Hello Everyone!!
This chapter took longer than expected, but here it is chapter 30! I can't believe we made it this far, and there is still SO much of this story left to tell! We barely made a dent! I hope you all enjoy the story and stick with the story as the updates come.
Sorry for the long wait! Things have finally opened up this summer so I've been out enjoying the sunshine and the company of those I could see. I have had some of you message me, and I am happy to see how much you all have enjoyed it! I love this story so much, and I appreciate all the feedback I've had from all of you!
Big thanks to WildKat25 as well! They have helped a lot with this story!
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Poppy held Rose in her arms as she stepped onto the elevator. She placed her hand on the lever as she noticed Rose reaching for it as well. She shifted Rose towards the lever and let her help push it, lowering them to the main level of the bunker. As they traveled down the elevator Poppy could see some of the tunnels were cleaner then when she left. As they came to a stop Poppy looked around and couldn't find Branch. "It looks like Branch has been busy, I wonder where he is." She thought out loud as she felt Rose squirm in her grasp excitedly. She looked around but didn't see Branch, she walked around until they heard a loud bang come from the lower level of the bunker. "Looks like he's down another level, come on." She went back to the elevator and lowered them to a smaller room. Poppy looked around the room as her eyes fell on Branch. Her eyes widened as she saw his shirtless back facing her as he worked on hammering some wood. She felt Rose squirm in her grasp again, bringing her closer so she could whisper in her ear quietly before placing her on the ground. Rose let out a squeaky laugh, causing Branch to jump slightly and turn around.
Branch looked at them in surprise, before his eyes lit up and a grin appeared on his lips. "You two are back, I didn't hear you come in." He placed the hammer down as Rose jumped out of Poppy's arms and ran to him. Branch knelt down and let her run into his arms. "Hey Twig! Did you have fun?" He asked as he felt her arm wrap around his neck. He felt her nod as she let him go. "That's good." He said as he placed her on the ground, watching as she bounced on her heels in excitement. He chuckled before looking over at Poppy, seeing her staring at him. "Poppy?" He watched as she took a step closer to him, wrapping her arms around his before her lips met his. His eyes widened slightly as the sudden affection and soon kissed her back, his arms slowly going to her waist. He brought her closer before he heard a small popping noise. They pulled apart and looked down to see Rose standing next to them with her mouth open, pop rocks popping in her mouth. Branch chuckled as he looked down at her And saw something in her hand. "What do you have there?" He asked, realizing she had taken his vest off the chair.
"Ha! Yes, good job Rose." Poppy encouraged, grinning as she heard Rose giggle.
"What? You two planned this?" He said as he looked over at Poppy, seeing her sly smile. "What is the purpose of this?." He asked as he went to pick Rose up, but stopped when Rose ran to the other side of the room. He watched as Rose stuck her tongue out at him, his vest tightly in his grasp. "You get back here with my vest, Twig." He said, following her as she ran around the room to avoid him. Branch picked up the speed as Rose ran under a love seat. Rose hid under the chair for a minute as she watched Branch's feet get closer. She quickly ran over to Poppy as Branch knelt down to look under the love seat, but seeing her run off. Branch looked around but couldn't find her. "Where did she go?" Branch asked Poppy, seeing her look around as well.
"I don't know Branch, you will have to find her." Poppy grinned slyly, giggling as she pretended to look around.
Branch frowned slightly before hearing Rose giggled. He smirked. "I think I hear her." He heard her gasp. He looked around the room as he slowly made his way towards Poppy. "I think I heard her coming from around here." He said, hearing her giggle more. Rose quickly popped her head out of Poppy's hair, giggling wildly as she saw Branch take a step back. "There you are, you little thief!" He quickly picked her up out of Poppy's hair, not seeing his vest. "What did you do with it?" He gently shook her, causing her to laugh loudly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Poppy lifted her arms as green slid over her blue dress.
Poppy grinned as she ran to the lift, waving at Branch as she made her way to the main level. "Hey babe, you aren't getting this back!" She sang.
Branch frowned slightly before looking down at Rose. "You two planned this whole thing, didn't you?" He got his answer as Rose giggled. "Of course you two planned this." He said as the lift came back down. He stepped onto it with Rose in hand and followed after Poppy.
