Bnhafan-Aww, thank you so so much! It means a lot!

IsabelXSpidey-Thank you! As for the amulet, that's where my other fic comes in! It's called Wizards-Secundo Ire, and in it I rewrote the whole show. As such (minor spoilers here) the amulet was not destroyed! That's why Jim has it still :)

T3ddyBearL0ve-Omg, your reviews always make me laugh! Yes, I was this was the universe where actually got a GOOD rise of the titans with badass troll Jim and badass Steve! But sadly, we're in the universe where it only exists in a fic. I will try to expand on the Jim and Toby relationship! It was done really well in the movie (one of the few good things they did lol) so I'll try to bring that here. Even though Jim won't pull out Excalibur, I'm sure I can concoct some other scene that's just as poignant! Yeah, I did consider Bellroc to be non-binary at first, but in the movie they said 'she' and I was like "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO" so I went with the canon route. And yes, she does strike me more as feminine too! And nooo, keep reviewing as long as you like! I'm really glad you love this fic as much as I do :)

merendinoemiliano-Thank you!

Somebody-Thank you so much!

Susanna D-Thank you! I do work at my own pace, but I'm glad you like it so far!

No one-Oh I do indeed. If you see a Trollhunters fic with my name on it, chances are it will have troll Jim. I just love him so much, and the concept of the Trollhunter itself. I was sad to see the amulet go so I kept it for my fic!

Jim felt warm. Warm and sleepy, nestled in a cocoon of darkness. Like the same kind of relaxation when he woke up from a nap. He burrowed his head deeper into his arms, determined to prolong the feeling.

Unfortunately, it was too late for that. His body started waking him up, no matter how much he protested against it. As he started coming back to the waking world, a dull ache pulsed in his jaw. All of his muscles were sore, and his face felt like it had been sunburnt. Great.

Jim cracked his eyes open and instantly regretted it. Fluorescent light seared into his eyes and he hissed, shutting them immediately. Okay. Now that had woken him up.

"Ah, you're awake," someone with a thick New York accent said. "Faster than I thought you would, considering what just happened to you. Not that I have any idea what happened."

Okay, what the hell's going on? Jim thought blearily. He waited for the bright spots to disappear from his vision before slowly opening his eyes again. He appeared to be in a small concrete room with a light hanging overhead. He looked at the tan woman before him, hair pulled back in a ponytail, staring down at him inquisitively.

And she was also wearing a police uniform.

Jim groaned. Not again…

"Same here, kid," the woman sighed. "I've interrogated a guy who can control plants, two girls with some serious attitude problems, a hyperactive kid that wouldn't shut up, and…I honestly don't know what the last thing was."

She sat in the chair across from Jim and folded her hands on the table. "I'm Alicia Fernandez. I was hoping that you could provide more clarity about the situation than your…associates."

Jim's brain was still trying to process how he had ended up here, but he forced himself to answer. "Uh…maybe you could help me with that? I was kinda knocked out."

Alicia shook her head. "Where do I even start? It was a peaceful night-or at least as peaceful as it can get in the Big Apple. Then, boom. A subway train magically flies off the tracks. Crashes into the ground, but somehow, no one gets hurt. A blue guy and a chick start fighting three teenagers with-with fire and ice? I can't believe I just said that. The confrontation ended with the two floating people taking a short green girl with them. That's when we apprehended your associates."

Jim gasped. Nari. Bellroc and Skrael had taken away Nari! Their plan…it had failed. It was all his fault. If he had just managed to kill Bellroc, none of this would've happened-

He shook his head. No, he couldn't afford to think like that. It wouldn't do him any good.

Jim suddenly realized that Alicia was staring expectantly at him. "Sorry, what was that?"

She rubbed her temple. "I was asking you to explain what happened on that train to me. You seem the most normal out of the bunch, despite your glowing armor."

He had to force back a laugh. "Me? Normal?"

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. You're human, aren't you?"

Jim's laughter died abruptly. "What did you say?"

"You're human. A little on the skinny side, sure, but at least you're not claiming to be a 'wizard' or that you have some kind of 'warhammer.'"

Jim's throat went dry. No…no, this cop was messing with him. There was no way he was human again. It was impossible-!

He looked down at his hands and his heart stopped.

They both had five fingers.

His breath shaky, Jim slowly raised his hands to his mouth. No tusks. Panic creeping in, he felt his ears. To his horror, they were round and small. But before he fully freaked out, there was still one more thing he had to check first. If he didn't have these…it would solidify everything.

