Trigger warnings: Mentions of death, tampons, and bodily fluids, as well as mutilation and burning of bodies.
Drawn From Stone
Chapter Two
The motel they'd stumbled upon sucked.
She was fairly certain she'd seen it on one of those missing persons shows, the ones where the M.I.A. child was found dead or on one of those terrible ghost hunting shows. Either way, it sucked.
The room reeked of musk and moth balls, sprayed with fresh linen and sea breeze and talcum powder. The blue and white striped wallpaper was yellowing and stained, peeling off the plaster behind it. The furniture was simple; mismatched and looked like it had all been bought on sale at Walmart over various years. It was eclectically put together into a mess that had to have been someone's aesthetic at some point in time.
The sheets on the bed were clean and free of any stains, though. The mattress was new, maybe only slept on a handful of times. And the curtains were more than capable of blocking out the sunlight.
Everything in the bathroom worked. The water was hot and came out clear if you ran it for a minute. And the toilet looked like it had been installed sometime in the last century.
All in all, the motel wasn't totally horrible — it just sucked aesthetically. She just had to wait a couple of hours before Jim and NotEnrique could join her in sleeping on an actual bed for the first time in a long while.
Claire and Merlin had left the group to replenish some of the supplies that two humans would need to continue their travels. They had, thankfully, made it all the way to the Appalachian Mountains with little difficulty.
The "little difficulty" alluded to a small band of Gumm-Gumms in Utah that chased them through to Colorado, and a gang of Goblins they'd encountered south of Chicago in a place called Joliet. And a couple of nosy humans who wouldn't leave her alone in Ohio.
They'd quickly dispersed after a quick little illusionary tactic from Merlin that involved some bodily fluids.
They faced no difficulty getting the room at the motel, much to her surprise. Both she and Merlin had strode out of the forest like they'd owned it and stumbled into the office, practically demanding two rooms at seven in the morning. The robust woman behind the desk didn't even bat an eye when Merlin slid gold — yes, actual gold — to her.
She still wasn't positive that he hadn't pulled a Jedi mind trick on the woman.
After they'd secured their rooms, she had managed to get them a ride into town on a truck carrying pigs. The farmer dropped them off at a Target — not another Walmart, thank Deya — and she'd called her parents and Toby, letting them know how the group was doing before doing any shopping.
She helped Merlin pick out a few more modern pieces of clothes for him, something he cared very little for. She found lots of good clothes on the sales rack, piling them into the plastic red cart. As well as sneaking in some new bras and underwear, hers were starting to go again. They'd picked up food — chips and chocolate and candy and soda — and new water bottles, as well as a few new notebooks and tampons.
She also convinced him to let her go through the hair and makeup section.
Since they'd been on the road for almost eleven months, she'd given up quite a few things — deodorant, for one; bathing daily; sleeping alone, Jim and NotEnrique were always right there; privacy, wearing makeup, and junk food.
Seeing as they were reaching their destination, it didn't hurt to indulge a little. Which was why she bought a bath bomb that smelled a bit earthy and reminiscent of her Papa's cologne. Merlin had rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
She relished in the fact that her room had a bathtub in it. She was going to soak in the scented water, dammit, streaming Netflix until Jim could make it safely to her room — which wouldn't be until around nine that night.
As soon as she and Merlin got back to the motel, she organized who's things were whose as she prepared her bath.
"So wasteful," Merlin said, scoffing at her as he gathered his plastic bags. "Reminds me of someone."
He didn't say who and she didn't get the chance to ask. He was out the door before the mirror was fogged up.
The bath was wonderful and she made it through most of the newest season of Nailed It — Barbara had gotten her into it and they'd joked about her competing on it — before the water had gone cold.
She slipped into a new pair of pajamas — lamenting the fact that she couldn't wash them or any of her clothes properly — and waited.
Outside wasn't too bad, spring was ending and summer would be poking its head out soon enough. She enjoyed the fresh air coming in from the open window as she lied down on the bed.
She jolted awake, not realizing that she'd dozed off, at the knocking on her door. The sun was almost set, casting strange shadows of the rusting pole outside through the window. Her heart hammered in her chest, seeing the striking figure at her door.
He lifted his hood just a little, though she still couldn't see his face due to the fading glare of the sun and growing darkness of the shadows. A smaller figure popped up behind him, hanging onto his shoulder.
"You okay, sis?"
It was just Jim and NotEnrique.
She gave a little sigh of relief, unlocking the door for them. NotEnrique dove off Jim's shoulder and headed straight for the pile of her dirty socks — the ones she'd worn holes into.
Jim pulled her in for a hug, breathing her in. He gagged immediately.
