Barbara the Belonging

Love is Not the Recipe

Barbara returned home feeling absolutely terrible, and she started to sober up, but her headache was worsening.

She eventually had to use the bathroom to vomit and take a cool shower.

After taking a shower, she headed downstairs to see Jim finish with dinner and felt glad to have some of her son's cooking. And it distracted her from the events of today, from having to put on a totem that made her go crazy, almost dying to Bular, and then finding out that the man she had feelings for turned out to be a changeling and was working for said troll who tried to kill her.

The tasty well prepared steak sure made things a lot better.

"Hey mom. Are you okay? I heard you sounded pretty sick in the bathroom earlier." Jim questions with concern.

Barbara took a sip of water but froze, feeling unsure how to respond without mentioning how she almost died today.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I am okay, I just had something bad to eat earlier." She smiled as she tried to reassure her son.

However, he didn't seem convinced about it.

"Mom, please tell me you weren't drinking again were you? Does this have to do anything with the stress and "slaying the beast?"" Her son asked again.

"What? No, I wasn't-"

"I read the letter, mom." Jim pulls out the letter from his pocket, unfolding the paper and showing it to her.

Barbara looked surprised and nervous, scared that her son finally found out.

"You wrote that you were fighting monsters and going through a lot. I get it mom, life can be stressful, I mean I'm a teenager who doesn't even know a lick of algebra. Sooner later I'm expected to get a job or go to college and have to go through paying taxes. We all have inner demons to fight. But, I just want you to know that you're not alone, and we can do this together." He spoke, then he got up and hugged his mother.

The woman didn't know what to say, however, he had mistaken her words for metaphorically instead of reality. Which made her relieved to know that her secret isn't exposed.

"I... I don't know what I'll do without you, Jim. You're a really good son a mother could have." Barbara hugged him back and smiled.

The mother and son continue having dinner and a good time, although, behind the basement door, a certain changeling peeks through the small crack.

She watches them having a nice family bonding moment and she frowns, wishing she had something like that.

Crystal sighs and heads back into the dark and lonely basement.

The next day, Barbara parked into the school's parking lot to pick up her son.

However, she and her stepbrother frown when they saw Mr. Strickler talking to her son and his friend.

She couldn't hear what they were saying, but did see Jim laughing at what his teacher said and it made her scowl.

"I can't believe he's near my son." She spoke with frustration.

"Yeah. I just want to punch his stupid face." Lucas replied and held out his fist.

"I trusted him. He betrayed me. And worst of all, he's my son's favorite teacher. I should end him now. Especially, for tricking me into falling in love with him. Ugh!" Barbara complains.

"I would definitely agree with you. But, maybe you can ask him to divulge the whereabouts of the bridge that could release unspeakable evil? I don't know. Do you think he knows you're the Trollhunter?" The man spoke.