"Good morning, Jimbo!" the familiar voice of his best friend called out from outside of the garage the moment he saw the garage door start to open. Jim couldn't help but smile at his friend as they started to head to school. August 12th 2016. That was the day it had all started for Jim. The day he first found the amulet. "We're late for school!"

"Yeah, sorry, Tobes. Got held back by our lunches. One for me, for mom, aaand…" the taller teen trailed off, giving Toby a brown package causing the boy to make a sound of delight as he hastily took the bag before sniffing the contents.

"Mmm~ Balsamic mushrooms, meatloaf, chunky, sun-dried tomatoes…" the stout boy started listing off.

"And cardamon." Jim added to the list with a smile, walking past Toby with his bike, remembering the very same conversation he had had with Toby the first time.

"Ooh! Taking a chance there, Chef Jim!" he exclaimed, facing his best friend.

"What's life without a little adventure, Tobes?" he asked with a scoff.

"hmm…" the shorter boy hummed before extending his arm out with the packet "I can't eat this. I'm on a diet!" he exclaimed, earning a small eye-roll from Jim.

"You've been on a diet for the past 14 years, Tobes."

"I know!"

"You're 15!"

"Long-term goals. My body's still changing!" Toby exclaimed, shoving the lunch into his bag as he started to follow the taller teen. "I'm right… I'm right… I'm right behind!" Toby stuttered as he jumped onto his bike, following after Jim.

"It's 8 O'clock!"

"We're going to get suspended, on account of meatloaf!" Toby exclaimed while panting.

"No we won't! C'mon! Take the canal! It'll save us five minutes!" the blue clad teen said as he turned onto a dirt path, never once slowing down.

"N-n-not the… Canal!" Toby yelped in protest but still followed after his best friend.

"Oh, live a little!" Jim chuckled as he jumped off of a ramp, easily sticking the landing epicly as he looked around himself while waiting for Toby to get down to the canals with him.

There were no voices that called out his name, no pile of rocks that were actually Kanjigar's remains. Instead, the canals were quiet and empty, save for the faint tell-tale sound of stone on stone he had grown so familiar with as he faced one of the drain pipes with a small smile.

Three pairs of glowing eyes peered back at the teen from within the darkness just as the familiar yelp of panic was heard from his best friend as he slid down the canal wall.

A chuckle escaped Jim as he helped his friend from the ground after he fell off his bike. "You okay, Tobes?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" The stout boy said, taking his best friend's offer of help as they got back onto their bikes and rode off. "Why do I even follow you down that canal?" Toby asked no one in particular.

"Because it's fun!" Was all Jim said as they neared their school, the final bell ringing just as they entered the building. "Besides, shouldn't it be easier for you to do that sort of thing with your electives?"

"You do know that hunting and magic elective courses start this year don't you, Jimbo?" The stout boy asked, confusion in his gaze. "Speaking of, did you choose that elective this year? You're already really skilled with a knife!" He exclaimed as they pushed their bikes into their rightful place at the bike rack.

"Sorry, Tobes, I don't think I can fight anyone." Jim apologised, biting the inside of his cheek just so he could bare through the lie. He could, in fact, lie as smoothly as a changeling and could probably fight a horde of goblins unarmed yet he felt so guilty about lying to his best friend. It was so hard to keep a secret from him yet somehow, Jim managed.

Toby visibly deflated at the news that his life long best friend didn't choose the same elective he had that year. Hunting and magic courses were such interesting courses, he was sure most if not all students had applied for them. Though only a select few would be able to actually join- not everyone was fit enough to fight monsters.

"Man, that sucks." Toby whined as he walked over to their lockers. "First day of high-school and I already hate it." He pouted, causing Jim to chuckle.

"Oh, come on, Tobes. It's not that bad. We might still have some classes together if you do get chosen for the course." The taller teen said with a smile. In truth, he really hoped that his best friend didn't get in. He didn't want Toby to be in danger after all, not wanting to see him injured.

"Speaking of which, did you hear about what happened last night?" Toby asked, looking over to Jim, snapping the taller boy from his thoughts.