He ran his fingers through his hair. Nothing blocked their progress. His horns-they were gone.

Somehow, Jim was human again.

"Kid, you alright?" Alicia asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I need a mirror."

"I'm sorry, what-"

"Please," Jim begged. "I need one."

Alicia stared at him, apprehension and confusion written all over her face, before finally relenting. "Oh, alright." She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. She held it in front of Jim. "Here."

Jim couldn't believe the face that stared back at him. His stony blue skin was gone. He was so-so fleshy, and pink. Had he always been this pink? His black hair had replaced his bluish-black scruff, though he noticed it had grown longer. He traced his fingers along the two scars on his face. Funnily enough, those hadn't disappeared.

What's going on?! Jim wanted to shout. This shouldn't be possible! Merlin said himself the transformation was irreversible. What had happened in the last couple hours that caused Jim to-to turn back?! What was he-

"You good now?" Alicia asked sarcastically, pulling away the phone. "Sure, you got some first-degree burns on your face and a nasty bruise on your jaw, but it's not anything too serious. Nothing to freak out over."

Play it cool he had to play it cool. "Sorry about that," Jim laughed nervously, painfully aware of how high his voice was. He cleared his throat. "It's just been a long night."

"You're telling me," she agreed, pulling out a file. "Now, let's get back to business and-"

An explosion sounded from somewhere inside the building. Jim gripped the table as the whole building shook, dust raining from the ceiling. Alarms blared in an obnoxious chorus. Jim winced, suddenly grateful for his toned-down hearing.

Alicia slammed down the file. "What now?!" she yelled, dashing out of the room.

This was his chance. Jim left his seat and sprinted out the door. He followed Alicia down several hallways before she came to an abrupt stop. Jim nearly ran into her. Once he had regained his balance, he saw why.

The station was in complete chaos. Thick leafy vines shot out from Douxie's plant pot and wrapped around several officers, pinning them in place. Archie blew fire at the others, keeping them at bay. The officers who hadn't attacked lingered in the back, too scared of Argh to try anything.

Alicia put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?! Don't just stand there-"

She was cut off when Zoe zapped her, and she fell to the ground. Zoe pointed next at Jim, and he held up his hands. "Please don't kill me!"

Realization dawned on Zoe's face. "Oh, right. My bad-"

"JIM!" Claire cried. The next thing he knew, he was trapped in a suffocating hug. He happily returned it, overjoyed to see her safe. At least she was still the same.

"Claire," he said with a smile, pulling back from the hug. He frowned when he saw how pale she was and the bags underneath her eyes. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I am, it's just…too much shadow magic It's not good for me."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, and I'm sorry to ask this of you," Zoe said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But can you get us back to the castle?"

She bit her lip. "I…I think so."

"Claire, you can't," Jim protested. "Look at you! I don't want you to-"

"We have no choice, Jim," Claire said wearily. "The taco truck can't outrun a fleet of police cars. This is the only way."

Before Jim could argue further, she closed her eyes and raised her hands. Slowly but surely, a small black portal appeared. It wobbled as it grew, but soon, it was big enough for all of them to escape.

"Go!" Claire yelled, gritting her teeth. "I don't know how much longer I can hold it!"

Argh didn't hesitate as he scooped up Toby, Douxie, and Zoe and charged into the portal, Archie right on his heels. Jim glanced at Claire one last time before running through the portal himself.

He stumbled into the main hall, colliding with the large round table with an oof. He ignored his now sore stomach and turned to face the portal with bated breath. Come on, Claire, he thought. Come on, you can do it…

After what seemed like an eternity, she staggered out of the portal. Jim rushed over and caught her just before she fell.

She blinked and smiled up at him. "Hey, you."

He let out a sound that was half a laugh and half a sob. "Hey."

"Okay, okay, okay," Toby interrupted, coming up to them. "Now that we're all back here and safe and whatever…" He gestured at Jim. "How the heck did this happen?!"

"I don't know!" Jim exclaimed, gently setting Claire on the table. "All I remember is getting my ass kicked by Bellroc on the train, and then boom. I wake up in the police station human again! I-"

Argh sniffed Jim, ruffling his hair. "Jim really human," he rumbled.

"Thanks, Argh. Like I already didn't know that," he grumbled.

"How do you feel?" Claire asked, her eyes never leaving his face.

