Man, it's been awhile since I pumped out a chapter so quickly. Feels good, though! Probably for the best, given the cliffhanger we left on last time though. Very excited at the response that I've gotten for this story! Y'all are too kind, thanks. I think there will be two more parts to this particular fic, and then I'll probably start on the one that picks up where canon starts.
Thanks for reading!
go into your local forest and you will find a friend and a boy
part two
barbara & jim
"Toby, run."
Like some kind of magic spell, Jim's words snapped him back to his senses. One foot slid slowly backwards, which was apparently the wrong move because it immediately caught the attention of the giant horror show currently staring them down.
It roared, its rancid breath reeking of death.
Then something- Jim, he realized in hindsight- shoved him back and it was all he could do to run. He crashed through the forest, the creature's roar intermingling with the sound of fireworks to produce something even more distorted and horrifying. It sent a shiver down his spine like a lightning bolt, and he turned his head, glancing behind him...
...and Jim wasn't there.
He wasn't there.
His heart still hammering in his chest, Toby came to a dead stop, abruptly realizing what had happened. He'd never followed him in the first place. He'd stayed behind.
With that thing.
Oh no. No, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. This had to be a dream- he must have fallen asleep before the fireworks display, and-
-then he heard Jim scream.
All of a sudden, it was all too real. This was really happening.
And, like a complete idiot, he found himself running right back in the direction of the monster. He should turn around, run to safety, hide in his house until morning came. He didn't stand a chance against something like that.
But neither did Jim.
He was bigger and stronger than him, sure, but he was still just a kid. That monster's arm was longer than his entire body, and his hand maybe three times as wide as his torso. It'd have no problem snapping him like a twig, made of stone or not. And he couldn't- he wouldn't- abandon his only friend to that.
Even if this was the stupidest decision he'd ever made in his life.
(God, he hoped it wouldn't also be his last.)
He arrived just in time to see Jim's back slam hard against a tree, the impact producing a resounding crack. As if catching his scent, the monster turned towards him, almost seeming to sneer.
"So," it said, "-the fleshbag returns."
Jim grunted, cracking one eye open to look at him. Something trickled down his face, which he abruptly realized was blood.
"Tobes...?" Jim groaned. "What are you-?"
He didn't get a chance to finish, the creature taking a resounding step forward. It almost seemed to shake the earth, or maybe that was just because he was already trembling. Jim tried to shove himself to his feet, glaring at the creature, and all Toby could do was watch and brace himself-
-for something that ultimately never ended up coming.
At first he wasn't sure what happened. There was a flash of something blue in the dark, so bright that it almost hurt his eyes. The next thing he knew, there was another creature, only this one wasn't trying to hurt them- instead it had thrown itself at the other one, shoving it back with a sword that almost seemed to glow.
"Go," it called back to them, "-get out of here!"
It sure as heck didn't need to tell him twice. Helping Jim to his feet, he nearly stumbled under his weight before the other boy found his footing. They staggered out of there, as fast as they could go when Jim only seemed to be like, half-conscious. He kept one hand pressed to his bleeding head, but it was obvious that Jim was fading fast.
Oh this was bad. This was beyond bad.
On one hand, at least that thing wasn't after them anymore. He could hear the sounds of some kind of clash in the background, but they faded as they got further and further away. Before long he saw the first signs of human civilization- and blessedly, he recognized them in spite of the fact that he'd been pressing forward with no real destination in mind. They'd somehow come back out onto his cul-de-sac, as if his feet had subconsciously guided him there.
And that was when Jim collapsed.
He staggered over, just barely avoiding falling headfirst into a bush. Scrambling over, Toby crouched down to check on him, his hand coming back sticky with blood.
Plus he definitely wasn't conscious anymore.
Jerking his head up, Toby frantically scanned the street for anything that could help, before they fell on Doctor L's place.
Her car was there.
Taking a deep breath, Toby glanced down at Jim, before looking back up at the doctor's car. This could be a terrible idea. He didn't know how she'd react. But Jim needed help, and he didn't know anyone else who could give it.
He was just going to have to hope for the best.
The last thing Barbara Lake expected was to be woken up by someone pounding on her door. She almost thought it was the hospital calling at first, before she realized it didn't sound at all like her ring tone. Groaning, she blearily squinted at her alarm clock, which informed her it was just a little past midnight.
Who in the world...?
"Doctor L! Doctor L, are you there?!"
Toby.
