A/N: Ready for chapter two? Just a warning that there will be some medical scenes in this chapter but I am not a medical student and though I have people in my life who could give me professional input, but I did not want to bother them, so I have no idea of the accuracy of these parts. There may also be some timing flaws but let's not focus on that, yeah? Good. Thank you. Read on and Enjoy!

Jim was tired.

He had only just gotten used to being a half troll, and then they had encountered the Green Knight and the Arcane Order and time travel on top of the corruption in his heart, which didn't help anything. Then even after he had gotten used to the shard being there, they came back to the present, thrown into the danger they had escaped and he got turned into a full troll.

He didn't remember much from that point on, but he did remember that he had felt as if he had been watching himself through a window; the things he did, the things that others did to him, he would see as if it was a movie. Not in control; a spectator.

Then Claire had helped him be in control again, only to be turned to stone seconds later. Even that wasn't the end. He remembered feeling scared, but resigned when he felt the stone overtake him. Then it was just nothing, similar to how sleep feels; awake one second, then nothing and suddenly awake again. Jim still wasn't clear how that had happened, but it had and it had returned him to his human form.

It was less awkward than the troll transformation but it was still different. He had to get used to his new height and body structure as well as his new senses and even emotions. Troll emotions were more limited than humans, but way more intense. Even so, it felt good to be back in his old – new? – body.

The one thing he enjoyed most right now though, was the feel of the sun on his face.

He had forgotten how it felt. He remembered that it felt warm and welcoming, bright and beautiful. But to be able to actually feel it again; it was amazing. Jim paused and just closed his eyes, facing the sun and soaking it up.

He briefly wondered how Blinky could bear it. Blinky had the pleasure once, of being human and experiencing what Jim was now, but unlike Jim, Blinky would probably never have the chance to again. When Jim was half-troll, he had often yearned to be human again, to feel this without being burnt, cook and eat without being disgusted by the food of his childhood. He had been tempted more than once to step into the sunlight despite the consequences, just so that he would be able to be in the sun.

And now that he could, he was going to enjoy it as much as possible. He wouldn't take advantage of it again. Or anything else really. If being the Trollhunter had taught him anything, it was to appreciate what he had no matter how small.

Speaking of appreciating, and sunlight, he glanced Aaarrrgh, who stayed in the shadows. At least they were still in the forested parts of Arcadia or avoiding the sunlight would be slightly more difficult, especially for the larger troll. It was even easier now than before to be a troll and walk through Arcadia in broad sunlight. Still sticking in the shadows not to get burned, but hiding and staying out of sight was no longer needed. Jim thought about how much his home had changed; trolls, humans, and now aliens living together. And it was good they didn't have to hide otherwise they might have had to be a little reckless and they couldn't afford that right now, he reflected, turning his gaze to the person Aaarrrgh was carrying.

Douxie was limp, Aaarrrgh holding him securely, close to his body with one hand. Jim hated seeing Douxie like this. Especially dwarfed by the giant carrying him, Douxie looked small and young. It was easy to forget that despite him being over nine hundred years old, he was still nineteen in mind and body. He never seemed young or inexperienced when he was with Jim and the others; in fact he seemed the opposite. Jim had always seen the wizard as a much older boy, one Jim looked up to. Now though, Douxie looked so… not helpless or weak – anything but – yet still… Jim couldn't put a word to it. But he knew Douxie was not helpless; he had everyone around him and if all failed, Archie was there.

The dragon in question was flying around the group's heads, fidgety and worried but trying to distract himself. Everyone knew it so they didn't stop him. Jim guessed that Archie would rather curl up on top of Douxie and protect him from there, but that wasn't an option right now.

Though Douxie had tried to hide his pain earlier, it was pretty clear to everyone that it was worse than Douxie had said it was because of how it looked. Of course, most of his injuries were likely not visible but everyone could see that he wasn't up to travelling. Jim could see past more of Douxie's disguise than the others though. The reason was because Jim himself had used the disguise enough to tell when someone else was also using it. He wasn't good enough to tell exactly how much pain Douxie was in but he could tell that Douxie was really good at hiding it.

