A/N: Okay, last chapter! I'll be updating Flame of Happiness and Into the Psyche soon!

Jpbake – Your panicking was not annoying. It was actually rather amusing.

Queenlaur – Thanks! I wanted the mountain trolls to feel like a sort of unique breed of the trolls we're familiar with.

Guest – Yeah, that sounds like a cool AU.

Chapter Ten – Home for the Holiday

Over the years, Branch's mental alarm clock changed what time he normally got up. As a child, his grandmother would have to pull him out of bed and only breakfast could fully wake him up. As a teen, he started getting up even earlier. On Midwinter Yuletide morning, he woke at dawn, before anyone else was awake.

Stretching, Branch sat up in Cooper's bed and looked around. He smiled a little. It was nice to wake up in a cozy bed, knowing that breakfast was no doubt on its way. He glanced to the foot of the bed, where his new night robe lay.

He was blessed, truly, to still have a family. He had his godfather, who loved him despite his greyness, despite his anger and fear at the world. Now, he even had a new friend: Snowstar, whose romantic feelings towards Branch would hopefully fade. His heart belonged to someone else, after all.

Branch needed some fresh air. So, like he normally did in the morning, he decided to go out for a short walk. Not wanting to wake anyone, Branch slipped out the window and used his hair to swing himself up to the branches of the tree. He began his leisurely walk, breathing in the crisp winter air. He stopped at the edge of a limb and stared out at the scenery. After enduring the harshness of the mountain's winter, he was in awe at the beauty of this calm, Midwinter Yuletide snow.

Branch looked up to the sky, filled with white clouds. "Merry Midwinter Yuletide, Grandma. You too, Grandad, Mom, and Dad. To all my family up there, even the ones I don't remember all that well." He did feel guilty, at times, when he thought about how little he remembered of his parents. He knew his grandparents, especially his grandmother, best and remembered her more often.

Voices came from down below, and Branch looked to see a couple trolls making their way through the snow with kindling and firewood on their backs. Branch realized Peppy would be waking up soon, and he ought to get back to bed. The grey teen began making his way down to the pod. He passed the troll couple, but they did not notice him. Branch could pick up some of their conversation.

"I'm so glad King Peppy made it." The female said.

"Yes. Quite a surprise that Branch went with him." The male noted.

Branch paused. He hid under and behind a mushroom and listened.

"Yes, I'm rather surprised as well." The female agreed. "That was very kind of him."

"Well, I don't know if I would call it 'kind.'" The male chuckled.

"What do you mean?" the female asked curiously.

"I'm just not sure he went because he knew the princess was sick." The male said. "He spends so much time all alone. I don't think he knew he was going to get medicine until after he left."

"Why would he go in the first place if he didn't know?" the female asked.

"You know how teenagers are, especially boys." The male said dismissively. "Always out looking for trouble, looking for adventure. I think this was just an adrenaline rush for him."

"Still, he did stay with King Peppy and make sure he returned." The female mused.

"Yes. But I do wonder if the king forced Branch to go along." The male said. "After all, he might have been the only one who knew where the medicine was. If it weren't for the Mountain Trolls, our king would have never returned."

"I suppose." The female shrugged, having lost interest in the topic. She and her companion moved on to return home.

Branch was frozen in place, staring at the snow.

Peppy stretched and yawned as he sat up in his bed. He glanced out the window, grinned, and hopped out of bed. Midwinter Yuletide. The greatest holiday of the year. He could celebrate with his daughter without fear now that she was cured.

Peppy walked down the hallway to his daughter's room, quietly opening the door. Poppy and Cooper were still sound asleep. Poppy's coloring finally returned to its full vibrancy. Peppy walked up and gently shook the children awake.

Poppy smiled up at him tiredly. "Good morning, Daddy."

"Happy holiday." Cooper yawned.

"Merry Midwinter Yuletide to both of you." Peppy said. "Poppy, how do you feel?"

"Hungry." Poppy said. "And still sleepy."

Peppy chuckled. "Okay. Then you and Cooper go back to sleep for a while. I'll go whip us up some pancakes. Okay?"