Instantly Barbara was on her feet, pausing only to put on her glasses. Her first thought was that something had happened to Nancy, that she'd had a fall. It was the only reason she could think of that would cause Toby to sound so frantic, not to mention banging on her door at an hour a boy his age should be asleep, holiday or no holiday.
Unlocking the door, she barely avoided Toby who in his panic didn't quite seem to notice the door was open. A look of utter relief washed over his features as he did. She couldn't help but notice there were leaves and twigs stuck in his hair, as if he'd run through undergrowth to get here, which made no sense, considering the fact that it was a straight shot from his house to hers.
"Oh, Doctor L, thank goodness you're awake!" Toby exclaimed. "I need your help, like, really bad!"
"Just let me get my bag-," she began, before stopping short, her gaze falling on his hands. One was coated with a sticky substance that under the porch light, looked almost red.
"Toby," she said slowly, "-is that blood?"
Toby didn't say anything in response, instead just furiously nodding his head. Clearly, whatever this was, it was worse than just a simple fall.
"Okay," she began, forcing herself to stay calm, "-let me get my bag and shoes. It'll only take a second."
She wasted no time in doing just that, making sure to keep Toby in her line of sight at all times. Upon closer examination, it wasn't just the leaves and twigs- some of his clothing was also torn, and there were more than a few scrapes on his face and arms. Pulling on her shoes, she quickly rejoined Toby.
"Okay," she said, "-take me to Nancy."
"Uh," Toby hesitated, "-it's not Nana who needs your help, actually."
Barbara blinked. That was a relief, but then who-?
"Just promise me you won't freak out, okay?" Toby asked, wringing his hands. "He really needs your help."
Before she could even ask why she might freak out, Toby had already grabbed her by the wrist and was leading her across the street. They headed not to his house, but towards the woods, where she could just faintly make out the shape of a person lying on the ground. As they drew closer, Toby let go of her wrist, scrambling over to their side.
"Jimbo," he called out, "-you still with us?"
The figure made a faint groan, confirming that they still were. Drawing closer, Barbara opened her mouth to say something-
-only to immediately snap it shut upon getting a better look at what she was dealing with.
That was not a human.
Oh, it was humanoid, alright, but in no way was that a human. Not with those horns and those teeth, and-
-and it was hurt.
It was hurt, and whatever it was, Toby was clearly concerned for it. Drawing in a deep breath, Barbara crouched next to it- or him, actually, recalling Toby's earlier words. The first thing she did was check on his head wound, but in the dark it was difficult to tell just how bad it was. She wasn't wild about moving an injured patient, but they'd have to get him inside if she was actually going to be able to help him.
"Toby," she began, "-I need you to help me get him inside."
"Gotcha, Doctor L." Toby nodded. "Just... he's pretty heavy, just so you know."
Somehow, that didn't surprise her. His skin was hard to the touch, almost like stone. Still, he actually weighed a little less than she anticipated, but it was still an effort just getting him across the street, nevermind into her house and onto her couch.
(She was going to have replace those cushions later.)
"Can you tell me what happened?" Barbara asked, cracking open her bag and pulling out her gloves. At least she could get a better look at his head wound this way, even if the horns made it slightly difficult. It didn't seem as bad as she'd first thought- the bleeding had already stopped.
"We were in the woods watching the fireworks, and then all of a sudden there was this creature, and Jim told me to run, so I ran, but then he screamed, and I went back because apparently I'm either an idiot or just a guy who really loves his friends, and it just threw him into a tree, man! Like whack! Cracked the trunk and everything!"
"Toby," she cut in, "-breathe."
The boy swallowed, before taking her advice, slowly taking in a deep breath and letting it out. Barbara frowned, turning back to the creature on her couch- Jim, if Toby's ranting was correct. And oh, how she'd love to pretend that her heart didn't clench at the name, but now was neither the time nor the place for her own personal trauma. First she had to deal with what was in front of her.
The blow to the head was likely from being thrown into the tree, she thought. The area around the injury itself seemed softer, less stone-like the rest of his body. Even with that, she suspected whatever had caused it still had to have been a hard blow, otherwise it likely wouldn't have done as much damage. She didn't like the fact that he was still unconscious, in spite of having been moved, but there wasn't much she could do about that here. She was more concerned about the screaming Toby mentioned, carefully checking Jim over for any other visible injuries. She couldn't find any, but that didn't mean there weren't any- not that she could exactly bring him to the hospital for an x-ray to check.
She could see why Toby had come to her.
And wait- what did he mean, creature?
She opened her mouth to ask, but one look at Toby caused her to shut it. He was shivering, and not just because of the chill night air.
