It's short and I'm sorry. I crashed My car and didn't get a chance to work on it until today. It's not edited but it's on thanksgiving!
I'm grateful for all of your reviews, and your follows and favorites. You are honestly the nicest people I know. Thank you so much for giving me the courage to keep writing. Your reviews mean the world to me!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Let The Chaos Ensue.
Chapter 33: Happy Thanksgiving
Amanda, Maggie and Claire sat around the coffee table eating their omelettes, Jim walking in and drying his hands, clean dishes drying on the counter.
"OH!" Jim said. "Something you should know, Amanda. I'm only half troll, and I used to be all human. That's something we forgot to mention to Maggie in the first place, and I didn't want you confused by that."
Amanda looked up from her plate, brows raised. She stared at Jim for a minute before going back to her omelette.
"What," Claire said. "No questions?"
The girl looked up and shrugged. "If it's important it will be brought up, you guys are deep in magic so I can only assume magic was involved. Look, while I understand why you kept the secret from us, and why you did what you did in the past few days, I want to go home. I'm tired, hungry, and I want my bed," she said. "As much as stories and explanations might be necessary, I just don't want them right now."
Jim smiled and nodded.
"I'll take you home as soon as you're ready," he said. Jim turned to Claire and Maggie. "You two head out on patrol, I'll meet up with you after I take her home."
The girls nodded and began putting on darker clothing and grabbing weapons.
"Hey babe, it's supposed to snow on Wednesday, so you'll want to pick up everything for thanksgiving by Tuesday," Claire said.
"Noted," Jim grabbed the glamour mask and amulet, then waited by the cave entrance. Amanda finished her omelette, and raced over to him.
"I'm so ready," she said.
With a nod, they left.
They walked slowly through the woods, it was pitch black and cloudy out, the cold winter winds not being kind to Amanda.
Jim shrugged off his jacket and draped it on her shoulders, then scented the air. "Winter's coming sooner than we thought, you wanna keep walking or do you want me to carry you?"
"I'd like a ride back… you and Maggie are slave drivers when it comes to training," she said, walking stiffly.
He gave a small bark and smiled, scooping her up in his arms. "Hold on tight," was her only warning before he took off at full speed. As they neared town he slowed to a stop. "Where's your house?"
Amanda's breath was staggered she tightened her grip around Jims neck. "Uh… the neighborhood by the school, but we can go slower." She said, a hint of fear in her voice.
Jim rolled his eyes then took a running leap onto the first building, jumping one after another till he landed on the first rooftop of her neighborhood. Scanning the area, he jumped down, set Amanda down then put the mask on. "Let's get you home."
Jim took her home, then quickly found his mate and apprentice. They found and did recon on the goblin's breeding ground. With the wind as bad as it was, their stealth mission went unnoticed, by morning, they'd been stomping through six inches of snow, making a stop off at the grocery store to get the things they needed for their thanksgiving.
…
The night of Thanksgiving arrived, and Jim and Claire woke with a surprise.
Content and asleep in their nest, Jim sat upright, glaring at the curtain they used for a door. Claire woke from the bitter cold that came as Jim wasn't keeping her warm.
"Someone's outside," he said before scenting the air.
"Who? Are they a threat?" She said, sleepiness gone.
"No…" A wide grin spread on Jim's face before he bolted out the door on all fours.
Claire got up, scrambling to follow. Outside was Barbara, Strickler, and Toby. The shortest of the three was wrapped tight in a bear hug and being spun around by Jim. She leaned against the stone of the doorway and smiled.
"Claire look, it's Toby!" Jim grinned. He set Toby down and crawled around him then began nuzzling the redheads shoulder.
"I can see that," she smiled.
"And I'm chopped liver?" Barbara smiled.
Jim's ears lowered in embarrassment then he got to his feet and hugged his mom and nuzzled her face.
"Jim… what are you doing?" His mom asked.
The boy frowned, running a hand up his horn. "Sorry, forgot you're not use to it. It's… it's a nuzzle. It's affection, same thing I do with Claire, NotEnrique, Maggie… I just did it to Toby," he shrugged.
She smiled but took a step back. "I'll just add that to the list of weird things you do," she said.
"How have you been Strickler?" Claire asked.
"Fine Claire, thank you for asking."
Jim and Toby were chatting a mile a minute.
Claire rolled her eyes and then licked Jim's cheek, "Babe, if dinners going to be ready by three, you'd better get cooking."
"Fine," he said.
Jim got to work cooking and baking, creating a full blown thanksgiving dinner, fit for a human, and some fit for a troll.
Toby went to spend time with Arg for a while while Jim cooked, Barbara and Stricker to visit Blinkey, and Claire helped him cook.
