~ Chapter Nine ~
Light in the Dark
Walter wanted to kick NotEnrique out of the house or smack him into another dimension. Literally. He wanted to crunch the small troll up into a little ball and drop kick him across the neighborhood, as far and as hard as he could. He was furious with the small Changeling over what he'd stupidly said to Barbara.
For now, he held him tightly by the scruff of his neck, something the small Changeling absolutely hated, and brought him inches from his face.
"You are going to apologize to Barbara," Walter snarled viciously. "Do you understand me?"
"Alright, alright, I will!" NotEnrique cried out, squirming in his grasp. "Now, let go of me scruff!"
Walter growled but finally did so and threw him across the length of the table away from him. NotEnrique hit roughly against the wood, groaned, and rubbed his head. He then looked up and glared at Walter.
"You'd better," Walter snarled, "or else you'll have to deal with me again, and next time, I won't be so nice to you."
"Huh," NotEnrique growled, "that was you being nice?"
Walter gathered up his Familiar, Walter Jr., and the other male infant, Jeffrey, into his arms, turned with teeth gnashed and pointed a clawed finger at him. "What you said was way out of line! Barbara is incredibly sensitive about Jim!"
"Yeah, I know that."
"And yet, you still said something like that to her?"
"Hey, I was just looking out for her well-being," NotEnrique said, fixing the coarse hair on the scruff of his neck. "I like her and want her to be happy."
"You don't need to look out for her well-being or happiness. That is why I'm here."
"I get that, but have you thought about what will happen to us when Jim gets back?" NotEnrique suddenly asked, hopping down from the table and walking towards him, "and what will become of us?"
Walter stopped at the bottom of the stairs, with both baby boys wiggling happily in his arms, and looked at NotEnrique.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the Nunez family kicked me out when they found out about my true form. They didn't like that I was a disgusting Troll. So, forgive me for not thinking Barbara won't do the same."
"Is that why you tried to sabotage things between us?" Walter growled, and NotEnrique looked confused.
"Sabotage? What? No, I'm just lookin' out for our well-being, is all."
"Well, you don't need to because Barbara would never do that to us! She's not like the other humans in the fact that they will reject our kind. That, and her son is now a half-troll! She needs me for guidance, now more than ever."
"Maybe," NotEnrique said slowly, "however, the Stricklander I once knew would never have raised the human Familiars as his own nor stay by a fleshling woman's side. It was too far beneath you, so why are you doing this now?"
"What do you mean I wouldn't?" Walter asked in disbelief. "Yes, I would have."
"Yeah?" NotEnrique raised an eyebrow at him. "You? The once-feared leader of the Janus Order, Gunmar's once right-hand man, and one of the Changeling's most skilled and lethal warriors… now a diaper-changing foster father?"
"I'm not that Changeling anymore," Walter growled, but NotEnrique merely shrugged.
"Maybe, but why stay here? I get our bonds to our Familiars, but doesn't Jim hate you?"
"No," Walter said quietly, looking away from NotEnrique now. "I don't believe Jim hates me anymore, but that's not why I'm staying."
"Then, why? Because Barbara asked you to?" When Walter didn't say anything, NotEnrique added, "Look, I ain't stupid. I see the way you look at the doc. Sure, she's a beautiful woman, but she's not a Changeling. She's a human. Don't you two realize that this may not turn out the way you'd like?"
Walter stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking in a hushed tone. "Of course, I realize that possibility, but I'd like to believe that Barbara could see past my exterior and know that the Walter Strickler she fell in love with is truly me."
Walter shut his eyes in pain. The idea of losing Barbara again from his life was unfathomable. He took a deep breath, then turned to face him.
"Now, for your information, I'm staying because of two reasons: the first is because I do have a duty to these Familiar's and will take care of them until they find families to take them in."
"And the second reason?" NotEnrique asked, with eyebrows raised.
"Because I love Barbara," Walter said fiercely, "and she loves me. And, despite what you may think, I believe that we have a very good chance at making this relationship work permanently."