"Well, I can't say with one hundred percent certainty," Barbara began, "-but I suspect the head wound simply looks worse than it is, and I don't see any other obvious injuries."
"So he's going to be fine?" Toby asked, eyes hopeful.
"I won't know for sure until he wakes up, but I don't think he's dying, at any rate." Barbara said.
Toby let out a long breath, sinking to his knees in relief. "Oh thank god. I didn't know what to do."
"You did the right thing, Toby." Barbara assured him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Although I'm not thrilled to hear that you've apparently been sneaking out at night."
"It was just the one night!" Toby weakly protested, before wincing. "You're not going to tell my Nana, are you?"
"I think we kind of have to." Barbara said, picking a leaf out of Toby's hair. "C'mon, let's look at those scrapes of yours. And maybe you can fill me in a little on just what's going on here, kiddo. Starting with what's on my couch."
"Oh, that's Jim." Toby said.
"I gathered that much," Barbara said, "-but what exactly is he?"
"Oh," Toby blinked, "-uh, half-troll, apparently. His mom was human."
Troll. She had a troll on her couch. Okay. She could deal with this.
"And he's... your friend?" Barbara asked.
"Yup," Toby said, kicking his feet a little, "-my best friend, actually."
"And how exactly did the two of you meet?" Barbara asked, positioning herself so that she could treat Toby's scrapes and keep an eye on the... troll at the same time. His breathing had evened out, which was a good sign. She'd still probably bandage that head wound once she was done with Toby.
"Oh, you know," Toby shrugged, "-came across each other in the forest. Bonded over comic books. You know, normal kid stuff."
"Un-huh," Barbara arched a brow, suspecting he'd left quite a bit out, "-and does Nancy know about this?"
"She... knows I have a friend named Jim." Toby admitted, pointedly not looking at her. "And she did meet him once before, but you know, Nana's eyes and all..."
Barbara hummed, settling for thoughtful silence as she treated Toby's scrapes. He hissed a little as she disinfected them, but generally didn't squirm much. He was too focused on watching Jim, clearly still worried about him in spite of her reassurances. It couldn't be more obvious how much he cared about him, and if Toby felt that strongly, then maybe this Jim wasn't so bad, his... inhuman appearance aside.
She did wish he was named something else, though.
"So this Jim," she began, carefully applying a bandage to a scrape on Toby's forehead, "-he's your age?"
"Pretty much." Toby said. "Trolls run tall, apparently."
"Apparently." Barbara echoed, casting another glance towards the sleeping figure on her couch. She would have probably pegged him at maybe fifteen, sixteen at the oldest, not the same age as Toby. A child.
This was somebody's baby.
"You mentioned his mom," Barbara said, getting up to retrieve a length of bandages from her bag, "-do you know how to get into contact with her?"
"...not exactly." Toby admitted. "He doesn't know where his parents are."
Barbara frowned, suddenly a good deal more concerned than she was before. She didn't know anything about trolls, but if the boy was part human like Toby said, then he was way too young to be on his own. Taking a better look at his clothes, it became obvious how worn they were.
"If he's not living with his parents, who's taking care of him?" Barbara asked.
"He... kind of takes care of himself?" Toby replied.
"Where does he live?" Barbara asked.
"The forest?"
"Where does he sleep at night?"
"I don't know, trees, I think?" Toby replied, clearly more on edge. "Why are you asking? You're not going to turn him in, are you? Jim's not hurting anyone, I promise."
"I never said he was." Barbara bristled slightly with indignation, though she could understand Toby's concern. "I just wanted to get a full picture of what's going on."
Toby still looked skeptical, but he didn't say anything more. Turning her attention back towards Jim, she focused on bandaging his wound- a task easier said than done, considering that she had to work around his horns. Still, she managed to do a pretty decent job if she said so herself.
"Now then," she said, looking back towards Toby, "-do you want me to walk you home?"
"Actually, would it be okay if I spent the night here?" Toby asked, anxiously glancing towards the door. "It's kind of... dark."
"I don't mind at all." Barbara replied. "C'mon. I'll make up the guest bed for you. Although perhaps you should consider washing your hands first."
"Oh," glancing down at his hands, Toby nervously chuckled, "-yeah, uh. That's probably a good idea."
"C'mon, I'll walk you to the kitchen." Barbara said.
Toby followed along behind her, not saying anything as she washed his hands. His shirt was definitely going to stain, but that was a problem for another day. Once his hands were clean, she lead him back in to the living room, where he paused, his gaze lingering on Jim.