"Huh?" Was all he could say as he organised his satchel bag with the materials he would need for the first period.

"About the trollhunter?" Toby asked with a raised eyebrow. "Y'know, how he got his injury from last night?"

"Oh, about that confrontation with the mysterious "Hunter"? Yeah I saw the news… heard it was some kind of poison…" Jim replied solemnly.

The trollhunter had been dealt a lethal blow the previous night using a diluted creepers-sun poison tipped dagger, an information that no one but he knew about because it was his blade that had pierced right through the chain mail.

About three years ago, on his 13th birthday, James Lake Jr. had made his first appearance to the public as the "Hunter." A mysterious and unpredictable creature that helped the trolls that made the trollhunter's job a lot more difficult to do, often assisting with escape or sabotage.

He had been doing rather well for himself, managing to mostly stay in the shadows without showing his face. It was only the previous night when he had been properly caught on camera- thankfully masked and hooded, but now people knew that he was in fact a human, if not a wizard. His attack on the trollhunter wasn't really something he wanted to do, but it was something he had to do in order to protect a group of migrating trolls led by the unexpected, yet familiar face of Angor Rot.

"Well, anyway," Toby started to walk towards the front reception desk in order to get their schedule. "I just hope they find a cure for that poison."

"Me too." Jim said, receiving his schedule and glancing over it. "Ugh, algebra with Mrs. Janeth…" he groaned before looking at his best friend. "What about you, Tobes?"

"Oh. My. Gosh." Toby breathed out, eyes wide with excitement. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh-"

Noticing the first signs of a Toby freak-out, Jim grabbed a hold of his best friend by the shoulder and gently massaged him. "Hey calm down, what's up?"

"JIMBO!!" The stout boy exclaimed, pulling the taller boy into a side hug to show him his schedule. "Look!!" He said, pointing at the very first class on his schedule, Hu 1. "I'm in! I'm in!!" He cheered as he did a small victory dance, not seeing how his best friend's face fell before a forced smile found its way.

"That's great, Tobes! Congrats!" The taller boy said, starting to walk off with his best friend following and fangirling not far behind.

A small, yet confident tap on Jim's shoulder made the boy stop and turn around, Toby doing the same after noticing his best friend stopping.

"Hey," a girl with short, dark brown hair with a large white bang tied back into a ponytail and chocolate colored eyes spoke up, Jim not managing to do anything other than stare. "I heard you had algebra with Mrs. Janeth?" She wondered with a smile.

"U-uh…" was all he could manage to say, his heart beating fast at the sight of his once girlfriend, looking just as beautiful as the day he had lost her. Noticing his BFF's 'love at first sight' awestruck look, Toby nudged Jim forward to face the strange girl.

"Yes! Yes he has!" Toby offered instead with a bright smile. "I'll see you later, Jimbo! Orientation should start soon!" He said before running off, leaving Jim and Claire in the hallway.

There was a moment of silence for Jim as Claire waved off her friends, who also had Hu 1 for first period before she looked at him. "Let's go?" She asked before grabbing hold of Jim's hand before he could even talk, the boy happily following, still trying to form his words.

They were silent as they walked, it wasn't uncomfortable, nor did they walk quickly. They just walked at a regular pace. Hand in hand. As if just noticing their contact, Jim struggled to keep his face from flushing a bright red, yet he knew there was at least a small brush of pink on his cheeks. The moment their eyes met, Jim felt his heart skip a couple of beats.

A faint smile formed on her lips as a soft giggle escaped her. Her bright eyes peering deep into his wide ocean blue, whatever voice he had managed to form dying down in his throat before suddenly being shoved into a room, the door closing with a click of the key. Confusion took root as Jim looked around his surroundings. This was Strickler's office, the same as the old timeline, yet no history teacher in sight.

"Uh…" he started, looking back at Claire with a confused look, only for said girl to grab hold of his face gently with both hands, making him blush even more.

"It's cute how you went back to being a shy dork after fifteen years of being apart." Claire said softly before giving Jim a small kiss on the cheek, his face fully flushing a deep red as his mind did its best to unscramble and make sense of what the love of his life had just said.

