Barb sat on the couch with Trollex, brows furrowed and her hands resting under her chin. "So there's nothing we can do?" The brothers, Clay and Branch, had just finished telling the two royals what Lownote had said. Poppy had long left with her sister, Viva, desperate to tell her Dad his oldest daughter was alive.

"With how badly she feels about her condition, I don't think we can do anything," Clay crossed his arms. "If we can give her some hope for the future, I think she'll be alright, but she's not listening to us."

"Can you blame her?" Branch scoffed. "She doesn't remember who you and John Dory are half the time. Why would she listen to people she barely knows?"

Trollex rolled his eyes and stood up, his frustration palpable. "I'm gonna check on Sweet Beat." He patted Barb's leg. "Let me know when we think of an actual plan to help."

Barb nodded absentmindedly as Trollex walked out of the room. "Do you have a plan?" Barb asked, looking at the brothers.

Branch pulled a notebook and pen out of his hair. "I have one, but I can't say much yet," he said as he started writing a letter. "I need to send a letter to some friends of mine and Willow's. They should be able to help." He looked up. "Until they get here, the best thing we can do is work on building her strength back up and get her to eat something."

Barb nodded at Branch and stood up, her determination evident. "Sounds like the best plan we can come up with right now. Branch, go ahead and get that letter sent." She looked at Bruce. "Bruce, you're the only one I know who can cook. You get something fixed up for Willow—something soft and gentle for her stomach. And don't mess up that kitchen. Sick or not, Willow will kill you if that kitchen is destroyed. Floyd, take it easy, man. I know you're in rough shape, too." She narrowed her eyes at the others. "I don't know anything about you two, so do whatever as long as it stays out of the way."

"And why should we listen to you?" John Dory demanded when Bruce started for the kitchen. "Since when are you the boss around here?"

Clay gave a nervous laugh and pulled his oldest brother to the side. "You remember she's the Queen of Rock, right? Not to mention, she's our sister's violent girlfriend. You saw what she and Trollex did on Mount Rageous. You really wanna get on her bad side?"

John Dory looked at the Queen, who raised an unimpressed eyebrow and grimaced. "Right." He crossed his arms. "So what are you going to be doing?"

"I've got a girlfriend to comfort and a boyfriend to cuddle," Barb grinned at the brothers before leaving the living room.

Branch nodded and finished his letter. He looked at Clay and John Dory. "I need to get a mail bug to send this. You can come with me if you can't think of anything else to do. Floyd, you can come with us if you feel up to it. If not, your bedroom is just down the hall across mine."

Floyd smiled at his little brother and nodded before standing up. "I think I'll come with you guys. I'd love to see where you and Willow have lived all these years."

Branch smiled and led the brothers to the elevator. "You guys are going to love Pop Village."

Willow leaned against Trollex, idly playing with one of his hands while his other curled up gently in her hair. She looked up, frowning in concern at his furrowed brows and the scowl on his face. "You're angry," she guessed.

Trollex looked down at the girlfriend resting against him, her eyes full of guilt and sadness at his irritation. He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, I'm angry. But not at you, Sweet Beat. I'm mad this happened, and I couldn't do anything to help. I'm furious those two false pop stars almost killed you. I'm frustrated your condition is worse than we thought, and I'm disappointed your brothers spent so much time arguing we almost lost you." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "But I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you."

"I'm sorry," Willow turned her head away from her boyfriend, her mind filled with regret and self-blame. "If I hadn't gone to Mount Rageous in the first place, none of this would have happened."

"You left because you thought you'd be helping Mount Rageous be more troll-friendly," Barb said, standing in the door frame. She smiled at her partners. "Hey, Babes." She walked over to her girlfriend's bed and lay beside her partners. "No one can fault you for trying to help Trolls. That's literally been your whole thing since I've known you."

"And look where that got me," Willow muttered bitterly, tugging her white hair. "A bad dye job and an inability to move more than a few inches without help." She laid her head against Trollex, tears of frustration threatening to leak out of her eyes. "I can't sing, dance, or carry a tune because of what happened. What good am I if I can't even do the one thing Trolls are supposed to be good at? What if I can never sing again?"

"You'll still be our girlfriend," Trollex gently grabbed Willow's hands and removed them from her hair. He kissed the top of her hair and folded her arms against her chest, holding her tight. "And you'll still be able to be the amazing ambassador everyone knows you are. You'll be okay even if you can never do anything musically again."

"And I'm not convinced you'll never sing again," Barb crossed her arms and looked around. Her face brightened when she spotted a guitar. "Hang on." She jumped out of bed and went to grab the guitar.

Barb grinned at the confused look on Willow's face. "Barracuda, you know I can't sing. I can't do much of anything right now."