Poppy grinned as she walked around the kitchen gathering ingredients as she saw Branch and Rose come around the corner. "I'm going to start supper now."
Branch placed Rose in her spot at the table. "Do you need help?" He asked. "And can I have my vest back?"
"No and no." She sang, hugging the vest closer to her before she started cooking.
Branch shrugged before going to the bedroom to get one of the books Poppy brought him. He sat down next to Rose and started reading. As he read the book, he realized how different the tribes were with leadership. "I don't think I realized how different the tribes were with leadership." He thought out loud, causing Poppy to glance at him.
"What do you mean?" She asked as she continued to cook.
"Well, I was talking with Delta earlier. I asked her why it was just her leading the country trolls, and she said she doesn't want or plan to have anyone else ruling with her. Not like King Quincy and Queen Essence." He explained, his eyes not leaving the book. Poppy froze in her spot, not sure of what to make of the statement. "I didn't know some trolls ruled alone. From what I'm reading most pop royals find someone to lead with. I thought it was interesting Delta doesn't want that."
Poppy slowly went back to cooking. "I think it's better to have a partner in leading. Someone to talk things over with and have different perspectives, and to help look after the other trolls. You know how energetic they can be." She heard Branch chuckle.
"You are right about that. It must be easier with two leaders then one." He replied. "Now that I think about it, most of the tribes right now have solo leaders. Trollex is trying to find someone, Trollzart seems to be similar to Delta though I don't know what their traditions are, and I have no clue what Barb is doing in that matter." He thought out loud. "It would take a strong troll to lead alone for so long."
"Yeah, they are all strong leaders. It would be hard to have more of a life outside of leading." She added.
"It would be hard to do both, but they seem to be good at managing it. Delta always has time with Clampers. It must be easier with the tribes together now too." He smiled as he went back to reading.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Poppy glanced anxiously back at Branch before looking back down at her food.
~~~
After everyone finished eating and Rose was ready for bed, she stared down at her cast. She held her cast up to Branch. Branch looked down at her, slightly confused. "Is your cast okay? Is it itchy?" He asked, kneeling down to her level as she shook her head.
Poppy knelt down next to them. "Are you nervous about getting your cast off tomorrow?" Poppy asked, seeing Rose nod. Poppy smiled and picked her up. "It is a bit scary, but it will be okay! You know, I've had a cast before." She said as Rose perked her ears up in interest. "I was playing around town with my friends and we wanted to see how far we could stretch our hair and reach a far away branch. I jumped and my hair missed and my leg fractured when I landed. I was in a cast for almost ten weeks! I wasn't supposed to dance! It was not fun to not be able to dance, but my dad was always there to cheer me up. He wheeled me around town so I could sing with everyone, and play games that didn't involve moving around much." She smiled at the memory. "Getting the cast off isn't that scary. The scariest part is the doctor will take a little saw and cut the cast." She explained, seeing Rose's nervousness grow. "But it will be okay, Branch and I will be there. It won't take too long. After your cast is off we can go get some ice cream!" Poppy suggested.
Rose looked down at her cast again, frowning slightly before looking up at Branch. "I've never had a cast."
"Mr Safety." Poppy teased.
"Very funny Poppy." He said sarcastically, hearing her laugh.
Rose giggled before yawning. "I guess it's bedtime." Branch stood up and made his way to Rose's room, before hearing Rose whine loudly. He looked behind to see Rose pointing to his room.
Poppy held Rose closer. "Aww, you want to sleep with us again?" Poppy cuddled her close when she saw Rose nod. "Of course you can!" She walked past Branch and went to the room.
Branch watched them walk past him. "I thought that was my room." Branch grumbled.
Poppy turned back to him with a grin on her face. "Not any more!" She hopped onto the bed and spread out, laughing as Rose copied her.
Branch chuckled. "At least make room for me." He sat on the bed as they moved over to let him on the bed.
Poppy laid on her back as she stared at the ceiling. She felt Rose crawl onto her stomach, looking down to see Rose staring at her. "Hey, you okay Poppy?" Branch asked, leaning towards her.
Poppy glanced over to him and gave a small smile. "Yeah, just tired." She said as she placed a hand on Rose's back as she made herself comfortable.
