over Europe before moving to the newly proclaimed United States of America. But still, he seemed to make a mess wherever he went. His magic had gotten better over the years, but only because of people like Zoe who were no nonsense yet understanding of his limits.

He sighed, putting down the guitar he'd stopped playing minutes ago. Zoe was an amazing teacher and would less biased than himself when it came to teaching. She was likely the best teacher for Angel. 

He was just a mess.

. . .

Chirping woke Angel up. That and immense pain in her neck. She had fallen asleep leaning against the railing on the gazebo and she was probably late for school, but that chirping sounded bad.

Looking down the steps on the ground, she saw a beautiful red bird laying down on its side. Slower than she should have been, Angel approached the bird. Upon closer inspection, it was a red Cardinal that had a bad run in with some kind of predator.

"Oh no," she muttered, carefully trying to pick the little bird. It chirped in protest, and Angel stopped immediately. "I need to get you to a vet. Um, ok, hang on." It was by some miracle that he had something that she could at least cover the bleeding area with. She'd have to get a new face mask, but they were cheap.

"It's OK, birdy. I'm going to get you help." The bird still gave a chirp of pain, but was OK with being picked up. "And I really hope this doesn't hurt you more, but we're miles from town." 

In a maroon flash of light that no one saw, they were in an alleyway just around the corner of the vets office. With a small smile, she turned to the little bird.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asked jokingly. Weirdly, the bird seemed to look her directly in the eye as it chirped again.

Angel brushed it off and hurried to the vet.

Chapter Text

Angel had rarely ever gotten detention the first time around in school. Only for missing work assignments in younger years and never but once in High School, and that was because she forgot her id.

Now she had Saturday detention for missing and being late to school too much. Making up hours, as Uhl put it. He simply "cannot abide by tardiness on a regular basis." Fair, and she wasn't all that upset.

During the days she was stuck in bed she emailed her teachers to ask if they could send her her work for the days she'd be gone. They mostly did and she arrived earlier when she did come to school for help with the math, so she had one assignment left and then she could read. The only bad thing about the day was that she couldn't be with the little cardinal as he healed.

"I suggest him to a safe place, preferably outside so he's comfortable, for the little guy to heal," the vet told her.

"I know the perfect place," Angel offered, taking the little bird in her hands. The vet suggested a carrier, but she said it was fine. 

"And keep an eye on his temperature. It's strangely high for a bird his size."

"Got it."

Since she had already filled out the paperwork while the exam had been going on, she could just leave. She went to the alley that she had first arrived from and teleported back to the gazebo. 

"I promise, this place doesn't look all that safe, but there's wards and spells that keep this place hidden from anyone I don't want here." Angel chuckled as she made little leaves and sticks float over to a nook right off the stairs to make a nest. It probably wasn't up to bird's standards, but it would do for now. 

"You probably can't understand a word I'm saying right now. Well, here ya go. A little nest till you get better." He chirped something of a thank you in a response. There was a bandage around the side of his neck, running across the end of the black feathers. They made a heart over his big and wide brown eyes. At least that meant he was getting better.

"I gotta go to school, but I'll be back later, ok?" 

"Chirp!"

Now being here on a Saturday was now a bit of an annoyance.

"This is a vacation," Jim said as he walked up the steps. Just then, a truck pulled up and Steve got out rather upset.

"And vacation canceled," Angel joked as the trollhunting trio groaned. Toby was the only one to actively look at her. Glare more like. "What?" 

"Angel?" Came Jim's mom's voice. Angel turned to her and walked to greet her. 

"Hey Dr. Lake," Angel said with a wave. The woman was standing with the car still running and door open. A concerned look was on her features. 

"Do you have detention too? I didn't picture you for the type."

"Eh, it's just to make up hours. Missing a lot of days and all." 

"And why have you missed so many days?" She didn't know how to answer that, especially since her concern was replaced for a second with a bemused look. Uhl thankfully chose that time to call her in, so she had to bid Dr. L goodbye.

. . .

"Mary, just give up your phone," Angel groaned. Why did Uhl want her to sit next to her anyway? At least she still got to listen to music.

"But how come you get to keep yours?" Mary whined as Uhl finally wrestled her phone away.

"My phone is in there, same as you. I'm listening to music on my Mp3."

"Mp3? That's so old school."

"It's useful when you can't have your phone. And music helps me focus, so don't start."

"And, she is the only one here who technically isn't in detention," Uhl said as he went to the front.

"What?" Mary exclaimed. The others were a bit confused as well. Angel was already working on some kind of math assignment, both earbuds in.

"She just has to make up hours and this was the best way to do it. That being said-" Uhl pulled out one of Angel's earbuds and startled her. "Keep one out so you can hear me."

"Yes sir," she said.

"As for the rest of you, you are to do homework for the entire duration."

"What if I already did my homework?" Eli asked.

"Then you will sit and stare at the wall! What, Ms Sweet?" 

"If it's alright with you, I have a couple books he could read in my bag," Angel offered. Uhl sighed exasperated, but agreed. She passed her bag to Eli after quickly grabbing her current read.

"Woah, you have a lot of books," Eli gushed. 

"Talk about a book nerd," Mary muttered. 

"I take that as a compliment," Angel fired back with a smirk.

"Enough- None of you are to leave this room!" Uhl interrupted, shutting down the fight before it started. "If I find that any of you have left this room, you will all face the consequences. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sénior Uhl," the kids replied. Angel practically tuned out for the few minutes. There was a slight skirmish which had Steve punch Eli out of chair immediately after defending him from Toby. The thing that finally got her attention again was Uhl running out of the classroom.

She followed the others after a few minutes of him being gone to the doorway and just barely saw Uhl run into the bathroom. Good that he had the classroom near a one.

"What happened?" She asked.

"He ate my Diablo Maximous Breakfast Burrito in one go," Toby explained, and for once he didn't sound bitter when talking to her. 

"Eww," Mary groaned. "Sounds like lasagna getting shot out of a T-shirt cannon." 

"Thank you for that imagery, Mare," Angel muttered.

"Yeah, that burrito had three ghost peppers in it. Too spicy for his delicate Austrian stomach."

"How is that not too spicy for you?" Angel asked both worried and impressed. Toby shrugged and said something about building up a tolerance to it.

"He could be in there all day," Claire said, sounding a bit worried. Mary seemed to take it another way.

. . .

Angel wished she could say that she was responsible in that moment, she really did. But the idea of running around school unwatched, able to go  practically anywhere, was too much. 

The whole day was spent riding bikes indoors, stacking desks in classrooms: Angel helped Jim scare the begeebus out of Steve, which had led to a chase that ended in Steve jousting with the both of them. No one won, but everyone fell to a laughing fit after, so they didn't care.

Angel, Mary, and Claire gagged but still laughed at Jim's weird noodle trick. It was different, being able to freely laugh with both Mary and Toby. The concert on the roof was pretty fun to watch. And despite Shannon and Angel's protests, they each got a make over.

Thankfully, Mary seemed to understand her aversion to the stuff and only did things to "highlight her natural beauty". Whatever that meant.

Finally, as the day neared its end, they left to relax in the gym. Angel wasn't all that good at sports, but she still found it fun to play sometimes. And basketball was one of the ones she was better at. She only wished that she wasn't playing Steve.

"Palcuck! For the win!" Steve announced as he made a shot for the basket. It bounced off, but he didn't seem all that upset. "Ooh, and Angel fouls him."

"I was nowhere near you!" Angel yelled as she raced to catch the ball before it went to the outskirts. He didn't seem to listen and kept booing her, mimicking an invisible crowd. Angel groaned and threw the basketball at him, leaving to sit next to Claire. 

"I told you," Claire stated in a sing song voice. Angel rolled her eyes and muttered a half hearted 'yeah, yeah'.

"Is it true? Did you guys really steal Sénior Uhl's truck?" Mary asked, breaking the bit of calm they had. Eli gasped and Angel's eyes widened. Even Shannon had turned to them in interest.

"Technically, we didn't steal it," Toby started, nervous. Claire didn't have to give Angel a glance to know that it was related to trollhunting. "We just uh-"

"Yeah, we were uh," Claire interrupted/continued. This was going nowhere.

"Guys, this town is a snoozefest," Jim said with the air of a teenager unburdened by the mystic, who was just bored of a small town. "What else are supposed to do, read a book?" 

"Ok, FYI, books aren't that bad," Angel offered snarkily, a bit annoyed he wouldn't even try. "You should try reading one sometime."

"Whatever."

"What about you, Mare?" Claire asked, changing the subject.

"My only crime is love," Mary said with a dreamy look. "Coach caught me making out with Tight Jeans Hank under the bleachers." Eli gasped, but Angel lost the next few words, too interested in Steve climbing a rope slam dunk turned into faceplant into the headboard. He caught himself on the basket, but she still winced as he fell down.

"He's forbidden fruit. You wouldn't understand."

"Is there anyone you haven't kissed?" Steve and Angel asked together with the same level of contempt. It startled the two for a second, Steve stumbling his dribble.

"Jealous?" Mary asked as she threw a bit of popcorn at him. "I know Angel isn't, she's got her own boo."

"I- I don't," Angel stammered, her face heating. Both Claire and Mary gave her looks that screamed 'uh huh' so sarcastically. Now everyone, even Shannon, had their eyes tuned to the conversation. Angel groaned. "Ok, he's not 'my boo', but he is, sort of, my boyfriend."

"Sort of?" Claire asked, crossing her arms.

"I, asked him to take it slow. I've never really had anyone like this, with the freedom to just be a couple."

"Never?" Jim asked, leaning back to better look at her. "You're 18." 

"Well, in 7th grade, I sorta dated a pedophile. He was about fours years older than me and preyed on another girl, who was nine, on my street." Everyone grimaced, Mary and Shannon gagged. "Then in- sophomore year, I dated a guy purely out of shock because I never thought that anyone would really like me like that." Then, a bit lower, "I'm not even fully sure Douxie likes me as more than a friend and is just taking pity on me." Claire put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"That can't be the case," Toby chimed in. 

"No offense, but how would you know?" Angel chuckled humorlessly.

"Well, we came into the bookstore one day and you two were pretty locked together." Toby but his hands together like they were sentient and kissing, causing Angel to look like a tomato.

"You were saying?" Mary asked with a smirk, adding to the red on Angel's cheeks. Claire glared at her, shutting down whatever she said next.

"So, maybe not pity," Angel said, and everyone could hear the doubt in her voice. "But the closest thing I've had to a full relationship was a girl that my parents never let me be fully with. They were all accepting in theory, but in practice I'm just like a pedophile."

"Wait what?" Claire asked. Toby regarded her a bit different, and not for the girl thing.

"Yeah, apparently pedophilia is a part of the LGBT to them."

"That's stupid."

"You dated a girl?" Mary asked with barely contained confusion. Like she couldn't comprehend the idea.

"Yeah," Angel answered simply. 

"But you dated guys too?" Steve asked, genuinely curious about the possibility.

"It's called bisexuality. Look it up sometime." Mary shrugged it off and started eating her popcorn. Steve and Shannon, who had been listening intently, looked thoughtful. That was a first for Steve.

"So, who did you beat up to get here?" Claire asked, effectively shutting down the quiet. "A freshman?"

"Hey, what makes you think that I beat someone up?" Steve defended, leaving whatever he was thinking about. "Did you ever consider that maybe I'm not just a bully? That maybe, I'm a good guy." 

"Says the student currently serving detention," Jim joked, and everyone but Steve (he was glaring at Jim), Angel, and Shannon laughed.

"I don't know why we have to be so mean to each other," Shannon offered, making everyone turn to her. "Everyone goes through stuff. So we lash out. We were just the ones who got caught. So we should be nicer. I mean, we aren't perfect. The least we could do is be honest with one another. Then maybe we could help each other out make this world tolerable." 

As she spoke, they all shared looks of embarrassment and hesitation, like they wanted to share but knew they couldn't. Angel didn't know what made her share all that, but it was nice getting it off her chest. Douxie didn't know the 7th grade or sophomore year (which was really junior year, but in order to make it seem consistent with her place now, she had to change a couple details) or senior year the first go round.

And Douxie... of course he was upset she didn't tell him about Zoe training her. Merlin wasn't exactly an open book when it came to his plans, almost never giving a direct answer. Just asking for complete trust and hardly giving anything back. At least, that's what she gleaned from what he told her. This was probably making him feel horrible, like it was his fault.

Claire, Jim, and Toby were mostly obvious in their problems. Being the trollhunting trio, they had a lot on their plate. It probably got them here today.

"What are you in here for?" Claire asked Shannon, breaking Angel from her thoughts.

"Embezzlement. Apparently, there are limits to my power as student body treasurer." Even Angel chuckled at that. Steve shot the basketball over his shoulder and finally made it in. 

"And the game is over! Angelia Sweet is booed out of the stadium! She'll never feel happiness again!"

"I stopped playing you like five minutes ago," Angel deadpanned as he continued his gloating. Mary noticed the clock and suggested they hurry back before Uhl got back.

Jim had to stay back for a moment to "tie his shoe" Angel didn't believe it for a second, so she feigned leaving but turned invisible as soon as everyone was distracted.

"What are you two doing here?" Jim asked a four armed, six eyed troll and a larger mossy haired troll who, if Claire's descriptions were right, were Blinky and Arrrgh.

"Userna plans to integrate you about the inconsistencies in our stories," Blinky said. Who was Userna? "Don't worry, I have a foolproof plan. We'll lie like the wind." That always works, Angel thought bitterly. Though, she supposed she wasn't much better at the moment.

"No blood goblins," Arrrgh said as he was chewing on a basketball. Weren't blood goblins only found in the Darklands?

"We'll say that the blood goblins were of the local variety. And the Gruesome was a lost-"

"Tourist." 

"Exactly. And as for Draal leaving his post-" 

"Wait, she knows Draal left his post?" Jim asked, leaving Angel wondering what he was posted at. Claire had mentioned Draal a few times, a great warrior and Kanjigar's son. "No, I should just be honest for once. I should tell Userna everything. I'd rather she hear it from me."

"No! We were the ones who plotted this rescue mission."

"Which you only had to do because I went into the Darklands alone. Any consequence should fall on me." Angel had to keep from blurting out what at that. Jim was in the Darklands for how long? She always knew Jim Lake Disease sounded weird. And why would he go in in the first-

Claire's brother. The goblin they had seen that day, the stuffed bunny, the way Claire had suddenly stopped speaking of her brother in the past tense, like he was out of reach.

Jim, you idiot...

"You will be admitting to treason against Trollkind." 

"I'm still the Trollhunter. I stand by my actions even if the tribunal doesn't understand them." The door squeaked as Angel left, not wanting to reveal herself.

. . .

What Angel saw next was horrible. Proof that Gunmar was out. A poor troll had been touched by his blade. And she had let down her invisibility right as he spotted her. 

It was Draal based on his blue stone skin and wide and long horns. But his metal arm was gone and his eyes were fully blue. Like how some under the influence of-

"The Decimar Blade," Angel breathed as Draal came forward. It wasn't fast, like a charge. It was slow and calculated. By the noises from behind and beside her, she couldn't go either way due to Uhl and Jim and his troll friends walking around. It was too late to go anywhere now that Draal was so close.

"Um, Draal, is it?" She asked dumbly. Maybe she could break through the magic. She didn't know him, but it was worth a shot. "Claire has told me a lot about you. Kanjigar's son, protector of the Trollhunter. I do that too." 

She was suddenly backed into a wall, Draal so close she could smell his breath. At least it didn't smell like Bular's. But his deep and gruff chuckle couldn't be his own; it was too malicious for the way he was described. 

"So," he said finally. "This is one of the wizards that the impures are so scared of?" He moved directly in her face and sniffed her. "You only smell of fear."

"Doesn't mean you can get to me. It would draw too much attention to have me mauled here, wouldn't it? And you probably don't want that, considering you haven't been knocking on the doors of Arcadia." How her voice was staying even and unwavering in the face of Gunmar, she had no idea. Maybe it was simply because she wasn't facing him head on.

"Hmm... It doesn't matter. I shall tear you and Merlin's apprentice limb from limb soon enough." He started walking off, but Angel put up a barrier to stop him. Bemused and confused, he turned around to see her glaring daggers at him.

"You touch him, and it won't the Trollhunter who deals your killing blow." Gunmar laughed, a true and genuine one, as much as he could get when he was a crazed troll.

"You can't touch me, little witch. You don't even know where I am, let alone when I'll strike."

"Look, after detention, I'll head straight to Trollmarket to tell the Tribunal everything." Jim. He couldn't see her, not using magic. But she couldn't leave Jim alone with Gunmar, even if he was controlling one of his friends. So she did the only thing she could.

She turned invisible and watched and waited until it became dire. The only thing she let herself do was block the windows from the sun so Blinky and Arrrgh didn't get turned to stone. As Jim fell after the small fight that was little more than Gunmar toying with his emotions, Angel had to get back to class. Hopefully finding a way to stall Uhl for him.

Chapter Text

Turned out that the need to distract Uhl wasn't necessary other than slowing him down with a time spell. Once she knew Jim was in the room, she teleported right outside and ran in, followed closely by Uhl. She had barely had enough time to open her book to pretend she had been reading. 

After getting no confession from anyone, even after grilling both Eli and Angel (the former less calm than the latter), he took them to where the fight happened. The lockers were still bent and broken, but now had red spray paint. She didn't do that and Jim definitely didn't. She'd ask Claire who did later, Angel decided as she went home.

Angel had half a mind to not tell Douxie the extent of the Gunmar threat, truly. But after the Zoe thing and the way he reacted after she withheld the Bular threat, and that she still wasn't talking about the fear she experienced when a pixie invaded her mind...

No, she wouldn't hide this from him. So, when she got home she waited for Douxie to get off a shift at the Cafe; when he did, she sat him down on the couch and told him the events in as much detail as she could. Including Jim going to the Darklands, the tribunal being in Trollmarket, being against Jim, and... that Gunmar was out and knew who they were. That he had threatened them directly. 

"That's everything," Angel sighed. Douxie wasn't looking at her. His hands were laid out on his lap, damn near white knuckled with how hard he held his fists.

"I- I thought those heetlings were delusional," Douxie breathed, glancing to Angel. She didn't do much but put her hand on his. The touch normally would have calmed him. "So he really is out."

"Apparently," Angel chuckled humorlessly. But she soon sighed and gently turned his face to look at her, letting her thumb move back and forth. "Douxie, I'm sorry for not telling you Zoe was teaching me. I just needed to learn and you refused to.

"I know, it's only because you're scared of my breakdowns, but I promise- I'm OK. I wouldn't be a burden in a fight, but I guess, if you want I'll- mph!" 

She was cut off by Douxie's soft and gentle lips on hers. It was the only time since their first kiss that he hadn't at least given her a warning. It felt desperate, like he was trying to get something across- like it could be one of their last. With Gunmar out and gunning for them, sorta pun unintended, it very well could be. 

But if she were honest? She was relieved she didn't have to speak and returned the kiss almost as desperately. Their lips slid against each other wildly, almost sloppily. Angel's hand moved to Douxie's hair, her fingers locking in and pulling him close.

Again, the need for air was an insufferable annoyance. They pulled away but not far as Douxie let his forehead fall to hers. A spark was felt by them both.

"Please stop calling yourself that," he breathed. This close he could smell the perfume she sometimes wore. Japanese Cherry Blossom. He never would force her to wear it, but he'd grown to love it. "You are not and will never be a burden." He opened his eyes only to see that hers were screwed shut.

He wasn't a mind reader, but he'd seen that expression enough to know. She didn't believe him and, probably because she was kissing back just as fiercely, felt selfish. He removed his hand from her waist and used both to cup her face.

"I mean it, love," he whispered. Angel took in a shaky breath and slowly opened her eyes. 

"I- I know. I know it, in my head." She pointed. "But I can't help but feel it. And-" She hesitated, but decided to tell him anyway. "I can't help but wonder, if only partially, that you may not feel... well, that you don't.. just.. 

"Look," she sighed. "I haven't had the best life, let alone love life. I dated a guy who was four years older than me in seventh grade who turned out to be a pedophile, I dated a guy out of shock, and you know about Savanna." 

"Out of shock? Why?" Was her self-esteem really that low?

"Well, I never really thought anyone could like me like that. I'm not even that pretty."

"Darling, you are beautiful. Your smile lights up the room, your dimples are just-" he stopped, unable to figure out what he wanted to say, what to compliment next. Her freckles that stretched over the bridge of her nose, her eyes that always sparkled whenever she had an idea or was just really happy or excited, the way it was so cute when she stuck her tongue out when she was focusing on a task, how she sometimes fell asleep while reading a book; the list could go on forever.

"Angel, I love you," Douxie declared with a smile. Angel gasped, hands now covering her mouth. She had a confused and surprised look that tried to overshadow the happiness she clearly felt. "That's why I've been so worried about your magic use and get so upset when you don't tell me what's wrong, when you're threatened, when you're hurt. I love you."

"Douxie... I, I, " Angel tried her best, but her jaw locked up again, the words caught in her throat. She wanted to say the words so very bad, but something wouldn't let her. 

"You don't have to say it back." Angel let out a little sigh, glad he wasn't forcing her to say it. Still....

She reached out to grab the cuff of his hoodie, pulling him in to pick up where they left off. 

. . .

Huh, so that's what a hickey looks like, Angel thought as she looked in the mirror that morning. If she had been asked ten years ago if she ever thought she would have had one, the answer she would have had was "probably not".

They didn't go any further than a makeout session last night. It was too early and definitely not the time for it to go any further. Though she did enjoy just losing herself to Douxie for about an hour or two, then falling asleep after cuddling him on the couch. It let her anxiety go down enough to have the first peaceful sleep she'd had in a long time. And after what they'd gone through lately, it felt almost earned to just forget about things for a bit.

"Love, are you alright?" Douxie called from the kitchen. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Angel called back, grabbing a light weight, black and white scarf (or shawl; it could be either) and tied it around her neck. She had a few errands to run, mainly for the cardinal, and she figured her and Douxie could come up with a game plan for how to help Jim while doing it. Without him knowing, but that was a given.

She walked out of her room only to smell something burning and put her hands on her hips. "I was only in there for 3 minutes, 5 tops."

"I know, I just wanted to- ow!" Angel walked around the corner of the kitchen just in time to see some grease pop him in the face, almost hitting his eye. Angel used a levitation spell to get what looked like burnt bacon out of the pan and put it in the trash.

"Ok, you are officially banned from cooking without supervision from me or Arch." Douxie made an unwilling sound of agreement. Angel looked around for the said cat but found nothing. "Speaking of which-"

"He's in my room. Found him asleep on my pillow this morning."

"Ah." Angel went to grab a soda from the fridge, she realized what that likely meant. "Did he, uh... that is, does he know-?"

"I think he was in the bookstore last night, so we're good. Do you regret-"

"No! No, definitely not," Angel assured as she moved over to stand next to him, putting a hand on his back to emphasize. "I just- it's still so new. I've never done something like that before."

"Well, I'm honored to be the first," Douxie offered, taking her free hand to place a small kiss. Angel smiled as her face heated.

. . .

"Hey, bud!" Angel greeted jovialy as they entered the veil of the gazebo. Arch had chosen to stay home, though the way he said it had Douxie wonder if he did know what happened last night. "How ya feeling today?" 

"Chirp! Chirp!" The cardinal answered. Douxie barely saw it as it was hidden in the side of the railing.

"You sound more cheerful today."

"Chirp." Douxie watched with interest as she pulled out the bird food and worms that they had just gotten at the store and offered them to the bird. It studied them with big brown eyes before turning its beak up in distaste. "Chirp. Chirp."

"Someone's a picky eater," Douxie joked as he sat down on the steps and leaned against the opposite railing. Angel slumped and made a little sound of disappointment as the bird made chirped his rebuttal.

"The vet said that worms would be the best food for a wild bird and the bird feed was specifically for cardinals," she complained. "Won't you at least try the bird feed? I don't blame you for the worms. I wouldn't eat them either." The bird made a sound that almost sounded like a chuckle as Douxie pulled out some of the crackers they'd brought as a snack for themselves.

"Chirp!" The little bird announced as Douxie tried to put one in his mouth. He looked to him and offered the cracker. The bird shook its head and proceeded to glide down to the bag of crackers. It was currently closed, but the bird chirped its question.

"Um, ok," Douxie said as he reached for the bag. The bird hopped off to let him do his perceived job and put the crackers in front of him. "I've never seen a bird be that picky about its food." 

"And I'm starting to think he really understands me," Angel observed as she sat down next to the bird. Ok, calling him the bird wouldn't do. "Hey, little birdy?" The bird chirped before going back to munching on his crackers, letting her know that he'd heard her. "Do you mind if I give you a name?" At that the bird looked up from its breakfast and tilted his head at her. "One chirp for yes, two for no, and three for maybe. Sound good?"

One chirp.

"Ok. So, I'm thinking Red Rover?"

Two chirps. Angel slumped and began thinking again.

"What about.... Tweety?" Two chirps. "Hmm. Carlisle?" Two chirps. "Groot? Rocket?" Two for Groot and three for Rocket. So Rocket was on the table.

"What about Alex?" Douxie chimed in. That got two chirps and a peck on his hand. Douxie pulled his hand back and glared at the bird. "What, I can't make suggestions?" Two chirps caused Douxie to roll his eyes.

"Next time, don't peck to stop him, ok?" The bird gave Douxie a weary glance before upturning his beak and giving three chirps. "Don't be so rude.... Rob?" One chirp but Douxie winced eliciting a bit of a peeved chirp from him.

"Isn't that the name of one of the heetlings that attacked us?" 

"Oh yeah," Angel said. The bird began chirping no multiple times, so that name was out. "Ok, ok. We won't call you Rob. How about Flynn?" Two. "Finn?" Two. "Fl..a..pper.... Flapper?" Two chirps, but it didn't matter as Angel suddenly gained that beautiful sparkle in her eyes. "Flapjack!"

The bird seemed to think on this for a moment, studying her as well as making his own decision on the matter. After a couple minutes, he chirped once.

"Yes!" Angel exclaimed as she pumped her fist in the air. Douxie, and Flapjack even in a bird way, chuckled at her excitement. But as Angel calmed down and began to change Flapjack's bandage, Douxie's mood fell. They couldn't run from this for long.

He'd let it be put off all night because... well there was no good reason for it. Gunmar had been trapped with no real way out for centuries. The bridge was scattered and lost to time.

Then he found out that the bridge had been been rebuilt and taken back to Trollmarket after a battle in the museum from Claire. 

Then last night he'd found out that Jim had gone into the Darklands for Claire's brother and in the rescue attempt let Gunmar out from Angel.

It was a mix between the desperation to stop her from talking bad about herself and the instant worry that he might not have her for much longer. He'd had that worry a few times before, but it felt different this time. 

Right now, Angel was having a conversation with Flapjack who she had put on her shoulder upon his request, which was really just an excuse for him to nest in her hair. Douxie had to admit that the bird was extremely cute and smart, and he seemed to make Angel happy.

He wished he had her ability to completely forget about things, to distract herself from the troubles of her world. It had a tendency to go too far; the times he'd seen her stay up most if not all night were a testament to that. 

But for now, he'd supposed, the conversation with the surprisingly smart Flapjack could continue.

. . .

"So, what are doing at our school?" Jim asked, putting his arm around Claire defensively. "What'll it take to send you back?" Claire let herself chuckle, knowing that Douxie would never be flirting with her seriously. Toby knew that too, but he was back with Darci talking about possible next dates. Jim glared harder.

"Battle Of The Bands is coming up," he said as he handed her a flyer. "Ash Dispersal Pattern, that's my band, will be crushing it. But we're encouraging others to give it a shot." Angel finally made her way over now that the crowd had dispersed. 

"So cocky, that one," Angel joked to Claire as she put a hand on her hip. The two shared a chuckle as Douxie gave her a playful glare.

"He opened for Papa Skull at the BoxTop and was sick!" Claire gushed to Jim, which didn't aid his mood, before she began coughing, it ending in a sneeze.

"Looks like I'm not the only one," Douxie chuckled, but Claire could see the concern laying beneath. Angel wore it freely, putting a hand on arm.

"Are you ok?" She asked. Claire suddenly got defensive and pulled away, declaring she was fine. Darci saw the flyer from afar and rushed over with Mary and a boatload of enthusiasm.

"Claire, we should enter!" Darci exclaimed, practically hanging on Claire as she looked over the flyer.

"We could be a cover band," Mary chimed in. "We could call ourselves-"

"Mama Skull!" The three shouted together. Angel and Douxie shared a chuckle, the latter putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know, I don't know," Jim interrupted, pushing through the trio and practically shoving Douxie away. He didn't mind, giving Jim only a slightly bemused look, but Angel glared. "It's the end of the school year, and we're already pretty booked up with all those after school activities." It was quite obvious that he was speaking directly to Claire even as he looked at the entire trio.

"Actually, a friend of mine told me I needed more balance," Claire countered, snatching the flyer back from him with a satisfied smirk. "Count us it!"

"Ooh! Angel is shotgun vocalist!" Mary chimed in, causing Angel to flush.

"Wait, what?" Angel stuttered. 

"Yeah! You may think I'm self absorbed-"

"An understatement."

"But I know when to step aside. I've seen you sing. The way people cheered for you at the parade. We'd be unstoppable!"

"So you're saying you want me for the namesake?" 

"It could help," Darci suggested. "You are amazing."

"They're right," Claire noted, only pausing to sneeze before continuing. "I loved your performance at the Christmas parade. You really seem to know what you're doing." The sudden onslaught of compliments had Angel tongue tied, so she just looked at the floor and smiled shyly. Douxie laughed at her reaction and muttered something of a told you so.

"Yeah, yeah," Angel said, adjusting her backpack. "You better go finish passing out flyers, Big D, before you overstay your welcome." Douxie let a bit of embarrassment fall over his face before waving goodbye.

"Right; see you later, love," he chuckled to her. Then he turned to Claire. "And I look forward to seeing you again, fair lady Claire."

Jim glared as Douxie turned around. Angel still hated that, but she wasn't sure that she could blame him. A hot, for lack of a better term, guy comes in, starts talking with his girlfriend in a charming way, of course he'd be jealous. She felt a little jealousy twist in her stomach too hearing it. But it had dissipated when he called her love, knowing he meant it.

Chapter Text

"Angel, what are you doing?" Ms Janeth asked Angel, who was standing in the doorway with a folder. Her eyes were drooping with purple bags and she was leaning against the door like she was liable to fall asleep at any moment.

"I'm here to turn in my Spanish and Algebra homework," she answered with a yawn, taking out said papers. "I've got a feeling that I'm going to have trouble in class, likely forget to even turn them in."

"Ándale, have you been sleeping properly?" Uhl asked, sounding both exasperated and worried. Angel smiled sheepishly.

"Would it make you feel better if I said yes?" 

"No, it would not. Why haven't you been sleeping well?" That list was a mile long and started with help the trollhunters as much as possible without being seen, took a pitstop in training town, and stopped with the fighting Gum-Gums and waiting for Gunmar to show face. School was somewhere in the middle. Uhl sighed and muttered something in Spanish.

"Hey, where's the coffee?" Coach Lawrence asked, searching the cupboards for the stuff. 

"Here you are, Coach," Angel said and without thinking, walked into the lounge and picked up the coffee can near the fake plant. As she handed it to Coach, she realized her mistake. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I-I'll l-" 

"No, Ms Sweet," Uhl interrupted. "Stand by the door. I'm going to give you some coffee to help you get through today, but tomorrow, you had better be well rested. Understand?" Angel agreed and did as he said. The coffee looked less appetizing that she usually liked and Uhl made her drink it black to get the entirety of the effects.

First period was history, so it was a wonder she stayed up at all. Second was Algebra and Ms Janeth was working one on one, so it was easier. Third was her office work and fourth was her off period.

But before fifth, she couldn't help but take a swig just to perk herself up. She made an audible noise of disgust, the coffee worse than the usual ones she got.

"This is why I only get iced mocha's," she muttered as the bell rang. But she felt better almost instantly. She was more aware of everything around her, the smell of the books new and old, the perfume of the librarian; the cafeteria was serving chicken surprise again. Wait, how could she smell that from across the school?

She was suddenly upset that chicken surprise was being served again. No one liked it. And come to think of it, she thought as the bell rang, we should get more time in between classes. She never had time to do anything other than go to stupid class. Everything was stupid. She was stupid for going back to school. It had gotten her kidnapped, it had gotten her beat up, it was just another thing to cause her stress. 

And while she was at it, she was stupid for not having breakfast. She gave another sniff and looked to her feet. She had been lazy the past couple days and hadn't changed her socks. She decided she couldn't wait one more period for lunch and began taking off her shoes.

"Angel, you can't take off your shoes in here," the librarian lightly chastised. Angel only growled, continuing what she was doing. The librarian would have pushed it, but an announcement came on for free tacos so she left.

"No one tells me what what to do," she muttered as she slurped down her socks. The word obey was annoying. It made her gag. Her father, step-mother, stupid teachers; they all wanted obedience without question, to follow blindly. Everyone wanted things they couldn't have.

She did too. Every relationship she'd ever had, whether it be friends, family, love. Angelia Sweet was a horrible person who lost all contact with them the minute she found out she was immortal for the stupid, selfish reason of not wanting to be around for anyone else's death.

"You've been a bad student, Young Atlas! When students disobey, it falls upon their teachers to dole out punishment!"

"Strickler," Angel growled, tensing and looking around wildly. She would find him, her kidnapper, a changeling, one who rose Angor Rot: The one who constantly put the people she loved and cared for in danger. 

She would find him and destroy the threat once and for all.

. . .

"Let's just say, I said what I had to," Jim reluctantly said, letting his armor fall. Strickler seemed to understand, at least, that it was something that he didn't want to talk about it. Strickler got up and adjusted his jaw. Jim was a good fighter, despite how often his heart got in the way. 

"Strickler," came from a hauntingly familiar voice as she sang. Both of Jim and Strickler tensed and looked around. The voice was echoing as it continually repeated his name.

"Who else drank that coffee?" Strickler asked, looking nervously to Jim who only shrugged. Encouraging. The latter barely had time to dawn his armor before being picked up in a glow of red magic and thrown back. Strickler got a punch and kick that was extremely strong and definitely fueled by a magic rage.

A shimmer crossed his vision and Angel appeared, wicked eyes and a grin that was a testament to the anger she no doubt felt. A rope appeared around her arm, electricity crackling in the rain. Steve's shout was unmistakable. Angel's head whipped to him and screamed again, 

"I'll deal with your annoying ass later," she growled again before returning her eyes to Strickler. She raised her hand, readying to strike him when two flying objects nicked her arm. Angel cried out in pain that turned into a growl. 

She disappeared from the spot in a bright red flash. 

"What just happened?" Jim asked as the blades returned to his hand.

"She just teleported away," Strickler said, moving to stand near Jim. "It's one of her many gifts." 

"You call that a gift!?" Toby yelled from the sidelines. Eli was busy keeping the teachers from coming that way to keep the extent of weirdness a secret from them. 

"Be careful! She can make herself invisible to the naked eye!"

"You stalked me!" Echoed her voice again. "What else is to be expected from a damn Changeling!" Jim heard her before he saw her, barely able to pull Strickler out of the way. Burning claw marks were left on the locker behind them.

"That's new." 

"Why are you helping him, Jim? He hurt you! Hurt your mother! Hurt your friends!" 

"He's changed, Angel!" Jim yelled, looking around a she had disappeared again. "I'll be honest, I still don't trust him after what he did to me. But even I have to admit that he's trying to- woah!" Angel had come up screaming, wielding a glowing red staff and Jim had no choice but to pull out Daylight to defend himself.

"What he did to you?! He kidnapped me!" Angel pulled away and swung at his feet forcing Jim to jump. The two began trading blows, Jim avoiding hitting her but in turn getting hit many times himself. "I got a concussion from his friend, goblins attacked me, he sent Angor Rot after me and my- my-" She seemed to be breaking herself out of it, but she shook her head and kept attacking.

Angel was a pretty good fighter, but it was clear she wasn't used to this type of fighting. It became easier to parry her repeating attacks.

"Your boyfriend, right?" That got her to stop and study him. "How would he react if he saw you like this? Trying to kill someone?"

"I- I don't ... ugh! He deserves it!" Angel shot bullets of red magic making Jim have to bring up his shield. 

"I know, I know. But this isn't you. Claire keeps telling me how you're always eager to help her and others. My mom told me you promised to protect me." 

"To try!" Angel clarified, her posture drooping and her eyes became wet from tears instead of rain. The magic attack slowed to a stop. "I've been trying. I couldn't promise her anything else. I'm not a lier. I don't know much magic, and I'm horrible at fighting, as you just saw." She suddenly collapsed, letting the staff disappear. The rain had soaked into her clothes, he hair, her very bones. "I can't do anything. I'm selfish and useless..." 

Jim let his armor fall and kneeled down.

"You aren't useless, and you definitely aren't selfish. You fighting me to get at Strickler proved that. You were trying to protect your loved ones." Jim put a hand on her shoulder making her look up just as her eyes turned back to their normal, kind green. She was sniffling, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "You've helped me from day one, haven't you? You kept Bular from getting to us that day. You slowed Angor down for me. You're a good person." Angel barely nodded before trying to protest.

"But I-" Jim squeezed her shoulder and smiled kindly at her.

"Made mistakes. We all do. It doesn't mean you're a bad person. It makes you human."

"Um, I hate to break this up, but we have some teachers who are wondering what the heck's going on and we don't know what to tell them," Steve said as hurried over to them.

"It's OK," Strickler chimed in, making Angel jump. Jim gave her shoulder another squeeze. "I'll handle it. You've proven yourself today, Young Atlas."

"Yeah, sure," he muttered, a little too focused on Angel at the moment.

"And Angel, for what it's worth, I am sorry. I regret the things I did in the past and I'm trying my best to make up for them." He was gone before Angel could answer, not that she knew what to say.

"Wait till Claire hears about this," Toby said as he walked up beside Jim.

"I'm thinking she's glad she missed today," Angel joked, giving a weak smile that soon faded. "I'm sorry, Jim. I didn't mean to attack you like that. Did I hurt you?"

"Stop apologizing," Jim ordered gently as he helped her up. "You couldn't control yourself."

"Thanks," Angel muttered, hugging herself as she surveyed the group. "And I know I owe you guys a humongo explanation, but I just wanna go home."

. . .

Jim had gotten Angel home easily enough, though she had been soaked all over again. Douxie wasn't home and someone named Anna was working the storefront. But she had wanted to go in the back way, so Jim had helped her.

A black cat walked over to her and started to brush against her leg, but took one look at the wetness and settled on a welcome meow. Jim chuckled as she bent down to pet him, getting his little head wet. He gave a meow that sounded an awful lot like a 'really' as she went to what was likely her room.

Angel told him he could grab a snack before he left and the two set up Saturday as the day she would show him and Toby what she was and could do. Claire had already known for awhile about her, a 'story for another time'. Jim knew that there were a good few things she was still hiding from him, but for now, he just hoped she didn't have a cold and got to feeling better soon.

. . .

Douxie didn't exactly take the news that Jim and Toby knew about Angel as well, but he completely understood that it wasn't her fault. Jim told her about how he grabbed the coffee instead of the gravesand he'd gotten from Strickler, whom he still didn't trust no matter what he'd said, and caused the teachers and her to go crazy acting like trolls.

Despite what happened, appearances had to be kept up, so Angel was working at the bookstore like planned and Douxie was at the Café. One of his tables for the night was a reserved one outside. And was he glad to see a few familiar faces.

"Gentleman, ladies," was his normal greeting, but when he recognized Claire, his smile turned real. "Oh, Claire. Have you been rehearsing for the battle of the bands?"

"Yeah," she answered with smile. "Still haven't gotten Angel to join, but we're working on it."

"That's upsetting, but good for my band." He had a sly smile. Luckily, Claire took the challenge well.

"Don't be so sure. I'm feeling pretty good about our chances."

"Don't fraternize with the competition," Darci light chastised, but she didn't seem sincere, immediately asking about the menu. "Alright, level with me. The Duck Confit. Are duck feet really good?"

"Actually, Duck Confit is a French dish made with the whole duck," Douxie explained. Darci then went on to ask why they called it that if it wasn't just the feet.

"Steaks all around," Jim interrupted confidently, taking the menus from them and handing them to him. "Thank you Deuce." That was a new nickname, but better than Big D. Angel still hadn't let that go and Douxie had half a mind to try and get Jack and Zoe back for teaming up on him to make that his band nickname.

"Excellent choice," he said, and it really was. The steaks were his favorite item on the menu. "How would you like your steaks prepared?" Jim, Toby, and Darci wanted theirs well done. But Claire-

"Raw! Dripping with blood!" She growled at him, covering her mouth directly after. That was new and honestly, kinda frightening.

"As the lady wishes. Four steaks. One raw... dripping with blood," he muttered, backing away nervously. Her crazed voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. 

"What was that?" Susan asked as he passed her, trying to get a good look outside from her hostess stand. "I heard that all the way over here." 

"I honestly have no idea," Douxie mumbled, glancing back worridly. First Claire was sick, having to miss a day to feel better only to get better, but come here and do that... it was weird.

It only took about fifteen minutes to get their steaks out, especially since Claire's was rare. And when he came out with the plates, he saw her trying to attack Jim with her knife but also stop herself from doing it. Her two arms battled against themselves causing the knife to fly up and lodge itself in the table. Something was definitely wrong, but unfortunately, he had a job to do.

"Here you are," he said with a smile, though he was anything but happy. "Four steaks, one rare. But I'd love to hear your band sometime-"

"Begon, servant," Claire stated simply, putting her hand up to shoo him away. 

"Oh. My apologies." 

"You heard the lady," Jim said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder to make him go away. He was too jealous of him to see clearly, it seemed. Still, he had other tables to serve and he couldn't leave right now. But he could make a quick call.

. . .

"Douxie, why does the name Morgana sound familiar?" Angel asked. She was in Claire's baren living and dining room. When she was asked to follow Jim and Claire, she didn't expect to see Claire hiss back at a cat with black eyes and yellow pupils. Or attacking Jim and getting knocked out by her fake troll brother. Angel had been caught spying by Jim so he asked for her help, as well as Blinky, his mentor, and Toby. 

"Because Merlin has fought her for centuries," Douxie answered. "Her battle with Merlin didn't end when she was imprisoned at the battle of Killahead. For a few years, he was able to sort of sleepwalk to battle her. Didn't Arch go over this in your history lessons?"

"Eh, probably. My memory isn't all that good and history isn't my forte."

"You really think that it's her?" He sounded worried and Angel couldn't blame him. 

"That's what she said. You think she could be lying?"

He was quiet. "I don't know."

"Who in the blazes are you?" Blinky asked as he burst in through the back door. 

"Who is that? Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine Douxie," Angel said into the phone before speaking to Blinky. "I'm a friend of Jim's. I was just calling someone for help and research. I think-"

"Release these shackles or I'll wear your spines as my crowns!" Came Claire's newfound vocals from upstairs.

"That's a new one," Angel muttered as Blinky immediately ran up the stairs. "I gotta call you back, Doux. Don't come down. I'm sure she'll recognize you and you seem keen on following Merlin's orders. Bye!" She hung up before he could protest and teleported up to the room, beating Blinky there.

"Apologies for my delay," Blinky yelled as he burst in, pulling Clairegona down and marking and X on her chains with a horn gazel. Angel helped Toby up as Blinky helped Jim. "I was awaiting Arrrgh's return, but he never showed."

"I'm sure he's fine, but we've got bigger problems," Angel tried assure him as Toby walked up to Clairegona. She was biting at Toby, the clacking of her teeth seeming to echo. Jim pulled her closer to the center of the room and away from Toby.

"After I feast on your souls, agony will rule for a thousand millennia," Clairegona growled.

"How long is a millennia?" Toby asked worriedly, sitting down on the bed. "Is it like a million years?"

"I believe it's a thousand," Angel chimed in, stopping a book from flying into her face.

"I would like my soul to not be feasted upon.. if that's alright with everyone in the room." Clairegona laughed.

"What's wrong with her?" Jim asked.

"She is most certainly posessed," Blinky observed.

"We got that, Blinky," Angel said. He glared at her, obviously not comfortable we a stranger knowing his name. Angel crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Claire told me about you guys. And right now, I wanna get my friend back from the claws of Morgana." She glared at the witch as she laughed once more. Blinky gasped and lost his glare and looked to Clairegona.

"Does the name Morgana mean something to you two?" Jim asked looking between the two worriedly.

"You cannot hope to contain me, trollish welp," Clairegona growled as she rolled back on the chair. Aright yellow circle with sigils in it and she floated up, taking all the little things she could with her. "I am the master of the seventh plane. Baba Yaga, the Pale Lady, Eldritch Queen. I have slain scores of Merlin's fools!" Clairegona laughed maniacally, lighting up the room with her glow. Angel had to cover her eyes.

"I do know that name!" Blinky shouted. "This is far worse than I could have ever imagined!" Blinky and Jim pull down a laughing Clairegona. "Morgana Le Fay." 

"One of Merlin's apprentices," Angel continued.

"Merlin, as in, the one who made my amulet?" Jim asked. Angel and Blinky nodded.

"I spit on his name as I spit on his grave," Clairegona growled, giving a pointed glare at Both Jim and Angel.

"Sounds like those two didn't get along," Toby commented.

"A bit of an understatement, Toby," Angel said as she put her hand on her hip. 

"He thinks he can be rid of me, the fool," Clairegona laughed. "I will erase his name and all of his creations."

"Sorcerer and Sorceress dueled for centuries until Merlin sacrificed himself to banish her from our world," Blinky explained but became increasingly mad when he saw Angel making a face. "Do you have something to add?"

"No, no," she muttered, biting her bottom lip. "At least, nothing I can tell you."

"Very trustworthy, indeed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The things you claim to have done could all be circumstance. For all we know, you've just been a changeling-" a red glow came from her hand as she reached out. A book came flying directly into her hand. 

"Can a changeling do that?" 

"I- I don't know."

"Alright, then get a Gaggletack if you don't believe me."

"Oh, fight amongst yourselves, little lambs," Clairegona laughed. "Gunmar already knows how to bring the Eternal Night. All you can do is sit back and watch the world as it burns." She had pulled a pillow over with her mind and leaned back nonchalantly. Jim groaned.

"Impossible! With what relics?" Blinky gasped, shaking her. Jim and Angel pulled him back.

"Blinky, Angel," Jim pulled them over to the side, not noticing how Clairegona was playing with Toby.

"Can either of you save Claire?" Angel looked down guiltily. 

"If the Eternal Night comes to pass..." Blinky rambled. 

"Can you save Claire?" Blinky only looked Jim in the eye for a second before becoming as guilty as Angel. If neither of them could help, then Jim had a call to make.

"Uh, a little help over here?!" Toby yelled.

. . .

Strickler arrived to screaming and yelling, Claire chained up and and Upside-down, Toby being trapped in a blanket and Jim trying to get her down. Angel was trying keep things from breaking, stopping things from breaking with her own magic.

"Morgana," he breathed as he stepped into the chaotic room. "In the flesh."

"Flesh that isn't hers- ugh! Stop throwing books at me, ya stupid witch!" Angel yelled before having to duck a too fast piece of glass came rushing at her head. 

"Then I won't," Claire laughed in a voice that wasn't hers.

"Oh, you know that's not what I meant!"

"If you would be so kind, do tell us how to get her out of that poor girl!" Blinky yelled as he joined the attempts to get Claire down. Strickler pulled out something like a glowing blue Skull and recited an incantation. Claire was now on the ground, no longer floating around. He then opened up a book that he had brought too. "The book of Ga-Huel. You were reluctant to dabble in dark magics," Blinky said as he helped Jim pull Claire up.

"And now you're neck deep in it," Angel sighed, helping Toby up and keeping her distance from Strickler.

"Traitorous impure. I made you!"

"How do we fix her?"

"Dealing with dark magics is never easy. There is always a cost, though I fear we have no choice. We all want to save Claire, don't we?" They all glanced to each other before giving him the go ahead.

"Morgana is using her as a vessel," Strickler said and Angel had to resist the sarcastic response (Douxie was really rubbing off on her) and settled for a glare. "A puppet, a way into our plane of reality. But how? Where is the real Claire?" He pulled out another artifacts and shone a red light over her, an action that normally would have cast a shadow. But it didn't.

"She doesn't have a shadow!" Jim exclaimed.

"No shadow?" Toby was making bunny ears with his arms shadow before getting reprimanded by both Jim and Angel. "Of course. The Scathrune! The shadow staff. It is a relic of Morgana."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Morgana is mistress of shadows. She doesn't cast a shadow because she is a shadow."

"Claire's spirit must be trapped in the place between worlds," Angel added. "The shadow realm!"

"How do we get her back?" Jim asked them both. Angel looked to Strickler, though she still refused to go near him.

"There is only one way," he sighed. "Someone must go to the shadow realm and return her spirit to her body. We do it quickly. The longer Morgana stays in her-"

"The stronger her hold on Claire," Angel finished solemnly.

. . .

"To find a gag!" Blinky yelled as he stormed out. Angel couldn't blame him, but she wasn't going to leave Strickler without a guard. He held the door open to where Jim and Toby were.

But she couldn't just be idle.

"Tenebris excelium," Angel muttered bringing a shield to her hands. It shuddered brighter for a simple shield but exploded like a firework. She repeated the action a few more times with the same results. "Ugh! Why can't I do this stupid spell! Tenebris Excelium!!"

In a red flash, her shield was formed, brighter than before.

"You've used shields before, why was that so hard?" Strickler inquired as the red fell. She knew the reason he wanted to talk and answered carefully.

"Because it isn't the shield I was working on. It was the incantation. Tenebris Excelium!" She said again, yielding the first results. She groaned but continued explaining. "D- my teacher, showed me this. It's a spell enhancer, it makes whatever spell your casting, for wizards because you have to be able to cast nonverbal spells, stronger."

"Oh, you don't have to avoid saying his name, little one," Clairegona said with an almost innocent expression. "Hisirdoux is your teacher, is he not."

"Um, not really." It wasn't a complete lie. He wasn't her only teacher. Clairegona laughed, a sound that was getting increasingly annoying.

"After I vanquish Merlin's Trollhunter, I will be coming for his apprentice," Morgana threatened with wicked grin. Angel's face paled but her her expression turned hard as she glared. "Oh. He's more than a teacher to you. He's a friend. No..." Morgana looked her up and down with a thoughtful expression before smirking. "He's your lover. Then I shall make him watch your slow death and treat him to the same fate as his beloved master!" 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Strickler warned, only sparing a second to glance at a growling Angel and the things she was accidentally making float. "She is a force to be reckoned with when she feels her loved ones are threatened." Morgana sighed contently and looked back to Strickler.

"The poor soul stands in the presence of his lady creator but insists on siding with babes. You expect that boy to be your savior when a deity stands before you!"

"Would you shut up!" Angel yelled, pulling her down as she tried to fly up again. She laughed and Angel rolled her eyes. 

"I don't deny who you are!" Strickler said, staying true. "But I choose to believe there's a better way."

"Blinky!" Angel yelled, walking to the threshold of the room. "What the hell's taking so long with that gag!" She didn't trust Strickler to keep it open much longer if the damn witch kept talking. "Blinky!"

"I heard you, you impatient child!"

"I'm about to turn thirty-one years old!"

"Exactly," Blinky said, popping his head around a corner, looking unamused. "A child." He went back behind to continue searching.

"I am not a child! Why does everyone think that?" Blinky took a few moments before coming down with hands full of nothing useful. And she was about to make a snarky remark about it, her anger already high, when she heard a bone chilling voice.

"But I can offer something more," said Barbara's voice. "The heart of another." Angel turned around quickly to get him to not listen, only to see Barbara with Claire's possessed eyes. She was thrown back into the wall, surprising Blinky into dropping everything and running to help her up. 

"No, no no!" Angel shouted at the slamming door.

"Strickler!" Blinky yelled, leaving Angel to get up on her own to try and get the door open. "Blast it all! The door is barricaded!"

"Not for me!" Angel said as she was covered in maroon magic. It flashed...

But she appeared right back where she was.

"Were you supposed to do something?"

"Come on, come on!" She yelled, repeating the action over and over again desperately trying to change the outcome. "That witch! How the hell did she ward the room?" 

"Uh, I think that's on me," Blinky offered as she stopped. "I placed a druid stone in there to try and thwart the her magics to keep her there. Obviously, that has done nothing but keep us out."

"Ok, New plan. If I can't teleport in there, then I'll just have to move the door." The door began glowing maroon with Angel's magic. She groaned as she tried to get through. Minutes passed and nothing happened other than the door lightly creaking. "Ugh! It's no use! I'm no good at magic!"

"Think, Angel. There must be something that we can do. We cannot leave Strickler in there alone."

"Trust me, I know." Her magic grew brighter and Blinky noticed her tone was annoyed as it did so.

"Hmm... It doesn't seem like it," he tested with a hand to his chin. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" It glowed brighter once more, the creaking louder.

"I mean... this was always your plan, wasn't it!"

"Excuse me!?"

"You dirty mongrol! You were always in league with Morgana and probably Gunmar too!"

"I'm not! I swear!" The creaking got louder and he heard the things moving on the other side. Just a little more.

"Oh, like I would trust a liar like yourself."

"I am not a liar!" Angel growled as the door finally burst open.

"Haha! My plan worked!" Blinky shouted in joy as he ran into the room. Angel was confused at what just happened but followed after a moment only to see the staff fly into the portal as it closed and mutter a curse. 

. . .

Claire was back, thank goodness. Angel wasn't sure she could deal with a lost friend. It was what she ran from all those years ago. But as they were leaving, Blinky stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"I am sorry I ever doubted your loyalties," he sighed. "I did not mean what I said back there."

"Why did you then?" She asked, a bit bitter. He sighed again and looked away with all six eyes.

"It was... a desperate situation. I saw that your anger made your magic stronger and decided to use it. I am sorry." All six eyes met hers.

"Oh," was all she could say. She didn't know what to think of the development and worried what it could mean for her.

Chapter Text

Ooh, girl, you're shining! Like a Fifth Avenue diamond!

That was the first thing she heard that morning. Reaching over was a futile effort as it wasn't her alarm wasn't the one causing the noise.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," Douxie chimed as he came into the room with a tray of waffles, eggs, and bacon, syrup on one side and sweet tea on the other. "Happy birthday, darling."

"Is it weird that I'm already thirty-one?" Angel laughed as she sat up. His expression turned mischievous.

"You don't look a day over 18."

"Ha, ha." Douxie set the tray on her lap and sat down with a chuckle. "Didn't I ban you from cooking?" 

"Unless you or Arch is watching me. I hope I didn't burn anything." Angel took a bite of the bacon. It was a bit crunchier than she preferred, but it wasn't burnt, so she gave a thumbs up. The eggs seemed to have shredded cheese in them and the waffles, while simply being toaster, were good. "So, what's the plan for today?" 

"Hmm. I don't know. But with school, I gotta go to the science fair. Ms Janeth made me a judge."

"You?" Douxie chuckled a bit. "No offense, but your science capabilities aren't the best."

"Well, your monsterology needs work," Angel fired back, pointing her fork at him then eating the waffle that was on it. 

"Cheeky," Douxie tutted.

"I learned it from you."

"Oh really?" He smirked his head in his hands. "I must be a good teacher then."

"If what you're teaching is sass,"Archie said from his perch on the dresser. When did he get there? "Then maybe she shouldn't be in your class." They all shared a laugh.

"Oh man," Douxie muttered in a chuckle before looking back to her with a smile. "So, why did Ms Janeth make you a judge?"

"It was her birthday gift to me, not making me participate," Angel explained, putting some eggs in her mouth. "You're welcome to join." Douxie laughed at her words, considering her mouth was full and some fell out. As she swallowed some of it to use her tongue to get the bit back in, he laughed harder.

"I hate to interrupt, but you have a visitor at the window," Archie said. It was then that they heard what the music was hiding. A tap tap tapping at the window. Douxie, confused, got up and pulled the curtains back a little.

"Flapjack?" He exclaimed, opening the window quickly to let the little cardinal in. He immediately flew to Angel, who had thankfully set her tray on the nightstand, and began chirping wildly.

"Slow down, slow down, FJ," Angel soothed, holding out her hand so he could land on it. "How did you get here? And find us?" He chirped something along the lines of 'small town'. Angel rolled her eyes.

"I think she meant with your injury," Douxie chimed in, closing the window and walking over. "The vet said you have one more week before you're all healed up." The next chirp was a 'so what?'

"Really, Flapjack? You could reopen your wound, flying that far." An 'I don't care,' chrip. "Ok, no more flying for the rest of the day. You're staying here until I get back." Angel set him down on the bed and turned to get clothes from her dresser and didn't hear Archie or Douxie's warning, so her entire breakfast was gone. She muttered a curse.

. . .

"My volcano!" Shannon yelled as a new sibling duo accidentally bumped into her. 

"Sorry, it looked very nice," the girl said but kept on going. The box they were carrying must be heavy. She wasn't sure about their names, but she knew at least the girl's started with an A and the boy's a K.

"You go on in," she told Douxie as she rushed to help Shannon.

"Thanks," Shannon told her with a smile.

"No problem. Though, I can't help you rebuild it."

"Why not? Wait-" Shannon cut herself off as she saw who was behind her, leaning against the statue in the middle of the grass. "Is that your boyfriend?" Angel rubbed the back of her neck.

"Um, yeah. Kinda." She blushed and wished Shannon good luck as she went inside. She couldn't walk around before Coach Lawrence and Ms Janeth came, but she was close enough to hear Steve's gentle pushing of Eli about doing his homework. At least Steve really was starting to change, even if he avoided Angel like the plague.

"Hey," Douxie offered, putting a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "He'll come around. And if he doesn't, he's Steve. It's not much of a loss." Angel laughed and continued down the steps.

"Why don't you look around? The judging will only take a few minutes and I already think I know who's going to win" Angel offered, gesturing to the K kid's table. He had some kind of weird claw looking thing but it was better than a volcano.

"Alright. I'll see you in a bit, love." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading to the second level. Just after he got up there, Ms Janeth called her over.

"Ok, you two," Coach Lawrence said as he adjusted his hat. "Let's judge this stuff. I got pilates at 4."

Mary and Darci, along with many others, got a C. Eli managed to get an A and she talked Coach and Ms Janeth to give Krel (Angel finally remembering his name when it was said to her) at least a B, which was hard considering that they didn't even go over to his booth. Angel stopped by as they graded the last project. Steve's.

"Where are you going?" Krel called after a girl with with beach blonde hair in a bun as she stormed off. 

"Home to train!" She yelled back. "Even if it's by myself!"

"Is she always that testy?" Angel asked as she began looking over his project.

"Eh, only sometimes," Krel answered before realizing that she was poking around his project. "Hey, hey, hey! Back away! No sabotage!"

"Oh, I'm not sabotaging. I'm judging."

"You?" He laughed and she deadpanned. "Sorry, but I've seen the grades you've gotten." He realized that sounded bad and added, "You never hide them."

"At least I got the ones actually giving you a grade to give you a B."

"A B? They didn't even come over here!"

"Hey, they were gonna give you a C- minus because they couldn't tell what that was. What is it exactly?"

"A project I've been working on. Now-"

"And the winner is... Steve Palchuk!" Coach Lawrence announced, effectively cutting Krel off. "For his unique traffic cone volcano."

"Really, Coach?" Angel complained and looked up in exasperation. Douxie was right above her and smirking. She didn't know why he was, but she stuck her tongue out to defy him.

"How could I possibly be defeated?" Krel shouted, drawing Angel's attention back to him. "He's an oaf and blonde." Angel took a bit of offense to the blonde part considering she only dyed her black. Though by now it was a light brown.

"Sorry kid. I tried."

"Um, Angel!" Douxie yelled, his voice nervous. She looked up to he was staring at the solar system with wide eyes and mouth agape. "You might want to move!"

She was about to ask why when a loud roar sounded. Angel grabbed Krel's arm and pulled him away from the crazed red pirate like troll's rage.

Douxie quickly ran down, ushering people out as he went. The troll he recognized as the trickster troll, Porgon, jumped down onto the table Mary and Darci were at and began creating chaos. Then back to the solar system to start throwing around the planets.

"Another bounty hunter?" A bleach blonde girl asked running past him with what looked like a protractor in hand.

"No, you have to get out!" He yelled, but a planet coming right at him made him jump away. "Fuzzbuckets."

The troll had began knocking planets off, one hitting Shannon's volcano as she was coming in. He quickly consoled her and ushered her out, passing Claire and Toby running in, battle ready. They could handle it on their own while he focused on getting everyone out. Angel seemed to be doing the same.

Then the troll spotted Krel's project and decided to go after it. 

"The Daxel Array!" Krel yelled as he tried to go after it. Angel caught his shoulder as Jim ran to stop the troll. It retreated back to the solar system and tried to throw a planet at him. Krel's sister ran up and shielded him with a blue bubble thing coming from what was clearly not a protractor.

"That's... that's new!" Jim yelled as he grabbed her arm and stopped her from running after the troll. Angel decided that with that out of the way, and Claire and Toby openly brandishing their relics, she would use her magic to stop planets from doing more damage.

"Let me go!" The girl yelled, pulling away from Jim. "I am a warrior!"

