2020, one week after Merlin's death.

Douxie led Nari through the streets of New York City. It was loud and bustling with people. The perfect place to hide from two gods hellbent on razing the world. He gripped her hand a little tighter, pushing through the crowd. Archie was sitting on his shoulders, head swiveling as he kept an eye out.

"Are you sure he's even home?" Archie asked, claws digging slightly into Douxie's shoulder.

"No, but even if he's not we can still stay in the apartment for a while." Douxie said. "It's warded and masked. The Order won't find us."

Archie sighed. "You're going to get an earful."

"I know."

Nari listened to their conversation curiously. She had no clue as to who Douxie and Archie were talking about, but she found comfort in the knowledge that they were going somewhere safe.

A few minutes later, they turned the corner and came upon an apartment complex. It was an old building, but still sturdy. They climbed the stairs, and made their way down the halls, until they came to one of the apartment doors.

Douxie waved his hand over it and the door unlocked. They hurried inside and he shut the door behind them. He slumped against it, letting out an anxious breath. They were going to be okay. For now.

He pushed off the door and looked around. One of the windows was open, and fresh dishes were in the sink. He felt a wave of relief. "Carter?" He called.

He heard shuffling down the hall and then his boyfriend came running out of the bedroom. As soon as he saw Douxie, he nearly sobbed. He ran forward and they met eachother in a hug.

"My gods, you idiot." Carter squeezed him tightly, as if he was scared he'd disappear if he let go. "You just- you were gone." He couldn't keep his tears down anymore, crying into Douxie's shoulder. "I felt you die, Douxie."

Douxie pressed a kiss to his temple, wrapping his arms around him tighter. "I know, love. I'm so sorry. It's… a really long story."

"You didn't even call me." Carter said, lifting his head to look at him.

Douxie shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Ha… funny story. My phone kind of got… destroyed."

Carter narrowed his eyes. "Hisirdoux Casperan, what the hell have you been doing?"

"... Fighting the Arcane Order?"

Carter stared at him for a moment. "What!?"

Douxie cringed. "Yep…" he pursed his lips. "Uh, Sunshine." He gestured to Nari, who'd been watching them worriedly. "This is Nari. She defected from the Order, and I'm helping her hide from them."

Nari smiled at him and waved. "Hello.

Carter waved back. "... Hi." He looked at Douxie. "This is a bad idea."

Douxie sighed. "Love… I have to. She needs my help, and if I don't then the world is going to end."

Carter sighed, clenching his jaw. "I get that part… but Douxie…-" he squeezed his wrists. He looked into his eyes, anxious and worried. "Baby, what did you do to get yourself killed?"

Douxie pursed his lips. "Carter… look, darling. I know I scared you and I'm so sorry. But I'm okay. It won't happen again. I promise."

Carter's brows furrowed. "You can't promise that, Douxie. I know you. You couldn't give two shits whether you live or die if it meant protecting others."

"Carter-"

I just-" he took in a deep breath, reaching a hand up to cup Douxie's cheek. "I need you, okay? When I thought… When I thought you were dead, love… It destroyed me. So I need you to stop with the self-sacrificing bullshit. Okay?"

Douxie nodded, gently kissing his knuckles. "Okay."

Carter squeezed Douxie's hand before turning to Nari. "Hi, Nari. I'm Carter. Douxie's-"

"Soulmate." The goddess interrupted with a soft smile. "I know. I can see that your bond is very strong. You love eachother a lot."

A ghost of a smile pulled at Carter's lips. "Yeah." He knelt down so he was eye-level with her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nari." He held his hand out for her to shake and she took it with a smile.

She suddenly frowned and squinted at him. "You are a half-blood?"

"Yes." Carter gave her a puzzled look.

Nari turned his hand over and pressed her palm to his. A bolt of magic shot up his arm and Carter flinched. "Vameus' son." She seemed a mixture of concerned and exasperated.

"Nari?" Douxie's voice was questioning. "What's wrong?"

"Can you let go of my hand now?"

"You have… an interesting essence." Nari said, still holding his hand. She tapped a finger against his palm, watching her magic bloom over his skin like a flower. "Very interesting."

"Nari." Douxie said a little more urgently. "Can you let go? I think you're creeping him out."

"Yes, a little bit." Carter agreed.

"Sorry." Nari let go of his hand, but kept eye contact with him. "You have potential, Carter Howard. Potential to be the savior or destroyer of this world."

