Cassidy needed rest, and rest she did. The poor teenager, weak and frail slept through the rest of the day and part of the night. There weren't any interruptions from Lurge but a few scares that he was approaching. Luckily none were real and just the wind playing tricks on their scared minds. The next morning, around 5 A.M., Jim woke to the sound of crackling wood and soft humming. Aron had fallen asleep beside him and Jim maneuvered around the boy's arm to see Cassidy, wide awake, cradling Emilia as she hummed softly. Claire sat across from her and it appeared as if they'd been having a conversation.

"Do you feel anything?" Claire asked, confusing Jim on what their conversation topic was.

Cassidy shook her head." No, I know I should but there is no connection." she admitted. Jim assumed the conversation was about the baby. He could tell easily it was by how uncomfortable Cassidy reappeared, unable to make eye contact with Claire and twitched every few seconds, a habit she'd seemed to have obtained. He still found it hard to believe the little girl who hadn't crawled, called him daddy, would one day be in the exact same situation he and Claire were in, but somehow it was worse. For a start she didn't seem to in any way love or care about the baby, only acknowledging its existence within her when she was forced to. The second was definitely that the baby's father, some boy her age named Rowan, had recently passed away. How he did Jim was yet to find out. And the third was that she was in poor health, having to take care of her siblings, keep them safe, all while being at that point quite pregnant, appearing 5 to 6 months. Form what the could tell, or had heard, she hadn't even gotten the chance to get an ultrasound before everyone's sudden and mysterious disappearance.

Claire frowned."Maybe-"

"Claire," Jim interrupted, pulling at his fiance's arm."Can I talk to you?" he asked,d being quiet since everyone besides himself, Claire and Cassidy were asleep.

Claire nodded."Sure but Jim-" Jim pulled her up and off the ground, quickly trailing far enough away Cassidy's curious ears(though she knew what or who their conversation was going to be about) wouldn't be able to hear. Letting go of her wrist, Jim took a moment to wake up getting sued to the cold air. Estelle had his sweatshirt at the moment leaving him with just a white t-shirt since back home it was summer.

"Claire I get you're only trying to help her but," Jim ignored Claire's insulted expression as she waited patiently to hear the rest." Cass's situation is nothing like ours. I get we were the same age as her but still her's is much worse than ours and you trying to couch her into bonding with the baby isn't helping."

Claire stepped back, extremely insulted."Jim, I know our situations are nothing alike but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and help. You might not know it but at first, it was hard for me to bond with Cassidy because I thought you were dead. I know how hard it can be being pregnant at 16 and even for me if it was just a night, I felt so alone and so does she. I'm just trying to help her."

Jim sighed, feeling bad for lashing out."I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to help her and really I would have no idea what to tell her. But she still getting over losing him, and having the burden of taking care of the rest of them isn't helping."

"Don't say that," Claire said, stepping forward and placing her hands on his shoulders."You're going to give great talks. Actually, I really think talking to you would help."

That certainly shocked and confused him."What why me?"

"Cass told me a bit about her conversation telling us." Claire paused, looking towards the ground before meeting his eyes again."I think hearing some reassuring words from her father would help."

He'd hurt her. Noth physically but mentally. He didn't want to think about what he'd said to her. It had to have been terrible. Thinking back to her reaction when Estelle accidentally influenced them all to think of their father's she seemed filled with pain, a pain he'd caused. Jim shook his head."I don't-"

"Jim." Claire interrupted, staring up at him, brown eyes wide and convincing." You'll be fine. She needs to speak to her father."

Jim nodded before beginning to chuckle."You know it's funny, here we are talking to our 16-year-old daughter about pregnancy while our own three-month-old is back home in Arcadia."

Though she laughed for a brief moment, it was cut short when she remembered their Cassidy."We need to figure out a way back."

Jim hugged her, seeing how homesick she was." We'll get back soon, I promise." he snarled."And when we do I'm not letting any guys with the name Rowan near her."

Claire sighed dramatically, tapping him on the chin." I'll grab your shirt." she joked, causing both to laugh.