"What is that thing?" He asked, pointing to her shield thing. "How did you do that?"

"Ya know, I would trust the girl, Jim!" Angel yelled, just barely stopping Jupiter from crushing the two. "We've got bigger problems at the moment!" Claire ran after the troll with a battle cry, making a portal appear right above the troll for Toby to come down with his warhammer. The troll noticed and made the thing in his hand glow. On instinct, Angel made a shield. The growing chaos had quieted to nothing. And the world was black.

. . .

Ooh, girl you're shining! Like a Fifth Avenue diamond!

Angel shot up in her bed gasping. Was all that just a dream? It had felt so real.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and ba- are you alright, Angel?" Douxie asked as he entered with a tray of breakfast. It had the same waffles, bacon, cheesy eggs, syrup, and sweet tea set up the exact way she had seen before. 

"Um, yeah," she breathed as he set the tray carefully on her lap. He brushed some hair out of her face before sitting himself. "I just had the weirdest dream."

"Not a good way to start out a birthday, but I'm sure we can turn this around." 

"Ever the optimist," Archie chuckled.

"It's my birthday?" Angel asked, still not touching her food. 

"Yeah," he answered, looking at her concerned. "Your thirty first. But, you don't look a-"

"Day over 18," Angel finished with him, earning an estranged gaze.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes. Just having some Deja Vu," Angel said, sighing and taking a bite of her bacon. Crunchier than she liked, but good. "You didn't burn it."

"Good. I was worried about that. And I know you banned me from cooking, but Arch kept an eye on me."

"I know." 

He was quiet a moment. "Um, so, what's the plan for today?" Douxie asked carefully. No matter what she said, there was something off. Something that she wasn't telling him.

"Oh. I have to judge the science fair. Ms Janeth made it my birthday gift, not having to participate. You wanna come?" 

"I hate to interrupt, but you have a visitor at the window," Archie said, gesturing to the window. Douxie got up, confused, and opened the window.

"Flapjack?" Angel asked before he even got the window open. Flapjack flew in and began chirping wildly again.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Angel chuckled as she had him land on her shoulder for the moment.

"Lucky guess?" Angel set her tray on the nightstand and getting up to go to her dresser and setting the bird next to Arch, which he then looked to the cat and chirped 'don't eat me' very indignantly. Archie just rolled his eyes. "Flapjack, you stay here while we-" 

'Don't go!' He chirped. Angel froze. 'Not safe! Not safe!' She looked up to him with wide eyes.

"What?" He chirped the same answer over and over. However it made her feel, she had to go to the fair so she decided to shake it off and continued getting ready.

. . .

"I'm sorry... again," Krel's sister said as they accidentally bumped into Shannon again and her volcano fell and broke. Angel told Douxie to go on ahead as she helped Shannon again.

Inside it was the same set up as in her dream. Steve and Eli were having the same exact argument that they'd been having in her dream. Down to the letter. Angel jumped when Douxie put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's OK," he calmed her. "It's just me. And Steve'll come around. And if he doesn't, it's Steve. It's not much of a loss." Angel wanted to laugh, but this was all feeling too weird. 

"Why don't you go walk around while I'm judging?" Angel offered. Until the feeling went away, she wouldn't stifle what fun he could have. Douxie didn't like he didn't want leave her side, but she insisted.

"Alright," he sighed, kissing her cheek. "Take care of yourself, love." Angel watched as he walked upstairs, a bit tenser than in her dream.

"At least somethings changed," she muttered before someone put a hand on her arm. She whipped around, nearly taking off his arm when she accidentally called the claws to her fingers.

"Careful!" Jim yelled, jumping back. Angel sighed and apologized, quickly letting go of her magic. "Why are you so jumpy?"

"I just, have a bad feeling about today," she answered, turning back around to watch the solar system. Jim noticed that the girl who had the blue bubble thing was standing on guard at the edge of the stairs.

"Uh, hold that thought," he told her as he ran to grab the girl and pulled her off to the side. "Ok, don't freak out. My name is Jim Lake and everyone's life here is in danger. But I think you can help me." 

"Really?" She asked excitedly. Angel kept herself tuned into the conversation, but kept her eyes on the solar system. "I'm training to be a warrior. Saving is a big part of the job." A roar cut off whatever Jim was going to say next and Angel groaned.

"(Not) Again?" The two girls muttered at the same time.

"You remember!" Jim exclaimed, eyes lighting up as he looked at both of them. Claire and Toby came running in, relics brandished as they watched the red pirate troll attack the people crowded around. Claire yelled something to the two of them about not making introductions at a time like this. 

Douxie was already well on his way to leave the building, ushering people out as he went. He was so focused on trying to keep everyone calm that he didn't notice a planet was heading straight for him. 

Claire reacted faster than Angel could, using a portal to keep it away from him. Douxie only reacted a little, giving her a small smile before continuing his attempts to get everyone out safely.

"Looks like Porgon found a way to avoid sunlight," Toby said worriedly. So Porgon was his name. "We are officially at deafcon- screwed." Porgon roared again as he rotated on the solar system. There was some kind of cylinder metal thing in his hand.

"That's Akiridian Tech!" The girl said as she saw it.

"It's what?" Jim asked as Claire and Toby ran after Porgon. Angel felt it before she saw it, the disturbance in time, and instinctively put up a shield. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl do the same with her protractor thing. And then the world went black again.

. . .

Ooh, girl, your shining! Like a Fifth Avenue diamond!

"I am starting to hate that song," Angel groaned as she got up and headed to her dresser. 

"Wakey wakey, eggs and- oh!" Douxie said as he came in the door to see she wasn't in bed. "Already up and at em?"

"Yup." Douxie watched her carefully as she took her clothes and walked into the bathroom to change. "Open the window, please!" Douxie set the tray on her nightstand and did as she asked, albeit a little confused. Arch jumped onto the dresser, looking just as confused.

"Something's off with her," Douxie complained to his familiar. Flapjack rushed in and cut off Arch's reply.

"Right on cue," Angel said as she came in. "You're still staying here, you stubborn bird. You're still hurt." He chirped a 'really?' But Angel's gaze was unwavering as she pointed to the bed. After chirping something that Angel was glad she didn't understand, he flew to the bed.

"Um, where are you going?" 

"We are going to the planetarium to stop a troll from attacking." Angel didn't give him a chance to reply as she grabbed his shoulder and grabbed Arch and teleported to the alleyway just outside of the planetarium. After Archie had regained his senses, he turned to a dragon and removed himself from her grip.

"Next time, don't just grab me like that," Archie told her, quite annoyed. 

"Sorry Arch, but time is of the essence. Porgon is going to attack-"

"Porgon?"

"The trickster troll?" Douxie asked with wide eyes. "How do you know its him?"

"It's what Toby said. In a different version of today," Angel explained.

"Different versions- what is going on?"

"When I know, I'll tell you."

. . .

This time both Angel and the girl tried to save Shannon's volcano only to have them bump into each other and fall into her. At least Angel finally knew the girl's name since her brother called it out after she let go of the box they were carrying.

"Sorry," Aja told her as she went back to catch her brothers box to help him carry it inside. Angel muttered her apology but ran inside to meet Aja. 

Douxie wasn't anywhere to be seen, probably still searching for where Porgon came from. She had pretty much ordered him to use magic when he attacked. He hadn't for the last couple times and that had almost gotten him killed, so no matter how much he wanted the secret kept, he was using it!

Angel waited by the wall for Jim to come by, opting to leave Aja alone until then. Jim gave Angel only one glance, seemingly glad she was already there, before getting Aja's attention.

"Don't kill me!" He yelled as her not protractor became some sort of sword and she pulled it on him. As soon as she recognized him, she backed down and put a hand to her head.

"What's happening? Why does it keep happening?" She asked.

"Believe me; I'm wondering the same thing, sister," Angel said, earning an estranged glance from Aja. 

"I am not your sister. There could be no way we are related."

"It's an expression, Aja. Jim, can you explain what's going on?"

"It's really weird, but I think it's because of a trickster troll," Jim explained.

"What's a troll?" Aja asked.

"Big stone guy with anger issues?" Angel took over. "That's a troll."

"The last time this happened, my memories must have been protected by my serrator shield. Why do you two remember?"

"I'm not sure," Jim said as reached into his pocket to pull out the Amulet of Daylight. "I think my amulet protects me. Angel?

"I think it's because I have an affinity for time magic," Angel said, giving a small demonstration by making Aja's serrator float in a glow of maroon. "I can slow down an object as it moves, separate from the things around it. My shield must protect me from the effects of what Porgon is doing."

"Lively," Aja breathed as she grabbed the serrator out of the air.

"I've been through today thirty times," Jim said, effectively ruining the awe Aja felt.

"Thirty times!?"

"And then you used your glowy blue bubble thing-"

"Serrator."

"Angel used her magic and now we're the only people who remember the time loop."

"You said I could save everyone."

"Yeah, because-"

"Incoming Jimbo!" Toby yelled, Angel barely able to jump out of the way as he flew in on his hammer, Claire following close behind. The battle was near.

"What do I have to do?" Porgon attacked again, but Jim, Aja, and Angel didn't join in. Jim was only a little taken aback when he saw the flying cat-like dragon and the waiter from the cafe joining in, a stone bracelet suddenly forming on his arm. 

"Look," Jim said as he shook his head to regain his thoughts. "We're going to time loop again. I need you to trust us. Tell us what Akiridian Tech is." Aja looked reluctant for a moment but seemed to decide to do just that.

"The technology is from a planet called Akiridian Five."

"How do you know?" Angel asked, glancing nervously back at the battle.

"Because it is also where I am from." As she said that, Aja transformed into a blue girl with four arms and blue eyes that reminded Angel of Angor's.

On instinct, Angel put up her shield causing the other two to do the same. Everything went black again.

. . .

Ooh girl, your shining! Like a Fifth Avenue diamond!

"Ugh!" Angel shouted as she got up. "Turn off that stupid song! Please." This time, she didn't both rummaging around for something to wear. She just grabbed the first T-shirt and jeans she saw. She opened the window so Flapjack could get in, then she poked her head out of her room. Both Douxie and Arch were looking at her weird.

"You alright, Angel?" Douxie asked as he turned off that song. 

"I will be as soon as this day ends. Now-"

"But your birthday just started."

"Yeah, more like Groundhog Day. Get ready to go please. We're meeting Jim at the planetarium." A chirping behind her pulled her back into the room and she closed the door. "You get your wish, Flapjack. But you're staying on my shoulder and you aren't flying unless it's an emergency, understand?" 

. . .

"So, you're Angel's boyfriend?" Jim asked Douxie while they waited for Krel and Aja to get there. They were the only two who couldn't instantly get to the hill overlooking the planetarium.

"Uh, yeah, pretty much," Douxie answered, looking at Angel as she was explaining why she had a bird on her shoulder. Jim groaned and dragged a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you at school the other day... And the restaurant." To Jim's surprise and relief, Douxie chuckled.

"Trust me, I've met worse customers working at that cafe. At least you always tip."

"What are we doing here, Aja?" Krel's voice came from the bushes. That was his cue. As they came into view, Jim greeted them and explained the time loop.

"Wait wait wait," Krel interrupted as he began talking about a plan. "I'm supposed to believe this human has altered the space time continuum so that we are repeating the same chronological cycle."

"It's not all that impossible," Douxie mumbled to himself, putting a hand on his chin.

"Time loop," Jim corrected, likely not hearing Douxie. "And yes. Something about your alien tech-"

"I do not like that word," Krel said before looking to Aja with annoyed features. "And I can't believe you told him about us!"

"Focus, little brother," Aja said.

"Wait, hold up. You two are aliens?!" Toby exclaimed. Aja was going to deny on instinct, but Krel elbowed her and she nodded instead. "Awesome sauce! Carry on."

"We need to stop this troll. And get out of this endless cycle of repetition."

"Master Jim," Blinky said as he and Arrrgh came carefully over to the group. Luckily the sun was just rising and the trees were many. "I must insist we resume our search for Porgon."

"Aja!" Krel exclaimed, hiding behind his sister in fear. "Who- what are are those things?"

"Bounty hunters!" A big blue guy with four eyes popped up from his place in the bushes and ran to attack Blinky. "I will protect you my royals." After tackling Blinky, Arrrgh attacked big blue, who kept saying Glorious after every punch. "You're encased in some kind of stony armor."

"Glo- ri- ous," Arrrgh laughed, knocking Varvatos back towards Blinky. Big blue picked him up and held him in what looked like a headlock.

"Get away from Varvatos' charges or face the slow and painful act of having your eyeballs being plucked from your skulls!"

"Stop! He's good!" Jim, Aja, and Angel yelled at the same time. The fighting stopped, but Arrrgh began sniffing around.

"What multi eyed monster is this?" Big blue asked in a shout. Blinky gasped, clearly offended. 

"Monstrosity only lies in the humans hearts," Blinky fired back. "Do not judge a book by its cover." 

"This is Blinky, my mentor and trainer," Jim introduced. Aja did the same with Varvatos.

"Lively. He was just attacked by my mentor and trainer." Meanwhile, Arrrgh kept sniffing around until he came over to the boulder Archie was perched on and licking himself. When Arrrgh said 'yum', Archie took it upon himself to smack him in the nose.

"I am no one's lunch, got that?" He said. Arrrgh nodded, holding the spot on his nose carefully. Those that weren't familiar with him speaking to turn with wide eyes.

"Um, I was under the impression that the felines of this planet were not able to talk," Krel said. Aja's eyes lit up with joy as she giggled 

"Your cat wears glasses and can talk?" Toby asked with awe. Douxie gained a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and smirked.

"That's not all he can do." As he said that, Archie turned into a dragon and flew over to perch on his shoulders. Douxie pet him with a fond look. If Angel was sure the situation had to be resolved with him, he'd do it with flair.

"Awesome sauce!" Flapjack gave a very indignant chirp, like flying wasn't that big a deal. Angel rolled her eyes and chuckled at all of her boys.

"Varvatos wants answers, or more punching with the big one," Big blue said, and Arrrgh gave a confused look. 

"It's a long story," Jim said.

"One that keeps repeating apparently," Krel offered. A roar from the planetarium caused everyone to turn. 

"Of course," Angel muttered. Jim turned to Aja quickly, ushering her to put up the bubble thing to shield them all. Just in time, too, as the planetarium became bright.

. . .

"This is so cool!" Angel said as she ran around inside of the ship, chasing Flapjack around the ship interior. "I'm running around in an actual alien- no, Akiridian spaceship! Anna so owes me a twenty."

"Angel!" Douxie called after her. "Love, wait up!"

"I would if Flapjack would!" 

"I'm on it!" Archie's voice came from behind along with the familiar sound of him transforming. He flew past her and tried to corner the bird. 

"He's a right stubborn little git, isn't he?" Douxie chuckled.

"I wonder where he gets it from."

"What's that supposed to mean, Arch?" Angel asked as she slowed down. Arch had successfully gotten Flapjack to slow down. Or maybe it was Claire, since he was chirping at her with some things that she couldn't understand. She seemed happy, so he probably wasn't cursing her out in bird.

"Finally!" Krel exclaimed. "We have to get back to the front of Mother. And if your bird or your flying cat-"

"Dragon, currently," Archie corrected as he perched on Douxie's shoulders. Krel rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Your pets better not have pooped anywhere." Krel didn't give them a chance to answer as he ushered them back to the front. Archie muttered something about not being a pet and as Flapjack perched on Angel's shoulder, he sounded like he agreed whole heartedly.

. . .

"The blue thingy worked. Everyone remembers," Jim said as he looked around. Arrrgh and Luug had been playing with each other, Blinky had been saying something about him being royalty, Toby was enjoying some robotic cooking, and Krel, Claire, Angel, and Douxie had just come back from their tour in the ship.

"But how do we unloop time?" Aja asked.

"Now that is the million dollar question," Douxie said. "The first step to figuring that out how he's messing with time at all. Trolls usually don't have that much power."

"According to your description, it sounds like he's holding a decion charger," Krel explained. "It recycles energy but not time."

"Porgon is a trickster troll. It's likely he's using troll magic to-"

"Oh my gosh, it's like Douxie said," Toby interrupted excitedly. Douxie's hands fell to his sides as he glared slightly at Toby. "Porgon is combining troll magic and alien tech. It's like combining peanut butter and chocolate to make-"

"A nought nummy?" Jim offered.

"Not just any Nought Nummy, Jimbo. The nought mummy of reset buttons." Varvatos got into Toby's face upon seeing the braces glinting as he spoke.

"Your teeth of steel are fascinating," Varvatos observed as Toby backed away. "Do you use them to chomp your enemies?"

"When this Porgon attacks," Krel interrupted, turning Varvatos' attention to him. "He always goes after a component of the Daxel Array."

"The what?" Angel asked only to be ignored.

"If he combines magic with the subspace manifold, he could destroy time itself!"

"Blimy Balroths," Douxie muttered. "We have destroy this device before Porgon can use it again."

"Yes, but we have to be careful," Jim said, for once agreeing with Douxie. He seemed to have gotten over his jealousy. "The minute Porgon feels threatened, he'll reset the loop. Wait, where did Aja go?"

"She left," Krel answered simply, like this happened all the time. "Right before you said we need to be careful."

"Oh, fuzzbuckets," Douxie groaned as he facepalmed.

. . .

"Really, Aja?" Angel said when she came down the hall, Jim glaring at her as he leaned against the fridge.

"Sorry, sorry, I got carried away," she apologized, but it didn't seem sincere as she was going to the door, battle ready again.

"You sure did, knucklehead." Toby said as she passed with his mouth full of pancakes. 

"That is a fun word. But it does not sound like a nice one." Arch flew in front of her before she could leave.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked, only to be pushed out of the way. Flapjack flew over and started pulling on her hair to keep her from leaving (or because she pushed Arch. Angel couldn't tell.)

"Ugh! Call off your flying animals!" Aja complained as she kept swiping at the bird. Jim gave Angel and Douxie a look and they called Flapjack and Archie back respectively. Flapjack pecked her on the head before heading back to his place on Angel's shoulder. Aja growled as she opened the door.

"You can't just run off into battle like that," Jim said, keeping the door from opening all the way.

"I said I was sorry," she said like that was the only thing she had to do for an apology. Angel scoffed and crossed her arms.

"You said you're training to be a warrior but it takes patience," Jim said.

"That is what Varvatos said," Varvatos said, slamming the door. Aja growled, indignant as ever.

"I once rushed into a place called the Darklands. If my friends hadn't helped me, a lot of people would have gotten hurt."

"You don't understand!" Aja yelled, pulling away from the two. "My mama and papa did get hurt and now bounty hunters are after us! This is why I'm training to be a warrior! This is why I cannot be patient!" Aja collapsed to her knees, the admition of that too much to bear. "I cannot lose anyone ever again."

"I don't think that's something we can control," Krel said as kneeled down to comfort her.

"The king-in-waiting is correct," Varvatos said, a softness to his voice. "No amount of training can prevent tragedy. And the lake hunting boy is also correct." Varvatos put his hand on Jim's shoulder, unintentionally hurting him. Douxie very subtlety used magic to lift some of the weight off. "You cannot vanquish our current foe on your own." Krel helped Aja up as she sighed, accepting his consolation.

"What is your plan?"

. . .

Angel walked around carefully, putting the mini dwark stones on the volcanoes all around. She could turn invisible, so she was elected to be the one to do it. The only person she bumped into was Steve and it got his hand stuck in Eli's volcano.

Aja and Krel hid with Jim until it was time to provide a distraction. Arch, Angel, Douxie, and Flapjack hid on the top level until Porgon attacked. 

Jim was in his armor and soon, Aja and Krel were blue and had four arms. Porgon gave pause at that, long enough for Blinky to activate the stones. The volcanoes erupted, scaring most everyone out of the line of fire and creating a smokescreen.

Varvatos came swinging in on Saturn and dealt Porgon a flying kick. It sent him flying back and knocking the decion out of his hand.

"I've got it!" Arch shouted as he flew in to grab it and pass it to Krel. Porgon immediately went for the attack, and the fire and laser attacks from Archie and Luug did nothing. Angel jumped in front of him and put up a magic shield. Porgon didn't back down and continued beating on it. When he raised both hands up to make one final blow, Douxie trapped both his hands in a blue rope. 

"Aja, Jim, now!"

Aja jumped over the group and blasted him back. Jim swung from the place Pluto was on with his sword brandished. Porgon tried to get up but Douxie held him down with his magic just long enough for Jim to stab him and turn him to stone. 

"A Porgon conclusion!" Blinky yelled, as the group gathered. Varvatos found one of Porgon's arms and claimed it as a trophy.

"Downright nuclear!" Douxie said as he hi-fived Jim and Angel. Archie perched on his shoulders, turning back to a cat. Camera shutters and flashes caused Douxie to cover his eyes. "Buckets.."

"Real freaking monsters," Mary gushed, taking a few more photos and walking up to Blinky. "Or do you prefer creatures. I wanna get my hashtag right."

"Mary!" Angel said as she snatched her phone away. 

"Hey, give it back!" 

"No! None of you can post any of-"

"Detective Scott to dispatch." Angel muttered a curse as she watched Darci's dad and another officer pushed through the crowd, Mary snatching her phone right back. "Perimeter secure, we are on sight."

"Copy. What do you see?" The person on the walky asked.

"I honestly can't say...."

"That's honestly better than my reaction to seeing trolls," Angel whispered to Douxie.

"Alright, all of you. I want to see both hands in the air. Or, um, however many you have." Angel was suddenly very glad Flapjack wasn't there. She had made him stay at Mother while they ended this loop.

"Varvatos Vex should rip out this man's tongue and use it to flatulate him!"

"Um, let's not do that," Douxie said pulling the arm back with his magic.

"What are you doing? Stop that!" The second officer said, freaking when saw the blue glow from his hand and around the arm.

"Get councilwoman Nunez on the line," Detective Scott told the walky.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, this is bad," Angel said.

"Any ideas?" Douxie asked.

"Other than Big blue murdering our way out of this?" Toby offered. Varvatos seemed to like the idea, if the way he kept threateningly punching his fist against the stone one was any indication. Angel looked around, searching for something, anything that could be useful.

Instead, on the railing up above, she saw a bird. It's red, orange, and yellow glistening feathers made it look like a beautiful sunset. On its head, three feathers resided, one of each color. Around its big brown eyes were red feathers in a vaguely familiar heart shape, not to mention line over a side of it's face.

"I might have a solution," Krel said, interrupting her thoughts as she looked away from the bird. "If I can set the decion charger to detonate, we can reset the day again but this time, the charger will be destroyed and your troll menace will not find it."

"But then, today will have never happened," Jim said, looking at Aja.

"Which means, we never become friends," she finished. Everyone suddenly felt extremely sad, Angel even wondering if they should even do it.

"Fear not," Blinky assumed. "I have no doubt fate will pull us all together again in due course."

"He's right," Archie offered. "The truest of friendships can transcend through time and space."

And so it was decided.

Everyone put their hands on the charger, activating it. Angel and Douxie let their own magic flow into it. The police tried to stop them, but it was too late. The world went black again.

. . .

"I'm talking about me, you knucklehead," Aja

told Krel as Angel walked off. She had done her best to get him to win, but Coach's need to get out of there fast (and being Steve's step-dad) got him to just choose the first thing that wasn't a normal volcano.

"You mind if I steal you away from here?" Douxie said as he held out a hand. 

"I'd love that," she answered as she took it gladly and allowed herself to be pulled away. 

"Oh, that's Douxie," Jim muttered to Toby as he caught them walking off. He facepalmed as Toby said something about seeing them make out once. "You couldn've told me this before?"

He smiled sheepishly. "... Sorry."

Chapter Text

"That's....." Douxie muttered as he watched Angel sparing with Anna, red claws out. She had been working on her non-magical/close combat for awhile now. Zoe and Douxie, because he had gone back to teaching her as well, were waiting for twilight to come.

"Yep. Her emotions run her magic more than anyone I've ever seen," Zoe said as she watched. "It unlocks her deep-seated stuff easier. But that also means-" Angel suddenly got thrown back against a tree, just barely able to shield herself from it.

"She stops paying attention," he sighed. "So, anger is how she controls it? I guess I picked the wrong emotion."

"I noticed it when I first trained her, since she was a bit ticked off that you wouldn't." He winced and looked to the ground. Angel got thrown on the ground again but got up, determined to get more than one blow in a row. "But when she drank that Gravesand coffee (remind me to talk to the trollhunter about that), I think she did too. She's stopped holding back as much."

That he did notice. Angel was more comfortable using her magic now, the claws and shield being a good indicator. But not as much didn't mean never at all. She kept stopping in the middle to take a breath and calm herself down, losing whatever advantage she had to do so, and there was still that bit of hesitation no matter what she did.

Soon enough, twilight came, so Angel stopped fighting Anna. She shook her hand respectively and headed off for a date with Kristoff. Angel struck up a conversation with the two about her chess match Toby's grandma and the other older people of Arcadia. She beat three of them, Vex being extremely intense about his match with her, but she still couldn't beat Mrs. Domzalski.

"I mean, the woman can barely see. How can she be that good? It's like she can read minds, though after what I've seen, it's not entirely impossible I guess-"

"I still don't like that we aren't telling her," Douxie whispered to Zoe as they got closer to the territory of one of the niffins. Zoe rolled her eyes as she whispered back. 

"If she knows, she won't fight."

"She'll be mad at both of us if we don't."

"That's a risk we'll have to take." Douxie groaned. "She's never fought a troll head on before, with all her wits about. If we tell her now, she won't learn until it's too late." After a moment, Douxie gave a sigh and made up his mind.

"She won't learn like this."

"Hisirdoux!" Zoe whisper/yelled as he jogged to catch up with Angel. She had pulled ahead while they were arguing. Douxie rubbed the back of his neck nervously when he did, unsure of how to first approach the topic.

"Hey, Douxie?" Angel asked, not looking at him. "Is it hard to fight a niffin? I know Zoe said it was like fighting a troll, but I've fought one before and he had coherent thoughts. Do niffins have them? I tried to read up on them beforehand, but I couldn't remember where the books were." 

"See, here's the thing about niffins, Angel-"

The bark-meow roar echoed around them, Angel immediately going on guard. Zoe yelled out a warning that Angel reacted to fairly quickly, grabbing Douxie's hand and teleporting them behind the niffin just as it's claws hit the ground. It looked confused for a moment before Zoe used her rope to swing in from a tree and kicked it in the face. 

Angel sent a barrage of her magic to it, the yowl excruciating. 

"Angel wait! I need to tell you-" 

"Tell me later, Doux!" Angel said before shielding herself as the claw came down on her. Douxie backed up so he could properly find the runes he needed for a few trap spells. 

Angel made sure to shoot the niffin in the face to lock it onto her. As it tried to claw at her, she teleported out of its way but only a few feet out of the way. She repeated the action a few times before going the opposite way and using the confusion to slash with red claws. The skin around it turned to stone. 

Douxie got the trap spells ready on his hands, sending the disks flying towards the niffin. The niffin dodged them. Zoe wasn't so lucky. She yelled and tried to spell her way out, but there was no luck. The niffin took interest in her, but before it could attack, Angel used her electric rope to grab its arm. It yowled again.

"Interminus nocti sluumberso," Douxie cast, even as Zoe glared daggers at him. Angel was confused but let her rope fade. 

"So, is that it?" Angel asked while Douxie let Zoe down. "I figured it would be longer, more of a fight."

"It should have been," Zoe said as she punched Douxie in the arm, harder than it should have been if it were simply playful. "I told you to stop doing this."

"You kept that from me for years," Douxie grumbled as he rubbed his hurt arm. "I won't do the same to her."

"Uh, do what?" Angel asked. They didn't seem to hear her as they stared each other down.

"She needs to know how to fight beasts like that! You know how she is."

"Yes, I do. Which is why we should have told her beforehand."

"Tell me what?" Angel asked only to be ignored again. She rolled her eyes and groaned as they continued.

"It's not that important anyway. They heal when twilight is over."

"Yes, but-"

"And even if they die, the get reborn the next day." 

"Would you let me finish?" Their argument didn't look like it was going to die down anytime soon.

"Alright, you two call me when you're done being stupid," Angel said as she walked off, still being ignored. She loved the both of them, but she continued to wonder how they even became friends in the first place. Zoe was extremely rough and tumble, no nonsense. She did have a soft spot hidden deep, deep down.

Douxie mostly wore his heart on his sleeve, even though he tried his best to hide it. Angel knew that at some point he was a lot more expressive and calmer than he was now. But she guessed that hundreds of years watching people come and go in both good and bad ways was a contributor to it. That, and Merlin's lessons.

According to Douxie, after saving him from the clutches of Arthur's war against magic, he taught him a few spells but mainly made him an errand boy. Mastery over life and all that. Still, he didn't have to always put him down.

"Oh give me a home, where the Buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play," came a soft voice from a few feet away. Twilight was now gone, replaced with the stars above and the warm glow from the bonfire. 

The bonfire! She had planned on having Douxie and Zoe come with after the niffin hunt, but their arguing had made her forget. She turned back, thinking about going back for them. But Mary and Darci called her over, so she decided to let those two finish arguing and figure it out later.

Darci gave her some soda that she had made sure wasn't tampered with. Shannon, who Angel never realized could sing, stopped as Steve and Aja came in on his Vespa, spreading dust everywhere. As Angel coughed and wiped the dust from her eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if Aja had threatened Steve into giving her a ride. But the little she had seen of the new student, that wasn't like her.

"So beautiful and warm," Aja breathed as she ran up to the fire. "I just want to hug it." 

"Woah, watch out," Steve said as he pulled Aja back from the fire before she touched it and burned herself. "Fire is hot and dangerous. Like me." Angel nearly spit out her drink as Mary and Darci shared a look.

Did Steve really just flirt with Aja? And with something as cheesy as that? He had better lines than that, albeit still very annoying ones.

Shannon began going crazy with the song, picking it up when it shouldn't be. Aja began dancing, getting Steve to join, getting weird looks in turn. Soon, even Shannon had stopped playing to watch the strangeness. The two awkwardly stopped shortly after.

"Guess we're not dancing."

"Don't sweat it. Maybe they will later." Aja took off her helmet and looked at a very nervous Steve. "How about a s'more?"

"Some more what?" Steve laughed a bit too much at her misunderstanding, thinking it was supposed to be a joke, before walking off to get her some marshmallows. Despite herself, Angel joined in Mary and Darci's questioning.

"Are you with Steve? Are you like, together together?" Mary asked excitedly, barely taking a breath.

"Why are you repeating yourself self?" Aja asked, tilting her head.

"Omg! Steve and Aja! You can be... Staja! Or Ajive. No, Staja. Let's stick with Staja."

"I think I'll keep my own name, thanks." Aja walked off to watch Steve talk with a few of his friends. The trio followed.

"You ok, Aja?" Angel asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Not really," she sighed. "This may be my first and last date." Mary gasped and pushed Angel out of the way, nearly knocking her to the ground.

"Your last date? No! We just made Staja a thing! You can't break up with him yet!"

"That's not the reason you shouldn't break up with him," Angel said as she returned Mary's oh so gracious favor. "I think you should at least finish out this one before you make the decision. He might surprise you. People often do."

"Yeah," Darci agreed. "The secret to a great date is just to be yourself."

"Of course. Who else would I be?" Aja declared as she walked over to join Steve.

"Speaking of dates, where are your special guys?" Mary asked Angel and Darci, the former shrugging.

"He was arguing with a friend when I left and I didn't want to hear it," Angel answered as she took a sip of her soda.

"And TP and Claire went with Jim to visit his Uncle Merlin or whatever." The minute Darci said that, her sip turned into a mistake as she inhaled it. She had started choking and coughing so much that her face turned red and Mary had to pat her on the back to help her breathe.

"Are you ok Angel?" Mary asked as Angel finished her coughing fit.

"Yeah," she muttered, voice a little hoarse. "Yeah, it just- just went down the wrong pipe. You- you said his Uncle Merlin?"

"Uh, yeah," Darci answered, a little confused. "Why?"

"I just didn't know he had one. Listen, I gotta go... feed my bird."

"Now? You just got here," Mary complained as Angel backed away. 

"What can I say? Being a pet owner is a lot of responsibility."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Darci called after her retreating form. Angel tripped but called back that she was fine.

"Ugh, everyone is so boring here," Mary groaned.

. . .

"You've stopped spending time with me, alright!" Zoe yelled, shutting down whatever Douxie was going to say next. Zoe huffed and turned away with crossed arms. "Don't get me wrong, she's a great person and I'm glad you're happy. But you've been my best friend for centuries, and ever since she came into the picture, I hardly ever see you two apart.

"In fact, I think I see her more than you. Ugh!" She groaned as she wiped a tear away. "You made me have feelings. Thanks a lot, Hisirdoux." Despite the situation, they both shared a chuckle. Douxie stopped first, walking over to put a hand on her shoulder in attempted comfort. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked softly. She refused to meet his eyes.

"Because if you aren't with her, you're working or patrolling. I just- I- ugh! This is why I never talk about this stuff!"

"Look, I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I didn't know." Zoe sighed and finally met his eyes with a sad smile.

"Well, I guess you aren't the only one in the wrong. I could have told you sooner."

"Hey, I have tomorrow night off. Why don't we go on patrol again, just us? I've heard tell of a spector in the area." Zoe raised her brow at him, but a smirk played on her features. 

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm sure Angel wouldn't mind, would you- Angel?" Douxie turned to ask her only to find she wasn't there anymore. Neither was the niffin, only a little stone where it had fallen.

"Wow. I didn't realize we argued that long." 

"Yeah, I'm guessing she just left. Angel has a thing about people arguing around her. I just can't believe it's so dark already."

"Ugh, are we lost?" A voice came from the bit of woods behind them. The two silently agreed that they didn't want to explain why they were alone together in the woods, so they hid as two kids came into the little clearing. They couldn't be older than high school sophomores. "I don't like the outdoors. Everything is covered in dirt."

"Shh," the second one said, a person Douxie recognized as Eli based on Angel's description of him. "According to the internet, the Billykraggle only appears when the Dogstar is brightest." Zoe scoffed, Douxie putting a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. She decided to lick his hand and he had to withhold his groan of disgust as he pulled away.

"And that only happens once a century? You don't really believe this Billykraggle actually exists, right?"

"Trust me, Krel. Anything is possible in this town."

"He's got that right," Douxie muttered from his hiding place. "You just shared shared your feelings." That earned him a punch in the arm, especially after how he reacted to her simply scoffing. 

The bushes rustled elsewhere, covering their movements. The two wizards watched the two young hunters as one approached the bush where something was obviously hiding.

"Don't worry," Eli assured Krel, who seemed extremely worried. "I have experience dealing with creatures of an unknown origin."

"There is no way this ends well, is there?" Douxie sighed. Zoe rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head.

"Ya think, knucklehead?"

"We come in peace!" Eli told the told the creature as it rose up. "I'm Eli, friend to creepers." The 'creeper' in question wasn't like any troll or magical being the wizards had seen before. It's skin was a smooth blue, it's tail long and spiky, and it's head was white with horns.

"Eli, that's not a friend!" Krel shouted but Eli immediately shut his friend down. Krel pulled out a glowing protractor like it was a weapon. Whatever this creature, the two wizards agreed that this kid knew something they didn't. Faintly, Douxie heard a scream from further in the forest.

The bonfire... he gave one look to Zoe and she understood what he wanted. Meanwhile, the scene in front of them continued to unfold.

"Eli- friend. You- creeper." The creature jumped from the bush, forcing Eli to back up. Apparently it's weird headshape was because of a helmet and it's skin was because of armor. It took off its helmet, revealing a scalely head and roared in Eli's face, it's sharp rows of teeth very clear. The thing used it's tail to knock Eli out of the way as the kid yelled and went after Krel.

He was able to shield himself with the not protractor and push the creature into a tree. He transformed the shield into a gun and shot at the creature. It jumped out of the way as he kept firing. He finally got a hit on it just long enough for himself to begin running.

The creature would have continued after him, but Douxie used a rope spell to grab its tail. Zoe had used the roar to get away and warn the kids at the bonfire, so he was alone as the creature snapped him around. Finally, Douxie was forced to let go of his hold.

That didn't mean he stopped fighting. While he had been thrown around, he placed a trap in front of the creature. It stepped on it and was immediately trapped. Groaning and holding his midsection, he got up.

"I don't know who you are, but you aren't hurting anyone here," Douxie declared as he prepared to blast the creature with magic. It glared at him.

"You have no idea who you're messing with, human," it growled. He ignored it as he began shooting the bast of magic at the round prison. In the middle of that, he got tackled, effectively releasing the first creature. 

"Don't move, human," the one that tackled him growled. It was big and burly, like a bear almost. Douxie could hear two sets of footsteps moving towards him. "What should we do with him, Alpha?" The one who was presumably Alpha, a wolf like creature came over as the bear like one grabbed his neck and lifted him up. 

As the creature started looking him over, sniffing him, Douxie managed to land a kick on his snout. Alpha growled and glared daggers at him. The lizard one hissed at him.

"Kill him," Alpha ordered. 

"Not today, buttsnacks!" Douxie sent out a blast of magic, throwing them all back. Unfortunately, that included himself. Douxie thought quickly enough to put himself a bubble as he fell back. The lizard one came after him and beat on it. After a moment of the futile attack, it swiped at him with its tail, sending him rolling through the woods.

. . .

"Don't you ever tell her you said that!" Aja ordered her brother, all four hands on her hips. 

"Fuzzbuckets!" 

"Did you hear that?" Krel asked right before getting run over by a blue ball and thrown into a tree. The culprit turned out to be a waiter from the cafe.

"Um, sorry about that," the boy apologized before realizing that he wasn't talking to humans. "Bleeding Balroths...."

"You- you aren't afraid?" Aja asked the boy as he stared at them in awe. He was a curious one himself, with his glowing stone bracelet in a language she'd never seen before. Then again, most languages here she hadn't seen before.

"No. No, I've seen stranger before. But, nothing like you two. What are you?"

"We.. well, it's a long story..."

"I know that I am something that you should get off of, right now!" Krel shouted, pushing the waiter off of him as he got up himself. "And anyway, who are you?"

"Uh... long story as well, I'm afraid," the waiter answered as Aja helped pull him up. 

"We can at least start with names," Aja said, pointing to herself with her right hands and bowing a bit. "I am Aja Tarron, queen-in-waiting of house Tarron, and this is my little brother Krel, king-in-waiting." Krel just nodded while he crossed all his arms.

"I am Douxie Casperan. Weren't you just attacked by a lizard creature?" Douxie asked Krel.

"I wasn't attacked by a lizard," Krel told him indignantly. "Those things are small and not threatening. I was attacked by a Zeron."

"Zeron?"

"Bounty hunter," Aja clarified. "They have followed us all the way from Akiridian Five."

"What's Akiridian Five?"

"Our home planet."

"Aja!"

"What?" She defended. "He's already seen the Zeron's."

"And fought them for a minute," Douxie chimed. "But can hold up for a tick? You two from another planet?" A howl accompanied by a large rustling startled all of them. Douxie called stasis disks to his hands in a preparation for a fight.

"Lively."

"Whatever those things are, it won't work against the Zeron's," Krel said, arming his serrator. 

"If I get close enough with them, I can freeze them in place for a few minutes," Douxie fired back. Krel's eyes widened and he glanced up.

"I think I have a plan."

. . .

"Where is the girl?" Omega growled at the boy. "And that boy?"

"I want to have a few words with him," Alpha said as he held his snout carefully.

"Oh, they're hanging around here somewhere," Krel said with a smirk. Aja dropped from her place she was waiting in the tree onto one of her attackers while Douxie jumped out from his hiding place and shot blasts of magic as he shouted a spell. Krel turned his serrator into a gun of some sort and started firing at another, then a shield as he jumped away and opened fire himself. Aja got thrown off, nearly into Krel.

"Cute. They're trying to fight," the lizard like one said as he slashed his tail at them, sending orange spikes at them. Another tried to attack from the side, but Douxie put up a shield himself. As the attacks continued, the three began getting pushed back further.

"Give me the serrator!" Aja ordered her brother. 

"Then I'll be defenseless," he argued. "At least you can throw a punch." Aja snatched the serrator away from her brother, letting the shield turn to a gun so she could shoot one attacker into another.

"Now climb!" Douxie kept the Zeron's from following for a moment by trapping them in the magical rope before allowing himself to be pulled up by Aja. His balance was nowhere near what Angel's and Aja's were. He really only enjoyed looking at them from the ground, anyway.

"I do not like this Mother Nature. I much prefer the mother ship," Krel complained before he fell. Douxie tried to catch him only to loose his own very unstable footin and fall on him. "What gloober invented trees?"

"I wish I knew," Douxie groaned as he pushed off of Krel.

"Those trees are saving your lower posteriors right now." Aja said as she helped the two complaining boys up. "And they are majestic." Despite the situation, Douxie chuckled. Angel would agree. There was rustling around them that had them all on guard again. "That serrator would come in handy right about now." She looked around for another thing to utilize as a weapon, spotting Shannon's guitar. "Time to shred."

"No no no no! I've been wanting to play one of those," Krel said, his tenseness leaving as he snatched the guitar from his sister to hide it away.

"You can't have the serrator and the guitar!" 

"Not the time, guys!" Douxie exclaimed as the Zeron's came rushing in with an attack. Krel got upset when they almost vaporized his guitar. Aja jumped and dodged the attacks that were coming at her and avoiding being vaporized herself.

The one with a lizard tail came at him from behind and wrapped it's tail around his throat. So the plan of freezing at least one in place was a no go. Great.

"Now it's two against three. You don't stand a chance," the wolf one said, about land a fatal blow on Aja. Krel ran in front of her with the shield giving her a chance to climb up. Krel let go of the shield in favor of a gun, not noticing the one heading to hit him. Douxie still had enough consciousness to lift Krel up just high enough for Aja to snatch him out of the air and pull him into the tree.

Using its head as a battering ram, the pinkish one knocked the tree down. Douxie tried to get out the lizard's hold, but as soon his runes moved on his bracelet, he was thrown against a nearby rock. The lizard seemed to make sure his head was hit.

The sound of a tree falling was faintly heard by Douxie, but the world was so blurry, he couldn't tell where it was. His head felt heavy and dizzy and other words he couldn't think of right now.

The sounds of fighting tried to wake up his brain, but it didn't work. He tried to get up but a wave of nausea kept him down. 

"Varvatos, wait! Grab him too!" That was Aja's voice. But where was it coming from. A groan from another voice sounded, one he didn't recognize. 

"Luug, fetch!"

. . .

Kids were already leaving by the time I got there, Zoe texted. You ok?

I'm fine now. I'll explain tomorrow.

You better be alright.

"Thanks, again," Douxie said as he held an ice pack against his throbbing head and put his phone down. Aja and Krel had gone back to their human forms. "For saving me- ah!"

"Luug, he is not a toy!" Aja scolded as she grabbed the dog creature off of his leg with some difficulty. Apparently, he now saw Douxie as his chew toy. 

"You protected Varvatos' charges," Varvatos said as he walked past in his human form. "You have his respect, even if it is fleeting." Varvatos walked outside and when questioned by Aja, he simply said that he needed some fresh air. Douxie noticed he was holding something but ignored it. He didn't want to overstay his welcome.

"Ugh, Sweet Seklos, the Staja is a thing now," Krel groaned as Aja sat down and continued texting, ignoring her brother. Krel began strumming a few cords on the guitar. "Staja, Staja, makes me wanna... there's nothing that rhymes with Staja." Aja stuck her tongue out at him and continued texting.

"You know, that's pretty good for a beginner," Douxie offered, stopping Krel's teasing. "If you want, I could give you lessons some time."

"Really? Thanks, Mr Magic Man."

"Uh, Douxie, please."

"So, do you mind telling us exactly how you did all that?" Aja asked, petting Luug with one hand and keeping her phone firmly in the other. 

"Yes, of course. But do you mind if I make a phone call right quick?"

"Sure, sure." Krel groaned at Aja's continued attention to her phone, and ergo Steve, and began singing again. Douxie chuckled as he got up and walked off to a more secluded area, bumping into their fake mother, before dialing Angel's number.

"This is Angelia Sweet, leave a message at the beep." That voicemail came up too quickly for it to have gone unheard. Angel must still be a little upset that he was arguing with Zoe and ignored him. So, he sent her a text telling her where he was and that he was sorry and that he'd be home in a bit. 

Aja's laugh pulled his eyes away from his phone. He looked up to see Krel holding the guitar above his head, keeping it from Aja. Douxie laughed and wondered if Angel was ever like that with her siblings. 

After letting them play fight for a moment more, he lifted the guitar up in a blue glow. The two suddenly forgot their fight and looked up in awe.

"Alright you two," Douxie declared as he brandished his rune bracelet. "You want to learn about magic, do you?"

"Yes please!" The siblings said in unison, turning to him with wide eyes. Douxie chuckled and began showing them what he could do.

Chapter Text

She should have called him. It wasn't like she was hiding anything from Douxie and she could just text if she didn't want to hear his worried voice. But then again, what could she say?

Hey Douxie. Merlin, your master, might be alive after all and the trollhunters might be in contact with him and he didn't seem to want anything to do with you....

It had taken her so long to even come to Jim's house because she was afraid of the answer herself. And what it would do to Douxie. 

And now it would take longer to get the answer she needed since Detective Scott was there too. 

"Detective Scott?" Angel asked, taken a bit aback by his presence. "What are you doing here?" The door opened then, cutting off his reply.

"Hello~" Mrs. Domzalski said, standing alongside Dr. L, Mrs. Nunez, and Strickler and all smiling awkwardly. Dr. L met her eyes with a glance and somehow, she knew. Jim must have told them.

"Hey Mrs. D, Dr. L," Angel saluted nervously, her smile too wide and toothy to be normal and she knew it. Hopefully they could tell that she was on their side, whatever they were hiding. If she had to guess, a troll or two.

"Hey folks," Detective Scott waved, probably forgetting her presence all together. "It's funny, I wasn't sure if anyone was home but I saw cars parked out front."

"What did you hear?" Mr. Nunez. His wife laughed nervously. "I mean, out of curiosity."

"Hey, is that a flyer for the battle of the bands?" Angel asked, effectively turning his attention to herself. Long enough for Mrs. Nunez to elbow and glare at him.

"Yeah. The mayor thinks it's cool to drag the police into handing these out. It's supposed to raise money for city-"

"Thank you so much," Dr. L interrupted, snatching the flyer away. "We'll make sure our children save the date. Angel, go ahead and come in." Mrs. Nunez looked at Dr. L like she was crazy, but allowed Angel to snake her way into the house. She elbowed Dr. L to close the door as she saw a troll that looked like a green Blinky came down the stairs. Dr. L tried to close the door and bid him goodbye but it was too late.

"Wait, what's that?" He asked, pushing his way in. Angel quickly hid her hands behind her back and let them glow so she could hide that troll with invisibility. It wouldn't last long as turning anything other than herself invisible took a lot of concentration.

"What was what?" She asked as the Detective rubbed his eyes and stared at the spot where a troll had just disappeared.

"Uh, don't you need a warrant to come inside?" Mr. Nunez asked as he tried to respectfully pull him out of the house. Detective Scott was confused but leaving willingly...

Then the green troll fell down the stairs, startling Angel into letting the illusion down.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers..."

"Detective Scott here-" the Detective began speaking into his walkie but fell forwards. As it turned out, Mrs. Domzalski hit him in the head with a shovel.

"Oh, don't be such a bunch of daisy's. Help me move the body!" 

"Ok, maybe it's a good thing I've never beaten you at chess," Angel commented, turning all eyes to her.

"Who are you?" Mrs. Nunez asked. She looked like she wanted to glare but was still surprised at how Green Blinky disappeared from view.

"Um... I'm a friend." Detective Scott began rousing and before Mrs. Domzalski hit him again, Angel cast a spell on instinct. "Interminus nocti sluumberso!" His head fell limp again and it was quiet for a moment before Angel huffed out a laugh. "I can't believe that worked."

"What did she just- what did you just do?" Mrs. Nunez asked both relived and worried and seemed to be scared.

"I uh, cast a sleep spell," Angel laughed nervously, scratching her arms a tad. 

"A what?"

"A sleep spell. I can't repeat it or he'll suffer memory loss." 

"So, I suggest we move him to the couch so he doesn't wake up on the floor next time," Strickler said as he came up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. The others seemed to forget about her in light of the new task and did as he suggested. Angel took the distraction and used it to forcefully push his arm off.

"Jim may be buddy buddy with you, but I'm not," she whispered, not noticing the way her eyes faintly shined red. "The only reason I haven't taken you out is because of him. Remember that." 

When she turned away from a frightened Strickler, she met the confused and worried gaze of Dr. L. Angel suddenly tucked her hair behind her ear and walked to the corner farthest from Strickler.

Dr. L shook her head as they finished putting the detective on the couch, Green Blinky wandering around aimlessly until Mr. Nunez stopped him with a glare.

"What were you thinking?!" Dr. L exclaimed to Green Blinky. Mrs. Domzalski was still looking the detective over carefully and didn't know who was being asked that question. 

"I took decisive action. I have no regrets."

"Not you," Dr. L clarified.

"Though you did assault a police officer," Angel and Strickler spoke together. Angel's eyes widened but stayed glued to the floor.

"You were supposed to stay upstairs," Dr. L said as she pointed accusingly at Green Blinky and keeping the attention off of Angel.

"Now our goose is cooked," Mr. Nunez said.

"We need to focus," his wife corraled. "He's going to wake up eventually and we're going to have to explain what he saw."

"I have an idea," Green Blinky offered.

"We aren't going to kill him," Dr. L deadpanned. Mrs. Domzalski hid the shovel behind her back. Angel used her magic to pull it away from her completely, resisting the urge to hit Strickler herself and gave it to Dr. L.

"Hmph. In that case, I don't have an idea."

"How long does that spell last, Angel?" Dr. L sighed. All eyes were suddenly on her again. Angel glanced around nervously before sighing herself.

"Until I undo it," she answered with a shrug.

"Perfect," Mr. Nunez said with a smile and a clap. "We can just take him home like nothing happened."

"But, that'll raise questions as to how he fell asleep like that and why we're the ones taking him home and how he fell asleep and what he saw when Green Blinky-"

"Excuse me, my name is Dictacious. Blinky is my brother" Angel didn't know whether to laugh or feel bad for the troll. She knew troll names were weird, but who names their kid that?

"It's what?"

"Dictacious." 

"And you prefer that over Green Blinky?" At this point, she couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice or the smirk off her face. Dictacious glared at something that wasn't her and crossed all four of his arms.

"I fail to see how this is humerus."

"It's not, it's not... Dic."

"Watch your language, young lady!" Mr. Nunez scolded.

"I'm thirty-one, dude. I can curse if I want to."

"You're how-"

"Guys," Dr. L said loudly and forcefully enough to get everyone to turn to her. "We're getting off topic here."

"Barbara is right," Mrs. Nunez said. "Angel, you said that spell, if repeated, can erase his memory?"

"Yes, but the only thing I could guarantee is that he'll forget me, the caster of the spell, and anything related to me. Meaning he'd likely forget most of the last year with his daughter." She left out that Douxie knew a permanent memory spell. 

"Great," Mr. Nunez sarcastically said as he facepalmed. "There goes that plan."

"What if we just pretend nothing happened? That he didn't actually seem anything," Mrs. Domzalski offered.

"Yeah, I don't think any of us can act that well, Nana," Dr. L said good humoredly, but dejectedly. Mrs. Nunez didn't see anything but a plan, one that proved why she was a councilwoman.

They would simply act their way out of it by putting on a play. Using the troll and troll form as costumes and with some tricks with the lighting that Angel suggested, they would rehearse a makeshift play. 

While Mrs. And Mr. Nunez worked on the fake script, Strickler and Mrs. Domzalski working on the logistics of it all, and Dic pouting in a corner, Dr. L asked Angel to help her grab a couple of her old canvases to use as backgrounds.

"Wow," Angel said when she saw the paintings scattered about. "These are amazing! Ten times better than what what I could ever do."

"Angel," Dr. L tried to get her attention.

"Did you take some inspiration from picasso?" 

"Angel!" Dr. L nearly shouted, causing the girl to sigh and look tho the ground. Dr. L adjusted her glasses and gently moved Angel to look at her. It was a kind expression. "So, does Jim know? About you being a.. what are you?"

"A wizard. And yes, but only in the past couple weeks. Claire has known a little longer than him."

"And those injuries?"

"Made by a goblin after being kidnapped and a troll assassin at school."

"What? Who kidnapped you?" Angel let out a humorless chuckle as she walked off to gaze at the painting of Strickler's troll form.

"Ask 'Walt'. I'm sure he's told you all about how he let his old friend sic a goblin on me. How he sent a stupid troll assassin after me. After Jim. After Douxie."

"Uh, Angel?"

"And don't get me started on the idiotic thing he did with you. I mean, putting a binding spell on anyone is bad enough, but to bind himself to a mortal who's wounds heal differently than a troll-"

"Angel.."

"I mean, the idiocy, the sheer stupidity- the stupid way he only thought of his own safety instead of- oh no.." Angel stopped her rant when she saw Strickler's painting floating in a red glow. A quick glance back to Dr. L showed that it was more than just that one painting.

Brushes, paint, and paintings alike were all floating around, casting a red glow around everywhere. Dr. L looked both worried and possibly scared. Angel quickly gasped and set everything down, the ensuing clatter echoing in her ears. A rip drew her eyes back to the painting of Strickler.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. L," Angel muttered as she saw the giant tear in painting. She sighed and walked up next to her.

"It's fine. I think I'm getting past the anger anyway. At least to stuff I felt when I was painting this one. And please, call me Barbara." Barbara put a hand on her shoulder, smiling kindly but with worried eyes. 

"Still, I-" her words were cut off by her phone ringing. She took it out and saw the picture of Douxie, his tongue sticking out and a rock and roll symbol made with his hand. Angel's eyes softened for a moment before remembering why she was here in the first place and hit ignore.

"You know, you can answer that. I can go upstairs and-"

"I can't answer. Not yet."  

. . .

So far, the plan was working. Angel had roused Detective Scott in the middle of a scene, after they had already done one to get used to the acting. Angel was working as tech which was just her trying to run around without getting in the way of the scene and handing a broom to Barbara when needed.

"Bular told me that if I can't get you to hand over the amulet, I should kill you!" Strickler declared in his troll form, pointing accusingly at Barbara. She feigned surprise and hurt.

"You'd kill me in front of my son?" She asked in disbelief.

"I will if I have to!"

"That's funny. I was just thinking the same thing!" Barbara, for lack of a better term, kicked Strickler's ass. Angel, from her hidden spot on the side as the techy, had to withhold her laughter. Especially when Dr. L had threatened the third rule and he desperately called scene.

"Bravo," Detective Scott clapped over and over.

"And scene," Mrs. Nunez declared, granting Strickler his reprieve. "Great run everybody."

"Oh, Detective," Mrs. Domzalski said sweetly. Detective Scott still jumped away. "We've been wondering when you'd wake up."

"Walter, your acting was as suburb as your make-up," Mrs. Nunez complimented before turning back to the Detective.

"Sorry, but you had that coming," Barbara told Strickler as she helped him up. 

"Yeah," Angel chuckled. "I'm a little closer to forgiving you now."

"You know, I think I am too. Now, go get out of that costume." She bonked him on the head with the broom as he said 'yes ma'am'.

"What- What happened?" Detective Scott asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. Angel took the broom and went to sit on the couch next to him.

"You passed out," Mr. Nunez said quickly.

"Hm, yes. A vasovagal episode most likely," Barbara said. There were definite perks to being a doctor in this situation. No one questioned her input.

"I've got a bruise."

"You fell backwards," Mr. Nunez said without thinking. His wife elbowed him.

"After you fell forwards, he means," she clarified.

"Yeah, it was hard getting you to that couch," Angel said, punching his arm lightly. "All that muscle, most likely." 

"Hm. I do go to the gym regularly."

"Oh, it definitely shows."

"You seemed alright, so we decided to proceed with our rehearsal," Mrs. Nunez said.

"Rehearsal?" Detective Scott questioned.

"For the play we're putting on," Angel said. 

"Trollfighters!" Barbara said, grabbing the broom back from Angel and striking a pose. Jim really was his mother's son, wasn't he? As long as she'd known him, he would often strike poses for random things. Especially when he had on that grid shaka. I wonder how Dr. L would act with one on, Angel mused.

"You think there might be a part for me?" Detective Scott asked, drawing Angel's full attention back. 

"Umm, of course!"

. . .

Needless to say, Detective Scott wasn't a good actor nor did he have an expressive face. Or voice. Or anything. Even Angel could do better than him and she had never been the best in theater.

He kept mispronouncing names, getting in people's face (almost getting him punched in his when he forgot Angel was only tech for them), and just being bland as he said and did things. So everyone was glad when he finally left, even just agreeing to twice a week rehearsals to get him to leave faster.

"I don't know how our kids do it," Mrs. Nunez said with hands to her temples. Her husband put a hand on her shoulder, a calming motion.

"So, they just went to his tomb?" Angel asked Strickler as the others continued talking.

"Yes," Strickler answered, thinking better of putting a hand on her shoulder again. "As far as I'm aware, he's been dead for centuries."

"Well, he isn't dead. Just sleeping."

"What?"

"Yeah. How do you think he's been battling Morgana?"

"Wasn't that-"

"Oh! A text from Jim!" Barbara exclaimed, cutting off his question.

"What's it say?" Mrs. Nunez asked as the rest of the parents crowded around her.

"They're ok!" The parents were all talking over one another and it was hard to make anything out. Dr. L glared at Mrs. Nunez for something she'd said but Angel couldn't hear it. She just took a sip of her water. "We're all ok. Gunmar got the staff but we found Merlin. Smiley face, thumbs-"

Angel hated that tonight she kept taking drinks at the wrong time. She was going to choke herself before morning.

"You ok, Angel?" 

"I'm fine," she muttered as she got her breath back. "Merlin?" 

"Uh, yeah. That's what he texted." Angel started scratching at her arms again. She knew it was bad and she knew she would regret it later, but she didn't care. 

Merlin was alive because Jim and Claire and Toby and Blinky would never carry his sleeping, presumably dead, body back to Arcadia like that. There would be no logical reason. They must have awoken him somehow. 

Should she wait to see if he'll contact Douxie on his own? Should she call Douxie herself, get him over? No, he wouldn't go for it. Merlin's orders. Then what? What? What? What? She couldn't just lie to him. But what if Merlin didn't contact Douxie at all? What if he just ignored him? 

"Angel?" Barbara asked, carefully approaching her. 

"I'm fine."

"You are not. Don't give me that," Barbara cut off Angel's next protest and the one after. "I've had enough people come into the hospital with panic attacks to know when ones about to happen. You wanna tell me what's going on? After you stop scratching." Barbara was right about that part. It was starting to hurt.

"I... I can't." Barbara eyed her carefully, trying to come to a conclusion about her state. The same look that she had given her when she was at the hospital.

"Can you at least talk to someone else about it, if you can't tell me?" Angel thought a moment before sighing. Not really, was on the cusp of her tongue. Strickler was by far out of the question, though he knew Douxie in full. Barbara, though she was kind, might end up telling Jim by accident. Claire was unfortunately out too, as was Archie... 

But she knew another smart animal that she could talk to. Bidding the others farewell until morning, she teleported to her gazebo. 

Except Flapjack wasn't there. He was gone somewhere. Angel nearly collapsed onto the steps as the reality set in that she was alone yet again, to make a decision that could hurt someone she loved.

Angel got another call from Douxie. It was so easy to hit decline that it hurt.

Chapter Text

"But how do you know the light goes out when you close the door?" Merlin asked while he continued to open and close the fridge. Barbara walked over to where Jim was cooking.

"I never expected Merlin to be in my house," she said with awe. Merlin, after checking the freezer, began to walk off. Claire chuckled as she helped Toby set the table. 

"You've had trolls, goblins, and changelings in your house," she began, Angel popping in with a flash of maroon light. "Why not a couple wizards?"

"What'd I miss?" She asked.

"Oh you know, the usual," Toby said with his usual flair. "Almost dying to a stasis trap, then Angor Rot, then Gunmar, then a collapsing cave, then a waterfall."

"Wow. And here I thought my life was interesting." 

"Spare me the life story, now and forever, changeling," Merlin said as he rounded the corner to the dinning area. He met Angel's eyes before looking her over, clearly fighting many emotions at once. "And who are you?"

"I'm, Angelia Sweet," she said, reaching her hand out to shake his as respectfully as possible. He didn't take it, so she just awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. "But you can call me Angel, if it's easier."

"Angelia. A lovely name for a lovely lady." Merlin said as he sat down at the table. Angel followed suit, albeit cautiously. Jim asked if she had anything specific she wanted in her omelet before Merlin spoke again. She shook her head. "So, you're a wizard as well? You can't be more than a few centuries old."

"Actually, I'm thirty-one." Merlin's eyes widened a little. Jim chuckled as he finished the omelets and started placing them on plates. "What's funny?"

"It seems his future sight isn't the best when it comes to age," Claire explained. "Or height. He thought Jim would be thirty."

"Huh."

"How long have you been practicing magic? And who's been teaching you?" Merlin questioned.