"That's… ominous." Carter said with a nervous laugh.

"What does that mean?" Douxie asked cautiously.

"Destiny, Douxie." Nari said simply. "He has a tremendous destiny. Two paths. Two lines of fate. Which one he walks is up to him."

Carter stood, rubbing his palm uncomfortably. "Thanks for the fortune, plant lady."

Nari smiled amusedly. "You are funny."

Douxie gently grabbed Carter's arm. "Love, you okay?"

"Peachy." Carter muttered, turning to walk into the kitchen.

"I have met a demigod of your power only once before." Nari said. "A child of Aher, the music god. She too was burdened with fate." She pursed her lips. "It breaks my heart to see my siblings' children forced into such difficult situations."

Carter turned around, staring at her. "What?"

"Yes. All the gods of the Arcane pantheon are my siblings." Nari told him. "Your father in particular is…" she tilted her head to the side, looking for the right words. "Disturbed."

Douxie snorted. "More disturbed than Bellroc and Skrael?"

Nari shrugged. "I'd argue more so. But his lack of strength over theirs leaves him scrambling to be recognized. Perhaps that is why he has so many children."

Carter continued to stare at her. "So you're my… aunt, then?"

Nari thought about it and then nodded. "Yes, I suppose I am. Though, gods do not truly have DNA, as we are not mortal and therefore don't require it."

"Huh," Carter nodded slowly. "Cool. Neat."

"Might I give you some advice, Carter?" Nari asked, walking towards him.

"Uh… sure?"

She gently took his hand. "Do not trust your father. He is conniving and cares for only himself. He is a jealous, vindictive being who will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

Carter felt his stomach twist and he felt sick. "What does he want?"

Nari pursed her lips. "He has never told me directly, but I have known my brother a long time. It is not good."

Carter processed her words before he nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Nari nodded and squeezed his hand with a small smile. "You are welcome." She turned to Douxie. "Merlin once told you to stay out of the gods business?"

Douxie nodded. "Yeah."

"Evidently you have not followed that rule."

Douxie rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… not really, no."

Nari smiled. "Good. He will need you, Douxie. They all will."

Douxie blinked. "Who all will?"

"Friends. Some you have met. Others you have yet to meet." She gently pat Carter's hand. "I think it would be wise of us to leave the fate of the world to all of you," she said. "Merlin and Morgana seemed to have the right idea."

Douxie stilled at the mention of Merlin. "Yeah… they did."
Nari put a gentle hand on his arm. "He'd be proud of you, Douxie."

Douxie smiled thinly. "Thanks, Nari."

"I haven't seen you in over three months and the first thing you do is bring my estranged aunt to our apartment." Carter said later that night. His tone was teasing, but Douxie was a little too distracted to pay attention to the joke.

Douxie sat on the edge of the bed, brows pinched together with worry. "I feel like I'm doing something wrong."

"What?" Carter sat next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Douxie, what are you talking about?"

Douxie sighed, hands digging into the edge of the mattress. "I left them alone, Carter. How do I know Bellroc and Skrael won't go after them before trying to find Nari?"

Carter gave him a puzzled look. "Them…?" It clicked. "Do you mean those kids from Arcadia?"

Douxie nodded and buried his face in his hands. "They aren't ready to fight them alone. And they have no way to contact me if they get into trouble!"

Carter rubbed his back, scooting closer. "Doux, if a single thing you've told me about those kids is true? Then they can handle themselves."

Douxie didn't look up at him, his voice muffled by his hands. "Claire knows next to nothing about magic aside from what I've taught her, Jim doesn't have the armor or a weapon, and don't get me started on how unprepared Steve and Toby are!"

"Douxie, you're spiraling." Archie piped up, weaving his way onto his familiar's lap. "Claire, Jim, and Toby have been doing this for a while. Claire is a natural at magic, Jim will… figure something out, and both Steve and Toby have magical weapons and Blinky's guidance. They're going to be okay."

Carter nodded. He didn't really know all that much about these kids, but he knew Douxie cared about them, so he knew it was important. "Yeah. Besides, I'm more worried about you. What happened with Merlin? What happened with the Arcane Order?"

Douxie took a deep breath and lifted his head. Quietly, he told Carter everything that had happened. Everything. When he was done, he was crying again. Merlin's death was still raw. It still hurt.