NotEnrique blinked, not saying anything, so Walter continued, "now, clean that table up with all the baby food. I want this place to be spotless."
"Wha'?" NotEnrique cried out. "Why me?"
"Because you messed up tonight and have to make up for it, and also because you said you wanted to help out around here more, so that's exactly what you're going to do."
"Yeah, but…!"
"Here's your chance to prove to me that you don't want a pummeling later on," Walter replied with a dark smirk. "Now, get going. Clean up. I don't want to hear a peep from you unless you're apologizing to Barbara. Got it?"
NotEnrique grumbled, rolled his eyes, but did as he was told.
Walter walked up the stairs, came outside the closed door of Jim's old bedroom, and took a deep breath. He hadn't heard from Barbara in the few minutes where she walked away with the two female babies, and as he neared the door, he still couldn't hear anything.
Taking a deep breath of courage, he braced the two baby boys over his shoulders, then quietly and slowly turned the handle of the bedroom door.
Pushing the door open, he peeked his head in and almost spoke her name when he saw her patting the back of the baby named Sarah. Nomura's Familiar was drinking her bottle happily in her crib, and Barbara was singing quietly to them.
Walter paused at the door, watching, listening, and marveling at the sight before him.
Barbara had a magnificent voice, and her tone was peaceful and gentle. She was a beautiful woman, and he couldn't help but admire her. She was tall, thin, healthy, and had soft feminine curves, but it was the light in her deep blue eyes and the way she smiled and laugh that did him in. He was madly in love with her.
As he listened to her sing, he caught the song's lyrics, and his heart sank a bit. It was the lullaby she told him she sang for Jim as a baby.
"You'll never know dear, how much I love you," Barbara sang softly, "please don't take my sunshine away." The baby cooed, and Barbara smiled lovingly at her.
"That was beautiful."
Barbara gasped in shock and turned at Walter's soft voice. He stepped into the room and smiled gently at her.
"Oh, thanks," Barbara said, blushing slightly. "I didn't hear you come in. I normally don't sing in front of people."
"Well, I'm sorry I startled you, but you should sing more. You have the voice of an angel."
Barbara smiled and chuckled nervously, still blushing fiercely. Walter then held both baby boys up by their legs, making them laugh loudly with a grin.
"I'm just bringing these guys up for bed. Think we have any more room for two more?"
Barbara laughed and then gestured to the wall-to-wall space cramped full of cribs. "Sure. What are two more babies? Pick a crib, any crib. The more, the merrier."
Walter chuckled and dove right into getting the two boys ready for bed while Barbara continued to bounce Sarah in her arms. Once he changed the two boys' diapers and clothes, he placed them in their cribs, then gave them their bottles and smiled down at them. His Familiar, Walter Jr., was full of energy and cooed excitedly at him, instead.
"Awe, he loves you," Barbara said softly, still holding Sarah and peering over his shoulder.
"Yes. Familiars have just as much of a family bond with their Changeling counterparts that we do with them," Walter explained with a warm smile. "He's, if you will, like a son to me."
"Well, you are pretty great with him, and he will look just like you as a human when he gets older." Barbara paused and thought it over. "Ohh boy, that may be awkward to see the man I used to date as the foster son I raised."
Walter couldn't help but laugh at her joke, but when she didn't laugh, he turned to watch her. She had her back to him and was bouncing her body gently to a silent beat for the baby, Sarah.
"Barbara, are you alright?"
She turned, and her face was calm but slightly emotionless and distant. "Yeah, of course. I'm fine."
But she wasn't fine, and he knew it.
"About what happened downstairs," Walter said gently. "NotEnrique was way out of line, and I am punishing him right as we speak..."
Barbara suddenly walked over to him, placed her fingers over his lips, and quieted him.
"Walt, I am alright. We don't have to discuss it. NotEnrique caught me by surprise, that's all, but I know he didn't mean anything maliciously towards me."
"But, he upset and hurt you, and that's not alright with me," Walter said seriously, staring into her blue eyes.
Barbara offered him a gentle smile but didn't say a word as she turned away from him again and tried to put Sarah down, who squealed and clung onto her. Sighing in slight frustration, she then pulled her back into her arms and began patting her diaper. "This one is clingy tonight."
