~ Chapter Eleven ~

Just Another Typical Day

Barbara turned on her side and instantly found what she was subconsciously searching for. When her fingers touched Walter's mildly cool stone skin, she smiled. Opening her eyes, Walter was sleeping next to her in her bed, and the moment she saw his peaceful face, her heart began pounding with desire and anticipation.

Barbara didn't think this would ever happen, but when Walter flew them home after their romantic moonlit date a week ago, he ended up sleeping by her side and had continued to do so every single night since then.

Nothing had happened other than sleep, snuggling and the occasional making out, but she was thankful for the warm body to keep her company in bed and for having someone who loved her in her life.

Barbara stared at Walter and couldn't help but think about how incredibly handsome he was. Unable to help herself, she reached out and touched his face. He moved slightly at her gentle touch but remained asleep.

Walter was lying on his stomach, hugging his pillow in his arms, and sometime in the night, he had summoned his large bat-like wings to appear and draped them over both of them like a blanket. Barbara slowly scootched over closer to him, moved his heavy arms, and took the pillow's place.

Walter snored once, rousing from sleep slightly, but she molded her body to his, wrapping her arms around him, and dug her face in his rock-hard chest.

When Walter felt her against him, he opened his eyes slightly, smiled, inhaled a breath through his nose, breathing her sweet-smelling hair in, and caressed a hand over her smooth face. He then peered down upon her face, and she saw overwhelming joy overcome his face.

Barbara's bright blue eyes were like sapphires from the deepest, most prized vaults known to Trollkind, and they were all his to gaze upon. Her auburn red hair was not pinned up into a bun but fell in soft waves down to her mid-back. He'd never seen her with her hair down, but he was crazy for it. For someone who had just barely awoken, Barbara was a goddess.

"Good morning, my beautiful darling," Walter whispered.

"Good morning, handsome," Barbara whispered back, and within an instant, their lips found each other. They kissed with slow, languid movements, going deeper with every passing moment, then Barbara grasped onto his hair, pulling him closer.

Walter obliged and leaned over so that he was half hovering over her. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, and his hands found her bare arms and began caressing her soft skin.

Pulling away, Walter then crushed her in a hug, loudly kissing her neck.

Barbara laughed, holding him tightly, and with a flash of green light, his wings disappeared, then, together, they rolled across the bed. His weight took her breath away slightly, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

Chuckling, Walter braced himself over her to allow her to breathe better.

"You're exquisite, Barbara," he whispered, kissing her lips gently. "I love you."

"I love you too," Barbara whispered, "thank you for staying with me these last few nights. I don't know how I ever slept without you before now."

"Hmm." He lowered himself and snuggled her like he did his pillow. "Yes. I don't know why we waited so long, either. Being here with you is truly a sacred thing."

Barbara laughed. "We just sleep in the same bed now, Walt. Nothing else."

"I know, but it has been nice enough to make me the happiest Changeling in this entire world." He pulled away, then gazed deeply into her eyes. "I look forward to whenever we are ready to further our intimacy because you mean everything to me. I love you, Barbara."

Barbara smiled and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, drawing her forehead to his. She shut her eyes and relished at this moment, never wanting it to end.

"Me too. I love you, Walt. More than words can describe."

"I love you too, and I agree, but perhaps this can help describe our feelings for each other."

Walter crawled over her then, laid on top of her, and began kissing her soundlessly. Barbara wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and back, bringing him even closer.

Then, they were at it again, getting tangled up in each other and their sheets as they made out soundlessly, deeply, and fiercely.

It took a lot of time and willpower to leave the bed and get on with her day. However, the four infants waking up, as well as her duty to return to work, had called Barbara back into reality.

The mornings were hectic with four infants in the house, but now that Barbara was returning to work, it felt like the stress had risen ten-fold.

She couldn't believe how fast that week had gone since she almost got run over by the alien-obsessed truck driver. Her injuries were practically nonexistent, but she wished she could stay home longer. She had apologized to Walter repeatedly for the situation, and while he was fine staying home with the babies, she still felt awful for leaving him alone with all of them.