Carter was silent when Douxie finished, processing what he'd said. He reached forward and gently wiped his tears away, heart aching for his soulmate's pain, wishing he could fix it. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, love." He whispered, cupping his face. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

"Well," Douxie's smile was sad and small as he gently pet Archie's head. "I wasn't completely alone."

Carter smiled thinly and gently kissed his forehead. "You never will be." He pressed their foreheads together, stroking his cheek with his thumb. "I love you."

Douxie leaned into his gentle touch, feeling his anxiety calm. "Thank you, darling. I love you too."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, both trying to calm their nerves about what was happening… what was about to happen.

Douxie let out a breath after a moment and pulled back, taking Carter's hands in his. "So, aside from me info-dumping my latest trauma on you, what's been going on?"

Carter poked his side playfully. "First of all, I don't mind you sharing with me. I like to know you trust me. Secondly, it's been… interesting?" He shrugged. "I don't really know."

Douxie pursed his lips. "Interesting how exactly?"

Carter sighed. "Just um… I haven't been able to contact Tori or Pan. It's been almost a month." He ran a hand through his hair, brows furrowed with worry.

"Well, that's not that weird for those two." Douxie said. "They could just be laying low because Bellroc and Skrael are at large."

"Yeah… maybe." Carter sighed. "It's just concerning, that's all."

Douxie grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. "By the way, where's Fenris? I noticed he wasn't following you around like a lost puppy."

Carter laughed lightly. "Um, he's running recon for me out in Arizona. I think… I think I found them."

Douxie blinked. "Are you sure?"

Carter shrugged. "Not completely, but a demigod in Ohio told me about this girl she knew from her old school who was definitely another demigod. She said the girl had the same… "aura" as me. So."

The wizard looked at him for a long time. "And… who was the demigod in question?"

Carter stared at the ground. "A girl named Laura. She's um…" he cleared his throat and tilted his head towards the door. "Nari's kid."

Douxie stared at him. "Nari has a kid?"

Carter nodded. "She's twelve and her dad has some wizard ancestry. They know about everything."

"Gods, okay I need to process that." Douxie rubbed his forehead.

Carter smirked. "Pretty sure Nari is old enough to know about having babies."

"Yeah no, I get that. But it's still weird." Douxie looked up at him. "She's kind of like my sister."

Carter chuckled. "You're cute."

Douxie ran a hand down his face, sighing. "Okay, back on track. Why Arizona if Laura lives in Ohio?"

"Because the girl, Marceline I think, her parents died due to weird circumstances and she went into the foster system. This couple from Arizona adopted her." Carter explained. "And aside from that, I've been having dreams again."

Douxie pursed his lips. "Yeah?"

Carter nodded. "Yeah. They're kind of fuzzy and I don't know what they mean, but it's just… a lot."

Douxie hummed, gently kissing his temple. "Anything else?"

"Eh," Carter shrugged. "Not really."

"Well," Douxie wrapped an arm around his waist, kissing his cheek. "I'm glad I at least got to see you, my love. You know, before the world ends."

Carter laughed. "Hey, you'll find a way to stop them. I know you will."

Douxie smiled thinly. "Thanks."

2021, four hours before the train heist.

"This is a terrible idea." Carter said as soon as Douxie told him about their plan to stop Bellroc and Skrael.

"They're getting closer, Sunshine." Douxie argued, following him around the apartment. "We have to do something."

"No more running." Nari put in from her spot on the couch. "We must face them."

Carter frowned, turning to Douxie. "Fine. Then I'm coming with you."

Douxie paled. "Absolutely not!"

"That's not a good idea, Carter." Nari said.

"I want to help! You're not doing it alone."

"I won't be alone!" Douxie argued, crossing his arms. "I don't want you anywhere near this, Carter!"

"To hell with that, Casperan!" Carter yelled. "I'm helping!"

"No! I'm not budging on this! You're staying here!" Douxie yelled back, moving to the door. Nari and Archie ran out behind him.

"You can't just-" the door slammed in his face, magic washing over it so he couldn't get out. He stared in shock for a few seconds. "ASSHOLE, OPEN THE DOOR!"

Douxie pressed a palm to the door, guilt creeping in. "I'm sorry! I love you!"

Carter slammed his fist against the door, making it rattle violently on its hinges. "OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

Douxie turned to Nari with a sheepish look. "He'll be fine."

Nari stared at him for a moment before she turned and rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Hey, you didn't want him to go, either!"

