A/N: Hey it's been a while. Hope you like my chapter.

"Thorne don't worry about it." Crocness told him.

"I'm not worrying." Thorne said trying to convince himself and Crocness.

"Yes you are. I can sense it." She said lying up on the bed.

"It's just, they're your parents and well we've only been engaged a week." Thorne told her.

"Whose fault is that?" Crocness asked him.

"It shocked me more than it shocked you." He told her.

"Yeah right." She said getting up of the bed, "Make sure you're in a good mood. My parents will probably be angry from the jet-lag."

"Who cares they will hate me, like my parents hate Kook." Thorne told her.

"Well you're not Kook." She told him before she left his bedroom.

Thorne finished packing his things when an unwanted visitor stopped by.

"Hello Thorny, what ya up to?" Kook asked entering his room.

"None of your business and get out." Thorne shouted at him.

"Ahhh from all of the extra anger I can tell your meeting the in-laws." Kook said, "Good luck."

"I'll need it." Thorne whispered to himself.

Thorne had a sleepless night. He kept tossing and turning and whenever he did fall asleep, he kept having dreams that Crocness's parents were throwing him in a swamp and leaving him to die. It was currently 7:00am, Thorne knew Crocness would be up shortly so he decided to lie in bed and wait until she passed. While he was waiting, he was thinking of ways for Crocness's parents to like him.

"Come on Thorne, they'll like you." He told himself, "After all you're going to give them grandchildren- don't even go there."

Thorne heard someone get up. It wasn't Crocness, it was his sister Shaiden.

"Shaiden." Thorne whispered loudly.

Shaiden heard him, entered his room and sat on the edge of his bed.

"What?" She asked her brother.

"I'm visiting Crocness's parents today, any advice." He said.

"Yeah, don't do what Kook did." She said and with that she left.

"Thanks, a lot of help." Thorne said.

"You know talking to yourself is the first sign of craziness." Crocness said from in the corridor.

"I was talking to Shaiden." Thorne told her.

"Listen, I want to go soon. I want to leave before Gildar, Skabb and Kook wake up and give you all of these worst case scenarios." She told him.

"Fine, I'll get ready." Thorne said getting out of bed.

"And relax, it'll be fine." Crocness said.

"If you say so." Thorne said.

"I do, now get ready." Crocness said leaving the room.

Thorne got dressed then went down to breakfast; he stomped into the kitchen and grabbed a bagel then left. He suddenly stopped outside the kitchen door and re-entered the kitchen then realised it. Kook, Gildar and Skabb were all having breakfast and smiling at him.

"Have a great trip Thorny." Kook said taking a chunk out of his toast.

"Don't worry; I'll look after your lab." Gildar said smiling at him.

"I'll call you." Skabb said ripping his toast into little shreds.

"Thanks, I think." Thorne said leaving.

Crocness came down stairs looking for Thorne, who was shocked by what he just saw. Thorne looked at the clock 7:30am, what were Kook, Gildar and Skabb doing up this early.

"Thorne are you ready?" Crocness asked.

"Yeah." Thorne replied.

"Are you alright?" She asked concerned.

"I think I just saw Kook, Gildar and Skabb eating breakfast." Thorne told her.

"Thorne, are you feeling alright." She asked feeling his forehead then went to check herself only to find that Thorne was right, the boys were smiling at her eating breakfast, "Let's go."

Thorne packed the car with their luggage, Shaiden, Ballista and Knightriss had gotten up early to wish them good luck while Kook, Gildar and Skabb were still smiling and waving at him.

"Crocness, let's go." Thorne shouted over then getting in the car.

Thorne and Crocness chatted a bit while driving to the hotel, her parents were staying at. Crocness kept asking if he was okay which he would reply with fine. When they arrived at the hotel, Thorne got the luggage and entered the hotel and sorted out their room while Crocness called her mum to find out where they were.

"Right come on, my parents are by the pool." Crocness told him.

"We're meeting them now?" Thorne asked.

"Yes." Crocness replied.

"But it's 9:00am." Thorne replied, "We might spend the whole day with them."

"That was the idea." Crocness said.

Once they put their luggage in their room, Crocness literally dragged Thorne to meet her parents.

"I don't know why you're so worried." Crocness said, "Just because Gildar and Kook have had bad experiences doesn't mean we will."

"It's the curse of the defenders." Thorne said.

"No it's not." Crocness argued, "Now look happier, mum and dad are just over there."

Crocness pulled Thorne to meet her parents.

"Mum, Dad." Crocness said.

"Crocness, how are you?" Her mother asked.

"I'm good." She replied.

"Hello, darling." Her father said giving her a hug.

"Hi dad, this is Thorne." Crocness said introducing her parents to the alchemist.

"Hey." He said.

"Hello Thorne, you can call me Maria." Maria told him.

"And you can call me Liam." Liam told him.

"Okay, nice to meet you." Thorne said.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Maria said, "It's a lot happier than you described him."

"People often do that, it's so they expect the worst." Thorne told them.

"Right, Liam, could you gets us some drinks." Maria asked, "Maybe Thorne could help you."

"Good idea. What do you want?" Liam asked Maria.

"Something fizzy." She replied.

"Do you want to usual?" Thorne asked Crocness.

"Yep, see ya." Crocness said then went to talk with her mother.

At the bar:

"So Thorne, what drink does my daughter want?" He asked.

"Lemonade, no lemon just ice." He replied.

"Right okay then." Liam said ordering the drinks, "So do you two have any plans. I don't know say a proposal."

Thorne started choking in his drink, "Hasn't Crocness told you?" he asked.

"Told me what?" Liam asked.

"Nothing, we'll tell you later." Thorne said looking over at Crocness.

Once everyone got there drink, they started chatting and getting to know each other. It wasn't as bad as Thorne imagined, it went okay until…

"You didn't tell them we were engaged." Thorne said pulling Crocness into a corner.

"I couldn't tell them over the phone." Crocness argued, "How about we do it now?"

"Fine but you can tell them." Thorne said.

Thorne and Crocness went back to join Liam and Maria. Then Crocness told them.

"Mum, Dad, we have something to tell you." Crocness started saying.

"Your pregnant." Maria shouted out.

"Gosh no." Thorne told Maria.

"No I'm not pregnant." Crocness told them, "Thorne and I are engaged."

Maria and Liam went silent for a few seconds. Thorne was tugging Crocness's t-shirt, to say let's go quickly but they remained.

"Engaged?" Maria questioned.

"For how long?" Liam asked.

"A week, it shocked both of us really." Crocness explained.

"Well, I think a celebration is in order." Liam said.

After they celebrated the engagement, Thorne and Crocness went to bed to get some sleep as they would be returning back to the castle the next day. The next morning before they left the hotel, Maria and Liam said goodbye to them. Thorne put the luggage in the car then they set off. It was midday when they finally arrived back at the castle. Crocness rushed off to tell the girls all about it while Thorne went to find the boys. Gildar, Kook and Skabb were still smiling as he found them.

"Please don't tell me you did that the whole night." Thorne said.

"No, we just do it when you're around so how did it go?" Gildar asked.

"No too bad." Thorne replied, "Not too bad."