Breakfast this morning consisted of a quick cup of coffee and cold cereal for both Walter and Barbara as they balanced feeding themselves and the four hungry infants and her getting out the door to work.

Barbara was dressed in her usual green medical scrubs and walking shoes and was pinning her hair up as she ran through the kitchen. She usually wasn't such a mess trying to get out of the door, but she felt like a chicken with her head cut off since she and Walter overslept.

Walter paused from feeding the children to watch her frantically search for something in the kitchen from the dining room.

"What are you looking for, my dear?"

"My glasses!" Barbara answered urgently. "I swore I had them upstairs in the bedroom, where they always are, but now I can't find them!" She began pulling open drawer, after drawer, before she turned on NotEnrique and suddenly demanded, "ugh, where are they, NotEnrique?"

NotEnrique was sipping a large cup of coffee and reading a magazine when he looked up at her in shock.

"Wha'? Me? What makes you think I took them?"

"Well, did you?"

"Why on Earth would I want your glasses?" NotEnrique then glanced at her head, shook his head at her, and laughed. "Geez, doc, you really are as blind as a bat without them." He rolled his eyes, then went back to reading the magazine.

Barbara stared at him with wide disbelief, then looked at Walter for help.

"Walt? Have you seen them?"

Walter raised his eyebrows at her and stifled a laugh. "Um, actually, yes, I have."

"You have?" Barbara gasped, looking relieved. "Oh, thank goodness. Where are they?"

"On your head, my dear."

"What?" Barbara reached up to touch her head, froze, then slid them down over her face, looking sheepish. "Oh, ha. Got them." She grabbed the paper bag of breakfast and snacks he made her, including the to-go cup of coffee, then made her way over to him in the dining room. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Have a great day, dear," Walter said gently, standing up to embrace her as she put on her white doctor's coat. Barbara hugged him back tightly, sighing heavily in his chest.

"I'm sorry to rush out the door and leave you with four babies, Walt. I can't believe how quickly this week went by."

"It'll be fine, Barbara," Walter said smoothly as she pulled away to look up at him.

"Well, I'm still going to talk to Wanda, the hospital coordinator, and see if I can't go part-time for a short while. I have enough seniority and hours that I could make it happen. That way, I can be home more often."

Walter waved her comment away. "That would be fine, but if not, I'm alright here. Truly. It's not forever. Just a few hours."

"Okay, well, I will be home at eight-thirty tonight," Barbara said, pulling on her purse.

"Sounds good, but aren't we still planning on meeting for dinner at your break tonight?" Walter asked. "You usually take your break around six."

Barbara stared at him blankly before she nodded. "Oh, right, yes. I forgot. Yes, let's still do that. So, should we say… Benoits?"

Walter smiled at her. "Always, my dear."

"Awesome. I'm looking forward to it." Barbara smiled back at him, then kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck holding down the fort, Walt. Call me if you need anything."

"Oh, I'm sure NotEnrique and I can handle these four little tikes," Walter said, looking over at the small Changeling with a smirk.

"Huh?" NotEnrique asked, looking up at them. "I'm doin' what now?"

Walter chuckled. Barbara stood on her tip-toes and kissed his lips briefly. "Thank you, honey. I owe you big time. I love you, and I'll see you tonight."

She went to leave, but Walter gently grabbed her arm, pulled her back, cupped her face, then slowly drew her back in for a much longer and deeper kiss. Barbara instantly moaned happily and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck to bring them closer.

"Eww," NotEnrique gagged, waving the magazine at them, "Geez, do you guys gotta do that here?" When they didn't respond nor break away, NotEnrique stood up and yelled, "OI! Get a room, you two!"

Walter broke away quickly and turned as if he were going to throw a knife at him, and NotEnrique scrambled out of sight.

"Alright! I'm goin'. I'm goin'!"

Walter smiled triumphantly after him. Then, when he turned to face Barbara, she quickly laid another kiss on his lips.