Nari looked at him over her shoulder. "Douxie, if you survive this, you're either getting a divorce, or you're sleeping on the couch for the rest of your life."

Archie nodded, trotting alongside her. "Carter will inevitably punch you in the face for that."

Douxie sighed. "Better a punch in the face from my boyfriend than him ending up dead at Bellroc's feet."

Carter spent the next several hours trying to bust down the door. Unfortunately, his idiot boyfriend's magic was irritatingly impervious to him ramming against it. Even Fenris, who'd been lazing about on the kitchen floor when this happened, tried his paw at knocking it down.

"If he lives, I'm going to kill him." Carter growled, giving the door one last kick for good measure.

"He was trying to keep you safe." Fenris said. "Granted, his method of doing so this time is rather… mean."

"Hey, his first strike in nearly sixty years!" Carter said with an angered laugh. "Maybe he should get a medal for going this long without doing some stupid shit to "protect me"."

Fenris tilted his head to the side. "Your sarcasm is understandable, yet still unhelpful."

"Well," Carter gestured to the door. "Obviously there's no breaking that spell! So I guess I'm just gonna sit here and wait for him to come home or wait for the end of the world! Whichever comes first!"

"Two days?!" Carter yelled over the phone, making Douxie wince.

"Yes, I know love. I'm sorry." Douxie pursed his lips, walking into the Lake's kitchen to get a little privacy. "It was-"

"A total dick move?"

"Yeah." Douxie grimaced. "But we defeated them. They're gone."

"Great! Open the door."

Douxie closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the spell disperse. He wiped a trickle of blood away from his nose. He was still exhausted. Even that much magic took it out of him. "You okay?"

"Oh, you know, perfectly peachy! Just had like ten panic attacks in the span of two days because my dumbass boyfriend decided to lock me in the apartment for my own safety and I didn't know if he was okay."

Douxie pursed his lips. "I'll make it up to you, Sunshine."

"Yeah you will."

"I really am sorry, darling."

Carter huffed with irritation. "Yeah, I know you are." He was silent for a moment, then. "How is everyone?"

Douxie sighed. "Alive… most of them, at least. We… We lost some friends."

"Are you okay?" Carter's angry tone was suddenly gentle and worried. "Is Archie and Nari okay?"

Douxie's breath hitched, tears pricking at his eyes. "Nari… sacrificed herself to kill Skrael." He took in a deep breath, trying to steady his rising grief.

"Oh gods… baby," Carter's voice was tight with tears. "Archie?"

"Trapped in Hong Kong Trollmarket with his dad."

"Shit," Carter sighed deeply. It sounded like he was gathering something in the background. "How fast can you meet me there?"

"What?" Douxie asked. "Carter, the bridge collapsed and the entrance is cut off. We can't get in."

"We can get in with what I like to call, "A huge goddamn gun"." He loaded what sounded like a shotgun. "Fenris and I can be there in an hour. Do you still have that flying ship?"

"Yes?"

"Great. Let's go get your cat."

He hung up, leaving Douxie standing there in slight shock. He slowly pocketed his phone, gripping the kitchen counter.

"Douxie?" Jim said, poking his head into the kitchen. "You okay?"

"... Yeah." Douxie shook himself out of his stupor, making his way towards the door. "I need to go."

"What?" Jim grabbed his wrist, brows furrowing. "Where are you going? Are you okay? Do you need help?"

"Jim," Douxie laughed lightly, tugging his wrist out of his friend's grip. "I'm okay. Thank you for your concern. I'm just… I think I have a way to free Archie and Charlie."

Jim's eyes widened. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Douxie smiled. "Thank you, but no. I'm okay, Jim. I've got it."

Jim nodded slowly. "Alright. But just… call me when you get them out. I need to make sure you guys are alive."

Douxie chuckled. "Clingy much?"

"Heh," Jim rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. After Toby almost… died. And Nomura…" he bit his lip. "I guess I'm… anxious to let any of you out of my sight."

Douxie brought him into a hug, squeezing him. "I'm gonna be okay."

Jim nodded against his shoulder, squeezing him tightly. "You better, Casperan. Or I'm gonna kick your ass."

Douxie pulled back and squeezed his shoulder, smiling thinly. "I'll remember that." He grabbed his jacket from the stair rail and opened the door. "If Steve asks, tell him I went for a walk. He'll freak out otherwise."

Jim laughed. "Yeah. He's almost more of a helicopter friend than I am."