Jim wondered how Douxie was so good at hiding pain. He knew that after Camelot fell, Douxie only had Archie for a long time. He probably couldn't trust anyone then because of the superstitions around sorcerers, so he might have had to hide a lot of his feelings. He might have also hid them from Archie. Jim doubted it, though he got the idea from his own experiences. Toby, Claire and his mom were probably his most trusted people in his life but they were often the ones Jim hid his pain from the most. Or maybe Douxie had learned to hide his emotions earlier, in Camelot or even before. Jim could only speculate though. He wasn't going to ask Douxie about this. It was too personal.

At least Jim had managed to convince Douxie to stay. Only for 3 days, but it was better than nothing. Almost right after the deal had been made, Douxie had passed out. Not everyone had noticed it right away, but Jim had been watching Douxie and saw it when Douxie's legs collapsed and he just fell into Aaarrrgh. Lucky he did, otherwise he would've injured himself further if he had fallen to the ground. As for the deal, Jim doubted it was the proposition itself that had made Douxie agree. Jim had come up with it on the spot, using his own experience to make sure it was airtight, but he also could see that Douxie was slipping; losing his consciousness and fast. He knew, like Jim did, that if he passed out before the decision was made, it would be made for him.

Jim was so caught up in his thoughts that he only realized that they were near the hospital when he felt a warm hand hold his. He looked up into chocolate brown eyes, ones he had dreamed of for so long. Claire smiled at him, her eyes still glistening with the silent tears she had been crying on the way as she processed the recent events. Her tears were of happiness, sadness, and worry, but that didn't matter to Jim as he wiped them away nonetheless.

The hospital was in sight now, the huge white building out of place in their small town. Unfortunately, because of everything that had happened with Gunmar and the Arcane Order – and Jim had heard something about alien gods as well – the hospital had been busier than ever, finally taking full advantage of its larger size.

Claire squeezed his hand. "Are you ready?" She asked. It had been decided that Jim would be the one to seek out Dr. Lake and ask for her help. It would benefit both parties; Dr. Lake wouldn't have a heart attack and think Jim was dead because he wasn't there, and Jim would be the one to introduce his new/old human form. Claire had wanted to come with him, but they had decided that as a precaution in case Douxie got worse, it would be better for Claire to be in position to be able to shadow portal him in.

He glanced around at his friends. Their group had gotten significantly smaller; everyone but Claire, Aaarrrgh, Archie, Douxie and himself had gone to Krel's place. They would've gone to Jim's, but with all of the changeling familiars and only Strickler there, Jim had though it better not to impose without a heads up.

Jim sighed and steeled himself. He looked at Claire, marvelling at how she still wanted to date him after everything they've been through because of him. "Stay here, out of sight." He told her though she already knew. It was also for the benefit of Aaarrrgh and Archie. To the latter, he specified the order. "Archie, please stay in your cat form while we're here. A cat would attract less attention if you were seen and that's what we want."

The familiar looked unhappy at this but complied, immediately changing forms. Jim turned back to Claire. "Stay safe. I'll be back in a bit, 'kay?" He gave Claire a quick kiss on the cheek, relishing the fact that he could without having to worry about his fangs injuring her. She hugged him back. "Stay safe yourself, hero." Her voice was quiet and reserved but still full of affection.

Jim left them in the shadows and went in through the front doors of the hospital. They had considered going through the ER, but they just needed his mom and didn't want to cause unnecessary panic by bursting through the door with a huge troll carrying an unconscious wizard and a small dragon flying around them.

Instead, Jim went to the front desk where a middle aged lady sat looking at a computer and rapidly typing. Jim knew the receptionist well.

Mrs. Herrington was a calm woman - which was ideal for her job - and she was always kind to Jim. When he was younger, Jim would sometimes spend time at the hospital after school. He was too young to stay home alone and though sometimes he spent that time at Toby's place, he couldn't go there every day, so his mom had made the suggestion that Jim stay in the waiting room. It had made Jim happy and the other patients happy when Jim was able to entertain them or play with the younger kids there. Mrs. Herrington had naturally become Jim's babysitter, working and simultaneously keeping an eye on Jim to make sure he wasn't doing anything dangerous.