Hope sparked in his eyes as he continued to stare at her, his hands moving to her's still on his cheeks, his chest feeling tighter the longer his question went unanswered. "Y-you remember…?" he asked in a low whisper, afraid to break the moment like candy glass.

"Every last second, Jim…" she whispered back, tears forming within her eyes as she smiled up at her boyfriend, before they encased each other in a tight embrace, both teens fighting back tears as seconds turned into minutes, neither one wanting to let go of the other.

"I've missed you, Claire…"

"I missed you too…"

No more words were spoken as the two teens enjoyed the silence, taking note of the time on the wall clock in the office as they still had a couple of minutes before they actually had to be in class, only letting go of each other the moment they heard a lock opening before a wall fell away from the room.

From the secret room, Strickler watched the two teens in his office, panic rising as he realised his mistake before he recognised one of the said students. "Mrs. Nuñez … who is this…?" he asks slowly, motioning to Jim.

Claire only smiled before leaning on Jim's shoulder with a content sigh. "Just a hunter." she said quietly, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she eyed the changeling. Nuzzling close to Claire, Jim only smiled up to his history teacher who's surprised expression only ever grew.

"My name's Jim." he said, pulling out the heartstone pendant he had received from Blinky when he was eight from under the collar of his shirt, allowing for Strickler's shocked expression to fall to a more relaxed state.

--

Jim and Claire sat out during lunch, waiting for their friends. They were actually very glad to have Strickler not only be their history teacher, but also their temporary principal while principal Levit recovered from a car accident. With the changeling's help, they had managed to fix their schedule to match each other so that they had more time to discuss as they went with each other to class. Though for most of the time they had spent together, they spent it 'getting to know each other', telling random stories, joking around and just overall enjoying the other's company.

An exhausted groan came from behind Jim as the conversation about avocados and guac came to an end the moment they faced the stout teen. "Hey, Tobes." Jim greeted making space for Toby to sit next to him. "How was Hunting and magic class?"

"It took like, half the day! And they made us do a bunch of exercises!" The boy complained, slumping in his seat before perking up at the sight of the unfamiliar girl from earlier who waved at him.

"Hi," she started with a small smile. "My name's Claire Nuñez. You must be Toby, right? Jim mentions you a lot in conversations." She chuckles, causing Jim to blush and hide his face in embarrassment.

"Awww! That's so nice of you, Jimbo!" Toby exclaimed, pulling Jim into a side hug while petting his head like a puppy, the taller boy refusing to look up and Claire just laughed lightly at their goofiness.

"Claire!" Two feminine voices called out as two figures practically tackled the poor girl onto the table.

"You're, like, totally missing out girl!" A black haired Asian girl, Mary spoke first, taking a seat next to Claire as she typed away into her phone.

"It was so cool! We got a story time then did some exercises before they tested for latent magic and you wouldn't believe it! Mary has real magic!!" Darci beamed as she elaborated on what they had done, before her attention was caught by the shuffling of blue and orange right across from the girls.

Claire giggled as she listens to her friend before clearing her throat and motioning to Jim. "Girls, meet Jim." She started, earning a raised eyebrow from Mary who definitely knew something was up between the two. "We found out that we had matching schedules, so we hung out all day. What do you guys have after lunch?" She asked, having already finished with her own lunch just as Jim had before their friends arrived.

"Me and Darci have Spanish with Mr. Uhl." Mary replied with a tired groan.

"Hey, I have that class too!" Toby said, beaming from his position next to Jim. "What about you, Jimbo?"

"Me and Claire have chemistry next, after that is health class, right?" A nod from Claire confirmed their schedule.

"I think we also have health class after Spanish." Darci added, pulling out a sandwich from her bag to eat.

It wasn't long until their small group quickly became friends. And soon, as the weeks went by, they found themselves in a routine; arriving at school, heading to their respective classes, rejoining at lunch, doing schoolwork, then bike home together.