"I should be back in the morning."

"And if you're not?"

"Then I'm probably battling a thousand enslaved trolls. Or getting yelled at." He shrugged. "One of the two."

He was out the door before Jim could ask who would be yelling at him. He couldn't imagine it would be Archie. Or Charlemagne for that matter. His eyes narrowed. "Douxie Casperan, what are you not telling us?"

Douxie felt his heart sink when he saw the destruction Bellroc had wrought. The bridge was completely collapsed over the entrance to the trollmarket. Dozens of buildings were crumbling, on fire, or both. The only angelic thing he could see through the whole wreckage was his boyfriend, who was waiting for him by the entrance.

He hopped off the ship, jogging towards him. "Hi, darling!" He called with a slightly anxious smile. He really couldn't tell if Carter would hit him or not.

Carter frowned at him, arms crossed. He was covered with a thin sheen of sweat and grime. Douxie glanced behind him to see that some of the debris had been cleared away so they could get a clear shot at the entrance. He looked back at him with a nervous smile.

"Sunshine?"

Carter walked towards him, glaring at him lightly. Douxie flinched, fully expecting for Carter to smack him or something. Instead, he poked his chest, leaning in close and lowering his voice. "I'm going to let it pass just this once but only because you've been through shit."

Douxie nodded wordlessly.

Carter kissed him gently. "I know you did it to protect me. I understand. But next time, don't lock me in the apartment for the end of the world. Got it?"

"Yep. Got it."

"Great." He backed away, cracking his knuckles. "Let's blow this bitch."

Fenris was sniffing around the entrance, growling deeply. "Perhaps we should hurry."

Carter nodded, grabbing something from his bag. A gun and what looked like a lump of clay. It took Douxie a moment to realize it was C-4.

"Uh, Sunshine? Is that a good idea?"

"Yep. Infused it with magic so we bypass the magic locks on the doorway." He looked up at him. "In short, a big magic boom."

Douxie pursed his lips. "Love, I-"

"Hey, it's either this or nothing." Carter said as he stood. "And this place is basically tinder anyway."

"You have no respect for public property."

"Nope." Carter started setting the charges. "But also, I want my friend back. And you need him back. So," he stood, gripping the gun and backing Douxie away from the wall. "Stop arguing with me and shield us from the explosion, please and thank you."

Douxie felt a smile pull at his lips. "You're the best."

"I'm aware." Carter pulled him down by some of the wreckage. "Fenris!" He called and the Wolf bounded over to them. He glanced at Douxie. "Shield."

Douxie spread his hands out, blue light flickering from his fingertips. A rune circle spread out around them, creating a protective dome. He took in a shaky breath, feeling a little woozy. "Alright. Do it."

Carter reached his hand out towards the wall and closed his eyes. Red light pulsed under his skin. The C-4 packs began to pulse and glow, slowly at first then faster.

Like dwarkstones. Douxie thought, bracing himself to keep the shield up.

BOOM!

The wall lit up like a Christmas tree. Scorching heat washed over them, the worst of it being kept back by Douxie's shield. Pieces of debris bounced off the magic dome. Douxie strained to keep it up. There was a second explosion and Carter flinched into him out of reflex.

The dust slowly settled and there were only a few remaining fires. Douxie dropped the shield and looked up. The entrance was blown wide open.

"It worked." He breathed out, a smile growing on his face. "It worked!" Douxie laughed and pulled him into a quick kiss. "You're a genius, Carter!"

Carter grinned at him. "Yep." He stood. "Let's go get Archie."

The three of them ran into the completely demolished trollmarket, ready for a fight. Only to see Archie and Charlemagne had dealt with most of the trolls.

"About time." Archie said, flying towards them. "I wondered how long that would take."

Douxie grabbed him and held him tight, letting out a shaky breath as tears welled in his eyes. "You stupid, stupid cat."

Archie cuddled into the hug. "I'm sorry. I couldn't leave him."

Douxie sighed. "No… I get it." He smiled and pet his head. "I'd have done the same thing."

"I know you would have." Archie teased before looking at Carter. "All is forgiven, then?"

Carter shrugged. "No point in punishing him more. Besides, Douxie may be an idiot but he's my idiot. So."

"Thanks." Douxie deadpanned.

"You're welcome."

Charlemagne cleared his throat. "Are we all done with the lovey dovey things?" He stepped forward. "Because I for one would like to get out of here."