"Sorry," she said. "I didn't think about the bath bomb or shampoo bothering you."
"Not that," he said, his voice a little raspy. She got him a glass of water, handing it to him. He took big gulps, wincing at the cold temperature. He gave the glass back to her, wiping the dribble from the stubble of his growing beard.
"It's not you or the soaps," he said, his nose twitching. "Moth balls."
He gave a few good sneezes and seemed to be done, if a little dazed. Moth balls were a Troll deterrent, good to know. She made a mental note to jot it down in her notebook later. The notebook that she was compiling with all of the information on Trolls she knew and what she was starting to learn.
"Yeah," she said, scrunching her face up and looking around, "I knew it smelled bad in here. I should have warned you. Sorry."
"I'll be fine." He looked around, inspecting the place. She knew he could see the protective charms she and Merlin had placed around her room.
"I kind of went overboard on the junk food. I might have… forgotten that I'm the only one who eats it anymore. Unless chocolate isn't toxic to you?"
She wagged a candy bar at him, right under his nose. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as his eyes crossed, watching the colorful foil wrapped treat. He hadn't had a candy bar in ages.
He swiped it from her and greedily opened it, sitting down on the bed while giving the chocolate a tentative sniff. She watched as he took a bite, his face slowly shifting into a grimace.
"That bad?" she said, deflating a little.
"No," he said, taking another bite, "peanuts."
She snorted and grabbed a bar for herself, flopping down next to him. For the first time in months, she allowed herself to relax. Just one more month, she told herself.
Are you bored?
The words ticked across the screen in front of him. And it didn't take a lot to figure out who sent it to him. Aja wasn't exactly conspicuous. Her arched eyebrows were too high on her forehead and the tight purse of her lips was a tad more smug than bored.
He quickly tapped out a discrete reply.
Barely a second later, Aja's faux composure nearly crumbled and exposed them both.
Really, it was a serious meeting. One they both needed to pay attention to, however…
Eli turned his gaze to the frog-like Akaridian, raising his eyebrows and somewhat nodding along. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. It was made even more difficult with Aja's next message — just a string of letters spelling out an incomprehensible word.
He carefully glanced back in her direction catching sight of Zadra and the frown on her face. He turned away and tried to focus, once again, on the subject matter at hand.
"...our scientists found in Sector 45," the frog-like Akaridian said, making Eli sit up straighter.
He fought the urge to raise his hand to ask what he was talking about — it wasn't a good sign when the Earthen Ambassador didn't pay attention to important meetings. There were enough eyes on him already, he didn't want any more.
He made a note to ask Zadra later.
"Ambassador Elijah," the frog-like Akaridian said, "this is your planet, what do you say we do?"
Eli paused for a moment, gathering in the curious look of those around him. Zadra didn't look too happy about anything, so whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"Well," Eli said, standing and clearing his throat, "this is very… not good news." He winced at his words. "I am open to suggestions on what we should do?"
Zadra gave a little nod.
The frog-like Akaridian was the first to speak up. Eli should really learn his name, he decided.
"We should eradicate all life from that sector, of course," he said.
Eli opened his mouth to retort, but Aja beat him to it.
"You think we should blow up Earth?" she said, her voice far more snappish than Eli was used to. The feral scowl on her face sent a chill down his spine. "My brother — your king-in-waiting — is on that planet. And you think we should destroy it?"
"We would retrieve him first, your Highness," said another member of the council.
Aja slammed her fists on the table in front of her, making all of them — including Eli — jump.
"No. You will wait for my orders before you do anything."
She stomped off, pace rapid and loud. Eli quickly followed after her with Zadra bringing up the rear. It was a moment before anyone spoke.
"Who does he think he is?" Aja said, the words spitting hotter than lava out of her mouth. She looked ready to march back in and throttle the frog-like Akaridian.
"Your Chief Advisor," Zadra said, lying a gentle hand on Aja's shoulder. "He is trying to suggest what he thinks would be the best."
"Best for what?" Eli said, frowning. "Killing all of our friends and family? My home?"
"What's happening on your home planet is something very serious, Elijah. It is a possible threat to Akaridian-5 and everyone here, as well as you two."
"What is going on?" Aja said, her brow furrowing.
"Our scientists have picked up an abnormal energy spike on planet Earth," Zadra said, looking between the two of them. "It has them all worried."
"What kind of energy?" Eli said slowly.
"Nothing good. Come on. I will take you to someone who can explain."