"Want me to take her?" Walter offered, but Barbara shook her head.
"No, thank you. I've got her. I'll just keep singing and dancing around the room like a fool until she falls asleep, I guess."
Walter chuckled, but Barbara looked up at him, and to his relief, she began opening up to him.
"I'm not upset, Walt, but NotEnrique's words did get me thinking, and I think I figured out what has been bothering me the most about it."
"Sure, darling. What's on your mind?"
Barbara stayed quiet for a moment, then said, "I could never replace Jim; you know that. I mean, he's my only son. But, maybe I am feeling a little bit guilty over me moving forward in my life."
"What do you mean?" Walter asked softly, straightening up and resting against his Familiar's crib.
"Well," Barbara began, then sighed heavily and tried again to explain, "all while Jim was growing up, I tried the best I could to be home and to be present, but being a new doctor was tough and competitive, and I was stuck constantly working shifts. It wasn't until we moved to Arcadia Oaks, after my divorce finalized with James, that I got more flexibility in my shifts, but I still worked my tail off. I think I used working long shifts as a band-aid to my pain. It paid for this house and all the things that Jim and I needed, but what he probably needed the most was more time with me."
Barbara shook her head. "I worked to provide us a good life, and that was the priority for so many years, but then, when we were finally in a financially secure place, I found that I couldn't continue to make excuses for myself anymore. I needed to start thinking about a future for myself because Jim wasn't going to stay with me forever, and I didn't want to be alone for the rest of my life." She glanced up at him. "I needed to give another chance at a romantic relationship and love. Something I didn't think would happen until I met you."
She smiled at him once before the smile faltered slightly. "But, now that Jim is gone, and so many things have changed so suddenly, I do feel somewhat guilty in moving on, and…" she paused, "being happy again."
Walter nodded. "I understand. Change is never easy."
"Yes, but I've been thinking over things, and while I feel slightly guilty, I don't feel like I'm replacing him," Barbara continued to explain, "that's why I'm not upset over what NotEnrique said anymore. Jim will always be my son and will always have a special place in my heart. However, even if I chose to adopt these children, they would and could never take his place, as my heart has been opened ten-fold to a new kind of love I never knew existed."
She glanced up at him again and smiled endearingly.
"And then, there's you, Walt. While a mother's love runs deep and true, there's a whole other part of me that has been craving what romantic love offers, and I just want you to know that you've checked all my boxes. I love you, Walter, and I'm so thankful that you're by my side. No matter where the future takes us, you've made me so happy. It feels selfish to love you or to be loved back, but you have made me so happy, and I'm thankful for you."
Walter smiled warmly, melting at her words, and instantly crossed over to her, taking her in his arms and holding her tightly.
"I love you too, Barbara," he whispered, "and I'm glad you feel that way or that NotEnrique didn't make you second guess what we have."
Barbara closed her eyes and leaned into his chest while the baby, Sarah, cooed happily at them. "No, Walt. I would never second guess anything because what we have is really, really good."
"Yes," he whispered, "yes, it is." He held her in his arms for a few seconds before he pulled away and gently cupped her face in his hands. "Finding what you love or what makes you happy isn't selfish, Barbara. What I did when I was against Jim was selfish. But you? Selfish? Never. You deserve to be happy, Barbara. That's all I ever want for you. True and unconditional happiness."
Barbara smiled at him, and Walter drew her into him gently, careful not to squish the baby in between their chests, and was inches from kissing her lips when someone sniffed behind them. They pulled away and looked at the doorway.
"Oh, that was beautiful," NotEnrique said emotionally, wiping at his eyes. "You two are too much."
Barbara smiled gently at him, but Walter exhaled in irritation.
"What are you doing here?"
"You said I could come back up here if I apologized, and I'd like to do that now."
"Oh, you don't have to..." Barbara began, but Walter cut in.
"No, he does, my darling." He then faced NotEnrique. "Have you done what I've asked?"