"I gotta go," she whispered. "I'll see you tonight." She then walked over and kissed each happily cooing baby on the forehead before walking towards the front door.

"I love you," Walter called out, following after her and leaning on the door frame. The morning was crisp and warm, promising another hot midsummer's day.

"I love you too, Walt."

Barbara blew him a kiss, one he caught with his hand, and he smiled warmly at her.

"Go and save lives, Doctor Lake."

"Oh yeah," Barbara chuckled sarcastically, turning away as she walked to her car, "it's just another typical day in Arcadia."

Being back at work was hectic. Much more hectic than she expected. Barbara thought that the injuries from the war with Gunmar and his Gumm-Gumm warriors almost three weeks ago would have subsided, but that didn't seem to be the case.

More people were coming in with strange and random injuries; except this time, they weren't from trolls, but from actual alien life-forms, of such. Or at least, that's what every single patient she'd seen today was saying.

Barbara listened to her patients talk, not giving much feedback, as most people needed someone to talk to, but she wasn't sure what to believe. It was like she had suddenly stepped into the Twilight Zone or a Syfy movie when she came into work.

Most people claimed they weren't paying attention to the road due to aliens fighting or because they got caught in the cross-fires of some other fight on the streets, again with blue-skinned alien-like creatures.

One woman she was currently assisting was a woman by the name of Tiffany. She was a part of the city council with Ophelia Nunez, who had crashed her car into something and broke her arm. Barbara ordered her X-Rays and was now applying a cast. The blonde-haired woman, dressed in a fancy pants suit, looked down at her phone the entire time, texting frantically.

Barbara thought about reprimanding her, but then when she thought about the silent phone in her pocket and how often she checked it in case Jim texted, she felt it was hypocritical of her, so she didn't say anything. Her mind must have wandered for a moment because the pretty blond-haired woman suddenly flinched and yelped out in pain.

"Ow!"

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry," Barbara said, forcing herself back to what she was doing. "Your arm is going to be a bit tender, so please, try to keep your arm as still as possible."

When the lady didn't respond to her, Barbara scowled in irritation.

"Alright, Tiffany, I'm going to have to ask you to put your phone away for this last part. I can't properly place your cast without you working with me."

The lady, Tiffany, scoffed but begrudgingly did so. "Fine." Silence passed between them for a few seconds before she continued dramatically, "ugh, I have so much work to do, though! Mrs. Nunez will have my head if I can't get it all done." She glanced down at her casted arm. "And this certainly doesn't help anything. How can I type on the computer with it?"

"Very carefully," Barbara answered slowly. "So… what do you do for Council-woman Nunez?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Barbara took a deep breath, trying to be patient. "I'm a friend of Ophelia's."

"Oh, well, I'm her secretary," Tiffany replied smugly. "I am the one who schedules and organizes her whole life, pretty much."

Barbara nodded and thought about what else to say to pass the silence. "So… you crashed your car, huh? What happened?"

"Ugh, something metal jumped out in front of me and totaled my car. Thank goodness I was wearing my seatbelt, or else I could have flown through my windshield."

"Something made of metal?" Barbara inquired.

"Yeah. It was tall, skinny, had glowing red eyes, and its limbs acted like magnets."

"Magnets?"

Tiffany nodded. "Yeah. After it jumped in front of me and I hit it, its limbs were scattered all over the road. But then, I saw it power back up and repair itself like magnets. It was uninjured and almost unphased by me. I jumped out of my car just in time when it threw a red laser beam at my car and blew it up."

"What?" Barbara gasped. "It blew up your car?"

"Yes, and that's not all," Tiffany said in a more hushed tone. "Being a part of City Hall, I hear things. People have been calling in, telling us that there are more of them."

Barbara frowned. "More… of what?"

"Aliens," Tiffany said, and Barbara's mouth fell open. Before she could help herself, she scoffed in disbelief.

"Oh, come on. I mean, are you sure that's what you saw? You did just come from a car accident…."