"Are you sure?" He asked again.
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure." She said before feeling his lips on her cheek.
"Alright, then you should sleep." He smiled at her, placing a hand on hers as he settled into his spot. "I love you Poppy."
Poppy smiled, squeezing his hand. "I love you too, Branch. Sweet dreams you two."
~~~
Branch and Poppy sat in the waiting room, Rose hiding in Branch's hair. "So Branch, you never had a cast but have you ever had to come here because of an injury?" Poppy asked curiously.
Branch thought for a moment before nodding. "A few times. It was never anything serious really. I had a nail in my foot once." He heard Poppy and Rose gasp. "I was about eleven and just started to learn how to use a hammer for the bunker. I had a nail on the board I was hammering and when I hit the board the nail flew up then straight down on my foot and went in a bit. I wasn't sure what I should do so I came here." He lifted his foot to show a small circle scar on the top of his foot. He felt Rose slowly climb out of his hair to get a closer look. "It wasn't very deep, just deep enough to scar. Mostly I got bruises from hitting my hand with the hammer, trying to put a board higher than I could reach and it fell on my head." He shrugged.
Poppy placed a hand over her mouth, snickering. "Branch." She said, causing him to look at her. "You're a klutz."
He laughed. "Better a klutz than a daredevil like you. After that I started earning more protective wear to prevent injuries."
"Mr safety is a klutz." She laughed, seeing Rose giggle along with her. "But you have gotten better at building, most of the time I just see you wearing goggles."
"I have built that bunker by myself." He huffed proudly.
"Rose?" The doctor called. Branch and Poppy stood up and followed the doctor to their own room. "How has Rose been?" The doctor asked, seeing Rose hug Branch tightly.
"She's been doing good. She's excited and nervous about getting the cast off." Branch said as he set Rose on his lap, feeling her hand grip his finger tightly.
Rose tried to hide herself into Branch. "It will go by quickly, Rose. The noise may be a bit loud at first but it won't take long. I'm going to gather everything and will be back shortly." She smiled before leaving the room.
Branch set Rose on the bed, seeing her grip on him tighten. "Hey, it will be okay. It won't hurt at all."
Poppy took hold of her other hand, gently touching her cast. "It will only take a few minutes for them to take it off, then you can go get your ice cream!" Poppy smiled.
Rose held their hands tightly as the doctor returned. "Alright Rose. I need you to stay still okay? This is the saw I will be using." He showed her. "It's very small, but it will be a bit loud." He turned it on so she could hear it, then turned it off. "It will only take a minute or two for the saw, then I use these scissors to cut the gauze then that's it." She smiled at Rose.
Rose nodded as she looked away, holding her arm out towards the doctor. She felt Branch and Poppy squeeze her hands gently as the noise from the saw started. She flinched slightly but tried not to move as she felt the small vibrations from the cast. Her ears lowered but soon she heard the noise stop. She opened her eyes and saw the cast was split in two. "That worst part is over." Poppy said, rubbed her back gently.
"You're a brave little girl Rose. I've had lots of kids cry or move away. You did very well." The doctor praised as she started to cut the gauze. Dr. Moon took the cast off, giggling as Rose lifted her arm in the air. "Here, let me wash your arm off." She took a damp cloth from a bucket and gently cleaned her arm. "There, we are done!"
Rose looked at her arm and shook it happily, raising it towards Branch and Poppy so they could see there was no cast. Rose jumped to her feet in excitement, a large grin on her face as she waved both her arms. Branch and Poppy all let out a laugh at the excitement of the little trolling, watching as she kept towards Branch. Rose leapt onto Branch, hugging him tightly. Branch stumbled slightly as he caught her, surprised by her sudden affection. He rubbed her back as he hugged her, smiling as he looked down at her to see her grinning face. Rose soon let go of Branch and ran to Poppy, jumping up to hug her.
Poppy happily caught her, bringing her into a tight hug. "Oh thank you Rose! You give the best hugs! Even better than Branch!" She giggled as she watched Branch frowned.
"Hey, I'm still working on them." He crossed his arms.
Dr. Moon laughed. "Well, since Rose was such a good trolling today, how about some lollipops?" She smiled as Rose's ears perked up at the word. "The nurse will take you to the jar and you can pick a few out okay?" He gestured to a troll standing at the door.