If anyone asked her a year ago how'd she be living her life, Barbara didn't think she'd respond by saying that she'd be waking up next to a Changeling and be waiting for a text from her son who was on his way to New Jersey with a herd of Trolls and his girlfriend. Life was certainly… interesting. At the very least, Walt made sure she ate because Jim was off on an adventure – which she didn't plan for for a few more years, if she was being honest.
Plus, she still had company — AAARRRGGHH! and Toby made sure to come by for a visit every day, as did the Nuñez family and Toby's Nana usually checked in once or twice a week. And Walt lived with her now, so that was nice.
But she missed Jim. He'd been all she'd had for so long. She didn't know how to go a day without him. And yet, she'd gone ten, no eleven, months without giving him a hug — she'd asked Claire and Blinky to do that, since she couldn't. He texted her whenever he could, called her from time to time, and they'd video chatted several times. It wasn't the same, though.
She wondered if she would ever see him again. Maybe she should just move to New Jersey — after she found out where the Heartstone was and if the hospital was hiring, of course.
She hadn't been out that way since… since James. He'd taken her out that way for their honeymoon.
Barbara still had his wedding ring. It was in the simple jewelry box Jim had painted for a Mother's Day gift back in the fourth grade, as well as her own wedding ring. They were nice rings, original and unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She still wondered where he'd gotten them.
The arm draped about her waist pulled her closer, bringing her back to the present.
"You're thinking," the voice behind her said. His body was warm, not searing like the others she'd dated — not like James. "Mind telling me?"
She turned to look at the un-glamored face of Walt. She was as familiar with the green skin and yellow eyes — both rather unhealthy signs in a human but normal for a changeling or Troll, as she'd come to learn and accept — as she had been to his human form.
"Sorry," she said. "I… I was thinking about Jim's father."
"That is… understandable. I don't believe we've had this talk yet. Who was he?"
She was rather taken aback by his blasé tone and posture. Perhaps she should be too. She hadn't told any of her other partners about him – then again, she hadn't been with them as long as she had been with Walt.
She didn't get the chance, however. The shrill cry of the infant in the next room over alerted them to the needs of the quickly growing toddler — the real Walter Strickland, renamed now as Willoughby. She'd named him Will.
"I'll go get him," Walt said, rolling over and getting out from under the blankets. "Bonding time is important."
She wanted to laugh at that. Bonding between the changeling and the kidnapped child. It was weird, but she'd seen weirder.
Like what was going on with Eli and Steve and their two new friends — who were aliens. Yeah, aliens existed. It was… weird. First Trolls and Merlin, now aliens.
She was beginning to wonder if Sunnydale had been based on Arcadian Oaks. Maybe she and Walt could rewatch Buffy and Angel. She hadn't done that since Jim was little.
She could hear him coo at the child through the open doors. She gave a smile and relaxed into the bed, not realizing she'd been so tense.
Her phone buzzed, alerting her to a text. She quickly sat up and unlocked it, checking the message.
It was from Claire.
Jim had a Mr. Goodbar and a couple of Hershey's bars.
And then a frying pan from the garbage.
Your son is weird. :D
She'd attached a picture of Jim on a hotel bed, surrounded by at least a dozen candy wrappers with the wrought iron handle of what she supposed was the frying pan sticking out between his lips. He looked rather sheepish at the camera.
Walt came in, clearing his throat at the sight of her.
"Look," she said, holding up the phone so he could see. "They had a little party last night."
"Ah, yes," Walt said, bouncing Wally in his arms, "the follies of youth. I remember the first time I ate a frying pan from the garbage. I don't recommend it. Tell Claire to tell him to try the kitchen instead."
She laughed at that, quickly shooting off the prompted remark. She was given numerous emojis in return — she wasn't sure what half of those even meant. Though a moment later, Jim sent her a text.
Tell Strickler that wasn't funny. :(
She took Will from Walt and got out of bed so that he could make them breakfast. Neither of them trusted her in the kitchen. Unless it was pancakes. That was the only exception. And only on certain days.
She texted Jim and Claire — back and forth, sending them pics of her rather odd domestic life since they'd left — while Walt made French toast.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Walt said, checking the toast as it browned in the pan.
"I slept fine," she said. "Why?"
"You were tossing and turning a lot. I think you hit me a couple of times. I might actually have bruises."
"Sorry. I feel like I had the best sleep I've had since…" Since before Jim and Claire and the Trolls left.
"It's fine. Maybe the room was too warm. I'll turn down the temperature before we go to sleep tonight."
"Maybe," she said, gently taking Will's hands before he could knock the bowl off his high chair — a gift from the Nunez's.
It wasn't the truth though. She had had several bad dreams, but she couldn't really remember what they were about. Just fire and screaming and the smell of burned flesh. She wasn't sure what was worse.