"Weird. Everything is so weird." Jim moved his jaw around, the lack of an underbite painfully obvious. "All my senses are weaker, my head is way lighter, and…" his gaze trailed over Argh's massive bulk, and he suddenly felt very small. "Everyone is much taller."

"I gotta admit Jimbo, it's nice that's you're only half a foot taller than me than a whole foot!" Toby chuckled, slapping him on the back. He winced as Jim glared down at him. "Too soon?"

"Just a little bit, Tobes."

Claire slipped down from the table. She reached up to touch his face, Jim very aware that she didn't need to stand on her tiptoes to do that anymore.

"It's so strange," she murmured, tracing her fingers over his cheek. "You look like you did before, but at the same time…you're so different. You're older."

His next words burst out before he could stop them. "More good-looking too?"

"Jim!" Claire chided, putting her hands on her hips. "Really? That's what you're worried about?"

He grinned. "Answer the question."

She blushed. "If you must know…yes. You've officially upgraded from cute to hot."

Toby groaned. "Please, God, make this stop."

Jim laughed. "And stop antagonizing you? No way."

"I hate to interrupt-actually, I'm loving interrupting this disgustingly sweet couple stuff-but…" Zoe walked up to Jim and crossed her arms. "Do you have any idea how this happened?"

"I already told you, I just woke up like this."

Zoe shook her head. "That's not what I meant. The potion that changed you was permanent; a powerful concoction that altered the very nature of your being. The most complex of spells couldn't turn you back. In fact, the only kind of magic that might make all this," she gestured at Jim, "even possible, is if Merlin himself used his magic to do so. Even then, I can't think of a way that would work."

"So what are you saying?" Jim asked, utterly confused.

"I don't even know," she sighed, rubbing her temple. "I guess…were you exposed to any of Merlin's magic recently? Like, any objects imbued with his power?"

He pointed at the amulet still on his chest. "Uh…"

"Besides that, I mean."

"I don't think so?" Jim looked to Toby and Claire for help, but they only shrugged, just as mystified as he was. "Before the train, I wasn't doing any Trollhunter business, just hanging around Arcadia. I guess Douxie called me over and-"

Jim gasped as the pieces clicked together. Douxie!

"Actually, I might have an idea," he said, turning to Zoe. "A couple days after you guys were back in town, Douxie gave me a piece of the Heart of Avalon to use in my amulet. He thought I would need its abilities, whatever those may be. And the Heart-"

"Was run by Merlin's magic," Zoe finished, deep in thought. She glanced up at him. "You didn't put it in your amulet, did you?"

A drop of sweat trickled down Jim's neck. "Mmmaybe?"

She cursed. "Hisirdoux Casperan, when I get my hands on you…" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah, probably not the best idea to put a stone with unknown capabilities into the amulet. But I can see where he's coming from, as stupid as it may be."

"So what did it do to Jim?" Claire asked.

Zoe opened her eyes. "Wizards all have their own branch of magic. Mine is electricity, yours is shadow magic, and Merlin's was time. He imbued the Heart of Avalon with his magic, making it and any object it was attached to capable of time travel. Even though he died, his magic still lives on in the amulet and whatever remains of the Heart."

She tapped Jim's amulet. "The stones in the amulet give your armor certain upgrades, like the Triumbric Stones forming the Eclipse armor. But the Heart of Avalon, being a time stone…it didn't just change the armor. It changed you. Time is moving through you; that's why you changed back into a human." She shrugged. "But that's just a theory."

Jim was silent as he processed the information. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. After all, one stone made multiple versions of himself.

He shuddered. He still needed therapy for that.

"If that's the case, why don't you just take off the armor, Jimbo?" Toby said.

Jim blinked. "I…I hadn't even thought of that."

"That's why everyone says I'm the brains of the group."

"I assure you, no one says that," Archie remarked, flapping away from an overexcited Douxie.

"Here goes nothing," Jim said as he put his hand to his chest. He pulled off the amulet-or at least, he tried to. It was still stuck stubbornly to his chest.

Giving his friends a nervous smile, Jim tugged harder. No luck. Irritation growing, Jim used both hands and pulled as hard as he could. The amulet wouldn't budge.

"Why won't this stupid thing come off?" he growled as he failed once again.

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Well, you have to be calm for the amulet to come off."

"I am calm!" Jim snarled.

He paused at his friends' doubtful gazes and forced himself to take a deep breath. "Okay, so maybe I'm not calm. Can you blame me? We lost Nari-or, Douxie, whatever's going on there right now," he said, pointing at Douxie squeezing Archie to death. "The whole world just found out about magic, and I'm human again. Am I missing anything else?"