Jim went up to the receptionist's desk and quietly cleared his throat, then spoke. "Mrs. H?" At his voice, the busy receptionist stopped typing, focusing on Jim. When she recognized him, her eyebrows went up and she smiled, taking off her glasses and giving her eyes a rest. It was something Jim had seen a million times before. "Jim! What a wonderful surprise. I haven't seen you for a while. How've you been?"

Jim relaxed, automatically feeling safe around his childhood caretaker. "I'm… fine thanks." The lie came easily but Jim felt a little guilty. But his feelings about lying to Mrs. Herrington didn't matter right now. Douxie was more important. That didn't mean he would forget his manners. "How are you?" He returned the question, so used to the pleasantries.

"I'm well, thank you. I'm sure we'll have to catch up some other time, but I get the feeling that you're in a hurry. Your generation always is. Anyway, what do you need Jim?" Jim had almost forgotten how perceptive the hospital receptionist was; observing people and getting straight to business.

"Yeah, uhh, I was wondering if I could speak to my mom? It's kind of urgent." Jim had started fidgeting with his sleeve, a bad habit that he had tried to break but had never gotten further than restricting the fidgeting to when he was really agitated.

Mrs. Herrington quickly typed something into her computer, then looked up at Jim again. "It looks like Dr. Lake is with a patient right now but she should be done in about 5-10 minutes. Since you said it's urgent, I'll message her to come right after."

Jim had to be sure his mom would come so he told Mrs. H to mention his name in the message. That should give his mom an idea of why she needed to come. Mrs. Herrington had agreed then messaged his mom. After that, she and Jim talked and filled each other in on things that had happened, catching up on each other's lives. They could only talk for a short amount of time though, because Mrs. H had to get back to her work. Jim went to sit in the waiting room where he had so many memories of from elementary school.

To pass the time, he texted Claire to let her know how long he would take, then played a few games on his phone to get his mind off everything. While he was playing, he got a text from Steve and Toby on a group chat saying that everything over there was good but Nari was proving to be a handful. Toby asked about Douxie and Jim replied by saying that he was still waiting for his mom. Claire also texted in the chat saying that Douxie didn't look any better but at least he didn't look worse.

Toby had texted back a little later with a thumbs up and a 'let me know later'. Jim replied with a 'sure' then went back to his video game. He only got to play for another minute because Dr. Lake had come. Her face had an expression of worry and she was walking fast, searching the waiting room for her son. Jim made it easier by standing up.

When his mom saw him, she stopped walking and her worry turned to surprise. Then she all but runs, stopping in front of Jim and hugging him fiercely. Jim returned the hug and he felt a few wet drops fall from his mom's eyes. She kissed him on the forehead, then on the cheek. Jim felt embarrassed at first but then understood how Dr. Lake must have been feeling especially after seeing him again after a few months - and back to being human - and let her kiss and hug him as much as she wanted to. Eventually she stopped but Jim almost wished she hadn't.

Because almost immediately after, she started asking questions.

"How did this happen?!"

"Is this real?"

"Is this permanent?"

"What happened?"

"Where were you?"

"Are you okay?"

The questions started getting more serious and frantic.

"You're okay right?"

"Wait, where's everyone else?" She looked around as if expecting them to pop out of nowhere like in a surprise party.

"Are they okay?"

She starts making the connection between the message that bought her here and Jim's situation. "You said it was urgent! What is? Are you injured? Jim?!"

She had asked all of those questions without giving Jim even a second to explain, but now she finally stopped and gave him a chance to talk. The first thing he said was to calm his mom down. "I'm fine mom. Tired but fine. Same with Claire and Toby and everyone else. The trolls are fine. Even Steve's fine. Everyone's okay." And that was the truth, more or less. Physically, everyone was fine apart from the occasional scrapes and bruises. But there was one person who wasn't fine.

Dr. Lake still looked skeptical but there wasn't time to explain everything now. "Mom, listen, you've kind of missed a lot and I promise to catch you up fully later, but the message said urgent for a reason." Jim started giving his mom a quick summary of what happened, explaining that it was another adventure.