"Only five years and I'm not telling." Merlin looked her over curiously, almost like he was surprised that she didn't say anything.

"Bon appetit!" Jim announced as he walked past with three plates in hand. Barbara came by with two, setting them down in front of the wizards.

"So, Gunmar stole your staff," she said. "Isn't that all he needs to start the uh- the um- uh- the- the-"

"Eternal night," Jim helped. Angel took a bite of her food and complimented his skills. She had heard of his amazing cooking, but never had a chance to try it until now.

"Yes, the eternal night."

"Fear not, Mother of Jim," Merlin assured her as he took his fork to his food. "When I designed my staff, I put in a safeguard."

"See, we're in good hands," Jim said as he sat down next to Claire and Toby on the couch.

"Then again, no safeguard is a guarantee." Merlin hungrily took a bite of his omelet. "It's been centuries since I've eaten. Metal face over there was lucky I didn't eat him in the cave." Toby dropped his knife and laughed nervously.

"He's joking, right?" Toby asked nervously, Merlin scarfing down the rest of his omelet.

"I don't think he knows how, TP," Angel said.

"Not really." Merlin answered while wiping off his mouth, though who he was answering was unclear. "Time is of the essence. Take me to the nearest blacksmith at once."

Angel looked back with an arm over her chair at the confused trollhunters. They couldn't very well take him to a forge themselves; the nearest one was a town away (which she only knew because she had made knives from time to time) and then it was Merlin. He wasn't exactly screaming 'totally normal, nothing to see here'.

Jim thought about it for a moment before leading him to the garage.

"We have a couple of tools and some old Christmas decorations," Jim offered, shining the flashlight around as Merlin began messing with the fridge. "Would that work for... What are making exactly?" 

"It's none of your concern now," Merlin said, leaving the fridge alone in favor of the tools. "No forge? No grindstone? Not even a bellows?"

"What's a bellows?" Angel asked. Merlin didn't get to answer as Toby told him excitedly about Jim's garage door. He opened and closed the door a few times before Angel pulled his hand away with her magic, shaking her head.

"This will have to do." 

"You said you put in a safeguard," Claire said. "How long do safeguards usually guard safely?"

"Yeah, are we talking weeks, years?" Toby asked hopefully.

Merlin began kicking Jim's Vespa, too which the boy freaked out, pushing him away quickly. 

"Depends on Gunmar's cleverness. A few hours."

"But you can stop him, right?" Angel asked with crossed arms.

"I lost most of my magic, but this old bucket knows a few spells. I need you lot to aquire a few items first."

"What kind of items?" Jim asked.

"I'm sure nothing to difficult to gather. Lend me your quill, I shall write you a list."

"Heh, we're fresh out of quills."

"Can you text it?" Toby asked. The look he gave Toby told him everything. Angel rolled her eyes.

"Or we could get him something similar, say, a pen and paper," she offered.

"Oh, that makes more sense."

"Hm. Angelia, you are to stay with me. I could use an assistant," Merlin ordered. That sent a wave of fury down her spine and she put her hands on her hips defiantly.

"Isn't there anyone else you could ask?" She asked with a pointed glare, willing herself not to growl.

"No. I'm afraid you are the only one who can help with these tasks." The look in his eyes told her that he was lying and he knew she knew. He was testing her.

"Really?" 

"Yes, really." He glared right back, daring her to say something else. And of course she wouldn't. If Douxie wanted to follow his orders, she would respect his wishes. 

Didn't mean she had to like it.

"Oookkk, well, we're gonna go to school and get those things you need," Jim said as he ushered Claire and Toby out. "And leave you two to whatever this is."

Merlin went to work as soon as they left the room, organizing what little he had to work with. Angel waited until she heard Jim and the others leave completely before saying anything else.

"You really aren't going to talk to him."

"I don't need him here in this moment. My faithful apprentice is needed elsewhere." 

"You're darn tootin he's been faithful. You- You aren't even going to call and say 'hey Douxie, while I don't need your help in this moment, I'm out and about after centuries of being asleep'. I think he's due that at the very least. You could even use my phone!"

"I agree, Hisirdoux deserves more than I can give in this moment, but as I said: time is of the essence. He would only pester me with questions I do not have time to answer."

"But-"

"Do me a favor, would you? Get me a glass of water."

"I am not-"

"Now, please. I am parched after centuries of sleep." Angel growled but complied as she practically stomped out of the room. She opened and slammed the door with her magic, it glowing red. Barbara was quick to meet her at the end of the stairs, a concerned look on her features.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Sure, yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Angel said sarcastically. "Just being proven right in that Merlin's always been a jerk."

"What? I know he isn't the most polite person in the world, but he's a few centuries old, isn't he?"

"As old as time itself, yes."

"Then, shouldn't you give him a little-"

"A little what; leeway? You haven't heard the stories I have. You heard legends. I heard the truth." Angel walked off to the kitchen, glaring at nothing.

"What do you mean by that?" 

Strickler put a hand on her shoulder. One look told her what she needed to know. It was the same thing she couldn't talk about last night, the thing that made her so nervous. 

"Is there any way to safely bang my head against a wall?" Angel sighed as the two joined her. 

"Afraid not, kid," Barbara answered. That got a small chuckle from Angel.

"I'm in my thirties, ya know."

"Yeah, but, I'm just a bit older than you still. So, kid it is." Despite it all, Angel chuckled again. With the motion of the small smile, Barbara noticed her eyes crinkling tiredly. The bags under her eyes were darker than usual. 

A loud banging followed by screeching metal cut off any reply Angel would have given. She was quicker than the other two, teleporting into the garage. Merlin only showed the faintest bit of surprise at her arrival before returning to his task. 

Which was destroying Jim's Vespa.

"He's gonna kill me..." Angel muttered, starting to scratch her arms again.

"Oh, calm down and stop that scratching," he said.

"How can I? You won't talk to Douxie and you're destroying one of Jim's most prized possessions and Jim's going to kill me!"

"He won't have any possessions if Gunmar and Angor Rot have their way. This will help in the coming battle."

"Oh, I... Guess that makes sense..."

"Of course it does. Now, where is that water?"

. . .

Douxie had ended up falling asleep at the Tarron's that night. Their ship, aka Mother, told him that it would have been unwise to go anywhere that night because of his injuries and the threat he'd wrought upon himself. Varvatos agreed, telling him that Zeron brotherhood would likely be after him now that he fought with them, so he should only take side alleys and back roads from now on.

That meant sleeping on the couch for about the third night in a row. Only difference was that Angel wasn't cuddled up next to him. It wasn't a very restful sleep without her.

"It is 'mother of the groom'," Varvatos practically yelled at the screen. "The humans in the box never listen to Varvatos."

"Because it's prerecorded," Douxie muttered sleepily, pulling the blanket over his head. "Now, can you please give me five more minutes before you start yelling again."

"Varvatos was not yelling. And anyway, it is nearly 12:00. Varvatos does not have to be quiet at this time of day, as he found most are up now." 

"Yeah, yeah.." he muttered sleepily. Then he shot up when his sleepy brain finally comprehended what he said, wincing. "Wait, it's what time?"

"12:00. Was Varvatos loud enough? Does he need to speak louder?" Douxie covered his ears as he winced again.

"No, no. I just needed to be sure." Douxie sighed. "I'm late for my shift at the cafe."

"I would not advise working in an environment such as that for the next two delsons," Mother said, surprisingly soft with her computerized voice. "Or days, as humans say. You have a mild concussion and the noise provided and movement needed will only exasperate the symptoms more."

"I would listen to Mother, young one," Varvatos interrupted Douxie's protest. "The strength of a warrior is only as good as the strength he has to take care of himself."

"I know, I'm over 900 years old. But, I can't let them down. We hardly have anyone coming in to work. Plus, I need the money. Living in Arcadia is not cheap."

"Varvatos understands that, but he also understands that if you push yourself too far now, you will not be able to be at your best later." Douxie chuckled and looked him in the eyes with a smile.

"You seem like you've had experience."

"You do not get to be as mighty a warrior as Varvatos without making mistakes. However, if you tell Aja and Krel that-"

"Relax, big man," Douxie assured as he stood up. "My lips are sealed."

"Hey there!" The Tarron's fake mother, Lucy, exclaimed in his face and making him jump back. "You know what's best for a black eye? A nice cold steak!" Lucy tried to slap a steak on his head but he manuvered around her carefully.

"Um, I don't have a black eye, thank you." Douxie had just about made it to the door before Varvatos spoke again.

"You are not going to your workplace, are you? Varvatos was very clear-"

"No, I'm not. I'm just going home so I don't have to sleep on the couch again." 

"Then Varvatos shall accompany you. I need to get out of this ship anyway." As he turned to his human form, he glanced at a glitching Lucy before grabbing his cane and following Douxie out of the house. 

Douxie tried calling Angel again but she didn't answer. It was the same as last night, quickly sent to voicemail. So, he just texted her his story for last night.

Hey, sorry I wasn't home. I spent the night at a friend's house.

And her text came back at the same exact time his went out.

Hey, sorry I wasn't home. I spent the night at a friend's house.

They both texted back 'what friend?', again both texts arriving at the same time. Douxie sent Zoe and Angel sent Jack. He didn't dare try and call Zoe and try to get her to say the same thing, to cover for him. That would lead to too many questions he couldn't answer. Instead, he sighed and put his hands in his pockets, deciding in the moment to splurge on some fish and chips.

. . .

Douxie was lying, that much was clear. The two were fighting when she last left them and even if they had made up, he wouldn't have done that. She guessed that was fair, since she was lying about sleeping in the Gazebo again. Instead of scratching her arms to calm her nerves, she began humming DNA by Lia Marie Johnson.

"Stop that noise," Merlin said, stopping his work only for a minute to look back at her glaring features. "You're as bad as Hisirdoux."

"Well, singing calms me down, just as it does him," Angel shot back. "Something you would know if you listened to him." 

"I do listen to him. There are simply times where my concentration needs to be full. That is why when I noticed him getting nervous I either had him sweep and clean up the workshop or I gave him a task outside of it."

"Oh...." So Merlin was more adept at observing feelings than she thought. "So, you do care about him?" The question startled him, though it was ever so slight that Angel nearly missed it. As he readjusted the tool in his hand, he went back to his task.

"Of course I do," he sighed. "I saw the potential in him that day but I never...." Merlin trailed off, shaking his head. Angel studied him as he continued working. His stance was tenser than it had been before, and his eyes were distant even as he worked. Every little mistake was hard to see, to pick out, but there were a few here and there.

The man was centuries old and just like Douxie, was hardly adept at hiding his feelings. She let out a little chuckle.

"What is so funny?"

"Ah, nothing. I just see where Douxie gets his inability to hide his emotions. Either that or I just got used to reading him. All I'm saying is that you two are a lot alike. In that sense, anyway- he's still nicer than you."

"Ahh, this infernal contraption!" Merlin yelled as some metal that wasn't welded properly popped back onto his hand. Barbara opened the door. "Shut the door please." She did as told but opened it quickly again to tell him to clean up the mess when he done. He just laughed and said no. Angel was getting tired of just sitting there and was getting hungry, so she got up to leave.

Of course, Merlin made sure that she wasn't going to run off to tell Douxie about him. She muttered a fine, fine and shut the door carefully. Stepping out she had to blink a few times to get her eyes to readjust. Apparently Merlin has been using a green light thing and she had only just not noticed till now.

"You ok?" Barbara asked as Angel passed her. 

"Yeah," Angel yawned. "Just hungry. You mind if I make something to eat?" 

"Sure. Help yourself."

"Thanks Barbara." Angel hurried off to the kitchen, passing a worried Strickler frantically typing on his phone. Angel heard the ringing of an unanswered call.

"Nomura still isn't answering?" Barbara asked.

"I should have gone with her," Strickler said. "It's dangerous to be alone." 

"Maybe she turned off her phone," Angel offered as she began looking in the pantry.

"I'm going to go find her."

"Wait, I'll drive," Barbara said. "You said it's dangerous alone. We're in this together."

"I'll tell Jim when he gets back," Angel said as they left. "Stay safe. That goes for both of you."

"Thank you, little witch," Strickler said. She heard Barbara punch him in the arm again, a bit harder than before. But it didn't feel like she had been insulted.

After settling on some mac and cheese and making it it up, she decided that Merlin was likely hungry as well. And though she still thought he was a grade A jerk, he didn't deserve to go hungry.

"Here, I thought you might be hungry," she said as she popped in with a flash of light. Merlin stopped his project when she did, glaring slightly. "What?"

"You couldn't have just used the door?" He asked. "That trick of yours utilizes time magic, which is always dangerous and hard to control."

"It does? How so?" She reached out to hand him his bowl, which he took. Angel set down her bowl and lifted herself onto the desk so she could sit and eat.

"Teleportation takes you from one place to the next in a single second. It moves you through time itself for you to go wherever you are going." 

"Well, I've able to do it perfectly since I was fifteen. Along with making myself invisible and-" the desk she was sitting on broke and before she thought of anything else, she slowed the objects progression. As it moved in slow motion, Angel quickly hopped off and grabbed what she could off before she couldn't hold the spell anymore. "That, I guess. It's still is hard to hold for a long time."

Merlin looked her over curiously, the way he first looked over Jim. He had thought it was later that she would have learned that spell, but for it to be one of the innate ones for her.... The girl was powerful.

She rambled on about how it was still a very hard spell and she was still learning to master it. Merlin soon found out that she was a late bloomer and that she had only been practicing in the last five years. Her potential power was almost that of Hisirdoux, if not equal to it. And if the Killahead battle was any indication, she would grow with him.

But she would need something to help her along that road.

. . .

As they were walking through the residential area, Douxie was surprised to see a little gnome running around. Usually they stayed in Trollmarket or in the back alleys and only ever roamed at night.

"Seklos and Galen!" Varvatos exclaimed as he followed Douxie's gaze and Luug's growls. "Is that a serrator?"

"It looks like a Sally-Go-Back Space Skater to me," Douxie said. Angel had told him about how Toby's pet gnome had been constantly asking for. Oh, that must why there's a gnome out in this area. Toby only lived around the corner from where they were at the moment.

"If Aja and Krel have lost their weapon, Varvatos will tear them limb from limb!" The old man yelled as he picked up Luug and started chasing the little bugger through the bushes and straight to Toby's front door.

"Ok, maybe you shouldn't-" Douxie was going to finish with 'jump to conclusions' but Varvatos pushed him away and nearly off the porch.

"Varvatos knows a serrator when he sees one. Now," he said as he began banging on the door. "Varvatos Vex commands you open this door you speedy, impish- silver haired temptress...." Vex trailed as he saw who lived here. Mrs. Domzalski, Toby's nana, opened the door and for once, Vex was speechless.

"Varvatos!" Mrs Domzalski said cheerfully, her cheeks red as she gripped Vex like a hamburger. "My chess companion finally stopped by for a rematch. I hope you've been practicing."

"Well, I think I'll leave you two lovelys to it," Douxie smirked as he began to walk off. He could hear Varvatos say something to him, but it was too distant. And either way, Mrs. Domzalski could keep him entertained. So, he just went home, calling Jack to see if he could take his bookstore shift and giving Angel one more call to see if she was up for some take out tonight.

But she didn't answer again.

. . .

"Are you alright, Angel?" Blinky asked as Merlin started a fire in a metal cauldron he asked for. Angel decided to sit criss crossed on the floor, staring blankly at her phone.

"I'm fine," she said. Blinky happened a glance over her shoulder to see a conversation between her and someone named Douxie.

Are you alright, Love?

You haven't answered all day and Arch says he hasn't seen you since yesterday.

I'm fine.

"Who is that, might I ask?" She immediately shut off her phone and put it up.

"No one."

"Hmm, not no one," Arrrgh observed. "Way Jim look."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that Jim has had that same look when he cannot tell someone something and must lie," Blinky explained. "Specifically when it is Claire he cannot tell. So, I reiterate, who is that person to you?" Merlin had left for the bathroom, and he might be a few minutes. The wizard was fascinated with the prospect of indoor plumbing.

Angel thought about just spilling everything and almost did. But Douxie still wanted to follow Merlin's orders and spending the day couped up with the old wizard helped her see that while yes- he was still very much a jerk- he was right in that Douxie would be asking too many questions. They had to stop Gunmar after all.

And Douxie couldn't reveal himself yet because Merlin hadn't given his blessing. The boy is needed elsewhere, he'd said; whatever that meant. 

She couldn't tell Jim everything, nor Claire, or Toby, or Douxie, Barbara, Blinky, Arrrgh- anyone. And pardon the french, but it was fucking annoying. She hated lying, the way it made her feel. The only reason she had gotten even decent at it was out of necessity of hiding she was a wizard. Angel fell back in a loud groan and rubbed her face.

"Are you alright, Angel?" 

"Define 'alright'," she chuckled humorlessly. 

"Satisfactory but not especially good; acceptable, in a way." 

"She's fine, thesaurus," Merlin said as he came back in, not really looking at them. Blinky glared at him.

"I wasn't asking you."

Tap, tap, tap!

Angel sat up quickly and looked to the window, where the tapping had come from. A little red bird with big brown eyes and a black heart over it, a scar stretching down over it from just below it's left eye and to it's underbelly.

"Flapjack?" Angel asked as she let the little bird in. "What are you doing here? And come to think of it, where were you last night? I needed you." 

'umm, around...' was his chirp back as he landed on a nearby shelf. He was pointedly and guiltily avoiding her gaze.

"Great Gronka Morka!" Blinky gasped. "Where on earth did you find such a creature?"

"And more importantly, how did you tame him?" Merlin asked as he began to try and poke the bird. He got pecked in his finger for his troubles and Angel resisted the urge to chuckle.

"I found him in the woods, hurt by some kind of predator I assume," she answered. "I took him to the vet and did my best to nurse him back to health. Which was not easy, let me tell you- he's a stubborn bird."

Flapjack chirped something with pride, like she had just complimented him. Angel rolled her eyes at him but smiled fondly.

"Yeah, for a red cardinal, he's rather stubborn and picky about his food. And everything in general."

"Not Car-di-nole," Arrrgh said as he sniffed the air, Flapjack glaring at him. "That-"

"Mom?" Jim's voice interrupted, the door shutting shortly after. "Merlin? Angel? Hello? We got the stuff you needed."

"We're in the garage!" Blinky called, giving one last glance to Flapjack before moving to greet Jim at the door. "Ah, Master Jim. It seems your little excursion was just as fruitful as our own." As he said that, Blinky gestured to the pieces that Merlin found no use for in his project.

"My Vespa!" He groaned, Toby and Claire following him, not exactly bothered other than the fact that Jim was upset.

"Sorry, Jim," Angel said, scratching her neck nervously as Flapjack perched on her shoulder. Toby looked like he wanted to ask about him, but was interrupted.

"Oh, don't be upset," Merlin said, moving over to three different sized sheets, one extra small. He stopped at the middle one. "I put it to far better use. This one is Tobias'." He pulled the sheet off, revealing it to be a set of armor.

"What?!" Toby exclaimed as he rushed over to his copper colored armor. "We get armor too! I've been waiting my whole life for this!" 

"And this one is for Lady Claire." He pulled the sheet off the tallest one, revealing a lovely purple armor. Toby took one look at Claire's and decided his was better. "I even had enough left over to give Angelia her own bracers." He said as he took the sheet off the smallest one revealing dark red bracers. Angel carefully walked to pick them up, Flapjack chirping curiously.

"It'll help channel her magic. I took inspiration from someone I knew." Merlin winked at her, and smiled. It was genuine and not even slightly condescending, for once.

"I- uh, thank- thank you," Angel said as he walked off. Guess that's why he needed my shoelaces earlier, she thought as she put them on. The string was easy to undo and even easier to adjust. They almost felt like they were adjusting themselves.

"That's surprisingly nice of you, Merlin," Jim said as he watched the group mess with their new bits of armor. Blinky, however, had narrowed eyes.

"Quick query-" he asked. "If we've been collecting items for a spell to thwart Gunmar, why would they need armor?"

"Spell?" Merlin asked incredulously as he turned around and began cracking his neck. "You thought we would stop Gunmar and Angor Rot without going to war? Do you have sand for brains?"

"Wait, a war?" Toby asked, Claire and Angel stopping the admiration of their armor.

"Once freed, Morgana will attempt to bring forth the eternal night. We must prepare."

"It sounds like you're saying you aren't going to stop Gunmar from freeing that witch," Angel said with a pointed glare and clenched fists.

"Oh, did I not make myself clear? I'm not here to stop Gunmar. I'm here to kill Morgana."

Chapter Text

"Dude, that is not what you told me!" Angel protested, pointing accusingly at the man.

"What did he tell you?" Blinky asked, likely surprised that he had said anything to her. 

"He let me believe that they would just need them for just battling Gunmar and Angor, not Morgana!" 

"I will be battling Morgana with the help of the Trollhunter," Merlin stated as a fact. Angel and Blinky had matching glares towards the old man.

"What about Gunmar? We can't just let him run loose in Arcadia, let alone that witch!" Flapjack chirped his agreement and Merlin scoffed.

"She will be released eventually. If not Gunmar, then another monster."

"Let me get this straight," Blinky interrupted. "You want Gunmar to release Morgana?"

"Merlin, I thought you were here to save the world, not destroy it," Toby said indignantly.

"I'm not destroying the world, I'm risking it!" Merlin defended. Angel scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Like that's so much better," she shot back sarcastically. He ignored her but an emotion akin to an annoyance that only comes with time, flashed in his eyes.

"The world harbors greater dangers, not just the ones in your little town." 

"Woah, what dangers?" Toby asked.

"You could not hope to understand." Angel's eyes snapped to him and she growled.

"What don't you try us instead of assuming what we'd be able to understand?" She blurted out louder than she meant. A few things began floating in her blind anger. 

"Jim, Jim?" Claire said, turning around to try and get his attention. Jim finally snapped out his stupor to pay his full attention to the conversation.

"You wanna weigh in here?" Toby urged. "Merlin just dropped the bomb that we have to let Morgana loose!"

"Wait, he destroyed my Vespa," Jim said simply, pointing to the scraps of it. Or not, Angel thought as she watched him. His eyes weren't fully focused and his movements were slow. 

"He what?" Blinky exclaimed dramatically. "See? Then you must listen to the voice of reason. Mine!"

"Ok, don't use his dissociation for your benefit," Angel said, poking him in the chest. His glare back was simply hiding guilt. "Let him-"

"Gunmar has the Staff of Avalon," Merlin interrupted. "Soon, he will find a way to free her. This is when we strike. Together, we will slay Morgana before the eternal night begins."

"Woah, woah, woah. I'm sorry," Toby shut down. "You Jim to go against Gunmar and Angor Rot and Morgana?!"

"Now is the time to strike. She's been imprisoned for centuries and she will be at her weakest. This is our best chance." Angel hated how he had a point. And what he'd said earlier made sense too; it was the logical and most objective option, or one of the better ones. Just at what cost?

"If Jim frees Morgana, you get your magic back," Claire observed.

"That would be a pleasant bonus, yes." Angel rolled her eyes. So maybe not as objective as she thought.

"Oh, you only want your magic back," Blinky said. "Arrrgh, put your fist through the old man's face."

"Old man make sense," Arrrgh said. "Stop witch forever."

"I'm with Blinky," Toby said. "It sounds like Merlin just wants his magic back."

"What if Merlin's right?" Claire said thoughtfully, taking the words out of Angel's mouth. Because despite it all, Merlin was making more sense than she'd like to admit. "He's been right about everything else." Merlin thanked her and Toby laughed nervously.

"Claire, Gunmar and Morgana want to destroy the world; We live in this world!"

"Yet this world is protected by the Trollhunter," Merlin countered. "The choice is his to make. What say you?"

"Uh, I need to think," Jim said after a moment, still a good bit distant. Merlin bowed and said he'd await Jim's decision. Blinky and Arrrgh left to get reinforcements, saying that who they would be fighting would be up to Jim.

Jim suggested that they all go home and get some rest. Basically telling them all to let him think it over on his own, in quiet, alone. Toby left for his house, Blinky and Arrrgh took the basement tunnel, and Angel decided to just teleport Claire home.

"That's a lot different than shadow portalling," Claire commented as the two appeared in a flash on her back porch. "It seems a lot easier, too. Just a little jarring at first."

"You'd think," Angel said. "Although it is close to shadow portalling in that I either have to have an emotional connection to the place or know exactly where I'm going, the more I do it and the more people I teleport with drains me. I've never been able to take more than two others with me. Though I guess I could be practicing more- sorry, I'm rambling."

"It's ok," Claire assured having been on the end of her nervous ramblings for almost the entire school year. Angel's phone rang just then and she only pulled it out long enough to hang up. "That's Douxie again, isn't it?" Angel sighed, refusing to meet Claire's eyes. "You haven't told him about Merlin, have you?"

"I- I haven't had the time..." The look Claire gave her said that she knew it wasn't the truth. "Ok, so... at first when I heard from Darci that you guys were visiting 'Jim's Uncle Merlin', I didn't tell him because I was afraid of the answer myself. Then Merlin, being the jerk he is, didn't go to him or call or send any sort of message and refused to let me do so. And I listened only because he made sense in the fact Douxie would just complicate things.

"I know it would for me because he isn't even here and I'm always distracted because I know how Merlin treated him in the past and I can't answer or text him because I know myself and I know I wouldn't be able to hold back.... Sorry..."

Claire had been struggling to keep up with her words, the worried ramblings of a person who had too much on her mind and needed someone to talk to. But she simply refused to. Flapjack chirped and rubbed against her cheek in support.

Angel jumped having forgot the bird was even there, but sighed and held a hand to him and pulled him close in a little hug. Claire knew Angel well enough to know that she wasn't going home, and since she mentioned she slept outside of in the woods, Claire invited her in. As they went inside, Angel had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something important.

. . .

The next morning, Barbara had yet to come home. Jim couldn't get ahold of her, the hospital hadn't seen her, Mr. and Mrs. Nunez hadn't seen her, and none of Angel's wizard friends had seen her. (Douxie might have; she still didn't trust herself enough to call.)

"Asking for mommy's permission?" Merlin asked as he rummaged through the fridge.

"You're asking us to wage a war!" Jim yelled.

"It's only fair to have everyone weigh in," Angel added. Merlin ignored them both, it seemed, just asking where he could get some haggis.

"What kind of cannibal wizard hungers for boiled meat in a sheep's stomach?" Toby asked before walking to the door. "Ugh, I'll see if anyone at school has seen her."

Nomura burst in through the door just before he opened it himself and fell on Toby. He freaked out over her blood being purple and Angel couldn't blame him. She was a little unsettled as well.

"Nomura, what happened?" Jim asked, setting his amulet down on the table next to Claire's purse, knocking it open slightly to reveal a spare horngazel.

"Userna tried to capture me at the museum," Nomura answered as she stood up. Angel's ears began ringing as she remembered what that meant. 

"Nomura still isn't answering?" Barbara asked.

"I should have gone with her," Strickler said. "It's dangerous to be alone." 

"Maybe she turned off her phone," Angel offered.

"I'm going to go find her."

"Wait, I'll drive. You said it's dangerous alone. We're in this together."

"I'll tell Jim when he gets back," Angel said as they left. "Stay safe. That goes for both of you.....

How the hell had she forgotten? She promised. It was Jim's mom, Barbara her friend, and she had just forgotten to tell them something that important!

She was a horrible person in every sense of the word.

"You think your mom is with him?" Claire asked desperately. As Jim called Strickler, Angel looked once again at the horngazel in Claire's purse.

"We don't know for sure she was with him," Toby tried to assure as Jim put down the phone. Angel resisted the urge to wince.

"Split up and search everywhere! Find my mother!"

As they left, Claire's reassured Jim. Toby got freaked out again when Nomura popped her own shoulder back in place. She said something about getting ready to fight. 

Angel lifted the horngazel from Claire's purse without anyone noticing and hid it until she could get away.

She was going to fix this, even if she had to die trying.

. . .

"Flapjack, go away!" Angel yelled as she slid down the way to the canal. Somehow, the dang cardinal knew exactly where she was going. "This is dangerous, and you're a little bird." 

That got her head pecked and her hair pulled.

"What? It's the truth!" She shooed him away, but he didn't go far. Angel took out the horngazel and began drawing the half circle. However, a determined chirp stopped her halfway. "FJ, this is my fault. I didn't- I fucking forgot that Barbara and Strickler went to the museum. Now Gunmar likely has them both and is about to free Morgana and it's my- ow! Knock it off!" 

Flapjack had started pulling her hair again and when she shook him off, he began chirping in her face causing her to back up and drop the horngazel. It was like he was telling her that she wasn't at fault, that she wasn't alone, and that he would follow her anywhere, that he trusted her. 

Angel refused to let that get through to her in full because she wouldn't be able to handle the weight of what that meant.

"Ok, fine. Then you will stay on my shoulder and if I tell you to go and hide, you do it. Got it?" Flapjack chirped something of a reluctant yes as he perched on her shoulder and nestled in her hair. Angel pulled the horngazel to herself and finished the circle.

She kept the horngazel on her because the entirety of Trollmarket was warded with druid stones. From Claire's possession, she knew that she could teleport within the warded area, just not into or out of it. 

So, she would stay invisible until there was the right moment. It was easy to sneak past the guards, since they started rushing up the steps the moment she had opened the door. All she had to do was wait for them to get to the top then teleport to the bottom.

It took a bit of wandering the empty alleys of Trollmarket, goblins scurrying by every now and then, a few Gum-Gums that looked a lot like Arrrgh marching past; but the Gum-Gums were more crowded around a single area. 

"My life is not worth the world," came Barbara's voice from inside.

"It is to me," Strickler said, so softly that Angel almost couldn't hear him. It was too crowded in the hall and despite her training, Angel couldn't get in without her flash of magic. She had no way to get to them at the moment, so she had to wait for them to come out. 

They were surrounded by a troll that was Gunmar, one that was Userna (based on the descriptions she'd heard before), and Angor Rot. Barbara was being held by him.

Now wasn't the time to grab them as they were too guarded. So Angel followed them soundlessly to where Morgana was being kept, waiting for a good opportunity to get Barbara and Strickler out of there. And she nearly had it. She became visible.

"Please Walt, don't!" 

"I'm sorry. May the world forgive me. For without you, there is no world." He began enchanting the words. Now was her chance. Gunmar was distracted, Angor was distracted, Userna was distracted. But Angel froze.

Gimme gimme gimme some time to think.

Angel knew that her heart was drawing her to save them right now, to stop Morgana from being loose. But despite everything, Merlin was right. Someone else would come along, she was crafty and vicious; it would only be a matter of time.

In the dark grey fading to orange of the crystal around her, she caught her reflection. The decision she had made, because she knew she had already made it; it was clear on her face. The bags around her eyes were deeper than they'd ever been. She touched her pale face and tired face gently.

It was draining, it was horrible, and she couldn't bear to look. Angel turned away in shame as Strickler finished the incantation.

The bright green beam shot out of the staff.

My patience is waning, is this entertaining?

"Don't look Barbara! Keep your eyes shut!" 

Our patience is waning; 

Is this entertaining?

Barbara hid her face in Angor's arms, cuing Strickler to turn the beam on Gunmar and Angor. The latter dropped Barbara and Strickler ran to her. A few Gum-Gums began following them, but Angel threw them back and grabbed Barbara and Strickler and took them out of the hallway just as Morgana spoke her first words in centuries.

"The eternal night is here!"

I-I-I, got this feeling in my soul!

"Angel!" Barbara exclaimed as Angel let them go. Strickler held her up as the first time teleporting was always jarring. "Wha- what- holy-!" She was cut off by Angel's hand glowing red and sending a flying spear back at an attacker, turning it to stone.

"Here!" She yelled, shoving the horngazel in Strickler's free hand and putting Flapjack gently in Barbara's. "Go to the stairs, quickly! I'll hold them off!"

"But you-" Strickler started, but a eerily familiar chuckle stopped them. 

"Go," she urged again and they did as she said with slight protest. Along with barrage of Gum-Gums, the troll assassin came stalking down along with them. 

Playing with a stick of dynamite

There was never gray in black and white

Barbara and Strickler, the former needing to both be practically dragged and keep a good hold on the bird on her shoulder, ran this time. Angel got into a defensive stance, her arms beginning to tingle, reminding her of her bracers. 

How did they work again?

There was never wrong 'til there was right (ooh, oh)

Feeling like a boulder hurtling

Angor chuckled and Angel had to wonder only a second at where the other Gum-Gums went as three spears came rushing at her. A wave of her hand sent them rushing back to the hearts of the attackers (or where they would be if trolls had them), turning them to stone.

Seeing all the vultures circling

Burning in the flames I'm working in

Suddenly flames appeared behind her just as more Gum-Gums came running towards her, obviously trying to run her over to get to the other escapees.

Turning in a bed that's darkening

She was able to throw a few backwards, but they just got up again. If Merlin had actually given her instructions for her bracers, she might have been able to instantly turn them to stone or something, but of course, he didn't say anything.

My patience is waning

Is this entertaining?

Our patience is waning

Is this entertaining?

They were gaining on her, moving too fast for her to stop them anymore, get a good hold. Angel knew that she was going to die when she entered Trollmarket, but not this soon. Hopefully Barbara, Flapjack, and Strickler were almost out by now.

She wasn't going down without drawing as much attention as possible and making it hard for them to get past her. Her hands went up as she prepared to put up a shield.

The bracers suddenly began forming an internal line of maroon on them. Once it finished, the blank area went through a couple runes before settling on one.

A beam of maroon energy shot from her hands in a wide umbrella, turning the first row of attackers into stone and scaring the others back a moment. Angor simply blocked his face with a smirk.

"Woah," Angel breathed, looking at her lit up arms curiously.

I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know

Where I'm losing all control

'Cause there's magic in my bones (in my bones)

Angel barely had time put up a maroon shield before a bright green blade came rushing at her. Right behind it was Angor, raising a fist and punching the shield. Each following one cracked her defense, showing her just how weak she really was. 

With a magical click on her bracers, she was behind him. Working with the sudden change and before he could react to her new position, she called to her claws and slashed. It didn't go deep, but the surface wound made him roar in pain.

I-I-I got this feeling in my soul

Go ahead and throw your stones

'Cause there's magic in my bones

'Cause there's magic in my bones

Angor turned with a glare and swiped his arm at her to knock her over. She jumped out of the way the first and second time, stopped the third with her magic, leaving her vulnerable to the fourth. He picked her up by the throat and slammed her on the ground. She was barely able to slow it down the first time, so by the third, she could hardly breathe. A loud crack deafened her ears.

Something had broken. 

Look in the mirror of my mind

Turning the pages of my life

Walking the path so many paced a million times

Angor chuckled darkly as he picked up his creepers sun blade. Angel wheezed and rolled over the cracked earth. She heard Angor dinging on the metal of his blade as she felt the back of her head. It was warm and sticky.

Angel felt like this was the end, or near enough to it as she pushed herself to her knees. The Gum-Gums were making efforts to put out the fire or just run through it, but it kept burning them. Strange. Trolls couldn't be burned by any fire other than Phoenix's, certain dragons, and an exceptionally strong wizard spell.

But Angor was her main problem now, along with her inability to actually get up. She couldn't even raise her own hand to put up a shield and the moment she tried, she gained a broken nose.

Drown out the voices in the air

Leaving the ones that never cared

Picking the pieces up and building to the sky

"Not so strong now, sorceress," Angor sneered. Or laughed. As Angel raised her head to glare, her vision was distorted with three of him. "Or maybe The Eldritch Queen gave me more power. You can ask her yourself."

My patience is waning

Is this entertaining?

My patience is waning

Is this entertaining?

A loud screech had Angor on guard and no longer sauntering towards the sorceress. He was looking to the ceiling and now fully the fire that was keeping Gunmar's forces from the changeling and the trollhunter's mother. The two had stopped when it appeared, surprised but also worried for the sorceress. He'd deal with them after the creature that caused the flames was caught. 

I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know

Where I'm losing all control

'Cause there's magic in my bones (magic in my bones)

The creature attacked and its claws went deeper than what the sorceress could have ever hoped to do. And the attack burned like the sun, his entire arm practically aflame.

Again and again, on his arm, on his back, on his leg; the creature attacked. Each attack was at super speed and he couldn't return any of them. He roared.

I-I-I got this feeling in my soul (soul)

Go ahead and throw your stones

'Cause there's magic in

"Phoenix!" Gunmar growled as he and Morgana came out to see what was taking Angor so long.

"My champion will not be felled by a pest!" Morgana shouted as she prepared a spell to capture it. 

A screech louder than before sounded from a bird with red, orange, and yellow glistening feathers of a sunset: on its head, three feathers resided, one of each color, all on fire. Around its big brown eyes were red feathers in a heart shape. 

Everyone in front of it's range had to cover their ears. It was like a banshee scream times ten, and would have made even the trolls bleed: the only thing that stopped it was the fact that they didn't have blood.

There goes my mind (I-I-I)

Don't mind

There goes my mind (there it goes, there it goes)

There goes my mind (I-I-I)

Don't mind (there it goes)

There goes my mind

'Cause there's magic in my bones

They were distracted enough. The phoenix used that to dive to Angel and grab her by the back and fly her over the fire. The changeling and trollhunting mother were confused but once he chirped at them, the changeling gently but firmly pulled her away and to the exit.

His fire wouldn't last much longer, nor would the effects of his screech. They needed to get out of there.

"Are you serious?" The woman asked before the changeling turned to his troll form and flew her up to the entrance/their escape. As he drew the semicircle, the woman prepared to fight as Gunmar's forces marched up the stairs. But just before they made it up, the changeling grabbed her and flew out with the phoenix and Angel, drawing two of the soldiers out into the sun.

Angel was set down gently by someone.. no, not someone. That strange firey bird that had been fighting Angor Rot. But those big brown eyes were so very familiar as tears left them. 

And it's tears were so warm as they hit her cheeks, so invigorating. Her nose was somehow no longer broken and her head was beginning to stop throbbing. She could actually think clearly again. And as she sat up, cradling her ribs (because those were still most definitely broken) the bird backed up.

Heat waves blurred her perception of him for a moment, but his feathers turned a solid red. The heart shape of red feathers turned a black. The ones on its head flattened and it grew smaller than he had just been only moments ago.

"Flapjack?"

Chapter Text

"You should be looking for Jim," Angel winced as Barbara poked and applied pressure on her middle. "Not taking care of me." As soon as the others left to search for Jim, Barbara ushered Angel up to her own room (after convincing\ordering her to stay and rest her surprisingly light injuries after getting slammed on the ground multiple times) to examine her.

"I can't look as well as Toby, or Claire, or Walt," she sighed. "And honestly, if you weren't dealing with broken ribs, I would've just tried to keep from attacking Merlin." 

"So, I guess was right something breaking," Angel chuckled but immediately winced. Luckily, Barbara was done with the poking and prodding. Angel pulled her shirt back down and let herself fall back on the bed.

Though the tears from the phoenix/Flapjack seemed to heal her surface injuries like the wound on her head and nose, her ribs didn't heal at all. Either because his tears didn't touch her chest or they only healed the surface, she didn't know.

She knew the answer but her mind was so muddled and exhausted that she couldn't be bothered with remembering. Angel spent a little time talking with Barbara but couldn't keep her eyes open. At some point, Flapjack flew over to nestle next her face. She absently pet him, the few seconds of her consciousness wondering if he'd always felt that warm.

. . .

At nearly one in the morning, Barbara quickly hurried down to the door being practically banged on. The only thing she thought of, the only person she thought could possibly be at the door was Jim. Merlin was still watching the TV curiously, not a care in the world for someone who was supposedly protecting it.

Barbara didn't care either, she just threw the door open.

"Oh. Douxie," she said, a bit disappointed to see the wrong boy. But he himself seemed just as worried as her, the bags under his eyes almost matching Angel's and a few worry lines now on his forehead. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Hey, Dr. Lake," he waved weakly, either just ignoring her question or not hearing it. The boy was exhausted. "Um, have you seen Angel? I've looked everywhere for her and she isn't returning my calls or any of my texts and the last time this happened-" 

"Wait, she hasn't told you?" Barbara asked, pushing up her glasses again. "She's been on and off here for the past couple days." Douxie's look went from worried for her safety to confused and slight hurt.

"She- she has? Why- why wouldn't she have told me?"

"It's not for anything bad- well, not in any way that- what?" Merlin had scoffed and groaned, so she glared at him, but that caused Douxie's eyes to widen and try to sneak a peak inside. "Um, that's just my Uncle Merlin visiting from the uh, mo- mountains of-"

"When you're done with that fabrication, you can go ahead let my apprentice through," Merlin said as he turned off the tv and wiped his hands like he had just finished with something dusty and dirty. Barbara hardly had time to even process the sentence before Douxie pushed himself in. He froze by the stairs as he looked to the man in front of him.

"Master..." Douxie breathed, the only thing he seemed able to say. In his eyes there were mixed emotions and she couldn't tell what it was at the core. "You- how long have you-"

"A few days, Hisirdoux. Not long enough to contact you."

"Really? You couldn't have sent a raven? Or- or a text? There's texting now, you know!" 

"I was busy, as you know!" Merlin countered. 

"Yeah, right, you're always busy," Douxie mumbled, but it was just that. A weak defense that Merlin quickly took down.

"The situation is most dire. And now that Morgana is free-"

"Thanks to you," Barbara interrupted, slamming the door. "And the thing you've been busy with is sending my son who knows where!"

"Unfortunately, that part of the spell is not able to be controlled. At least he won't leave this small little town."

"What exactly did that spell do to him, anyway?"

"I told you this already. He's become a true trollhunter." Douxie, who had been following the conversation, gasped suddenly.

"You mean, you perfected it?" He asked with barely contained awe. "That was only a theoretically possible spell the last time we met."

"Last time you met?" Barbara asked and Douxie instinctively winced. "But he's- oh." Merlin only rolled his eyes at the development. "That makes a lot of sense now, with Angel and all."

"Angel- where is she?" Douxie asked suddenly. The knowledge that Merlin was there had distracted him from her, but the mention of her name brought her back to the forefront of his mind. "She's fine, right?"

"All good, especially with that phoenix of hers," Merlin answered before Barbara could, now perusing the nearby shelf for a book. Barbara glared as she shut the door, both ignoring Douxie's confusion.

"Yes, just nursing some broken ribs is all," she said, crossing her arms after pushing her glasses up. "That girl up there, who is smarter than you thought, came to Trollmarket alone to save me and Walt because you didn't let Jim tell his friends where we were!"

"Of course the girl is smart. She wouldn't have been able to learn the spells she has at her age if she wasn't. And that situation was entirely necessary for the good of the world." 

"You mean to get your magic back."

"Can you both stop arguing for a minute and take me to my bloody girlfriend?" Douxie interrupted without thinking, blushing and looking uneasy at his own words but standing his ground. Barbara, and even Merlin, became slightly embarrassed and guilty at what the outburst implied.

Barbara quickly ushered Douxie upstairs and to her room were Angel had been for a couple hours. She had fallen asleep horizontally, her legs curled up so they weren't dangling off the side. Flapjack was nestled in her almost tangled hair above her head. Her face was screwed up in unease and quite possibly fear.

Barbara said something after a moment about leaving the two alone (and him to to get some rest), closing the door behind her. Douxie sat carefully on the bed so as not to disturb her sleep, no matter how many questions he wanted to bombard her with.

He had been constantly searching for the past two days, the first day just worried about her whereabouts, but thinking she was fine. A total of two and half days. Zoe didn't know until the end of their patrol (which weirdly at the time but not anymore, was uneventful) that Angel had not been answering any of his calls that day.

Zoe had become worried herself, but said to give it a day. He did and she still didn't answer. The time Angel had been kidnapped ran through his mind and he'd become anxious to find her. He'd gone to all her favorite spots, asked Mary and Darci if they'd seen her, and then searched the Gazebo he'd made her. It looked a little disturbed but she wasn't there. It was nearly sunrise anyway.

Finally, he found out that the last place she had been seen was Jim's house. Unfortunately for himself, and Darci because it was 1am and was because he had bugging her and Mary constantly; Finally, Darci found out that her dad was doing a play with her in it.

That's what brought him here. With an almost too loud sigh he laid back on the bed and look at Angel again. Gently, he placed his hand on her cheek. Instinctively, she grabbed it and held it close. Her face calmed, so she was likely no longer having a nightmare.

If she woke up, he'd blame it on his sleepy brain, but the thought that he had nearly lost her again was too much. Douxie moved over enough so he could hold her closely but carefully as to not hurt her ribs. It was to make sure she couldn't leave during the night and disappear again, so no one could take her, so she would be safe. 

Before falling asleep, he planted a tender kiss on her forehead that earned a sleepy yet satisfied sigh and her nuzzling into his chest.

. . .

Douxie didn't get more than a couple hours sleep. Toby had come up there hurriedly, bursting in the room and startling them both awake. Douxie before Angel since nights of sleeping on the streets of Camelot had made him a light sleeper. A habit that had never been broken even with stability and calm.

Angel had blushed when she realized how close they had been, but with the "cuddle with your boyfriend later, Jim's back!" from Toby, she had seemed to forget that she was injured and rushed out. It sounded like she had nearly fell down the stairs but used her teleportation to save herself last second. Douxie and Toby followed her quickly.

Douxie stopped at Angel and tried to help her stand as she was leaning on the railing and holding her ribs. He backed up a little when she said she was fine, Flapjack somehow right beside him though he had been at the top of the stairs just a moment before. He perched on his shoulder just as part of the railing gave out and she fell down. Flapjack beat Douxie to helping her up, grabbing the side of her shirt and keeping her on even footing.

The back door burst open, revealing Arrrgh's angry features. Blinky pushed him aside gently to calm him and get inside himself.

"Promise? Promise? You promised to help Jim!" Barbara yelled, almost attacking Merlin again. Merlin dodged every swipe of the broom before Douxie ran to take it away. Strickler beat him to it.

"What has happened? And who is he?" Blinky asked, looking from Merlin to the newcomer.

"Ask the wizard." Barbara pushed up her glasses as Blinky glared at him. Douxie was about to say something, but Claire's voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Um, guys. He's waking up." The group rushed to the living room as Jim turned to lay on his back, opening his eyes wide.

"Great Grumbly Gruesome," Blinky gasped as Douxie muttered "Bleeding Balroths.."

His eyes were still a vibrant blue, but his face was now pale dark blue. His nose was long and looked remarkably like Blinky's. In fact everything about Jim's troll form, from the horns and hair on his head to the underbite of teeth, looked a lot like the four armed troll. Jim sat up and put a hand to his head.

"Honey?" Barbara asked as she came to sit next to him, putting a hand to his face gently. "Do you feel ok?"

"He's fine," Merlin said as he sat on a dinning room chair. Everyone, including Douxie though it wasn't as mean as some others, glared at him.

"We're not asking you," Blinky said.

"I-I'm fine..." Jim said as he held his mother's hand close. But that proved to be a mistake as that revealed his troll digits. "Ah! What's wrong with my hand?"

"Nothing's wrong with your hand," Claire blurted quickly.

"It's just a little... Meatier," Douxie chuckled nervously. Before Jim could even process his presence fully, Toby interrupted.

"In a good way! It's like you leveled up." Arrrgh began sniffing Jim, trying to get used to the new form, new Jim. He backed up after, declaring that he did not like the Troll Jim.

"The elixir transformed you into something not quite human, but not exactly troll, either," Douxie said before muttering. "I'm surprised it was even possible."

"Seems I missed a lot," Jim said, fighting the uneasiness he felt and focusing on something else for a minute to try and calm himself. "Don't you work at the cafe?"

"Part time. Thanks for always tipping by the way." Douxie gave him a two fingered salute and a small smile.

"He's Merlin's apprentice," Claire offered before Jim questioned more. That only rose more questions in his mind.

"So, Jim is like a changeling?" Toby asked, clearly wanting the conversation back on Jim's new form.

"No," Strickler said as he walked up to examine Jim closer. "Changelings switch from fully troll to fully human. Jim is neither." Jim growled after his words settled in his mind, jumping over the dinning room table and over the bar to the kitchen. As everyone followed, they saw him checking his reflection in the toaster.

"Get you a haircut, some sunglasses, maybe a good dentist, eh?" Toby offered. "I know one. You'll be right back to normal."

"I'm hideous," Jim said. Claire came up beside him and pushed some hair behind her ear.

"You're really not," she argued. Just then, Arrrgh must have realized what Jim being a troll meant because he began running back and forth in the living room, knocking things over. Douxie and Angel winced as Barbara made a silent but desperate attempt at damage control.

"Forgive Arrrgh; he's emotional," Blinky apologized for his friend before putting a hand to his chin. "And, I'm, at a loss. Why would you do this to him?" 

"To prepare him for the final battle," Merlin said, unfazed by the troll in his face and aggressive question. "He is now capable of feats we never thought possible."

"Like what?" Jim asked. And with that question, they were outside.

"Now then, we don't know the limits of Master Jim's- or shall I say 'Troll Jim's' new form. So, let's try to take this slowly and carefully." Arrrgh and Jim were play fighting, it culminating in Arrrgh yelling 'Troll!' and punching Jim through the fence and into the woods. Everyone either winced or gasped. Blinky glared at Arrrgh. "Are you even listening?" 

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Master Jim?" Jim popped up from the bushes after hearing his name, a big, almost goofy smile on his face 

"Huh. I didn't feel a thing!" He yelled before sprinting to Arrrgh.

"I like new Jim! Troll!" Jim tackled Arrrgh as he said that, the two wrestling and laughing.

"Half Troll, full hunter," Merlin said as he walked past them. "You're welcome." Blinky just glared at the man as he walked off. But he quickly let go of his grudge to get them all to train/experiment with Jim's new form. Angel, with some convincing from both Claire and Douxie, stayed back to rest.

"He seems to be handling this well, right?" Barbara laughed nervously as she closed the door behind Angel. Flapjack chirped something to the young wizard, but she ignored him as she picked up some books and handed them to Strickler.

"Sure," Strickler said as he put books back on the shelves. Barbara walked over to him, knowing the dismissive tone.

"What's wrong?"

"It took me years to handle the diverse emotions of either troll or human, but I've never had to deal with both at once."

"Walter, will I ever get my son back?" Strickler just looked away as Barbara let out sob. He put up a fake smile to assure her. Angel quickly and quietly excused herself, Flapjack being the only one that noticed.

"But, I've been wrong before. What do I know about being human?"

A bright flash of red startled the both of them, and Flapjack was suddenly at the door. He was chirping wildly at them, but neither could understand or even tried. They just gave each other confused looks. Flapjack chirped something of an exasperated sigh and flew behind Barbara to push her towards the door.

"Oh, ok, ok," she muttered, struggling to keep up with the pace of the surprisingly fast and strong bird. Once at the door, Flapjack sat on the handle of the door and chirped pointedly. "You wanna go outside?" 

Chirp!!

"Ok, ok." As soon as she opened the door, a gust of wind shuffled her clothes and hair; Flapjack was nowhere in sight.

. . .

Angel shouldn't have teleported. For some reason it was making her ribs worse, as she found with the last minute save she made at Jim's. But she had to get out of there. It was her fault Jim was a troll, that he may never be the same again.

That Morgana was loose...

I'm selfish, I only think of myself.

I'm a horrible person. 

I shouldn't-

No! She was not going to think like that. Never again. It wasn't fair to the people who cared about her.

They don't care about you, they just pity you.

"I'm a mess," Angel muttered as she stepped into the protective veil of the Gazebo. Flapjack was somehow already there, his brown eyes glaring at her. "Oh. Hey bud... " she muttered as she cast a spell to light up the area. Just a glowing pink ball of light in the middle of the ceiling.

Chirp!

"Yeah, yeah, I gathered that." Angel sighed as she sat down on the steps, facing away from him. He perched on her knee and chirped again. "I know, a couple ribs are broken and teleporting hurts. I just couldn't stay in that house....

"So, you're a phoenix, huh?" Angel asked, trying to distract herself. Flapjack eyed her carefully for a moment before nodding. "That explains a lot."

Seeing a phoenix in real life, without their hidden form, was a rarity, even for the creatures who lived hundreds of thousands of years. They were reclusive and picky about who they were around. Gently, she picked him up in her hands and made him level with her face.

"Can I see it? Your- your... You as a phoenix? I probably worded that horribly wrong, but you get what I'm saying. Right?" She gave him a nervous half smile and she could've sworn he smiled back. 

Heat waves distorted her view of the little bird, the red becoming a bright beacon against them. It almost became too hot to keep holding him but Flapjack had become as light as a feather though he was about double the size of his cardinal form. His feathers became a glistening sunset of red, orange, and yellow. The red ones had now taken the place of his black and three feathers popped up on his head.

If it weren't for the heart shaping the big brown eyes, she'd call him a completely different bird.

Before she could say anything else, the ground shook with the force of a giant stomping.

. . .

"You felt that right? That wasn't just my stomach grumbling?" Toby asked as the group finally steadied themselves.

"I don't think so," Douxie muttered, his tone nervous as he watched the birds flying away from the trees hurriedly.

"Agreed," Blinky agreed. "I fear those rumblings are far more sinister than your digestion, Tobias." Just then, a shadow portal opened up and Claire jumped out. Alone.

"He didn't come back?" She asked as she looked around the group. Douxie's eyes widened in realization of the situation. 

"I thought he was with you!" Toby accused, harder than he meant it to be.

"He was so fast; I lost track of him," Claire defended, hugging her staff. "I couldn't find him with the staff. It's like it doesn't recognize him anymore." 

"Because it isn't him," Douxie offered, hand to his chin. "At least, not the one you knew." Toby glared at him for a second then at the ground, Claire, Arrrgh, and Blinky just stared at him confused but somehow getting the gravity of his words.

"I don't know what Merlin did to him, but once this is over, he's changing him back," Toby declared, crossing his arms and shaking his head. Douxie winced before could stop himself, causing all eyes to turn to him.

"What?" Blinky asked accusingly.

"What aren't you telling us?" Toby asked, pointing a finger at him. "Spill it."

"Douxie?" Claire asked. Douxie sighed and looked down dejectedly.

"As far as I know, there's no going back from this," Douxie mumbled, upset that he had to be the one to deliver this tidbit of information. "Merlin was never able to work out that part. But, I can try and work something out if you like." 

"We would very much like that," Blinky said before ordering everyone to begin searching for Jim. As Douxie headed back to the house to tell Barbara and Strickler and check on Angel, he kept a hand to the back of his neck.

He had tried to give them hope, but the main reason Merlin never made a way for the spell to be reversed was because he never found a way. Douxie only hoped he would have better luck.

. . .

Douxie knew where Angel went the minute he found out she wasn't at Jim's. At least, he hoped so. He wasn't sure about much right now.

"Angel?" He asked as he stepped into the illusion that kept the Gazebo hidden to see her with Flapjack. At least, he assumed it was Flapjack only because of the comments about her having a phoenix around. Honestly, he felt stupid for not realizing it before.

Phoenix's were notably picky, were extremely stubborn, and almost never showed themselves to anyone. But the ones they did, they were extremely protective of.

"Hey Douxie," Angel mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes. He sighed at her slumped and tired form, settling down next to her. They were quiet for a few minutes, just watching the sun rise. It was a much needed bit of reprieve from the past few days for them both.

Claire, Toby, and the others could handle searching for Jim for now. Douxie barely knew him well enough to know where to start searching. And he really just needed to talk to Angel; make sure she was ok and maybe get a few answers.

"I'm sorry," Angel said, making Douxie jump. Flapjack had decided to go to his nest and curled up to sleep some more. "I-I should have told about Merlin being back. I should answered your calls, I should have just- been better at- whatever.

"I hated lying to you! I hate lying in general, and that's all I've been doing the past few months. First to Jim and Claire and Toby. I was sorta fine with that because I know how important it is to keep my magic hidden and I've had to keep it hidden for years. 

"I just... I don't wanna be her..." Angel hugged herself and looked down and Douxie was silent for a moment more.

"Your mother?" He asked as he put a hand on her shoulder. Angel shook her head but didn't pull away.

"She always did this. Always lied about the situation she was in to others, broke her promises to me, put my sister's and I in dangerous situations. And now I've done the same thing to everyone in Arcadia and possibly the world."

"How?" Douxie asked, trying to put his arm around her and pull her close in comfort. She didn't let him. The whole thing confused him. Sure, she had been a little reluctant to share what her feelings and threats that came her way, but she always tried to help others. 

She helped Jim without him knowing at first, risked fighting Bular more than once, fought Angor when she was going through her worst fear and just the other day to save Barbara and Strickler (whom he wasn't completely sure deserved it but was glad he didn't make that decision). She was a moment too late to stop Gunmar from releasing Morgana- 

"Angel, what did you-" he started, but Angel interrupted, getting up from her spot and walking a few feet.

"I let Morgana loose! I-I-I was there- I was right there, and I couldn't do it. I could have grabbed both Barbara and Strickler, but no! Merlin has to be one of those jerks who make fucking sense!

"I mean, it makes sense to get it over with and stop the loop of trying to stop Gunmar or others from freeing her over and over and over again. I just wish there was a way to do it without risking the world. There's nothing and just- just- ugh!" 

Angel grabbed the sides of her head and resisting the urge to pull out her hair as she fell to her knees. I just want it to stop, she thought thought but she couldn't put a name to what she wanted to stop. Everything? Nothing? 

A warm embrace stopped her thoughts cold and the familiar smell of cloves brought them back. She had made Douxie worry, she had lied by omission about Merlin being back, she had let Morgana loose for God's sake! She didn't deserve him at all.

"I'm sorry," Angel mumbled as she let herself selfishly fall into his embrace. She wiped her wet eyes to keep his shirt from suffering the same fate. "I should- should have told about Merlin, about everything. B-but I didn't want to hurt you with the answer- I was scared myself- then he just-"

"Shh, darling," Douxie whispered so softly that she wouldn't have heard him if she wasn't right next to him, in his arms. She felt him sigh and lay his head on hers. "I know how Merlin is. And, I know how you are. 

"You only did your best, love; you always try and put others needs before yours. It's one of your bigger flaws from time to time." Angel sighed, about say 'I know', but Douxie cut her off. "It's also one of the reasons I love you." Angel hugged him tighter and sobbed silently. She couldn't do anything else.

She truly didn't deserve Douxie. 

. . .

It was sunset and they still hadn't found Jim. Could he even be in the sun anymore? All the trolls hadn't seen him, no one at school (not even Eli who was always on the lookout for Arcadia weirdness) had seen him or any troll.

Claire jumped out of the portal onto the bridge to look around, but had to quickly step back in to avoid being hit by a speeding Toby. After making sure he was stopped completely, she hopped out and looked into the canal.

"This is nuts!" Toby exclaimed as he followed suit. "How can he just disappear- hey, is that Merlin? What's captain crazy armor doing now?" Toby turned around for some answer from Claire, but only saw her retreating form enter a portal. He didn't even have to look to know where she went.

"You!" Claire yelled as she jumped out of her portal, pointing the staff like it was a spear at his face. "It's all your fault! Jim's gone and now my shadow staff can't find him! Are you even listening to me!" All Merlin had been doing while she had been screaming at him was examine the dark colored staff.

"You can't find Jim because there is no Jim," he said at last. "At least, not the one you knew."

"Douxie already told me," Claire said as she pulled her staff back, glaring daggers at him. He was unfazed.

"Then he also told you that there is no going back from this, right?" Claire growled, giving him his answer as he continued to search the ground for something.

"You can't just turn my boyfriend into a troll and leave him like that!"

"Boyfriend?" Toby asked, startling Claire as she hadn't noticed him come down into the canal. Now that she thought about it, she had heard his scream. "Time for status update, huh?" Claire rolled her eyes.

"He's half Troll, half boyfriend," Merlin said before dropping to the ground and licking it. The two teens grimaced.

"What's your deal, dude? You trolled Jim, you have an apprentice that lives in this town, you lick cement: are there any other secrets your keeping from us?"

"Oh, plenty," Merlin stated simply as he stood.

"Tell us," Claire ordered after sharing a look with Toby.

"Then they wouldn't be secrets." A tremor shook the ground and Toby grabbed onto Claire for support. After it stopped, he quickly went back to his original spot.

"Are those quakes coming from Trollmarket?" He asked.

"It was Morgana. We need to find the Trollhunter."

. . .

"He's home," Strickler said as Barbara hung up. Angel, Douxie, who still didn't trust him, and of course their familiar's accompanied him through the alleyways of the city. The trolls taking refuge wherever they could were now moving about through the city. 

"Thank goodness," Archie, the black cat that was perched on Douxie's shoulders, said. Flapjack, the little cardinal/phoenix that sat on Angel's shoulder, chirped his agreement. 

"Now I just need to tell the others."

"I'll call Claire," Angel offered. "Then I'll get on headcount." Douxie's expression became soft and concerned at the prospect of her going alone. "I'll be fine, Doux." She hesitated but quickly stood on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek before she walked back down the alley. Douxie sighed once she was out of view.

"She's a strong girl," Strickler offered as they walked on the street and away from the dark alleys. "She can handle a few unruly trolls."

"That's not why I'm worried," Douxie muttered, absently petting Archie. "I just don't want her to disappear again."

"Yes, I will be having a conversation with her about that later," Archie said, flicking his tail.

"She had good intentions."

"Angel could have at least made up something up to quell your worries instead of leaving you without a trace!" 

