PART 3 SPOILERS IN THIS STORY! WATCH ALL OF PART 3 BEFORE READING!

Chapter 5- Happiness and Love

Jim and Claire arrived at Jean, Nevada. A tumbleweed went by. The town had, maybe, one or two buildings. However, it was still pretty deserted. The grass on the ground was dry and dead. The mountains stood tall around them. The walk, much like the town, was boring and dry. They still had the book with them, deciding that they would examine it after Claire got some supplies. They finally made it to the convenience store.

The convenience store was your everyday typical gas station store. It was white with a red trim at the top. Because it was nearing midnight, there weren't that many cars parked there. One of the streetlights near the building began to flicker. A sign was lit up on the top of the building, saying "Terrible's Convenience Store". Just the name of the store made Jim and Claire feel uneasy.

"So welcoming." Jim said.

"Oh sheesh kabob! I hope I packed cash! I can't believe I didn't think of that." Claire said as she rummaged through her pack.

"Well, if you can't get any food, we could always share my silverware." Jim laughed. Claire was not amused. Jim stiffened. "Right...not the time for jokes. You're hangry." Claire kept looking inside her pack until she found a small paper bag. She opened it to find $650.

"Papi!" She exclaimed.

"Is that as much money as I think I'm seeing?" Jim asked.

"Yup...that's Papi alright." Claire responded. She lifted her head and glanced at Jim. His eyes were big and sparkling with glee.

"Can I have a few bills? Like, maybe 200 or-" Jim asked. She playfully elbowed him in the gut. Jim laughed.

"Eat your spoons." Claire said smiling as they walked to the back of the store so people wouldn't notice Jim. "Okay, I'll go in. You stay here and watch my bag." Jim nodded.

Claire walked into the store. It wasn't much. It was a little run down. Claire was hungry and didn't care where the food was from. A cashier was at the register, smoking a cigar. His eyes shifted to Claire walking in.

"Welcome to Terrible's, where everything really isn't terrible...at all…whatever." He said with no motivation, not even bothering to look up.

"Uhh...thanks…" She said as she went towards the beverage section.

Jim sat outside waiting for Claire to bring him something to eat. He ate a lot already but didn't realize how hungry trolls can get. He started to become bored sitting there. He saw her phone sitting out of the pack a bit. He decided to pick it up. He unlocked the phone with a swipe and saw the background was a picture of her and Enrique. Jim smiled. Even though Gunmar got out, he still doesn't regret going into the Darklands to save him. He was really glad he did it.

He looked through her phone icons until he saw one titled Gallery. He tapped it and began to look through the photos she's taken. He sighed at the first picture that came up. It was him and Toby riding their bikes. Neither he or Toby we're paying attention to Claire taking the picture. She took it without them noticing. He kept scrolling. He found a picture from Trollmarket, where he, Toby, and Claire all had their weapons in hand. He chuckled a little at that one. Then, a picture of Claire, him, and his mom appeared. He and his mom didn't even notice her take the picture. He stared at it for a while. A tear welled in his eye. He realized he's forgotten to do something.

"Oh no." He said as he exited out of the gallery on Claire's phone and pulled up the dial pad. "Mom's gonna kill me!" He exclaimed as he dialed his mom. Jim put the phone up to his ear. The dial tone started. Suddenly, it stopped.

"Dr. Lake. Who's speaking, please?" Barbara answered the phone. Jim was hesitant to talk.

"Uhh...hey Mom." Jim stuttered. Barbara gasped.

"Jim! Sweetie! How are things! How is Claire doing, where are yo-" She stopped speaking. "You never called me the last few days." Jim's eyes went wide.

"I know. I'm...I'm so sorry mom. Things have been really busy lately." Jim explained. "So, how are things at home?"

"Well-" Barbara was interrupted. Jim heard a chuckle in the phone call.

"Is someone with you?" Jim asked her.

"Yes, honey. Walter's here with me. We're having a little get together." She replied.

"Why hello Young Atlas. Nice to hear from you again." Strickler said on the phone.

"Oh, hi Mr. Strickler." Jim said, irritated.

Barbara spoke again, talking to Mr. Strickler. "Oh look at this one at a year old. This was about an hour before coming down and seeing him covered in his own-." Jim interrupted before she could say anything else.

"MOM, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Jim exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry Jim. We're looking at old photo albums, including-" Barbara was interrupted.

"No...no...are you looking at my baby photos!?"

"Oh, Jim you shouldn't be ashamed of these. You were adorable as a baby." Barbara said, optimistic. Jim sighed. He facepalmed. "Now, Jim, have you been okay? I haven't heard from you in days."

"Mom, I told you before. You don't have to worry about me." Jim said.

"But what I told you is that it's my job. I'm your mother. Be honest with me. Has everything been okay?" Barbara asked Jim. He stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Yeah, things have been...good."