When he mentioned the younger wizard, Dr. Lake recognized Douxie's name and asked Jim where she had heard it. "He worked at Mr. Benoit's, remember? He was also in the Battle of the Bands; Ash Dispersal Pattern? They were the last ones to play before the world went apocalypse."

His mom looked thoughtful for a second, trying to remember. Then she looks at Jim again. "That college boy with the blue tipped bangs and the punk style?"

"Yeah, mom. Him." Jim felt a longing for those simpler times before all of this when he could just go on a date with Claire at a restaurant without having to worry about murderous trolls and changelings. Even that date had ended badly after finding out Claire was possessed by Morgana.

His mom smiled. "He was always so nice. Perceptive too, always noticing if anyone had a bad day. I made sure to always give him generous tips." Then she stopped and blinked, momentarily confused. "But why are you telling me about him? Is he hurt? What happened?" Her voice had become frantic again.

"Mom! Just listen, please."

His mom did and sighed. "Yes, sorry. I'm still reeling from you being back to yourself, and just being here. Please, continue."

Jim led them to sit down, knowing this would take a while. "Speaking of me transforming and all, remember Merlin?"

They had only just sat down but Dr. Lake stood back up, fury in her eyes. "How could I forget him!? He was the a**hole who transformed you - against your will - in the first place!"

Jim flinched, and gently pulled his mom back to a seat. "Yeah, mom. Him. I know he did some questionable things, but I don't think that's how he should be remembered. He did the right thing in the end." Jim still felt sad about Merlin's death though he hadn't really been there. Not as he is now anyway. Claire had filled him in on the way here and Jim vaguely remembered being forced to trap Douxie as leverage against the older wizard. He felt guilty even if he wasn't the direct cause of Merlin's death, but he had played some part in it.

He looked at his mom. Her voice was quiet. "The end…? You don't mean…?" A small nod from Jim elicited a gasp from her. Jim continued with his story, not wanting his mom to be sad. "Yeah, I'll explain more later but… Merlin's gone. Ummm… anyways, back to Douxie. It turns out he was Merlin's apprentice."

"Apprentice? So he's also a wizard?" Jim nodded again. Dr. Lake went into what Jim called her 'Dr. mode' where his mom is all business. Her voice was serious and calm now. "What happened and where is he?" She stood up, waiting for Jim to answer. He was glad he didn't have to explain that it was Douxie who needed medical help, his mom automatically understanding.

Jim got up too and started walking out the doors and leading his mom to his friends. "He's outside right now with Aaarrrgh, Claire and his familiar."

"Familiar meaning wizard assistant?" His mom clarified. Jim had no idea how she knew what a familiar was but he didn't question it. "Archie prefers wizard associate."

Dr. Lake glanced sideways at Jim, an eyebrow raised. He could see the questions she wanted to ask but wouldn't until her patient was safe. "Noted. Lead the way and explain while you do it."

Jim followed her instructions, leading them outside and telling his mom about the Arcane Order and their flying castle, identifying them as the bad guys. He told her how Douxie sacrificed himself to save them and fell from the castle.

"How high?" Dr. Lake asked.

"I don't know exactly but I'm guessing about as high as a low plane so… about a thousand feet?"

Dr. Lake suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at Jim, concern and skepticism evident on her face. "He somehow survived through his magic? I may be a good doctor but even I can't revive the dead."

Jim bit his lip. "I know that but… well, he's not dead. He did die…" His mom glared at him, the look saying that he had 5 seconds to explain. Which he did, rushing to get his words out. He felt like a young child trying to defend their actions before getting in trouble. "He died but came back to life. He's alive for now but he's badly injured. He was going to go somewhere to protect Nari… Later mom." He said when his mom opened her mouth to ask who Nari was then snapped her mouth shut, letting Jim talk. "But I managed to convince him to stay for 3 more days. He's unconscious right now."

They had reached the others and though Archie was flying around in dragon form – despite Jim's orders not to – his mom didn't seem to hesitate at the sight of the anxious dragon, the large troll, and the shadow witch. "Where's the patient?" His mom asked, straight to the point.