"She doesn't like lying, Arch. You know that as well I do."

"Still, she didn't have to go through all of this alone." Douxie made to argue, but found he couldn't. "Why she didn't at least tell someone else before- well, you know." The cat eyed Strickler carefully, afraid to say much more due to his distrust of the changeling.

"I am aware about her panic attacks, you know," Strickler said as he rolled his eyes. Douxie and Arch glared at him, the latter almost hissing. It made sense considering familiar's often knew what their humans felt and expressed it tenfold. "I was her teacher. And as for the whole being alone predicament, I feel it is more of a habit for her."

"What does that mean?" Douxie asked, looking more genuinely curious than distrustful and angry. Archie was still close to hissing, but he too had a curious glint in his eyes.

"Whenever I would give group projects, she would often work by herself. In fact, even when she was in a group, she often did her work on her own and just turned it over to the other group members."

"Pray tell, what does that have to do with anything?" Archie asked, matching Douxie's confusion head on. 

"I've noticed that things like that are habits, ones that are hard to break. Especially for one her age. I'd just give her some time and always be there if she needs it."

"I've known her longer than you," Douxie shot back. "And anyway, what makes you think I'll trust your word? You kidnapped her, raised Angor Rot, and tried to kill Jim multiple times." Strickler hesitated, his expression becoming remorseful and small. 

"I know I don't deserve it," he sighed. "But Angel has spoken of you many times. You are a good person, so I hope you will see that I am trying to be one. Still, I'd understand if you never trust me again."

Douxie didn't get to answer as Strickler's phone rang again. He answered only to hear Barbara's franic and worried voice.

"Walter? It's just like you said. I don't recognize my son."

With quickly telling her that he would be there in a moment, he hung up and moved to the alley to quickly transform. He flew off, leaving Douxie and Archie completely confused. A few minutes later, Douxie got a call from Claire telling him to meet her and Toby at the school.

Chapter Text

Jim had, at least for the time being, come to terms with being a troll. After the two days of no sleep, getting transformed into a troll, and just running because he didn't know what else to do, he was taking a well needed nap. Blinky was running the planning in his place.

"I've taken the liberty of constructing a rudimentary model of Arcadia," Blinky said as he pointed to the covered table. "If we focus or defensive efforts here when the Gum-Gums attack-" Merlin made a sound of disapproval, something Douxie was familiar to and everyone else was slowly getting used too. "Do you have something to say?"

"This is a waste of time!" Merlin shouted, shoving everything off the table. Angel jumped and immediately paled. Her arms twitched, wanting to cover her face but refusing to move. Douxie's hand found hers and her pounding heart slowed slightly. Flapjack, who was perched on her shoulder, nuzzled against her face.

"You broke the museum! You philistine!" The two started circling the table, glaring daggers at one another- It was a wonder neither were cut.

"Our focus is not Arcadia. It is Trollmarket. If we stop Morgana, we stop the eternal night. The Trollhunter and I must venture into Trollmarket."

"While Gunmar and Angor Rot turn Arcadia into an all you can eat buffet!?

"For having six eyes, you are very short sighted. Defeating Gunmar is pointless if Morgana is still-"

"And defeating Morgana is pointless if everyone in Arcadia is dead!" 

"Would everyone just shut up for a second?!" Angel yelled causing everyone to stare at her. The things on the ground glew red. She was just done with the two yelling at each other, of the way it made her feel so helpless. She had almost forgotten she could input her ideas and thoughts now. "One, Jim has a damn say in this- he's the Trollhunter- and two: there has to be some sort of freaking compromise!" She stamped her foot on the ground, the items flying up and the entire house shaking. "Did- did I-?"

"No, that was the third tremor today," Douxie muttered as he righted himself and her. He put a hand on her shoulder, trading it from her hand to rub soothing circles. "And not your fault." He whispered, lower so others needn't hear. Claire only glanced from the corner of her eye but said nothing.

"At this rate, I fear the eternal night will be upon us within the hour," Merlin said, hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"The battle of the bands is on," Claire worried. "The square will be packed."

"Everyone in Arcadia is gonna be there! Well, anyone who is cool, anyway," Toby both freaked and said calmly. Douxie and Angel had matching head shakes. Archie sighed and Flapjack chirped something of a agreement with the sentiment.

"On the bright side, with everyone clustered, we now know where the Gum-Gums will strike first," Merlin said with a small smile.

"How is that the bright side?" Claire asked.

"Well, we know where to compile our forces," Angel offered, a bit ticked off that Merlin had the semblance of the same thought. "And if we can get everyone out in time, we can trap them and keep them away from the residential area. Keep the civilians as safe as possible."

"And Trollmarket will be deserted; Morgana will be unprotected," Merlin added. Douxie noted footsteps and looked to the stairs. Sure enough, Jim was walking down.

"Gunmar and Angor Rot are my fight," he muttered darkly. Everyone tensed as he came down fully and were silent as Jim spoke. "First, we'll do everything we can to clear Arcadia Square. So no one gets hurt."

"Ah, afraid there's no we, mate," Douxie winced. 

"Indeed. Until the night falls, in your current form, sunlight will burn you as much as any of us trolls." Jim's glare faded once he remembered what happened the last time sun touched his skin. 

"Can't we whip up some SPF 1 million?" At Toby's question, Merlin actually looked remorseful. So, that was a no.

"We'll go with the children and put a stop to this Battle of the Bands," Nomura said.

"I'll go too," Douxie chimed, sharing a glance with Jim who gave him a smile. He had said that so fast he hadn't even realized he'd done it till Archie and Merlin looked at him, the former proud and the latter unreadable.

"Then am I to fight Morgana alone?" Merlin asked. Douxie almost quickly changed his mind, but Arrrgh broke his train of thought.

"No. I'll go. Keep safe."

"Thank you oh very big one."

"I'm going too; don't try and stop me," Angel said with pointed glance at Douxie. "You may need someone who's able to use magic till you get yours back." Flapjack chirped his agreement and declaration that he was going too from his place on her shoulder. "Besides," Angel smirked and elbowed Claire slightly. "I need to get back at her for messin with one of my best friends."

"She's pretty powerful," Claire said, concerned at the confidence that was foreign for Angel to show. Angel flicked her hands and like a switch and her fingers gained red claws. Her expression was solemn as she brought them up to examine.

"I think I'll manage." Douxie and Archie shared a concerned glance with each other, then found Merlin to have the same one. Unfortunately, neither had time to question her as Blinky began making a declaration of empowerment.

"Then the moment is upon us all. Together, we can defeat the combined threat of Gunmar, Angor Rot, and Morgana for all time!" Toby cheered at that, pumping his fists in the air. He must have expected others to join as he faltered halfway through upon realizing he was the only one cheering. 

. . .

"Because tonight will never end!" 

Up in the stands of the converted Heroes Forge, Angor watched as Gunmar needlessly rallied his forces. They were all under his control, so there was no point.

"Are you not thrilled for your kinds victory?" Morgana asked, floating to the open spot next to him. "Or have you lost your faith?"

"Never!" Angor disputed the claim immediately, pulling out his creepers sun blade. "The Trollhunter killed me once and took my eye! The apprentice's lover sent a phoenix that nearly took my hearing. Tonight I take his life and then, I shall move onto that poor excuse for a sorceress and make sure she could never rival you. Maybe even the apprentice himself." Morgana put hand to the side of his face, calming him slightly with her approval.

"Good. You are my champion. You will stand by my side when the world becomes mine."

"And what of Gunmar?"

"Gunmar is a pawn, a brute to get what I want." She pulled away to give a glare towards the aforementioned troll. "In time, he will be disposed of." Angor looked at her with slight distaste and concern for his own well-being. But as her champion, she wouldn't dispose of him. Right?

No, that was a stupid, unfaithful thought. 

"But leave the apprentice for me," Morgana said unwavering from her gaze on Gunmar. "I want him to see who caused the death of his beloved master."

. . .

After Toby set up the fetch for NotEnrique to go through, Barbara heading to the hospital with dread, Toby and Claire armoring up (the former peeing said armour), Angel and Douxie bid each other safe travels. Their hug lasted longer than usual, and was more tender. Neither wanted to let go.

Angel still blamed herself for Morgana being released and was trying to right that wrong. Douxie knew that and knew her enough that she wouldn't hold onto him this tight if she didn't perceive this as a goodbye.

A final goodbye.

"Please come back safe," he muttered as they pulled away from each other. She didn't get to answer as she was pulled down to the basement by Merlin's voice and he got pulled away by the changelings and armoured trollhunters. She didn't even tell him 'I'll try'.

They arrived at the Battle just as Aja and Krel were on stage. Aja was dancing to her brother's weird dolphin sounding music. He quickly changed it, upon Aja muttering about the crowd, to a more upbeat dance. Everyone began cheering and dancing, Eli yelled "Spectacular" from Steve's shoulders. 

"Thank you, whatever that was," Uhl said as he took the mic. Aja and Krel left to go stand off to the side with a brown haired chubby man who worked the taco truck. "And now, Mama Skull, whatever that is." 

Darci and Mary got to stage as Uhl walked off to tune their instruments, Claire walked out on stage in her armor. The duo were clearly confused, but Claire couldn't explain it to just them. She had to tell everyone. But how? And why was she so much more nervous than the play?

A whistle from the crowd caught her attention. It was Douxie, giving her a double thumbs up and encouraging smile. She gave one back. Anyone would see it as him calming her stage fright. In a way, that was true.

"Um, hello, can I have your attention?" Claire did her best to explain, but was having trouble. He was about to head up there to help her, but a harsh pull to his ear stopped him. A quick glance to the side showed the familiar pink head of hair dragging him off to side of the stage.

"Where in the world were you, Hisirdoux?" She asked as she let go to punch him in the arm. "We needed our lead guitarist an hour ago."

"Zoe! I-" 

"I get that you found Angel and all, but if she was fine and uninjured, then-"

"You need to run!" Mary shouted, barely singing at all as she strummed her guitar. Both Douxie and Zoe winced, on the same side for a second for mutually agreeing that it was bad music in that moment.

Claire did her best to dispute the idea that it was just a song and try to say that there was real danger, but to no avail. Zoe noticed that Douxie was worried, something off about his entire demeanor. A roar of wind caused her to look back and see a beam of energy hit the sky and began covering it all. A fog began rolling in.

"I'll get Anna to help me get everyone to safety," Zoe said, taking the words out of Douxie's mouth. She tried to run off to do just that, but Douxie grabbed her arm. 

"Put Elsa and Jack on perimeter. Don't let any of these twits leave Arcadia." 

"I know. I'm not an idiot, Hiz," Zoe smirked and ran off. Douxie began ushering civilians out of the square and towards Zoe and Anna. The changelings and trollhunters were handling the majority of the Gum-Gums now entering the town.

. . .

Just as the last of the Gum-Gums climbed out of the ground, Angel let down the invisible barrier around them all so Arrrgh could open the door to Trollmarket. A cold wind followed them down. All of them shared a gasp as they entered the main area of Trollmarket.

The last time Angel had seen the heartstone, it was dark but still functional. The rest of Trollmarket was still lit up. Now along with the heartstone, the stores and ceiling were loosing their light, their warm glow. 

Now it was becoming a ghost town.

"Hearthstone dying," Arrrgh observed solemnly. Angel put a hand on his arm as he gave her a worried glance.

"Once it's gone.." Angel trailed, looking to Arrrgh with the same solemn expression.

"Sadly, so is Trollmarket," Merlin finished for her, turning towards the two. Again, he seemed genuinely upset. "Alas, that is a tragedy for tomorrow, my friends. For today brings it's own." With that solemn sentiment, the trio made their way down the rest of the steps and towards the heartstone. Arrrgh used his nose to lead the other two.

Sneaking around Trollmarket was easy considering there was no one there. Getting to the heartstone and into Morgana's chambers was considerably easy as well. 

Too easy.

Something was wrong. Angel sent Flapjack to hide so they could have a surprise up their sleeve. At least, that's what she told him. Her shoulder was hot as he left.

"Now what?" Arrrgh and Angel asked together, making the both of them jump.

"She's supposed to be here," Merlin said curiously, unfazed by the two. He didn't notice fact that this was too easy. "She needs the power of the hearthstone."

"Merlin, look out!" Angel warned quickly. Angor had come from seemingly nowhere and was gunning for Merlin. Thinking quickly, she put a hand on Arrrgh's arm, teleported him in front of Merlin; she then let go of Arrrgh, trading his arm for Merlin's and teleported him away.

Leaving him with another jump, she quickly appeared behind Angor herself.

"You're friends won't be able to resurrect you a second time," he said menacingly to Arrrgh, who had been using a fallen stone as a shield. Before Angor could strike him, he groaned in pain as both his hands were being electrocuted.

"Same for you!" Arrrgh yelled, punching Angor backwards. Angel teleported out of the way which dropped the restraints. She immediately got them back. Unfortunately, she wasn't strong enough to pull him; he was strong enough to throw her all the way across the room to Merlin.

Angel heard a bone chillingly familiar laugh and immediately put up a shield around her and Merlin as she got to her feet. Arrrgh had been knocked back by a golden glow. Angel yelled out but the only answer she got was a chuckle from Angor.... And Morgana.

Merlin simply picked up his sword and went on the defensive. A single look told Angel to let the shield fall from around him. She did hesitantly and he went forward, leaving a hole open so he could run back if needed.

"Leave them alone, Morgana," he declared, no hesitation or fear.

"Surprise. Did you miss me?" Morgana taunted, preparing a couple spells. Merlin charged. As the two fought, Angor kicked Arrrgh for no other reason than the fact he enjoyed it. 

Angered, Angel ran towards him claws out. There was a rune now on her bracers, a flux rune, and they glew brighter than ever. She jumped and made to slash at him. It was an obvious attack, but that was what she wanted. 

Before Angor could even touch her, she teleported next to him and slashed at his side. Angor tried to run her through with his own blade, but she again teleported. 

The quick attacks merely meant to distract (and get out some of her anger at him hurting Arrrgh) continued for a few minutes more before Merlin finally wrestled his staff back from the witch.

"Oh you two are so- Crap!" Angel should have shut up. Her taunt had left her open to get slammed on the ground, the rock cracking with the force. Luckily, it didn't seem to break anything else. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of her already broken ribs.

Merlin attempted to blast Morgana with a spell, growling slightly. The gem simply flickered before fading. Morgana laughed again as the look of confidence and anger faded to fear and confusion on the old man's face.

"You old fool!" Morgana laughed as she shot him back; two golden circles of magic formed around her hands. Angel felt a pull around her and Angor's grip loosened. She didn't have to wonder why for long as a magical golden rope wrapped around her, binding her hands and arms to her side. 

"My magic?" Merlin questioned with genuine fear as he tried to get to his feet. "You've taken it?"

"All those centuries you locked me away, what did you think I was doing?" Morgana said as a gained a circle on her left hand again. Why was it green? "Let me show you how strong I am now." She pulled him up after covering him with the same golden rope she had bound Angel in. The young sorceress kicked and struggled against her own as Merlin now gave her a steely glare.

"You won't win," he strained. "The Trollhunter-"

"I've already WON!!" Morgana yelled before throwing him next to the tornado of a spell and hard on the ground. In a U-Turn of emotions, Morgana gently and solemnly floated next to his unconscious body. Angel noted it, but still couldn't put that as an important issue at the moment.

"Go finish the Trollhunter," she told Angor. "I'll handle this mess." He left quickly, only sparing one glance to Angel. 

She had read and heard many stories about him. How he was a hero to trollkind, how he'd fought against Gunmar, lost his soul to do so, but now that his damned mistress called the shots, he was fighting alongside the terrors he'd fought so hard against. "You are such a-"

"Quiet!" Angel heard Morgana yell as she was thrown against some wall. She missed Angor's glare turn soft and solemn as she turned her eyes on the witch with a growl. "I'll deal with you later, witchling."

Now that her assassin was gone, Morgana took it upon herself to beat the everliving daylights out of Merlin. Angel tried and tried to get out of the binds. With each hit of flesh on stone, she felt her tug against the rope strengthen as . She was starting to teleport. And Morgana was none the wiser, it seemed.

It wasn't that she wasn't casting light at all because she saw the red glow herself- but she was hiding it this time, for the first time ever.

She could do this. 

She could do this. 

I can do this. 

I won't leave any of them like this.

"Goodbye, my old frie- ah!" Morgana was blasted with a red ball of magic. A quick glance in the firing direction showed an almost confident little girl sending another at her. Morgana dodged it easily. "Oh you just won't give up, will you witchling? When will you learn that you are nothing but a pest to me!?"

"I take that as a compliment," Angel taunted with a smirk and holding her hand to her chest with a dramatic flair. Man, was Douxie rubbing off on her. "Gassus flotulus!" As the witch charged at her, Angel ducked into a cloud of reddish-grey smoke produced by one of the first Douxie had taught her, Angel was gone from view. The only thing Morgana saw were her black and white shoes falling to the ground.

. . .

Seeing as the Trollhunters were handling the people and Gum-Gums in the square, Douxie went join his friends. The cold had long dissipated as Elsa and Jack expanded their boarders to keep the rest at bay since the cold only did so much for stone skinned creatures. Before he could, a voice and familiar shouts of terror from the stage caught his attention.

"You take one step closer-" Mary threatened, throwing a guitar at an oncoming Gum-Gum. It bounced off harmlessly. Darci picked up a drum to use as a shield, a useless defense.

Douxie jumped the troll with a guitar he'd picked up quickly, hitting it hard enough to at least knock it out.

"I've always hated those twits," he muttered before turning around to greet the two with a smile. "You alright lovelies?" Both Mary and Darci swooned.

"You suurre you're committed to being with Angel?" Mary sighed as Douxie put the guitar over his back. Darci had been just as enraptured, but upon hearing her friends words, she immediately stopped and glared.

"Mary!" Darci yelled as she elbowed her friend with a glare.

"What? I'm just asking. Angel always says it never hurts to ask." 

"Pretty sure she didn't mean asking that to her boyfriend."

Despite it all, the trolls attacking, worrying about Angel and his friends, the battle, the eternal night itself, he let himself chuckle.

"'Fraid so, lovely," he said. "Now, let's get you two away from here." As the two hurried down the steps, still arguing semantics, the Gum-Gum tried to get up. Quickly, Douxie hit him with a spell that instantly turned him to stone. 

After handing the two off to Claire and Toby, he ran to join with his other friends and familiar, the ones protecting the residential area and hospital. As he did, he caught site of Eli being chased by a Gum-Gum. He was about to reveal his magic to help him, but Steve came barreling towards him with a garbage can. They celebrated as Nomura jumped in to finish him. They would be fine.

"Magic Man?"

"Douxie!" Both the voices and nickname were familiar to him. There was only one person who called him Magic Man. And he wasn't of this earth.

"Krel, I asked you to stop calling me that," Douxie said slightly annoyed as he turned around. The latino looking boy seemed to be happy at the sound of name, so he ignored the comment, while Aja was still concerned.

"What is happening, Douxie?" She asked.

"Is this a magic thing?" Krel asked.

"Both yes and no; it's moreso a troll thing, which is why you need to get to safety," Douxie said, quickly sending away a goblin that had tried to jump on him with his blue magic.

"Trust me, we're trying to," Krel said as he watched the creature fly into a window with a yell and a splat. 

"We were planning on leaving later, after the battle of bands," Aja added as she looked around, on guard for another attack. Until she spotted- "Steve! I'll just be one mectron!" Krel rolled his eyes as he followed the two boys followed her.

"There was a distress signal from Mother."

"Oh fuzzbuckets..." Douxie muttered as he saw just how many goblins were there. Nomura must have had other things to attend to because now the duo was now overrun. Even with baseball bats and helmets that Douxie still wondered when they'd had time to get dressed in.

"You want a piece of this too?!" Steve yelled before noticing Aja and asking her a very irrelevant question, as Angel would say, for the situation and time. Eventually, Steve mentioned that he was something of a Dark night for Arcadia and it's protector. 

Douxie scoffed and rolled his eyes. If anything, he was the protector of Arcadia. Jim and the Trollhunters were too but he was mostly focused on trollkind, not the spector's and demons and magical creatures that terrorized the community on the daily.

"So am I," Eli interrupted as he popped up next to Steve. He put his hand up with a C shape. Steve returned it. "Creepslayerz with a Z- ah!" Steve concurred, not caring that his friend was getting attacked by a goblin.

"Hold still, you little git!" Douxie yelled as he used his guitar to kill the goblin on his head. As Krel helped Eli up, more of the green creatures surrounded them. "Right, it's a fight you buttsnacks want, eh? Well it's a fight you'll get- ah!" 

Douxie's big talk turned to an attack from at least three goblins at a time. Eli and Krel took up bats and began hitting all the goblins they could, getting covered in their green guts. Eli returned the favor from earlier, leaving Douxie free to grab the one off his back and slam it on the ground and smashing it with his guitar. Just in time to spot Steve being dipped by Aja in a passionate but slow kiss.

"Oh come on," Douxie muttered as he rolled his eyes at the couple. However, he really couldn't say much more because he had nearly done the same with Angel earlier in the day.

"Give me a break," Krel sighed as he followed Douxie's gaze, rolling his eyes as well. Eli made a disgusted noise when he saw them, but continued taking down goblins. After a couple minutes of being showered in their guts and Douxie most definitely having to buy someone a new guitar, the couple was still locked together.

"Don't they need to breathe?" Eli commented. Finally, as if they heard him, they pulled away in sigh.

"You're the best boyfriend in the universe," Aja giggled as she ran off. Krel handed Steve his bat back.

"There you are, mate. Stay safe." Douxie patted his arm slightly and followed the royal siblings.

Soon enough after passing an ally, an Akkiridian landed on the ground in a superhero pose carrying a familiar man.

"Hold a tick," Douxie asked as he slowed his running to keep up with the man. "Aren't you the taco truck guy?"

"Part time," he answered with a proud smile. "I also run Stuart's Electronics. Hey, don't you work at the cafe?" Douxie chuckled and smirked at him.

"Also part time. I also own the bookshop."

"Who is this?" The woman Akkiridian asked the siblings. "And why is he-" a Gum-Gum tried to attack, interrupting her. She took out her double edged scythe but before anyone else could do something, Douxie's bracelet lit up, went through a few runes before settling on a combination, and a wall of blue magic surrounded it, turning it to stone in an instant. "Nevermind," the Akkiridian said, eyes wide as the magic fell and the troll broke apart.

"He's a friend, Zadra," Krel said. "Now come on!"

"We have to get to Mama and Papa!"

As they ran, a new sense of worry fell over Douxie, and he felt an even stronger urge to rush to Trollmarket. But he had already committed to helping Aja and Krel get home.

Besides, Merlin and Angel could handle themselves.

. . .

"Claire!" Archie yelled as the girl battled some trolls, stabbing some, making others crush each other with her portals.

"A little busy here, Archie!" The girl responded, taking down another troll.

"I just need a portal to Trollmarket. Angel, Merlin, and our big troll friend are in trouble."

"More than us?!" Toby asked, flying up to bring his hammer down on a troll.

"Let's see: Gunmar practically just told Jim that our foe has been stealing Merlin's magic for centuries, so now she's twice as powerful! So yes, I'd say so."

"Wait, Gunmar is attacking Jim?"

"Yes, as is Angor Rot. But if we wish to help all our friends, we need to leave now!"

"On it!" Claire yelled as she opened a portal for Archie to get to Trollmarket then one for her and Toby to get to Jim. They went in their respective portals, each seeing a sight that made them pause.

(The song goes with it. I just want to show off that animatic because I love it.

Tell me what scene's from this part you think go with the song.)

Chapter Text

The sight of Angel's red beam of magic keeping Morgana's golden one at bay reminded Archie of Douxie in more ways than one. But why? He'd never gone head to head with her before, right? Some memory flashed through his head, a vision of blue against gold; a guitar riff was accompanying it.

Archie was so distracted that Flapjack's screech nearly sent him flying back through Claire's portal. Thankfully, it had dissipated before that happened and he just rolled back in the air. The bird quickly flew to steady him with an apologetic chirp that sounded more annoyed that anything.

"Where's Merlin?" Arch asked him. Flapjack became alight with flame and attacked a few Gum-Gums that were about to disrupt and attack Angel. The beam was now favoring Morgana, but Angel still refused to let it go.

Loosing his worry for the old man at the moment, he flew over to the youngling. Try as he might and though she was clearly loosing, her face was still screwed up in determination.

"Angel, let go!" Arch ordered. She ignored him. Inch by inch that beam got closer to her. As he glanced at her again, he noticed tears falling down her face.

Douxie didn't know the full extent of her thoughts, how dark they could be. Before she knew that Arch was able to talk back, Angel had talked to him about her struggles throughout the years.

"Oh no you don't!" With a blast of fire to Morgana from Archie and Flapjack dragging her down to the ground by her long ponytail. Archie quickly knocked Angel behind a stand that used to sell gnome repellent.

"Archie, what the hell?" Angel asked, trying to get up when she heard Morgana yell something about a phoenix being the perfect pet to torture. Archie pushed her down.

"No way, Missy. You are staying here until that head of yours is clear, understand?" Archie didn't give her a chance to answer as he took off to help Flapjack. And now Merlin, who had finally showed up.

Merlin blocked the golden bullets with his staff, being pushed back with each blow.

"Merlin. What has become of my once daunting master?" Morgana asked without expecting much of a compelling answer, but stopping her attack anyway. The staffs gem glowed bright as Merlin twirled it, powering it up with what little magic he had left.

"You may have stole my magic, Morgana, but there's still a few tricks in these old bones." He had finally mustered up enough magic to get a shot back to her. Archie smirked until Morgana caught the green magic and made it into her own golden rope, tying him up in the air.

"Old bones for an old fool."

Arrrgh was being held back by Gum-Gums, his throat being held in a headlock and Flapjack was trying his best to keep any others from attacking the troll. Archie tried a fire attack on the sorceress, but she simply sent the fire back towards him. Unfortunately, magic fire was the only fire he wasn't impervious to, so he was sent flying back.

"Arch!" The dragon heard as he fell. Before he touched down on the ground or wall or just a vendor stand, a familiar pair of arms wrap around him and sensation of being moved through time.

"As you slept for centuries, I had your trollhunters killed one by one!" Morgana taunted as she held him close. "Now your cause dies with them!" Angel had already put up a shield, but it was flickering from maroon to red dimly. It wouldn't hold against an attack from Morgana. If that happened, Angel would shield Arch herself.

"Arrrgh, could you lend a hand?" Merlin shouted. The troll struggled a moment more before giving pause as he looked at his hand.

"Hmm. Hand!" Arrrgh yelled before throwing the troll he was battling away, killing him, and running....

In the opposite direction of the wizards.

"Arrrgh!" The two yelled together. Flapjack had an annoyed screech that Angel was glad she couldn't understand.

. . .

"Get them out of here, Stuart!" Aja ordered. Douxie had only gotten nicked on the leg, so he could still walk. Zadra wasn't as lucky, getting hit in the head with it. Stuart dragged her off to the side as Douxie readied a stasis spell circle to trap the wolf bounty hunter. He really wished Arch was there to help.

"You'll pay for that, Alpha!" Krel yelled, turning his serrator to a gun. Aja made hers a sword. She gave one glance at Douxie and smirked at his determination.

"And for what you did to my brothers, you shall pay- with your cores!" With that declaration, Alpha charged at them.

"Don't have one!" Douxie yelled as he put up a shield and shot bullets of magic at him. Alpha shot back wildly, running around them in an attempt to find a blind spot in any of their defenses.

"Then with your life!" Aja and Krel kept him at bay, mostly Aja via her sword, and Douxie forewent the shield to instead shoot a stronger blue magic beam at him. He didn't stay still long enough to get hit.

"I have a plan, but I need to get closer to him," he told Aja, quickly putting up a shield to block a shot.

"Distract him little brother!" She told Krel before charging at Alpha and tried to get his weapon out of his hands.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Krel asked rhetorically as he continued. Aja thought she had succeeded with one of them until Douxie and Krel ended up getting stuck together.

So she was on her own.

. . .

"Have you gotten everyone to safety?" Blinky asked as the Toby and Claire jumped out of the portal.

"Yup, the ones who couldn't make it home are hiding at the school," she told him, searching the area around them. "Where's Douxie?"

"I have not seen him for a few hours. Perhaps is fighting alongside Merlin and Angel now that everyone's safe."

"Speaking of Merlin, why's the eclipse still here?" Toby asked worriedly, pointing to the red sky. "Shouldn't he have gotten his magic back by now?"

"Where are those stupid wizards?" Claire yelled, not exactly meaning it for the younger looking two. The little group didn't have much time to dwell on it, having their attention drawn back to their Trollhunter, who lay on the ground. "Jim!"

"Jimbo!" The three tried to run to his aid, but a group of Gum-Gums blocked their path. Claire growled as she began taking them down.

"This ends tonight!" Jim just barely avoided Gunmar's blade, unfortunately having to quickly doge Angor's as well. The two traded attempts to land a blow on him, giving him almost no chance to rise or call Daylight back to his hand or his shield to his arm.

Finally, he got a chance to duck out, jumping into the air to attack with his thigh blades. Gunmar blocked them with his own but was ultimately knocked down. Angor was quick to take up the empty space, throwing his blade and nicking Jim with it. Fortunately, it was only the butt of the blade; even if it did make him stumble back and leave him vulnerable to being pinned.

"Kill me!" Jim challenged as he held Angor's blade back from his chest with his shield. "It won't change you!" Angor growled and pushed harder. "I heard you were once a great warrior, a hero to trollkind!" Something of a recognition passed over his features, regret and sadness following. So Morgana hadn't taken his memories. "What's your excuse now that you have your soul back?"

The blade was lifted when Angor gasped to himself, seemingly realizing his mistakes. Jim took the opportunity to knock him back, but he didn't go on the offense just yet seeing as Angor was currently putting himself through the wringer.

"You are weak, assassin!" Gunmar yelled as he picked up and threw Angor away like he was trash. Jim did attack this time, pushing Gunmar into the stage, knocking it down. Because Jim was hurt and he thought Gunmar was too, he began walking towards the wreckage.

Unfortunately, he wasn't hurt or injured, not even slowed down in the slightest. Instead he burst up and ran up to Jim, grabbing him and throwing him into the nearest building. When Jim regained his senses and not seeing Gunmar, he climbed to the roof for a better vantage point.

Unaware that Gunmar was climbing up the other side.

. . .

"There are so many ways to kill you," Morgana said as she pulled Merlin closer. "Do you mind if I try them all?" Merlin began a rebuttal, but she shut it down. "Whatever I don't use on you, I'll simply try on the witchling."

"Do not-" Merlin started, but Morgana tightened his restraints. Angel would have attacked her, but Gum-Gums were working on breaking through her shield.

"What?" Morgana glanced at the witchling, the way she held the hissing dragon close, the way her magic was faltering. "Touch her? Aren't apprentice's replaceable?"

There again with the DeJa Vu. Why was Archie having that feeling? He'd never heard the woman say anything like that, especially to Merlin. A horn sounded, allowing the familiar to leave his troubling thoughts.

"For the glory of Merlin, once more into the fight!" Kanjigar's ghost yelled before entering a Gum-Gum, turning it red. Blue balls of light that could only be the past trollhunters did the same with others. The ones that were attacking Angel stopped, turned red, and helping her up before turning to fight Morgana.

"It can't be!" Morgana yelled before two of the Hunter-Gums jumped on her to try and pull her to the ground. Archie laughed as he took to the air with Flapjack.

"Oh yes it can!" The two sent flames her way. Morgana shot golden light out from herself, knocking the two Hunter-Gums off of her and Merlin into a wall. Flapjack's screech kept the beam from doing the same to them.

Unkar the Unfortunate got his own Gum-Gum and was ecstatic to be back into the fight, but was immediately killed by one of Morgana's blast.

"Go! Get to the surface, protect our Trollhunter!" Kanjigar yelled to Arrrgh as he lifted up a rock to block her blasts. As the troll ran off, he turned to Angel who was shielding Arrrgh's escape. "You, go wake up the wizard!" She didn't have to be told twice and ran to where she had seen him blasted, disappearing from view.

"Witch- urgh!" Morgana started, but was interrupted by Flapjack's screech. She had to cover her ears..

"Phoenix got your tongue, Morgana?" Arch said as he hit here head with his tail as he passed, quickly shooting a fireball at her and flying away. A Hunter-Gum threw a spear in her blind spot. It pierced her side before she could send it away.

A few of the Hunter-Gums were battle regular Gum-Gums, so once a red one was felled and left behind the blue light, it just moved to the nearest vessel. Unkar had eventually figured out that his bad luck could be used as a weapon. He stayed in his blue form until the last second, hopping into a Gum-Gum to save the more adept fighters.

"Merlin!" Angel called out as she ran around. Part of her regretted the decision to leave her shoes back in the heartstone, but it had kept her alive and hidden when she was battling Morgana on her own. Now it just hurt her feet and reminded her of a place she used to work at.

Finally, she found him near the main entrance. Angel let herself become visible again and dropped to her knees next to him.

"Merlin," she whispered as she checked his vitals. His heart was beating and when she put her bracer next to his mouth, there was a bit of fog. He was breathing. "Oh, thank goodness. Come on, Merlin. This is no time for a nap." As Angel shook him to try and rouse him, the Hunter-Gums suddenly fell to stone. The ghosts, now having no forms to take over, had dissipated into nothing. Likely returning to their realm.

Morgana groaned, carefully knocking Archie out of the air. Then as Flapjack gave an angered screech, she did the same to him.

"No, no, no! Merlin, wake up!"

"You all will stay here!" Morgana said as she knocked the witchling out in her attempt to wake the old man. "Now I've another mess to clean up."

Angel wasn't sure how long she was out. It felt like hours, but she knew it couldn't be that long. Her mind had started to rouse which let her know exactly how irritated chest was. Still, her eyes refused to open and her body refused to move.

Chirp!

"Flapjack!" Angel exclaimed, a new wave of adrenaline pushing her to feet. The bird nearly made that movement irrelevant with the force he knocked into her with. Still, she held him close to her face in a hug.

"Angel!" Came Archie's voice from further up. "Thank heavens you're alright."

"I could say the same about you two." She chuckled as Flapjack returned to his cardinal form and perched on her shoulder, nestling into her tangled hair.

"I worried you'd never wake up." As she pet Arch, her eyes searched the surrounding area for a certain wizard.

"Where's-"

"Boorah Azuth!" Echoed Merlin's voice as the trio were bathed in green light.

. . .

"So, aliens, huh?" Angel asked Douxie as she leaned against him while they walked. He had insisted she use a crutch or something but she refused to listen. She would not say goodbye to everyone seeming weak and useless. At least she let him hold her waist to support her.

"Akkiridians, yeah," Douxie whispered as they got closer to Barbara and Merlin. "Just don't go mentioning it to everyone." Barbara and Merlin were watching the sun set, her expression solemn and tears falling. Douxie let Angel go before she even had to ask.

She put a hand on Barbara's shoulder, making the woman start slightly. But even though her son was about to leave for who knew how long, she chuckled.

"You are as stubborn as Jim," she muttered with a small smile. "As soon as they leave, I'm taking you home myself." Angel smiled back. The two turned around as she heard the sound of armor clinking, tears falling down Barbara's face. Jim looked away from his mother, ashamed.

"I promised I'd never leave you," he said, nearly a whisper. As Barbara cupped his face to pull him closer and look him in the eyes, Douxie stepped over to Merlin.

"No, Hisirdoux," Merlin said, hardly looking at his apprentice. "And don't-"

"But Master-"

"But Master, me."

"You didn't even let me say anything," Douxie defended, but it was quiet. He wasn't going to ruin the goodbyes as they were going on.

"You cannot come with us."

"Why? Do you not need me?"

"No." Douxie sighed and began to leave dejectedly, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back to see Merlin with soft and solemn expression. A rarity. "You are needed here. Not with me. Not now."

Douxie had long since given up trying to get an explanation out of the old man, but the fact that Merlin was going out of his way to make him feel better and the promise that the time would come...

"Understood, Master," Douxie said with a smile. Barbara and Jim let go of each other reluctantly so he could say his goodbyes to everyone else. As Jim gave Angel a side hug, because that was all she could handle, Douxie left Merlin's side and approached him.

"I feel like we were just getting to know each other," Jim sighed, looking down after spotting the wizard. Douxie put his hand on Jim's shoulder, causing the troll boy to meet his eyes and see his small smile.

"By the seven rings I promise, we will meet again," Douxie declared.

"That, even I can guarantee," Merlin said as he took a place next to Douxie. Jim smiled brighter as Blinky came over. Douxie backed up to let him in and help Angel stand again. She protested slightly but Archie and Flapjack, who had been chatting and chirping idly on a nearby boulder, both ganged up on her. She rolled her eyes, muttering how that wasn't fair as she let Douxie help her.

"Are you ready, Master Jim?" Blinky asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jim said with a solemn smile to his mother. Again, tears began falling down Barbara's face. Blinky put a hand on her arm and squeezed.

"I do not know what tomorrow brings, but with our Trollhunter by our side, I don't fear it either."

"I really appreciate that, Mr. Blinky," Barbara sniffed, adjusting her glasses. Angel noticed Claire before the others, all armored up and flanked by her parents. They both seemed proud but solemn. Were they-?

"Claire," Jim sighed as he limped over to her. She put a hand on his face in comfort. He sighed again, though he leaned into it still. "Claire, I can't ask you to-"

"You didn't ask," she interrupted, letting her hand fall and glanced at her parents. Jim gasped and his eyes widened as he looked at them.

"She has enough credits to graduate early," Mrs. Nunez said, leaning down to hug her daughter. "We're treating this as some time abroad."

"As long as she comes back soon," Mr. Nunez threatened, Jim's new form not scaring him at all. A dad is always a dad, Angel thought with a chuckle. Jim laughed too, the first ounce of true joy in who knows how long.

"Good luck, Young Atlas," Strickler said as he landed with the little changeling who used to be Claire's brother in hand. The little imp was brave, she'd give him that. After all, going into the Darklands as they crumbled was a feat she wouldn't put on her worst enemy.

Angel couldn't help but hide a teeny snicker when she heard NotEnrique give the two a thousand new babies to raise. Douxie shared a little smirk with her, his stemming from the fact that he knew Angel would help the minute Barbara and Strickler needed it. She simply stuck out her tongue.

"Wait! Wait for me!" Came Toby's voice from the trail. His armor clinked and clunked as he ran. He was breathing heavily as he stopped, leaning on his knees for a moment. "Boy, these goodbyes are tough. Nana wanted me to take Mr. Meow Meow PI, but he does not travel well." Claire and Jim shared a nervous glance. "What?"

"Tobes, you have to stay," Jim sighed as he kneeled down to get to Toby's level.

"What? You're going on a quest. I love quests. We go everywhere together."

"I'm hurt. So is Angel. Claire lost her Shadow Staff. You are the only one who can protect Arcadia."

"No Wingman," Arrrgh interrupted, walking behind Toby. "I help. I stay." Blinky gasped, but quickly let go of his solemn expression for a supportive one.

"So, you're staying with me, and you're leaving?" Toby asked.

"But we'll be back," Jim said before hugging him tightly. "Someday." Toby quickly hugged back, Claire joining in.

"You better."

"And then, we'll get tacos."

"And enchiladas," Claire added tearfully. Blinky moved over to Arrrgh to say his own goodbye. The hug lasted a long bit before Blinky sighed and backed away. However, Arrrgh quickly pulled him back and touched their foreheads. Claire and Douxie's eyes widened slightly. Archie shushed Flapjack, and Blinky looked close to tears again.

"Aarghaumont..." He muttered before closing his eyes and leaning into it.

"Why's he-" Angel started, but Douxie shushed her so she stowed the question away for another day.

"Keep Arcadia safe," Jim said as he stood. Blinky moved away from Arrrgh a bit reluctantly as they began to leave. "You're it's only trollhunters now." They left, but Nomura stayed a moment more. She said something about still not liking him, but even Nomura couldn't help but hug Toby. In return, he muttered 'I know.'

As they prepared to leave, Jim gave one last look at the group. It was definitely a sad day, but weirdly, he felt calm, at ease; this was what he was meant to do, who he was supposed to be. To lead the trolls to their new home and heartstone.

But not before Merlin fixed Daylight, it seemed.

. . .

"No, no, no," Douxie said as Angel tried to immediately get to work on cleaning the house. He really let it go in his worry. It was a bit of a struggle to get the trash out of her hands. Even when he did, he had to grab her wrists to get her to even stop. "Stop. You are on bed rest per Doctor's orders."

"But-"

"No buts, darling. I promise, I'll clean all this up." Angel tried to protest, saying she was the reason he had made such a mess, but he didn't let her. He had to practically drag her into her bed and asked Flapjack, who was in his cardinal form, to make sure she didn't leave the bed for any non-need reason until she was well rested.

About an hour later, Angel let her exhaustion win out. As her snores echoed, Flapjack took it upon himself to nest in her hair. Douxie had fallen asleep on the couch, Archie curled on his lap.

From Angel's window, the cracks and creases, a dark green fog oozed in.

Angel shot up for some reason, startled by something and looked around her room. Flapjack chirped his question, following her gaze wherever it went. The light turned on to reveal....

Nothing.

Just her dark purple walls, few shelves overflowing with different book; Throne Of Glass, Harry Potter, The Last Hours, all of the current Five Nights At Freddy's books to name a few. That didn't even mention the one offs she had. Every one was in perfect order, exactly how she left them. Why did that unsettle her even more?

"It's- it's nothing, FJ, just a bad dream," Angel muttered before turning off the light and laying back down.

Chapter Text

Hopefully, that's the last of the weirdness in Arcadia, the radio said. Eli was tired of hearing that line of thinking, so he turned it off. There was definitely still something alien amongst them.

A rustling from outside made him gasp and turn to his window. Was it a goblin? Creeper? Had the aliens figured out what he was doing? He really should have closed his window. What if-

Oh. It was just Toby climbing in the window. Why didn't use the front door. It was only seven and now summertime. What was with the secrecy?

"A thousand texts," Toby said, shoving his phone in Eli's face. "You sent me like, a thousand texts." The boy fell in as he tried to shove the phone into his face more.

"Steve wasn't answering my calls," Eli defended as he helped Toby up. "I have to tell someone."

"What, that your voice dropped? I'm still waiting on mine to do that. Why is it so dark in here?"

"Focus Toby."

"Ok, ok. Tell me what?"

"Something that's going to rock your world." Eli shined a flashlight on his face, trying to make his next words more dramatic. "Things in this town are not what they seem."

"Really? Did the huge ray of light shooting up from the canals your first clue?" Ok, so his plan to make Toby take this seriously failed, but that wouldn't stop him.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg. Check it." Eli lead Toby to his wall of connections. Hmm. He should ask Toby for a better name later. For now, the bulletin board of his research would do.

"Wow," Toby muttered as Eli pulled down the poster covering it. "Dude, you've gotta get out more." He ignored that.

"I've been putting the pieces together for months."

"Trolls, sure," Toby said as he followed the light Eli had. "Wizards, I've met a good few." There was a picture of Angel under that one. Apparently, he didn't know about Douxie. Should he tell him? The last tier gave Toby pause, so he forgot about the other wizard for the moment. "Wait- aliens? So you think there are aliens in Arcadia?"

"People aren't who they seem, Tobes. Look." Eli took out a picture of some people in weird cosplays or something CGI and put it over a picture of Aja and Krel. Over. And over... And over.....

"Ok, I get it. You think Aja and Krel are aliens."

"Aja and Krel are aliens!" Eli insisted, shutting his flashlight off and looking at the picture of Aja and Krel like they were the enemy. "And if I've learned anything after six seasons of Earth Invaders, they aren't here to make friends."

He got up and turned on his light as he looked back to Toby. "I'm going to need you, and your Warhammer. We're going to set traps all around Arcadia. My phone will notify us. I just downloaded an app called Trap My Friends."

"Woah, woah- traps?" Toby asked, wondering why that was even an app. "You're not planning on killing them?"

"No, no. My traps are inescapable but humane. Or should I say, aliene."

"Yeah, you really shouldn't," Toby deadpanned.

"We'll use candy as bait. No alien can resist a Nought Nummy."

"That's true," Toby said, now entranced by the confection. "No sentiment being can resist the crunchy chocolate goodness of a Nought Nummy."

"Focus," Eli said offhandedly. "The fate of Arcadia rests in our hands. We're going to catch those aliens." Toby didn't fully listen to that last bit. Partially because he'd heard it before, partially because of the confection. He really wanted that Nummy.

. . .

"Where did that spectorgast go?" Douxie asked aloud as shined the magical light around the alley. It had once been home to a troll named Bagdewlla, her influence still there even after two weeks.

"It's not a spectorgast, Hiz," Zoe argued as she sent a wave of pink fog around the area. She paused for a moment, looking around carefully. She sighed, indicating she had found nothing. "The signs point to a demon."

"But those haven't been around for three centuries. And we can never get rid of spectorgasts."

"Yeah, I know. But reports of a blackish fog with cold winds-"

"Not to mention the fact that we last dealt with them after Morgana was sealed away the first time," Archie added as he strolled along to the next part of the alley.

"Yes, but she was still awake then and could release them," Douxie said as he followed Archie. "Now, she's been banished to the shadow realm and has no hold here."

"Still," Zoe pushed. "She could have let one loose before-"

"Ew!" Someone yelled from afar. The trio tensed, unsure of who was around the corner until they spoke. "FJ, don't lau- ah-ah-choo!" A bright maroon flash of light was accompanied by very stern chirping.

"Blimy Balroths, that better be someone I don't know," Douxie muttered as he jogged around the corner. Zoe rolled her eyes as she and Archie followed.

Angel, who was just getting up from a trash pile and knocking things off. Flapjack was helping by picking some things off of her head, including a rotten banana peel and protein bar wrapper.

"Eugh, I hate allergies," Angel groaned, her voice thick and rough from having that be the only way air could enter. She sniffed, nothing going in. "At the very least, I can't smell anything."

"But we can," Zoe said, making both girl and bird jump.

"Oh. Hey guys," she muttered after she realized who they were, walking off without meeting their eyes. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Right," Archie said, jumping up on a nearby ledge to follow her. "Especially since you're supposed to be at home, resting."

"I don't need to rest when it's only allergies." Flapjack chirped his disapproval, but settled on her shoulder, for now a cardinal. Douxie was about to say something about how it likely wasn't just allergies and she should be in bed, Zoe's watch started beeping.

"Ugh, I have to get to HexTech for the night shift," she muttered before pointing to Angel, who was arguing with Archie, with a slight glare. "Get her home and get her to rest." Douxie couldn't make any promises, so he just nodded as she left. "And watch out for that demon!"

"Spectorgast!" he countered.

"Whatever!"

"I'm not gonna be lectured by someone who licks their own butt!" Angel countered Arch with a sniff and sneeze. Maroon flashed, making the two boys cover their eyes quickly. Angel was nowhere to be found for a few seconds, but the light flashed again to reveal her form.

"One, it's hygienic; two, you are being very unreasonable right now," Archie countered.

"How am I being unreasonable?"

"Well, you can't control your magic at the moment, meaning you could reveal yourself or hurt anyone around you."

"Which is why I'm only going out at night, or with people who already know-" she took out a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose before continuing, "- about it. And anyway, I can never control where I go when I- ah-choo!"

"But the wards around the shop keep you from going anywhere outside of it," Douxie added as he steadied her when she came back into view. "And anyway, it was-" She growled slightly at him, causing him to let go quickly.

"I know what Dr. L said, I was there. And she said that she couldn't find any medical reason for my allergies."

"You and I both know that there could be non-medical, and more magical, reasons for your sickness."

"It's not a sickness. I don't even have a fever... Right now." Douxie groaned at her stubbornness, giving Arch an exasperated glance that the cat matched.

Earlier in the night, around 7:00, his last table of the night happened to be Arrrgh, Dr. L, and Strickler. Angel had been over to the doctors, and now Strickler's, house a few times in the two weeks since the Eternal Night. She was trying to help them prepare for the babies they would soon have to raise for a while.

It was Angel's idea to make their house into an orphanage until they could save up for an actual building and the ability to get help for them. A few were able to go back to their original families thanks to Nomura and Strickler.

While Douxie still had his reservations about the two changelings, and rightfully so, when Strickler mentioned how bad Angel's sickness was getting he was inclined to believe him. It was a slow incline, but she had been consistently getting worse. She had thrown up twice, had what seemed like a fever breaking, chills, on and off headaches, and just feeling all around crabby.

Douxie had only seen her sick like that once before when she had a sinus infection for a month, and anyone who knew her knew she was a 'grumpy sick', as she put it. But Angel almost always downplayed her symptoms, with anything. Before Douxie could push further, a familiar couple of voices froze them in their tracks.

"It's probably just raccoons," Steve muttered as he rolled his Vespa past the alley. Immediately, the three ducked behind the nearby dumpster. Douxie leaned over her shoulder and made the mistake of breathing through his nose. She definitely was right about being able to smell.

"Raccoons," Aja muttered. "Right..." Krel and Aja passed with him, their hands and eyes glowing the way they did right before they transformed out of their human forms. It didn't seem they were in any immediate danger, so they should probably get-

"Ah... Ah..." Uh oh. "Ah-choo!" Angel sneeze teleported into their view, falling on Steve's Vespa because of her lost balance. As she held her head to steady her clear dizziness, Douxie and Archie headed out to do damage control.

"Uh, hi?" Angel said dumbly as Steve screamed and backed away from her nervously. He still wasn't going near her? That coffee thing happened a month ago and she wasn't in her right mind.

"Steve!" Eli shouted as he ran out from behind a nearby bush. Steve visibly calmed at the sight of him, greeting him and Toby like normal. Douxie realized, as he helped Angel to her feet, that they were going for a tackle. Too late to warn Steve though.

"Get off of me, buttsnacks!" Steve groaned, trying to push them off. Unfortunately, Toby was just too heavy. Eli shushed Steve as he held the blonde's head down.

"You're safe now, bro," Eli whispered unsuccessfully.

"Pepperjack, don't use bro," Steve told him. "You're not cool enough."

"Sorry bro.. I-I-I mean, Steve."

"Steve!" Aja exclaimed, moving to help him up. Krel gave Douxie a pointed look that was clearly telling him to use a spell of some kind. Douxie glared back, telling him it wasn't that simple. Only Toby knew about his wizard status, and he wanted to keep it that way. Old habits die hard.

"Stay away from our friends, you darn dirty aliens!" Eli accused as he got up, approaching Aja and Krel defensively.

"What?" Krel exclaimed, quickly hiding his hands. His sister followed his lead. "We're not dirty."

"And we're definitely not aliens," Aja disputed... Right before they transformed out of their human forms and giving up. "Ok, yes. We're aliens."

"There really are aliens in Arcadia!" Toby yelled as he froze on the spot.

"Toby, calm down," Douxie said only to be ignored. Angel, even in her sickness, was awestruck by Aja and Krel's forms.

"Wow," she gasped. "Akkiridians look so cool." Krel crossed his arms and glared at Douxie, who rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Eli charged after regaining his thoughts, reading to punch and kick his way through the fight he thought would come. He ended up tripping on Archie and falling down.

"Watch it!" He yelled as Eli fell, forgetting for the moment that not everyone had heard him talk before. Eli screamed and scooted away from him, Douxie facepalmed, Toby didn't care as he was too distracted by Aja and Krel for the moment, Angel was blowing her nose for the third time, and Steve was... Well, he was Steve.

"Woah, a cat with glasses!" The blonde exclaimed. Angel snorted, though immediately paid for her laugh with a coughing fit.

"He just talked, and you're focused on his eyewear?" She finally managed to get out. Douxie rubbed her back carefully.

"I've seen creeps, aliens, and trolls Angel," Steve said, forgetting his disposition towards her in light of the talking cat. "So yeah. I'd like to know why the talking cat is wearing glasses."

"Bad eyesight," Archie stated simply, perching himself on the fallen Vespa.

"What are you?" Eli asked as he got over his initial fear. He moved to investigate the cat further, but when Aja and Krel moved, he became defensive again.

"He's a familiar!" Douxie shouted as Eli got up. He only said it to keep Aja and Krel from being attacked from Eli, however little damage he'd do. At least it got Toby out of his stupor.

"Familiar?" Steve laughed. "Yeah right. I would have remembered meeting a cat with glasses."

"That's not what it means," Douxie sighed. Archie rubbed against his leg and purred slightly.

"I think he's like a wizard assistant," Toby chimed in, hand on his chin. Douxie and Arch both glared at him.

"Assistant?" The cat asked incredulously. "That's very offensive. I am a wizard associate, thank you very much." Flapjack, who had been quietly sitting on Angel's shoulder, chirped a seemingly bitter agreement as Douxie picked up Arch to put him on his own shoulder.

"I'm lucky to have him," Douxie said, affectionately petting Archie.

"Hold it right there!" Eli shouted, stopping Aja and Krel's retreat. Douxie sighed and Arch nuzzled his face.

"So much for a distraction."

"You aren't going anywhere."

"Stop Pepperjack," Steve said, holding Eli back from attacking them again. "They're good aliens- I mean, Akkiridians." Aja smiled at Steve, lovestruck, while Krel remained annoyed at the whole situation.

"Steve? You knew it? And you didn't tell me? But we're Creepslayerz, with a Z."

"And why did you tell her?" Krel shot at Douxie. "We told you to keep it a secret."

"I- uh, well, couldn't really explain where I was during the battle without mentioning you lot," Douxie muttered. Aja chuckled, crossing all four arms and smirking at him.

"You~ just didn't want to mention that you were almost beaten by a couple of robots, so you had her focus on the 'cooler' thing." Douxie flushed, slightly embarrassed.

"Y-you're the one who told me not to hurt them! There's only so much defensive spells can do!"

"He's just a... Better person than me," Angel muttered, so low only Aja and Douxie, along with the animals perched on their shoulders, heard. Aja uncrossed her arms and reached out to try and comfort her, joking disposition gone. Flapjack nuzzled her cheek.

"Incoming!" Krel shouted as a double-sided hammer came flying at the group. Krel's warning caused everyone to duck at the incoming weapon. Douxie made a small shield and stood over Angel, Toby had just fallen, and everyone else ducked normally. The only damage was a knocked over a lamppost before it went back the way it came.

"What was that?" Eli asked as he stood, readying to run for it.

"Uh, more importantly, who is that?" Archie asked, drawing everyone's attention to the top of the street. A huge mechanic like creature with an orange skull face on a smooth surface, almost as small as Bular, held the weapon that had just attacked them.

"Hand over the royal cores before I break your bones!" It yelled.

"That's no good," Douxie muttered.

"Run!" Someone yelled, but no one really cared who it was. They just ran away from the creature. The robotic thing jumped from building to building to chase them. It threw the hammer, scattering them. Angel teleported Douxie and Archie out of the way quickly.

Once they appeared again, Douxie quickly put up a shield around Steve and Eli to keep it from hitting them. Once the hammer returned to the creature, it jumped to the ground. He said some form of smack talk as he did so, but his voice was hard to understand in a panic.

"Who the heck is this guy?" Eli asked as they headed for an alley.

"No idea!" Aja answered as she booked it past him.

"How do you not know him? All aliens know each other." Krel scoffed as they all made their way behind a shop.

"That's completely offensive and complimentary that you think we would know all fifty trillion lifeforms in the universe."

"Fifty trillion?" Eli and Angel asked, stopping at the entrance in shock. Krel pulled both of them away from another hammer attack.

"I thought my running days were over," Toby wheezed. Douxie grabbed his arm to help pull him along.

Krel dawned his serrator and stood firm in front of his friends. The group had stopped momentarily to figure out the best course of action. The alien jumped and swung at the boy, too big to block. Krel slid back with the force still holding the superhero pose.

Krel immediately back pedaled when the hammer came rushing at them again. Angel, Aja, and Douxie shielded the group quickly. The hammer bounced back and into a fire hydrant making the water spray on the beast, causing him stumble back. Douxie made a note of that as they ran behind Stuart Electronics in retreat.

. . .

"For the last time, I'm not going home," Angel said before sneezing again and teleporting away. She was quiet for a moment, face flushing either from embarrassment or simply over exertion. "Ok, just because I teleported home just then does not count."

"Oh, come on," Douxie sighed as Angel teleported Toby and Eli up to the house on the spaceship. Steve was a little hesitant to let her help him, constantly backing away and making excuses. It seemed Flapjack had had enough of his cowering and flew him up himself. By the time Angel got Douxie and Archie up to the house, she was near collapsing. Yet she growled again when he tried to help her.

Sharing a look with Arch and Flapjack, they had no choice but to follow as they were ushered into the main hull of the ship. Once on the bridge, Eli immediately started berating Steve about not telling him anything. He went on and on about some oath they never made and how upset he was.

Angel had found a floating seat and sat down, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. The bright blue light probably wasn't helping her headache. And unfortunately, Douxie couldn't think of a spell that could help.

Eli sat down in the floating chair as Toby pressed a button that was the self-destruct. Krel shooed him away and shut it down.

Douxie could hardly take his eyes Angel as Krel did his thing. Until Varvatos came on screen and the mood of the Akkiridians had drastically changed, opposite sides of the same coin. The two had told Douxie what had happened with Varvatos while they were heading to save Mother, how he had betrayed them. And he had seen the man sacrifice himself for them, for their parents.

Of course, they had mixed feelings towards him, even if Krel was reluctant to share anything other than anger. He had already switched off the logs and began manually searching through known bounty hunters.

"Bounty hunter identified," Mother said after a few minutes. Krel muttered something in relief. "Magma-Tron." The ship started spouting off where he was from, who (Magma-Tron) and what he was, but Douxie could hardly keep up. Fortunately, most of it was something he could guess with the visuals.

. . .

"You really won't give up, will you?" Douxie asked with a glare after Angel appeared next to him. She had fallen asleep in the chair and since Aja and Krel promised she would be safe, he let her be. But she had woken up and immediately teleported to them.

"Nope!" Angel said, forcing a smirk. Any other day and situation, Douxie would've laughed and be endeared by it. But right now, she was pushing herself further than her bodies limits.

"Just stay here while we handle this." Douxie made sure, even if she was growling at him, that she was going to stay back. As he turned around and activated his bracelet, he missed the dark green fog in the distance. And the fact that Angel whipped her head towards it like she had heard her name called.

Charging around the corner, Douxie nearly shot off a bullet of magic at the one trapped in the net. He stopped because he knew she wasn't a threat. Well, to them anyway.

"It's just Zadra," Krel told Eli and Toby reassuringly.

"What are you doing here?" Aja asked.

"You know her?" Toby asked, confused. Zadra was reaching for something on the ground through a hole. Strangely, she wasn't reaching for her serrator staff. Maybe she had already tried and hadn't been able to grab it or-

"None of my battlefield training prepared me for the temptations of these delicious confections," Zadra sighed as she finally got the treat. Or she just loved the bait for the trap.

"Yeah! The Nought Nummy's! They worked!" Eli cheered. Douxie rolled his eyes.

"Not the time, Eli," he muttered as the boy moved in between him and Toby.

"I ordered you not to leave the ship for your own protection."

"Wait, is there some sort of cheat sheet we could get?" Toby asked. "Like how do we know who's a good alien and who's a bad alien?" The double-sided hammer came down the sewer line, causing everyone to duck.

"How about the ones that don't attack us, hm?" Archie said as he transformed into a dragon and taking to the air with Flapjack.

"That seems like a right good indicator!" Douxie added, arming his bracelet again.

"Coming back!" Toby yelled and everyone ducked again.

"Give up your cores, Tarron's, before I rip them from your bodies!"

"That is clearly a bad alien," Eli said.

"What gave you that idea?" Arch asked as he glared. "The giant hammer or his subpar quips?"

"A Cintradite?" Zadra asked, suddenly realizing the situation. "My royals, run!" Instead of listening to her, they joined Douxie in the defense of the others, their serrators brandished as swords at the moment.

"With Varvatos Vex off-planet, no one can save you now!" Magma-Tron threatened.

"Off-planet?" Aja asked as her eyes narrowed. "You know where Varvatos is. Where is he?"

"Not here to protect you!"

"We don't need that traitor to protect us," Krel declared, readying to attack. Instead, Toby charged with his Warhammer and a yell, shaking with the impact he made with Magma-Tron. Before the hunter could hit Toby with his hammer, Douxie used a rope to pull him back.

"Thanks Douxie," Toby sighed as Zadra ordered Eli to get her down. Aja blocked the hammer as it was thrown at her. He stomped down like he had all the time in the world, muttering some kind of one liner smack talk. Douxie quickly began helping with a few spells.

Zadra fell down from the trap, slightly perturbed but worry ultimately becoming the winning emotion. Aja and Krel were faring well enough with Archie and Flapjack, though the latter animal seemed distracted and had gone back to cardinal form for whatever reason. In fact, she wasn't sure that the animal was even fighting anymore.

"I have a plan! Reset the trap!" Zadra ordered the ones who weren't fighting, drawing her mind to something useful and not the seemingly frightened bird.

Aja and Krel began their attack, ducking and jumping to avoid Magma-Tron's own. Every hit with the serrator blades did nothing, Douxie couldn't get in close enough for a stasis circle to be of any help, even Archie's fire attacks did nothing.