Soon, everyone was seated on the floor, or at the coffee table, plate full of food. They talked happily about life and everything new and old.
Jim told them about the past week with his friends.
"Jim, that is incredibly harsh! Not to mention illegal," his mom scolded.
"I think it was an excellent way to handle them, I commend you on such clever thinking."
"Don't encourage his behavior, Walt."
"Why not, he's behaving very well for a troll. Thinking cleverly, but also with discipline."
"Thank you Stickler," Jim said. "But try explaining that to Alex and Kyle."
"They'll come around Jimbo, you're too cool a friend not to have," Toby supplied.
"Well, I've got Maggie and Amanda. And Claire is most important," Jim said.
Claire beamed. "I sure do feel important around you," she said.
"So Jim?" His mom said.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think I'm ready to know about yours and Claire's relationship?"
The room went quiet and Jim and Claire looked at each other in silent conversation. Toby laughed.
"She doesn't know?"
Jim shrugged. "Last time she came she was still new to trolls, I didn't think she'd be on board with even the term."
"Definitely not," Toby said.
"Though I do believe she is more ready now," Stickler added.
"You still good with it Claire?"
The girl shrugged. "Even the others know."
Jim nodded and looked him mom dead in the face. "Mom, Claire and I are mates."
Emotions crept slowly on her face, shock and surprise, and a pinch of anger. Just as she was about to blow, two someones saved his butt.
"OMG! Jim whatever you cooked smells amazing!" Amanda yelled.
"Mmmm, load me up a plate of everything… ok, well not everything. I don't want any of your…" Amanda and Maggie froze as they saw the other people. "Humans!"
"Mostly," Toby said.
The two girls made strides to the living room, throwing two backpacks and a duffle bag in the corner. "Hi! I'm Maggie, Jim's apprentice," Maggie said with a wide grin.
"And I'm Amanda, I'm not sure what I am. Except here."
Toby stood with a wide metal grin. "Hi, I'm Toby. This is Mr. Strickler and Dr. Lake, Jim's mom."
"Hey yo," Maggie said. Walking right into the kitchen and filling her plate with food, then a second for Amanda.
"... what?" Strickler and Barbara said.
"Love that you're stumped by the humans," Amanda laughed. She plopped down on the pile of blankets that remained from the previous nights. Maggie handed her the plate and sat on the floor in front of her.
They both looked around confused. "Did we miss something?" Maggie said.
Barbara shook her head and looked to the girls. "You both know that Jim and Claire are mates?"
"Uh, yeah. That was literally the first thing Claire said to me when I found out that Jim was a troll."
"Only because you wouldn't stop hitting on him," Amanda said. "And yeah, I know."
"You don't think it's weird?" she asked.
"We're who knows how many feet underground, having Thanksgiving breakfast at three in the morning on Black Friday…" Amanda said.
"With a troll, and a changeling, after walking three miles to get here using a magic gate and crystal stairs to make it here… No, we're not caught up on the fact that Jim and Claire are mates." Maggie finished, taking a bite of a fresh roll.
"Dude, way to get the sarcastic ones," Toby lauged.
"I'm not really sure how to feel about this," Barbara said.
"Barbara, it is only a term. The meaning behind it is much less troublesome for someone like you."
"Like me?" She snapped.
"A human, yes," he nodded.
"An adult at that," Toby said. "Most adults have life figured out and have set beliefs, us kids are still figuring it out," he shrugged.
"Go TP," Claire said. "Since when did you get so wise?"
"Since I've had to lead Steve and Eli in protecting Arcadia!" He shouted. "I used to be the funny one, now I'm in charge." He said with distaste.
"Well I'm glad things are working out for you," Jim smiled. "Anyways, I think it's time we say what we're thankful for."
"Oh! Oh oh oh! I'll start," Toby said. "I'm Thankful I live in southern California and not in New Jersey where it's not TEN DEGREES AND SNOWING!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Maggie said. "This is great weather."
"She's kidding, the snow is very early this year," Amanda smiled.
"Well, I'm grateful for Jim, who's given me a chance to be apart of something," Maggie said.
"I'm thankful for my house and my family," Amanda said simply.
"I'm grateful for Jim, and his cooking, and how he took care of me for ten long years," Barbara said.
"I'm grateful that for Jim and his sacrifice," Strickler said.
"I'm thankful for my wonderful mate, his cooking, and that he takes care of me," Claire said. Pressing a kiss to Jim's lips. "K, your turn babe."
Jim took a breath and smiled. "I'm thankful for… acceptance."
Everyone was taken aback, they didn't know what to say. It was silent for a moment as they digested the word.
For Jim, everyone's acceptance of him was the most important thing. After all, everyone just wants to be accepted.