"Jim, as the great Marcus Tullius Cicero once stated, 'If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.'" Strickler quoted. Jim ground his teeth in annoyance.

"He's right Jim, and you know it." Barbara added. Jim drooped his head and groaned. He didn't want to worry his mother. He attempted to tell a half-truth.

"We're...just hungry. We've stopped at a convenience store for food. Claire's in there right now." Jim said, feigning cheerfulness. Barbara was skeptical at first but decided to trust him.

"Well, okay honey. I'm glad everything's fine. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me, alright?" Barbara pleaded.

"You got it, Mom." Jim said before Barbara spoke again.

"I...I love you, kiddo." Barbara said while her voice cracked.

"Love you too, Mom." He said, tearing up a bit before hanging up.

Then he dropped his head and sighed once again. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He locked the phone and put it back in Claire's pack. A dark figure came around. It wasn't Claire, but the cashier from inside the convenience store. He saw Jim and stared at him for a second.

"Eh...whatever." He said before walking away. Jim was completely confused.

"Well, that happened." Jim said before seeing Claire walk towards him. She had two plastic bags in her hand.

"Okay, I got myself some baked beans. Good thing they have a microwave." Claire said before seeing Jim's hopeful face. "Yes Jim I saved the cans. I also got some metal cups in there too" She chuckled. He was so happy he began to clap his hands and jump up and down. She gave him the cans. He took one of them and bit right into it.

"Wow. How sharp are those teeth?"

"Enough to bite into a can apparently. So what else did you buy?" Jim asked.

"Nothing much. Just some crackers, some bottled water, some jerky, and some gummy candy." Claire said as she moved things around in the plastic bags. He saw him devour his metal treats.

"Don't eat it all! Don't you want a snack on the way to Las Vegas?" She said as she sat down next to him. She turned her head to Jim, noticing a saddened look on his face as he ate. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about some stuff." Jim said as he looked up at the stars. It was a clear night which are perfect for stargazing.

"The stars are beautiful, aren't they?" Claire said with a smile. She began to eat her baked beans. Jim turned his head, looking at her.

"Yeah. They're uh...magnifico" Jim responded. Claire facepalmed and laughed.

"You know, your Spanish isn't half bad actually." Claire chuckled. Jim pumped his fist.

"Holla! Tobes was wrong!" He exclaimed. He then shifted his gaze to the book. "So what do you think this book is?" He said as he reached for it. Claire swallowed her food.

"I don't know. The title doesn't really help us that much." Claire answered as they observed the cover.

"Seriously. I can't read it or understand it."

"The cover looks pretty old. It kind of feels like real leather too." Jim said. Claire proceeded to turn the cover to reveal the pages. The parchment was withered and torn around the edges. They studied what was written down on them. The writing was scattered all over. It was far from uniform.

"Huh, must be some kind of journal." Jim said. They turned more of the pages until they came to a sketch of a troll. The troll's hands and legs were tied to a stone table. They couldn't translate what was written on the pages because it was in a different language. "What do you think it says?"

"I don't know, but it is intriguing." Claire responded.

"Agreed. It's a good thing we kept this. Once we meet up with Blinky and the others again, we'll see if they know what all these words mean." Jim said to Claire. She nodded in agreement.

"So...what were you doing on my phone?" Claire asked. Jim froze. "Oh come on Jim. I remember where I put my phone in my pack. I put it in the side pocket but when I came back, it was in the zipper pouch." Claire said as she held her phone in front of him.

"Uh...I…" Jim tried to speak but the guilt was killing him.

"Jim, it's okay if you did. I have nothing to hide. I was just curious." Claire said as she placed her hand on one of his shoulders.

"Oh, I uh...called my mom." Jim told her.

"Really? How is she?" Claire asked him.

"She's doing okay." Jim said with a smile.

"That's good to hear." Claire responded.

"Oh, and I might have looked through your photos. You never told me you had photos like that on your phone." Jim said to her.

"Really? Oh, I thought you knew. Well, yeah. I was actually going to print them all out from my computer and make a collage out of them once I was back in Arcadia." Claire told Jim. Jim looked down.

"So...you think we'll see them all again?" Jim asked. Claire shifted her gaze at him. "You know, our friends and family, Toby…" He turned to look at her, "...my mom…" Claire slipped him a hopeful glance. She shifted her body towards his.

"You know, there is something my abuelita always told me whenever I felt like losing hope."

"What's that?" Jim asked.

"Si la esperanza estuviera muerta, la felicidad y el amor no serían más que un recuerdo lejano." Claire said. Jim had a blank stare.

"I didn't get any of that." Jim told her. Claire caressed his face with her hands.

"If hope was dead, happiness…" Claire said. She kissed his face. "...and love would be nothing but a distant memory." Jim was speechless. She was right. He lifted his head up and gazed at her. Jim pulled her in for a hug.

"You are truly amazing Claire." Jim said with a smile as he hugged her tightly.