"Yes, bossman, I have," NotEnrique said, jumping upon the cribs and making Walter Jr. laugh. "The downstairs is all clean." He turned to face Barbara. "And Doc, I wanted to say that I'm truly sorry for what I said before. It wasn't right, it's certainly ain't true, and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings."
"It's alright," Barbara said softly, leaning into Walter.
"No, it's not," NotEnrique said firmly. "What I said was wrong and out-of-line. Please, doc, forgive me?"
Barbara reached out and grabbed NotEnrique's small claw, smiling kindly at him. "There's nothing to forgive, NotEnrique," she said softly. "I promise I'm fine, and if anything, you've given me a lot to consider and face with my feelings. We are a family, and sometimes family's bicker, but at the end of the night, we all still love each other." She glanced into Walter's eyes, smiling endearingly, as NotEnrique sniffed loudly.
"Oh, stop me heart. That was too sweet." He wiped large tears from his beady eyes. "I promise, from now on, I'll never say anything mean to you ever again, doc. Jim was nice, but you… you are an angel."
"Yes," Walter whispered, pulling her towards him again, "yes, she is." He cupped her chin to bring her to his lips when suddenly, the lights flickered, popped, and then all power in the house and neighborhood block went out, leaving them in pitch blackness.
"Don't open the refrigerator. We have to keep the food as cold and fresh as possible until the electricity companies turn the power back on. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay, I got it."
Walter made his way down the stairs, using his glowing eyes and ability to see in the dark to guide him to where the matches and candles lived in the kitchen, with NotEnrique following after him. He fumbled around the kitchen drawers until he found the boxed matches and candles he was searching for.
Walter took a few for himself and then handed some to NotEnrique. He didn't know why the power went out, but he didn't overthink it, seeing that the entire neighborhood was out. This wasn't the first time Arcadia Oaks was having strange power outages.
"Light a few candles in the living room for me, would you?" Walter asked him. "I'm going to continue helping Barbara put the babies down to sleep, and then I want to have an evening with her. Alone. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, sure," NotEnrique said, taking the candles and box matches from him.
"Do not set the living room on fire," Walter warned, walking through the kitchen towards the stairs and turned to face the small Changeling, who had begun to place candles on the bookshelves in the living room strategically. NotEnrique snorted.
"Do you really think me that incompetent, boss?"
Walter raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "Sometimes."
"Oh, come now, bossman, that ain't fair," NotEnrique argued. "Why you gotta be so mean to me? I apologized to Barbara just like you asked, and she has shown me nothing but kindness. Something you could honestly learn a lesson on."
Walter paused at the bottom of the stairs, and NotEnrique was sure he was about to get a lashing. However, to his surprise, when he turned, Walter offered him a smile.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I am learning to be better, which is something we Changelings never learned in our cruel upbringing. I learn something new from Barbara's goodness, selflessness, kindness, and love every day. She makes me want to be better. And I will. For her, I will. Barbara is my light in the darkness, my reason for living, and is my entire world."
As Walter climbed the stairs, NotEnrique smiled proudly after him.
"Attah boy, bossman."
Barbara was still swaying steadily with Sarah when Walter entered the darkroom with a candle and matches. There was no light anywhere except for the moonlight from outside. Barbara smiled as she looked into Walter's glowing greenish-yellow eyes.
Walter wordlessly struck the match on the box and lit the candle on the center nightstand, instantly bathing the room in soft yellow light. The babies were still cooing softly, but the boy, David, was almost asleep in his crib, as was Nomura's familiar, and Sarah was yawning in Barbara's arms.
When Walter straightened up and blew out the candle, he glanced over at Barbara and melted again at the sight of her. She was shushing and bouncing Sarah lightly in her arms, who began instantly sucking her thumb and falling asleep in her arms.
Walter smiled endearingly at the woman he loved and crossed over to hold her in his arms. Barbara glanced up from staring at Sarah's sleeping face and smiled at him. With hands full, she leaned into Walter when he wrapped her in his arms. Together, they stared down at the peacefully sleeping baby girl.