"Thanks, Doctor L." Toby said. "For everything, I mean. Not just the bed."
"Anytime, kiddo." Barbara said, ruffling his hair. "And don't you worry about your friend. I'll be sure to keep an eye on him."
Toby nodded, before loudly yawning. Smiling, she escorted him up to the guest room, where he barely had time to get his shoes and belt off before he fell asleep. She tucked him in, switching off the light before heading back downstairs. Jim was still asleep on the couch, thankfully free of any further pained groans.
Casting a wary glance out the front window for any sign of Toby's creature, she proceeded to lock the front door. She then headed into the kitchen, grabbing the bag of coffee grounds, and switching on the coffee maker, before pulling out the largest mug she had.
Something told her it was going to be a long night.
"Toby-!"
Waking with a start, Jim jerked up- and immediately regretted it. His head was killing him, and moving that quickly did not help matters. His fingers brushed against the area, pausing as they came in contact with some kind of fabric.
Had someone bandaged his head? Who in the world-?
Actually, hold on- bigger problem. Where exactly was he?
He was definitely in someone's living room. He wasn't sure whose- just that it wasn't Toby's. Sitting up straight, Jim paused, realizing that someone had tossed a blanket over him. Carefully pulling it off, he swung his feet around, wincing as a spike of pain shot through his right ankle. What...?
Oh. Right. So that hadn't just been a bad dream, then.
"Oh, you're awake."
No point in denying it- he yelped. Give him a break, okay? It had been a long night and he had no idea what was going on, or even where he was.
"Easy there," the redheaded woman said, "-I'm not going to hurt you."
"Wait," he said slowly, finally piecing something together as he briefly met her eyes, "-aren't you the doctor who lives across from Toby's place?"
The woman arched her brows, visibly surprised- though if anything, she was under reacting. A quick glance towards the curtains told him that it was no longer night, though it was hard to gauge what time it actually was. How long had he been out?
"That's me." She said. "You're Jim, right? Toby told me all about you."
Wait. Toby.
"He's fine, by the way," the woman said, as if reading his mind, "-a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious."
Jim exhaled, feeling a little more relaxed. He still had no idea what was going on, but Toby being okay was the most important thing. He still couldn't believe he'd actually come back after he'd told him to run. They were beyond lucky to have gotten away.
Actually... how had they gotten away? The last thing he remembered was seeing Toby again, and then... nothing. He must have hit his head harder than he'd thought.
"How's your head?" The woman asked. "I bandaged it as best I could, but I'll be the first to admit I'm not very familiar with your particular physiology."
"It's... fine. Just hurts a little." Jim replied, his eyes darting around. She seemed to be the only one here, but... "Just... what exactly am I doing here? And what time is it?"
"Toby brought you here," she told him, which made sense- only she immediately followed it up with, "-you've been asleep for two days."
Two days. He'd been asleep for two entire days.
Okay. That was. That was longer than he'd expected, but it could be worse. He could be dead in the forest, for starters.
And so could Toby, for that matter.
He shivered, the memory of those molten eyes returning unbidden, briefly overlapping with something older, and much more painful. The troll from that time hadn't been nearly as terrifying as this one, but...
"Are you alright?"
A soft hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts, and with a shock, he realized the doctor was next to him, concern apparent in her blue eyes. He briefly met them, before looking away, an awkward feeling in his gut as he caught sight of his own reflection in her glasses.
Right. He really shouldn't be here.
"I'm fine," he lied, "-um, thanks for looking after me, but I should probably go."
The smartest thing for him to do was to what he should have done months ago, and leave Arcadia. He and Toby never would have been attacked if he hadn't selfishly chosen to stay. His dad had made those rules for a reason.
He never should have even talked to him in the first place.
"Yeah, I don't think so," the doctor said, her tone surprisingly dry, "-not when I haven't given you a clean bill of health yet."
"But-"
"No buts," she said firmly, "-doctor's orders."
Jim's lips screwed into a frown, unsure of what to say to that. He would have thought she would have been eager to get him out of her house. Any sensible not-Toby human would be. He might be half human, but it was obvious that he had no place in their world, not when he leaned so much towards his father's heritage.
Not that he had much of place with trolls either.
"Now, c'mon," she smiled, giving his shoulder a faint pat as she stood up, "-let's see if I can't scrounge up something for you to eat. You must be starving."
He briefly hesitated, before seemingly resigning himself to his fate. Pushing himself up off the couch, he winced slightly as he put weight on his right foot. It quickly settled to a dull throb, more like he'd pulled something as opposed to anything being broken.