Except, Claire would always sneak away from home to visit Jim's training area. And that day wasn't an exception as she parted the bushes that hid the clearing, only to be surprised by Jim, fully geared up in his Hunter disguise, Dr. Lake sat by the fire beside her son with Gale perched on the woman's shoulder.

"Chaka!" The goblin exclaimed, pointing towards Claire, yet no malice was in its voice.

Jim turned to look at the girl that had just arrived with a small smile as he gestured for her to join them by the small fire, Barbara only watching in confusion as slight panic crossed her features.

"So… what are you going to be doing today?" Claire asked, leaving Barbara gaping, trying to formulate words.

"Still haven't gotten the details." Jim said, adding another log to the fire to keep it going before he faced his mom. "And mom, remember when I told you about the alternate reality?" He asked, causing Claire to grin.

"Um… yes?" She hesitantly replied, still unsure of how to react about the girl with them that night.

"Well, this is Claire." He said, pulling said girl into a hug. "She was my girlfriend-"

"Still am." Claire said sternly.

A chuckle escaped the boy as he gave the love of his life a kiss on her head. "Still is my girlfriend." He corrected himself before smiling up at his mom. "And she remembers that time too."

Barbara's shoulders relaxed just the tiniest bit until a sudden exclamation sounded from behind a tree.

"By Gorgous!" All heads snapped towards the tree, finding nothing, Claire couldn't help but let out a giggle.

Blinky had just arrived to the cleaning with the information that Jim was going to need for his mission. It was his job to do so after he had promised to visit the boy from time to time. But he didn't expect there to be another human by his charge at this time. And from surprise, he had allowed himself to yelp, forcing his body behind a large tree while covering his mouth.

Hesitantly, the teal troll took a chance to peek out from behind his hiding spot, finding only the utter shocked face of Barbara and the proud smirk of his student at his direction.

"Blinkous Minimus Galadrigal, right?" An unfamiliar voice asked from behind the troll, causing him to jump out of his hiding spot and stumble on his own feet.

Realising that he was about to fall over, the troll braced himself, ready for the impact with eyes closed. Yet, it never came. Slowly opening his many eyes, he found himself floating towards the trunk next to his son.

Just then, a black and purple mass appeared in front of the group as the same unfamiliar girl walked right through before doing a proper courtesy before meeting the troll's gaze, her eyes a bright purple, swirling with magic.

"My name is Claire Maria Nuñez, Morgana's protégé" she introduced with a smile before standing up straight, allowing the troll and doctor to process what had just happened, while Jim just smiled at his girlfriend with a loving gaze.

--

"Security breach at sector four!"

"Hurry! Hurry!"

"Bular spotted, deploying the trollhunter team!"

Shouts and exclamation sounded all throughout area 49-B, what was once only a facility for Allen research in the old timeline now acted as a holding facility for captured trolls and other magical creatures and extraterrestrials.

Soldiers and containment forces rushed towards the designated area, leaving the captive cells with little security. This opportunity was their chance to free and sabotage any research progress they were doing on the creepers-sun poison.

Knocking out the guards was fairly easy for the duo dressed in black. One, the very familiar and well-known signature hood of the Hunter while the other, a smaller figure, her features obscured by the hooded cloak she wore.

The captive creatures watched the two intruders as they worked quickly in opening their cells, some of the creatures giving them quiet thanks as they gathered together.

"Thanks, newbie." A gruff female voice said, stepping out of her confinement. "Wasn't freed the first time just to die in confinement again." The gutter troll said with a huff before she started to lead the others to the exit.

"Was that…?" The new hooded figure wondered as she watched them start to leave, her partner stepping closer to her.

"Deya the Distinctive." Hunter said before starting to run behind the group, ensuring no one was left behind as his new ally joined him.

A scream of surprise caught the group's off guard as soldiers with magical weaponry blocked off the group's path. Deya stood firm at the front of the group, ready to defend as Hunter joined her, his daggers out of their sheath.

Just as the soldiers jumped forward, a giant, black lumbering mass came crashing into the humans, swatting away many of their opponents, causing a pleased laughter to escape from the gutter troll next to the Hunter as the Gumm-Gumm gave her one of his swords.