Douxie looked at the pipes around them, remembering the hydrant earlier. He could take him out right now, but Aja's words earlier stopped him. She wanted information from the hunter, so he would help her get it if possible. She split his hammer in half and held her serrator to what seemed to be his face.

"You've seen Varvatos. Where is he?"

He just laughed and pulled both of the halves into his hands. Now he was dual wielding and the serrators still had no effect on him. Douxie put up a shield so they wouldn't get hit as Magma-Tron slammed both down.

Zadra muttered something about them being indestructible, something Douxie had a hard time not saying something sarcastic to, as they continued to attack and dodge.

Right after Douxie had unfortunately been knocked into the nearby wall, Archie unable to get past the hunter. Thankfully, Flapjack was able to actually juke him and block the next hammer attack with a screech. Zadra quickly lured Magma-Tron with some smack talk of her own, getting him into the trap. Douxie thankfully had put up a shield before impact, so he wasn't injured more than a few bruises.

Aja again questioned him, finally getting the info she wanted from him. Douxie only had to wonder why for a moment. He only gave it so she would freeze enough for him to call his hammer back to him. Douxie quickly launched his rope at a hammer piece to keep it from him.

Magma-Tron spun around, still having gotten one of the halves, sending the group falling backwards. He knocked Krel and Aja back, advancing on the former.

"Krel!" Aja yelled as she attacked again.

"No, no no no no!" Douxie muttered as he struggled to stay stationary. Flapjack chirped something to Arch as the dragon sent a fireball at Magma-Tron.

"I'm a bit busy here!" The dragon said as Aja began her own attack. "Why can't you go?" He chirped something that made Archie growl slightly. "She's you're-" a screech was directed at the bounty hunter but was meant to cut off Archie. The dragon rolled his eyes, complying with a 'Fine, fine.'

Aja yelled as she continued to advance. Magma-Tron used is spin attack, sending the half he had towards Aja. She blocked it but lost her serrator in the process. Flapjack hurried to help Aja and Krel keep their half from returning to him, using a burst of flame to transform quickly. Zadra and Steve grabbed Douxie's half.

Eli joined after a moment having been awestruck by Flapjack's quick transformation and the fact that the bird was keeping the half stationary practically on his own.

From beside them, Toby was stirring. Something was dripping on his face. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was a pipe. Refusing to think about where that water had been, he remembered when they faced off against him the first time. Then Krel and Aja's ships information- before it rebooted.

"Guys, Magma-Tron's weakness is water!" Toby yelled before charging with his hammer. He jumped on Douxie's back, then Steve, then Eli and Zadra before he threw the hammer at a pipe, bursting it. Water sprayed everywhere, causing Magma-Tron to start malfunctioning.

"Zadra, let go of the hammer!" Aja yelled as Magma-Tron sputtered and stuttered in the water. Once they all did, it shattered the bounty hunter. Douxie put a shield around the ones on his side and Flapjack kept magma from hitting Aja and Krel.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked as the magma stopped spraying.

"That was AWESOMESAUCE!"

"I suppose that's a yes," Douxie chuckled at Toby's enthusiasm. Eli seemed to finally be forgiving Steve for keeping the secret of aliens from him, and Zadra seemed to realize that the beings of the planet were trustworthy. Douxie was about to join the group again when his familiar flew in front of them.

"Oh, hey Arch. Did you find-"

"Douxie, we have a problem."

Chapter Text

(Warning for the next couple chapters: Dark, Blood, Gore, PTSD, triggers for anyone with trypophobia. So, I ended up triggering myself in a chapter that is already about my trauma. Why do I do this to myself?)

Angel had no idea what possessed her to leave the group, to go into the dark corridors of the sewers. But her feet moved without her telling them and her mind went blank. She barely noticed that her head felt lighter, her nose clearing, and her limbs becoming weak.

"Angel...."

Angel jumped and looked around wildly, her heart pounding. That voice... She could never forget it and yet it shouldn't be possible for her to hear again, ever. Proof of that lie in her closet.

"My beautiful miracle girl," the voice said again. Before she could stop herself, she whimpered. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

A cold chill ran down her spine and she whipped around. It had felt like ice cold fingers were trailing down her back. A dark green fog wrapped around her ankles, clinging like wet clothing.

Flapjack's screech told Angel that she needed to head back and help. But as she tried to move, she found she couldn't. Cold claws had latched onto her ankles.

"Douxie! Archie! Flapjack!" Angel called out desperately, trying to reach for the nearest pipe or anything to grab onto. She tried to summon her rope to give her more reach, but nothing came. Her bracers sputtered red but ultimately fizzled out. "No, no, no, no... This isn't happening. This isn't happening!"

Angel's head felt light and the entire sewer was spinning. She had either fallen down or was pulled down; she really couldn't tell. Once she was in the fog, it's hold became wild and desperate, cutting at her skin with bitingly cold claws.

"Why would try and run from your mama?"

"Whoever you are, you aren't her!" And shot back, raising a hand to try and shoot magic out at the voice. No magic came and either way, the voice was echoing. The fog reached up and pulled her arm back down. "Leave me alone!"

"I can't do that little girl," the voice said, now deep and dark and gruff. No longer her mother, at least. But this felt worse somehow. "See, you should never destroy such an ancient artifact." A horrid face with empty black eyes and bleeding pores appeared in front of her own. The body attached was covered in them as well, even through his clothing. Angel began hyperventilating and tried to close her eyes but found them to be stuck on the man in front of her. "You never know what you'll release."

. . .

Angel's scream cut off Toby's question, Douxie booking it down the corridor. Archie had told him about the weird block that kept him from getting to Angel himself. His hope was that Douxie could break through and if not, maybe Toby's Warhammer.

Douxie had run into it headfirst, his nose throbbing a little. He really didn't care at the moment, instantly going through the runes on his bracelet.

"Causa crepitoose!" He shouted, adding to the strength of the spell. It made the sewer shake and some debris fell, but nothing happened to the barrier. Douxie growled and instantly started blasting the invisible barrier. Toby unleashed his Warhammer, but just like with Magma-Tron, it didn't work.

"What the heck is going on?" Steve asked as he came running down with Aja. Krel, Zadra, and Eli had already left to take the hammer to their ship and prepare to move it back to the street. Toby would have answered, but Flapjack came speeding down the corridor, screeching upon impact.

Douxie's eyes faded from bright blue back to his normal hazel, though no one noticed the change, as the barrier shattered. Douxie rounded the corner just in time to see Angel's feet plant on the ground. Douxie slowed as he came up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. It was ice cold.

"Angel, are you sure-"

"Yeah, don't do that," she said, shoving his hand off her shoulder. Her voice was raspy and deep, like she had nearly forgotten how to formulate words.

"Oh, ok. I- we heard your scream a moment ago."

"Yeah, you really scared us," Toby said. Douxie glared in his direction but quickly turned his gaze back to the girl in front of him.

"Are you-" he was cut off by a calculated laugh.

"Don't ask that again," she snapped. "Because unless you count going through your worst fear over and over and over again as ok, your girl isn't anywhere near it." Angel turned around in a flourish, brandishing herself like an announcer in a tournament. "I'm here now, and man do I like it."

"Who are you?" Douxie asked, glaring the person in front of him. Now that they faced him, he could see the differences. Straight bright green eyes instead of pale bluish green, a smile that was too wide and malicious, her dimples absent. Those same eyes were wild, crazed, and downright frightening, especially at his question.

"Who I am is not important. That's something The Eldritch Queen," she sneered the words, "never understood."

"Morgana?" Toby questioned. "We just kicked her B- witch butt to the shadow realm." The person lost their smile, groaning at the reminder.

"Yes, I know. It's why I'm here and not that witch. See, her mistake was underestimating her opponents and not- seriously?" The person had stopped Douxie from doing a spell by grabbing his wrist with an invisible force, throwing him at Aja and Steve. Aja jumped out of the way, but Steve yelled as Douxie collided with him. "I was talking!"

"I do not care!" Aja yelled, dawning her serrator. "Whoever you are, release my friend!"

"Hmm, yeah, no. Sorry four arms, but she's mine now." The person laughed at Aja's glare, a smirk accompanying it. Aja turned her serrator into a gun and aimed, but Toby stopped her.

"Stop! Angel's still in there!"

"Urgh! All this magic stuff is confusing!"

"What's confusing about Angel being possessed? You just said to release her!"

"They just said she was gone!"

"Let her go!" Douxie yelled. Toby glanced back to see that he had gotten off of Steve and had magic dancing on his fingertips: his eyes had a faint blue glow. The possessed Angel merely gave him a bemused glance before checking her nails.

"What are you going to do, boy?" She asked in one moment before appearing behind Douxie. He didn't even flinch. "You can't hurt me without hurting your girlfriend."

"Oh, I'll find a way."

"Will you? After all, it would make you do the one thing you fear most."

"And what do you think that is?" Archie was silently pleading with him to stop, the cold feeling having been spreading around to the others as he was talking to Douxie. Even if Archie wanted to speak, he knew he couldn't. Steve had rushed into Aja's arms in fear, the girl wrapping three around him and holding her serrator gun at ready. Toby might have said something if he wasn't frozen in fear.

The person carefully walked in front of Douxie, a sly smile on their face and slightly narrowed eyes as they studied him. Douxie's eyes were the same. Finally, they planted their feet and leaned forward, their noses almost touching.

"That your mistakes will hurt the ones you love." Until that moment, Douxie had hardly felt the effects of the fear that the others had. But those words cut deep and tore off the mask that he had so carefully worn.

Be careful, Hisirdoux.  One day, one of your mistakes will kill someone else.

That voice...

He had nearly forgotten that voice.

"Hmm," the person said as Douxie started breathing heavily. "My work's done. Bye!"

With that, she was gone.

"Seklos and Galen," Aja sighed as she and Steve fell to their knees. She pulled a shaking Steve closer to her. "What was that? Why was I so terrified?"

"Because that was a class A type of fear demon," Archie said as he glided down from the pipe above. "We haven't seen those-"

"Since Morgana was first imprisoned," Douxie finished as Flapjack, who was terrified, flew to Douxie's shoulder. The familiar looked at them both, concern filling his yellow eyes.

"Doux, we need someone who has more experience in Dark magics than us."

"But who-" Toby, who had pushed through his fear rather quickly, put a hand on Douxie's arm as he put up his Warhammer. "No." Douxie said as he realized who he meant.

"I know, you don't like him," Toby said, defensively putting up his hands. "Buuut, he did help us out with Claire, so maybe he could help us out here."

"To say I don't like the twit is an understatement." Douxie crossed his arms as Archie flew up to meet Toby's eyes.

"What my familiar means is that Strickler was the main reason for Angel being hurt half the time," Archie said solemnly.

"Well, he is for Jimbo and me too," Toby countered. "After all, he did almost unintentionally kill Dr. L."

"You didn't see her," Douxie muttered, causing everyone to turn to him. "The way she jumped at everything for a few weeks after Angor attacked the school. The way she was chained up and limp, blood all over her face; I was so afraid she would-" his lip quivered, and he quit talking. As Aja walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, Toby concluded that his argument would mean nothing against that. Still-

"Though, we could at least give it a go," Archie offered. Douxie sighed and pet Flapjack carefully.

"Right," he said before turning to Aja. "You focus on getting your house back to where it belongs and getting Varvatos off the moon." Aja gasped slightly, but it turned to a little solemn smile. "We'll go to Strickler."

. . .

"A demon you say?" Strickler asked as Barbara brought them all some water. The battle and what happened after was draining and had made them pale and shaky.

"Class A Fear, yes," Douxie answered shortly. Archie was quiet as he sat on the table.

"Do you know anything about it?" Toby asked.

"The book of Ga-Huel tells of it," Strickler said. "Including how to expel them. But it will be difficult, if not dangerous."

"Can't be more dangerous than getting stuck in the shadow realm."

"I meant, dangerous for her. In order to save her, you must dive deep into her subconscious, find where she is being held, and bring her back to the front of the conscious. All the while, keeping the demon from destroying any part of her mind."

"Wait what?"

"Go into her mind?"  Barbara asked worriedly to which Strickler nodded.

"Then we gotta do it," Toby declared, standing. Douxie was quiet in the corner, trying to keep Flapjack calm. The tiny bird was shaking on his shoulder, and he feared to think about what it meant if he was right in his thinking.

Strickler gave him a solemn and questioning look, silently asking him his thoughts.

After a moment, the wizard nodded.

. . .

"Does she have anything that isn't flannel or- what even is this?" The demon asked, holding up a black shirt with a green haired boy with the same color lightning covering his body.

"It's from an anime, ya jerk!" A voice shouted causing him to drop the god forsaken shirt. The demon whipped his head to the nearest mirror only to see the reflection glaring at him with pale bluish-green eyes.

"How the-"

"Let me out!" Angel tried to swipe at him, her hand coming out of the mirror quickly in a translucent red glow before being forcefully pulled back.

"Damn, you're strong," the demon said as he stared her down.

"I've dealt with fear my entire life," Angel challenged. "You are nothing."

"Really? Let's test that theory," The demon said raising his hand and snapping. Just like that, his reflection showed decisive and annoyed eyes, a bright green this time, in a broken reflection. He turned away and to the door, leaving the closet be. "Now, I need to go shopping."

. . .

A few days had passed since Angel's possession. They had everything they needed to actively get into her mind; a dreamroot, lavender, gnome skeleton (Toby had to venture to the abandoned Trollmarket for it), a tear from someone who'd never been kissed by their true love (Eli was aromatic, so his tears would always work), and a bit of her hair as DNA.

Unfortunately, they needed Angel to be asleep to enter her mind. And that meant they needed to find her. Douxie had ended up passing out on the Tarron's couch after a complete night of searching the streets and beyond to find her.

"The good news is your summer will continue to not be boring," Aja's voice stirred him but something being dropped made him shoot up from his sleep. "Now, enough fishy games. We must train you."

"An intergalactic army is coming to earth and you-" Toby started.

"Want our help?" Eli finished as Douxie sighed. Aja and Krel only took a moment to spare matching concerned glances before returning to the task at hand.

"You are the most accomplished human warriors we know," Aja said simply.

"She means, the only human warriors we know," Krel countered. Toby and Eli took a moment to process that before cheering. Douxie covered his ears, lack of sleep finally catching up to him. Last night had not been an exception in his routine.

"Before we agree to enlist," Toby said after calming down. "We're going to need to know if this training will include laser blasters."

"We'll need a lot more than serrators if we're going to stand up to the Akkiridian fleet," Krel told them.

"We've survived some pretty tough odds before. Imminent death, numerous times. End of Arcadia, twice."

"Not to mention the Go-Go Sushi Omakase level," Eli added, making it sound cooler than it actually was.

"Alien weapons! How cool is that?" The quickly began rummaging around in the box for weapons. Toby ended up trapping the two in a bubble shield. Aja groaned and had them get rid of it as she pushed them to her room.

"We're talking about a force full of robot soldiers," she said forcefully. "This is not a game." Krel's eyes drifted to the TV, where said game was paused.

"But it could be," he mused. Krel turned his head to Douxie as he walked off in the opposite direction of the rooms. "Hey, where are you going Magic Man? Did you not hear my sister?"

"I've got to find her," Douxie answered, for once ignoring the nickname and just opening the front door. "The longer she's there..." he trailed, staring at the ground.

Krel stared at him for a moment before walking over to him and grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. Douxie refused to look at him.

"Douxie," Krel said, making the boy look at him. It was the first time Krel had used his actual name. "I know you want to find Angel. But if Morrando makes it here, there won't be an Angel to save." Douxie groaned but shut the door. Krel was right. He hated that he was right, but it was true. If an alien invasion happened, even a demon couldn't do anything.

. . .

"Morrando's getting sloppy!" Krel jeered as he clicked away at the computer. Eli rushed Toby, knocking him back. Zadra stopped him before he fell into Krel. Douxie stood, arms crossed, beside the desk and watched Krel. Toby seemed entranced by what the boy was doing.

"Woah, that looks so cool!" He exclaimed as he tried to get a closer look.

"Krel, now is not the time for video games," Aja chastised.

"It's exactly the time for video games," her brother disputed. Eli was now looking over his shoulder, much to Aja's dismay. "Their raw fish game gave me this idea."

"Woah, cool!" Toby exclaimed. "You're hacking into the matrix!"

"It's not a matrix."

"Right, yeah of course. Sure. You're hacking into the mainframe."

"Still cool," Eli said, and Douxie smiled genuinely for the first time in a few weeks. It quickly left when he thought about showing them some magic later with Angel and he remembered what happened.

"No, not cool," Aja said, irritated. "You know what's actually cool? Patience."

"Technically," Krel said, showing no sign of hearing his sister. "I am accessing the Royal Security Network via an intergalactic data mining client."

"Okay, okay, that's fine too," Toby said. "But do you think we could call it the mainframe?"

"Okay, what is it you are doing?" Aja finally asked, giving up on training the two.

"I am saving the world." Krel pushed one last key, bringing up a sixteen-bit dog and bone loading screen.

"What's that Luug looking thing?" Douxie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the game! And now we need to sync it with the parking drones." Krel radioed to someone to access the drone depot on their end, giving the device over to Zadra so he could pull out his phone and demonstrate how to play the game.

And it was right brilliant design at that, even if the game itself was retro. Douxie told Krel as much to which the boy replied 'I know, Magic Man.' Despite everything that was going on, Douxie chuckled.

. . .

"Hey Angel," Darci greeted her friend as she came out of the store. The party had run out of good drinks, so she had made a run to the store. Angel was wearing some kind of old school outfit, something she'd seen her grandmother wear in her teenage/young adult pictures.

"Hey," Darci said again as she put hand on her friend's shoulder to stop her. Why was she just ignoring her. "We're all hanging out at Aj's place if you wanna come. I tried calling you earlier, but you didn't answer."

"Because your call is not important," Angel said, shoving Darci's hand off. The girl would have been hurt at the words if Angel didn't feel so cold.

"Woah, you're freezing girl! Are you ok?"

"Ugh, people need to quit asking me that." Of course, she would say that. Angel was always stubborn, saying she was fine when she wasn't. The last two weeks it was the worst she'd seen of it.

"We only ask because we care," Darci sighed and Angel's expression softened as she turned to her. It only lasted a second as her eyes turned to an abnormally bright green and hateful.

Using both hands, Angel gripped the sides of Darci's face for a moment. Then her hateful eyes turned satisfied as she walked away from Darci.

Darci's eyes were wide as her hands became limp and dropped the bags of soda causing them to fizzle and spill everywhere, soaking her shoes.

. . .

"Douxie?" Mary asked, pulling down her shades to get a better look at him as he followed Aja and Krel. "I didn't know you were here."

"He's uh," Krel tried to explain but Douxie put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I spent the night over here," Douxie answered. "We had a sleepover."

"Huh," Mary said as she got up. She looked Krel up and down, like she was seeing him in a new light. Krel was a bit confused by the reaction but proceed to explain what they wanted her to do. "I don't get it Carl. What's Dogfight?"

"My name is Krel," the boy said but didn't get any further than that before Aja took over.

"It's a super lively video game Carl made," Krel glared, "and the cure for summer boredom. It's super contagious. Make it go viral Mary. Infect everyone!"

"Why does it look so old?" Mary asked as she checked the link Krel just sent her.

"It's retro!"

"Doesn't retro mean old?!"

"Please Mary," Krel begged.

"They aren't asking you to make them popular or cool; just to save the summer," Douxie intervened before gaining a small smirk. "Besides, what's a game without competition?"

"Ok~," Mary agreed warily, but willingly since it was Douxie that was promoting it. "It's not like I have anything better to do." As Mary shoved Aja out of the way and made her video, Krel elbowed Douxie with a smirk.

"You're good at that," he said. The compliment threw him off guard and confused him.

"At what?" Douxie asked, rubbing his arm slightly. Krel still had alien strength in his human form. "I didn't do anything."

"Convincing people of things. It was like you had her wrapped around your finger."

"Eh, I've had 9 hundred years of practice." Douxie tried to play it off like it was nothing, but he found he shouldn't have said anything.

"9 hundred-!" Krel exclaimed before realizing that he should probably keep that a secret. Mary glanced over suspiciously, and Aja just looked confused. "Points already? You are really good at the game."

"Psh, I can beat that, easy," Mary scoffed and sat back down to begin playing. Aja would have said something, but Darci came in just then, holding her head and looking weary. Douxie and Aja shared a glance before rushing over to her.

"Are you alright?" Aja asked her. Darci shook her head, either to get her bearings or to answer Aja's question.

"I'm- I just saw Angel," Darci muttered as Aja helped her sit down.

"Where?" Douxie asked quickly. Krel moved beside him, ready to comfort him when the answer came. He could tell from Darci's dazed expression what it would be.

"I don't- I don't remember. Sorry, Doux." He sighed and told her it was fine before excusing himself. Krel shared a look with his sister before following him inside.

. . .

The demon walked through the square as everyone suddenly got enraptured by their phones. Much to the dismay of an old man. He would have ignored the man, but he chased him as he ducked into an alley.

"You there!" He yelled.

"Ugh, what?" Was this girl popular or something? She didn't seem the type.

"Douxie has told Varvatos of your capabilities. You could help him tell the hoomans about the threat to the planet." He raised a brow. That wording and what he was suggesting caught his attention.

"What's the threat?"

"Varvatos knows that Douxie told you about us, so you must know that an armada is on its way to Earth at this very moment."

"An armada of what?"

"The most fearsome of Akkiridian-"

"Da-du- da! Say no more, I'm in old man."

"Varvatos is only old in this form. You would be trembling at his might!"

"Uh uh, sure."

. . .

"Intergalactic downloads take forever," Toby complained.

"Be patient, Toby," Douxie said as he sat down. There were no more actual seats, and he was still tired, so he just sat on the ground and crossed his legs as he prepared to play.

"I've been patient!"

"Ok, here we go," Krel said as the game finally loaded and they all began playing the game. Douxie died almost immediately but fared better the second time. Eli had ended up dying five times by the time Toby lost his first.

"This is bad," Aja worried as she saw the extent of the drones being defeated.

"Give it time," Douxie said, causing him to die again. He gave Aja a nervous grin as she growled at him.

"They just need to learn the game," Krel said, drawing her attention back to the game.

"Yeah Aja," Eli said with a smirk. "How about a little patience." Aja growled again as Eli simply took a breath and focused. Time was spent just playing the game and seeming to win against Morrando-

Until the drones suddenly stopped.

"Uh, guys," Steve said as he came in, most eyes turning to him. "Bad news of the fishy variety. Go-Go Sushi 2: Wasabis Revenge just dropped."

"Oh no," Aja said as the drones began getting destroyed. "People switched from your game to the new fishy one."

"How many drones still intact?" Zadra asked Mother.

"Three." They all sighed. "Thanks to Aja's awesome flying skills and Magic Man's superior focus, make that one." Krel chuckled nervously at Douxie's glare.

"Is it just me or has Mother developed a bit of an attitude lately?" Aja asked with a bit of attitude herself. Douxie stood with a groan and stood next to the siblings.

"The odds aren't looking good commander," someone said over the radio.

"Who's got the last drone?" Douxie asked only to be startled by Eli's whoop of success.

"Hydrant bonus! I told you I was going to get better!" He gave quick pause as everyone stared at him weirdly.

"Fuzzbuckets."

"Oh kleb, it's Eli," Krel said as they all rushed over.

"The fate of Earth and Akkiridian-5 both come down to this," Aja said. "The Eli Pepperjack, you're our only hope."

"No pressure or anything," Douxie and Toby muttered at the same time.

"Eli Pepperjack is at your service commanders," Eli saluted before turning back to the game. As he played, everyone hovered over him, both trying to encourage and overly worrying.

"All the hoomans seem to be consumed by their communicator devices," Varvatos said as he walked in looking weary, causing Douxie to turn. It was the first time he'd seen Big Blue since he got back.

"Um, hey, Vex," Douxie waved awkwardly. At least he was ignored for it as Varvatos marched over and spun Eli around in annoyance.

"You too? Tell Varvatos what is happening or he will expose your entrails to sunlight!" Aja and Douxie pushed him back from Eli before he could mess him up.

"Are you familiar with the game of videos called Go-Go Fishing?" Aja asked him.

"It's called Go-Go Sushi!" Toby said as he flew around on his chair.

"Eli has a chance at stopping Morrando," Douxie said.

"He is our last hope!" Zadra added.

"I know I'm the last hope! I've seen the movies, ok?" Eli said, annoyed that everyone kept talking about him like he wasn't there.

As he dodged and dodged, Eli tried his best to hit someplace important, but to no avail. He couldn't find an opening.

"There is always another way," Varvatos said when Eli said as much. "A brilliant engineer once taught Varvatos that."

"Another way! That's it!" Krel exclaimed, eyes lighting up. Douxie didn't look long as it reminded him of Angel's eyes. Her true kind eyes. "Head for the navigational wing!"

"But the precision required for that shot-" Zadra started but Krel interrupted.

"I know! But it's our only shot!"

"There's so much pressure. I can't do it!" Eli complained. Douxie moved to Krel's side.

"You're right Eli, you can't."

"Krel!" Aja and Douxie yelled together in disbelief.

"I'm going somewhere with this. Give me a secton! You piolet the very last drone, but we are all in this together." Douxie put a hand on Krel's shoulder to show that he agreed.

"Ok," Eli's expression hardened when he said that. "Tell me what to do."

And with that, everyone began coaching Eli through it. At the very last second, he got one last shot off before being destroyed himself. Everyone was disappointed until the voice on the other side told them the good news.

Eli's last shot had hit exactly where it needed to, grounding the ship. As the celebration commenced, Douxie only smiled for a minute, especially at the reaction to Varvatos' apology, but let it fall.

Douxie wanted to join the conversation but found he couldn't. He bowed when the others did for Eli as the resistance called and tried to leave as soon as possible.

"Where are you going?" Varvatos asked as he caught up with him, the door closing behind them for privacy.

"Well, now that the world is safe for the time being, I've got a chance to look for Angel," he said simply. Varvatos put a hand on his shoulder.

"That will not be necessary." Douxie burst, tired of being unable to do what he wanted- what he needed- to do.

"How- how could you tell me that? She's possessed, living through her worst fear right now and making others do the same! The only way to stop that is to find her." Douxie shoved off his hand as he turned away and stalked off. Varvatos groaned and stopped him again.

"If you had let Varvatos finish, you would have heard that the reason for the search to stop is because Varvatos found and has incapacitated your friend of girls." Douxie whipped his head back around to the big blue man.

"You found her?"

"Yes. And she nearly-"

"Where is she?" Douxie interrupted. He felt bad about it, but he needed to know. He needed to see her. He needed to help her.

"Stuart Electronics. Hey! Wait for Backup!"

Chapter Text

She Used To Be Mine

(Inspiration taken from The Conjuring 2)

Angel had grown to love the mall. She could walk through with both headphones on since there were many people around, and there were a good deal of anime stores and bookstores and different food stores. Also, they had a wonderful ice cream kiosk that just tasted differently than the others.

She was eating some that ice cream as she walked through Hot Topic. Another reason she liked the mall- she could eat in the stores. Angel was deciding on whether she should just get a cup that said "Not Every Witch Lives In Salem" or keep browsing when she felt someone bump into her. Pausing her music and taking off her headphones, she turned to him.

"Oh, sorry," the guy apologized with a very clear British accent. His hair was black and messy all but the front, which had royal blue tips. His clothes definitely showed he belonged here, what with the skulls and black of them. Meanwhile, she was wearing a dark green flowing, long sleeved shirt and regular blue jeans.

"It's fine," Angel told him, holding out her hand. "I'm Angel, by the way." The guy took it with a smile that met his hazel eyes.

"I'm Douxie." His handshake was firm and confident while not being too tight. Her stepfather told her that you can tell a lot about a person by a handshake and his was a good one. She hated limpfish handshakes. Though she noted how sweaty his palm was upon letting go.

"Well, Douxie, are you just browsing or looking for something specific? If it's specific, you're better off ordering online. I almost never find what I'm actually looking for. They never have the same things twice. At least not for me. That's why I only come in her too... Sorry," Angel apologized as Douxie's expression turned confused. "I have a tendency to go down rabbit holes."

"It's fine, lovely," he said, smiling again. Angel blushed but pushed it away. She just met him after all. "And to answer your question, I'm just browsing. I like seeing what different towns have to offer."

"You ain't from around here, are ya?" Douxie chuckled and reached up to grab the cup she was looking at. Even if he was only a couple inches taller than herself, she felt a twinge of jealously at the ease his longer arms gave him.

"And what gave that away?"

"Mainly the accent, though I've heard it from at least one person who lives around here with it. And then there's the fact that you said you like seeing what different towns have to offer." She also hadn't seen him around much but her memory wasn't reliable when it came to people, so she left that out.  Still, she had a hard time believing she'd forget even seeing him from a distance.

"Right. Did you want this?" He asked as he handed her the cup. She blushed when their hands touched, and he seemed nervous at that motion as well. He pulled his hand away and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Thanks."

"Of course," he said before the two fell into an awkward silence. "Well! I should- should get going. Um, goodbye!" As he waved and walked around her, headed for the door, Angel felt her anxiety go up at the thought of doing something as crazy as stopping the near stranger. That's all he was. She didn't know anything about him.

... He did seem pretty nice.

"Hey," she called as she ran to catch up to him. Her chest was pounding as he turned around and gave her a confused look. Angel felt her face flush but pushed the words out. "I grew up here, so if you want, I can show you around. If it's not too weird, anyway." The smile Douxie gave her made her heart calm and anxiety leave her body.

"I'd love that."

Present Day

Douxie burst into the store, tripping over some wires that had been lying about. He cursed the messy layout as Stuart came out of a room upstairs. He glared at the noise was and a "We're closed" on the tip of his tongue, but his expression softened when he saw Douxie looking up at him with tired, concerned, and questioning eyes.

Stuart pointed to the right, where the next room was. Douxie didn't wait a second more to run in there, even as Stuart called to wait up. Douxie heard a crash but really wasn't bothered by it.

Angel was laying on a makeshift bed, some kind of tech on her arms and middle. Her outfit was something she'd never wear normally, too fancy to be comfortable for her. He fell to his knees next to her, grabbing her too cold hand. Flapjack, who hadn't left Douxie's shoulder since the incident, flew down to nuzzle her face.

"Flapjack, I know you want to be here, but can you go find Arch for me?" Douxie asked. Flapjack gave a disappointed chirp, not moving an inch. "Please, Flapjack." Finally, after what seemed like forever, the bird agreed, leaving in gust wind.

"Sorry about the mess," Stuart said as he entered the room, pulling wires off of himself. "She put up quite the fight after Vex left. It's why I have her hooked up to that. It's the only thing that kept her down."

Douxie didn't say anything. He just moved some hair out of her face, showing how tortured her expression was. It wasn't long before Toby arrived with Strickler, and the ingredients needed for the spell, Archie and Flapjack trailing behind.

"Where have you been?" Toby asked the familiar as he turned from dragon to cat and walked over to sit next to Douxie. Night had fallen outside.

"I was busy doing some research of my own," Archie said simply, flicking his eyes to Strickler. "Not that I don't trust you- though, I suppose that was part of it- but I found a better source of information who's been around almost as long as Merlin."

"What did you find out?" Douxie asked, only glancing quickly at Arch.

"Well, I found something out that could help us fully expel him. And no, I don't think the changeling would have known beforehand." Archie added, sensing the rising anger in his familiar. Flapjack flew over to lay next to Angel's head, nestling in her hair. Douxie sighed and got up reluctantly, turning to Strickler, expression mostly unreadable except for the obvious worry and determination.

"What did you learn?" Douxie asked.

"His name. Unfortunately, I can't say it aloud, for it will make him stronger."

"I thought you said it could defeat him."

"It can, but Miss Angel must say it when you re-enter the conscious mind. Here." Archie handed him a piece of paper from wherever he was keeping it before, and Douxie read over it quickly.

"Right, let's get started," Douxie said, putting the paper in his pocket.

The brewing of the potion wasn't a lot different than when they brewed the creepers sun remedy, Toby found. Though, why spells like this always needed a tear like that, he'd never know. Either way, when it started smoking, Archie perched on Douxie's shoulder so he could go with him. The emotional anchor when Toby asked about it, had to be a person this time. Since her and Douxie were so close, Strickler didn't bother telling him until now.

"Now, say Magda Ara Zuth and focus all your energy on her," Strickler said.

"Magda Ara Zuth," Douxie chanted. The light purple smoke seemed to only be focused on three people. Angel herself, Douxie, and Toby. Pretty soon, all Toby and Douxie saw was that smoke. Faintly, he could hear Strickler mutter something and Archie yowl. But suddenly his vision went black, and he could no longer hear anyone.

. . .

"Bleeding Balroths," Douxie muttered, shielding his eyes against the white expanse around. "We did it Arch! We're- Arch?"

"Yeah, I don't think he made it," Toby muttered, blinking away the brightness of the plain.

"Uh..."

"Why am I here? Why did it take me and not your cat?"

"Familiar," Douxie corrected. Toby rolled his eyes before something behind Douxie caught his attention.

"What's that?" Toby ignored him and pointed behind Douxie, the wizard turning to see what seemed to be a glass pain that was surrounded by a deep red hue. Douxie felt himself moving towards it despite Toby's worried protests. He reached out to feel it but the moment his fingers made contact his entire arm was pulled in.

Douxie shouted and tried to resist, planting his feet in vain. He tried to use his other hand to pull it out, but that backfired once the other hand touched the pane. He felt hands wrap around him in attempt to stop the decent into the- whatever it was. Unfortunately, Toby just got pulled down with him.

Douxie yelled fuzzbuckets as he fell, the world around him blurring. Once he finally found something solid, and by that he fell on something solid, he tried to get up. Toby fell on him, slowing his progress. Finally, after Toby regained his composure, got up and helped Douxie to his feet.

"Thank you," he said before looking around in awe. "By the seven rings..."

The area around them was dark mahogany wood with windows that were surrounded by different colors. Three colors to be exact. Red, maroon, and light pink. The hues swirled around each of the windows like magic, seeming to be whispering to each other. It seemed to go on forever, and music seemed to be playing from somewhere, a medley of different songs. Douxie made to touch one of the windows next to him, but Toby pulled his arm back.

"Let's not touch anything else until we know how this place works, ok Doux?"

"Uh, right. Of course." Douxie didn't know why he felt the need to touch everything, but he'd wager that it had something to do with being her emotional anchor.

"So, where do we go from here?" Toby asked as he looked around the area curiously. Douxie shrugged but Toby didn't see it as something caught his eye. "Hey. My name is there."

Indeed, when Douxie followed Toby over to a nearby window, right above it was his name. Douxie took a look at the one next to it. Claire. The next one said Jim, the next was someone named Kristen, and the one after was his name.

"This must be who the memories are about."

"Ok. That's good and all, but how are we supposed to find where she is?"

"Strickler said she was in her subconscious and Za- the demon, said that she was going through her worst fear... Oh no.."

"What? What is it?" Toby asked, slightly worried at his tone. Douxie began looking around at the other names.

"It seems that we'll have to go into her worst memories to find her."

"Well, they can't be that bad, right?"

"Toby, even I don't know the details of them. It causes her panic attacks just to think of them for long periods of time."

"Wait, she has panic attacks?" Toby asked, his expression turning from mildly worried to very concerned and guilty. Douxie nodded solemnly.

"They've gotten better, according to her, but an encounter with Bular, and unfortunately a lesson with me, brought them back a few months ago." Toby was about to ask more, but a cold feeling fell over him. Douxie tensed and readied to fight at whatever was behind him. Toby didn't turn because he was sure what it was.

"Leave!" The voice snarled, something like glass breaking sounding behind him. "She's mine!"

Douxie saw the fog surrounding the man stalking down the corridor. He was horrifying, bleeding pores all over his body, the blacked-out eyes seeming to stare directly into his soul. Already, he'd tried to cast a spell when he was falling, and he'd found that magic couldn't be used.

But as he watched the man, he noticed the fog wasn't touching and of the windows, not even the walls. It was a long shot, but-

"Toby! Follow me!" He said as he began to run to his own window.

"Uh uh! No way!" Toby crossed his arms indignantly and turned up his head. "I don't what you two do in private and I've got virgin eyes!"

"Just come on!" Douxie grabbed Toby's arm and pulled him along. The demon realized what they were doing too late. As he rushed over, banging on the invisible barrier, Toby and Douxie were already in the memories of the latter. The demon howled in rage.

. . .

"What's going on?" Archie asked as Angel's body twisted and convulsed. Already he was upset that Strickler didn't mention the fact that only humans would be able to go into the mindscape beforehand. And apparently Toby was just too close to Douxie when he said the incantation.

"It seems the demon knows that they are in there," Strickler said, too nonchalantly for Archie's liking. He glared.

"Um, I'm new to this part of Earth," Stuart started. "And correct me if I'm wrong here, but that did not sound good at all."

"No, it's not," Archie said as Angel began to pull and tug on the machinery that she was hooked up to harder.

"Don't worry," Stuart said with a confident smile. "That technology could hold back my ex girlfriend. I know, that doesn't sound very strong. But she's a Gorbon, and she's huge and- kleb!" Stuart very nearly got his head taken off by a flying piece of metal. Things around them began flying around and lodging themselves in the wall.

"Well, this is bad," Archie muttered.

. . .

"I swear, if I see anything, and I mean anything, I'm making you pay for the therapist bill!" Toby yelled as he got up. Douxie rolled his eyes as he followed suit. At least he'd had the foresight to roll over before Toby had fallen on him again.

"We haven't done anything like- that," Douxie countered with a blush as he looked around the bookstore. It was hard to pinpoint when and what-

"Be with you in a tick, lovely!" Douxie heard his own voice from above call out as the bell rang, indicating that someone had come in.

"You're making me wait after an almost 3-hour flight?" Angel teased with a smirk. The sound of books dropping startled her a moment, but she quickly giggled as Douxie poked his head over the balcony, first with a hopeful and confused expression that was very quickly traded for an excited one. "I'm kidding, by the way. Take as long as-"

"Angel! Y-you're here already? I thought you're plane just landed."

"Yeah, the uh, flight landed a bit earlier than expected." The Douxie next to Toby chuckled. When Toby looked at him weirdly, he just shrugged.

"This was about three years after we met," he said in a whisper, though he knew he didn't need to. "Neither of us knew about the others status as a wizard."

"Ah," Toby answered. Memory Douxie interrupted his next words as he had fallen down the spiral staircase and face first on the ground in his hurry to meet Angel.

"Buckets," Memory Douxie muttered. Angel was laughing like crazy, but she found enough focus to walk over to help him up.

"Dude, you're clumsier than me," Angel said as she pulled him up with one hand.

"Uh, thank you," Memory Douxie muttered with a blush and obvious nervousness as he ran a hand through his hair. Angel didn't seem to notice as something on a nearby so caught her eye.

"No way! I've been looking for this book!" Angel said, pulling out a book with the title Throne Of Glass and missing Douxie's both relieved and nervous sigh. Toby laughed as Memory Douxie started up a conversation with Angel about the book.

"What?" Douxie asked, glaring slightly at him.

"You are just like Jim was with Claire. Minus the drooling." Douxie groaned. "So, how long have you been into her?"

"Um...." Before Douxie answered, the scene changed to a busy mall with a couple of the stores having their names blurred for some reason.

"I'd love that," Douxie heard himself say again. Toby followed the wizard as he entered the store the voice had come from. Hot Topic.

"Why am I not surprised?" He muttered. Memory Douxie was standing a few feet away from the entrance. Douxie grimaced at how obviously he was blushing at the fact that she wanted to spend time with him. They had only just met, yet he was somehow infatuated with her. So much so that he had accidentally bumped into her in his rush to introduce himself.

Douxie had partially lied when he told her about how long his feelings had been around, saying it was a few months after they met when really it was when he first saw her. It was like he was always waiting for her, like he had met her before. Memories from his Camelot days came back in blurs when he saw her, but once it was clear that she had never seen him before, he pushed them and his little crush away. For a while...

"Where are we going now?" Toby groaned as the scene changed again, a red glow faint but noticeable as it did. Was that always the case when a memory changed, or did it just now begin? Either way they were outside in a forest, covered with snow. It took a moment for Toby to realize that it was Arcadia's.

"You can take it off now," a voice announced. "See you later, Douxie." The two turned to see Angel taking off a blindfold as a red head with double braids walked off smugly. Angel looked confused until she walked up the gazebo steps and spotted Douxie standing nervously.

"Hey..." Angel blushed as she looked around. "Snow?" She turned to an equally red faced Douxie. "How is it snowing?" Toby was about to ask the same thing to his Douxie when Memory Douxie answered for him.

"I may have asked Jack and Elsa for help with that," Douxie said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Angel chuckled and leaned against a nearby railing.

"You mean you let Jack loose and asked Elsa to keep an eye on him?"

"Pretty much." The two shared a laugh before it awkwardly went quiet.

"Wait, you're the reason it snowed on Christmas?" Toby exclaimed. Douxie clarified that it was his friends that did it absently, trying to make sense of the changes in the memories. He thought about a night that they had been sitting in their living room watching a random Disney movie and in a pink glow the memory faded to the one he thought of.

Angel was practically belting out Friends on the Other Side from The Princess and The Frog, one of the first instances that she was just herself around him. He saw himself staring at her with absolutely lovestruck eyes and remembered himself glaring at Archie for laughing at him but didn't see it happen here.

He tried it once more, thinking of another moment they'd had a few weeks before the Eternal Night happened. A pink glow and they were at the gazebo only daytime and green now. He saw Flapjack fly past him, knowing that he was flying to meet Angel and himself.

"Bleeding Balroths," he muttered, turning around to exactly what he remembered himself being. The pair of them introducing Archie to a newly healed Flapjack.

"What?" Toby asked. "And why does the memory keep changing?"

"Because it's connected to what I'm thinking of- no wonder the emotional anchor needs to be human!"

"This is great! Just think of her worst memories and we can find her!"

Douxie did as Toby suggested, asking for the worst memory she had ever. Instead of getting something from her past like he'd envisioned and instead was just a memory with Merlin and the Trollhunters once the brightest red glow yet faded.

The memory was yet again at the gazebo, at night this time. Angel had just popped in looking both frazzled and exhausted. She ended up running through Douxie, the memory following what happened despite their presence.

"Flapjack?" She called, looking in his nest for the elusive bird. "Please, I need to talk to you."

Of course, he's not here, echoed around them in Angel's voice. Toby jumped and grabbed Douxie's arm in fear. I can't talk to Barbara, Claire's out of the question right now, and Douxie...

"What. Was. That?" He asked. Douxie pulled his arm away and wiped it off, muttering something about sweaty palms. "What? I'm scared."

He needs to know! I know he does! And I'm just a horrible person.

"I think those are her thoughts, Toby," Douxie said as he sat down next to Angel, who had already slumped down on the steps and was clearly struggling to not scratch her arms. He reached to put a hand on her shoulder, forgetting that it would just go through it. Douxie sighed and looked down like she was.

Her phone rang, startling everyone around. Angel fumbled in her haste to pull it out. Douxie looked over her shoulder and felt his face fall when he saw that it was himself that was calling. Angel quickly hit ignore, tears falling down her face as she set it down and put her head in her hands.

"Angel," Douxie sighed again at her sobbing form. "I'm so sorry."

I'm a horrible person, aren't I?

"No. You never were. I should have never put you in that position. I knew how you felt about lying, but I still asked you to." He reached out to wipe a tear from her face, sighing when his hand went through her face. "And I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Toby said, walking over them. "I've met Merlin. He's, how do I put this nicely? Very um..." Douxie chuckled at Toby's attempt to paint Merlin in a kind light. He knew his master wasn't the nicest person, but Toby was still trying.

"Thanks Toby," he said giving him a small smile. Toby returned it nervously. Suddenly the memory rumbled and shook, Angel disappearing in a red mist. Douxie hopped up quickly, ready to fight.

"I said to get out of my head!"

"Is that-"

"It's Angel!" Douxie exclaimed with a sigh, interrupting Toby. "She's fighting back!"

"But she can't beat him without knowing his name!"

"We have to- ahh!" Douxie and Toby shared a yell as they were pulled away in a rush of pink and red. Douxie wondered as they fell just how many times Toby would fall on him throughout their time in Angel's mind. So far, he counted two times and one close call. Toby groaned as he got pushed off of Douxie as the wizard stood up.

They were back in the main hallway of mahogany and windows. Angel was a translucent red in front of them, practically glowing with the rage she must have felt. The demon was scared, his black eyes wide. He was towering over her with the fog.

"How do you keep breaking from my grasp!?" The demon growled, sending a wave of fog at her quickly. Somehow, she was able to deflect and attack with her own red magic. "That's not possible!"

"The more you try, the stronger I become!" Angel yelled, blasting another bit of magic at the demon. "I refuse to let fear control me again!"

"Angel!" Toby yelled without thinking, drawing the attention of the two. Douxie had already slapped his hand on his mouth, but it was too little too late. Toby's eyes widened when he saw the smirk on the demon's face and Angel's concern, and he chuckled nervously. The demon gave Angel a glance before his smirk grew to a malicious toothy smile.

"Wanna bet?" The demon said before sending a wave of the fog towards the boys.

"No!" She screamed.

. . .

Now, what had once been flying around without any indication of a magical hold, had stopped in a glow of red. Strickler had been using his wings to keep some of the things away from Stuart and himself and Archie had been in dragon form, blasting the pieces away from the other two.

"That's new," the dragon muttered as he landed. Strickler helped Stuart up but couldn't shake the horrible feeling he had. "What is it now?"

"This either a very good thing or a very bad thing," Strickler muttered. "This means she is either fighting and regaining control...."

"Or?" Stuart asked as Strickler trailed off. The changeling sighed and looked away.

"Or she is losing what little bit of control she had before."

"Oh no," Archie muttered as he turned back to a cat.

. . .

Angel still had her magic, even in the mind scape, so she had teleported to them and then away from danger. On instinct she pulled the boys into the nearest memory window. Unfortunately, the feeling of dread fell upon her the moment she entered the place.

"Angel!" Douxie yelled this time as he put his arms around her. "You're ok!"

"Yeah- Yeah, I'm fine," she said, hugging him back, tears falling down her face. "You came for me."

"Of course, I did, love. Of course." Douxie sighed and held on tighter for a moment before she pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes. "I will always come for you, no matter what."

"But- but how?"

"We can thank Strickler for that."

"Hey, Angel?" Toby asked, the two turning their heads where his attention was. "I don't mean to interrupt but where are we?"

Angel looked around the familiar space. Dark brown concrete floors, a little counter looking into the open floor plan living and dining room. Light grey leather couches, one with cup holders, and two older chairs that one would find within an older woman's home. Glass tables that were stained with cup rings because the cleaning for the day hadn't happened and littered with decorations and books.

Angel herself walked through the front door, looking decently happy. Two kids, one a thirteen-year-old girl and the other a sixteen-year-old boy, suddenly appeared on the couches simply playing on their phones with the TV paused on some game.

"Hey guys," Memory Angel said as she entered. The boy merely waved but the girl looked at her with an almost neutral expression.

"Hey," the girl said as Angel shut the door. "How was the date?"

"It was fine. We ate at Dairy Queen, and I got my favorite blizzard. What'd you do while I was gone?"

"Played Call of Duty and stuff," the boy answered. As Memory Angel continued the conversation jovially, the Angel Douxie was still holding onto tensed and shrunk back into the kitchen. She knew exactly what was about to happen and she wanted to be as far back from that side door next to the dining table as possible.

Douxie felt Angel try to slide out of his grasp, but he kept ahold of her hand. Her face was translucent, so it was hard to make out what her expression was. However, when the door she was trying so desperately to get away from was pulled open, she jumped and tensed. He followed her then, putting himself between her and the woman who came stomping out of that room.

"I can hear you all the way in here!" The woman yelled, walking through Toby. She was a bigger set woman with dark brown hair and mean eyes. Even Toby backed up in her presence. "I have a headache and you all are in here yelling-" the boy gained a confused and annoyed look but just sighed and went back to his phone. Memory Angel had stiffened just like her translucent counterpart, her face a familiar expression to Douxie.

"I'm-" Memory Angel started but the woman interrupted.

"Especially you. You're always loud." Toby scoffed, having been around her for almost a year disproved that. "You are so insensitive to the people around you."

But I didn't know you were asleep.

"She was usually at work," Angel began, pausing the memory. "And even then, when I saw her car here, I didn't expect her to be taking a nap."

"You didn't know," Douxie said, trying to console her. Toby just looked confused and unconvinced that this was as bad as Angel thought it was.

"I mean, I get the outburst even if you weren't that loud," Toby said, earning a glare from Douxie and a tired look from Angel. He raised his in defense. "I'm just saying, she was annoyed and having a bad day. So long as she apologized-"

"She didn't," Angel said. "And this was hardly the worst of it." With a humorless chuckle the time of day changed and the positions of everyone were now at the four-seat dining table. Well, the three young kids were with another around Angel's age. There was an older man now who was likely Angel's father because they looked so much alike. In fact, the other two that they saw in the first memory looked a lot like her.

"This is my family," Angel muttered an attempt at a dramatic flair but just sounded depressed. "The boy is my brother, Adam. The girl who's about thirteen is my sister, Layla. The girl who's my age is my stepsister, Lena. The guy on the couch is my dad."

"And the lady we saw earlier?" Toby asked just as the woman came in the front door. She looked exhausted and was wearing nurse scrubs.

"My stepmother, Ashlynn." Ashlynn didn't say much of a greeting, just heading to the bedroom while she pulled out her ponytail. The memory seemed to be put in fast forward for a few seconds until Ashlynn came out and moved to the pot on the stove behind them. Angel quickly moved out of the way though Ashlynn wouldn't have been stopped by her.

As Angel held on tighter to Douxie's arm, tensed for whatever was about to happen. Toby again was confused at her reaction, wondering what could possibly go wrong with dinner. Ashlynn lifting the top off the pan and almost immediately throwing it down gave him some clue.

"What is it, Ash?" Angel's dad asked her.

"Guess I'm not eating tonight," she said, turning to glare at Memory Angel. "You're never making dinner again. You clearly didn't think make or save enough for me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I thought-"

"No, you didn't. You never do." Ashlynn stormed off to her room, slamming the door. Everyone's eyes turned to her but all she did was look down and slowly eat her food. The memory paused again. Toby went over to check the pot and scoffed.

"What's she going on about?" Toby asked. "This is a decent meal size! Something I would eat."

"I know," Angel said, now holding onto her wrists at the memory. "It's not a perfect recollection, nor is it likely what actually happened. But the feeling, the basis of it is all I remember. Things said-"

I'm just saying, if you can say you like both boys and girls, can't people say that that they are attracted to kids?

"Wait, did she actually say that?" Toby asked incredulously. Angel nodded, unable to speak anymore.

That won't work.

No one will like you if you do that.

You can't do that; Adam and Lena's friends are making fun of you and it's putting them in a bad position.

I'm just saying-

Her voice echoed with different phrases of the same sort, telling her that she was the problem and all kinds of detrimental things. Tears of anger and sadness and started falling down her face and her translucent red body started glowing. Douxie didn't expect it to do much, but he covered her ears anyway. If anything, he just wanted to tell her not to listen to the words, that they weren't true.

"I love you, Angel," he said, leaning forward enough to put his forehead on hers. Her expression calmed at that gesture and the glow dimmed. "Ignore what she's saying, it's not true. You have people that care, that will always care. Claire, Arch, Flapjack, me-"

"And me," Toby added with determination. Angel looked to him confused which caused the boy to sigh. "I know, I haven't always been the nicest to you. Like throwing that Gaggletack at you or yelling at you for leaving your parents the minute you could."

"It's fine Toby," Angel said wiping her eyes.

"No, it's not. You were right. I didn't think before I said that and I'm sorry. It's just- my parents won the lottery and to celebrate, they decided to-" he was cut off by the memory rumbling and shaking. Screaming that was not her own echoed as the space around them as it fell apart.

"Ok, heartfelt apologies later, get that demon out now," Douxie said, reaching into his pocket for the paper. Only it wasn't there. "Fuzzbuckets..."

"You lost it?!" Toby asked furiously.

"We've been moving from memory to memory! I must have dropped it somewhere."

"And you didn't notice!? It was in your pocket!"

"What is so important about a piece of damn paper?" Angel asked, Douxie wincing in shame and Toby crossing his arms with a glare.

"Oh nothing," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just the one piece of information that we needed to give you to get this creepazoid out of you!"

"Can't you just tell me? And please don't say you forgot what it said already."

"No. We just can't say it, or it'll make him stronger." Angel facepalmed.

"Great..."

. . .

Archie was getting worried for them all. Dawn was approaching and they still hadn't come back. At midnight, the objects had stopped moving by both the demon and Angel's will. It had been so quiet that Stuart had fallen asleep in the corner, his snores louder than Douxie's or even Angel's the odd times she did snore.

Strickler was out getting breakfast considering there had been no activity for a couple hours and he was getting hungry. Granted, Archie was too but he wasn't leaving-

His ears perked hearing Douxie's scream, followed by Toby's; Suddenly in wave of lavender fog, the two were back in room.

"Douxie!" Archie exclaimed as he jumped down to nuzzle close to his familiar as he sat up. Douxie gave him a quick hug back before moving to Angel's side again and pulling off the machinery that kept her asleep.

"Hang on, what are you doing?" Stuart asked urgently but with a yawn as well. Toby stopped him from coming closer so Douxie could continue.

"She's fighting back, but she needs to be able to wake up after," Toby explained as Douxie finished with it and grasped onto her hand, holding it close.

"Come on, come on," Douxie muttered over and over, Angel's hand still extremely cold. Minutes passed like hours as Toby again explained what was happening to Strickler as he entered. Suddenly, objects began flying around in both a red glow and without any glow whatsoever.

Then, just as suddenly, they fell, and Angel's hand gained some warmth back. She shot up with a gasp, eyes wide and breathing heavily. Douxie let a sigh out with smile as he saw the color of her eyes. A wonderful pale bluish green.

She smiled back as she threw her legs over the side of the bed. Apparently too quickly because her expression turned to one Douxie had unfortunately grown accustomed to the past couple weeks and grabbed the nearest trashcan in a blue glow of his magic. He moved next to her and held her hair back as she puked up inky black sticky goo.

"Oh, that is so gross," Toby gagged. Strickler and Archie turned their noses up. Stuart just shrugged, not knowing what the big deal was.

"So, did you do it?" Stuart asked once she finished. She was shaking and shuddering as Douxie rubbed her back and Strickler handed her a handkerchief. Angel took it and gratefully wiped her mouth off.

"If his screaming 'Noo! You'll pay for this!' I think so," Angel joked, earning a chuckle from Archie and hug from Douxie. He kissed her head tenderly as he rubbed her shoulder.

. . .

Angel couldn't sleep that night, the way she cast out Za-rúk, the demons name, was still haunting her. The fear he had practically pumped into her veins still lingered. The only reason it didn't hurt her in the fight was because she had long since turned her fear into anger.

Still, the fear always came back later. That's what brought her to Douxie's door. Before she even knocked, he told her to come in.

"Am I really that predictable?" She laughed as she poked her head in. Douxie chuckled as he continued tuning his guitar. It was new considering that the guitar he'd used as a weapon during the Eternal Night happened to be his own. At least he didn't have to pay back someone else for it.

"Partially," he said, gesturing for her to sit next to him. She did so, smiling nervously to herself. "The other part is that I heard you coming. Are you feeling alright, love?" Angel blushed but didn't look at him, so she missed the soft concern on his face when he looked to her.

"Not really. I'm having trouble shaking the feeling of that stupid demon. I-" she hesitated before laying her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "I don't think I wanna be alone tonight." It was Douxie's turn to blush, using a spell to put up his guitar. Angel grabbed his hand and held it tight. "I feel like I haven't slept in months."

"Just a few days, actually." Angel chuckled, but it was sleepy. Douxie's nerves were through the roof at what she was asking. It had felt different when he had pulled her close in her sleep simply because she had been out of his reach, hurt badly, and he really was just plain tired. Now she was asking to sleep next to him. "Are you sure?" He asked. She held his hand tighter, or as tight as she could in her sleepy state.

"Positive," Angel sighed.

Chapter Text

(Inspired by  samrobac  on Tumblr.)

"I'm not a soolian, Zadra," Krel told her as he readied his bag to head to Steve's house. How he was talked into that, he had no idea. "I have my serrator and my communicator and my phone. Douxie will be there and so will Toby."

"To be absolutely clear, this is the actual overnight sleeping ritual and not some rescue of a confessed traitor, correct?" Zadra asked as Krel walked to the door. Varvatos growled at her but continued watching his game shows. Krel rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Zadra. You can follow us if you want to be absolutely sure. Speaking of us- hurry up Aja!"

"Krel, give me a secton!" The girl yelled back from her room, earning an annoyed groan.

"We're going to be late!"

"One secton!"

"It's already been two sectons!"

"Be patient little brother!"

"Ay ay ay..."

. . .

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Douxie said as he tried his best to sneak a cookie off the pan as Angel started getting some of the sodas and other snacks set up for her 'girls night'. She immediately shut it down by smacking his hand.

"Stop it, this isn't the Camelot kitchens," she scolded lightly before continuing on with her set up.

"No, the chefs always let me have stuff," Douxie muttered so low that Angel didn't hear him.

"It was likely only because you looked like you needed it desperately," Archie commented from his perch above on the fridge. Douxie only glared a moment before turning back to Angel.

"We need a break," she said simply, finishing up her neat and perfect arrangement. It took Douxie a second to realize she was answering his earlier question. "After the Eternal Night, the Akkiridian armada almost invading Earth, and my possession- we just need a break from things magical and alien."

Douxie hesitated for a moment before sighing and just hugging her. She returned it, surprised but grateful for it as she buried her head into the crook of his neck with a contented sigh.

He knew she was right. The last few weeks had been hard on them both, so a night not using magic much or talking about possible invasion sounded nice. He really wasn't sure about it being at Steve's house.

Douxie forgot about that little fact for a moment as Angel pulled away enough to look into her eyes. Her smile was soft, relaxed, and just plain relieved. He brushed some of her hair out of her face, his hand lingering on her face.

He didn't even realize that he pulled her in, but she didn't protest when their lips met. It was a slow-moving thing, so tender. Angel's hands had already moved to his chest and ended up clenching her fists in his shirt.

A minute later they pulled away, much to the gratitude of the animals in the room. Angel chuckled at the annoyed chirping of Flapjack and Douxie glared at the mutterings of Archie.

. . .

Steve had everything ready for the night. Snacks, a good movie list with both horror and action, blankets and pillows, all that he could think of. Eli and Aja had ganged up on him to invite more than just his Creepslaying partner to the sleepover. Eli said he wanted to hang out with Toby and Krel more and Aja asked about him inviting Douxie so they could have a girl's night themselves.

Steve hated that he was still afraid of Angel. She was right about it being over a month ago and she hadn't even attacked him. Still, though it was the bad coffee talking, the maliciousness in her voice still sent shivers down his spine.

"Steve, your buddies are here!" Coach Lawrence called to him from down the hall. "And pizza is already ordered."

"Nice!" Steve called as he poked his out of his door to see the group came down the hall. "Thanks, Da- uh, Coach!" Toby snickered, earning a smack on the back of his head from Steve.

. . .

"Angel, you really didn't need to go all out like this," Darci said as she entered the small apartment. Multi-colored fairy lights (non-magical) were strewn about, giving the place a soft glow. The TV was on a home screen of sorts showing icons for Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. That, alone with the homemade cookies and the snack set up...

"Maybe," Angel said. "But I still want this to be just a fun relaxing night."

"These cookies are delicious!" Aja exclaimed as she quickly scarfed one down. Then another. And another.

"Hey, save some for me!" Mary yelled, snatching one from the girl's hand.

"There's enough for each of us to get a few," Angel said, quelling the fight before it started. "And save y'all's appetite. I ordered us some pizza. One Hawaiian-" Darci and Mary gagged, "and one supreme. Plus, breadsticks."

"I can live with that," Darci shrugged, and Mary agreed as she took a few selfies.

"Question," Aja chimed, moving onto some Doritos. "What makes a pizza Hawaiian?"

"Uh, I actually don't know," Darci admitted. Angel was about to say that she'd look it up, but Mary beat her too it.

"Apparently, it's named that because two brothers liked the canned pineapples that they used for it," she told them.

"That's... Weird."

"Yeah," Angel agreed as the doorbell rang, and she ran to it.

. . .

"Oh! Douxie lost, again!" Steve jested as the racing game they were playing declared him the winner. Douxie just rolled his eyes and passed the controller off to Eli. "Even with the rematch, you are no match for the Palchuck!"

"Though, you did cheat the first time," Krel added, looking up from what he was tinkering with for only a moment catching the annoyed glance from Steve.

"Did not."

"Yeah, you did, man," Toby said, looking up from his seventh phone with a smirk. "You literally pushed him down before the start of the race." Steve muttered something in annoyance but quickly turned back to the game.

"What are you working on Krel?" Douxie asked as he scooted over to get a closer look. He revealed that it was his serrator.

"This is Aja's serrator," Krel answered. "She asked me to upgrade it."

"So, what does she have to defend herself? Other than her combat skills."

"I was under the impression that your home was protected with spells of some kind."

