"Hey, Doctor-Optometrist-Dude, what size contact lens do you make?" Willow asked over the phone.

"We make all sizes. The average contact lens is about the size of a little button."

"You got any the size of a clover leaf?" Willow wondered.

"Miss, there is no eyeball that size."

"Wanna bet?" Willow said, smirking. She heard a beep and realized another call was coming in. "Would you hold, please? Thanks. Hello? Branch?! You never call me! What's the word, hummingbird?"

"Don't call me hummingbird. Have you heard from Poppy today?"

"Can't say I have," Willow replied. "I know that guy Creek is back in town, and I'm starting to think she still hasn't told him she's pregnant."

"So, he's the only Troll who doesn't know? Interesting."

Willow was confused by his tone. "How is that interesting?"

"Uh, no reason," Branch lied. There had to have been a reason, he just wasn't sure what it was. "Well, if you do see her, tell her I need to talk to her, and I'd rather we'd be alone."

"Why don't you just call her, then?" Willow asked.

"I don't 'just call' people, Willow."

"Then, why did you call me?"

"To avoid looking at you."

"You can still hear me," Willow pointed out with a smug grin. "And my annoying voice is gonna get stuck in your head... all... day... long."

Branch stayed silent for five seconds before replying, "Just shut up."

Willow switched between calls, feeling satisfied.

"You still there, Doc?" Willow asked the optometrist. "If you don't believe me, how about I come down to your office?"

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Branch was just about to knock on Poppy's door when he heard a strange muttering. He pressed his ear against it and heard Poppy's voice.

"Just go to your happy place, Poppy!" she whimpered. Branch decided to skip knocking and stepped inside to find her scrapbooking at her desk. He approached her slowly and cleared his throat. She was surprised, at first, but sighed in relief when she saw who it was.

"You okay?" Branch asked with concern.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Poppy replied with a fake smile. Branch pointed to all the scrapbooks filled with cute pictures of kittens and unicorns. "Fine. No, I'm not okay."

"Willow told me about Creek coming back," Branch said. "He doesn't know, does he?"

Poppy sighed. "I was gonna tell him, but he left before I got the chance to. What if he thinks I betrayed him?"

"What do you mean by that?" Branch asked.

"Well, we've always had a good connection," Poppy explained. "Like the perfect high five. And I know it sounds crazy, but he could be my soulmate."

"Poppy, those are very rare," Branch pointed out. "How can you be sure?"

Soulmates were part of an old legend. It was said that Trolls used to have two heads, four arms, and four legs (now, the only Troll like that is Skyscraper, who has four heads and eight legs). The gods feared their power, so all of the Trolls were split in half. Despite having two bodies, however, each half shared the same soul, and were incomplete without each other.

The story may not be true, but some Troll couples have shared such unspoken bonds.

"I'm not, I just really hope he is," Poppy admitted. "I mean, he's sweet and calm and collected and cute... and I feel this would just hurt him."

Poppy glaced at Branch, then down at her massive abdomen. The night her child was conceived was the most confusing (and regrettably fun) night of her life. She and Branch were arguing, he unintentionally had her pressed against the walls of his bunker, and the moment she felt his breath hit her skin... something awakened in her. For the first time in her life, Poppy didn't feel like the cheerful, perky princess she was used to being. She felt like a woman, Branch treated her like a woman. And frosting, it felt good.

"Poppy, he's gonna find out eventually," Branch tried to reason with her. "And knowing that you hid this from him would only hurt him even more."

"You're right," Poppy sighed, struggling to get up. "I should tell him. But what do I say?"

"Just tell him the truth, this is Creek we're talking about," Branch said as he helped her, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in disgust. "He may not react too badly. And if he does, I'll..."

"You'll what?" Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow. Branch's eyes widened at what he was going to say.

"Uh... Never mind."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Poppy didn't put on anything to hide her baby bump. She was so far along now, it seemed as though nothing could hide it. But she still covered her stomach with her arms.

"Poppy! There you are!" Creek called out, not noticing her condition right away. "I've missed you, love!"

Poppy nervously waddled to him, and smiled sweetly. "I missed you, too, Creek."

Creek pulled her in for an embrace, which Poppy hesitantly returned. She melted into the hug, happy to be reunited with her dearest friend.

Branch, meanwhile, was sitting in a tree watching them through a spyglass. He knew it was rude to spy, but he didn't want Poppy to get hurt in case Creek reacted the wrong way. Of course, despite how annoying he could be, Creek was never one to get angry. Then again, none of the Trolls were except himself and Willow.

"It was a shame you couldn't visit, but I understand now," Creek said, glancing down at her stomach. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to before you left, but that's no excuse," Poppy admitted. "I understand if you're mad."