"The first part about learning music is keeping a beat, right?" Barb relaxed on the bed with her partner and started tuning the guitar. "That starts with counting and keeping the beat." She smiled and started playing. "This is a simple four-four-time signature." She looked at Trollex. Help her get started."

Trollex nodded and slapped his hand against his thigh. "Just follow along, alright? 1...2...3...4...1...2...3...4." He smiled as her hand followed the simple beat. "There you go." He nodded to Barb. "Go ahead, Barbed Wire."

Barb nodded with a grin. "She's got a smile that, it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories. Where everything was as fresh, as the bright blue sky." She smiled at Willow as she counted the beats in her head. "Look at that. You haven't lost your musical ability." She gently nudged Willow. "You just need to be patient and let yourself heal."

Willow smiled, and her colors brightened. "You think so?" She linked her fingers with Trollex's as they continued counting the beat while Barb played.

"I know so," Barb gave a determined nod. "Just relax and let the music play, babe." Willow nodded and closed her eyes, counting the beats and listening to her girlfriend sing. "Now and then, when I see her face, she takes me away to that special place. And if I stared too long, I'd probably break down and cry."

"Whoa, oh-oh, sweet child o' mine," Barb looked up when she heard Trollex join in the song and smiled, resting her head against her partners. "Whoa, oh-oh-oh, sweet love of mine."

Bruce stepped out of the kitchen, a bowl of soup in hands. "I probably should have asked where Willow's room was," he muttered. He smiled when he heard a guitar playing. "Just follow the music."

Bruce's smile softened at the sight before him when he reached his sister's room. His sister, her once grayed colors still muted but considerably brighter than he had seen her before, was relaxed between her partners, counting the beats as Barb played her guitar. "Am I interrupting?"

Barb grinned. "Nah, c'mon in." She put the guitar down and sat up before nodding to the bowl in Bruce's hand. "That for Willow?" She helped Willow sit up straight to hold the bowl of food better.

Bruce nodded with a smile. "Yeah." He handed the bowl to Willow. "Hope you like broccoli cheddar."

Willow pulled the soup close and smiled. "I love broccoli cheddar. Thanks, bro."

Bruce nodded. "Of course. You have a beautiful kitchen, by the way." Willow smiled and took a bite of her soup. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I think," Willow looked at her brother. "Knowing I don't have to sing or dance to appreciate music helps. Oh! And while Barb was playing the guitar, I could keep the beat! Isn't that great?"

Bruce grinned. "That's wonderful, little sis." He nodded to the royals. "You look happier than I've seen you in a while. I'm assuming it has something to do with being near these two?"

Willow smiled at her partners. "They sure help." Trollex smiled and wrapped an arm around her. She turned to her brother, concerned. "Did Branch show you around? You know where your room is, right?" She handed her soup to Barb and moved to stand up. "I'll show you where your room is."

Trollex frowned and pulled her closer. "Don't even think about it." He raised an eyebrow at her pout. "You need to let yourself rest and heal." He nodded to Barb. "Barbed Wire can show your brother where he's sleeping."

Willow sighed and looked at Barb. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Barb nodded and gave Willow her soup back. "Yeah, I got it, babe." She patted her girlfriend on the knee and stood up. "Come on, dude. I'll show you where your room is."

"I'm sorry it says Spruce!" She called as Barb walked out of the room. Bruce paused at the door and looked at his sister. "It was carved in there years ago, and we didn't know you changed your name."

"You carved my old name into the door?" Bruce asked, voice trembling.

"Well, I didn't," Willow admitted with an eye roll. "I'm not allowed to mess with Branch's tools. But I'm sure Branch'll happily help with the name later." She snuggled into her boyfriend's hold and went back to her soup. "I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"Sure, sis," Bruce forced a smile on his face before following Barb down the hall. He sighed and shut the door behind him. "I can't believe they carved my name into the door."

Barb snorted. "They did that for all their brothers." She gestured to the doors. "They've been waiting for you guys to show up their whole lives. Willow told me and Trollex she never knew you guys. Said you all ran out before she even hatched and she's spent her whole life trying to keep Branch from drowning in loneliness." She raised an eyebrow at the older Troll's wince. "I know you guys said you had no plans of ditching them again. You better stick to that. Those two have been through enough."

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, I get it. We got a lot to make up for." Barb nodded and motioned for his bedroom before leaning against the wall. Bruce sighed and opened the door to his room before turning to the Rock Queen. "Thank you for being there for my sister. I always thought you and Trollex were good for her. I never realized her importance to me before this whole thing, but the sentiment is the same. You two are good for her. She's happier when you're around."

Barb's eyes softened. "Yeah, well, we're happier around her too." She stood up. "You're probably tired from everything the past couple of days. Get some rest. I'll show you around Pop Village in the morning."

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, I'm kind of tired." He smiled. "See you in the morning."