"What the devil's going on in here?!" Blinky demanded, stomping into the main hall, Jim's mom and Strickler hot on his heels. "One might think a battle is raging with all this racket and-oh, great grumbling gruesome…" he trailed off as his gaze fell on Jim. "What on earth…?"

"Jim?" His mom wouldn't stop staring as she walked up to him. She held her hand out but hesitated, as if not quite believing he was there. "Is this some-some kind of trick?"

Jim took her hand and squeezed it. He gave her a reassuring smile despite the anxiety roiling in his own stomach. "No, Mom…it's really me."

Her eyes grew watery. "Oh, Jim…"

She brushed her fingers through his hair and let out a weak laugh. "You're shorter than me again."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Jim muttered under his breath.

"Master Jim!" Blinky said, grabbing his attention. "What kind of magic did this to you?" He scowled. "Was it those filthy wizards?"

"Actually, Blink…it wasn't." He scratched his neck nervously. "It was, um, to keep it simple, Merlin's magic."

Blinky growled. "That blasted wizard! Even in death he's a nuisance." His anger dissipated as he stared at Jim. "Is this…permanent?"

"I…I don't know."

"Oh." Sadness entered his mentor's eyes. "I see."

With a pang, Jim realized how much he had lost. It wasn't just the strength and speed…it was also the closeness he had with his troll family. He wouldn't be able to tussle with Argh like this, cook trollish delights for Blinky, or even get those troll tattoos he had been meaning to get. Just what else had been taken from him?

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, everyone quieted down and shuffled awkwardly. Zoe broke the silence with a cough.

"I'm going to find a spell that can track down Douxie," she said. "Or Douxie in Nari's body-whatever. I want him out of the Order's hands as soon as possible."

"I'll join you," Claire piped in. "Think you could whip up a quick energy potion for me while you're at it? I need to portal a taco truck with aliens back here."

"Sure, I could use the company."

The others followed suit, Claire giving him a peck on the cheek as she left. Blinky made to leave as well, but hesitated. He faced Jim and placed all four of his hands on his shoulders, making him look directly in his eyes.

"Jim, I want you to know, that no matter what you are-human, half-troll, or even fully troll-you will always be my son." Pride blazed in his eyes, all the sadness gone. "Always."

A lump formed in his throat. "And you'll always be my dad, Blinky."

Now that made Blinky smile. He patted Jim reassuringly before following Zoe and the others. He was alone with his mom and Strickler.

"Now that we're alone, why don't we go out for some fresh air?" his mom suggested.

Jim frowned. "What? Why would we do that?"

"Oh, I just thought while you're human…" she fixed her glasses with a smile. "You might want to enjoy the sun."

.

.

.

Jim bit his lip. It was so close, and yet, so very far away. He reached out a hand but quickly withdrew it. No. Sunlight was bad.

"Come on now, young Atlas," Strickler said. "Even I can walk in the sun. You'll be alright."

Jim glanced up at his mom and Strickler, both giving him encouraging smiles. A slight breeze blew across the courtyard. The sun's rays filtered through the fluffy clouds, bathing everything in a calming golden glow.

He had learned to fear sights like this.

But-and he had to keep reminding himself this-he wasn't a troll. Not right now, at least. He could do this. It was safe.

He took a deep breath and inched into the sunlight. Instinctively, he winced, expecting the familiar burning sensation. But it never came. All he felt was…warmth.

He gasped as he fully entered the courtyard. There-there was no pain! Just light and wonderful warmth. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, just enjoying the feel of being outside. It had been so, so long since he had been able to do this.

Jim hadn't realized he was even crying until his mom stepped up to him and squeezed his shoulder. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

He opened his eyes and wiped them with a laugh. "Yeah, Mom, I'm fine. This is just…I'd forgotten how much I missed the sun, that's all."

"Are you happy, then?" Strickler asked. "Happy to be human again?"

"Of course I am," Jim answered. "But at the same time…"

He walked to the railing and leaned over it, the breeze ruffling his hair. His mom and Strickler joined him. They were quiet as he struggled for the right words to say.

"It's just, I had finally gotten used to being a troll," he admitted as he turned to them. "More than that, I was enjoying it. I knew more about trolls-the very people I'm charged to protect-than I ever had before because I was one of them. Whether it was babysitting the younglings, participating in coming-of-age rituals, or hunting snargarffs…" he chuckled at the memory. "I felt like I had finally connected with them. And now-now it's all gone."