"Yay…" Poppy yawned and went back to sleep. Peppy snuck out the room and shut the door. He cheered quietly, relief and joy spreading through him. He practically skipped down to Cooper's room.

"Branch?" Peppy called, knocking on the door. "Merry Midwinter Yuletide!"

No answer came.

Peppy knocked again. "Up and at 'em, Branch! I'm making breakfast! How do you like your pancakes?" Still, nothing. "Wait, don't tell me." Peppy tapped his forehead, concentrating. "With blueberries in them, right? Or is it blueberry jam on top? We have both."

No sound came from Branch's room, and Peppy began to wonder if the teen was still asleep somehow.

"Branch?" Peppy checked the door. Unlocked. He pushed it open. "Branch? Are you awake?" His eyes widened a bit in surprise when he saw the bed empty. Peppy walked over and lifted up Branch's night robe, glancing towards the open window. "Branch!"

After leaving Cooper in charge of Poppy, Peppy pulled on his boots and his coat over his pajamas. Carrying Branch's night robe in one arm, the king hurried out the door and straight to the one place he believed Branch would be.

It didn't take long to find the boulder door to the bunker. He knocked, but received no answer. He called for Branch, but the teen did not answer him. Based on the tracks in the snow, Peppy knew his godson had to be here. But why would he not answer when Peppy called?

"How do I get in?" Peppy murmured, checking the boulder for a hidden door. There had to be some way in. Then, Peppy remembered the trapdoor below the "Go Away!" mat. He knew for a fact there would be no way to open it from out here. But if he could somehow wrench it open…..

Peppy stuck his cane under the edge of the mat, and he felt the tip dig between the door and the ground. He pushed on the cane. It took a bit of effort before the trapdoor forcefully slid open, and Peppy hopped inside. He shut the door after him. Peppy followed the trail of lanterns and torches on the wall to the elevator, and he took it down deeper into the bunker.

"Branch!" Peppy called, his voice echoing in the chamber. "Branch, where are you?" He reached the bottom level, and he still didn't find his godson. Peppy stepped off the elevator and scanned the room.

Meanwhile, Peppy never realized that a group of trolls had been trailing behind him. Creek led the Snack Pack into the forest and right to Branch's bunker. Each of them carried a brightly wrapped present. Only Poppy and Cooper were absent, for obvious reasons.

"Creek, I know you explained this back in the village, but why are we doing this?" Biggie asked.

"Won't Branch just refuse our gifts?" Guy Diamond added.

"Branch did a great thing for us, for the whole village." Creek said. "No reason we can't spread some holiday cheer as a 'thank you.' Even if he doesn't want our company, he can't refuse our presents."

"Still…" Suki murmured uncertainly.

"This is Midwinter Yuletide, everyone. A time for joy and celebration and spreading love." Creek reminded them. "There's no reason Branch shouldn't receive some of that as well."

Down in Branch's bunker, Peppy still hadn't found Branch. He walked over to what looked like a study. He analyzed the shelves, hoping for any kind of clue.

"Hey."

Though soft in volume, the sudden sound started Peppy, and he jumped and spun around. His elbow hit a speaking tube that led up to the surface, opening the tube.

"Branch!" Peppy sighed in relief. "There you are! Where have you been?"

"Home. Where else?" Branch shrugged. He began pulling sticks from his kindling supply for a fire.

"But…..I mean, I thought you'd be 'home' home, like back in the royal pod." Peppy said. "I've been worried sick."

"Sorry." Branch said in a monotone voice.

Peppy didn't like what he saw. Branch's colors seemed darker, duller, as if that were possible at this point. His ears drooped, and his hunched shoulders and back said he was depressed. "Branch, come back with me. It's time for breakfast. To open presents and celebrate the holiday."

Branch was just shifting the kindling around now. He stood up straight, but didn't look to Peppy. "I don't belong there."

"Yes, you do." Peppy insisted. "You belong with the trolls who care about you."

"See, that's the problem." Branch only half-turned around. "You may think there are other trolls in this village who care about me, but you're wrong. No one else cares."

"Branch, you're a hero." Peppy said. "You saved Poppy's life."