Willow was sound asleep when Barb returned to her girlfriend's bedroom. She smiled and leaned against the door frame. "She passed out already?"

Trollex ran his hands through his girlfriend's hair and smiled. "Yeah. She's a lot more tired than she was willing to admit." He motioned to the bowl on the nightstand. "She managed to eat half that bowl of soup."

"That's good." Barb closed the door as she walked in. She sighed and laid down beside her partners. "You think she'll be okay? She's in pretty rough shape."

Trollex nodded and opened his arms to let Barb roll over and hold onto their girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriends when she entered the cuddle pile. "She'll be fine," he assured. "I know you're worried, but I promise it'll be okay. I'm here, you're here, and her brothers are here. She'll be okay."

Barb nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She yawned and closed her eyes. "She'll be alright."

Trollex smiled as Barb fell asleep in his arms beside Willow. "Everything will be alright, girls. We'll make sure of it."

"The town looks great, Branch," Floyd smiled as they entered the bunker. "You and Willow have done a good job."

"And I know we didn't get a chance to say anything before, but the bunker is pretty incredible, too," Clay added, John Dory nodding in agreement.

Branch smiled. "Thanks, guys. You have no idea how long I've wanted to show you guys everything." His smile turned sheepish at the winces his brothers gave. "Hey, how about I show you guys your rooms? I'm sure someone's already shown Bruce his room."

"B," John Dory looked at his youngest brother. "You made us bedrooms?"

Branch shrugged and looked at the floor. "Well, sure. We wanted to be ready in case any of you came back." He looked up at his brothers. "The rooms have been empty for a while, so I'm sorry if they're a little dirty. I asked Barb and Trollex to clean up, but I don't know if they touched your rooms."

"I'm sure they look fine," Floyd smiled at his little brother. "The fact that we have a room here is more than enough." He placed a hand on Branch's shoulder. "Just lead the way, brother."

Branch smiled and led his brothers to the bedrooms. "Let me check on Willow real quick," he said, opening the door to his sister's room. He paused. "Hey, before we continue, I need to make sure you all understand something. And I'll make sure Bruce knows in the morning, but never enter a bedroom without explicit permission unless the person is sick. The only reason what I'm doing is okay is because of Willow's condition." He waited until the brothers nodded in understanding. "Also, the rooms are soundproof, so explicit permission isn't given unless they open the door. Hence why it's okay if they're sick." He finished opening the door to see Trollex lazily watching the door, his partners in his arms. "Hey, man. How is she?"

"She's doing better," Trollex smiled at the brothers. He motioned to the bowl of soup. "She even managed to eat something. You mind taking care of that bowl? I was going to take care of it tomorrow, but since you're here..."

"No problem," Branch grinned at the Techno King and grabbed the bowl.

Thanks, Dubstep," Trollex's smile widened. "Hey, you're acting ambassador while Willow's like this, right?"

"Yeah?" Branch looked at Trollex curiously. "Why?"

"We have a meeting this weekend. Can you get Poppy ready for it? Something tells me with everything going on, she forgot about it."

Branch nodded. "Yeah, I'll take care of it." He motioned to his sister. "See you guys in the morning, okay?" Trollex nodded and turned his attention to his girlfriends as the brothers left the room. Branch looked at his brothers as they made their way to their bedrooms, each with their names carved into the doors. "I'll see you guys in the morning, too." He paused, uncertain. "I love you guys, you know that, right?"

"We love you too," Clay said, pulling his little brother into a hug. We're sorry it's taken so long to tell you that."

Branch grimaced and pulled away from his brother. "It's fine. I'm not a huge hugger anymore, so maybe hold off on the hugging next time? I only really let Willow and Poppy give me surprise hugs like that."

Clay winced and stepped back. "Sorry, B. You've gained some boundaries since you were a baby, and I have to respect that." Branch nodded, looking at the floor awkwardly. "I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, bros," John Dory grinned, ignoring the tension in his brothers.

"It'll be easier in the morning when we've all gotten some sleep in real beds," Floyd assured Branch when the others entered their bedrooms, a soft smile on his face. "Don't worry about how everything is going. We're all here now, and that's the important thing."

Branch nodded, smiling. "Yeah, my family is here, in my bunker, safe and sound. The rest will work itself out later." He looked at his immediate older brother uncertainly. "It will work itself out, right?"

"It will," Floyd assured before yawning. "I'm going to get some sleep, little brother. I'll see you in the morning."

Branch nodded, smiling at Floyd. "I'll see you in the morning." He sighed as Floyd closed the bedroom door and turned towards the kitchen. "Everything will turn out alright."

It may not look like it now, but everything will be okay eventually. What's Branch planning? Who'd he write to? I bet you know already. And how is Willow going to react to Branch taking over as ambassador while she heals? Thanks for reading, everybody. Love you all!