"Why would I be mad?" Creek wondered. "Poppy, you're starting a family, this is something to celebrate! Of course, you must be exhausted by now. But I'm sure the father is one happy Troll."

"Well, I wouldn't say happy," Poppy mumbled nervously.

"What do you mean?" Creek asked with concern. "Oh, Poppy, did he..."

"What? No!" Poppy insisted. "It wasn't like that! It's just... He's not exactly the 'over-the-moon' type of guy. In fact, he's kinda... the opposite of happy, if such a thing exists."

Creek tilted his head. "He sounds like Branch."

"Who said anything about Branch?!" Poppy exclaimed in shock. After noticing Creek's expression, her face turned a darker shade of pink. "I mean, uh... A little harsh to compare someone to him, huh?"

Creek brushed off that last comment and focused on her outburst. "Poppy... why would you do that?"

"I... I don't know," she said, feeling guilty. "I know I shouldn't have... but I don't regret it. I mean, look, it gave me her. I don't know her yet, but she's an important part of my life now."

"And Branch?" Creek wondered.

"He's gonna help, but other than that, nothing has changed between us."

The Zen Troll sighed in relief. "I was worried you were in love with him."

Poppy giggled nervously. "Yeah, that would be silly. Promise you won't tell anyone else he's the father?"

"I promise," Creek swore before tapping her nose. "Boop!"

Branch threw his spyglass in frustration, but not without hearing a distant shout in pain.

"My leg!"

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

After eavesdropping on Poppy confessing to Creek, Branch decided to confront the weirdo... who was teaching a yoga class. He had to wait till it was over.

"Oh, hello, Branch!" Creek greeted. "Are you to share your opinion on how to live our lives?"

Branch just scowled. "No. I just wanna ask you a few questions. Why would you worry about Poppy falling in love with me? What makes you think someone as, and I believe your words were, 'toxic and unaligned' as I would win over someone as sweet and perfect as her? How could something like that bother you?"

"It sounds like you have feelings for her," Creek replied, dodging the questions.

Branch's eyes widened and he stuttered, "N-No, I don't!"

"Denial is the first step towards acceptance."

"Stop that," Branch grumbled. "Yes, I think Poppy's beautiful. Yes, I slept with her. Yes, I wanna help her raise our daughter. But none of that means I have feelings for her."

Creek just shrugged. "Have it your way. But if you hurt Poppy, karma will hurt you more."

And if you hurt her, I'll hurt you more, Branch thought before walking away. Suddenly, he heard a distant scream near his bunker.

"Poppy!"

🌺🌼🌸🌺🌼🌸🌺🌼🌸🌺🌼🌸

"Is it that bad?" Poppy asked in pain.

"It's kinda hard for me to tell because of these new contact lenses, but I'm pretty sure you just stubbed your toe," Willow answered.

"Well, it's kinda hard for me to tell because I can't even see my toes!" Poppy groaned in frustration.

"I realize that," Willow said. "Why are we at Branch's bunker anyways? You're gonna give birth any day now, you should've stayed in the village."

"You said Branch wanted to talk to me about something," Poppy answered.

"I also said I wanted to talk to her alone," Branch added as he approached them, giving Willow a look. She muttered mockingly and left... but not without bumping into a rock first. Branch rolled his eyes and returned his focus to Poppy. "Are you okay? What happened? Is it the baby?"

"I just hurt my toe," Poppy answered. "It's nothing to worry about."

Branch looked at her swollen foot and saw how red her big toe was. It was only a bruise, but he decided to get her some ice anyways.

"Come on, let's go inside," he insisted, covering her eyes so she wouldn't see too much of the inside of his bunker. He uncovered them once he had her down to his kitchen, which she had already seen before. As he pulled something out the freezer, Poppy felt a strange discomfort in her abdomen. She just brushed it off and Branch placed an ice pack on her foot.

"Oh, that feels good," she sighed in relief. As a bonus, he massaged her other foot. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"You're probably going to be mad at me, but it's about all those parties you throw," Branch explained. "I don't think the baby is going to be comfortable going to one of them, and I was wondering if you had a plan for that."

"She'll be fine," Poppy tried to reassure him. "I've seen Trolls bring babies to my parties all the time. If anything, I hear it helps them grow and develop."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Branch argued. "What if they're too loud for her to handle? Not to mention, all the germs other Trolls can spread."

"Uh, Branch-"

"I'm not done yet," he said, ignoring her interruption. "If you must throw a party, even though you shouldn't, because the Bergens might hear you, you should at least let the baby stay with someone who wouldn't go."

"Bra-"

"Although, it could be hard to find a good babysitter," Branch pointed out.

"Bran-"

"I mean, given how they're Trolls, and they literally do nothing but party-"

"BRANCH!!!" Poppy shouted, finally catching his attention. She pointed down and he noticed the chair she sat on was dripping wet with fluids.