"Nobody here believes that!" Branch suddenly shouted, making Peppy recoil. "They all think I tagged along for an adventure or that you forced me to go! No one in this village really believes that I helped Poppy out of the goodness of my heart! They think I don't have a heart!"

"You're exaggerating because you're mad." Peppy said, trying to keep his tone calm. "Tell me what or who upset you, and I'll take care of it."

"Of course. Because you're the king. You take care of your people." Branch said. "I'm just the paranoid grey freak who doesn't belong in this village! No one believes I belong here, and being your godson doesn't change their minds. Even if you plopped me in the royal pod and called me a prince, it wouldn't matter. And saving the princess isn't going to change anything! I could save this entire village from the jaws of death, but they will never see me as anything except a grey freak."

Peppy and Branch never realized that their conversation traveled up the speaking tube and out to the surface. They also didn't know that the Snack Pack had arrived to deliver Branch his gifts, and they heard every word of the conversation. They stood very still, shocked and even saddened by Branch's words and hurt tone. Creek glanced back to his friends. He frowned. They all wore guilty looks on their faces.

"He's right, isn't he?" Creek guessed. Nobody spoke. That was enough of an answer for him. "Come on. I don't think Branch is in the mood today."

"What do we do with our gifts for him?" Satin asked.

"Give them to him later?" Chenille suggested.

"No. No, this time, he really needs to be alone." Creek said. "Uh, you know what? His birthday is in the summer. We'll save these gifts for him until then. Unless it's something baked."

Biggie sighed, staring at his present. "I'll bake him some new cookies when that time comes."

Creek nodded. "Come on. Let's go home." He glanced back to Branch's bunker only once, and then joined his friends as they headed for the village.

Back in the study, Peppy was at a loss for words. "Branch, I don't know how I'm supposed to help you. I don't know how to convince you of how wrong you are. Things are hard for you, I know—"

"No, you don't." Branch wouldn't look to his godfather.

"Yes, I do!" Peppy insisted, stepping closer to Branch. "I see the way you act in the village. I see that look of longing. You want to be part of the village. You want to fit in. You can! Let your walls down, Branch, and open your eyes."

"Do you really think everything would be better for me if I came to live with you?" Branch demanded. "You think the trolls' opinion of me would change if you started calling me a prince?"

"I'm not trying to call you a prince." Peppy said. "I'm calling you my godson. The grandson to my best friend. You think your grandmother would want you to live this way?"

"Don't talk like you know her!" Branch snapped.

"I do know her, Branch! I know her much better than you think!" Peppy's voice raised in volume. "I wish I could bring her back for you, but I can't! So you're stuck with me!"

"Just stop trying to replace her!" Branch shouted.

"I'm not trying to replace her!" Peppy protested.

"Yes, you are! You're trying to be her and I want you to stop it!" Branch yelled, his voice echoing in the chamber. "You're not her! You're not my father! You're not my family!"

Those last words, "not my family," echoed throughout the bunker. Other than that, it was quiet. Peppy stared at Branch with a mix of shock and hurt. Branch's furious expression dropped to one of shame. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Peppy's gaze went downward, his expression steeling. Branch ducked his head. Neither troll spoke.

"I know you don't mean that." Peppy finally said. "I know you're just mad. I'm pushing you too far, and I'm sorry. Some godfather I turned out to be." He sighed. "I don't know what else to do, Branch, except give you my promise that you will always be welcome in my home. I can only give you my promise that I will support you in whatever decisions you make, no matter where you stay: here, in the royal pod, or up in the mountains with Yuki and Snowstar. That's all I can do. All I ask is that you please, please don't let yourself get buried in your depression and misery. Let out whatever it is you feel, even if you do it alone. Find a way to vent. Because I can't lose someone else I care about. I've lost too much already."

Peppy took Branch's night robe—the new one he received just last night—and draped it over the grey teen's shoulders. "Stay warm. It's freezing down here." The king turned and walked to the elevator, his cane tapping rhythmically on the ground. "Happy holiday, Branch." He lifted the lever, and the lift carried the king away.

Branch stared after him, rubbing the wool night robe around his shoulders.

