How to Forgive

Part 3

Claire POV

"Come on Jim. Wake up." I shook him still no response.

I sat there for a while. Wondering what his dad could've done until it hit me. He must've left.

Suddenly, Jim shouted, "how could you?!!!" I whipped around in surprise. He seemed to be asleep but what looked like tears streamed from his eyes. I tried to calm him.

"Jim. It's okay." It seemed to work until he bolted upright in a ragged breath. Then he realized I was next to him.

"Oh Claire," he said with relief. "I just had the strangest dream. My dad was back, and just happened to be the son of Merlin and you brought me here and kissed me and then suddenly I was reliving that one time when I was five." His voice cracked at the end and he sniffed a little bit. "How crazy is that?" He gave me a little smile. I smiled a little too and gave home a hug. He hugged me back, not too hard.

I broke away and held his face and my hands. "Promise you will not go into shock?"

"Uh okay?" He replied slightly confused.

"That last part was your imagination. You kinda, sorta, are the grandson o Merlin." He started laughing but quickly noticed I had not started laughing with him.

"So, you're serious?" He asked in slight exasperation.

"Yeah but, it's really not that bad can we concentrate on something else so, you don't go into shock, again."

"Oh. I guess I've already gone into shock then." He gave a slight laugh. "At least now I get to take out all my built up anger." Again he slightly laughed. He moved to sitting cross-legged. I did the only thing I could think of. I walked over to the other side of the bed. Climbed on, and gave him another hug.

"Please," I said. "You're scaring me, I know you're going through stuff and the ghosts of your past have just come back to haunt you, but I'm here to help you."

"So please. Go back to the way you were." Suddenly I felt one of his arms around my back and the other took one of my hands and gave a light squeeze.

"You're the best." He murmured.

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Blinky POV

"Look. I understand you probably didn't want to come here, even for a short while, and that you came because Merlin asked you to but, there are some questions that we want to ask you to uh, find out more about you. For instance where were you about 12 years ago?" I asked.

"That's a bit specific," replied James.

"Just answer the question." I pressed.

"Okay, okay. I was in a town, a little ways away from here called Arcadia."

"What were you doing there?"

"I was living in a house."

"Who were you with, if anyone."

"Well," he looked over at his dad and rubbed his neck. "I had become taken with a woman and gotten married."

"And?"

"We had a child."

"And about a year later."

  "Again a bit specific."

"Answer the question." I again pressed.

"I left."

  "Were you close with your son?"

  "At the time yes."

  "And what was your last name?"

  "Lake."

  "How old do you think your son is?"

"15-16"

  "What was your son's name?"

  "James"

  "And what's his nickname?"

  "He doesn't have one."

  "Yes he does and what is it?"

  "Jim."

"And what do you think he's doing right now? Probably at his house with his mother Barbara?"

"How do you know that?!"

"Answer the question!"

  "I don't know probably at school!"

  "Wrong. Currently he's dressed shoulder to toe in a suit of armor. Ring any bells?" Realization struck his face.

"You don't mean."

"Yeah I think I do. You can thank your old man for his good looks." He said nothing. Although he did look slightly pissed.

"Hey dad?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"My son is a troll?"

"Well, half troll actually."

"And Barbara knows?"

"I believe she does." I replied.

"And he's where?"

"Last I heard in his room, probably a little shocked though."

He walked away back towards the office.

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