. . .

He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. This was just a future version of his daughter, who also happened to be emotionally fragile and pregnant and also mourning. Ya, nothing to be worried about. Slowly he approached her while Claire was handing out more ferns they'd collected don the way back. They planned on searching for better food soon, unable to survive on just ferns forever.

"Cass," Jim said, Cassidy, turning towards him and frowning."I was wondering if we could uhh..."

"Sure," she responded quickly, buttoning up her sweater, hoping to conceal her stomach that she tried her hardest to ignore. Straightening up, she gripped the tree for a brief moment, biting her lip as hard as she was capable of.

"Are you o-" Jim tried to ask, reaching to help her.

"I'm fine." she interrupted, standing up immediately and trying her hardest to appear normal." You wanted to talk." she reminded him as they slowly began to drift away from the others.

"Oh yes, talk," Jim said, cursing himself for not asking Claire what they should talk about. He knew that she was wounded by whatever he'd said to her and all he wanted to do was help heal that wound. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't find the right words or the right questions to ask. He might've had experience taking care of a newborn but none on having a heart to heart with them."Why don't we sit down," he said gesturing with his right hand to [art of the cliff's edge. He hadn't realized that they were located on the side of a large hill, not reaching mountain status but just above hill. The cliff didn't god down to far, just about a hundred feet or so. Sitting beside her, he stared out at the rising sun, trying to think of anything."The other day when Estelle was accidentally used her power on all of us. I thought of my dad at first, at the beginning, it was happy thoughts first but then it was sad. You seemed so mad, what were you thinking about?"

"It's like you said. In the beginning, it was happy but the..." she stopped, looking down at the forest below them, twiddling with her hands.

Jim frowned, seeing how hard this all was for her to talk about. Gently he grabbed her hand."What did you think about?"

Cassidy looked at him for a moment before looking back down with a quiet sigh."When I was younger, Estelle and I took ballet lessons. I was never that good but I can remember you and mom just cheering me on. I don't know why since every other parent was doing the same, but something about it, I just always remember feeling so proud of myself. It's dumb I-"

"It's not dumb Cass," Jim interrupted."You know it's funny having a conversation with you. My Cassidy can't do anything but poop, et smile, and try to pull her damn breathing tube out."

Cassidy laughed."Ya, still don't like the thing when I have to use it but I know better than to take it out."

Jim smiled, feeling good since he made her laugh, feeling bad he had to aks his next question."And after that."

Any joy on her face disappeared as a frown returned." The last conversation we had." she said, Jim, looked at her intently."It was when I told you I was pregnant. Y-you were so mad. I could tell you were trying to remain calm but it doesn't mean it wasn't hard to hear you and mom say..."

"Cass I'm so sorry." Jim apologized, not wanting to know what he'd said to her.

"It's not just what you said, it's what you were thinking. A few months before, a year ago at this point, I had a vision. In it you looked so mad and were thinking angrily about someone, thinking about how you were disappointed in them. At the time I had no idea who it could be about, but when you were yelling at me, I realized it was me." she said, hugging her knees, not completely, her stomach getting in the way."I'd never heard you say to me or anyone you were disappointed in them, it hurt."

Jim was flabbergasted. Yes, he knew his older self hadn't said it, but he could even imagine himself thinking that. He'd gone through the same situation so would think he would be calm at least a bit, especially since the child father had already been proclaimed dead."I can't believe I'd,"

"Ya," Cassidy said, holding back tears." Me neither. That's why we were out in the woods. After I told you, mom said that they had to talk and you guys went away from the party to talk. When the party was almost at an end, we got worried and I went looking for you. having heard the conversation, Ess, Jaime, Eron and em followed me and we couldn't find you. We just found mom's sweater but that was it. When we walked back to the party, the house was gone and it seemed all of Arcadia was gone too. We searched for a while but found no one, not even an animal. Eventually, we came across Lurge and we've been running from him ever since." she told her story with a fearful voice, hugging the sweater she wore that was Claire's.