As if sensing something wrong, the doctor glanced over her shoulder. "Everything okay?"
"Fine," he lied again, "-just a little stiff, that's all."
That was a definite lie- he didn't get stiff, not like he'd seen Toby do sometimes. One of the perks of being part-troll, he guessed. She seemed to buy it though, to his relief. He didn't want to trouble her any more than he already had, not when she had already gone out of her way to look after him.
He wondered how much Toby had told her.
Actually, speaking of Toby...
"Where's-?"
"Jimbo!"
Toby burst into the house like a comet, practically hurling himself at him in his hurry to throw his arms around him. He squeezed him tight enough that it probably would have hurt had he been flesh, but as it was, it just came across as a gentle pressure. He chuckled in spite of himself, awkwardly returning the hug.
"Oh man, Jimbo," Toby said, "-I was so worried, dude. You were asleep for so long!"
"Sorry, Tobes." Jim apologized. "I didn't mean to make you worry. How did you-?"
"Oh, Doctor L texted me that you'd woken up." Toby said, finally giving him a bit of freedom. "I would have been over sooner, but you know, short legs."
"We were just about to have lunch if you wanted to join us, Toby." The doctor said. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning on cooking anything. It's mostly leftovers."
"Don't mind if I do." Toby said, before glancing up in his direction. "But uh, Jimbo here doesn't exactly do people food. You know. Troll diet and all."
The doctor's brow shot up, her gaze briefly flickering in his direction. "Well, let me know what he can eat, and I'll try to see if I have it."
"That's really not-" Jim began, before Toby cut him off.
"Got any old VHS tapes?" Toby asked. "Because Jim loves those. Ooh, or those little laundry detergent pod things."
The doctor's brows stayed firmly in her hair, but nevertheless, she hummed thoughtfully. "I think I have a few VHS tapes I can spare. You boys go ahead and wait in the kitchen."
Before he could say anything else, she'd ducked down the hall, and Toby was pulling him along into the kitchen. He did his best to keep his weight off of his right foot, leaning against the kitchen counter the first chance he got. His hands drifted unconsciously towards his hood, pulling it up.
It didn't make him any less nervous.
"You brought me to your neighbor."
"I brought you to a doctor." Toby corrected.
"She's human." Jim said, narrowing his eyes.
"So am I," Toby countered, looking up at him, "-so are you."
"Yeah, barely." Jim huffed. "What were you thinking? She could have-"
"What was I thinking?" Toby cut him off. "I was thinking my best friend was dying! What did you want me to do, let you bleed to death in the middle of the street?"
Jim snapped his mouth shut, his gaze dropping to his feet. He knew Toby was right. If the situation had been reversed, he probably would have done the same thing. He just didn't like the idea of someone else knowing about him.
Even if he was leaving soon.
"Besides," Toby added, "-Doctor L is totally cool. She wouldn't rat you out. Although she did tell my Nana I snuck out to see the fireworks."
Jim grimaced. "How much trouble are you in?"
"Probably not as much as I could be, considering we both nearly got eaten by some kind of weird demon." Toby shivered. "I swear I can still smell that thing's breath."
Jim winced. Right. It didn't occur to him that Toby might not have realized the thing that attacked them was a troll. Part of him was tempted to let him keep thinking that, but... well, it would make the goodbye a lot easier if Toby didn't want him around anymore.
"That... wasn't a demon, Tobes." Jim said weakly. "That was a troll."
"Wait, that thing was a troll?" Toby looked up at him, his eyes as wide as saucers. "But it looked nothing like you!?"
"Half-troll, remember?" Jim reminded him. "Why do you think I've spent so long avoiding them?"
"But they can't all be that bad, right?" Toby asked. "I mean, your dad was a troll, and I'm pretty sure that was another troll that saved us."
"Wait," Jim's brow furrowed, "-what other troll?"
"You don't remember?" Toby asked. "Man, you must have been hit harder than I thought."
"Toby, seriously, what other troll?" Jim asked.
It was bad enough that he'd been seen by one, but two? Now he was positive he had to get out of here, the sooner the better.
"It was wearing some kind of weird armor, and had this like, cool glowing sword." Toby recounted, mimicking a slicing motion with his hands. "I mean, I didn't get a good look at it, but it was totally cool."
That... wasn't quite the answer he was expecting, but before he got the chance to say anything back, the doctor swept back into the room, carrying a box.
"Phew," she said, setting the box down on the counter next to him, "-sorry it took me so long. I really need to reorganize the basement at some point."