Just then, their moment was interrupted when NotEnrique suddenly climbed on Walter Jr's crib, swiped his bottle away, and began loudly drinking it down. Walter Jr. burst out laughing, making both Barbara and Walter look up and stare at NotEnrique.
For her, in humor, but him, in shock. Walter thought he left NotEnrique with a task to do downstairs, and here he was, interrupting their moment, once again.
Barbara bit her lip and tried not to laugh as she glanced up at Walter, who growled, "I may kill him."
"Oh, he's fine," Barbara whispered, leaning into Walter's bare chest, and closed her eyes. "Kill him in the morning."
Walter snorted out a laugh and held onto her tightly.
"I wonder why the power went out," Barbara mused after a few seconds in silence. "Is it related to the other power outages, do you think?"
"Something like that," Walter whispered. "I'm sure it'll come back on soon."
Barbara smiled at the sleeping baby, left his arms, and quietly set her down in the crib, pulling a blanket over her tiny body. Meanwhile, Walter pulled the bottle from NotEnrique's hands, growled at him, wiped the nipple off, then handed it back to his Familiar.
Walter Jr. cooed happily, taking the bottle for a second, but then he threw it to the side and reached up for Walter. His green eyes, which used to be Walter's human eyes, peered up at him with bright innocence.
Walter sighed but picked up his familiar and held him close.
"You, young man, are a menace." Walter bounced him gently in his arms, smiling. "But," he whispered, "you're my menace."
Walter Jr. cooed happily and snuggled into his chest. Walter bounced him gently for a few seconds before his Familiar closed his eyes, yawned, and began falling asleep. Smiling, he hugged the tiny baby to his face, set him down in his crib, then glanced up and saw Barbara staring at him with a strange look in her eye.
It wasn't bad or anything- but he suddenly felt a strange pull to rush over, scoop her into his arms, and kiss her madly.
Barbara glanced shyly over her shoulder at him, smiling warmly, then slowly left the room. Walter continued to stare after her when NotEnrique cleared his throat.
"Wow. You know, I may not be a love expert or nothin', but you don't get that kind of a silent invitation every day."
"Invitation?" Walter asked blankly.
NotEnrique rolled his eyes. "You make fun of me all the time for being slow, but now it's your turn."
"What are you talking about?"
"Doc wants you to follow her," NotEnrique explained slowly. When Walter still looked confused, he exhaled sharply, then explained further, "she's going to go downstairs and will see that I've placed candles everywhere, as you asked me to do, which will only add to 'the mood.'"
"The what?" Walter demanded, and NotEnrique grinned at him.
"You know. The mood. The ambiance?"
"What in the world are you…?"
"She's going to want some romance tonight, bossman," NotEnrique said bluntly. He paused, then snorted, "Doc is hot for teacher, if you know what I mean."
Walter's heart leaped painfully, and he felt nauseous at the very notion of that idea.
"Don't be ridiculous." He walked past the small Changeling but then stopped at the door and froze. He shut his eyes once and took a breath of courage. "Um, however, since I did plan on spending some alone time with her anyway, do you think that you could…?"
"What? Stay as far away from the mushy stuff as possible? NotEnrique said casually, leaning against the window and reading a magazine of Jim's.
"And keep track of the children?" Walter added, and NotEnrique nodded.
"Sure. Do not worry yourself over me, bossman. I will stay up here with the kiddos until they are completely asleep. You and Barbara have a nice time together. Just keep it PG down there, though. I don't wanna be seeing or hearing nothin' repulsive."
Walter growled out a sigh but didn't know how to argue with him.
Trolls shared their love much differently than humans did, and Changelings were raised to put away such feelings from both worlds, but he's lived a long time alone, and he didn't want to be anymore.
His happiest times were when he was human and first met Barbara, and while the human emotions were most challenging for him to live with and balance, he'd learned that the feelings of love and intimacy could be beautiful when shared with the right person—sacred, even.
Walter left the room, quietly closing the bedroom door behind him, and calmly made his way downstairs towards the living room.
As NotEnrique said, Barbara was already sitting on the couch, and her figure was glowing from the candlelight. Walter slowed his walking down and stared at the front living room with a gaped jaw.