When Peppy got outside, his shoulders slumped and he sighed heavily. He thought for sure he had gotten through to Branch. He thought he had convinced Branch to come out of hiding. He thought this was the first step to brining Branch's colors back. But, if anything, he might've made it worse. Peppy knew he couldn't do anything else. Branch would need to find the path on his own, and Peppy had a holiday to celebrate with his children. The king began walking.

"Peppy!"

Peppy paused and turned. "Yes? Oof!" He wasn't expecting Branch to come up from behind and wrap his arms around the king's neck. At first, Peppy was in shock. Branch was hugging him. He wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close. The moment only lasted a second or two, though Peppy wished it could've lasted longer. Branch let go, and he thrust something into Peppy's hands before turning and retreating back into his bunker. Peppy stared after him. He looked down to the present in his hands, wrapped in green paper and a blue bow. The king carefully unwrapped the gift and his jaw dropped a little.

It was a picture in a wooden frame. The picture appeared to be a colored pencil sketch of baby Branch and King Peppy, both fast asleep on a couch, and a storybook in Peppy's lap. It was no doubt based off the picture Rosiepuff took when Peppy babysat the one-year-old so long ago. Harper's signature sat in the lower right-hand corner. But the painted words on the frame came from Branch's hand. The words read "God-daddy Peppy and Me."

Peppy had tears in his eyes, and he smiled towards the bunker. "Merry Midwinter Yuletide, Branch." He tucked the picture safely away in his hair, and he resumed his journey home with a gentle smile.

Branch had his back pressed to the wall, and he struggled to control his breathing and his emotions. When he found the will to move, he went back down the elevator until he reached a living room area. He sat on the couch, staring at the empty hearth. He took a few more deep breaths.

Then, Branch got to work. He started mixing up all the ingredients for hot chocolate. While that cooked, he made a fire in the fireplace. He pulled out a box, hidden on a high shelf, and set the box on the coffee table in front of the couch. When the hot chocolate finished, Branch portioned it out between two cups and added a peppermint stick to each cup. He brought the cups into the living room and set them on the coffee table.

Next, Branch pulled the wooden box he retrieved onto his lap. He flipped up the latch and opened the box to stare inside. The small box was filled with poems, letters, even To Do lists. Every scrap of paper had some of Rosiepuff's handwriting on it. Sitting on top of it all was a framed picture of Branch's grandmother. This wasn't Branch's only box of memorabilia connected to his grandmother. He had boxes like this hidden in very specific places in the bunker. Each box had a picture of Rosiepuff in them, something Branch did on purpose when he was younger because he feared he would forget what his grandmother looked like.

Branch put the wooden box aside and set the picture frame on the coffee table, the image facing him. The picture had been taken at Midwinter Yuletide, when Branch was only three. The trolls in the picture laughed merrily, smiling perfectly for the camera. Branch pushed a cup of hot chocolate in front of the picture and took the second cup for himself.

"Merry Midwinter Yuletide, Grandma." Branch whispered. "I love you."

Merry Midwinter Yuletide, my angel. He imagined her saying. I love you with all my heart and soul.

He could still remember her voice, and how she sounded when she sang. Branch took a sip of his hot chocolate, made from his grandmother's special recipe. He hummed to himself, and then tried to sing.

No matter how far I travel
Maybe I go a little far
I'll find my way back this holiday
By following a midwinter star

I promise to be there for the holiday
When the family's together at last
We'll dance and sing and be merry
While we talk of yuletide past

It became harder and harder for Branch to keep his emotions in. His psyche forced up memories of his grandmother singing this song to him. Tears formed in his eyes.

What a joy it is to be here
With you tagging along
We'll dance in the snow
And sing a merry song

Branch broke down, gripping his mug tightly in both hands and hardly caring about the burning sensation in his fingers.

"I miss you…" he whispered. He didn't know how he could, but he had to finish the song. For her.

I'm coming home for the holiday
Don't want to be anywhere without you
Keep spreading the joy and love where you go
And I promise to be there soon

THE END

A/N: Yeah….sorry for the downer of an ending. Hopefully the next chapter of Flame of Happiness will cheer you up!