This chapter involves one of my favorite conversations I've written. (I think I just like writing Douxie and imagining him saying it too much)

"Is Douxie coming?" Claire asked, rubbing Cassidy's back in circular motions. It was 1 A.M. and the girl was yet to wake up and Toby had fallen asleep on the rug that used to be in Barbara's living room before the incident with Angor Rot.

"Ya, he's on his way," Jim answered, sitting beside Claire, taking Cassidy from her. He wished that night could've been normal. Containing begs for Cassidy to fall asleep, stories, snuggles, and just spending time together as a family. But of course, they could never have a normal night.

"It'll be nice when we don't have a million people over," she whispered, head perched on his shrugged shoulder.

Though he laughed, he couldn't wait until Toby was back in California or sleeping somewhere else, and they didn't have a mysterious girl sleeping at the foot of their bed." I know." his response was truthful but behind it stood pain and the want for his daughter's to live a normal life. But the fact they never would sadden him. Not only was her father the TrollHunter and mother a sorceress but they two had their own abilities. Thinking that of that Jim was reminded that Claire was a crucial part of their plan. She's already stressed, he thought, I'll tell her later."You know once all this Arcane Order and Camelot Girl stuff are over, we should go on vacation."

"Oh really," Claire said, turning her eyes up to him, face calm for the moment."Where did you have in mind?"

"I heard Disney World's fun," he joked.

Claire snorted, startling Cassidy awake for a moment but her eyes fluttered closed."Like we can afford that."

"Ya," he sighed, frown finding a spot on his face. It pained him they couldn't afford nice vacations or things. Not that money buys happiness but it would still be nice when he could one day come home and go to bed in a room that was just his and Claire's."You should get some sleep," he said, noticing Claire's exhausted posture.

"I'm fine," she said, eyes begging to be shut.

Printing a loving kiss on her forehead he ruffled her hair in a way it made it look horrendous."You're exhausted." he said expecting another refusal from her.

Leaning back, she took a moment to exhale, as if she were fighting any vomit."I'm fine, Mr."

"I don't know if I have to remind you but you pregnant Mrs. Lake," he reminded her, smiling slyly at her unamused face. Leaving a kiss on the tip of her nose as he did with Cassidy, he pushed down on her shoulders, forcing her to lie down."Sleep,"

"Fine dad," she laughed, though fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Jim sighed dramatically for his daughter who was fully awake." She never listens to me. At least you do." a long cry was the only response he got from her, letting him know she was hungry." Most of the time." fetching a bottle Claire had already prepared, he paced around the room as she guzzled down the milk."You know you aren't going to be happy when you have to share this." he wondered how Cassidy would react to Estelle. Their future selves seemed to get along and Estelle herself said they were close but remembering what Blinky said, the future wasn't set in stone.

Wet lips unlatching from the bottle, Cassidy looked at Jim with a perplexed gaze as if she knew something was wrong. It was strange to feel like he knew someone who said only five words, so well, but then again, he'd felt like he'd known her even before she'd been born. He could barely remember that fear of if he'd make a good father, but now it was worse. Because it wasn't if he'd make a good father, he had to be a good father.

"One day you girls will live like princesses," he swore, everything his eyes from the crappy apartment they lived in at the moment."You'll have everything you deserve and you'll be safe." Never would the promise to be safe be something he'd think about when being a father. But that was all he wanted. If his girls and the rest of his future children could just be safe and happy, nothing else would matter.

Cassidy stared at him, eyes wilting inward, closing but opening just as they did. She felt heavier, body tired, refusing to work."You're exhausted baby," he frowned, stroking her cheek with his hand. Lifting his finger, he glided it down her nose as if it were skiing. But unlike usual it didn't work. She refused to close her heavy eyes and stared at him through half-closed lids."It's okay sweetie, daddy will protect you."

He hated most of all that she was born with the burden of magic. Magic unlike Claire which could be controlled but the terrible kind that hit her whenever. Estelle herself had told him that from the tender age of six, Cassidy had known how she would die. For all her life she'd know every little thing that would happen, and the worst part was she couldn't stop any of it.

"Pro..." her words fell apart within themselves. She was beyond tired. To catch up on sleep she needed over a day, but Jim knew it would be impossible for her to sleep for so long without having a nightmare or vision.

Jim wondered if she was trying to tell him something like she had the month earlier. It was still confusing to him why she'd said it. She couldn't have known what she was seeing and when she had said it it sounded more like instructions rather than her own words. But for the minute he tried, Jim for the life of him, couldn't decipher what she could be trying to say if she were even saying anything.

Walking over to her crib, Jim grabbed the amber that they kept beside it at all times. He'd chiseled it down so it was easier to transport and planned on embedding it in something she used a lot like a pacifier(but that could be dangerous), or even a toy. Placing his hand behind her head to support it, he gently pressed the stone against her black hair, hoping the little contact would help her.