"I'm not making this up if that's what you're implying," Tiffany snapped, glaring at Barbara.

"No, of course not," Barbara backtracked, before sighing, "I have been hearing about aliens and metal monsters for weeks now, from multiple patients, and… I don't know, ever since that Gum- um, I mean, Troll attack a few weeks ago; I guess I'm having difficulty processing all of this. I mean, first, it was Trolls, but now aliens?"

"Yeah, where the heck have you been, doc?" Tiffany said, rolling her eyes. "Arcadia Oaks is an epicenter for multiple extra-terrestrial and abnormal occurrences and has been for a very long time."

When Barbara didn't say anything and just stared at her with wide eyes, Tiffany continued.

"Look, I know you want things to be normal; trust me, I do too, but that isn't our reality right now. Just when those troll monsters weren't enough to deal with, we have even more freaks living amongst us."

Barbara knew she should believe that aliens could exist since she had a half-troll son and a Changeling Troll boyfriend, but she could hardly believe what she was hearing.

She had heard of alien-like creatures with four limbs and glowing blue skin from various people in the past, as well as a giant metal monster with magma flowing through its limbs from the truck driver and an alien-like creature that was responsible for all of Arcadia's power outages before. But this metal monster with glowing red eyes attacking people was new.

Tiffany flipped her blonde hair and sighed heavily. "Well, no matter, the City and mayor are taking matters into their own hands. We've called in back-up from the Army Reserve to help deal with the aliens." She leaned in close to Barbara and lowered her voice. "And between you and me, if I had my way, they would round up those trolls as well. If the Army is going to help clean up Arcadia, then they may as well take care of all of the creatures plaguing our city."

Barbara tightened her grip on the lady's arm, making her gasp out in pain, but didn't apologize. Instead, she glared slightly at her.

"The trolls that remain here in Arcadia are good. They've helped save our lives from those evil trolls and haven't bothered us at all. They only long to live in peace."

"Yeah, well, so do we," Tiffany snapped. "Arcadia Oaks is our home to protect." She stopped when she saw the angry look on Barbara's face, so she looked down at her manicured nails. "Look, believe what you want, doc, but the army has already been around town, scoping for the aliens, and, according to my intel, they have found enough evidence of trolls and aliens and are doing something about them. Now that they have, it's not long before they'll start patrolling our streets to help give us extra protection. They even locked down the high school yesterday because they found something strange."

Barbara's heart sank slightly. "And… what of the remaining trolls?" She asked her slowly. "What will the army do if they find them?"

Tiffany shrugged and looked unconcerned. "I don't know, hopefully, take them hostage. This group of army specializes in alien creatures, so I guess that they'll dissect and experiment on all sorts of strange beings. I mean, that's kind of their thing." She then tipped her head back and laughed lightly. "They don't call their base Area 49-B for no reason."

Barbara's eyes widened in horror, and she stopped hearing anything except the sound of her heart pounding in her head.

Area 49- B?

That was a military base outside of Arcadia, and though Barbara didn't know too much about it, she knew enough science-fiction movies to understand that it wasn't good news for anyone who wasn't a human.

Tiffany's words rang through her head, and she suddenly thought about what could happen if they found the Trolls… and Changelings.

"Walter," Barbara breathed to herself, and Tiffany glanced in her direction with eyebrows raised.

"What did you say?"

"N-nothing," Barbara said, quickly finishing up splinting her arm with a cast. "Um, I've finished the cast, so you're good to go. Take it easy for the next little while, and try not to use your hand for a good week or so. Okay? Call me if anything changes. Good luck, Ms. Fenderson."

With that, Barbara quickly left the clinic room, not bothering to look back, and raced for the bathroom. As she ran, her stomach was clenching horribly, and she was sure she was going to vomit.

She had to call Walter and warn him to stay hidden. This was not another typical day in Arcadia because something far worse, dangerous, and horrible was brewing in the air. And it was, yet again, threatening the lives of all that she held dear.