"Hey, no sweat, Doctor L." Toby said. "I was just catching Jimbo up to speed on some stuff."
"Yeah," Jim mumbled, "-some stuff."
The doctor hummed by way of reply, casting a glance in his direction. He tried not to wilt underneath it, somehow feeling way more exposed than he had previously.
"That reminds me," the doctor began, holding out a hand, "-I don't think I actually introduced myself. I'm Barbara. Barbara Lake."
Jim eyed the hand warily, half wishing she'd stuck out her left. At least that way he wouldn't have to take it with his less human one- which he still did, after a moment of reluctance. He'd been unconscious on her couch for two days, after all. She'd probably had plenty of time already to notice that his right hand only had four fingers.
"Jim," he said, "-but I think you already know that."
"So I've heard." Barbara remarked. "Anyways, I dug up some old tapes. There's nothing important on them, so feel free to help yourself. Toby, how do you feel about pizza?"
"Positively," Toby replied, before backtracking, "-so long as it doesn't have artichokes on it. I hate artichokes."
"No artichokes, I promise." Barbara assured him.
Jim chuckled in spite of himself, glancing towards the box. He'd gotten pretty comfortable eating around Toby- it helped that he'd literally been chowing down on some cans when they'd first met- but he wasn't so sure about doing so in front of someone he'd just met. Especially not when it was someone he had no say in meeting.
...okay, yeah. Maybe he was still just a little mad at Toby, even if he could understand why he'd done what he'd done. He was just shocked that he'd taken the fact that they'd been attacked by another troll in complete stride. He thought for sure he would have at least looked at him a little differently upon finding that out.
Apparently he'd underestimated him.
...which just made the fact that he'd have to eventually leave him all the harder. Great. Things could never just be easy anymore, could they? Guess that was the price of ignoring his dad's rules.
Glancing in Toby's direction, he was just glad that was the only cost.
"So then I-"
Barbara listened with half an ear as Toby recounted the story of what had happened two nights ago. She'd already heard it, of course- both briefly on the night it had happened, and then in more detail the following morning. If she was being honest, it was all rather hard to believe, and she would have dismissed it as a child's fantasy were it not for the obvious proof that had been lying on her couch.
Jim, for his part, listened intently, likely eager to be caught up to speed on what had happened while he was unconscious. She got the feeling he was a little on the uncomfortable side- not that she could exactly blame him. From the sound of it, he'd spent a considerable portion of his life avoiding people, so waking up in an unfamiliar house must have been jarring. She was doing her best to put him at ease, but...
...well, she couldn't exactly blame him for still being wary of her.
Sipping her coffee, Barbara watched him out of the corner of her eye. He'd barely touched the old VHS tapes she'd brought up from the basement, but he had taken a few bites. She'd admit, she'd been a little skeptical when Toby mentioned his diet, but it seemed to be true. She supposed it made getting food a lot easier- despite what Toby had told her about his lifestyle, he didn't seem malnourished in so far as she could tell.
One less thing to worry about, she supposed.
And, rather unexpectedly, she was.
Two days had been plenty of time for her to get used to the boy's... well, everything. Two days had also been plenty of time to mull over everything Toby had told her, and the more she did that, the more distressed she got. No child should have to live on their own like that, part-troll or not.
Now that Jim was actually awake, she only found herself believing that more than ever. She hadn't been quite certain what to expect when he woke up, but he acted... well, surprisingly normal for someone with horns. Watching him interact with Toby, it was easier to see him as a boy his age, rather than the adolescent his height otherwise suggested.
Which again, just made the fact that he'd been on his own for so long all the more distressing.
Staring into her now empty coffee cup, Barbara frowned. God help her, but she was actually considering this.
"So Jim," Barbara cut in, flashing Toby an apologetic look at having interrupted him, "-Toby tells me you've been sleeping in the forest?"
Jim flinched, clearly not expecting her to address him.
"Uh... yeah, I guess?" He replied, awkwardly rubbing an elbow. "Can't exactly rent a hotel room if you're a minor."
"Or part troll." Toby added, elbowing his friend.
"Yeah, that too." Jim said, pointedly not looking at them.
Barbara hummed. She got the feeling that maybe they didn't understand just how serious this was. Toby was young enough that he probably thought the whole thing sounded adventurous, and Jim... well, he'd always lived like this. Why question it?
"You know," Barbara began, schooling her expression into something perfectly neutral, "-I have a bedroom that nobody's using."
Jim blinked. Then blinked again, like he wasn't sure he'd heard her right.
"Wait," he said, "-are you... asking me to stay the night?"