Archie landed and glanced at Jim who nodded. "He's here." Archie spoke, changing back into a cat and pointing with his paw, walking behind Aaarrrgh to his unconscious familiar. Jim saw his mom's eyes widen in response to Archie's voice but that didn't stop her from following him to her patient and observing Douxie.

Dr. Lake crouched down and was quiet for a minute, her full attention on the wizard. Claire went over to Jim and took his hand. After his mom was done, she looked at Jim, her face giving nothing away but determination. "Jim, can I get the other doctors' help on this?"

Jim thought quickly. "Yeah, as long as you don't tell them the truth. Arcadia doesn't need something else supernatural right now."

His mom nodded. "This looks like an injury that would happen in a bad biking accident. So from now on, he was biking and got hit by a car which pushed him off the road into the forest, alright?"

Everyone nodded. Dr. Lake got out her walkie-talkie from her pocket. "This is Lake. I need a stretcher and some doctors on the west exit now."

There was silence for a few seconds then static. A voice replied. "Copy that Lake. Palmer and Strange on their way."

Dr. Lake turned to the group. "You three…" She amended her statement, looking at Archie. "You four can go wait inside or go to our place. Jim, I'd like you to stay here and answer some questions later, if you don't mind. Claire, you, Aaarrrgh and… Archie can go to our place and get some rest. Your friend will be just fine, okay?"

Claire spoke. "If it's okay with you Dr. L, I'd like to stay too." She squeezed Jim's hand and smiled at him. Dr. Lake agreed. "Alright Claire. And Archie, as long as you don't talk and stay as a cat, I can say that you're Douxie's emotional support pet and you can stay."

Archie transformed into a dragon again and rose into the air. "Pet!?"

Jim piped up. "Archie, it's either pet or going to Krel's with the others." Archie stayed in the air for a second but relented and turned back into a cat. "Fine." He sighed, looking at Douxie.

Dr. Lake rejoined the conversation. "The others can go to our place if they want. I'll let Walt know to expect them." Jim smiled at his mom. "Thanks. I told them not to go without your permission. I'll text them now."

The red-headed doctor turned to Aaarrrgh who had stayed silent throughout the whole time. "Aaarrrgh, I'm afraid you'll have to go to our place and meet the others. Arcadia may be open to trolls but the hospital isn't big enough for you and the rules still say that you can't come in. Sorry." She smiled apologetically.

The troll just nodded. "Tell Aaarrrgh when wizard better. See you." He left and everyone waved. Just as Aaarrrgh was out of sight, the other doctors - Palmer and Strange - came with the stretcher and took Douxie away. Archie tried to follow them but Jim picked him up, the black cat pawing at his arms and chest, wanting to be let free but still not talking. Jim whispered to him. "Douxie's safe Arch, don't worry. My mom won't let anything happen to him."

Archie's fussing stopped and he just slumped in Jim's arms, his expression one of distress and worry. Jim and Claire followed the doctors inside, taking a seat as Douxie was wheeled out of sight.

Archie stayed on Jim's lap, still nervously pawing Jim's legs but gently as to not hurt the boy. Jim and Claire rubbed his head and scratch him under the chin and between the ears, which normally would result in Archie biting their hands, but he understood it was their way of calming themselves and it did calm him, too, whether or not he would admit it.

After a while, Jim and Claire start yawning, the recent events finally taking a toll on them. Claire got up at one point to get the two of them some coffee, but it didn't help and the next thing either of them knew, they were asleep, disconnected from troubling reality and safe in the realm of dreams.

A/N: Did anyone notice the Avengers easter egg i put near the end? It's pretty obvious but it just felt right. This chapter didn't have too much going on, but I just wanted there to be a scene where we see Dr. Lake's reaction to everything and Jim being human again. And Douxie's in safe hands now as we all know.

Fun fact: when I was writing the scene where Jim is playing a game on his phone, I pictured him playing Candy Crush or Angry Birds; a game where there isn't a lot of realistic violence because Jim has had enough of that irl. Poor guy. He never got a rest since Becoming Part 1.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter is from our favourite dragon Archie's pov and there will be another character coming who i thought should have had more screen time…

-CrowofArcadiaOaks