The story was depressing but at the same time made no sense. How could an entire town, and every animal and person in it just disappear? It made no sense what so ever."I can't understand how. How have you seen anyone?"

"I have no idea," she rummaged through the sweater pocket and handed him a yellow sticky note."This was with it. I don't know what it says but it's mom's handwriting."

Jim looked at the sticky note and it was definitely Claire's handwriting, but in a language, he didn't know, but could tell it wasn't English, Spanish, or Trollish which were the only languages he knew."It's definitely her handwriting but what language is this?"

Cassidy shrugged."I'm not sure. Jaime knows the most languages out of us all but he can't even translate it."

"What languages your Claire, or future Claire know?" he asked, looking at the scribbles which were obviously meant to read something.

"English Spanish and Trollish for what I know," Cassidy said, biting her lip again, leg tapping against the ground at a rapid pace.

"Are you? Do you need-"

"Dad, I'm fine," she snapped, frowning when she realized she'd said it in a rude way." Sorry but I'm fine." she gritted her teeth, hand annoyingly rubbing her stomach." Quite it" she muttered under her breathe, directed at the baby.

"Cassidy, how are you?" Jim asked, a simple question but from experience, he knew how hard it could be to answer.

Cassidy froze, eyes still on the ground as she hugged her legs again."fine-"

"No, you aren't. Cass, I know how hard it can be to be a teen and expecting a baby, hey your mom and I went through it with you, and will it seems with Estelle," he said, wondering if Estelle had been planned or more of a surprise."You try to ignore how you feel to please others because you feel like you have to make it up. But out of anyone, this change affects you the most and you have the right to talk about it somethings bothering you."

"I don't feel any connection to it." Cassidy said as she had to Claire earlier."I know some people don't but I feel nothing."

"I get that," Jim said."It took me some time tog et used to the idea of you but-"

"It's not just the idea. I don't feel anything like mom said it took her some time but I'm six months at this point and I feel no connection." she stated, the slightest amount of anger but also confusion in her voice."I don't try to, I guess I want there to be a connection but I just can't manage to make one or even picture myself bonding with it."

Her rant silenced Jim as he had to think about how he'd respond." Do you regret it?"

"Huh?" she asked, turning towards him, cocking her head to the side.

"When Claire told me she was pregnant with you, I knew it would be hard and worried more than thought about my child, but the entire time I knew I didn't regret you happening even if I wasn't necessarily excited." he turned back to her."Do you regret it?"

Cassidy's blue eyes became wet like the ocean as tears built up and slowly began to trail down her face." I-I don't know," she said, beginning to cry. Jim hugged her, rubbing her back gently." I just want him back," she cried, dampening his shirt.

"Who? Rowan." Jim assumed, feeling bad for being mad at the boy at first. She really loved him and his death being a skipped event would've most likely made the whole pregnancy thing easier on her.

"It isn't fair. He-he didn't even know." she cried.

"I know it isn't." Jim said, an idea popping into his head." How did he die" he asked. Maybe Estelle was right and talking would help.

"He wasn't supposed to go. It was a last-minute choice. He said he'd be back in a week." Jim didn't understand the circumstances of his death, maybe he was going to visit a relative and got into a crash? It wouldn't be their first time dealing with crashes." I found out right before we found out he.. he..." her cries didn't stop as she leaned on her father for support.

"It'll be okay, Cassie," Jim assured her, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm scared dad," she said, voice choked."I-I can't be a mother. I can't do this alone."

"Hey, you won't be alone. You have your siblings, mom, me, your friends, the rest of your family-"

"They're all dead!" she snapped."I know it!"

"You don't," Jim said back, trying to remain calm."I meant what I said. We're going to find them, get you guys to safety,"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

This can't get any worse, he thought. But of course... it did.

This chapter was surprisingly hard to write since I just had so many ideas for Jim and Cassidy's conversation, but I'm glad about how it came out. Again so sorry for chapter confusion, this version just makes more sense for what I have planned later on. Does anyone have any good TrollHunter fanfictions they could suggest? It's been so long since I've sat down and read any, and I'd love to get back into reading, not just writing.