"More than just the night." Barbara said. "I can't exactly send a child back out into the forest in good conscience, especially not now that I know there's creatures out there who might hurt people."
Honestly, that was distressing enough on its own. If it weren't for the fact that she'd sound absolutely crazy, she'd bring it to the attention of the police immediately. She'd just have to hope this was an isolated incident.
"Trolls, Doctor L," Toby corrected, "-turns out both of those dudes were trolls."
Jim winced. If he hadn't been looking her in the eye before, he definitely wasn't now. There was definitely a flash of guilt in them.
Ah. She saw what was going on here.
"In any case, I can't knowingly let you expose yourself to danger." Barbara said.
"I really couldn't-"
"It wouldn't be a problem," she cut him off, "-really."
Jim snapped his mouth shut, lips twisting into a frown.
"Oh man, do you know what that would mean?" Toby asked, his eyes practically sparkling. "We could be neighbors, dude! That would be totally awesome-sauce!"
"I'm... not so sure if that would be a good idea." Jim admitted, his gaze briefly flickering towards Toby. "I should really probably be going, actually."
Yep. Exactly like she'd suspected. Taking that as her cue, she got up to make another cup of coffee. She'd interject if she needed to, but she suspected this was something the two of them had to work out first.
"Wait," Toby crinkled his nose, "-you don't mean like, going going? As in, leaving Arcadia going?"
"I honestly should have left months ago, Tobes." Jim mumbled. "Dad always said that nothing good could come out of sticking around one place for too long, and I think... I think he was right."
"What?" Toby said. "No! You can't leave!"
"You got attacked because of me." Jim said. "If I hadn't stuck around-"
"Okay, but sneaking out to see the fireworks was my idea." Toby countered. "So if that's how you want to play it, then you got attacked because of me."
"That's not-" Jim began.
"Actually," Barbara chose now to interject, "-I'm pretty sure the only one to blame for what happened was the troll who attacked you."
Which was not a sentence she'd ever expected to say, but it didn't make it any less true. As far she could tell, the only one who held any blame in this situation was them.
Jim blinked, finally actually looking at her. It was painfully obvious that wasn't something he'd even so much as considered. He'd just instantly decided it was his fault.
"Yeah!" Toby chimed in. "So you've not no reason to leave, Jimbo!"
"I don't know," Jim frowned, his gaze dropping back down to the floor, "-I've never just stuck around one place before."
"Then now's as good a time as any to give it a shot!" Toby argued. "Right, Doctor L?"
Barbara hummed, deciding to switch her tactics up a bit. "It's Jim's decision to make. We can't force him to stay."
"Yeah, that's totally not what I thought you'd say." Toby remarked, not even attempting to mask his disappointment.
She gave him an apologetic smile, before turning back towards Jim. "So what do you say, kiddo? I wouldn't mind some company around the house for a change."
That was the truth, at least. She'd tried dating a few times after James had left, but nothing ever seemed to stick, and she'd eventually given up. She tried to convince herself that she wasn't lonely, and when that didn't work, she kept herself busy so she didn't have to think about it. Some company, even of the half-troll variety, would actually be nice.
"I'll... give it some thought." Jim said hesitantly.
"That's all we're asking." Barbara said.
She certainly hoped he'd choose to stay, but that wasn't her call to make. If anything, trying to force him to would only backfire. You could only push so hard.
Jim nodded, eyeing the back door. "I should... probably go find my stuff before it gets too late."
Toby perked up. "Yeah? I'll come with you!"
"Are you sure?" Jim frowned. "I mean, I'll be going back to the forest and all."
"No worries. It's still daylight!" Toby said. "Besides, Nana gave me this sweet pocket knife after I told her some weird dude attacked us in the woods."
"...yeah, I don't think a pocket knife's going to do much good against a troll, Tobes." Jim remarked.
"Maybe we should let Jim go on his own, Toby." Barbara said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "He probably needs some time to think things over."
Jim blinked, his gaze briefly flickering in her direction. She responded with an understanding smile, but he only looked away again.
"Yeah, okay, I guess." Toby frowned, clearly not satisfied with that.
His eyes darting between them, Jim swallowed, before taking half a step backwards- then ducked out without another word. She heaved a slight sigh, not missing the way he was clearly favoring his right foot.
Fine, he'd said. Her foot, he was fine.
"Now," Barbara slowly turned her gaze towards Toby, "-what's this about a knife?"
His backpack was right here he left it, thankfully.
