I do not own Trolls.

Chapter Three

Branch sat up high in the trees, the leaves offering him a veil of comfort and solidarity. He had an idea of how to make things up to Poppy. He felt awful about leaving her there. He felt fear run through him and his fight or flight mode made its choice there and then. Branch found it funny how he could tackle most things such as huge spiders and Bergens, but the idea of a little baby made him run for the hills. He felt ridiculous now he thought about it. Poppy deserved better and so did that child. He needed to pull up his 'big boy pants', as Poppy would say, and stand up for what he wanted.

"So, Branch, what's the plan?" Biggie asked cautiously as he approached the tree, looking up into the bush to try and spot his friend. Branch had managed to convince a few of their friends to assist him in his plan. He needed Poppy to come to him, he needed to apologise and show her he was there and not going anywhere.

"Well, it was a surprise!" Guy laughed in his autotune voice as Branch jumped from the branches.

"I know. It took me by surprise, I mean, I just don't get how it happened…" Branch shook his head, the news still shocked him even now.

"Well when a girl and a boy-"

"Don't start, Guy!" Branch snapped at him in warning. The glitter Troll just chuckled to himself.

"Right, the plan guys?" Biggie pulled them back on track again.

"I need Poppy bringing to the lake, the one where all the wild flowers are, in time for the sunset. I want to give her a surprise," Branch admitted, Biggie cooing at what he deemed to be a cute statement.

"You already managed the surprise part…" Guy let out through a laughter filled snort. He couldn't help himself.

"Guy…" Branch's tone was low and threatening. He didn't want any mistakes, he needed things to be perfect. Branch was a control freak, so he needed to know things were going to plan, however, the more he looked at his chosen companions for the task, the less assured he felt…

XoXoXoXoXoX

Poppy felt low and upset with Branch's reaction. She wasn't expecting him to jump up and down, but for there to be no words at all and the only form of emotion she saw was his gaped mouth of shock, left her feeling a little heart broken. Poppy wanted nothing more than for him to come through those doors and be by her side. She felt terrible. She hugged her blanket closer to her, her body laid on its side as she stared at the blank wall ahead of her. She laid her hand gently on her stomach. Whether Branch was with her or not, this baby was coming, and it would need all the love she could possibly give. It pained her though to even think of a future without Branch.

"Poppy?" She heard a knock at the door, but she chose to ignore it. She didn't feel like talking.

"Poppy, I know you're in there," Biggie's voice sounded soft and caring, it felt very nurturing towards her battered emotions. She thought quietly for a moment before sighing, shouting for Biggie to enter as she sat up. Out of all her friends there was only the girls who knew of her pregnancy, Smidge being the one to see the Doctor with her. She felt bad for not telling the boys, but she needed to tell Branch first and it was bad enough the females knew before him.

"Are you okay? Your father said you weren't feeling well," Biggie offered her a warm smile as he sat on the edge of her bed near her feet. She smiled at him, kindly accepting the home-made soup he had made for her. However, just the smell set her stomach off and she quickly had to give the container back before dashing to the toilet.

"Oh, Poppy…" Biggie whispered more to himself than her as he approached the bathroom, just in time for Poppy dragging herself out.

"Sorry," She murmured, clearly embarrassed.

"Don't be silly, Poppy. You're not well," Biggie assured her, "However, I do believe a little water and fresh air would go a long way,"

"I don't really feel up for a walk…" Poppy shook her head. Her heart felt too broken and confused to go anywhere. She felt her mind would be distracted, which meant she would be terrible company for him.

"Well, I insist you join me in an evening stroll. You've been in bed all day!" Biggie exclaimed as he grabbed a dress for Poppy out of her closet, passing it to her so she can change from her pyjamas.

"Biggie, I rea-"

"No buts!" Biggie insisted. Poppy breathed a heavy sigh but smiled and agreed. Biggie only meant well, and she hoped maybe his suggestion would help.

Poppy got ready quickly, which meant they were soon on their way. The warm evening breeze did feel nice against her skin, the birds' chirps felt soothing to her ears and the smell of the flowers left her soul feeling appeased. The whole day she had wound herself up into such a state that she lost sight of her normal positive self. She thanked Biggie for bringing her out of the pod.

"You can thank me later," Biggie smiled as he gently nudged Poppy forward. She looked at him curiously before looking ahead. She gasped at the set up around her. The flowers were in full bloom, the sunset making the lake water shimmer, and there for her eyes were some balloons. She found the image beautiful. One thing she did notice though was that it wasn't over the top. The natural aspects around her shone through and it made the scenery even more magical.

"Poppy," She quickly spun around at the familiar voice, tears welling in her eyes as she dived into Branch's arms. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go.

"Poppy," Branch gently pushed her back, so he could look at her, taking her hands into his, "I'm so sorry for just leaving. I was just… I was…" He bit his lip, not wanting to sound pathetic.

"I know," She whispered softly, smiling. She was just glad he came back.

"Poppy, I'm here for you and our baby. This is our future. Our family. It was sooner than I expected but things change, and I need to get with the flow," He told her before passing her a small bag that was sat beside him on the ground. She undid the bag to find a small baby outfit inside.

"Oh, Branch,"

"I wanted to prove to you that I did want this, so I got this. It looks insignificant I k-" Poppy silenced him with a kiss. She understood him. While the gift wasn't extravagant, it was personal, and it spoke loudly to her.

"That's not just it," Branch took a step back, a small grin on his face as he kept hold of one of her hands. She stared at him in wonder, her eyes soon widening as she watched Branch drop to one knee. She couldn't believe it. Was this what she thought it was?

She stared at him, mouth agape, as he pulled out a sparkly ring. It was beautiful.

"Will you marry me?"