"My father has a point." Archie climbed onto Douxie's shoulders. "Let's go."

As they left, Douxie noticed Carter looking somewhat anxious.

"Darling?" He gently grabbed his arm. "You okay?"

"Um," Carter and Fenris shared a look. "Yeah. I just…"

"Are you coming with us to Arcadia?" Archie asked.

Carter pursed his lips. "No. After what happened with the Arcane Order, now that they're gone, the monsters and possibly even other gods are going to be getting braver. I have to try and find other demigods." He looked at Douxie, eyes soft. "I have a feeling something else is coming."

Douxie sighed. "It's never over, is it?"

Carter laughed. "Nope. Not really." He cupped his cheek. "But you should take a break. Make sure your friends are okay." He kissed him gently. "I'll call you."

Douxie smiled thinly. He grabbed Carter's hand and kissed his knuckles. "Or I'll call you."

"Yeah," Carter smiled. "Take care of yourself."

"Always."

Carter looked at Archie. "Keep him out of trouble."

Archie smiled. "I'll try. Good luck. Have fun."

"Probably not that last one." Carter said before climbing onto Fenris' back and the Wolf leapt into the shadows.

They stared at where he'd disappeared for a moment, silent. Then, Charlemagne spoke.

"A demigod, Hisirdoux?"

Douxie groaned and rolled his eyes, walking to the flying ship. "Oh gods, don't start please. You sound like Merlin."

Charlemagne chuckled. "I resent that."

"Hey."

"Hi."

"You okay?" Jim stopped what he was doing, leaning against the kitchen sink. "You sound upset."

"No, I'm fine. Just tired." Douxie sighed over the phone. There was a lot of wind in the background.

"Did it work?"

"Yeah." There was a slight smile to the wizard's voice. "Both of them are okay. We're headed back to Arcadia."

Jim breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Awesome." He looked into the living room to where the rest of his team was. "Can I tell them why you left? Because everyone's been asking questions. And by that I mean I'm pretty sure Aja thinks you've been kidnapped and I have something to do with it."

Douxie chuckled. "No, it's okay. You can tell them. We should be there in about three and a half hours." He paused. "Although I have no idea where Charlemagne is going to stay. He's kind of… huge."

"Doesn't he have a den or something?"

"Yeah, but he said he wanted to keep an eye on me and Archie for a while."

"Well, shit." Jim rubbed his temple. "First a troll in our basement, and now a dragon in our backyard. I don't know what I'm gonna tell my mom."

Douxie laughed. "You'll figure out something."

Jim smiled. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. "See you soon, Douxie. Stay safe."

"Always."

Jim hung up the phone, sighing with relief. He felt his anxiety wash away now that he knew Douxie and Archie were safe.

"Jim, who was that?" Barbara called from the living room.

"Douxie." Jim called back, pocketing his phone. "He's on his way back."

"Oh, so he's alive?" Aja asked deadpan, looking at him.

"You know," Jim flopped onto the couch next to her. "I can never tell when you're being sarcastic."

Aja blinked. "What is sarcasm?"

Jim stared at her. "Are you serious?"
A few seconds ticked by before she smiled and laughed. "You should see your face."

He rolled his eyes. "You're horrible."

She laughed again. "Yes. So I've been told."

"Jim," Toby reached over and tapped his shoulder. "Where'd he go?"

"To get Archie."

Everyone stared at him.

"What!?"

"Did it work!?"

"Are they okay?"

"Yes, yes, and yes." Jim said, listing them off on his fingers. "They'll be here in about three hours."

They all looked visibly relieved. Claire breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is he really okay?" She asked, looking at Jim.

"He is now."

"Good."

Steve stared at him. "And you didn't tell us before… because?"

"Douxie didn't want you guys worrying."

"But-"

"Steve, he's fine."

Steve pouted but didn't argue. "He better be."

"Oh my god," Toby groaned. "Hover much? Steve, he's a grown wizard."

"With severe psychological trauma!" Steve retorted.

"That doesn't impede his ability to do stuff!"

"Guys!" Jim shouted, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Douxie can take care of himself. Stop arguing. Or I'll smother the lot of you."

Aja did finger-guns at him. "Seeing as how Krel and I technically do not need air-"

"Aja."

She snickered. "Kidding."

Jim rolled his eyes and walked back into the kitchen. He loved his friends. He really did. But they had a special talent for driving him crazy.