Exhaling in relief, Jim wasted no time in grabbing it. He'd been worried that someone might have found it while he'd been unconscious. He'd hate to lose what few belongings he actually had.
Pulling it on, Jim glanced back the way he'd come. He could feel the faint prickle of sunlight on his skin- it was getting awfully close to mid-afternoon. Pulling his hood up higher, he debated what to do next. The smartest thing would be to leave while he had the chance. Sure, traveling while the sun was at its peak wasn't ideal, but it was at least manageable, and would give him a head start over last night's bloodthirsty troll.
He'd feel bad about leaving Toby without saying anything, but it would be for the best. He'd stay safe this way. He didn't know if he could stand the thought of anything happening to him because of him. Heck, something had already almost happened to him because of him.
"-the only one to blame for what happened was the troll who attacked you."
His grip on his backpack slackened.
He wasn't sure what to make of Doctor Lake. She seemed... different, somehow. He would have thought she would have been eager to get him out of her house, but she'd actually invited him to stay.
And from the sound of it, she meant permanently.
He'd... never really had a home before. The closest he'd come to one was years ago, when he and his dad had briefly taken up residence in an old barn- and even that was a stretch. He'd kind of just never thought it was something he was capable of even having. Homes were for humans, or for trolls- not in-between creatures like him, who didn't belong to either world. He thought he'd accepted that years ago.
...so why did he want to accept her invitation so badly?
Shaking the thought off, Jim gripped the straps of his backpack tighter. He couldn't. Doing that would mean breaking his dad's rules, and look how that had nearly turned out for him.
This was for the best.
(So why didn't it feel like it?)
"You gave Toby a knife."
Across the table, Nancy Domzalski merely smiled as she refilled her teacup. "I know it's not the most modern approach, but..."
Barbara just huffed, casting a glance towards Toby. He was sitting by the back door, staring out into the forest, no doubt waiting for Jim to come back. She couldn't help but cast a glance in that direction herself, wondering again if she'd actually made the right choice. It had seemed like the right one at the time, but in the two hours since then, she'd had plenty of room to develop doubts.
"You needn't worry so much, dear." Nancy said. "He'll come back."
Barbara met her eyes. "How can you be so sure?"
"Nana's intuition is never wrong." Nancy said. "The boy's just not used to having so many people fuss over him, I'm sure. He needs time to think this through."
Barbara arched a brow. "You actually know what he looks like, don't you?"
Nancy merely hummed, adjusting her glasses. "Whatever could you mean, dearie? You know my eyes aren't what they used to be."
"Right," Barbara said, "-of course."
She shouldn't be so surprised. Nancy had always been on the eccentric side. If there was anyone who wouldn't so much as bat an eye at Jim's... unusual appearance, it was her.
"If anything," Nancy began, "-I should be the one asking you if you're okay with this."
Barbara blinked, before cracking a faint smile. "It's not the company I imagined myself keeping, but-"
"I'm not talking about what he is, dear," Nancy interrupted, "-I'm talking about his name."
Snapping her mouth shut, Barbara stared down at the teacup in her hands. She'd been trying to avoid thinking about it, honestly. It was easier that way.
"It's fine," she said, "-it's in the past."
Nancy didn't look entirely convinced. She guessed she couldn't blame her, not when she'd been there for the fallout. The stillbirth had been hard enough, but to wake up the next morning and find James gone... it had almost been too much. She wasn't sure if she could have gotten through it without her support.
They'd wanted to name the baby after his father. Jim, for short.
"Perhaps it's a sign." Nancy said, reaching out to touch her hand. "Perhaps this was meant to be."
"I don't know about a sign," Barbara gave her a weak smile, "-but you might be right. It's one hell of a coincidence, at least."
Nancy hummed, giving her hand a light squeeze. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing."
"Thanks," Barbara said, "-I just hope he actually comes back."
Nancy's smile was a knowing one. "Oh, I'm sure he'll turn up."
"I wish I had your confidence." Barbara admitted. "I'm starting to wonder if I should have-"
"Jim!"
Snapping her mouth shut, Barbara turned towards the door. Sure enough, the lanky figure that emerged from the forest was Jim, a worn out backpack slung over his shoulders. He gave Toby a sheepish smile as the boy threw himself at him, before nervously glancing up in her direction.
"Is that um... offer still open?"
Barbara got up, joining them at the back door. "It is. Are you interested?"
"So long as you'll have me." Jim said, the edge of his mouth upturning in an awkward, toothy smile. It was... kind of sweet, actually.
"In that case," Barbara said, stepping aside so he could enter, "-welcome to your new home, kiddo."