"Well, yes, it is-"

"Pizza's here!" Coach Lawrence called, Steve and Eli pausing the game and the two got up immediately to run into the kitchen, Toby rolled off the bed and ran as well, Krel put the serrator down and left Douxie to follow at a leisurely pace.

. . .

"Mary, you are not doing my makeup again," Angel insisted while Mary took out her bag and began setting up her makeup things. "Detention was the exception."

"This isn't for you, it's for me," she said as she started applying some foundation. Angel scoffed and rolled her eyes. Darci and Aja were looking around her room out of curiosity.

"Why? You gonna sneak out to go meet up with some guy? I told you before I'm not covering for you."

"Na, I'm just doing it for fun. I know you don't get it, but I like looking- what are you doing?" As Mary had been talking, Angel had turned upside down on the couch.

"I'm bored."

"Then use some of your weirdo powers to make this place not boring."

"Ow!" Angel exclaimed as she fell down. She struggled for a moment before finding herself sitting on the floor and very, very casually leaning on the couch.

"What do- do you mean by that?"

"I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

"I never-"

"And you aren't as slick as you think. That and I overheard Toby telling Darci about you and Douxie."

"And you didn't post about it?"

"No," Mary sighed as she began applying mascara. "One, I didn't have any pics or even a video-" Angel rolled her eyes and scoffed, thinking she was just that was waiting for the opportunity. "Two; you're my friend." Angel froze, eyes wide.

In Angel's bedroom, Aja was looking through the closet at the clothes in there, asking questions when she came across a shirt that had a person on it that she didn't know. So did practically all of her T-shirts hanging up.

"I knew Angel had a ton of books, but I didn't expect this," Darci muttered as she looked around at the books scattered about. There was only one shelf that didn't have any, instead replaced with pictures of their cat, bird, herself and Douxie, of some people she didn't know, and a stuffed red cardinal that looked like her pet bird. She made to pick it up only to be pecked on her hand. Ok, so that's the real bird, she thought to herself.

"What's that?" Aja asked, pointing to something on the top shelf. When Darci moved to the spot next to her as the bird flew off into the living room, she saw an urn with a phoenix on it and the name Viola Tenner. It said born Oct. 31, 1963, Died July 5th, 2007.

"It's an urn," Darci answered solemnly.

"What is that?"

"Well, some people want their family members to be cremated, turned to ash, instead of burying them. I think I know who this is."

"Who is it?"

"Angel's mom. She told me that she died the summer she turned 18." Toby had also already mentioned how Angel and Douxie were wizards and older than they each looked, so the timeline wasn't a big surprise to her anymore, though she had been confused at first when Angel had first told her. It seemed to be a touchy subject, so Darci had never pushed.

"She lost her mother?" Aja seemed upset at the thought of that, like she knew how that felt and yet feared it as well. Darci would have pushed, as far as Aja was comfortable with, but Mary and Angel called them into the living room, surprisingly getting along.

. . .

The night had fallen into a rhythm of just talking, playing videogames, and just having fun together. Krel had long since relaxed enough to put up his project and started playing the board game that Coach Lawrence had suggested: Monopoly.

"This is surprisingly fun," Krel said as he rolled the dice and got six. Unfortunately landing on on a space that had him needing to pay Douxie rent that he didn't have money for, landing him in jail. "Kleb."

"You were saying?" Douxie chuckled as he took a bite of pizza, earning an elbow to the ribs. Toby laughed as he landed on an unclaimed spot that Eli had wanted for awhile, causing the boy to glare at him.

"Sorry Eli, but ya snooze ya lose," Toby said as he added his piece. "You should really stop stockpiling your money and take a chance."

"How can I when you guys keep buying out all the good ones?" Eli complained, crossing his arms.

"Stop being a buttsnack, Pepperjack," Steve said as he rolled to move, now having to pay Toby for the spot he just bought. "Oh, come on!"

"Yes!" Toby laughed. The game went on for a few more minutes, a few more petty arguments happening even with Douxie, as he was the banker, before anything changed.

The lights in the room started flickering and the room for some reason felt warm. A breeze blew through Douxie's hair.

"Uh, do you have fan in here?" Toby asked as his hair started blowing in the wind that was seemingly making its way around the room. The lights finally shut off making Steve's answer a scream. Eli had shouted himself and latched onto Steve's arm. Toby had latched onto Krel for only a second before being shoved off.

"Nobody needs to panic," Douxie said, slight fear in his voice leaking out. He created a light over his bracelet. "It's likely just a power outage."

"In just this room?" Eli asked as he pointed to the door, the light from the hall spilling out.

"A blown fuse maybe?" Krel suggested. "I hear that happens in houses all the ti-!" The hall light immediately went out, followed by footsteps that stopped right in front of the door. Douxie's eyes narrowed as he shined the light at the door and the footsteps left.

Something flashed though they were unable to tell what color it was. Not a second later, banging began on the window. Krel yelled as he jumped, Douxie turned his light towards the window and stopped the assault. Something rustled outside, but the wind inside picked up, and a book flew past his head. Steve screamed.

. . .

Aja had easily been able to talk her way into the house and garage, stating that she had left something on Steve's Vespa. And since Coach Lawrence trusted her, she went on her own. Fairly quickly she found the fuse box which was thankfully labeled so she knew exactly the one to pull.

"Coach Lawrence, your orderliness is finally not a pain in the lower postier," Aja muttered to herself as she began quickly flipping the switch back and forth. Then, after a long moment, she fully switched it off. Hearing the screams, knowing that they weren't in danger and that she caused it, it was hard to not laugh.

. . .

"Why do we have to be the ones out here?" Mary asked as she walked across the yard. It was hard enough just getting over the fence. "What if we get caught?"

"We won't get caught, Mare," Darci assured her as they hid below the window and waited for their cue as the lights flickered. "And we're out here because we can get inside without raising suspicion."

"Do you have a fan in here?" Toby's muffled voice came from inside. Darci smirked and prepared to jump up and start banging on the window. The light going out and the screams let the two know that it was about time. Angel let her magic flash and the two jumped up and began hitting the window. A light whipped over to them, so they had to duck away.

Unfortunately, Coach Lawrence had decided to see what was going on outside at the same moment Mary and Darci fell in front of the back door.

. . .

Angel was glad that she now knew how to teleport without making a flash. She just had to make herself invisible first. And since Jack had long since taught her how to manipulate the wind and though she wasn't as skilled as he was, it was perfect for this situation.

First the lights flickered, stopping their game of Monopoly. Probably for the best, considering that they had been fighting for the past few minutes.

Then, she sent a small breeze to circle around the guys.

"Uh, do you have a fan in here?" Toby asked nervously. Just after the lights went out. They screamed and Angel heard the distinct sound of someone getting shoved.

"Nobody needs to panic," Douxie said, making a light with his magic. "It's likely just a power outage."

"In just this room?" Eli asked, pointing towards the door where the hall light was still on.

"A blown fuse maybe? I hear that happens every now and then," Krel suggested. The light went out just then, causing them to scream again. Angel doubted that the footsteps were Aja. They were too heavy and casual. If she had to guess, Coach Lawrence was just in the right place at the right time.

Angel let her magic create a flash of light, quickly so they couldn't tell the color of it (and took a quick picture). Immediately after, Mary and Darci began hitting the window. Steve screamed again as Douxie shone his light at the window, causing the girls to duck out of view.

Angel kept them from investigating by throwing a couple books around. They all screamed, and she could no longer help herself, finally letting out a laugh. Immediately, Douxie recognized the sound and whipped the light over to her. She decided that they'd had enough and let herself become visible with a smirk.

"Hi boys," she said saluting them. Steve whimpered again, but everyone else was annoyed and glared. Except Douxie, who simply gave her an exasperated sigh and smile.

"Uh, thanks again Mr. Coach Lawrence!" Aja's muffled voice came from outside, along with three pairs of running footsteps.

"Is that-?" Krel started but Angel interrupted.

"My cue. Buh bye!" With a flash of pink light, she was gone.

. . .

"That was so very lively!" Aja laughed as Angel (Flapjack on her shoulder) and Mary arrived in a pink flash of light, milkshakes in hand. After running for a couple blocks to make sure Coach Lawrence hadn't been following them, Angel had suggested they get milkshakes at the Cafe. She teleported Darci and Aja back to her house while she and Mary got them. "I wish to do it again!"

"Maybe later Ajh: I just can't believe you two are getting along so well," Darci said as Mary handed her and Aja the milkshakes. Angel had already sat down and was opening her straw and blowing the paper at Darci. The girl immediately retaliated by doing the same. Aja insisted that she try and actually hit Mary. Mary, against her better judgement, tried to retaliate as well. Unfortunately, her straw didn't allow her to.

Aja, Angel, and Darci laughed causing Mary to chuckle as well. The whole thing had distracted Darci from the fact that they were all getting along pretty well. Somehow, the conversation left how scared the boys were and how funny it was to hear them scream like that when they knew they were the cause, to Mama Skull.

Specifically two remaining members trying to convince Angel to join it.

"Come on, Ange," Darci insisted. "We need a vocalist now that Claire is gone."

"And you've got the best voice in town," Mary said, then added, "that we know of here, anyway." Darci elbowed her while Angel just glared from her spot on the floor.

"That is so very lovely of you to say," she deadpanned before sighing. Aja noticed that she was feeling down and nervous, but she was also very curious.

"You know, I'd like to hear you sing sometime," Aja said. Even Flapjack chirped his agreement with her from his perch on the counter, eating his crackers. Angel rolled her eyes, but she smiled softly.

"Fine, fine," she muttered as Mary and Darci's eyes lit up. "On one condition; Claire gets her spot back the minute she comes back if she wishes."

The two agreed very quickly and set up a day soon to start writing songs and set up gigs. With that, the talk turned to Douxie and his band, and in turn their dating lives.

Angel elaborated on a couple of the people she dated and how most time she was more into girls than anything. When Mary pushed about how she was dating Douxie right now, Angel again retaliated with her being bi and she wasn't going to stop being bi when dating a guy.

Darci quickly intervened with practiced ease, shutting down the possibility of an argument with her own story. When the conversation turned to Steve and Aja, the three girls had some stories of him that made her both grimace and laugh out loud, having her milkshake come out of her nose.

"But he's definitely changed," Darci said seriously.

"For the better," Angel added. "You and Eli are good influences."

"Don't forget Krel," Mary added, making everyone turn to her in surprise. Mary didn't notice, playing with her straw and the bottom part of her cup, something she'd never done in the past. "He's a good guy too."

"Since when do you know my brothers name?"

"Uh, since never. Who's Kevin anyway?" Mary was blushing. She never did that, not for something like this; not even when she talked about Tight Jeans Hank. The three others gave each other a quick glance so they were all on the same page before pushing further.

. . .

"Those girls are so going to get it," Steve muttered angrily. When Coach and Eli gave him a stern look, he rolled his eyes and softened his look. "But, obviously, in a non-violent and legal way."

The group had moved to the living room and the dinning table that overlooked it. Douxie was laying on the couch, half asleep. Toby and Krel were on the floor in front of the coffee table, the former already going through many ideas for it.

"Maybe it was for the best," Eli offered. "We weren't really having any fun with Monopoly."

"Speak for yourself, buttsnack."

"How did my sister even get into the house to mess with the fuses anyway?" Krel asked, ignoring the two and making Coach Lawrence rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, she came by saying that she left something on Steve's Vespa, so I let her in to get it," Coach answered. Krel rolled his eyes. Suddenly, a snort from the couch made everyone jump and stop talking. Coach Lawrence's expression softened before ushering the boys back to the bedroom, saying that as it was nearly midnight, they needed to get to sleep.

They protested slightly, but after Coach shushed them and hurriedly ushered them down the hall, they resigned to sleep. At least, as far as Coach Lawrence knew.

He left the room after making sure that the boys were going to sleep, instead going to grab a blanket for the boy on his couch. Douxie had opted for a T-shirt without his hoodie, trying to relax and do something different.

Coach Lawrence covered the overworked boy up. He'd seen the guy at the cafe and bookstore nearly back-to-back. He could let him crash on the couch for awhile. Maybe even leave a note next to him saying that he could go to the guest room bed if he woke up. That sounded right.

Meanwhile, in Steve's room, no one was even attempting sleep.

. . .

Douxie's jacket smelled just like him. Angel had woken before everyone else, just staring out the floor to ceiling window as she lay on the floor. She could have gone to Douxie's bed but that might have raised questions and accusations, specifically from Mary, that she didn't want to answer.

Mary and Darci had taken her bed and Aja had taken the couch. Angel didn't mind sleeping on the floor; in fact she found it kinda comfortable. However, she could never tell whether that was from the times she fell asleep on a hard bed or floor waiting for her mother to get home from work at night. Either way, for a few days it was fine to do.

The day was bright already, even at eight in the morning. It was already almost halfway through the summer but she was already waiting for winter. Maybe she could talk Jack into making it snow a little longer next time.

Archie walked over to her and snuggled under her arm since Douxie wasn't home and Coach Lawrence was allergic to cats. Flapjack had chirp like snores from the back of the couch. This was the kind of break she needed. Hopefully, after the Monopoly fight and their scare, he got to have some fun.

Chapter Text

The first bit of the lesson with Archie was just a rehash of something she knew already. That repeat sleep spells could cause sever memory loss of the caster and anyone associated with them. And the idea that other similar spells could have the same consequences as well.

She finally got excited when he continued on to a topic she'd been waiting for for awhile.

"Spell circles," Archie started, walking on his hind legs on the coffee table in front of a whiteboard. It had different circles with runes and symbols. Douxie had set it all up before he went to work, his handwriting perfect. She could never be that neat. "Like incantations, specifically the Tenebris excelium incantation, can enhance a spell."

"How do I- you're about to get to that, aren't you?" Angel muttered excitedly at first, then nervously at Archie's glare. That and he might still be mad that she had been the reason for him getting woken up by ten air horns the other day. How was she supposed to know the boys, not Douxie as he was well asleep at the time, would retaliate like that?

"Yes, I am. But first you must learn the different types and what they help with specifically. Now then, the long ones that look like roads are to help uncover and make hidden sigils, or to simply make the spell stronger. However, those are the hardest to manifest and take years of practice.

"So, what you are to focus on are these-" he pointed to the regular circle ones with a square in the middle and four spaces around that- "they are beginners, but also very powerful and versatile. You can add any combination of runes to it, so they can fit any-"

"Hey, I did it!" Angel exclaimed, moving her hand around experimentally. Archie looked back in both curiosity and annoyance, immediately ducking down upon seeing the rune that was in all four spots.

"Yes you did- now undo it!" Archie yelled. Angel tilted her head in confusion as she held her hand up, pointing towards the ceiling. 

"Why do I need to- shit!" Angel hadn't noticed that it was glowing brighter and brighter until the beam of red shot up and she felt rush of lightning go down her arm. The circle disappeared as bits of the ceiling started falling on her head. "Ow! God damnit! I'm guessing that's why. Ow..." Angel knocked the dust off of her head and looked up. It was dripping slightly, due to a surprise rainstorm yesterday. 

"Flux runes are meant to be added strength, not used by themselves."

"I gathered that." Angel rubbed her arm, the pain replaced by a tingling sensation. "I should probably study runes next, huh?"

"Very good idea, only rivaled by the one that you should go to the roof and fix it."

"Yeah, yeah," Angel muttered as she teleported up there, thankful that one of the spells she'd been practicing for five years was a repair one. Just as she was about to put the final touches on the repairs, a shout from beside her startled her. Aja had somehow gotten right next to her, nearly falling on her. "Oh, hey Aja."

"Princess Aja, you must pay attention to your surroundings," Zadra ordered her charge as she landed next to her.

"What's going on?" Angel asked standing up and leaving her repair project alone. 

"We're training right now," Aja explained, then smiled brightly. "Do you wish to join us? I hear you talking about how you want different teachers and perspectives in your own. Also, Zadra might go easier on me if you're around." The last part was whispered behind one of her hands. 

"I heard that," Zadra said making Angel chuckle and Aja elbow her for her troubles. "And if she joins us in our training, I will not go easy on her either."

"Don't expect ya too," Angel answered with a smirk, earning one back from the Akkiridians. She quickly teleported back inside to tell Arch where she was going and change her shoes into a better suited pair for the task at hand. 

. . .

"Ugh, can we stop with the running and get to the cannon blasting part of my training?" Aja asked as she knelt down, taking a moment to breath. Angel landed next to her, stumbling forward until she nearly fell. Zadra caught her and set her upright fluidly. She let go and turned away like nothing happened.

"I do not trust that the traitor Varvatos trained you properly," Zadra said as she did a running jump off the building. "We must start with the basics!" Zadra said as she ran and jumped off the roof and flipping in the air and sliding onto another. "After you've mastered that-" her red boot barely touched the other side, "then we can move to advanced tactics."

"That was amazin!" Angel exclaimed with a jump. She couldn't tell if Zadra was smirking or just smiling, but Aja was definitely smirking overconfidently as she stood up.

"I'm a fast learner, and swift as a larvox!" Aja yelled as she began running. Angel quickly followed, her combat boots, gifted to her by Anna, were glowing maroon. 

"Me too!" Whatever a larvox was. Angel jumped just as Aja did, the magic giving her more of a boost to go as far as she needed, since the other buildings were close enough she didn't need much. In that one second, as she reached the highest point, she felt her entire body rise. Sure, her stomach did a somersault, but it was an amazing feeling in a way.

Time seemed to slow when she was up there. She could see the cafe lights turning off for the night, possibly Barbara and Strickler walking down the street, a cop car speeding after another car. She let out a whoop and a laugh. It was like she was flying and she never wanted to stop.

But she did. 

Angel began falling instead of flying, whimpering instead of cheering. Aja had apparently already realized that she wasn't going to make it and started flailing around for a moment, trying to grab onto the side. Angel noticed her trajectory was different from hers and tried to keep a good position for landing. 

As Aja clung for dear life with the two hands that could reach the raised side of the roof. Angel's feet landed on that same thing and she thought she was in the clear for a moment, sighed in relief.

"Crap!" Angel yelled as she fell backwards, her lack of balance kicking her for leaning back too far. Before she fell too low, Aja grabbed her with a free hand to pull her close. Angel latched onto to her waist, Aja keeping an arm around her to keep her from slipping. "That happened."

"You were right," Aja groaned as let herself be pulled up by Zadra. Angel grabbed onto the side of the roof when she was close enough so Aja could fully be pulled up, then was helped up herself.

"In battle, a warrior must be prepared to save herself," Zadra lectured. "Your compatriots may betray you, and you're left to fight alone." Aja and Angel shared a glance, the latter more perturbed than the other.

"We ain't talking about the battle field, are we?" Angel asked. Zadra crossed her arms and didn't say anything else. Suddenly, the power went out across town, a bright blue light following it.

"Seklos and Galen..."

"It's only a power failure," Aja offered.

"Happens a lot during the summer," Angel added, following the blue light with her eyes. "Though, that's a bit unusual."

"That looked like an electro thermal lifeform," Zadra said as the blue light moved through the power lines.

"What's that?" 

"They can manipulate electricity, travel through it. The Taylon Phalanx fought one once. An entire battalion was turned into burned bread?" 

"You mean toast," Aja said, turning around and catching Angel's equally worried eye.

"We've gotta stop it-" Angel started.

"Before someone gets hurt!"

"Negative," Zadra said as she turned around and began walking away. "Your friend shall go home and you and I shall return to ours and ensure the Mothership is secure- Princess Aja!" Angel had been focused on Zadra, about to push back on going back to her own home, but once Zadra said that, she whipped around to see nothing.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, she's fast!"

"Yes. She always did excel at running away." Angel sighed and told Zadra to warn the others while she went after Aja.

. . .

Douxie got off early that night due to a power outage. He hated losing the money, but figured it would be a good time to go on patrol. And surprise Zoe.

"What's a lovely thing like you doing out at night like this?" Douxie asked from behind the pink haired girl as she locked the front door. She had tensed for a moment before glancing back and seeing who it was.

"I'm about to punch you for scaring the crap out of me," Zoe said as she put the keys in her bag and started walking away. Douxie fell into step next to her with a smirk. She hid her own. "That's what I'm doing out here."

"Hmm, yeah a little thing like you could never take me, the big strong man." The last bit was a horribly done american accent, having Zoe laughing how she always did when he did that, shoving him slightly like she always did, making him laugh in turn. It was unspoken that they would start on patrol together. Granted, it was set up for a couple nights from now and added Anna to the mix, but seeing as their shifts ended early due to no power, they had time to just talk.

First, they talked about their days and the customers they'd had. Douxie had gotten a party of 12 at the cafe that was mostly rude, but said someone left him a 20 dollar tip. Better than Zoe's day; she'd gotten a thirty year old who didn't understand anything she said about her phone problems and didn't seem to want to understand, just wanted her to fix it and fix it fast.

The talk about when the next band practice ended with them agreeing on the Saturday after next. And Douxie casually mentioning that Angel joined her own band.

"Wait, wait, wait-" Zoe interrupted him, stopping them midway down the alley. "What band?"

"Uh, remember the band Claire was in?" Zoe snorted.

"How could I forget? They weren't very good."

"You have to remember, it was literally before the end of the world and they were trying to make sense of what Claire was saying."

"Whatever." Zoe was quietly laughing to herself, especially at his defense at the obviously bad band but soon remembered that it was what he answered her original question with. Zoe gave Douxie an incredulous look. He returned it with a sheepish smile.

"So, how's she doing?" Zoe sighed, shaking her head and leaving that bit of information alone for now, as they started walking again. "With the whole possession thing, I mean. If she's joining a band, and one that needs a lot, and I mean a lot-"

"Ok! You've made your point," Douxie sighed, then sighed and hesitated a moment before answering. "She's been alright. She just-"

"Hasn't mentioned it at all?" Zoe finished with a raised brow.

"No, no, she has- just in the context that we needed a break. And now she's just focused on practicing..." Zoe glared at him before shaking her head, shutting his thought down right away. They stopped at a semi dead end as it split off left and right.

"She needs to deal with this."

"I know."

"And you need to get her to. She listens to you and Archie more."

"I know she does. She just-"

"And you do too," Zoe nearly whispered, but it was stern enough that Douxie gave her a glance before looking down at the ground. He'd refused to even think about that moment, that key moment when Angel was first possessed.

Be careful, Hisirdoux. One day, one of your mistakes will kill someone else.

It was from before he ever met Merlin, ever met Archie, ever found himself in Camelot, ever found himself on the streets at seven years old...

"I know that look, Hiz. And you've had it for almost a week now. You need-" a bright blue illuminating them cut off Zoe's train of thought. It disappeared just as quickly, leaving them feeling electrified and stunned. That wasn't a normal power outage.

They wordlessly split up, since they hadn't seen where it went, Zoe taking the left and Douxie taking the right, finding himself at the museum just as the blue light disappeared.

. . .

"This place is creepy at night," Angel muttered as she resisted the urge to shine a magical light as her and Aja tiptoed through the dark place. "Toby was right."

"Would you be quiet?" Aja whispered as she glared over her shoulder at the girl. "For being able to turn invisible, you are not very stealthy." 

"I'm whispering, aren't I?" Angel glared despite the chills going down her spine and hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

"Whispering is not stealthy."

"Oh, would you rather I yell?"

Aja jumped at a sound off to the side, using her serrator sword as both flashlight and defense. She and Angel backed up, the latters bracers lighting up red. The same color magic danced at her fingertips. 

Aja suddenly yelled and her serrator connected with something metal as she whipped around. Angel followed suit, letting go of her battle stance for a relaxed one.

"Toby?" She said with a confused smile. Aja didn't seem to share the sentiment. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling her serrator away from him and trying to walk off to look for the reason they were in here. "There's a bounty hunter on the loose."

"I know, and you would have too if you hadn't blocked my calls," Toby answered, a bit peeved. Angel couldn't blame him. "I figured as the sworn protect-" Aja tuned him out in favor of focusing on the monster looming behind him and ignoring Angel's relived smile as she shoved them back.

"Toby, Angel, run!" She shouted. Arrrgh seemed to think she was a threat as well considering his body and eyes lit up bright green. Angel ran up to calm the troll while Toby tried to explain to Aja. Even if the bright green on him unnerved her. 

"Stop; this is Arrrgh!" Aja again pulled him back, not realizing that he wasn't screaming.

"No need to scream, Toby."

"I'm not screaming. His name is Arrrgh!"

"I protect Wingman and Angel!"

"Woah, big guy," Angel soothed, putting her hands on his chest and willing herself not to run. "She's Aja and she's a friend. Not a threat-" Aja cleared her throat and Angel rolled her eyes as she added, "to us, anyway. She'll help protect Toby." Arrrgh seemed to calm at this, his glow leaving his body and eyes. Angel sighed, letting loose a breath she didn't know she had held.

"Ok, everyone stop protecting me!" Toby yelled as he shoved past the three. "I am a protector! I am a PROTECTOR!"

"Oh, ok: Sorry for almost killing you." Aja apologized, putting away her serrator and stepping towards Arrrgh. The troll curiously lifted her hair and sniffed it. Aja's smile turned soft and curious. Angel ducked out of the way so the two could get aquatinted. "Arrrgh, is it?"

"With three r's," Arrrgh said.

"I'm Aja Tarron. Just two r's." Aja took his face in her top two hands. "You are one magnificent creature."

"Thank you."

"Ok, good intros," Toby said as Angel walked to the middle of the room.

"Now that we're not tryin to kill each other anymore-" Angel stopped as she felt something in the air, some kind of energy. She lit up her bracers, a flux rune appearing on both of them.

"Tarron!" A voice yelled before electricity shot around the room, some form visible for only a short amount of time, finally landing behind Toby. He jumped forward as it roared, falling to the ground.

"Maybe we can try to kill that!"

Angel let her hands dawn claws and immediately ran to jump and slash at the creature, her boots glowing red. He was too fast with his counter attack, shooting her back in a burst of electricity. It seemed like enough to kill her, equivalent to ten lightning strikes. Except she didn't feel hurt at all.

The fight before Angel passed at nearly a million miles a minute, true. But that was just because she was dazed by the attack. The creature dashed behind Aja and Arrrgh after she said something to him, then crawled carefully over to her with her own answer. Arrrgh stepped in front of them all defensively.

"And I'm hear to help!" Toby's voice was too loud for some reason. Even if Aja was being stubborn, there was no need to yell like that. "We gotta take him-" Toby began as Angel stood up, her senses came back, seemingly clearer than ever. Her magic felt stronger than ever. Unfortunately, Aja simply used Arrrgh as a launchpad and went in for an attack. 

The creature growled and sent a burst of electricity from it's mouth towards her. It knocked her into the back wall, her face screwed up with pain. Angel yelled to Toby so he could catch her before putting a shield in-between her and the electricity, causing her to drop.

"Protect new friend!" Arrrgh shouted as he advanced on the alien, the electricity doing nothing to stop him. With a roar of rage, Arrrgh shut it's mouth and tried to hit it. The alien wrapped it's tail around his neck and seemingly teleporting behind him.

The alien then jumped and tried to pound Arrrgh into the ground, but the troll was quick and rolled out of the way. He launched his own counter attack. The alien dodged it again, running to kick him in the face. It did nothing and Arrrgh stopped the next attack by grabbing both of the aliens fists.

"What are you?" It asked.

"Made of stone!" Arrrgh shouted before he immediately began slamming the alien on the ground. Much like Hulk did to Loki (and Thor in Ragnarok), Angel noted. 

"Oh my gosh!" Toby gushed, pulling out his phone. "An alien fighting a troll! AWESOMESAUCE! I gotta call Jimbo!"

"Toby, look out!" Douxie yelled as he ran to them. Angel whipped her head to him, confused and worried as the alien became full electricity lightning and shot from him to Toby's phone to the nearest outlet. She immediately teleported next to him despite him now being only a couple feet away now.

"You ok?" Arrrgh asked Toby. Angel put her hand on his shoulder only to feel a spark shock her.

"No! That was like my seventh phone! Who was that creep?"

"Are you ok, Doux?" Angel asked, his expression turning confused.

"I'm fine, love," he answered with a small smile that was supposed to be calming but did nothing to do so. "Really. It was just a bit of lightning."

"Just a bit of- are you crazy?!" She immediately let go of his shoulder to slap it. 

"You seemed to recover pretty fast from your own shock," Aja said, finally standing up, albeit shakily. "You only took half a mecron." Angel let go of her anger and disbelief that he would just play off a lightning strike as nothing. She glanced sideways to Douxie with a sheepish expression.

"Let me guess- wizard thing?" Douxie nodded and she facepalmed. It didn't help that he chuckled.

. . .

"He is Tronos Madu, an electrothermal lifeform from the planet Voltar," Mother explained as she showed a hologram of the afformentioned alien.

"Voltar?" Zadra asked curiously. "That planet still exists?"

"Barely. It's been mostly reduced to rubble after a keltons long war."

"No wonder he's a bounty hunter," Angel muttered as the hologram switched from Tronos to the destruction of his planet. Barely anything was left. "He has no one... At all.."

"I saw this guy at the moon outpost," Krel said once Mother switched back to the bounty hunter's picture, seeming to have not heard Angel at all. Aja and Douxie only gave her a worried glance before Krel continued. "He was drinking, gambling, and killing Foo-Foos. No class."

"Your valiant rescue of commander Varvatos would explain how this bounty hunter tracked us here," Mother suggested.

"Forgive me for not thinking it was worth it," Zadra said as she glared at Varvatos. He was pointedly avoiding her gaze.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to work together," Mother suggested. "Tronos is a dangerous predator-"

"I agree," Douxie interrupted, earning a computerized sigh that he ignored. "He seems travel through electricity."

"Hence the power failure's," Angel continued, even though she still hadn't gotten a full explanation as to why Tronos'electricity didn't harm her and Douxie.

"He's no doubt using the power lines to infiltrate the grid," Varvatos said matter of factly, to which Zadra scoffed.

"I came to the same conclusion myself- Significantly earlier," Zadra smirked. Angel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as Varvatos growled.

"Perhaps you should have shared this earlier insight with your allies."

"Oh. Now the traitor is chastising me for withholding information."

"Varvatos should decore your body with a dull spoon!" Varvatos had stomped over to Zadra, clearly trying to hold back from delivering on his threat.

"Ok, ok, chill out, lads!" Douxie said as he rushed in between the two, Arrrgh holding onto their shoulders to keep the from attacking.

"Yeah, we're all on the same team here," Toby said with a nervous smile.

"Right? Come on, this is starting to hurt." Suddenly, a red glow covered the both of them, forcing them to opposite sides of the room like they were children.

"Take a god damn chill pill and focus on the bigger picture," Angel said, annoyed at the two being worse than one year olds. 

"We have to stop Tronos," Aja ordered, glaring at the two. It made both of them stop glaring at each other and look to her, only a glimmer of shame crossing both their faces.

"How?" Krel asked. "He's lightning fast making him impossible to stop." Suddenly, Toby gasped making everyone look to him with raised brows and utter confusion.

. . .

They all divided and attempted to concquer. Douxie and Angel found an abandoned storage building in the middle of town and brought in as many lights as possible, including the ones from the sleepover a couple days ago. Aja shut down the power to everywhere in Arcadia except that building as Krel and Toby worked on the Lightning-bottle-blaster-thingy (Douxie 'wondered' who came up with that name.)

Zadra and Angel were watching from above for any signs of Tronos. It was quiet as they each took two corners to survey, almost painfully so. After almost an hour of not talking, it grew to be too much for the girl.

"What happened with Varvatos and you to make hate him so much?" She asked. Angel didn't need to look at her to know she was scowling. 

"None of your concern," was her quick and short answer. 

"Oh come on. We're about to fight a Voltarian together. We should have brought him. From what I've heard-"

"The royals didn't tell you everything if you still trust him. Varvatos Vex is a traitor and a sorry excuse for a warrior." 

"So he hurt you. I know what that's like." It was quiet again, the silence being horrible. Did I just ruin it again? Angel thought, her body stiffening as a cold breeze passed through. I made it about myself, a stupidly selfish move. I just wanted- 

"It wasn't just me he hurt." Angel's body relaxed but she didn't talk as Zadra sighed. She just let she tell her what she wished. "At my Royals coronation, General Morrando was able to attack because a traitor lowered the shields. That traitor was Varvatos Vex.

"Because of him, the king and queen are in stasis and my royals are far from their home and are being persued by the most vile bounty hunters alive- and above all that, the royals still seem to have forgiven him. It's- it doesn't make any more sense than a larvox eating a Cintradite."

"Actually, I don't find it unreasonable at all," Angel offered after a moment, feeling Zadra's glare train on her back. Still, she didn't back down. "True, I haven't been around him as much as the others but as far as I've seen and the way Krel and Aja talk about him. And he... Helped Douxie with my possession."

"I understand that he seems to have changed but once a traitor always a traitor." Silence spaced between them for a few minutes. Then-

"That's not always true," Angel said, though it was so quiet Zadra wondered if she was hearing things. It took a moment before Angel was able to continue herself. "My step-father, he was sorta a bad guy. He constantly got drunk and fought with my mother, sometimes even... me and my little sisters would constantly be woken up and have to hide.

"I'll spare you the details, but stuff like that only happened when he was drunk. After a certain night that led to him being in jail, it ended up being reality check for him. And he changed. 

"So when he got out, I forgave him and reco-" Angel cut herself off, swiping at her eyes and sniffing. Zadra was looking at her again, probably because she felt sorry for her or something. Might be mad at her, actually. "Anyway, I'm not saying you should forgive Varvatos. Just to see that he isn't all bad- it's hardly ever that simple."

"Angel-" Zadra started but Angel didn't want to hear how badly she messed up. She'd done that enough these past few months. So she muttered something about going in and used the parkour skills she learned that night to get to the other building, albeit nearly falling again, saving herself with a teleport that made Zadra wonder why she didn't do that in the first place.

But she went in through a skylight, and made her way carefully down to a rafter and watching the others getting set up. 

. . .

Angel kicked her legs back and forth and was obviously sitting in a position that required her full attention so she didn't fall. Douxie sighed and tore his eyes away from her. 

"Is she alright?" Aja asked as she joined him in watching Angel. Her eyes were shut and she seemed to be muttering to herself. Douxie recognized it as a technique to calm herself. Despite what she said, he had seen her almost panic attacks many times.

"I don't think so," was all he could get out before Zadra came running in.

"Target approaching!" She yelled, everyone hiding as Krel handed off the gun to Aja quickly. Angel turning invisible from her place on the rafters to be ready to attack if needed. The lights blinked out very quickly, the hairs on the back of the humans necks rising as Tronos appeared in the middle of the now dark room. He was the only source of light now, the eery blue light a shadow.

"What is this place?" Tronos asked, carefully moving around, trying to find out whatever this place held. He seemed to sense something, looking up to where Angel was in the rafters to where Douxie was hiding and back. As if deciding which one to investigate.

"Aja, now!" Zadra yelled, causing the royal in question to run out and pull in Tronos. It was difficult and she was pulled forward. Douxie ran out to help her, but the lights came back on and Tronos was captured. 

Everyone began celebrating and jumping with joy. Angel could be heard sighing and Douxie looked up just as she became visible again. Beside him, a lightbulb flicked, taking his attention as he looked at it curiously; Krel walked to investigate the strange flickering. The minute Krel tapped it, the lights went out again and Tronos' yell echoed.

The lightning bottle shook and shuddered, causing Aja to drop it. Tronos burst out of the bottle, speeding around the room. As he passed the rafters a few times, the only reason Angel hadn't fallen was because she used her rope to latch onto them.

"He's everywhere and somehow nowhere!" 

"He's beyond physics!" 

Douxie tried shoot him down, to paralize him at least, but he couldn't get a direct shot. Or when he could, he risked hitting someone else. Suddenly he appeared behind Toby and Aja, thrusting them forward, the latter more agile in her recovery. Toby tried to attack Tronos, but made contact with nothing but the floor. Tronos grabbed Aja and Krel and threw them. 

Zadra, Toby, and Arrrgh tried their best to take him down, but the all had different levels of failure. And just when Zadra thought she was done for, Varvatos Vex himself dealt a blow that threw Tronos across the building.

"Vex? What are you doing here?" Zadra asked as the big blue man helped her up.

"Varvatos already lost one family- he isn't prepared to loose another!" After that declaration and the defensive stance, he and Zadra got blasted backwards. And the lightning flashed once more before Aja and Krel were gone. Douxie ran to help Toby up and check for whatever wounds he might have had. Just a couple electrical burns. Varvatos had already gotten up and was making some speech about getting the three back from Tronos' grasp.

"Three?" Douxie asked, taking stock of who was there. Arrrgh and Toby were accounted for, as were Zadra and Varvatos obviously. Krel and Aja were the ones kidnapped and Angel should be in the rafters still-

He looked up to see a red mist fade, indicating that the spell had recently been stopped. And stopped suddenly.

. . .

Angel didn't know whether she had simply fallen onto Tronos or if she had made a concicious decision to attach onto his back. Regardless, she was there now and from the way he glanced back at her, he was waiting for the right moment to attack same as her.

Suddenly, they were thrown out of whatever they were traveling in and away from him. After making sure Krel and Aja were ok and unharmed, Angel took a second to glance at her surroundings. Military transport trucks and spotlights surrounded them and Tronos. The military and people in hazmat suits shot Tronos with blasts of green, incapacitating him quickly.

"If only we'd had that a bit ago," Angel muttered before being shushed by both siblings. They pulled her behind a truck and transformed into their human forms quickly. 

"Play along," Aja told Angel before hiding behind Krel. Angel held onto her arm in fake fear just as a woman turned the corner. "You saved us! That- that thing-!"

"It attacked us," Krel continued, hugging himself as Angel was. She didn't trust herself enough to speak, so she played the role of too terrified to speak and simply nodded with wide eyes. Angel did try to make her lip quiver.

The woman eyed them suspiciously for a moment before sighing and turning to look back someone. Angel took that moment to grab the siblings, turn them invisible with her, and teleport them back to the group.

"Costous, we have some civilians to-" the woman turned back to the trio only to see they were gone. She narrowed her eyes at the empty space. "Process..."

Later that night, when the Alien Tronos was in custody, Kubritz found out that two of the three civilians that mysteriously disappeared were the ones who broke into her base. As for the third one, according to the prisoners description, was still a creature of this earth- but not human enough to be considered safe by her standards.

Chapter Text

"There you are," Douxie said as the girl finally appeared on the screen of his laptop. The feed glitched and Claire adjusted something on her side before sighing. 

"Sorry Doux," she muttered before hitting the side of her computer. The picture immediately became clearer. "The sewers don't get good reception."

"How close are you to New Jersey? You know, so you can get out of the sewers."

"Almost halfway. With so many trolls that, let's be honest aren't the nicest," she whispered, holding her hand up to block her mouth, "it's been taking- Hey!" Douxie let out a chuckle that turned to full out laughter when Claire suddenly stood up and yelled at some trolls behind the laptop in spanish. And from what he knew, some of her words were curses. The sounds that had been going on in the background stopped suddenly. Claire seemed satisfied and sat down with an exasperated sigh. 

"Did Angel teach you those words?" To that, he got an outstretched tongue and fake glare. It only made him laugh harder which in turn made Claire laugh as well. Her hair fell in her face, showcasing her longer white bangs. "Have you dyed your hair again?" He asked as the laughter recceded.

"No actually. About a week back I woke up with my hair like this. I think it's a delayed effect of breaking my shadow staff. How are you and Angel doing?" Claire asked. 

Her smile was genuine as was the question; Douxie could just see the other one burning in her eyes.

"I haven't found anything yet, Claire," he said it softly, as Claire's smile fell slightly, as her eyes flashed with disappointment. "I'm trying- really. But Merlin came up with the spell centuries ago and only tried it now and he never was in the habit of writing many things down-"

"It's ok, Douxie," Claire said, and ment it fully. "Jim is doing good. Yeah, he misses walking in the sun and eating regular food, but he's sorta embraced being a troll. Though, the armor is a bit of a problem. You got any ideas on how to get it off?"

"Um, no... are- are you sure?" Claire chuckled at Douxie's insistence on the matter, and how willing he was to help. Considering that Merlin wasn't trying at all and dissuaded any attempts before Jim asked her to stop trying so hard, it was nice to know he cared.

"It's fine, Douxie. I promise." He didn't seem convinced, so she went to distracting him, something she'd had oddles of practice with if the fact that Mary and Angel still hung out were any indication.

. . .

The arrow shot past the dark wood of the tree root Flapjack was perched on, embedding itself in the grass. The aforementioned bird chirped angrily at the girl who had let it loose, the arrow having come too close for comfort. 

"Sorry FJ," Angel winced, pushing her hair behind her ear. She still hadn't found the time to trim it again or dye it, so it was now at the end of shoulders and her dirty blonde roots were showing. "Maybe I should try a different weapon."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Elsa said as she put a hand on her shoulder. Her voice had a slight norwegian accent, but it had faded over the centuries just like her sister's. "You just started."

"I still can't believe you know how to shoot a bow and arrow. I pictured you for a more magic wielder type of fighter." Angel demonstrated by pulling a maroon glow to her hand. Elsa chuckled, a breathy type of laugh, and Angel let the magic turn misty as it disappeared. Elsa's blues eyes shined as she looked to the sky, lost in a memory. It was the same look Douxie and the rest of band got from time to time. She had even seen Merlin have it at least once.

"A friend of mine knew how," she smiled. "She could go on about it for hours, but I could never understand that accent of hers."

"Was her accent Scottish and her name Merida?" Elsa's smile quickly disappeared and the non-existent clouds became the most interesting thing to her. "Just how many of your friends stories did you three sell?"

"Ok, you live for a few centuries, you have to find some way to pass the time." Elsa pushed some hair out of her face and sighed as she regained her composure. It was so quick and so fluid that Angel could definitely tell that she had been a queen. It always showed in the way she moved and walked and talked and smiled. Like now. 

"Fair enough," Angel laughed. She raised the bow and arrow up to try and give it back to Elsa but stopped when she was met with a glare that only a queen could pull off. Damn her and her sister for being raised in Arendelle.

"You are going to practice a little more with this before I let you give up. Now-" A cold wind wrapped around Angel's wrists and forcefully lifted them to the proper position to shoot. "Try again." Angel chuckled nervously as she pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back. 

The target was a simple one, not even a regular one. Just a circle of ice around an area of the bark on the tree. A beginners target as Elsa put it. Angel pulled the arrow back shakily aiming higher than before so as not to risk hitting Flapjack. Unfortunately, she overshot the target by about a foot. 

"You're aiming too high," Elsa sighed as Angel pulled another arrow back. The wind pushed her arms down and left. Still, before she loosed the arrow, her hands had gone up again. The platinum blonde groaned and looked around. There was something holding her back, something keeping her from-

Chirp!

Flapjack had noticed her discomfort and glided to simply perch on Angel's shoulder and nuzzle against her cheek. She smiled softly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She opened one eye and aimed properly for once. 

This time, when she loosed the arrow, it hit right inside the circle.

. . .

"Hey Krel," Douxie said as he walked into the Mothership hallway. The boy, of whom was taller than Douxie in his Akkiridian form and made him slightly annoyed, had two of his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "What's going on?"

"I need to test out a new security system," Krel said as a control panel shot out of the side wall. "Since you and Angel told me about those Gammy masks-"

"Glamour mask-" 

"And with Morrando on his way, I figured that we needed to make sure we knew who comes in and out of Mother. Now put your hand there," Krel said with smirk. Douxie did as told and Mother's interface came flying down the hall. He jumped back and was startled but didn't move.

"Voice activation required," she said. Douxie looked to Krel who nodded him on before Mother flew into his sight line and repeated her statement.

"Ok, um, Hisirdoux Casperan," he said. Mother turned red.

"Access denied."

"Douxie Casperan?" He tried and got the same reaction. "Douxie." 

"Access denied. Three more attempts available."

"Oh come on. What did you put my name as?" Krel laughed, causing Douxie to glare at him. 

He had told Krel to stop calling him that more times than he could count and would not acknowledge the stupid nickname anymore than he had too. 

"Master Wizard," He said simply because he wanted that to be true. He'd told Krel about his wishes during the sleepover (before the prank). It didn't work.

"Just say it," Krel said with a very insufferable smirk. 

"No- Master Wizard!"

"Access denied." Douxie groaned and pulled a hand over his face.

"One more chance~" Krel taunted. He laughed as he saw Douxie's expression change from annoyance to exasperated acceptance.

"Mr. Magic Man..."

. . .

She was going to do it. Angel finally had the time and money to get it and her job didn't require her to cover it up. As the bell rang and she entered, a familiar face greeted her. 

"Hey Angel," Jack said from behind the counter. "Where's your shadow? Oh, I mean pet bird."

"He's not a pet, Jack," Angel countered, hands on her hips. "He's a friend. Something you are very close to not being if you keep it up." Angel didn't mean it if the smirk on her face meant anything. Jack smiled impishly as he raised up a picture to show her, her eyes lighting up at the art.

"Is that anyway to talk to the one who's about to stick your arm with needle a bunch of times?"

"That's amazing! And uh, don't remind me," Angel groaned, rubbing her left forearm. Jack's smile faltered slightly.

"I know Flapjack was supposed to be here to help. Are you sure-"

"I'm not rescheduling. Flapjack is just going with Arch to visit a friend. But I have time now, I have the money now; I'm doing this."

"Ok," Jack said as wrote something down and gestured to the nearby waiting area. Lots and lots of framed artwork examples covered the wall and a binder of some more was placed on a table. "Let me go get the seat and everything ready. I'll come get you in a few minutes."

. . .

Chirp! Chirp!

"We're almost there, don't get your feathers in a twist," Archie said as flew over the trees, the phoenix not far behind and giving an indignant chirp to his comment. "Well how was I supposed to know that was offensive?"

Uh, chirp!

"Yes yes, alright I'm sorry." Archie ducked into the trees he had been gliding over for quite some time, Flapjack following without missing a beat. 

As the sunset cast orange and red shadows through the spaces the trees gave, the two creatures came up to what seemed to be a dried up well and perched on the side. "I still don't get why you won't tell her." 

Flapjack, who had now taken his full phoenix form, rustled his feathers and bristled. He stared down the inky blackness of the well. 

"What is it with you? Anytime I mention her being your familiar, you cut me off or change the subject!"

Chirp, chirp...

"What do you mean you can't?" Archie asked softly. The tone of his words left a mark, one that had him immediately want it to leave and never come back. It was the same one Angel, and Douxie if you pushed him, had when talking about the less cheerful aspects of their past. Flapjack glanced at Archie and sighed, a crack in his stupor exterior.

"My old familiar... They're still alive..." Flapjack practically whispered to Arch, though to any human passing by, it would just be a bird chirping. Arch stayed silent and let him speak. "I couldn't stand what they were doing, what they were planning. And when I left, they didn't like it and gave me this-" Flapjack stopped suddenly when the dragon brushed up against the scar that his feathers refused to cover in either form.

"You don't have to finish." Arch pulled back to look into Flapjack's brown eyes and give a reassuring smile. "And I won't tell her until your ready." Archie saw tears begin to form in the birds and gave him another nuzzle. He then pulled back quickly and moved to a playful position and wiggled his eyebrows. 

Flapjack used his wing to wipe away his tears as he laughed. He gave Arch a look that asked if he was seriously challenging him, a phoenix, to a race. The dragon jumped closer with a smirk indicating that he was serious.

"You asked for it, dragon-cat!" Flapjack said as he rose up to hover. Archie followed suit.

"Three-"

"Two-"

"One!" The two finished together before shooting down the well.

Chapter Text

"Thanks, but you know I could've gotten to school myself, right Barb?" Angel asked from the passenger seat of her car. The past night, she had helped get some of the kids down and had accidentally fallen asleep on the couch. Barbara called Douxie to let him know where she was before covering her up.

"I know, but the last time you were hurt and teleported like that, it just made it worse," Barbara countered, then punched her arm playfully. "Also, I wanted to. Is that so bad?"

"No, I guess," Angel smiled before examining her left forearm. It was still slightly red and sore, but otherwise ok. "And I'm not hurt like I was. It's just a tattoo."

"Just promise me you won't do it for a couple days, alright? I don't wanna risk it."

"Ok, ok. I won't, Doc. I'll listen to your medical advice." Angel glanced sideways at her, a small smile on her features. She couldn't help but think about how lucky Jim was to have her as a mother. She was kind, caring, even with someone who wasn't her kid. 

Like Angel's own mother... 

She shook her head as Barbara pulled up to the school. It wasn't that she didn't want to think of her mom, at least the good bits of her...

But that dumb demon brought back memories and feelings she never thought- never wanted to feel ever again. That was a long time ago, her mom was never the best but she was good. Good at some moments and Angel had made peace With the fact that she would be like her...

Like her lies.... Her inability to get help when she needed it... Not telling anyone how she really felt. Barbara's hand fell to Angel's shoulder, sensing her change in mood, but her phone rang and she checked it with a disappointed sigh.

"It's the hospital, I have to-" 

"Go on, Dr. L," Angel said as she got out of the car, smiling though it didn't reach her eyes. "Duty calls."

"Have fun at summer school." She scoffed and the smile she gave was genuine, exactly what the doctor was hoping for. 

"Those are words that have never been uttered before."

. . .

Angel walked into the classroom with a bit heavier feeling than she should have had and her smile wasn't all the way there until she noticed some of her friends were there. Mary and Toby, obviously. Weirdly, so were Darci, Aja, and Krel. 

Mary and Darci stopped talking for a moment to each give looks to her left forearm and give her smiles and a thumbs up in approval. Mary pointed to the tattoo then to her phone, silently asking permission to post about it. Angel held out her arm with a chuckle so Mary could take a decent picture, the flash startling her a second, before going to sit somewhere else.

Darci could be easy to guess as to why she was here but the curiosity she had for the siblings (and Arrrgh as he was trying to sit in a desk next to Toby) had her sitting next Aja.

Coach came in finally, muttered something about Steve, and began to take role, she didn't get to ask. Especially when he spotted the troll in the room.

"Wha- Arrrgh?" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" The troll finally got situated in the desk but it broke not a moment after.

"He's looking to expand his educational horizons," Toby explained with a nervous chuckle as Arrrgh picked up a nearby textbook.

"Also got hungry," Arrrgh said simply.

"Just imagine if we got you on the wrestling team," Coach gushed. Arrrgh scratched his head, not sure what that meant. "We'd finally make it to state."

"Glad to see your priorities are in order, Coach," Angel said as she rolled her eyes. She earned a few chuckles as Coach cleared his throat.

"I'm getting ahead of myself. First, we gotta do attendance. Wait, Tarron? You don't belong here."

"Finally, we agree on something," Krel said, standing and readying to leave.

"Slow your role, DJ Kleb- Aja it says you need to make up gym? But you're my star athlete." Angel tilted her head as Coach tried to make sense of the situation. 

"This doesn't make any sense; there must be some mistake," Aja told her brother before turning back to Toby. "What are you in for?"

"I missed 45 days of school," Toby answered and Angel winced. "Yeah, apparently Trollhunting's not good for your GPA. You ok over there, Wingman?"

"Education tasty," Arrrgh said as he downed another book. Angel chuckled, turning the siblings heads. Aja's eyes lit up when she saw Angel's arm.

"Ooo, your body picture is so very lively!" She exclaimed, trying to grab her arm to get a closer look.

"Careful!" Angel exclaimed, pulling her arm back quickly. "It's still healing."

"Oh, sorry."

"Your good. When it's healed all the way, I'll let you poke at prod at it if you want."

"Why are you here, Angel?" Krel asked. "I know you weren't the best student, but you definitely didn't make bad enough grades to be here."

"And you didn't miss that many days either," Aja said.

"I kept up with my assignments, so I just have to make up hours," Angel explained, though her features portrayed suspicion and confusion at the information she gave. "Though, I could've sworn I already made up all of them. I had to make them up before I could graduate, or so I was-"

She was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of vehicles approaching and everyone's eyes were drawn to the window as large government trucks rolled up. Angel shared a glance with Aja and Krel. Those looked familiar and eerily so. Their suspicions were confirmed when people in hazmat suits marched on the school. 

Everyone but Arrrgh, Toby, Aja, Krel, and Angel left the room to see what was going on. The three had stopped Arrrgh and Toby from leaving, Angel shutting and locking the door with her magic quickly. 

"Why'd you do that?" Toby complained, too loudly for anyone to find comfortable.

"Quiet Toby," Krel whispered as Angel put up a quick glamour spell on the windows to keep the people still outside from looking in. Then she and everyone else moved to door to listen to what was going on beyond the door. 

"There have been reports of a localized biohazard," a muffled voice told presumably Coach Lawrence. "We have to make sure no one is infected with this foreign pathogen lest we have a full blown outbreak." After hearing Mary complain about 'Jim Lake Disease' and Toby wincing slightly, Angel stopped listening and turned back to the group still in the classroom with a grimace.

"Why do I get the feeling these aren't the kind of doctors that hand out lolipops?" Toby asked nervously.

"Because these so called doctors are here- for us!" Krel realized. "Summer school- it's a trap!"

"And those are words that have never been uttered before," Angel muttered sarcastically as she crossed her arms.

. . .

"Ahh! Fuck!" Angel muttered as quietly as possible, though pain was now shooting up her arm after teleporting Toby and Arrrgh. She had tried to get them to the sewers directly, but found she couldn't go that far. She didn't realize exactly what until the third teleport. "Ok, so teleporting out of here is out of the question." 

"Really should have thought of that before you got that thing," Toby said, a bit snottily. Angel glared at him.

"It's a tattoo and sorry for being an adult and putting something I wanted on my own body." Toby immediately backtracked, blaming his nana as he raised his hands in an apology. 

"Shush, both of you," Aja said as two hazmats passed the small hall they were in. Doing a horrible job of patrol. "This is bad. They are everywhere!"

"These people imprison extraterrestrials," Krel explained.

"And they won't have a problem throwing you two under a microscope either." Arrrgh and Angel shared a worried glance before saying pass together.

"You guys get out of here. We'll distract the guards and meet back up at the Mothership." Krel and Aja turned back towards the main hallway, silently trying to decide a plan of action.

"Are y'all sure about this?" Angel worried. "I mean, they're here for you-"

"Hey!" Aja yelled as she ran into their view. Krel followed nervously. "Evil mad scientist henchmen! Distraction, distraction!"

"I guess they are," Toby muttered. 

"Your distraction is a little obvious," Krel told his sister.

"Hey, get back to quarantine!" A hazmat told them.

"Let's see you quarantine this!" Aja yelled as she pulled out her serrator and turned both herself and her brother back to their normal forms. Her face showed immediate regret for a second before fading to steely resolve.

"Not gonna lie, that was pretty cool move," Angel whispered to Toby as the guards began chasing the siblings and they ran to the door the two were guarding. 

"I'd write it differently, but yeah," Toby said as he followed Arrrgh further down the hall. But the sound of a scuffle had her running back.

She had finally caught up to them as Aja knocked a fire extinguisher down, covering the hall in a fog. Hopefully none of the men noticed her silloutte as she ran through. While the spell she used made her invisible to the naked eye, the physicality of her would always be noticable.

Still, they were in the clear soon enough and the siblings turned back to their human forms. Angel stayed invisible just in case. The element of surprise always gave her a little leg up, even with her sub par spell casting and combat.

And when the lights went out, and the fog Aja had created caught up with them, Angel was happy for the decision. Blue lightning shot out of an outlet at the end of the hall accompanied with a yell. 

"Running is useless," Tronos said once he appeared in full. He stalked down the hall like he had all the time in the world. Angel called to a spell but waited to cast it lest she be discovered too soon. 

"So is hiding!" A military lady who seemed to be in charge yelled from behind them, holding some kind of glowing green weapon. She was flanked by others doing the same. Angel couldn't wait anymore, putting up a shield between them and her while Aja aimed her serrator at Tronos. It was a weapon that Angel hadn't seen before but hoped would take out at least one of their blocked ways of escape.

"Focus Aja," Krel urged as Aja glanced backwards to see Angel reappear. She clearly didn't like the fact that she was even there if her glare was any indicator, but turned back to Tronos all the same.

"What does it look like I'm-" Tronos swiped his tail, knocking over Angel and Krel, the former hitting her head on the lockers. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but she still saw that the lady quickly took down Aja. 

"Perhaps you didn't notice my medals-" The military lady said, getting closer to Aja. "You're not the only female with combat training." She threw her into her brother, knocking them both out and returning them to their normal forms. "I've made a few-"

Angel ran and tackled her before she could get anything else out. It got her a punch in face that she gladly returned. Her right bracer lit up as she readied another attack, but her left arm suddenly shot up with pain. Kubritz had hit the still sore area, noting the weak spot by the redness. She kicked Angel off towards the lockers. 

Before the girl could get back up, something green hit her. She could barely hear Kubritz say to take them to gym before passing out.

. . .

Douxie was glad for the extra shift at the bookstore. They had finally gotten more help at the cafe, so his schedules began to even out. And since there hadn't been many people in today, he could practice some of his incantations and spell casting. 

So, he scrolled through runes on his bracelet before settling on a rune combo. A blue glow encapsulated all of the books on the shelf, after he had made sure no one was coming in anytime soon, and they began to move by themselves to the spots they needed to be. Organization at it's best. 

Angel had always been jealous that he could do that, but she was studying runes so she wasn't be far off from doing things like that. And he was kinda glad that Arch wasn't here to rub it in his face that he wasn't using a latter in place of magic. His surface reason was practicing magic, but if he were being honest, he just didn't want to organize all of the books by hand.

It was nearly five now, so Angel should be coming home soon. Since practically no one was coming in today, he closed the shop and turned to walk outside. Douxie shot her a quick text to tell her that he would be home in a bit if she got there and he wasn't there so she didn't worry, then backtracked quickly to leave a note for Arch and Flapjack so they didn't worry when they came back from their trip.

As he walked down the street and the sun began setting, he finally found a moment to think. He'd pushed off Zoe's words due to work, trying to help Claire, and simply just him not wanting to dive into them. At all.

His days of rummaging around in trash bins of Camelot or even his own hometown were far behind him. The day he found Archie had given him hope long enough for Merlin to find and take him under his wing.

"Get out of here!" Was what he'd always hear when he got caught eating some thrown out, almost spoiled food. At the time he was thankful for his seven, almost eight-year-old body was small so as to dodge any projectiles coming his way. "Stupid freak..."

"Buckets.." Douxie muttered as he pushed his messy black hair out of his eyes with a sigh. A year of this treatment and he still wasn't used to this. "Now what am I supposed to eat?" 

A few minutes of retreating into the woods so the townsfolk wouldn't go after him anymore tonight, because that had been the fifth house he'd gone to to no avail, he made it to his camp. 

It was dusk now, so he very unsteadily lifted two sticks up in a blue glow to rub together so he would have light for the night. Before he left that afternoon, he'd made a new pile on his firepit so he could just come home and light it.

Though it was difficult, a spark turned to roaring flame in a second. Douxie had to shield his eyes from the sudden onslaught of heat. He'd never made it that big before, so he yelled in joy. 

His stomach growling painfully stopped him and he held his middle as he groaned. The brightness of the fire illuminated the dirt and grim on his hands, and likely all over him. Douxie sighed again as he sat down, pulling his knees to his chest and drawing in a shakey breath.

"I just want some food. Is that too much to ask?" He asked aloud. To whom, he didn't know. The townsfolk? The world? But most of all his father. 

If the man hadn't deemed him dangerous at a young age, even before he turned seven and showed his more magical gifts, he wouldn't be here- fending for even the worst scrap of rotten food.

He didn't know tears had started falling on his face, but he couldn't stop them. As was true for most nights out here. Sometimes he was too exhausted to even do that. Sometimes sleep was the only cure for his hunger.

A meow followed by a rustle of bushes had him turning his head. Though his vision was blurry, it was still very clearly a black cat. Kitten more like. He was pushing something with his head. Wiping his eyes made the picture in front of him clear enough for him to spot-

"An apple!" He shouted excitedly as he crawled over to snatch the morsel. He didn't think about any other possiblity than it being the best piece of food he'd ever tasted. He only had enough clarity of mind to ask the kitten if it was ok for him to grab. When the kitten nodded, he pet him gingerly in thanks and grabbed the apple. The juice that fell down his chin washed away a few streams of dirt.

Little did Douxie know that he had met his familiar at that moment or that Archie had been watching over him for awhile and was the cause of his fire being bright and big. 

And sure he was frightened when Archie revealed himself, but mainly intrigued by a talking cat with glasses. He'd never tell Steve, but he'd had practically the same reaction to first time he saw Arch with glasses and heard him talk.

But he had quickly worked Douxie's heart. Arch taught him as the cat learned himself. From whom, he never found out even centuries later. He'd have to ask-

A cold chill went up his spine as he passed the next alley. He remembered that chill and wished to never feel it again. Douxie wouldn't make the mistake of thinking it was a spectorgast again, not when it was something that dangerous. Yet just as he moved to investigate further, wind rustled his hair and nearby litter. 

So he had just been paranoid. He guessed that tracked with Archie's observation of him being able to do wards and shields since he was young. He was overprotective at times, and yes that meant trying to prevent bad things from even happening in the first place.

"Douxie! Steve, wait a minute!" Toby's voice drew his eyes to the street. Eli was breathing into a paper bag on the back of Toby's bike nervously and panicked. Steve stopped in annoyance and barely there patience. 