Rose looked at the nurse before looking at Branch. She saw Branch nod and slowly went out of the room with the nurse to get her candy.
"Is there anything else for today?" Dr. Moon asked once Rose left.
Poppy looked at the doctor. "Well, she does have nightmares every night. She wakes up a few times every night."
Dr Moon nodded. "It is normal after something this traumatic of an event for Rose to have night terrors and nightmares. Has she hurt herself at all at night due to them?" She saw them shake their heads. "Good. If she starts having trouble sleeping at all, let me know. We can talk about anti-anxiety medication and that will help her sleep."
"We will keep an eye on them. Thank you Dr. Moon." Poppy smiled.
"Also, we are still in the process of reviewing potential fosters. We will let you know when we are down to five fosters. Let me know if anything else happens with Rose." Dr. Moon reminded them, standing up and headed to the front desk.
Branch and Poppy froze. They stared unblinkingly at the door, neither saying a word as they both slowly stood up and made their way to the door. Poppy looked over at Branch to see his reaction, but saw a blank expression. As they walked out to the main lobby Rose ran towards them with two lollipops in her hands, waving them around happily. Poppy smiled down at the toddler. "Two lollipops? Oh you are so lucky Rose!" She picked Rose up, holding her on her chest. "Now, do you want to save those lollipops for later and get that ice cream we promised?"
Rose gasped at the reminder and quickly put the two lollipops in her hair and nodded quickly. Poppy thanked the doctor and nurse, placing a hand on Branch's shoulder as she led him out of the medical pod. As they walked Poppy kept glancing at Branch. "Let's go to Swirls Ice Cream shop, they have a lot of new options from the different tribes. I heard they have a new flavour called Moon Mist!" Poppy felt Rose's excitement grow as she bounced in her arms. "Okay, okay. I'll let you down." Poppy smiled as Rose walked between them. Poppy gently took Branch's hand.
Branch quickly came back from his thoughts. He looked over at Poppy to see her concerned expression. He gave her a small nod in reassurance before looking at the road ahead. "Do you two know what flavour you will get?" He asked.
Rose shook her head as she looked up at him. Poppy placed a finger on her chin as she thought for a moment. "I think I will try a new flavour if they have any interesting ones, so I'm not sure yet. What about you Branch? No wait. Let me guess, chocolate." She teased.
"You can never go wrong with chocolate." He states.
Poppy giggled. "Chocolate is good." She heard Rose clap as they came into view of the shop. "Yes! We're here." She said excitedly.
"You're just as excited as Rose." Branch chuckled.
"Ice cream is so good!" Poppy grinned as she and Rose picked up their pace and walked into the shop. Poppy looked around at the multitude of flavours. "They have so many flavours! Do you see any you want to try?" She picked Rose up so she could get a better look at the ice cream. Rose looked around before pointing to a pastel rainbow coloured ice cream.
"Ohh, that is the new Moon Mist flavour! It looks so good, that's an excellent choice Rose." Poppy smiled at her as she looked over at Branch who was looking at them. "Still sticking with chocolate?"
"Yup. What about you?" He asked.
"I think I'll go with Moon Mist as well, it looks so pretty!" Poppy grinned, looking at the worker who started getting their ice creams.
"Here you are." The worker smiled as they placed their ice creams on the counter.
"Perfect, thank you Swirl!" Poppy waved as they went to find a table to sit at. She placed Rose at the table and sat down next to her. "So, for today we are still meeting King Quincy and Queen Essence for dinner right?" She asked before taking a bite of her ice cream. "Oh my hair, this is so good! Branch, you have to try this!" Poppy held a spoonful of ice cream towards Branch eagerly.
Branch chuckled and good a bit. "It is good." He agreed before taking a bit of his chocolate ice cream, seeing Rose's face full of ice cream already. "Slow down Twig, you're missing your mouth." He said, causing Rose to stop and stare at him before putting more ice cream in her mouth. Branch chuckled before looking back at Poppy. "Yeah, it's today for dinner. We should probably head over around 5, so we still have a while to get ready. I think Rose is going to need a bath before we go."
"Sounds like a plan." She smiled before putting another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.