NotEnrique had lit not just a few candles, but every inch of the shelves, all around the room, were lined with candles, and in the center of the coffee table, the lavender roses he'd given Barbara were there.
Walter had to hand it to the small Changeling. He made a very romantic moment out of the power outage without even asking or hinting at it.
Barbara was looking down at her phone, but when she saw Walter approach, she quickly shut it off and placed it on a side table.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
"Hello."
Barbara moved some of the silky red hair he loved to touch and smell away from her face and fixed her usual updo bun. When she saw him watching her, she chuckled sheepishly then pointed to her phone. "You caught me red-handed. You must think I have a phone addiction or something."
Walter chuckled. "No. Not an addiction."
"Not an addiction," Barbara repeated, snorting and laughing. "Nice. It's just pathetic, right?"
"Never," Walter said, crossing over and sitting next to her on the couch. He wrapped an arm around her and held her to his side, and the soft yellow lights from the candles illuminated and accentuated her stunning features. He smiled at her gently.
"You're not pathetic. You're strong, brave, and so, so beautiful. Inside and out. I look up to your strength and grace, Barbara Lake. You inspire and amaze me."
Barbara laughed weakly and rested her head against his shoulder. He cleared his throat, needing to keep talking to ease his nerves.
"So. I take it that you haven't heard from Jim since yesterday?"
"Nope," Barbara sighed, clapping her hands and resting them in her lap. "But, it's okay. I've heard from him, and that's enough to ease my anxieties a little bit." She offered him a brave smile. "I know that I've been a slight mess this week since communications with Jim has faltered, but I'll be just fine. Thank you for asking."
"Of course," Walter said, then they fell into slight awkwardness. He cleared his throat again and fidgeted his fingers against her shoulder.
"So, what should we do?" Barbara asked quietly. She took hold of his other hand and intertwined her fingers through his. "The babies are asleep, but with the power out, TV isn't an option, nor reading." She paused. "We could play a board or card game?"
Walter snorted a laugh. "Perhaps later, we can." He paused, then a lightbulb went off in his head. He leaned away from her so he could look into her face. "Would you… actually, like to take a night flight with me? I have somewhere I'd like to take you."
Barbara's eyes widened. "You want to take me… flying?"
Walter nodded.
"Well, okay," Barbara said, moving some hair away from her face, "but, what about the kids? We can't just leave them here by themselves."
"They won't be here alone. NotEnrique is upstairs with them and said he would watch them."
Barbara raised her eyebrows in disbelief and chuckled nervously. "I didn't think you trusted him enough to leave him in the house alone anymore since he took the children on a joyride the night that truck nearly ran me over."
"Yes, but I've given him a second chance to prove himself," Walter explained with a devilish grin. "NotEnrique merely acts incompetent, but he's more than capable of handling matters at hand here for a short while." He stood up, just then, and offered his clawed hand out to her. "So, what do you say, Barbara? Want to get out of here and come flying with me?"
Barbara stared at his hand for a few seconds, then looked up into his glowing yellow and red eyes and finally grinned.
Taking his hand, he helped her to her feet, then, he shed his cloak of knives and set it on the couch. His large bat-like wings fluttered out from hiding with a blast of green, smoke-like magic, making her gasp out in amazement, and she could tell that he was itching to use them.
Grinning at her amazed look, he led her by the hand out the back door to the backyard. He then let his massive wings spread out at full length, stretching them, and took a deep breath. It felt amazing to let his complete troll form fly free. When he turned towards her, he pulled her against his body.
"Hold onto me tightly," Walter said, grinning, then added with a wink, "oh, and take off your glasses."
Grinning, Barbara took off her glasses and placed them in her back pocket. She then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and snuggled herself impossibly close to his body.
"You sure know how to show a girl a good time by sweeping her off her feet," she teased, and Walter's grin grew more devilish.
"Darling, you haven't seen anything yet."
Barbara shut her eyes and squealed out in anticipation as Walter spread his wings and shot them into the summer night air like a rocket.