"So I believe we are here. We need to get...here." Blinky said pointing to Las Vegas on the map. The map was placed on the ground as the trolls sat around it, observed it, trying to find their way. They were having great difficulty. The map wasn't much help because it was a map of the entire United States, and lacked the specifics they needed.

"We're not getting anywhere with this." Nomura said as she slammed her fist down on the map. "I mean, come on, we're trollkind. We don't need a map to find our way around."

"Well then, Nomura, please. Enlighten us. What do you suggest we do?" Blinky snapped, crossing his arms.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help! I don't understand what you are all so worked up about!" Nomura said as she turned her back and walked away. She went over to a large rock and sat on it. Blinky grew concerned. He began to wonder if he was being too hard on her. He walked over to her.

"Nomura? May I ask what is bothering you? I am listening." Blinky asked her. She turned away from him dramatically.

"It's none of your concern, Dinkous." Nomura replied as she crossed her arms.

"Look, I've noticed that you haven't been acting like your normal, aggressive, very….very violent.. self. If there is anything wrong, we may be able to help you get through whatever it is." He put his hand on her shoulder. "As I told Master Jim one day, for folly or for fraught…" Nomura turned to face Blinky, "We are a team." Nomura sighed.

"Death has been a constant occurrence in my life. I thought I would be used to it by now." She explained as she drooped her head. "But Draal? We were breaking a long-waged war between the both of us. After freeing the Trollhunter from the Darklands, I felt as if we were starting to get reacquainted. But now…" She put her hands in fists. "He's dead too. I'm tired of it."

"Draal's death was not in vain. He swore an oath to protect the trollhunter…no matter the cost. He said it was his honor. He died fulfilling his promise."

"That's...good to know. Thank you. I just need time to myself." Nomura looked up at Blinky.

"As you wish." Blinky said as he walked away. As Blinky walked, he looked back behind his shoulder. He turned his head back around and walked to Merlin. Merlin was standing, looking at the landscape before him. Blinky sighed. "She's going to be okay." Merlin nodded his head.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did Draal die exactly?" Merlin asks Blinky. Blinky face filled with grief.

"He was brutally slain by Angor Rot...in the innermost sanctum."

"The innermost sanctum, you say? Hmm." Merlin said as he stroked his beard. Blinky turned his gaze to Merlin with a raised eyebrow.

"I must ask, are you feeling alright? You have been incredibly quiet." Blinky asked him.

"Don't worry, my good fellow. I am perfectly fine." Merlin said. Blinky nodded, then walked away. The corner of Merlin's mouth lifted.

Jim and Claire finished eating their food. They decided to spend the night at the convenience store in order to give Blinky and the others more time to catch up with them. Once morning struck, they ran into an abandoned shed near the convenience store to combat the sunlight. Claire slept while Jim kept a lookout for any intruders. They waited for Blinky and the others once night struck. 2 hours have passed, but they never came. They began to worry.

"It's already 7 PM." Claire told Jim.

"Yeah. Where could they be?" Jim wondered. He began to worry. "Maybe we could meet them in Las Vegas?"

"We could do that. The tunnels they had entered could have let them out somewhere far away from where we are. We all know Las Vegas is our destination. Where we are now is just a rest stop."

"Agreed…" Jim said. "How long will it take to get to there from here?"

"Let me check." Claire said. She pulled out her phone and turned on the GPS. "Ooo...about 10 hours. We need to get there fast or else we won't make it by sunrise. Maybe there's something around here that could help us get there faster. There's bike parts in here so there could be a bike or two nearby." They both looked around. Jim searched the outside while Claire searched inside. Jim, after a while, struck gold.

"Oh, Claire?" Jim called to her. She came outside to Jim who was holding two old, but still useable bicycles. "Would you care to join me for a romantic bike ride through the middle of nowhere, m'lady?" Jim asked her with a bow.

"It would be my pleasure, sir." She chuckled as she gracefully curtsied. They each took a bike and headed on the trail again. The bike ride was so much more enjoyable than walking. They were very thankful they had some transportation this time. Jim began to do his usual bike tricks, like pedaling with no hands and balancing on one wheel.

"See, I might be part troll now, but I haven't lost my biking skills." Jim said proudly. Claire shook her head in amusement.

"Hey, I'll race you!" Claire said to him. He grinned at her.

"You're on!" He replied. Their bikes sped up. Jim was very glad he could still ride a bike. It's one thing he did as a human that he could still do now. They biked for about 2 hours. Suddenly, Claire stopped. Jim noticed and stopped too. They both looked forward, seeing a bright and colorful city ahead of them. Their eyes squinted because of how bright it was.

"We made it." Jim said as he pointed. "Las Vegas."

CHAPTER 6 COMING SOON

P.S. Chapters are going to start coming out a little slower now. Thought I should let you all know! Thanks for reading and supporting me so far! Love you all! :D