"HAHA! yeah!" Deya exclaimed, jumping into battle with her brother in arms, leaving Hunter to stare at the Prince of trolls. This was after all, the first time he had ever seen him face to face in this timeline despite the three years of helping trolls, it wasn't often he would come out to join battle.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Hunter turned to look at the rest of the group before motioning to his new partner. "Quick! Get them out of here!"

With a firm nod, the cloaked figure quickly gathered up the escapees and got them through a portal and to the clearing where Blinky waited for them to return, far far away from the fight.

"Bular! Hunter!" The familiar voice of the trollhunter called out, a slight limp in his form. Heads turned to face the trollhunter, a growl escaping the Gumm-Gumm while Deya kept the other arrears at bay as Hunter defended his shadowmancer from any attack while she evacuated the remaining magical beings.

"Yield, trollhunter!" Bular roared, hitting an incoming warrior away and into a wall, knocking him out. "Your wounds will only slow you down."

"A trollhunter never yields!" The man in armour yelled, charging up to Bular with daylight raised for a strike, only to be blocked by the prince's own sword. "I'd rather die than back down to you!"

"That can be arranged!" The Gumm-Gumm yelled before continuing to fight with the masked trollhunter, the remaining warriors rushing forward to swarm them as Deya and Hunter kept them away from Bular.

The fight went on for a couple of minutes until there was just too much for them to handle, alien chains infused with magic managed to tie down Bular as the trollhunter recovered from a blow, Deya was pinned by a couple of humans while Hunter continued to fight but very easily getting overwhelmed.

"It's over, Bular." The trollhunter hissed, taking a step forward, ready to end the troll prince.

Yet, just before Daylight descended onto the troll, a blast of magic rippled through the air, separating the sword from its wielder before being followed by a barrage of smaller blasts, freeing both Deya and Bular.

Managing to throw his attacker off, Hunter rushed forward towards the trollhunter, giving the others a chance to escape through a shadow portal.

"You!" The trollhunter hissed. "I don't know what tricks you're using, but I won't give up so easily!" The man said, blacking a couple of Hunter's attacks.

"They're not my tricks." Hunter hissed, managing to dodge a swing of the sword, before rolling out of the way just as a blast of pure magic pushed back the trollhunter.

"They're the shadowdancer's tricks!" The cloaked figure hissed, standing beside her Hunter before she opened a portal right behind him. "And don't forget it!" She called out before disappearing into the swirling abyss of the portal and into the clearing where the others were at now.

Quickly, the humans did a headcount, to make sure that no one had been left behind. Finding everyone there, the two humans relaxed as they slumped against a tree, their hands finding each other's as they caught their breath.

Heavy footsteps sounded not far from the two, their gaze lifting to find three trolls. Blinky, with a bright and proud grin on his face, Deya, with a look of amusement, and Bular, an unreadable expression.

"Thanks, you two." Deya was the one to speak up. Her hands extended downwards to the two humans to help them up to their feet, who took the offer happily. "Don't know if we could have made it out of there without ya, but that was very dangerous."

"We knew what we were getting into the moment we started." Hunter said, removing his hood and mask to reveal a human teen with striking blue eyes.

"I still can not believe we found Morgana's protégé." Blinky said with a small smile towards Claire, who followed her boyfriend's lead and removed her hood.

A hum came out from the Gumm-Gumm behind the two smaller trolls, gaining the attention of everyone around him as he watched the two humans.

"You have shown potential, Hunter." The Dark Prince announced. "For your three years of service, I believe it is time for you to gain access to our home." He rumbled out, slow yet clear.

The information took a second for Jim to process. After years, and years of being deprived of the heartstone's radiant view, Jim had started to believe that he would never get to lay his eyes on the wondrous crystal. On Trollmarket.

Tears started to form within the boy's eyes as his smile grew brighter, his hand being given a small reassuring squeeze by his love. "I would be honoured."

A/N: There is a reason for Claire's memories being there. But that's for me to tell later on ;)