Refusing to sleep, she continued to look up at him with tired eyes." Please, Cassidy. Daddy needs you to sleep. It'll be okay, no one will hurt you." slowly his constant pacing, Jim began to hum random melodies, though he doubted they'd work.

"Sorry for my delay. Blinky needed my assistance with-"

"Sshh!" Jim interrupted, groaning when Cassidy stare up at him with fully awake eyes." You're just as stubborn as your mother." he complained, hoping Estelle would sleep since two sleepless babies would be the death of him.

Folding his jacket over his arm, Nari crawled out from behind him. The young wizard tipped his head forward."My apologies for the entrance but you implied that my presence was mandatory."

"It's okay," Jim assured him placing Cassidy on his hip since there was no point in trying to get her to sleep now."There's no way she's going to bed anyway, but try to uh keep it down. Claire's exhausted and watch out for Toby," he warned.

Douxie peered down jumping back a little when he saw a passed out Toby sleeping at his feet." Oh yes, we will, thank you." stepping over Toby, sighing once he was face to face with the TrollHunter."Have you discussed the plan with Claire?"

"Oh no," Jim said, bouncing Cassidy on his hip to try and entertain the sleep-deprived girl.

"I don't mean to push since I know you and Claire already have a lot on your shoulders but it is quite urgent we figure out if she can manipulate your child's powers," Douxie informed him, trying to state it in as nice of a way as he possibly could.

"Don't worry I will, but the reason I brought you here for this," he said, leading Douxie and Nari over to the foot of their bed where the girl still slept.

Douxie originally raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to question the boy beside him, but he paused noticing her satchel and specifically, the Seal."Mordrax's Miraculous, that's Camelot or at least the Seal. But how would this child have it?"

"That's what we're trying to answer. Tobes and I found her in the woods nearby. She's dressed in what looks like Camelot clothes and she had that bag on her. We wondered since your from Camelot, you might know who she is or what she's doing here."

"I'm sorry but I..." Douxie froze, pressing his hand against the girl's forehead and moving some of her overgrown bangs out of the way. On her forehead, scabbed over was a small "I". It was obvious to have been slashed out with a sword and appeared relatively fresh." I know her," Douxie said, words breathy and vague.

Jim turned wide-eyed, not noticing Cassidy's sneaky fingers pulling at her breathing tube." H-How...?" he exhaled, forcing Cassidy's hand off the tube while his eyes remained glued on the girl's and Douxie.

"I'm not sure," Douxie answered staring at her scar that was most definitely not accidental." I know I know her, but I don't know-how." he explained, picking her satchel up carefully."This, I know this as well." watching curiously, Douxie flipped the top open, removing the first item which was a bright orange stone.

"Heartstone," Jim said, looking in the satchel. From it, he pulled a piece of parchment paper with something written out on it but the ink was smudged so he was unable to read it. But, at the top, it was addressed to someone. There was a name." Briar." he read."It says, Briar."

"I walked with you once upon a dream," a muffled, weak voice sang drearily from behind. Sat up, Toby looked at the strange expressions both Jim and Douxie wore."What I thought you guys were talking about Sleeping Beauty,"

"No, the girl. I'm pretty sure her name is Briar. Does the name ring a bell?" he asked, handing the parchment over before Cassidy could grab it and smudge it more.

Reading over the name, Douxie shook his head."I'm sorry but no I can't recall any Briar's, but I've definitely seen her before, I'm just not sure when or where."

"But she's definitely from Camelot?" Toby asked, taking his goddaughter so Jim could investigate further.

"Aye, she is definitely from Camelot but I don't know when." he took another look at the scar carved into her forehead."And I have no idea what this means."

"Well, we can always chalk it up to Harry Potter chosen one shit," Toby said, Cassidy, trying to mouth the word.

"Try not to sware around Cass, she's been picking up on words like crazy." Jim said, wanting to forget his experience at the grocery store the day before when she said "damn" quite clearly, attracting many older women's attention."What's this?" he asked, pulling out a metal tube object with no opening."It's hollow and I think there's something inside," he stated, shaking the object, allowing him to something bouncing off the sides.

"Peculiar," Douxie said, picking the note back up."Hold a second, this looks like my handwriting." he exclaimed, looking closely to try and decipher his own handwriting."Find, the TrollHunter," he said, struggling to pull words from the smudged writing."That doesn't make sense though."

"Why, could it be Deya?" Jim asked, setting the tube back down.

"No, if I ever did know her, it was before Deya or even when the amulet existed. But then how could I for a start know what that was?" Douxie questioned, all three of them confused.