"What's happened?" Douxie asked, the tension having ridden in with the small group.

"Come on, we don't have time for this!" Steve complained. "We've got Akkiridians to save."

"And possibly Angel," Eli added between breaths. Douxie's eyes widened with fear. She literally just went to summer school; what could've happened?

"Some evil government agency has them all trapped!" Toby added. 

Apparently that.

. . .

Angel felt like her eyes were glued shut. She guessed that was a good because she didn't know if Kubritz was around or anything else. That bounty hunter could be around, though she wouldn't mind an electric boost from him. 

"I know you're awake," a voice drawled from beside her. It wasn't fully sinister, not like she was earlier. Instead there was an air of self righteousness to it, like she was always right. 

"What have you done with my friends?" Angel asked with as much bite as she could muster while trying to open her eyes again. 

"The invaders are getting a different treatment than you. You are from earth, however unnatural you are."

"I'm not as unnatural as you think." Angel finally got her eyes open finally tried to raise her head but found it to be impossibly heavy. Glancing to her side showed an IV drip with some sort of translucent liquid and Kubritz entering her vision. "What did you do to me?"

"A precaution," she smirked, running a hand down her arm, stopping at her tattoo. "We can't have you using your mutation, can-" Kubritz stopped upon actually examining the artwork on her skin. Then chuckled almost maliciously. "You think you have integrity?" 

Stretching the length of Angel's forearm was the word Integrity. Behind it was a smoldering phoenix feather, bright red embers scattered around it.

"More than you," Angel countered. "After all, I'm not the one imprisoning innocent people." She was getting used to the feeling that the drugs flowing through her system were giving her. 

A pink glow began to cover her binds just as something akin to shame crossed Kubritz's features. However, the sight of her magic had her turning the IV to let more whatever drug into her system. 

"I'm not imprisoning anyone who doesn't deserve it!" And with that, any glimmer of hope that Angel would be able to get out on her own left. Her limbs felt like a million pins were pricking at them. Angel blinked and things became blurry; Kubritz smirked before she too became blurry. "Oh trust me: you'll live." Another blink and she was gone completely.

Angel tried to get up again but no matter what happened, she couldn't move more than a finger or her head from side to side. 

Sounds of fighting came from beyond the walls that served as her prison. Angel couldn't make out anything specific as the morphine and/or whatever else they put in her body kept her brain foggy. She blinked about three times before a familiar silhouette came into her distorted view.

"Douxie..." Angel slurred, her eyes having trouble focusing. The wizard shushed her slightly as he took out the IV drip in her arm. Then held her face in his had as his magic took off her binds.

"I'm here, love," he whispered before pressing a kiss to her forehead and muttering, "I'm right here." The binds came off and stubborn as she was, Angel tried her best to stand on her almost liquid legs. Douxie caught her as she fell, the coldness of her seeping into his warmth. 

"Guys, Royals, wizards, we've gotta go!" Toby yelled as Douxie practically carried Angel out of her box just as Krel and Aja rushed out of theirs with Steve. Both looked upset at the sight of their friend, but the latter Akkiridian was steaming with rage. 

"Is there no low she won't stop to?" Aja managed to get out before having to run out of the gym in it's entirety. Aja said she would make sure to keep them away from the two wizards, claiming they could get away easier than them at the moment. Douxie began to protest, but when Angel beat him to it, he complied with Aja's plan.

The two went to the sewer entrance as Toby and Steve kept the gym door closed. Thankfully that's where most of the forces were stationed, as well as out front, so the halls were empty. The entrance to the basement was dark but Angel called to her magic, her bracer lighting up. 

"You get back," she told him, pushing herself up and away from him. "I can make it home from here." Douxie looked like she had just slapped him, which was near impossible in her state.

"What!? No, no. I'm-" 

"I know you feel horrible for not going with Aja and Krel- I'll be fine." Angel put a hand on his cheek, albeit shakily. Still, he leaned into it with a kiss.

"Go invisible, stay here till I get back." It was more a request than an order, though an outsider wouldn't see it as one. But all that mattered was that Angel understood his intentions. With a quick peck to the lips, she removed her hand and went invisible like he asked.

. . .

"Is she alright?" Aja, in her human form, asked as she practically shoved her way through the side door of the bookstore, the one that only led to the apartment. "I came as soon as I could."

"She's fine Aja," Douxie said as he followed her upstairs. After messing with the air conditioner a minute. Angel may like to sleep freezing, but without his hoodie or long sleeved shirt, he couldn't stand it at the moment. He'd turn it back down before he went to bed.

"Kubritz went too far this time! She had no reason to go after Angel!" Aja turned around to face Douxie, making the boy freeze at her fierce and questioning eyes. "Why would she go after Angel?!" 

Before Douxie could even answer, Aja began stomping up the steps to see her friend, immediately going for her room when she wasn't on the couch. 

Opening the door shone the kitchen light on her bed. The sheets and blankets were pulled tight and smoothed out, the pillows nearly perfectly fluffed like she hadn't slept there in weeks. Douxie arrived at the top of the stairs and, when he saw where Aja was, blushed deeply.

"Um, she's not exactly in there," he muttered. She quirked a brow at him.

"Why not? This supposed to be her bedroom, is it not?" If Douxie's face could get any redder, it would. There was something strangely intimate about admitting the fact that they'd been sleeping together for a couple weeks-

Well, not sleeping together sleeping together- they were just sharing the same bed... And that he woke up with her so close her warmth bled into him. That he could smell the ocean breeze shampoo she used, sometimes the perfume she wore when she chose. That he got to see how peaceful she was before she fell asleep and before she woke up.

"Douxie!" Aja yelled, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention. When he snapped back to reality, her gaze was confused and slightly worried expression. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered but before Aja could push any further, Angel emerged from Douxie's bedroom wearing a black hoodie. His hoodie.

For a split second the man forgot how to breath, to formulate thoughts, every god damn function in his brain stopped working. Angel looked beautiful but it was moreso the beautiful she always looked plus the fact that she was wearing his hoodie.

Based on her rubbing her eyes tiredly, she had likely just woken up and was cold so she grabbed the first thing she saw. 

At least he knew that in his head. 

But after centuries of seeing the gossip and the implications that simple action had, loosing a couple in the past because he tried it only to almost immediately break up with the person, his face wasn't letting the red pigmentation leave anytime soon.

"Aja!" Angel exclaimed as the girl wrapped her in a bone crushing hug. "Easy!"

"Are you alright?" Aja asked, ignoring her. Still, she'd pulled back and put her hands on her shoulders. "What did Kubritz do to you?"

"Nothing that isn't undone by some rest." Aja didn't seem convinced, so Angel rolled her eyes and pulled away. She had gotten up because she was hungry after sleeping since she got home after everything, so she moved to the kitchen. "If I had a nickel for everytime I've been kidnapped, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice." 

Douxie couldn't help but chuckle despite himself, the Phineas and Ferb reference (that she'd always wanted to say in some context) cutting through his little stupor. Even if his face was still red. 

"I feel this is more important than having two of some of your smallest currency," Aja countered, crossing her arms. "This is serious. She must think you are an extraterrestrial or something because that-"

"No, she knows I'm human- Or, close too it, anyway." Angel turned around with an apple in hand, about to take a bite as the fridge closed, when she saw the confused looks the two had. "Ok, she called my magic a mutation. Which means she doesn't exactly believe in magic- Though, I suppose from a certain standpoint, magic could be considered a mutation of biology. Possibly the other way round if Archie's history lessons are any indication."

Douxie ignored the fact that she admitted that she paid attention to at least some of Arch's lessons and instead focused on the information she'd first let out. 

He couldn't be mad or upset at her not telling him right away this time. She had been, and still slightly was, waiting off the drugs in her system. But the fact that Kubritz didn't go after her solely based on Angel helping the royals, it meant...

It meant that she'd come after her again.

Chapter Text

Learning To Fly

"Morgana could fly, right?" Angel asked, so suddenly as she poked her head into the kitchen that Douxie had to take a moment to actually formulate an answer. 

"Technically speaking, she could levitate," Archie said, beating him to the punch so he could focus. He was watching Douxie make whatever he was supposed to be making. The wizard didn't notice as he was just a body to watch Douxie and keep him from hurting himself. Or burning down the house.

"Same difference," Angel protested. "How long did it take her to learn it?"

"About two to three years," Douxie called back to her, actually trying to focus on cooking instead of getting distracted. "Why?"

"Because I want to learn it. I wanna fly."

"It will take a lot of focus and practice," Archie warned. Flapjack, appearing suddenly as he had likely just finished his flight/patrol around town, chirped his agreement. "At first, you have to completely be at peace with yourself. Then, once you do that, you can levitate slightly off the ground."

"Morgana was at- actually, that makes sense," Angel trailed off, playing back Morgana's actions and words as long as she'd known her. An air righteousness always followed her, like she thought that she was doing the right thing. "Anyway, I think I can learn it faster."

"How so?" Douxie asked, accidentally dropping something into the pan. Angel rolled her eyes playfully but continued to explain.

"Well, if you think about it, I've learned new spells a lot quicker when I'm in a stressful-slash-dangerous situation. When I teleported to the roof of my school, disappeared when I was crying in the hallway that same year, slowing down a baseball coming at my head, my claws came from the gravesand incident," Douxie muttered something that Angel couldn't hear, "and I can teleport without making a flash of light when I want to after battling Morgana."

"What exactly are you implying, Missy?" Archie asked, followed by a prolonged suspicious chirp. That made her tense and flush, but steeled her face in determination as she said the next words.

"I think I should jump off a cliff," she blurted then facepalmed. That was a horrifically bad way to say what she meant. She could have said that she needed an adrenaline rush or some kind of danger- instead she went with I should jump off a cliff....

What the actual fuck?

Flapjack seemed to be the one to take action voicing his thoughts on the matter, chirping and pecking at her head. For a moment, out of surprise and the fact that she kinda deserved it for her dumbass wording, she just let him.

"Ok, ok, I worded that terribly! I get it!"

"How would it have been worded well?!" Douxie asked turning on her with a glare that almost made her shut up and take back what she just said. But Angel promised herself she'd never do that again. 

"I just meant I need an adrenaline rush or to be in danger for me to get the harder spells or bits of magic." Flapjack finally stopped pecking at her head, but he still matched the glares everyone else was giving her. "Ok, that isn't good either."

"Why on earth would you think that you need to jump off a cliff to do that? Isn't that parkour you do with Zadra and Aja dangerous enough?"

"They're safety nets, Doux! If- if I fail, Zadra or Aja have got my back!"

"You make that sound like a bad thing!"

"In this situation, it is Douxie! If I have something to fall back on, my magic won't think to help me- however the hell that works."

"You- you- you don't even know if it even works like!" Douxie had slowly been walking towards her and was now within reach to grab her shoulders. A bit too forcibly before realizing it was such and loosening his grip. "What happens if you get hurt because of it? Please, I couldn't-"

Suddenly Angel's phone rang, effectively cutting him off. She took out her phone and saw it was Toby, immediately remembering where she was supposed to be right now.

"Sorry, TP, I got a little bit distracted," Angel started, but didn't exactly look away from his concerned hazel orbs or back away from his warm grasp. Until Toby began yelling into the phone so loud even Archie and Flapjack could hear.

"Where are you, man? We need a camera girl!"

"Toby, calm down. I'm only a minute late." Angel pulled away and walked into the living room, putting on the nearest hoodie. While it was summer, Toby's house and the Mothership were always almost freezing.

"Yeah, which is totally unprofessional!"

"This is our first shooting day and Krel may not even go for it."

"Don't make me replace you!"

"You can't replace me! I'm doing you're filming, practical effects, costume design, and I'm the connection to the band doing your freaking soundtrack!" Toby made a sound like he was actually deliberating. Angel cast a look of disbelief over the counter/bar that overlooked the kitchen to get similar looks from the others.

"Ok, you hired-" Angel groaned. "Just get here, ASAP!"

"Oh, you know I will," she muttered before hanging up. "Sorry Doux. I did promise to be his camera girl. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Douxie said with a sigh. "I have to work at the Cafe later anyway. Hey-" he said, grabbing her arm before she could teleport. "Please don't do anything dangerous- on purpose at least." Before Angel could answer with a "sure thing" or "no way" her phone rang again and she groaned angrily. When she pulled away and answered her phone, it was just as she had expected.

"I get it Toby! I'm on my way!" With that and a flash of red light, she was gone. Douxie sighed and looked down dejectedly. Until a burning smell reached his nose.

. . .

After dealing with an ex of Stuart's in the woods, filming most of it by bicycle while Angel ran behind them (so much for being camera girl), only for Eli and Angel to berate Toby for not shooting on digital after running out of tape. Once everyone dispersed, Angel didn't exactly go home. She originally planned to go to the gazebo to simply think but found her feet carrying her somewhere.

Angel knew Douxie would hate what she was doing. Hell, she hated herself for it. Maybe it was her stubbornness, maybe it was something else, but to her at the moment, it was both the quickest way to test her theory and (if she was right) quickest way to learn to fly.

Well, I started out

Down a dirty road

Started out all alone

And the sun went down 

As I crossed the hill

And the town lit up

The world got still

As Angel walked small and winding path to the cliff that overlooked the city and woods from afar, the sun had already began setting. By the time she had gotten to the actual clearing, the sky was fading from indigo to dark blue to midnight black.

In the combat boots Anna had gotten her, she walked to the edge for a second then backed away. She was really high up, the blanket of green leaves just adding to her uncertainty of where the ground must lay. Still, she was committed.

Angel took one more terrifying look over the edge, sighed and backed up a better distance before running towards the edge. Her boots lit up red as she gave herself a boost for a jump. 

I'm learning to fly

But I ain't got wings

Coming down

Is the hardest thing

It was just as amazing as before, the feeling of being stopped midair as she watched the town lights become ever brighter. She was simply a spectator and what a way to be such. Angel never wanted to leave the spot. But, as with all good things in her life, it didn't last.

She began to fall.

Well the good ol' days

May not return

And the rocks might melt

And the sea may burn

There was something different about falling this time. Her hair got in her eyes and mouth, the wind rushed past her in a scream, the looming threat that the trees were only going to be the start of her pain-

This had been a terrible idea! She should have brought Douxie or Arch. At the very least Flapjack. He was a phoenix after all. He could have caught her in seconds flat. And now because of her own stupid pride, she was about to die. 

Then, all of a sudden, she was upsidedown and face to face with the wall of the cliff. Her breath was short and panicked, but was slowly coming to the same realization as the rest of her body- she was fine. 

The trees were only a couple feet from the bottom of her hair. A quick glance upwards towards her feet showed the glow that had saved her. She let out a relieved chuckle. 

So she couldn't fly the normal way.

I'm learning to fly

But I ain't got wings

How was she supposed to get upright-

"Crap!" She yelled as her bracers lit up and quickly righted her. She knocked her head against the cliff, making it throb. But she would not be deterred by a little pain. She stretched her arms out and lunged forward a beat. When she pulled her arms back she went backwards into the cliff side. 

It hurt, but not as bad as fighting Angor Rot. After rubbing her head, shooting up a few feet accidentally with the motion, she steeled her glare to the city. She could make it about a mile or two like this, couldn't she?

And coming down

Is the hardest thing

Angel let her hands go in front of her, almost like a superhero if she were being watched or had somewhere important to go when really she should be going slow. 

But speeding across the green treetops was cool in a way. The wind was rushing past her in a roar, blocking everything else out. It started to sting at her eyes, making it hard to see anything. Before she could even think to slow down, her foot got caught it an extra tall tree.

Now some say life

Will beat you down

Yeah, break your heart

Steal your crown

The branches of the pulled at her face, arms, legs, everything. The only reason that she didn't mind completely was because it was slowing her downward decent. She still let out a groan when she finally hit the ground on her back. She had felt a tug at her neck and knew her necklace was lost in the woods somewhere.

She sat up slowly, rubbing her head again and looking up at the sky through a few trees. The stars were dim both from just being revealed for the night and because of the city light pollution and small clouds that blotted them out. Her head spun and her old wounds flared up horribly for about a minute. 

So I started out

For God knows where

I guess I'll know

When I get there

Angel finally pushed herself up, thinking about a better way to steer herself in the air. Without the wind getting in her eyes and inhibiting her movements and sight. Wait....

"The wind! I'm such an idiot," she muttered as she went through the few runes that she knew and found the one she was looking for. Angel couldn't exactly remember the name of it, but she knew it was a flight rune. Once both her bracers had the rune on them, a whirlwind of wind wrapped around her, trying to lift her up.

A new sense of determination set around her as she had her boots glow red with her magic and that was all the wind seemed to be waiting for. Angel shot upwards once again, branches and leaves sticking in her hair. But she found she didn't care as she was as high as the clouds.

I'm learning to fly

Around the clouds

But what goes up

Must come down

Jack had mentioned that the wind often had a mind of it's own, that he only directed it's attention to where he needed it. So she did as he instructed.

Angel willed the wind to move her to the right carefully. Then the same to the left. Then back and forth as she went forward towards the town. Slowly she was gaining confidence to go faster. As she passed a cloud, she reached her hand out to feel it. Though it felt like nothing, the simple act of touching a cloud miles up in the air was exilerating, and she let out something close to a laugh and shout of joy. 

And since she was fulfilling her wildest dreams, why not do something else that she'd seen so many times in media?

Angel had the wind loosen it's grip on her and began a near freefall to the building tops.

I'm learning to fly

But I ain't got wings

Coming down

Is the hardest thing

She stopped falling right as her stomach hit the bend of a lamppost. Still, not as hard were she really falling from that height. Instead, she was easily able to laugh it off and continue on. She ducked and dodged every lamppost, car, and whatever else got in her way. To give herself an extra boost, she kicked off the side of a building.

She wondered why nobody made a comment about her flying until reached out her hand to grab a pole to make a sharp turn. Instinctively she had turned invisible if her lack of a solid colored hand was any indication. 

She ended up shooting down to the ground, having to tuck and roll to avoid getting hurt even more. But as she became visible again and sat up with a very likely bruised body, she let out a laugh. 

To anyone who passed by the alley, Angel would be considered a crazy person, just some weirdo laughing to herself- she found that she didn't care as she just had the most exhilarating experience of her life. It was short but so much fun! Angel couldn't wait to tell Douxie.

. . .

Douxie had gotten his schedule mixed up, so apparently had the night off. What better way to spend it than by practicing a new spell?

"Careful!" Archie said as Douxie began casting the spell on his skull necklace, his bracelet glowing with the rune combo Archie had instructed. 

"What Arch?" He asked. 

"Just- you have to focus, you know."

"Yes, I know Arch. I was doing that before you startled me." Archie, much to his chagrin, agreed with the sentiment and shut up. Flapjack was hiding above the cabinets, afraid to even be near the magic.

"Wait!" Archie interrupted just as Douxie touched his necklace, imbuing it with the proper magic, and tried to touch it again to activate the illusion.

"What?"

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this alone? Can't you get Zoe or Angel to-"

"No!" Douxie snapped, then sighed when Archie jumped at him. "I'm sorry, I just- I can't let her go through that stuff again."

"This spell is supposed to show you your happiest memories, given your intention-" 

"And if I mess up even in the slightest, it could put her through her worst memories again. That bloody demon already brought up things she didn't want to think about." Anytime Douxie had brought up the topic as of late, Angel had deflected the conversation to something else. Even Zoe's attempts were fruitless. Still, he wasn't going to force her through her worst memories again.

"Oh, I've told you before that it won't affect you," Archie said, drawing Douxie's attention to the little cardinal form hiding above the cabinets. "For one, you'd need to touch the item, and two, since you haven't casted the spell yourself (not that you could) it would need to be something that means a lot too you."

Chirp! Chirp!

"Would it make you feel better if you went in the other room?" Douxie asked, getting up to open his bedroom door. Immediately, a gust of wind nearly knocked him down. He chuckled nervously as he turned on the light so the bird could see. As he did, the light revealed that Flapjack was already curling up on Angel's pillow; waiting for her to come home it seemed.

With a kind smile, he closed the door until it was open just a crack so Flapjack leave if he wanted. Apparently that bird didn't want any of that spell to come anywhere near him because he slammed the door behind Douxie, making him stumble forward.

"What's that about?" Archie looked away, earning a suspicious glare from Douxie. At least for a moment before the cat sighed in such a way that he instantly knew. "Right then. I need to practice this spell. Quickly." He added upon seeing Archie's worried glance at the door.

He smiled at him, thankful that his familiar understood. But his smile faded to a worried press of his lips as Douxie, without hesitation, picked up his enchanted necklace and a blue ring passed over his eyes.

A strange flickering feeling passed over Douxie's eyes, but overall felt nothing else. He checked behind him, seeing nothing. 

"Douxie, what did you do?" Archie asked him, causing the wizard to turn to where the cat was perched on the counter so he could answer- only to see that he wasn't staring at him or had even spoken.

"That wasn't me!" Douxie heard himself say. He turned his head to see himself looking around wildly, trying to figure out what happened (with a horrible man bun hairdo). He saw himself in a translucent blue light, surrounded by knights that looked the same way. It reminded him of how Angel looked when he went in her mind.

"Merlin Ambrosius," Vision Douxie said as a bright blue beam passed the regular Douxie, forming into his afformentioned master. His vision self kneeled, not even trying to conceal his awestruck features. "Thank you. I owe you my life."

"And what sort of life would that be?" Merlin asked, gesturing for the boy to stand. "Have you ever thought about that? Your ruse with the smoke was rather clever."

"Really?" Vision Douxie asked, face lighting up with praise.

"No." Both Douxie's faces fell, but the real one just shook his into a fond smirk. "But it was real magic. Come. You could use a hot meal. And I could use a new apprentice."

"What? Me?" The vision showed the three walking away from the knights, through they weren't moving through the room. "Look at us Arch. Teaming up with the magnanimous Merlin. I knew this plan wasn't a mistake."

"A wizard does not make mistakes. He makes unexpected possibilities."

"I remember that day," Douxie said fondly as the three turned into balls of bright blue light. "That was the first real meal I'd had in what- twelve years?" Douxie asked with a chuckle. Archie reluctantly joined him as a new vision formed.

"Give or take a couple years," he muttered before being cut off by the new vision.

"If there is any truth in life, it is that hard work is the fire which forges one's soul into steel," Merlin said as he threw some ingredients into a cauldron. Immediately, the vision disappeared into another blue ball, floating around Douxie before stopping in front of him.

"Your boss seems to me like he doesn't trust you enough," Zoe's translucent form told him with a smirk. As he chuckled nervously and averted his gaze, Zoe began walking off. But not before turned back to him with- "oh, and he's a real jerk."

"You say that everytime I bring him up." Douxie spoke from memory, even knowing what she'd say next.

"Because you always bring up all the great things he's done, but you-

"Always fail to bring up the mistakes he's made," Angel finished from the couch, replacing Zoe as she disappeared. Her head hadn't lifted from the book she was reading, but she hadn't turned the page either. "You have to be able to see it in everyone, even those you hold close. I don't doubt that he's a good person, nor do I doubt he's been as close to a father to you as possible. I just think some of his decisions could- Douxie?" 

Angel had lifted her head when she heard Douxie sniffle in the past. Now he just had a blank expression. He had done everything in his power to block the memory out. Especially as Angel rushed over to wipe phantom tears from his eyes.

"Doux, I'm so sorry. I never meant to bring up something bad. We- we-" Douxie backed up as his glowy blue self fell forward, leaning his head on her shoulder as he quietly sobbed. Douxie never told her what was going through his mind that night. He didn't want to think about it himself.

Because Merlin was the closest thing he'd had to a father, the closest family him and Arch had. Because his real- or biological- father never did. That village was never his family. If he could ever talk to the man he called his dad again-

"Be careful, Hisirdoux. One day, one of your mistakes will kill someone else." Douxie gasped and turned towards the voice as his heart skipped a beat.

His father in all his "glory" was standing right behind him. The man looked down at a small figure who was picking up something that had broken in pieces. Douxie had forgotten exactly what he'd broken that time, but to his father that never mattered.

"I'm sorry father," Douxie's small form said, not looking up at the towering man in front of him. Even as an adult, the man was just a few inches taller than Douxie now.

"Of course your sorry. You're a sorry excuse for a son. After all, you did kill your own mother." Douxie felt tears fall down his face as his fists clenched. With the emotion he had, he ended up shorting out the lights leaving the visions a beacon in the room. 

"I was a baby," he muttered, casting his gaze to the ground. "Sure, I was born early and that caused my mother to die, but that wasn't my fault!" He raised his head to look at the man still glaring at his smaller form. 

"Honestly, just you being here is a problem."

"Then why didn't you just get rid of me? Give me up to another family in another village instead of turning ours against me?"

"Unfortunately for me, I made a promise to my wife, my late wife, to protect you and raise you." The man kicked away the last piece of whatever little Douxie was supposed to pick up, walking away from him. The real Douxie followed him with a glare.

"I never asked for you to remind me everyday, for you to- to decimate me any chance you could!" Douxie sighed and tried to regain his composure. However, that seemed impossible given what happened next as the man turned around.

"Hisirdoux! What- what are you doing?" The real Douxie gasped and turned around slowly, suddenly realizing what memory it was by the tone of those words alone. He only heard it once within the entirety of the interactions between him and his father. 

Fear.

"I dunno," vision Douxie said, poking at the now floating pieces before gasping excitedly. "Blimy! I'm a wizard, aren't I- father?" Douxie's expression matched his old one perfectly, not even having to look at the man who should be his father to know the pure hatred that fell upon his face. 

"Get out."

"What?" The pieces dropped.

"Get the bloody hell out of my house! You will bring death upon me!" The man suddenly gripped vision Douxie's arm and started dragging him away. Towards the back door of their house if he wasn't mistaken.

"But what about mum? The promise you made- ahh!" Douxie was thrown out of his house with such a force that he hurt his elbow.

"That promise is the only reason I don't kill you now! But if she knew she'd given birth to an abomination that would bring King Arthur's knights to my door, she wouldn't have bothered."

The vision disappeared, and the blue balls of light began swirl around him. Flashes of faces and flickers of voices. Douxie covered his ears to block them out, falling to the ground. He heard Arch say something but he wasn't sure if it was memory Arch or real Arch. 

He found himself not caring at all, just trying shut out everything.

. . .

Angel practically ran home in her excitement, hopping up the stairs two at a time. 

"I'm home!" She called out as she went up. Normal she wouldn't at this hour, but she heard his and Archie's voices so she assumed they were awake. "I have something amazing-"

"Keep at it and don't but master me." Merlin said. Angel rolled her eyes as she slowed her ascension, not wanting to be around her roommate's master anymore than she had to. What was he doing here, anyway?

"You need to deal with this," Zoe's voice said over some other voices. Angel paused as Zoe continued talking, not on topic with anything she said before and not in line with the many voices she heard. What, was he having a party in there? Because she counted at least twenty- twenty-five different voices.

Curiosity overpowering her dislike of Merlin, Angel hurried up the rest of the stairs. A blue tornado of light flowed in the middle of the living room, faces flashing and speaking randomly. 

Archie was curled up in a ball on the counter, sobbing quietly. Angel immediately understood that it was Douxie who was feeling that. And she knew that he was in the middle of the tornado. Immediately she rushed to go into it, getting shot backwards into the counter.

She knew what spell this was, she'd been wanting to learn it herself. But the spell only made visions you couldn't interact with other than stepping in and repeating words of the past. Whatever Douxie had seen had caused his magic to run ramped and she didn't like it at all. 

Angel spotted Douxie's necklace at her feet, a faint blue glow on it. That must have been the object he enchanted to react to his touch and ended up putting him, and subsequently, Arch in the nightmare of his past.

Without a second thought, Angel grabbed the necklace. She felt her eyes tingle as the tornado of light fell away from Douxie.

Chapter Text

A Thousand Years

Angel found herself staring straight at a bright translucent blue younger version of herself. She couldn't remember the exact age but she knew it was at least in fifth or sixth grade at the time. A phantom door was in front of her and on her left. Angel's mother was holding the front one closed against someone banging on it. The door next to Angel was a closet and in it were her sisters.

Mini Angel was holding a flip phone that was already dialed to 911. All she had to do was hit call. She couldn't bear to remember the actual words said during that time. She only knew that her step-father was the one beating on the door simply because he lost his shoe and drunk. 

Angel remembered how tense she was, how angry, how afraid for her sisters and mother's safety. How everything was a straw that broke him when he was that way. For God's sake, just because she wasn't a damn mind reader-

"You gonna cry?!" She heard from behind her. Immediately, she shut her eyes and held Douxie's necklace close to her chest. This wasn't real and that happened years ago. She didn't have to go through this alone, no one did.

No one...

"Douxie," she breathed and opened her eyes as she ran to him and immediately held him close. He was sniffling and his breathe broke with his sobs. But after he realized it was her, he fell into her embrace. They fell to the floor as he let out a few more sobs. "I'm here. You'll be ok."

It was quiet, nothing but the faint sounds of Angel's memories playing back to her. It was just more of the same as before- flipping her sister off of a table and all her mother thought to do was take them to Walmart in the middle of the night. A flashlight thrown at Angel's that got lodged in the drywall. A stupid non-apology for all his crap. 

But she ignored it like she always did, because Douxie needed her more. He never mentioned his past much other than Merlin, even in passing and short little bursts like she did with her own past. But it was apparently bad enough to make his magic go haywire.

"T- thank you," he muttered as he buried his head in her neck, just breathing her in. Angel smiled softly as she leaned her head on his for a a moment.

"Of course. One, you've done the exact same thing for me." Douxie chuckled quietly. Angel gently pulled away from him and moved his face so he would look at her, leaving her hand on his cheek. "And two, I- I- I really care about you, Douxie. I would do anything to make you happy. Within reason," she added quickly. 

"And what's within reason?" Douxie chuckled, and Angel glared at him playfully. Then she sighed with over exasperation, too much to be real.

"Well, I guess I could steal the world's biggest diamond for you, if you truly needed it to be happy." Her words were dripping with sarcasm and she was clearly struggling to keep a straight face. Douxie began laughing however which made Angel break. Archie came up to snuggle with Douxie as they pulled away. He nuzzled against Archie's forehead and sighed contentedly.

"Love, I only need you, and Archie and our friends to feel happy." He glanced at the memories around them, having calmed down to little memories that went away before they could take full form or even say anything. 

They were happy ones it seemed; Angel playing with her sisters, at a sleepover, creating illusion bubbles for a class of little kids, hanging out with the trollhunters and the band, and a few nights that she had spent with Douxie.

"How did you even get into this situation, Doux?" Angel asked as he put Arch on his shoulder and stood, reaching out a hand to help Angel up. She took it and let herself be pulled up. 

"I uh, didn't account for the spell following my train of thought all the way through, well-" he chuckled nervously, Archie nuzzling him for support. Angel refrained from noting that a memory spell would obviously affect the one who triggered it- that was a response Merlin likely would have given and Douxie didn't need that right now.

She opted for no words, simply wrapping her arms around his waist. He immediately hugged back, both staying silent and just enjoying each other's embrace. Then Douxie fully realized what was going on around them, and that the memories weren't his.

"How are your memories-"

"Oh, I grabbed your necklace," Angel interrupted, pulling away just enough to open her hand and reveal the white skull. "I really didn't think much, I just grabbed it. And I think it worked because it's yours, so it means a lot to me because, well, you do." She answered the question Arch was going to ask next, so he only nodded. He was likely still gathering himself after the rush of emotion that had been amplified tenfold. Angel reached out to pet him and he purred. 

"I'm alright," Archie said before nuzzling against Douxie again. "But if it's ok with you both, I'm going to go to bed."

"Of course," the two said together. Douxie gave his familiar a hug, apologizing for what happened only to be told it wasn't his fault. Archie joined Flapjack in the bedroom, leaving the two wizards alone.

"I'm gonna get you! I'm gonna get you!" Angel's old 18 year old self called as she chased a little girl, no older than two, around. "I've got you!" She said as she grabbed the kid, hanging her upsidedown and tickling her. Douxie chuckled at the scene, causing Angel to follow suit as more visions of her playing with different kids. The spell must just be showing more of her happier memories now that she was calm.

"You know," Douxie said, glancing between her and the vision of her letting kids play with her hair. "You'd be a pretty good mum." To that, Angel snorted. "What?"

"The only reason I was that good with them was because I didn't have to do it 24/7," Angel countered. "And that I pretty consistently had an hour break in the middle of the day. Even then, it was a struggle to not lose my temper."

"I'm not saying you'd be perfect." Douxie carefully grabbed the string of the necklace and placed it around her neck, fingers lingering which sent shivers down Angel's spine. "But, based on what I've heard you do with your sisters and how you cared for the kids in your daycare, I'd say you'd be a pretty great."

"Well, if I'd be a great mom, then you'd be a great dad." It was his turn to snort. "It's true."

"I'm not even a good son. I doubt I'd make a good dad."

"Doux, as far as I've heard from the snip bits you tell me, your bio father is a real dick." 

"That's one way to put it," Douxie muttered. 

"The only way I put it." Douxie let out a small chuckle before giving her a half smile before pulling her into a kiss. It was deep and tender, and they found they couldn't be close enough. Angel soon traded her hands position on his waist to around his neck. Eventually, they needed air and pulled away just enough to lean their foreheads together.

Embarrassingly for Angel, a certain song began playing in her memory. A side glance showed that she was watching Breaking Dawn Part 2 credits and enjoying the song. Douxie sent her a smirk that made Angel squirm for a couple reasons.

"Ok, so I had a Twilight phase," she said with a deep red blush. "Blame my mother- she loved the book series and I couldn't help but watch the movies when they came out-" Angel gave a sharp intake of breath when Douxie twirled her around and pulled her close, slipping a leg between hers. 

"You were upset we couldn't go to Mrs. D's dance lesson and this- well, it's a perfect song to dance to." While he seemed to revel in the way she was breathing and blushing heavily at what he was doing (the cheeky little jerk), there was something he was trying to hide that for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what.

"Are- are you sure?" She asked and for a split second, he hesitated. But then he moved his hand to her waist and pulled her other up to match a waltz, but much more intimate and close, as he smiled again.

"Positive." And with that, the dance began. It was clear Douxie was following the same steps as a waltz but was slowing it down to match the music at the moment. 

As Douxie led them around in a small circle, he couldn't help but study her features. Her smile was soft but unsure and she kept watching her feet, likely to make sure she didn't step on his feet. He chuckled and twirled her around and let her get her bearings at arms length.

With one both exasperated sigh and small bemused smile, Angel took it upon herself to spin back. She was a bit dizzy as Douxie wrapped his arms around her, dipping her slightly. 

Instead of going back to their original position, Douxie held her close like one would at prom. Angel immediately wrapped her hands around his neck and in his hair. It was always so silky soft. Whatever conditioner he used worked wonders.

She studied his face, noting little tiny freckles that she normally couldn't see from afar, whereas hers were splattered across her face; noting the small wrinkles in his smile where hers only showed childish dimples; noting the beautiful way his hazel eyes reflected the blue images around them; noting everything that made Douxie, Douxie.

The scenes around them didn't matter anymore as their eyes trained on each other. If Merlin came in that door, asking for Douxie's help with something, the old man would just have to wait. He didn't even notice that he was messing with the hem of her shirt, or that she was suddenly closer than before.

"Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years," he sang softly with the song, letting one hand move to her face and brushing his thumb over her cheek.

"I'll love you for a thousand more," Angel sang as well, hardly noticing that she was leaning forward. He gave one glance to her lips and she quickly closed the distance, undoing the spell and stopping the music before pulling away. 

When he slid his hand down her side, she squirmed a little but tried to hide it. Douxie smirked and she smiled nervously at the mischief in his eyes. "Are you-?"

"No! No, I'm not. Don't even- hey!" Angel tried her best to keep from laughing, but once he started attacking both sides, she failed. Her laughter echoed in his ears, making him forget everything but that sound.

"I've known you for ten years, darling," He said around her fits of laughter. "And yet, I never knew this."

"Be- beca- because... I didn't- Please, stooopp...."

"Why should I? You were the one who said you'd do anything to make me happy."

"You l-little- Just- Please- I can't breath!" Tears were forming in her eyes and her breaths were indeed getting shallow, so he deemed it time to end the torture. Douxie stepped back, to let her catch her breath. However, the moment she felt better, she attacked him back. 

At first, nothing happened. Then, right under his shoulder, was the magic spot that got him laughing. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed that he was able to break through his laughter enough to grab her arms and stop the attack.

"Alright," he sighed, the laughter not completely gone. "I think you've proven your point, love."

Angel chuckled with a tilted head. "And what's that?"

Douxie kissed her forehead. "That you aren't one to be messed with." 

. . .

"So, what should we do for our first song?" Darci asked excitedly, pen and paper in hand.

"Uh, didn't you two write a couple songs with Claire?" Angel questioned. When Mary and Darci shared a glance, she understood completely. "You two want to keep those for y'all and Claire. I get it. So, where do we start?"

"Aren't you the one with the boyfriend who has had a band for, what, centuries?" Mary asked, both for real and teasing her. Angel rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"Two to be exact, and keep the centuries talk to a minimum so your parents don't hear; and yes. I may have a boyfriend who is amazing at writing songs and has the most harmonic voice ever and beautiful hazel eyes that I-"

"Swoon on your own time, Angel."

"Oh, like you do when you talk about Krel." Mary's eyes widened as her cheeks turned red and Darci tried (and failed) to keep her sniggering to a minimum as Angel continued. "Anyway, yes I have a boyfriend like that, but I absolutely suck at writing songs."

"Back up just a minute! I don't talk about- Karl- that way."

"You kinda do, Mare," Darci added. "The fact you had to put effort into messing up his name proves that."

"That's not his real name?"

"Uh uh, don't try and hide it," Angel interrupted. "Everytime he's brought up, if he isn't around, you always get his name right." Mary was very suddenly interested in her guitar, which she was getting better at, but that wasn't the point, and giving them a silent order to change the subject or she'd stop talking.

"Oh, by the way Angel," Darci said, both to cater to Mary and because she truly needed to tell her something. "My dad is investigating some thefts and burns. Doesn't that sound like those hellheeties Toby mentioned?" 

"Heetlings. And yeah, it does. I guess-"

"So far Coach Lawrence, Mrs. Janeth, and, the Lieutenant lost, what they said, were their most prized possession. As you'd guess, they think it's the same people from a couple months ago that were the cause of all those thefts and destroyed gas station." Angel winced and decided she was thirsty, heading to the mini fridge right next to the garage door. "You know, there's a lot that goes into police and detective work that you wouldn't think about at first. 

"Like getting people to actually open up about what really happened, deciding who's reliable or not, getting to the bottom of everything, they get to put bad people in jail- it's just so.... So..." 

"You really like this stuff, huh?" Mary observed, stopping strumming to give Darci a small smile.

"At first, I was only asking to keep Angel from having to follow my dad again," Angel was about to ask something, but Darci raised her hand to stop her. "I figured it out. Anyway, that's why I first asked. But after awhile, I started getting into it."

"Yeah, it can be pretty cool," Angel agreed. "It's why I love Criminal Minds and stuff like that. A lot of my family were in the police force, army, stuff like that."

"Ok, ok," Mary interrupted. "Are we gonna write a song about being in the army or being a police officier or are we gonna write something fun?" Angel and Darci chuckled at the change of subject but followed anyway.

. . .

"Will you slow down?" Zoe called as Douxie jogged down the alley beside HexTech without giving her so much as a warning. It was time for her lunch hour and Douxie decided to join her for it because his happened to be at the same time. However, something seemed to draw him away.

She followed him, wondering why he would just run off like that. After a minute of running and getting to a darker, more covered area of the back doors of the buildings, a cold wind fell around her. It felt like it was swirling around her, and she suddenly her chest was filled with water. It was like she was drowning and now she was looking at river on a bright sunny day.

"Oh no," Zoe muttered. 

She was in a crowd of people with various ages and looks. However, if memory served, she was the one of the only elders there. The reason for her entire town to be congregating by the river on one of the hottest days of the season...

"Thou is accused of the most vile crime," a man announced from the water. He was next to three people, two men flanking a blonde and pale girl, thin and frail as were most people in this time period. Zoe had nearly forgotten about that. "Consorting the devil and his demon minions."

"Tis a lie! Agatha covets my family's land!"

"It is you who doth deceive us!" The brunette, Agatha, shouted back. Of course she was in front of the crowd.

"We shall find out soon enough who is the deceiver amongst us," the first man, the priest of the town, said. "We shall throw her into the river. If she sinks, the she be innocent. If she floats, she doth be a witch." Terror flooded the girl's face as she was pulled backwards, deeper into the water.

"But- I cannot swim! Please, don't! I promise, I be not a-" she was thrown back into the depths, the splashing clear as day despite Zoe's hearing having been going for a good few years. And as suddenly as it began, it was silent again.

"Pull Emily up!" Someone yelled.

"She's sinking!" 

"No, she's floating!" 

"She's dead you fool!"

"Zoe!" Hisirdoux yelled, putting a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, refocusing on reality. "Breathe. Just breathe." Zoe did as told, slowly but surely she remembered where she was. 

After that incident, to spite the town for killing her granddaughter, she looked into magic. A year passed before she found anything useful. Zoe turned from a seventy-one year old lady to a twenty-one year old hedge wizard. That path led her to meet Douxie two years later, who somehow convinced her to stop researching the curse she planned to put on the town.

Which led to her life in Arcadia.

Zoe quickly hugged Douxie, who was confused at the affection but returned it all the same. She sniffed and buried her face in his chest.

"Thank you," she muttered. 

"For what?" He asked, confused. 

"For everything." 

The wind attacked a the dumpster a few feet in front of them. Despite Douxie looking at it curiously and trying to figure out what was causing it, he didn't notice the familiar dark green fog hidden behind it.

. . .

"Hey, Dr- I mean, Barbara?" Angel asked as she entered the kitchen with some takeout from a place from the town over. It was her and Barbara's favorite dishes from there, plus a burger from the next place over for NotEnrique. "I uh, got y'all some dinner."

"Oh, you didn't have to go that far for dinner," Barbara said, getting some baby bottles ready. "I was going to cook after I fed the babies." Angel made sure to hide her grimace as she set the stuff down.

"Well, I was in the forge (we should really get one in this town) and wanted to do something nice. You work too hard." 

"Well, thank you." She finished with the five bottles of regular formula, two of a hypoallergenic one. Angel grabbed four of them and followed Barbara upstairs. Jim had given them permission to turn his bedroom into a nursery, thankfully.

They had talked for a bit about the knife Angel had made that day, but they soon lapsed into quiet. Silence was usually comfortable with Barbara. Angel never fully felt like she had to converse with Barbara, it was just something that happened naturally in between caring for the babies. It actually reminded her of her daycare days. 

But still, Barbara seemed a bit distracted as she continued the normal routine. The way she moved was robotic, becoming more so the longer the silence loomed. 

The little imp finished changing a baby and just finished laying him down when Angel spoke. "Hey, NotEnrique?" Angel said as she laid down a sleeping baby. He looked up curiously. "Your burger is in the microwave, if you-"

"Ah ah," He said as he hopped down and practically ran to the door. "Say no more."

"Only grab the one on the left! The other one's mine!" He left without giving her a second thought. She followed him as far as the door. "I mean it mister!"

"Yeah, yeah," he called back to her. Angel groaned.

"Ok, you wanna tell me what that was about?" Barbara asked, making Angel jump. She honestly had almost forgotten why she had sent him away in the first place.

Then-

"I know you miss him," Angel said softly. Barbara blanched for a second. Then she pushed up her glasses and made to protest. Angel raised her to stop her. "He hasn't called in a few weeks and you're worried. I know that look. I've, regrettably, given it to Douxie."

Jim knew his mother would worry if he didn't at least text, so he was either really busy or- Well, Barbara's own fears were what she was going to deal with at the moment. 

"I'm his mother. Of course I'm going to worry." She led Angel out of the room as she laid down the last baby. "Now, come on- I'm-"

"Barbara," Angel said, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her decent downstairs. "It's ok to be as scared as you are. After all, this isn't a collage experience or summer road trip." She sighed but didn't look back. "But you've seen him in action. He's a great fighter- Take it from me, I've actually fought him."

That got Barbara to look back at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"Gravesand incident- I drank it and it made me more like a crazed troll: It wasn't that bad, I swear."

Barbara didn't look convinced. None of this was going to plan- Angel just wanted to cheer her up and calm her worries, but it all came out wrong. Douxie would be better at this, he'd know exactly what to say. 

With a dejected sigh, Angel suggested they go eat before the babies woke up. Reaching the kitchen, Angel pulled open the microwave door to grab her food as Barbara did the same with the fridge since hers was a pasta from a neighboring restaurant she liked better than the burger joint.

"NotEnrique!"

Chapter Text

"Sorry I haven't called in awhile," Jim said, his phone on speaker. With being a troll, that was a requirement to be able to hear and talk at the same time.

Angel laughed. "It's fine. I know you don't get a lot of downtime. Though, you really need to call your mother."

"Merl doesn't exactly believe in it, and I already did.."

"Good. I know Douxie has said a lot about the whole no downtime thing- Don't say anything to him, but I think that's the real reason he has two jobs. He's even talking about getting another at HexTech."

"Really? After being around for centuries, I'd expect to have more saved up."

"Right? And as for having no downtime, I feel ya there. Along with work, Mama Skull, patrol, and shooting that movie with Toby, I barely have enough time to eat, let alone sleep."

Jim chuckled as she mentioned the film again, but asked about how patrol was going. She told him that she and Toby were dealing with the heetlings again while Douxie was investigating other rumors that he had heard with Zoe.

"Sounds like you guys-"

"What the hell!?" Angel shouted. Jim tensed. "I- i gotta go!"

"Angel, wait!" The call ended.

. . .

"Eli, I'm looking for absolute terror, alright?" Toby said as he pointed for Luug to go back to his mark. "Not.. whatever you were just doing."

Eli's face fell slightly. "I thought I was."

"Yeah, I didn't get that. Now, get back to your mark!" Eli groaned but did as directed. "Annnndd- Action!"

Eli ran like he had the night of meeting his first bounty hunter, screaming like a maniac for everyone to run. After tripping intentionally, but scraping his elbow, he turned and screamed. Toby smiled as he swirled the camera around to Luug, who howled.

"Never to worry, young homosapien!" Krel yelled as he flew over a building and being silloutted by the moon for a second before landing next to Eli. "DJ Kleb is here to- Seklos and Galen!"

"Uh, don't think that line will play Krel," Toby said as he moved the camera to where Krel's gaze fell. "What are you looking at-" he stopped talking as he saw a projectile shooting from the atmosphere.

Krel yelled something and pushed the two out of the way. The projectile scraped the top of a building, hit some trees before hitting a car and flipping it over in a firy explosion. As Krel got up to investigate a crater now in the earth, the wind picked up and extinguished the flames before they spread. Flapjack came flying in, cutting off the ones that were already spreading.

"What's going on?" Angel asked as she ran to join Krel. The glowing ball looked like pure magma. Angel gasped.

"Please tell me that is a magic thing," Krel begged. "Because if not..."

Eli told Toby at the same time, "Tell me you got that on tape." Toby fist bumped him, to Angel, Flapjack, and Krel's disappointment.

. . .

As Mother scanned the debris, Flapjack came in with Douxie and Arch. The bird perched on her shoulder moodily, turning his beak up. Angel pet him gently, Flapjack jumping before realizing what she was doing.

"Thanks, FJ," she whispered. He chirped softly.

"This meteorite is debris from category twenty meteor shower which originated from the Oxiom Galaxy some 500 light keltons away," Mother explained as Douxie took his spot next to Angel.

"What? How did it get here?" Krel asked as the screen showed a diagram of the meteorite coming towards them.

"This is the best dolly ever," Toby gushed as he filmed the scene. "Uh, is that red thingy moving towards the green thingy? Is that green thingy us?"

"No, we're watching a catastrophe happen to another planet far far away," Angel told him, hand on her hip. Douxie and Flapjack chuckled, the former's sounding scratchy. Angel gave him a quick glance before her attention was forced back to Toby.

"No need for your sarcasm, miss always late for shoot."

"Hey, I've been on patrol as of late, thank you very much."

"Guys," Aja groaned, glaring at them. Angel immediately shrank, embarrassed. Toby just went back to filming everything.

"A asteroid the size of Arcadia is set to make landfall in Arcadia in approximately 24 horvats," Mother warned.

Krel gasped. "Wait, if a rock that size lands here-"

"Then the whole town will be destroyed," Douxie finished, Angel glancing sidelong at him. His voice was definitely rough, and call her crazy, but he sounded stuffed up as well.

"Along with the entire Western Seaboard," Zadra added. Eli began freaking out, Toby filming constantly. Angel had half a mind fling the damn thing against the wall, but that would be rude to Mother. And inconsiderate to Eli, whom she approached gently.

"Eli, it will be ok," Angel spoke softly, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Yeah, this is Aja and Krel we're talking about," Toby said. "They can handle a space pebble, right?" Eli gave a small smile.

"Our V-Strykers routinely took down asteroids when they enter Akkiridian airspace," Zadra said. "Mother, activate your deep space laser technology."

"That was destroyed during our escape from Akkiridian-5," Mother said.

"Then activate your mid-space laser technology," Krel ordered.

"Destroyed when we crashed on Earth."

"How about your near-space laser tech?" Aja asked.

"That would be Luug."

Angel glared at the space animal. "Bad dog." Luug tilted his head before jumping on her, nearly knocking her over the side. Flapjack thankfully steadied her. "No, no, you do not get to be sweet right now." Angel tried to push the affectionate dog off.

Toby rolled his eyes. "Oh great. Where was that magic when I was filming, you diva?" Angel felt a pecking at her head.

"FJ, stop being jealous! And you two- stop laughin!" She turned on the wizard duo. Douxie played it off with a cough while Arch just began grooming himself.

"Little brother," Aja said. "You need to build a deep space laser, and you need to do it fast."

"Such a device would require technology that doesn't exist on this planet," Krel answered.

Archie walked up to Krel and sat down, adjusting his glasses. "Actually, based on what you've told us, there is a place we can get the technology."

"And where is that?" Krel snapped.

Mother started glitching, flashing between her diagram and some place that they couldn't make out. Luug whimpered.

"Communication systems have been compromised-" the screen changed to a glitchy video call with Area 49B; and ergo, Kubritz.

"Mother, end transmission now!" Vex ordered.

"Please don't-" she begged. How did she even get through Krel's defenses? "We need your help."

"After what you us and our friends through, why would we ever help you?" Aja fired back.

"Because I wouldn't be calling if you weren't humanities best, last, and I fear, only hope."

. . .

"I hate this," Douxie muttered. Zadra put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you fear for the royals and your friend of girls, but having her down there is a tactical advantage."

"I know. I know." He sighed. "I just can't-" The image of Angel tied to a hospital bed, who knew what entering her system, flashed in his mind.

"A warrior does not need to forget hardships and horrors to move on. Do not let it define you, but keep it close enough to drive you." Douxie gave her a small smile as he turned his attention to the group in the canal, and the cardinal that was perched on the bridge in front of him.

Flapjack's eyes were glued to a seemingly empty spot next Krel, wind making a piece of paper dance gently. Douxie's own familiar was high above, sat upon a beam. Bright white lights soon came rolling up to the group.

"Varvatos Vex finds this plan most foolhardy." The spell Douxie had cast to hear them below worked, it seemed. Meaning they'd be able to hear if things were going wrong, even if they couldn't see it.

"That makes two of us," Aja agreed.

Krel sighed. "Make that three, but we're out of good options here. And if the colonel has the resources we need, she may be our best bad option." Kubritz and her lieutenant exited the car and approached.

"Not another step," Aja yelled. Douxie lit up his bracelet and readied to attack if needed. Zadra followed suit. Eli and Toby were not all that concerned, the former still getting his stars ready. "Our team won't hesitate to turn you into flexel!"

"Oh snap! She said Flexel, yo!" Toby accidentally hit Eli with his warhammer. A throwing star embedded itself into the leg of the Lieutenant, thanks to Douxie's magic helping to guide it. He couldn't help but smirk even though it missed Kubritz.

She grabbed it, feigning respect. "You brought backup. Smart. So have I." She snapped and hazmats with guns popped up, surrounding them all. A few seemed to be missing, and currently disappearing with a little red glow. "We have a code five."

Aja was the first of the group to leave her surprise. "The asteroid. We're aware. What are your leaders doing about it?"

"We've been trying to draw up a plan to intercept it, but we fear the level of engineering required is beyond our current capabilities."

"Area 49B has the most advanced alien technology and resources this planet has to offer," The Lieutenant said. "But unfortunately-" he shared a glance with Kubritz.

Krel finished for him. "You don't know how to use it. That's where we come in."

"So you see," Kubritz said, "neither of us can solve this problem without the other." The group glanced at each other before nodding.

"We have terms," Aja said.

"First, you will clear the base of any non-essential personnel and allow the King-In-Waiting to bring in his own team," Varvatos ordered.

Krel checked his phone. "And on that note, you will allow the magical people on my team to get rid of any wards you have put up against them."

"Third," Aja added. "As soon as this mission is over, we go out separate ways. And you leave us alone- for good."

Kubritz didn't seem pleased with the idea, but went along with it anyway. "Fine, then we have a-"

"Hey, DJ Kleb!" Toby interrupted. Krel rolled his eyes but checked his phone again.

"And finally, my team will require 16- no, 60- 60?" Krel looked at Toby incredulously. "Cases of Nougat Nummys?"

"Brain food! You'll thank us later!" Zadra patted his back in approval. Krel and Douxie groaned. Something that was coated in a red glow hit him in the head. Douxie snorted.

"We agree to your terms," Kubritz urged. "Now, do we have a deal?"

"After you make the most sacred of human oaths." Aja held out her pinky as Toby began filming. Kubritz smirked.

"We have ourselves a deal."

The trucks were cramped and it was extremely uncomfortable, but after about thirteen hours, they arrived. Douxie found himself resenting the fact that three of his companions could fly.

"Welcome to Area 49B," the Lieutenant said. Eli freaked out and Toby was almost just as giddy. Douxie heard Kubritz wonder how their magical defenses were already destroyed, especially with a controlled fire that went out on it's own. "You tell anyone you came here, that asteroid is gonna be the least of your worries, got it?"

Toby agreed a little too eagerly but as the Lieutenant walked away, he grabbed his backpack with an evil laugh. Eli chastised him as Archie perched on his shoulder, subtly nodding towards the roof of the nearest building. A red cardinal was perched on the side of it, pecking at the concrete almost too blankly.

. . .

"I can't get ahold of Toby, Mom," Jim said the moment she answered. "I saw the news- is there an evacuation going on? What's happening?"

"Honey, there's no time to get anywhere far enough away," Jim's mom said, voice strained. "And the- the thingamabob that Merlin made won't take the babies back. We have no way to get them out of here."

"Mom, we'll figure something out, I promise."

Claire yelled and kicked something against the elegant stone wall, knocking down a painting and startling Blinky as he entered. "This wouldn't be a problem if I had my Shadow Staff!"

"Even you could not accomplish such a feat, fair Claire."

"But I did in Trollmarket."

"Yes, but you merely had a few miles to go, whereas this would be in the thousands."

"Blink, what did Merlin say?" Jim asked.

"It seems we are on our own," Blinky said solemnly.

Claire scoffed. "Of course."

"To be fair, he did seem genuinely distressed that he couldn't do anything."

"Probably just because Douxie's there."

"He is too preoccupied on fighting the Order tomorrow to focus on the fight today. And the little one who-"

"Guys come on!" Jim interrupted. "There has to be something we can do! Merlin can't use some spell? Douxie can't? Angel-" his eyes went wide. "Mom, I'll call you right back!" The call ended as Jim began scrolling through his contacts. Scroll was a light word as the one he was looking for was just one movement up.

"Of course!" Claire exclaimed happily. "Angel can teleport everyone out of there!"

"Are you sure?" Blinky asked, hand on chin. "I seem to recall her being new to the magical world."

"She's been in it for five years."

"That, to an immortal wizard, is like a day."

"Jim! Kinda a bad time, buddy," Angel was whispering when she answered, and her tone was hurried. Something beeped on her end.

"Angel, we know know about asteroid," Jim said.

"I'd be surprised if you didn't."

"Can you get everyone-" Angel shushed him, the sound of people talking had him listening. Once they had left Angel told him to continue, accompanied with a beep. "Can you get everyone out of Arcadia?"

"Are you kidding me? The highest number of people I can take with me is two, maybe three, but that's pushin it."

"Can you at least get Hisirdoux out of there?" Merlin had just come in, stern and stoic in posture but eyes wide. Claire glared. "And your friends, of course."

"Essential personnel my ass," Angel muttered before once again telling them to be quiet. Another beep was heard. "Weren't you against me using my teleportation, Merlin?"

"In this circumstance, I believe it is necessary." Blinky made a noise but didn't say anything.

"Well, there's no way he's gonna go for it. Especially when we've got a solution in the works."

"What solution is that?" Claire asked.

A beat passed. "Are y'all outside? Or at least watchin the news?"

"No... Why?"

"Cause you'll probably see it soon."

Jim shared a glance with the others. "See what-" Angel shouted in surprise, cutting him off. A number of emotions passed through her voice quickly, going from shock to relief to confusion to horrified realization as she told him to call Toby so he could explain more and hanging up immediately after.

. . .

After the Lieutenant's embarrassing presentation, Krel took over quickly. With his headphones in, he directed everyone to what they needed to be working on. Between taking over and insulting the hazmats work, the time had flown by.

The laser was now finished and on the roof with thirty minutes to spare. Aja and Douxie had joined Kubritz in the control room, the latter making a distinct barrier between them and the former to keep an eye on the colonel.

"Laser is operational," Krel said over the com.

"Target is in range," Aja said.

Douxie put his hand on the back Aja's chair. "Fire when ready, Krel."

"Target locked. Firing in three, two-" a pause from the other end. Aja and Douxie shared an annoyed glance. "Let's rock this rock!" Douxie hit the mute button on their side.

"That was horrible, right?" Aja asked.

"Completely cheesy," Douxie answered.

"How would my brother be covered in cheese right now?"

Douxie deadpanned without looking at her. "That's not-" he was cut off by the laser having a direct hit and the cheers echoed, effectively cutting him off. It lasted only moment before the machines began whirring worringly. "Krel?"

"What is going on, little brother?"

"The laser is going haywire!" Toby answered for him.

The Lieutenant pulled in a video feed to show a frantic Krel. "Shut it off!"

Krel went from typing to staring directly at the camera. "I can't! The laser is not responding!" With one last high pitched ring, the lights went out. A moment later, the reserve power came on.

Kubritz adjusted her glasses when she saw the screen. Douxie and Aja followed her gaze and gave matching gasps. "Oh no."

"What happened?" Krel asked.

"The laser successfully detonated the asteroid into pieces."

"How is that bad news?"

"Two big pieces, mate," Douxie told him.

"Now both seaboards are doomed," Aja worried.

. . .

"T-minus thirty minutes to impact," the Lieutenant recapped as the group got to the roof.

"We need solutions people," Kubritz ordered.

"No dip, Sherlock," Angel said as she landed on the roof, fading into view. Douxie tensed as Kubritz narrowed her eyes. Very quickly and not subtle at all, he moved to stand in-between them. Angel rolled her eyes and moved to his side, though a small, satisfied smirk played on her lips.

"Solutions?" Krel asked incredulously and opening a Nougat Nummy. "The laser needs to be powered by a steady stream of electro thermal energy! So unless you have 400 megaton neutron bomb laying around-"

"What about my magic?" Angel asked. Everyone tuned to her in confusion. "Aja, Toby- remember what happened when we fought Tronos in the museum?" The two shared a glance. "Sure, it disoriented me for a minute, but it empowered me in a way."

"That, may actually be a good idea-"

"Hold up just a tick," Douxie interrupted. "That's a big leap from being energized by electricity." Angel defiantly created her rope, the bright red lightning crackling. Kubritz's eyes widened as she took a step back.

"If either of us can do it, I can."

Douxie shook his head before glaring. "Even if you could, it's extremely dangerous-"

"Oh, and freaking asteroid isn't?" Angel gestured to the sky.

Douxie sighed. "And hard to conduct-"

"Not with circles and Flux runes." He glared.

"Arch already explained how that is no way a smart idea-"

"Can you think of a better one?"

"You literally shot a hole through our roof! It's too unstable!"

"A bomb or magic aren't the only possible sources of electro thermal energy!" Aja interrupted before turning to Kubritz. "You have another, in your custody. But it's going to take some convincing."

Kubritz scoffed. "He won't cooperate." Angel turned her annoyed glare to the colonel.

"And what have you been doing to get him to cooperate?" She bit her bottom lip, so discreetly that almost no one noticed. Angel and Douxie deadpanned as they shared a glance.

"You've been torturing him, haven't you?" Douxie said.

"I prefer to call it-" Kubritz started, but Douxie coughed, and Angel cut her off with a raised hand.

"Whatever ya call it, it's still torture at its core, ain't it?"

"Just take me to him!" Aja ordered. All three looked slightly ashamed of the argument as Kubritz ordered a few hazmats and the Lieutenant to take her and Vex to the containment lab.

It took until it was nearly a minute and a half before the asteroid made contact when Vex came by with Tronos. Douxie had decided to stay on the roof with the others, Aja returning to the control room.