He gazed up at his mom pleadingly. "Don't get me wrong, there are so many things I miss about being human. For the longest time, I didn't think I could ever have something like a normal life again. But since Arcadia knows about trolls…I didn't have to hide. I mean, if it wasn't for my nocturnal schedule, I almost felt like any other teenager."

He lowered his head, suddenly guilty. "You probably hate that I prefer being a troll, don't you? That I-that I turned back on my species or-"

"Jim, of course I'm not mad," his mom said, placing her hand over his own.

He looked up at her, eyes wide. "R-really?"

She nodded, her eyes filled with conviction. "Really. It's true-I do miss when you were human, when times were simpler. But I've seen how happy you were as a troll, and that made me happy. You're still my baby boy, regardless of whether you have fangs and horns. Besides," she said, giving Strickler a warm smile, "just look at who I'm marrying."

Jim laughed. "Yeah, if you can get past Strickler's looks you can get by anything-" he screeched to a halt as her words sank in. "Wait, what did you just say?"

His mom held up her left hand in answer, a radiant smile on her face. Sure enough, a silver band with a tiny diamond sat on her wedding finger.

His mouth dropped open. "What-when did this-a ring?!" he spluttered.

Strickler chuckled. "I know it's a lot to take in, young Atlas, but I would be honored if you stood by my side as my best man."

A million emotions flooded through Jim at once. Shock, bewilderment, disbelief, even indignation. He had known Strickler throughout all of high school and genuinely liked him. But the thought of him marrying his mom had never even crossed his mind! His. Mom! And he wanted Jim to be his best man?!

He snuck a glance over at his mom. She was gazing into Strickler's eyes with such fondness-no, more than that, love-that he knew he could never take that away from her. She really was happy to be with him. And just like she was happy when Jim was happy, it was the same with her.

"I was your student, your enemy, your friend, and now…" they looked at him hopefully, and Jim smiled. "And now your best man. The honor would be all mine."

"Oh, Jim!" His mom squeezed him in a tight hug. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."

Strickler smiled as he watched, keeping his distance. Jim rolled his eyes. "Come on, Strickler. If you're gonna be my stepdad, you've gotta get used to family hugs."

Strickler positively beamed as he stepped forward. He wrapped his wings around the two of them, cocooning them in their leathery mass.

"Just so you know, Strickler," Jim said, his voice muffled, "I've still got my eye on you."

They burst into laughter, and for a moment, Jim forgot all about the Arcane Order. The only things that mattered were the people around him and the sun shining on his back.

Someone coughed from behind them. They broke apart and whirled around to face the source of the noise.

A sheepish Toby raised a hand in greeting. "Sorry to ruin the moment and all, but Claire's portaled the van back, along with Krel, Stuart, and Steve. Aja's on her way back from Akiridion-5 too."

Jim sighed. "Which means it's probably time to plan our next move, huh?"

"Unfortunately. Personally, I could go for a burrito break right about now, but I guess it'll have to wait."

"Trust me, Tobes," he said as they walked out of the brightly lit courtyard, "I'd love a burrito too."

As the four of them entered the coolness of the castle, Jim took a deep breath and squared his shoulders in resignation. He had to pull himself together. The others needed his leadership, now more than ever.

Human or not, he was still the Trollhunter.

A/N: Alright, I do apologize for the shit ton of dialogue in this chapter. But it was like that in the movie too, so that makes me feel sort of better. Also there's a lot of feels in this chapter too? How did that even happen? Yeah, I did not expect there to be this many feels in the second chapter either. But considering that Jim just changed species for like, the third time, it's probably warranted. The poor boy just got used to being a troll and now he's human again whoopsie.

Oh yeah, if you couldn't tell, I did zero research for the police interrogation scene. I honestly didn't know where to find accurate sources, and since I'm writing for a cartoon, I just thought, "cartoon logic it is" lol. So I'm sorry about the inaccuracies there guys.

Right. *claps hands* About Claire and being 'spent.' I call that bullshit. Never happened before, why is it starting now? That's why I went the route that "Skullcrusher" took in season two, that making portal after portal is utterly draining. Not good for your health at all, no siree.

Next chapter should be more fun-maybe an emotional moment or two-but for the most part, our queen Aja has returned and is wondering why Jim is no longer blue.