"Wait," Jim said, an idea bubbling inside of him."It's a stretch but what if she is a seer?"

Douxie and Toby looked at one another than towards the girl."It makes sense," Douxie said, frown on his face."When I was young, magic was greatly outlawed and those born with any sort of powers were punished. My own mother who dabbled in magic was burnt alive and so were other folks who were not capable of hiding it."

"I'm sorry," Jim apologized, unable to imagine having to witness such a thing.

"It is in the past, I barely remember her, but thank you," Douxie said, only able to recall a few things of his mother. Her long raven hair, torn ruff hands from mending all day, soft voice that would lull him to sleep. As for his father, well he'd never met the gent. He was too young to know the truth of what happened to his old man, and to that day, was left wondering what happened.

"Wait if they were all you know, killed, then how are you still alive?" Toby questioned, shutting his eyes as Cassidy pulled at his ear."To hard dudette, to hard."

"The practice was abandoned by the time Merlin took me under his wing, but that didn't mean some remained who wanted to outlaw magic altogether. These few congregated and formed cults that would brand those who were found guilty of any form of magic. To the members of these cults, they would mark or scar them as "Impures", much how you trolls call Changelings Impures."

"So you're saying if she is a seer, the scar on her head could be a branding?" Jim asked, relieving Toby from Cassidy's powerful grip.

"Very much. But that doesn't answer how I know her. If she is a seer I could've written it down for her given she is young and might not know how to write, but why would I address it to her?"

"Dunno," Toby shrugged, much too tired to think properly."Maybe it's a rouse,"

Jim's eyebrows tilted inward at the suggestion."Like a hoax?"

"Mhmm," he hummed, pulling a slice of leftover pizza from the fridge."Think about it, a mysterious girl who should've died centuries ago - no offense Doux - suddenly appears, shockingly alive after who knows how long in the snow. She has a branding, a piece of Heartstone, some weird metal tube, and a note that makes no sense. If you think about it, the most logical answer is she's a spy."

"But for who?" Jim asked, feeling as if their conversation was going nowhere.

"Well the Arcane Order is an option or it could be some other giant threat that's bound to come." Toby sighed, wishing one month could go by without an end of the world threat.

"Possibly," Douxie thought."But that can't be it, nothing is that-"

"Bring it to..." Briar whispered instinctively, her eyes opening after a few blinks. She flushed pale as if she'd seen a Gruesome, staring up at the three mean and baby before her.

"Take her," Jim whispered, handing Cassidy over to Toby, sitting beside Briar, trying to make her feel comfortable."Hey, it's okay, are you feeling better."

Briar stared wide-eyed at them, face drenched in fear." No," she said, worrying all three of them."You're not real, your one of them."

"One of who?" Jim asked, curious but also fearful, keeping his hand on his amulet which he hid behind his back.

"Douxie said not to say anything," she whispered in a quiet voice. Douxie stared in, combing his brain for how he knew her."He said if I said anything, I'd die."

All three men froze, certainly not expecting that to leave the five-year-olds mouth. To make her feel safe, Jim gently placed his hand on her back but she just shuttered away."It's okay, we won't hurt you."

"Yes, you will. This isn't real. Your one of the ones who change, the ones who shapeshift." as she spoke, the girl was fighting tears, hand rising to her forehead, shuttering as she felt the mark."If you're going to kill me, please do it now." she begged, turning her head down as if she were giving him the right spot to aim at and easily kill her.

"We're not going to hurt you," Jim repeated, lifting her head up." We want to help you, but you'll have to let us know why you were out in the woods."

Briar was hesitant to answer but broke."I was looking for the TrollHunter." she said, lip quivering, obviously still hiding something."I have to bring him the stone."

Jim could feel himself sulk within, wanting to say he was the TrollHunter, but knew she didn't mean him... but who? Douxie couldn't remember her from when Deya became the TrollHunter and he didn't remember seeing her when they voyaged to the past."Can you tell us who the TrollHunter is?"

"No," she said with no hesitation.

"Well that's not helpful," Toby muttered under his breathe.

Jim glared up at his friend, turning back to the girl with a caring gaze."Briar, we want to help you, can you please tell us where you're from?"

"No," she said, head shaking as she resisted blurting out the truth."Please, let me go, don't kill me,"

Unsure what else they could do, the three men were silent, the blaring sound of Jim's phone ringing startling them all. Stepping up, he read the contact, seeing it was Blinky."Hey Blink we're kinda dealing with something righ-"

"Master Jim! It's too late please-" the frantic voice of his mentor shouted, the sound of screams and shrieks following.

"Blinky?!" he asked, blood running cold when there was no reply."Blinky!?"

His own yells were cut off by a low voice."We will find Nari. No matter how many we must kill."

I would love to hear any comments or critiques you have on this story thus far.