Whatever Aja said to Tronos worked. There seemed to be something different about how he carried himself. Angel still looked suspicious of him, if not slightly concerned.

Toby and Eli had taken to hiding behind Krel's control panel as Tronos passed by, Douxie and Angel behind them.

"Tronos, power up and divert all your energy to the laser," Krel ordered nervously. Tronos growled at Krel but followed the order all the same. The lightning that encompassed him seemed dimmer than before.

"Krel, punch it!" Came all too soon over the com. Vex got ready to split the laser, turning his serrator into a staff and held it against it.

Now that Krel had to pull a leaver to activate it, he was struggling to do so. Angel appeared right next to him, grabbed it, and helped him pull it down. The two backed up carefully, not wanting to get hit by the electricity. She kept her body in front of him just in case.

The laser was powering up even more now, but just as quickly Tronos began to falter. His roar became breathy and strained. The beam was only halfway to the asteroid and was already fading.

Angel glanced back to her friends before turning to Tronos once more. Douxie shouted something but there was a roaring in her ears now and it wasn't Tronos'.

Angel pushed Krel back as she quickly pulled the spell circles to her arms, four Flux runes each, before anyone could stop her. She muttered a preemptive apology to Tronos before releasing the magic that was almost bursting at the seams.

It hurt. It was such a white-hot pain that made her palms nearly numb but everything else completely aware. She didn't hear herself scream, too focused on keeping the beam steady.

She hoped that it had hit the asteroid when she fell, Tronos following soon after. Tears clouded her vision, ears ringing dangerously loud. Angel could only barely make out Krel's figure running to Vex excitedly.

Warm hands wrapped around her wrists. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Douxie was a blob in her vision, his hands the only reason her own weren't trembling. It took a moment to glean why. Her hands were slowly wrapped in a royal blue glow, warmth bleeding into her wounds as the pain lessened.

Angel blinked away tears. "I'm sorry, I-"

"He's in pain, we have to do something!" Aja demanded, turning the wizards heads. Kubritz advanced on her, flanked by two hazmats with neuromiters.

"Step aside," Kubritz ordered her. "Arm your neuromiters."

"What?" Tronos didn't like the idea, using the last bit of his strength to get up and roar, escaping to the nearest power line. Angel and Aja gave small smiles as he got away.

"Angel, what were you thinking?" Douxie asked as he waved over a hazmat. He'd brought a first aid kit and took out a bandage roll. Douxie carefully slid off her bracers. Bright pink skin was revealed. It stretched down the length of her forearm from a patch on her palms, looking like lighting had struck.

The hazmat began rubbing a salve and wrapping her arms. "Tronos was failing. The laser wouldn't have hit."

"Angel, are you ok?" Aja asked as she knelt down to her friend. Toby, Eli, Krel, and Vex stood behind them.

"I- I will be."

Douxie scoffed and muttered, "You didn't even know if it would work."

"Well, it did and now we don't have a space rock hurtling towards us, do we?" He glared and glanced to the others for help. They suddenly had other, more interesting things to do, so he said nothing else as the hazmat finished with her arms.

. . .

Night had fallen by the time they were able to leave. Toby had been insistent on taking the remaining candy, but in the end, settled on a bag. As they all readied to leave, the Lieutenant approached them with a smile.

He looked to Krel. "It might sound counter intuitive, but we do offer a pretty swell internship program. Unpaid."

"Maybe one day," Krel laughed. "I couldn't have done it without my sister, or my team."

"I never doubted you for a secton," Aja added before the sound of guns being armed put them all on edge.

Kubritz advanced on them with a smirk. "It's been such a pleasure working with you, we couldn't bear to see you leave just yet."

"What's going on?" Aja exclaimed as Douxie and Angel growled, fists glowing with magic. Varvatos had his serrator at the ready behind his back.

"I thought we had a deal with them, Colonel?" The Lieutenant asked, worry on his face.

"It wasn't a deal," Kubritz said. "It was a trap."

Toby once again focused on the wrong thing. "Dude, are you getting this? A plot twist in the last reel!"

"Not a very good one as we saw it coming a light kelton away," Krel said, gesturing to Angel before he reached into his satchel and grabbed a bright orange tech ball. "Eli. DJ Kleb is here to party!" He tapped the ball and it blinked. The laser amongst other things far and near, blew up.

The hazmats and Kubritz were knocked down because of the blast. As she got up, a bright blue electrical form appeared behind her.

"First you betray me, then you betray them," Tronos growled as he advanced. "A deal must mean something very different on earth." Kubritz ducked and rolled to dodge his attack. As Toby was freaking out again at the production value, she picked up the nearest gun and began shooting at the group.

The Akkiridians and Douxie shielded the ones who didn't have any defenses. Angel tried but found it to be difficult and slightly painful. Tronos suddenly appeared in front of the hazmats marching on them, knocking them back and giving Varvatos an opening to shoot down the wall.

Steve came in first, riding in on his Vespa and saying some overused line. Zadra and Stuart came in after, the latter saying a stupidly ironic line.

Angel and Aja had second thoughts about leaving Tronos as everyone boarded the truck, but their respective boyfriends convinced them that he could handle himself.

As they left, Kubritz kept her eyes locked on them even as Tronos fell.

Chapter Text

https://youtu.be/3-3R-6yKIjA

"I do not think this performance is of the upmost importance," Merlin said as he sat down. Front row, as per Douxie's request. Barbara and Strickler sat next to him on one side, Claire's parents on the other.

"The kids wanted to put on a show for us," Mrs. Nunez said as she crossed her legs.

Mrs. Domzalski sat next to Strickler. "I think that's the most important thing ever." Merlin groaned but actively watched the red curtain. Most of the town was there, along with some aliens and trolls. Charlemagne took up the entire left side of the gym, his tail blocking the exit with his tail.

Douxie took to the stage, creating a glowing blue microphone. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, trolls and al- Akkiridians and others. Welcome to our Arcadia Christmas Concert.

"We only have two songs, but I assure you, you won't be bored. Afterwards, we will have refreshments and other activities. Right then, on with the show."

The red curtains opened and Douxie fell into his spot as the music started.

On the first day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Jim: The Trollhunter amulet

On the second day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Angel: (quickly) two awesome familiars

Jim: and the Trollhunter amulet

On the third day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Claire: Three wizard besties- (as the others continue) why besties, TP? I've never said anything like that.

Toby: Darci helped me write it-

Jim: And the Trollhunter amulet.

On fourth day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Steve: four possessed teachers

Claire: Three wizard besties.

Angel: (quickly) two awesome familiars.

Jim: and the Trollhunter amulet.

On the fifth day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Toby: Five goblin screams!

Steve: Four possessed teachers.

Claire: Three wizard besties.

Angel: two awesome familiars- (out of breath) can I please change my line?

Jim: And the Trollhunter amulet.

Toby: Why do you want to change it?

Angel: Do you know how hard it is to sing that quickly?

Toby: No rewrites!

On the sixth day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Douxie: My own wizards staff

Toby: Five goblin screams!

Steve: Four possessed teachers-  ahh! My tooth!

Claire: Why is he not singing the number?

Toby: (as Angel and Jim sing) That was all he gave me.

Angel: My line doesn't even sound right!

Toby: You aren't changing it.

"Is this part of it?" Mr. Nunez whispered to his wife. She shrugged.

On the seventh day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Arrrgh: seven yummy cats

Angel: (as Douxie sings) ok, that wasn't even remotely musical.

Toby: (Missing his line) Leave him alone.

Angel: (as Blinky and Claire sing) just sayin, you made his easy, but can't change mine.

Toby: You didn't sing.

Jim: Come on, do you two really have to do this now?

Toby: She started it. (Angel glares)

On the eighth day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Eli: eight conspiracy's solved!

Arrrgh: seven yummy cats (licks his lips)

Douxie: my own wizards staff!

Toby: Five goblin screams!

Steve: Four possessed teachers

Claire: Three wizard besties

Angel: (smirking) Two rabid gnomes!

Toby: Hey!

Jim: (quickly) and the Trollhunter amulet!

(Angel whispers to Claire, who smirked. Toby glared)

Toby: What are you-

On the ninth day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Archie: nine dreadful puns

Charlie huffed a little laugh, shaking the walls. Some people got scared and pulled their companions closer.

Eli: eight conspiracy's solved!

Arrrgh: Seven yummy cats!

Douxie: my own wizards staff!

Toby: Five goblin screams! (To Angel) sing the lyric I gave you.

Steve: Four possessed teachers

Claire: Three Global crisis's!

Toby: Claire!

Angel: (impish smirk) a power hungry director.

Toby: that's more than I gave you!

Angel: but less syllables. Also, repeating awesome is too much.

Jim: (sighing and facepalming) and the Trollhunter amulet

On the tenth day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Varvatos: a glorious death!

(Arrrgh sniffs the air)

Archie: nine dreadful puns

Eli: eight conspiracy's solved!

Arrrgh: seven yummy- cat!

Archie: (turning to a dragon and sending a blast of fire at him) I am no one's lunch!

Toby: (nervously as Douxie gets in-between them) Five goblin screams...

Steve: four possessed teachers.

Claire: three Global crisis's! (Toby groaned)

Angel: Two great companions- no, that doesn't sound right either.

Flapjack: (on her head. Gives a empathetic chirp)

Toby: (as Jim sings) just stop changing the lyrics!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Krel: eleven Akkiridian fighters? (As the others continue singing) Angel is right, this is too much.

Angel: Doesn't even sound all that good.

Toby: Everyone's a critic. No, no! (As Steve sings) Aw, I missed my line.

Claire: three Global crisis's!

Angel: Two... Two trolls brawling. Ugh, I can't think of anything!

Toby: Then say my line.

Angel: no.

Toby: aw, come on, we're almost done.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Merlin gave to me-

Blinky: Twelve ancient tomes

Aja: Akkiridian-5!

Krel and Toby: really Aja?

Aja: What? You never gave me a line.

Toby: You have an entire part in the song later!

Varvatos: A glorious death!

Archie: nine dreadful puns

Eli: a lot whole planet of friends!

Arrrgh: (glancing nervously to Arch) yummy cats...

Douxie: Spellcaster Guitar (makes his guitar appear and does a guitar riff)

Toby: (annoyed) A questionable group of performers!

Steve: Are we supposed to change our lines? Oh, I don't know what to change it to!

Toby: Don't change it!

Claire: three Global crisis's!

Angel: Two evil wizards!

Jim: (glancing to Toby apologetically)

Toby: (glares, knowing what Jim is about to do)

Jim: And a real life Gun Robot!

The curtains closed with confused but happy claps. Toby went on a rant behind the curtain about how he and Darci had worked on it so hard and long on it and that nobody appreciated his work. Darci immediately shut it down, saying she said time and time again that they should have asked the others for help.

He shut up after that as they prepared for the next song.

The audience could hear them arguing what to do and where music was and whatnot. Aja was confused, Mary was being a bit of a drama queen, Douxie was getting in trouble for playing his guitar, Steve and Claire were fairly excited, and Angel was struggling to be heard.

"Everyone shut up!" She snapped.

"My lips are sealed," Toby promised.

"Thank you."

The curtains were pulled open in one fell swoop.

https://youtu.be/I8josdlDof4

All: Deck the halls
With boughs of holly!
Fa la la la la la la la!
'Tis the season to be jolly!
Fa la la la la la la la!
Don we now our gay apparel!
Fa la la la la la la la!
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol!
Fa la la la la la la la!

All but Toby and Darci spin away, leaving a spotlight on the two.

Darci: Yeah~!
Oh~...
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need!

Toby: I don't care about the presents!
Underneath the Christmas tree!

Darci And Toby:
I just want you for my own!
More than you could ever know!
Make my wish come true!
All I want for Christmas!

Darci: Oooh...
Is you!
You~!

The spotlight now goes to a Mary and Krel behind them as Toby and Darci back away from each other.

Mary And Krel:
Jingle bell, jingle bell
Jingle bell rock

Mary: Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring

Krel: Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun

Mary And Krel:
Now the jingle hop has begun!
Jingle bell, jingle bell
Jingle bell rock

Mary:
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time

Krel: Dancing and prancing
In Jingle Bell Square

Mary And Krel:
In the frosty air!

The spotlight slid over to Douxie in front a cardboard fireplace and window with snow blowing in.

Douxie: Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go

Douxie And Angel (Angel hopped down from the rafters):
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Angel: When we finally kiss good-night!
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you really hold me tight!  (Douxie grabbed her hand and twirled her around)

Douxie And Angel:
All the way home I'll be warm!

They disappeared, replaced by Aja and Steve.

Aja : It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Steve : Christmas!

Aja  And Steve:
Everywhere you go!

Aja : Take a look in the five and ten!

Steve : glistening once again

Aja and Steve :
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow!

Steve : It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Aja : Soon the bells will start!
And the thing that will make them ring!

Steve:  Is the carol that you sing!

Aja and Steve :
Right within your heart!

The light went off for a second, then had different colors on each of the girls.

Angel : Santa baby

Claire : slip a sable
Under the tree for me!

Aja : Been an awful good girl!

Darci : Santa baby

Mary : and hurry down the chimney tonight!

All girls :   And hurry down the chimney tonight!

The music changed as the lights faded down on the girls and up on the boys.

Jim : You're a mean one, Mr Grinch

Toby : You really are an eel~

Douxie : Your brain is full of spiders

Krel: you've got garlic
In your soul, Mr Grinch... How does someone have garlic as a soul?

Steve : I wouldn't touch you... with a

All boys  (Krel, a beat off):
Thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

All stage lights come on, revealing the pairs together.

Aja : I really can't stay

Steve : Baby, it's cold outside

Darci : I've got to go away!

Toby : Baby, it's cold outside

Claire : This evening has been

Jim : Been hoping you'd drop-in

Mary : So very nice...

Krel : I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice

Angel : I ought to say "No, no, no, sir"

Douxie : Mind if I move in closer?

Claire : At least I’m gonna say that I tried

Jim : What's the sense in hurtin' my pride?

Aja : I really can't stay!

Steve : But, baby, don't hold out!

All: Ahh, but, it's cold outside!

The lights cut out quickly, fading back over a half moon with Jim and Claire cuddled up together. 

Jim :
Have yourself a merry little Christmas..
Let your heart be light...
From now on your troubles
Will be out of sight..

Claire : Through the
Years we all will be together...
If the fates allow...
Hang a shining star
Upon the highest bough!

Claire and Jim :
And have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Now!

Steve : Uh.. is it over?

Angel : no! It's just getting better!

Krel : IM TIRED!

Toby :  You better watch out!

Angel : You better not cry!

Toby : You better not pout, I'm tellin you why!

Angel : Santa Claus is comin' to town!

Mary and Krel :
He sees you when you're sleeping!
He knows when you're awake!

Jim and Claire :
He knows when you've been bad or good!
So be good for goodness sake!

Steve : Oh… you better watch out!

Aja : You better not cry!

Douxie : (doing a guitar riff) You better not pout and I'm telling you why!!

All: Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!

Darci : Santa Claus is~ coming~

Aja : to town!

All: Santa Claus is coming to town!

"And Happy New Year!" They all shouted before linking their arms together and bowing.

. . .

"That was so much fun!" Charlie laughed, nearly slamming his tail down. Archie, flying in front of his face, held up a claw. He sighed but carefully placed his tail down. "Though, I had hoped you would have had more than one line, Archibald."

"I didn't want another line," Archie said, landing next to Douxie who was picking stuff off the buffet table. He pet him fondly as he walked off to join Nari and Angel, handing her her own plate. Nari had gone for the table immediately after the performance, not wanting to wait any longer.

Her plate consisted of greens and fruit. Angel and Douxie had minimal meat and they didn't gush at Jim's amazing cooking.

Jim and Claire, due to Toby and Arrrgh, got caught under the mistletoe. Aja didn't understand why the two kissed, and when Steve explained, she kissed him. Mary and Krel watched the scene with matching blushes.

Angel shared a chuckle at the kids with Douxie, earning a peck on the cheek from him. Nari giggled at her red face. Angel gave her a fake glare and scrunched up face, making her tilt her head back in laughter.

The night was fun. There were some more songs played, Krel DJed a bit, Steve's old friends somehow snuck alcohol into the punch and unfortunately, the adults just thought it was for them as there were many other drinks. His old friends never got more than a cup.

Jim and Toby were allowed to have a couple cups, Claire one with some convincing, as the events of the past year were enough to let them try it.

Douxie had a little extra before realizing that it was spiked and had become a bit tipsy. Angel enjoyed the way he talked to Merlin and the face the old man made at it.

Nari used her status as the oldest there, rivaled by Charlemagne and Merlin, to get a few extra. Needless to say, her tiny body barely held one glass, not as many as she had. There was soon mistletoe everywhere, trees sprouting where they shouldn't, flowers in everyone's hair, and a knocked out demigod.

It was then decided that everyone should go home.

Chapter Text

https://youtu.be/HB7We-iDuC4

"Why did you go and do something as daft as that?" Douxie asked the moment they had gotten back to the apartment.

Angel had dealt with his condescension long enough today already. She didn't even care that he was sick at the moment. "Oh, right it's so 'daft', stoppin that asteroid."

"No, it's not- I'm just saying it wasn't the best-"

"If you're gunna say there was another way, then-"

"There could have been!" She rolled her eyes.

"Tronos was failing, due to Kubritz and her dumbass torture chamber no doubt. I swear if I see her again..."

"I completely agree on that particular point. But you don't know that he was failing."

"The laser wasn't even firin yet, and we didn't have time to wait and see if he would! Even your precious 'Master' said it was likely the best option." Douxie glared for a moment before groaning and pinching his nose. "What, is teaching me magic finally startin to backfire on ya?"

"Maybe.." Douxie muttered.

Angel tilted her head, not hearing him fully. He wouldn't..."What?"

"I said maybe it was!" He snapped. The moment the words left his mouth, his face fell ill. But the damage was done.

Angel disappeared immediately, the door opening and slamming a good indicator that she had left. Archie hardly said anything before Douxie was out the door. Flapjack had disappeared with her, pecking at his head before going after her. Even Archie had stalked off at his words.

He had taken his motorcycle a little further into the woods than he should have just to get to the gazebo sooner.

Before their argument, at Jim's house, Merlin had gotten on the phone with them, examining her injuries as best he could and listening to the story. In the end, he concluded that her magic would be forever crippled in some way.

It was hard to remember the way to her gazebo after two months of not visiting the place and his worry for her now. When he broke through the veil to find nothing, he immediately panicked and tried to call her. She didn't answer.

"Oh, not this again," He muttered as he ran back the way he came, taking a detour down her route. Hopefully she had just chosen to walk instead of teleporting or flying-

Right. Who knew if she still had those abilities. Breathing harder, especially with his clogged nose and sore throat, he slowed down. How long had he been out there? The sun was nearly set and he had only left at noon.

Was there a storm or something? The clouds seemed to be churning around him closer and closer... And closer.

Douxie's eyes widened as his nose cleared and his throat was no longer sore. "Oh no."

Hisirdoux! What have you done?!

. . .

Angel kicked a stone down the path, letting herself become visible at last. "I can't fly, I can't teleport, and I can't slow anything down. I'm just a stupid girl who can only turn invisible," she muttered. She examined her bandaged arms in the noon light before sighing.

Flapjack chirped empathetically as she wiped a tear from her eyes. "I'm useless. Ow! Stop that!" Flapjack had started pecking and pulling At her hair, chirping wildly in protest. "Ok, ok! I'm not useless! I'm not useless!"

Flapjack stopped and landed on a nearby branch. The anger radiating off him didn't subside.

Chirp, chirp!

"What does it matter? You were attacking me!"

He growled, if birds could do that.

"What? I'm supposed to think I'm useful?" She looked at her arms, running her exposed fingers over the fabric. "That I'm smart? That- that I... I... Ugh! I don't know!" Angel crouched down, wringing her hands and burying her head in her knees.

Flapjack's eyes softened as he glided down to her hands.

Chirp...

Angel sighed. "I know that I can't be useless, that I've helped people. But with Douxie's reaction- he's obviously worried about me. I can't shake the feeling that he thinks that I need to be protected, coddled, guarded. Maybe I do....

"But that makes me useless, unhelpful, a burden, and I'm not- I'm not!" She clasped her hands behind her head. "It means that I can't do it myself. It means I have to take advantage of people. It means-" she cut herself off, blinking a few times. She heard Flapjack chirp but couldn't look at him. The wind stirred violently.

The memory of the pixie vision played through her head. Where everything she did made everything worse and in the end-

"I'm not her!" Angel yelled, startling them both. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, an apology on the tip of her tongue. But she had retreated too far, falling into the hollow of the tree she thought was solid. She muttered ow when something fell on her face.

It was her bow and quiver, still full of arrows. As Angel sat up, she saw the note that was left with her arrows. It was Elsa and Anna explaining that they filled it up after adding a surprise to the set.

"Remind me to thank them later, FJ." Angel got a 'whatever' chirp in response as she examined the new runes painted and carved on them. She recognized a few as binding and teleportation, but the rest she couldn't cipher. "Wonder what they meant-"

A wave a fear rushed over them, the two's blood running cold. Angel was only barely able to catch Flapjack and turn them invisible.

"I thought I heard her down here," a voice said. Her mind immediately recognized it as Douxie, but there was no way it was him. For one, there was no accent. Two, it was almost stagnant in emotion. There was possibly annoyance, but it was too small to tell.

"I know you're here," he whispered as he came through the brush, hair somehow neater than she last saw him only an hour ago. His hoodie was neatly folded over his arm, revealing tattoos painted down his upper arm.

Though Douxie was beautiful as always, the tired and worn out movements, the crinkles in his eyes, were replaced by poise and precise movements. Bright green eyes fell to hers, calculating. Angel glared back but refused to reveal her whereabouts.

"I suppose she isn't here to stop me taking over her lover's body then." That sentence nearly had her clawing his eyes out right then, with or without her magic. But it was still Douxie, the man she cared for deeply, in there.

She reached behind her to grab a loose branch, grass, the tree itself, anything to ground her rising emotions, only to find her bow and quiver. Would turning them invisible be a giveaway or did he see them right now anyway?

Flapjack was still trembling, though with either fear or anger, she was unsure. It was unclear what emotion she was feeling herself.

"Hisirdoux!" Archie yelled, his voice annoyed as he glided down to fly in front of him. In an instant, his eyes were back to hazel.

"What is it, Arch?" He asked oh so innocently in Douxie's accent. The fucker.

"Angel needs some time alone. I don't care how worried you are, the girl can take care of herself. And above all else, she doesn't need to be called a mistake!"

"I never called her a mistake," the demon said simply as he tried to walk off. Archie went in front of him, nose to nose.

"Don't you walk away from me, mister!" Oh, he's getting that treatment, Angel thought with a small laugh, however tainted. "What in the name of Charlemagne the Devourer were you thinking, saying that to her?"

He side stepped around Arch and walked off, rolling his eyes. "I didn't call her a mistake. I said that teaching her magic was a mistake. Big difference."

"Not to her and you know that."

"Well, so what?" Archie made a noise of disbelief. "She's not the best student, a horrible magic user. Honestly, I'm surprised she survived last night."

Archie was speechless. The next words the demon said had him falling to the ground in disbelief. "She doesn't even deserve to be a wizard."

Angel growled, tackling him. It hurt as her hands glowed a bright red, claws digging into the ground, charring the dirt.

"Angel!?" Archie exclaimed only to be pulled back by Flapjack.

"Douxie would never say that! Give him back! Stay the hell away from-!" A foot connected with her chest, launching her back into a tree. She barely had time to block a blue blast of magic.

"And here I was, thinking I had truly missed you," the demon said in Douxie's accent. Angel shot a blast of magic at him that he barely blocked. Slight surprise found it's way to his face. She refused to show her own.

"I'ma tell you one more time- give. Him. Back."

"Or what?" He challenged as his eyes turned green, predicting her next blast. And the next few, even though they came in quick succession and he barely had time to get a shield up. Still bright blue, still Douxie's voice.

Angel struggled to keep a light stun on her mind instead of outright murder. It was one thing for that stupid demon to possess her, but for him to go after Douxie....

She'd apologize later and keep her attacks to just distraction and stun. She could do that. Right?

"Why the hell ain't you dead?!" Angel stopped just a second, but that was all the demon needed to throw her against a tree. She wheezed as blue clouded her vision. She could feel herself get thrown around, bark and rocks broke her skin, dirt got in her mouth and eyes.

With a cry, she broke free in a burst of red magic. Her scars glowed brightly as she directed another blast at the demon. Her legs hurt upon the contact with the ground, but she couldn't stop now.

Her bow and quiver were far away, nothing a levitation spell couldn't fix. With a bright red glow, they shot at her. The demon simply raised a hand to stop them, invisible magic that time.

He gave pause, and there was an ever so slight change in his eyes that told her his struggle.

With a flash, a weight fell upon her back and the bow appeared in her hands. "What the-?"

On instinct she pulled an arrow from the quiver and shot an incoming blast of magic. Then, she shot at the sides of his shirt, just barely getting his shirt on one side and definitely cutting him on the other.

"Interminus-" a muzzle fell upon her mouth. She tried clawing at it, having her magic overpower it; nothing worked. Angel was able to block and fight the demon's magic before, why not now?

She had to tuck and roll to avoid another attack. She dropped her bow, but she firmly felt the pressure of the string against her chest. "Really love- that spell is so beginner level."

Rage had her shooting a straight beam of magic at him, though it was blocked easily. She'd apologize to Douxie once that dumbass demon got out of him and stopped using his voice.

Her arms burned with pain and she had to turn invisible to catch her breath. If only that damn demon hadn't put a muzzle on her! She could safely put him to sleep and get him to Stuart's.

She glanced at Archie and Flapjack's terrified forms and remembered a past lesson with him.

Spells do not always need an incantation. The words simply make them stronger.

She focused all her energy into making him sleep and just in case, thought Interminus nocti sluumberso. The bright red beam hit him square in the face, dropping him to the ground. Unfortunately, he was able to launch Angel across the trail before he had lost consciousness.

"Angel!" Archie yelled as he flew to her, breaking out of his terror.

"What the heck just happened?" Toby called from behind her, looking between the fallen wizards. Eli and Krel had gone to check on Douxie. Must have been filming some shots in the woods.

"I'd like to be filled in as well." Archie landed next to Angel as her muzzle turned to blue fog she had to cough away. She righted herself, holding her arms close.

"It was that damn demon again," Angel coughed.

"I thought Stuart disposed of him," Krel said as he easily picked up Douxie with all four of his arms.

"Yeah, I'ma have a word with him when we get there." As Angel lowered her arms, everyone gasped. She would've asked why but she had felt the warm liquid dripping from her hands.

. . .

Barbara and Strickler had come as quickly as possible, NotEnrique volunteering to watch the kids for once.

"You were supposed to dispose of the demon's remains in Heetling fire," Strickler lectured. "I made the instructions very clear."

Stuart deadpanned. "Uh, yeah, no. You didn't. I don't even know what a heetling is."

"Did you even ask?" Angel scoffed, only wincing slightly as Barbara redid her bandages tightly, expression unreadable.

"I tried. He got a call from someone named Atlas and left." The girls glared at the slightly shameful troll as he muttered 'whoops'.

. . .

"Douxie! Guys! Wait up!" Aja called as he moved through the forest. It was thicker than the woods around Arcadia, so it was to be expected at least. The group waited for him to catch up before heading towards the temple again.

"This temple we are heading to," Krel started as he moved around the trees awkwardly in his Akkiridian form. This forest was a lot denser than the one in Arcadia. "What exactly are we looking for, Magic Man?" Douxie's eyes narrowed.

"I'm quite curious too," Blinky said, squeezing through the trees. "I have no wish to return to this place." Douxie could understand his resentment towards the place considering he still had reservations about Strickler, no matter how he had proven himself.

"It's why he's back with Toby, Blink," Jim said, putting a human hand on his shoulder. "So they can stay safe."

Blinky sighed. "I know, Master Jim. I am merely pointing out that this is not an ideal situation."

"Yeah, but stopping someone else from raising Angor Rot is ideal," Douxie pushed.

"He's got a point," Claire said as she hopped out of a shadow portal. "Angel and Archie are almost done looking at the top of it for any traps. And Flapjack found a way in, so he's doing a look inside."

"Excellent. Come on then- we've got a temple to destroy, and before sunup." Douxie led the march through the now dimly orange, almost twilight forest for a minute more before they arrived.

Angel landed in a swirl of wind superhero pose, because of course she would, and brushed off what little dirt had gotten on her. She smirked at what was no doubt a lovestruck expression on Douxie's face.

A part of him wanted to kiss her right then. Another knew they had to get into the temple. However, after getting teased by Jim and Aja, he did sneak a kiss on her cheek as they passed.

"Right," He said, leaving Angel's side and approached the doorway. "First task, getting past the door- should be fairly simple."

Douxie let a blue glow cover the stone door and willed it to move. It creaked and shifted slightly but did nothing else. He scrolled through a few runes and tried a stronger spell. It didn't work. Even when Angel added her strength it still didn't budge.

Blinky explained that it was likely because the place was warded against magical break ins, even though magic could be used inside. So they would have to use brute force. He wished Flapjack were here to help. Eventually, the force of two wizards, two humans, two Akkiridians, and one troll was enough to get the door open.

"Where's Arch?" Douxie asked before heading in, looking at the sky. "We can't go in without him."

"I'm sure he's fine, Doux," Jim urged. Douxie didn't believe it. Something felt off about him being missing. He should have come back when Angel did, or shortly after.

"Worry not, our fearless leader," Blinky said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I shall stay outside and wait for your familiar."

Jim chuckled. "You just don't want to go in."

"That is something of a perk that come with this job." The rest of the group went inside, Angel noticing his unease and grabbing his hand.

"We'll get through this," she whispered. "And Archie is a tough little dragon shifter- he can handle himself." He nodded as he continued with the others.

They were barely inside before the stone doors shut, locking them in. Jim and Claire ran back and started banging on it, trying to get Blinky's attention. Douxie called a light to his wrist and shined it around, the natural glow from Aja and Krel helping as well.

Claire groaned and kicked the stone. "Great. Now what?"

"We keep going?" Angel suggested. "We'll just have to find another out once we decommission this place so that assassin is-"

"That assassin is what?" A familiar voice drawled from the shadows. "Speak, little witch." Angel growled slightly, dawning her magic claws as Douxie shined the light around to find him.

"I ain't a goddamn witch!"

"Get back!" Both Jim and Douxie yelled, the former dawning his armor and the latter pulling her behind him.

Jim called to Daylight in the dark, but just as he grasped the blade, it flew from his grasp. Douxie illuminated the assassin just as the blade plunged into Jim's stomach.

. . .

The way the demon had invaded Douxie's mind was horrifying to say the least. There were inky black and dark green tendrils had broken every memory window, pulsing with some sort of energy. Or sucking some out.

"Seklos and Galen..." Aja gasped as she stood from the broken pine floor. "How- what is going on?"

"He rushed," Angel said shakily. "That damn demon knew we wouldn't make the same mistake twice and he rushed the possession! God damnit Strickler!" Angel looked like she wanted to kick something or punch a wall. But she could do neither for fear of alerting their enemy to their location.

Aja looked around at the chaos to see if there was anything they could use to find Douxie, but with so many things broken and the emotional anchor in emotional turmoil, there seemed to be nothing.

She carefully stepped around the tendrils and looked in the windows. They were playing a different memory each, like when he first met Zoe that night in the woods, Toby coming into the bookshop normally because of school, Steve still being afraid of Angel despite spending more time with her-

Then there was a memory with Angel herself. It was different apartment than the one they were currently in, light wallpaper and a bit messier.

"Talking cat! Y-you have a talking cat!" Memory Angel gasped, backing into the nearest wall. Aja ushered the other Angel over. A few movie cases nearly fell on her head but blue glow stopped it. Angel squeaked in surprise and backed away. "And powers yourself... Ok...."

"What is going on?" Aja whispered, feeling she'd disturb the memory if she spoke louder.

"This is the first time Douxie showed me his magic," she answered. "I had called him for help after being attacked by goblins at my daycare. Thankfully there were no babies since it was nighttime. I was just popping in to get my coat." Angel scoffed fondly. "I figured he'd think I was crazy and take me to a loony bin."

"A what?"

"Nevermind."

"Love, take it easy," Memory Douxie said, carefully putting them back and approaching Memory Angel carefully. She tensed and he made no more advances.

"Sorry," she told him, voice shaking with every breath. "When I asked you to come down here and help me, I wasn't expecting you to have powers or your freaking cat to talk."

"Technically speaking, it's magic that you two share," Memory Archie added, pulling out a pair of glasses out of nowhere.

"Of course you have glasses..."

"And I'm only a talking cat sometimes." Angel chuckled, though there was little humor in it, as she remembered what came next. Aja gave her a weird look and she just gestured to memory.

"Arch..." Memory Douxie warned, but the cat was a show off it seemed because a yellow flash ran over his body and he became bigger.

"Are you a dragon!?" Memory Angel exclaimed, clearly retraining herself from running at him. When Memory Archie gave her permission to come over, she ran to him and started rambling about different types of dragons she'd seen in her favorite movie series and the spinoff shows.

"Hmm. You calmed down quickly," Aja said as she crossed her arms.

Angel chuckled again, this time with a little more humor this time. She was going to add something but the memory glitched and moved to a later moment, one where they were running away from goblins. Then to them being pressed together in a little alcove in an alleyway as more goblins passed, Douxie using his body to shield her.

Another glitch had them closer to the present, during the fight with the heetlings and then the night after Bular attacked her, then...

This morning, after one of the most harrowing nights in her life, was their fight. Just like her, whenever Douxie was upset his accent came out more clearly. Though, Angel always hid hers more than him.

But she started walking off as Aja watched the fight with worried eyes, obviously the wound still fresh. And after Aja heard the end of the fight, she understood why. She was going to go after Angel, but saw Douxie immediately running after the memory Angel. The worry was clear on his face as was regret at what he just said. And despite Archie's protests he hurried after her.

Aja heard running now and turned to see Angel's retreating form. She moved expertly over the tendrils, like she was being pulled somewhere by someone. Aja struggled to keep up.

. . .

"Fuzzbuckets..." Douxie muttered as he tried to heal Jim and Aja and Krel blocked the door. Claire was looking on with tears in her eyes as he lay on her lap, eyes glossing over and blood dripping from his mouth. Angel was doing a check around the new area to be sure Angor couldn't get in or there weren't any other creatures in the dark. Red illuminated everyone.

"Douxie, why isn't it working?" Claire asked shakily.

"I- I don't know. This is the strongest healing spell I know." The armor had long fallen off, the amulet in Douxie's pocket as Claire refused to touch it. Jim coughed and the blood splattered onto his face. His last breath followed soon after.

Claire began crying and screaming, the world seeming to shake in it's echo. Dust and pebbles started falling and before he knew it, Douxie was being pulled back by Aja. Krel shouted something but he didn't hear him over the crashing sound of a piece of the ceiling falling in.

"I've got you trapped!" Angor yelled as he dropped in. Douxie could only see his silhouette with golden eyes as Krel pulled him away and Aja began attacking. Douxie's body was hardly cooperating with his brain. He needed to help her, to shoot some spells at him, to trap him, something!

He just couldn't, even as he saw a bright green blade stab Aja, turning her to stone.

. . .

Angel couldn't believe the thing she was seeing unfold. The name above the window had been scratched out and painted over. The glitchy version of events was enough to send her stomach turning in rage.

Douxie's father looked so much like him, just without any of his kindness. His eyes were icy blue, his hair greying like Douxie's never would, and he was fatter than Douxie would ever be. (She really didn't feel like putting that any nicer, even though there wasn't that much difference in the two in that regard.)

"Honestly, just you being here is a problem," his father said with such nonchalance and disregard that Angel nearly tried to punch him. "But unfortunately for me, I made a promise to my wife, my late wife, to protect you and raise you." The stupidhead kicked away the last piece of whatever Mini Douxie was supposed to pick up, walking away from him.

Mini Douxie reached out to pick up the last piece, but found a blue glow picking it up for him. The rest left his hands in the same glow. Apparently he had become too quiet for his father's liking and he turned around.

"Hisirdoux! What- what are you doing?" The fear on his face made him seem like he had aged fifty years.

"I dunno," Mini Douxie said, poking at the now floating pieces before gasping excitedly, oblivious to his father. "Blimy! I'm a wizard, aren't I- father?" His face was full of surprise at the level of hatred that was emanating from his father.

"Get out."

The pieces dropped. "What?"

"Get the bloody hell out of my house! You will bring death upon me!" Douxie's father suddenly gripped Mini Douxie's arm and started dragging him away. Towards the back door of their house if he wasn't mistaken.

"But what about mum? The promise you made- ahh!" Douxie was thrown out of his house with such a force that he hurt his elbow.

"That promise is the only reason I don't kill you now! But if she knew she'd given birth to an abomination that would bring King Arthur's knights to my door, she wouldn't have bothered."

Angel growled and almost punched the wall. If Aja hadn't grabbed her hand, she would have.

"Angel, you mustn't! You'll give us away!" She said, pulling her away.

"He's just- it's- ugh!"

"I know. I saw the whole thing."

"He is so lucky he wasn't immortal!"

The memory flashed through different memories, so many of them having the word mistake in them, directed at Douxie. Every single time Douxie dropped something, looked at him wrong,

Mistake. Mistake. Mistake.

The next memory that deemped it prudent to play in full was one where Douxie was no older than five, sitting quietly at the dinner table with his father across from him looking stoic as ever. Angel recognized the question in Douxie's eyes; he'd had it when she first told him about her mother, questioning why she only used past tense.

"Father?" Mini Douxie asked timidly. His father glared at him, almost making him shut up completely. But he took a breath and steeled himself. "Father, why don't I have a mum?" His father refused to look at him.

Mini Douxie continued. "I've seen other kids playing with their mums, but I've never seen mine. What happened?"

His father glared. "She died."

"Oh. How did she-"

"She made a mistake," he said and the glare on his face left for a second- but in that one second Angel saw the man he used to be. A kind man who lost the woman he loved and had to be reminded of it by her child. A man who hated himself as much as his son. But the hatred returned too quickly for her to fully proccess it. "She died when giving birth to you- a sorry excuse for a son, a human being. That satisfiy your blasted curiosity?" His father wiped his mouth and stood up, ordering hm to clean up the mess.

Angel had already turned away from it, the words cutting into her soul. If it did that to her, she could only imagine what it did to him. To be called a mistake by his father, his only parent- that had stick with him. It was likely the reason he had become so attached to Merlin.

"Your ruse with the smokescreen was rather clever," she heard Merlin say, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Really?" Douxie asked.

"No. But it was real magic. Come. You could use a hot meal and I could use a new apprentice."

"Angel! Are you alright?"

"Are you hurt?"

"I love you- I don't want you getting hurt..."

Tears started falling down her face. She couldn't tell what was being said around her in his mindscape and what was in her own head. "What if that was the last time we ever talked, Aja? I have so many things to apologize for..."

Aja looked at her friend as she curled into herself, then to the horrible man that was mascarading as Douxie's father and sighed. "We cannot think about that right now. We must focus on finding out where our friend has gone." Angel wipped her eyes and looked around at the horrors around her and felt a tug towards the darkest place.

She turned to Aja with a new sense of determination. No one has to go through this alone.

"Come on."

. . .

Douxie wasn't sure when he'd started crying. When Jim died? When Claire was crushed? When Aja was turned to stone?

Or maybe as saw Archie in his dragon form bleeding out but having to run away from Angor. Blinky had been wrong about magic use in there, there was nothing he could do in terms of defense or offensive spells. Or maybe that was his own emotional state putting a block on his magic.

He didn't understand how it had gone so horribly so fast. Who had even risen Angor Rot again? Didn't Jim say he had changed at the last second in the battle?

He and Krel passed by Angel and Flapjack, the former telling them to keep running. After a few moments he turned back to see the two crumble to stone pieces. Soon, somehow, they came to the front door again. It was slightly ajar, like somehow someone had pushed it open.

All Douxie knew was that he was pushed out of it and the door was slammed behind him. He ran back to it screaming Krel's name over and over. Blinky was trying to get his attention, to have him explain why he was alone.

Then sunlight warmed his skin and he fell to his knees.

Chapter Text

Krel hated that he couldn't do anything to help Douxie. Aja had gone in simply because she was closer with Angel and was better at close combat...

And he didn't feel right going into his friend's memories like that. It felt like an invasion of privacy. So he went back to Mother to work on the wormhole awhile. There was nothing else he could do. At the moment, he had to make one more adjustments. He had even turned off his music to make sure he didn't have any distractions-

"You have a friend at the door," Mother said, making Krel jump.

"Mother!" he scolded as he picked up his wrench. "I asked you to not interrupt me!"

"Sorry my royal, but this friend is insistantly asking to see you."

Krel sighed as he began working again. "Who is it? Is it Toby or Eli?" A small part of him hoped that she would say Douxie was there, all better and not possed. Unfortunately that was too much to hope for.

"No actually- It's Mary Wang." he dropped the wrench again, this time on on his foot. As he was nursing his wound, Mother continued. "I thought you said she never got your name right."

"She doesn't. It's always 'Karl this' or 'Caleb that'- she doesn't care about learning my name just like she doesn't care about me."

"Really? Because she asked for 'Krel' when she spoke to Lucy."

Krel scoffed. Mother brought up the video feed from the living room. Mary was sitting on the couch, not on her phone for once. She was checking her hair in the reflection of the TV, messing with her hair over and over. She looked so different than she normally did, not behind her phone. She seemed nervous.

"Well, either way I'm too busy right now. Send her home or something while I finish our way home."

"My royal, if I may?" Krel glared as he went back to work, but nodded. "Even if you finish this tonight, there is no guarantee that we'll be able to contact the resistance right away. There is also the problem that your sister is-"

"Don't!" he snapped, causing Mother's interface to back up. Krel sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that right now, this is a problem that I can solve. Not the one that my best friend going through."

"But you can't just sit here and wait for news all night. It is not good for your mental health."

"Yeah? Watch me." A sigh followed a door closing told him all he needed to know. But even so, he couldn't help but look at the living room feed again, seeing Mary be disapointed by Ricky and walking out with her head hung. Krel looked to the machine in his hands then back to her. "Ay ay ay..."

. . .

Douxie knew it was a loop by now. He first realized that little fact after he found himself walking side by side with his friends again, unhurt and not frozen in stone. The first time, he only had a vague sense of deja'vu, like he had just woken up from a bad dream.

The second and third time had him wondering which part was the dream and which was reality. The fourth time however was when he remembered what exactly happened to him.

"-so he can kick this dumbass demon out!" He whipped his head to the space next to him. Angel was there, faded and tranclucent like a ghost flickering in and out of existance; not like any of the times before. Her eyes widened as she saw him recognize her, the real her. "You can hear me! I'm ri-" she disappeared again, but he felt phantom fingers brush his hand.

He wanted to talk to her, not just her dream counterpart. The real her who always surprised him, who was stubborn and kind and cared about everyone close to her. Sometimes to her detriment, but-

"Right. First task, getting past the door- should be fairly simple." He walked without wanting to and spoke the same words he'd said over and over. This hell was never changing, no matter how hard he tried to differ from the path. To learn from his mistakes.

So he was stuck in this never ending loop. Trying to open the door with his magic even though he knew it was a futile effort. He expected it to be the same, and it nearly was-

Until warm, familiar hands grasped his shoulders. It was only a moment that she came into his vision, and he heard the very distinct sound of her falling down. If could, if it were any other situation, he would have chuckled slightly.

And made him laugh- something else she did, not always intentionally. But always when he needed it. And he would always need it.

. . .

A blue glow covered the stone door as Douxie willed it to move. It creaked and shifted slightly but did nothing else. As he scrolled through a few runes and tried a stronger spell, Angel got in front of him, trying to put her arms on his shoulders.

He seemed confused and stopped for a moment before she fell through him again. Were it not for Aja, she would have fallen completely. Douxie glanced back at her warily but forced his eyes back to his apparent task.

"Why can't you talk to him?" Aja asked, setting Angel on her feet. "He seems to see you just fin- hey!"

Angel ran to follow Douxie into the temple, Aja following closly behind. He stopped before they entered, looking up at the sky.

"Where's Arch?" He asked. "We can't go in without him."

"I'm sure he's fine, Doux," The girls heard someone say. It sounded like Jim, but faint and weak like they were far off. He continued talking with the other people that only he could see. All the while, a sense of dread fell over the two girls, feeling eyes watching- waiting for them all to come inside.

No, just Douxie. It was like going through a haunted house- the actors where waiting for them to round the corner to start the next phase of the scare.

"We'll get through this," Angel heard herself whisper. "And Archie is a tough little dragon shifter- he can handle himself." Douxie nodded and entered the temple.

"Dragon-shifter?" Angel wondered aloud as the door shut. She had never heard that term before, even though it sounded like that was the actual term for what Archie was. That made her wonder which dragon and which shapeshifter were his parents.

"The assassin will what? Speak little witch," a voice echoed, sending a chill down her spine. On instinct, she reached for Douxie's hand. To her surprise, it was a solid and he grasped hers back. She glanced at him and suddenly realized, as his face blanched and would likely be pale if he weren't blue, that he had gone through this before.

. . .

Douxie hated this part, where Jim got stabbed and he was suddenly rushed to the part with him bleeding out before him, unable to do anything about it. No magic worked in here. His original thought was that only shadow magic would work here. Now he knew better.

This would always happen. He would always be unable to help his friends, he would always mess up what he said and trying to make things better.

"Douxie, wake up!" He heard the real Angel shout in his ear. He flinched away from the sound but couldn't break himself out of the loop.

"Douxie please!" Aja called from the same side. She came with Angel. That was a little unexpected; Sure, Angel was stubborn and would likely save anyone she was mad at, but Aja? What had he done lately to help her? To make her care about him? For the life of him, he couldn't remember.

"Look out!" He knew exactly what they were yelling about. Krel was pulling him away again. The tears that fell down his face shouldn't be possible. It felt like he had cried so much that he should be all dried up. Yet they continued to fall as he was pulled through the rest of the temple.

He saw Angel, the real one, a few more times before he was outside in the sun again. He always fell down and was always left to stew in his own despair. Normally, he would be heading back to his starting point. Except, he wasn't moving.

Instead, a beautifully imperfect voice raised his head.

. . .

Angel had tried so many times to get him to break out. A few times he seemed to have seen them, but it was never enough. She wasn't enough.

"There must be something we can do," she said as she fell down next to him. She felt her own tears wet her face. Her voice trembled as she continued. "I can't lose him- not like this."

"But he can't-"

"I know, Aja!" Angel snapped. "I know how he hasn't seen me since before we went through that hell house! He'll continue to go through it unless I figure out how to break him out, yet I'm the reason he's in this stupid mess!"

Aja couldn't say anything. All she could do was stare in shock at the glare that Angel was giving her. It was tainted with how heavy the waterfalls were coming from her eyes and how little sobs kept breaking through her breathes.

Slowly, her glare faded and she let her head fall into her hands. Aja let her face her grief and sorrow on her own for a few moments more before kneeling next to her and pulling her into an embrace. At first, Angel froze- Then she let her body go limp and continued her sobs.

Aja held her close, runing her fingers through her hair in a comforting motion, remembering her mother doing the same when she was a child and had a bad dream or when she had just come home from running away. "It's alright."

"It's not alright! If I had just listened to him, we wouldn't have fought! And if we didn't fight, I wouldn't have run off and left him alone! I'm a horrible-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentance!" Aja scolded, pulling away to look her in the eye with a sternness like her father or Zadra or even Varvatos would. "The Angel I know would never be like this. She is stubborn and pushes herself to help her friends, even at the expense of her own wellbeing." Aja held Angel's hands gently, rubbing circles over her bandaged hands as she took a deep breath and sighed. "That isn't good either. Varvatos always tells me that for a warrior to take care of her companions, she must take care of herself.

"Maybe you are right. Maybe Douxie would not be here if it weren't for you- but to let that dwell on your mind- it isn't good. I let that happen for weeks after Akkiridon got attacked. I thought it was my fault that they got hurt."

"'They' meaning your parents?" Angel asked with a sniff. Aja nodded solmenly. "How did you get past it?"

"With my brother, and my friends. And now, more than ever, Douxie needs our help. He needs your help."

"But I don't-"

"Think! What is something the two of you share that would help him through this? That could break him out of the de-amon's hold?"

Resisting the urge to correct her, Angel thought through it a moment. Her and Douxie both loved to learn magic, but that didn't help them considering it didn't work in the mind scape. They also shared a love comedies and sidcoms, but she was never good at jokes. Then there was the band-

Angel found it hard to keep from facepalming. Why didn't she think of it sooner? Music. He always sang or played something on the guitar when he was in deep thought.

She thought through all the songs that they knew together and even ones she knew that had helped her...

Angel pulled away from Aja's embrace and moved in front of Douxie. With a shakey breath and glance at the fake grass, she started singing.

"I remember tears streaming down your face. When I said I'll never let you go." Aja tilted her head and looked ready to protest- until Douxie raised his head and stared directly at her.

"When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said don't leave me here alone
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight."

Angel had taken a chance and reached out to brush tears off his cheek. He leaned into it and sighed shakily.

"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound...."

Angel stood and pulled him to his feet. She didn't get to finish the song, as he embraced her in a hug. It was cold and airy, but it was him. Tears started streaming down her face as she held him back.

"I'm so sorry," The two said in unison.

Douxie pulled away and leaned against her forhead. "You aren't a mistake- I've enjoyed every moment I've spent with you."

"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who didn't listen to you- who got you into this mess! If I had-"

"Guys!" Aja interrupted. The two were now keenly aware of the ground shaking. "We can save the apologies for later!" Angel and Douxie understood immediately, not letting go of each other's hand as they followed her.

. . .

How long they had been running, Douxie didn't know. Long enough for they had gotten to his Memory Lane- to see the carnage the demon had wrought upon him, somehow feeling every single one of the inky black and green tendrils though the windows. He suddenly felt like his limbs were weaker than before.

It wasn't like it was just now coming on. More like he was finally noticing it. Some windows only held static now, the name scrapped from existence.

He had to hurry. Soon, his body would be nothing but a lifeless puppet the demon could use however it liked. He could barely hold onto the people next to him. Everything was going blank.

"Douxie, please tell me you remember his name and how to banish him!" Angel pleaded as they entered a white expanse of space, a single window pane behind them. What was that doing here? "Douxie!"

"I, uh, I," he stammered.

"Ok, ok," Angel sighed before gripping his shoulders and pulling him close. "You need to listen close. I won't get to say it again."

"You won't get to say it all if you don't hurry up!" The other girl in the room yelled, readying to fight as best as possible with her weaponary limited to her limbs. By the way she was stanced, she was good at hand to hand.

"I'm trying! Douxie, look at me." Angel grabbed his face, jeking his eyes to her. "The minute I tell you his name, I need you to repeat it and add this- I banish you from my mind- You shall never plague this realm again."

"Angel!"

"I'm working on it! The minute I say his name-"

Inky green tentacles burst from the weird window pane, shattering it. "Just hurry it up!"

"His name is Za-ruk! Remember what to-" in an instant, the two girls vanished into the white background, leaving him to face the demon himself.

"The fools!" It snarled, wrapping a tentacle around Douxie and trapping him. "I have already absorbed enough power to take over your body completely! She just gave me the final push!"

"Za- za-ruk! I..." Douxie started, but as he did so, his eyes became blacker and the holes covering his body started bleeding more, painting the white expanse red. The grip of the tenacle tightened. Douxie tried to banish him again only to be cut off after saying his name again. How could he finish the bloody sentence if Za-ruk kept cutting him off?

"You, you really think-"

"I don't think! I know!" Za-ruk moved closer to Douxie's face as the wizard managed to get his arms out of the hold, laughing at him. "Your attempt at an escape is futile!"

"Za-ruk, I- ahh!!!" It felt like Douxie's insides were being crushed, a feat in and of itself considering they were in his mind. Fortunately, it gave him an idea.

With a lunge towards the ever growing body in front of him, a sickening squelch followed by an ice cold chill met his hands. Za-ruk screeched in agony as Douxie had gripped two of the holes on the side of his mouth and pulled. The tentacle released it's grip as the fake flesh tore away from his mouth.

Finally, Douxie had a chance. Taking a deep breath as his foe healed, he yelled out, "Za-ruk! I banish you from my mind- You shall never plague this realm again."

The walls cracked and Za-ruk shrank before his eyes. With the retreating from of the demon came a wave crashing against the inside of his head. Pretty soon, an actual wave rushed though the broken pane, crashing over them both.

Douxie awoke with a start, the pounding in his head worsening. With the room spinning as he tried to open his eyes, he sat up slowly. Unfortunately, he almost got knocked back down immediately.

Before he could warn her to take it easy, something came the back of his throat. Opening his eyes to find the nearest garbage can was right in front of him being held by Aja, he didn't hesitate to throw up.

"That was disgusting," he coughed as the last of it came up. Angel was patting his back as Aja grimaced at the contents of the garbage can she was holding.

"Yeah, I'll take care of that this time," Angel said, wiping off Douxie's mouth with a rag and levitating the garbage towards them. Once she deemed his face clean, she promptly threw it away. Angel brushed some hair out of his eyes with a small smile. Kissing his forehead, she stood and took the remnants of the demon to dispose of it.

Krel came in moments after she had left, ecstatically hugging Douxie. "I'm so glad you are ok, Douxie!"

"Easy!" Krel awkwardly back up, apologizing for the display of affection. Aja made a comment about how he never hugged her like that, which he instantly disputed. Douxie chuckled at the sibling tiff as Archie snuggled up next to him.

. . .

As Angel took the remains to the heetlings, killing two birds with one stone and ensuring it got done correctly this time, Douxie was escorted back to the bookstore by Krel, Archie, and Varvatos. Krel was quiet but had a small smile on his face.

"Did you finish the portal?" Douxie asked, accidently startling the boy.

"Oh, um- not yet- I should be by tomorrow though," he said.

"In that case," Vex started. "Varvatos and Zadra should contact the resistance and set up a time to meet."

"Right."

Douxie patted Krel on shoulder and gave him a small smile. "Maybe you can find time to show them the joys of earth music." He winked and made him smile. It apparently drew him from his thoughts on whatever was troubling him and made him start talking about his demo tape.

With both Douxie and Krel's insurance, Vex reluctantly agreed to help him show it off to the resistance. The old man seemed to be upset at the notion, but Douxie noticed the fond twitch in his lips.

. . .

"Hello?" Angel called out as she walked through the alley with a very heavy garbage bag. A bathtub with fairy lights no longer in use was to her left and boards with a note on it written in trollish directly in front of her. Curiously, she picked it up. Unfortunately, that language was just never her forte no matter how hard Douxie, Claire, Blinky, or even Arch tried.

Thankfully, if you knew the right rune, you could do anything.

Finally wearing her bracers again, if only to hide her bandaged arms from passersby, she called upon a translation rune and flicked it to the paper in her hand. The words glowed pink, then morphed into a few different languages before finally settling on English.

Dear future patron,
RotGut's has officially taken their wears from Arcadia. If you wish to do business with us, please visit our new location in  New Jersey.

Angel put the note back carefully as it changed back to it's original language. 

She had to focus. This demon wouldn't stay in this state forever. And though she loathed to see them again, after accidently stealing their child, heetling fire was the only surefire way to get rid of the damn thing.

"Hello?" She tried again. Again, she got nothing. "Rob? Rob! I know you're around here somewhere! I have something I think you might like~!"

"Is it your fiery death?" Someone's echoey voice said from behind her. Her shadow was now surrounded by warm yellows and reds. Angel resisted the urge to jump away from the sudden heat and turned around as slowly as possible.

"Hello Margaret." Angel nodded, taking a step back. Somehow, she knew the heetling was smirking.

"If it's anything other than your long and painful death, I'm not sure I'll want it."

"Good thing I wasn't asking for you. After all, your husband at least understood our reasoning for taking him."

"We would never steal a child! Burning a human does us no good!"

"And how were we supposed to know- you know what, nevermind. I'm not having this conversation again with you." Margaret gave a loud 'hmph!' and started floating off. Angel couldn't help rolling her eyes and groaning. "You know, if you hate me so much, why haven't you been trying to kill me?"

"You aren't worth the cleanup," Margaret said simply. Angel rushed after her, holding out the black trash bag.

"Could you at least - dah!" The contents of the bag moved on it's own, almost making her drop it. Damnit, Angel worried. I thought I had more-

This time, she couldn't refrain from jumping back from the sudden heat. "Jesus!"

"What's in that bag?" Her words were frantic, almost crazed. Wherever her eyes were in that fire, they were surely glued to the twisting and turning bag.

"Um, like I said, something you'd like." Angel was trying to back up but Margaret kept pace with her. "It's a demon, or what's left of it."

"Where did you get it? They're supposed to be extinct."

"Technically, they are all just trapped in a limbo unless they are summoned or there's a powerful magic trapped or destroyed."

Margaret groaned. If her eyes were visible, Angel would be sure that she'd see them rolling. "That still doesn't answer the question of how you have him." She turned to her human form, a brown-haired woman with amber eyes and a dark grey slightly burned dress.

"The jerk possessed both me and Douxie, nearly killing us both. Since they can only be killed by your fire, I thought I'd find you." Margaret made a grab at the bag, but Angel pulled it away. She nearly dropped it but used both hands plus some magic to save it. She sighed in relief before turning a stern glare on Margaret. "You also need to stop stealing-"

"Yes, yes, I get it. I'll control my son, I swear. Now, gimme!"

"Ow!" Angel dropped the bag at the burning sensation in her hands, but Margaret was quick. She grabbed it and started to make her leave until a glowing red rope attached to her arm. The crackling electricity didn't hurt her, but she gave an annoyed glance to the girl. "I mean it- if I find out any of you are stealing and attacking- God damnit!" She let the rope fall as a little ball of fire hit her hand. "Quit doing that!"

"Hmm, no I don't think I will. And as for your concerns, you have no need to be worried. A demon's remains has enough regenerative power to feed us for centuries. Despite what you may think, we don't like stealing from humans. It's too risky an action."

Luckily, the burn was light and would be healed with a small spell. Angel looked up to find her and to send a string of insults her way only to find her gone. She rolled her eyes and shook her hand. "Fucking heetlings."

"What are doing?"

"Ah!" Angel jumped again, turning around quickly to see Detective Scott shining a flashlight in her eyes. She used a hand to cover her eyes. "Would people stop doing that? My heart can only take so much!"

"Sorry, but you seemed busy," he said, his tone unreadable. Angel tensed and was suddenly glad she had an excuse to cover her face.

"Um, I don't know what you're talking about?" Detective Scott made a sound, seeming to ask if that was the best she had. "Right, you're a detective. Can you lower the light a little so I can see you?" He did as asked and she straightened up a little bit as she muttered her thanks.

For a few tense moments it was silent, neither wanting to speak and give up what they knew. Then Detective Scott's hardened gaze because softer, if only for a moment before he gestured for her to follow him to his car. The lights were thankfully off.

"I'm sure you heard about the vandalized corner store a few months back."

Angel was careful in her answer. "Yeah. Pretty wild when I saw it on the news. I'm wondering how the building wasn't burned down." The story and town gossip had said that, so she was good letting that slip.

"Hmm. Right. Anyway, it took awhile, but our specialists finally recovered the footage." Angel froze as he opened his car door and grabbed a manila folder. She couldn't help but gulp. "Now, though I saw what happened at the Battle of the Bands, I gotta say, it was a little weird to see you of all people do that."

"I- I um, there's-"

"I'm not going to arrest you," Detective Scott sighed, completely dropping his firm facade. Angel sighed, relaxing a little.

"Thank you. And I am so sorry about that. I was trying to protect a child I thought was human but turned out to be a heetling child, so basically...." She trailed off at his confused expression, realizing that he wasn't keeping up. "Sorry."

Detective Scott shook his head before handing the folder. "It's fine. I don't think that I'll ever get fully used to this troll stuff."

"Yeah, it's a bit more complicated than that." Angel took the folder and looked it over. "What's this?"

"Something I need help with. The police department in New Springs reached out to us. Said that there were some animal mutilations and murders that they couldn't explain."

"'Blood was completely drained in each body found, animal and human alike'." Angel lifted her head from the papers.

"Something told me you didn't want the pictures." Angel shuddered as she shut the folder.

"You don't think what I think you think?" She paused, then clarified, "You got what I said, right?"

"Uh, I think so. Do they actually exist?"

"Yeah, but most of them just eat wild animals, or ones no one will miss. But I've heard of different factions still going after humans." Douxie had actually dealt with some a good few years before she had met him. That was one of the reasons he had come to her podunk town.

"Do you think you can check it out for me? I hate to ask it of you, considering how young you are-"

Angel scoffed. "I'm thirty-one, dude. I've got this."

Despite him obviously being perturbed by her actual age, he shook her hand. "Thank you. And in case you need help, my sister will help you out. She owns the forge in town."

"You talking about Tia?" Angel tilted her head as Detective Scott widened his eyes. "What? I like to make knives from time to time."

"Right, well- she's there if you need her. Um, goodbye." With that, he got in his car and left, likely contemplating the new information. Angel began the trip back home, looking the details of the case over before finally climbing into bed with Douxie.