"Poppy, did your..."

"Yeah, I think it did," Poppy answered, struggling to stand. "We'll talk about this later, I gotta go to the hospital."

"I'll take you," Branch insisted, carrying the princess bridal-style. He took her out of the bunker and rushed to the village. "How are you holding up?"

"I don't know, it really hurts," Poppy replied. "What am I saying? Of course it's gonna hurt!"

"Shh, just calm down," Branch said softly. "You'll be fine. Everything's gonna be okay."

"I hope you're right," she whimpered as they arrived to the emergency pod.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked, giving herself a manicure without looking up.

"Princess Poppy's in labor," Branch replied. "She could have the baby any moment."

"I think I feel something!" Poppy exaggerated.

"I think we have an operation to prevent these kinds of things," the receptionist muttered, before pressing a button. "We got an angry stork over here."

"Angry stork?" Branch wondered. But it didn't matter, nurses rushed in with a stretcher and laid Poppy down on it. "Don't worry, Pops, you'll be okay."

"You're not gonna come with me?" she asked nervously.

"Is he family?" a nurse asked. Poppy's eyes widened and she was unsure how to respond.

"It's okay, I'll wait out here," Branch replied. The nurses took Poppy to the maternity ward and Branch headed back outside to get her dad.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Branch could only listen as he heard Poppy screaming in agony. He remembered his mother saying how painful it was when he was born, it made him worry about what Poppy was going through. He looked around the waiting room for a second before focusing on his fingers.

"Branch?" a soft, familiar voice spoke up. He looked up to see his mother staring at him with concern. "You okay, honey?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "What if something goes wrong? Anything could happen."

"Yes, I know from experience," Cyan said, sitting next to him. "You were born way too early, I was afraid you wouldn't make it. But you know something? You had a such a fighting spirit, even when you couldn't breathe on your own, you never lost hope. And Princess Poppy won't either."

At that moment, a nurse stepped in, looking uneasy. Branch and Cyan got up from their chairs.

"How are they?" he asked with concern.

The nurse took a deep breath. "The baby's in good health, but Princess Poppy lost a lot of blood. It's highly unlikely she'll survive."

"No..." Branch mumbled, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

Cyan held her son in her arms. "Can we see her?" she asked.

"Of course," the nurse replied, and guided them to the room Poppy was kept in. On the bed, she lied perfectly still, barely breathing. Her bubblegum pink complexion was now more dull, it was hard to tell if she was alive. King Peppy was there, too, holding her hand anxiously.

"Oh, my goodness," Cyan gasped. "King Peppy, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he replied, not looking away from his daughter. "I'm sure she'll make it. Poppy's always found a way to get back up again."

Branch looked away sadly. He was the one who should've been sorry. If he was never with Poppy, she wouldn't have to fight for her life. It seemed as though someone he loved would always end up dying because of him. First, his grandma, now his princess.

"In the meantime, why don't we go look at the baby?" Cyan suggested. King Peppy agreed, but Branch didn't bother leaving. Once both of the elderly Trolls were out of the room, Branch slowly approached the bed and sat down on a chair next to it.

"Poppy..." he began, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I am so sorry you have to go through this. As much as it drives me crazy... I don't think I can live without you. Or your hugs. Your songs, your scrapbooks, your glitter, how it gets up my nose. You're an important part of my life, I can't lose you."

Poppy stayed still. Her breathing was still rather slow. All Branch could do was hold her body close to his and let his tears fall, a couple of them landed on her cheeks and formed the shape of a heart. As the water droplets disappeared, a glowing blue light took their place. Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, he heard a familiar voice beginning to sing weakly.

How do I live without you?

I want to know

How do I breathe without you if you ever go?

How do I ever, ever survive...

Branch's eyes widened at what he was hearing. He pulled away and saw Poppy opening her beautiful eyes and looking up at him.

"Poppy?!" he said quietly. No sense in scaring her when she almost died.

"Branch?" she whispered. "What's wrong? Is the baby okay?"

"She's fine," Branch answered, wiping away his tears. "I just... I thought you were dead."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," Poppy assured him. "Where is she?"

"The doctors took her somewhere else," Branch explained. "I'll tell them you're okay."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Poppy had to wait five minutes, but she finally got to meet her baby girl. She was beautiful; her skin was a soft teal color with glittery freckles on her cheeks, she had dark purple hair and a light purple nose. Her magenta eyes were only halfway open, but they sparkled like pink gems.

"She's perfect," Poppy sobbed as the baby held her mother's finger with one of her tiny hands. "See, she knows her mommy already!"

"And what about her grandpa?" King Peppy asked. "Can't I get some love?"

Poppy laughed. "Go ahead."

King Peppy gently took his granddaughter and smiled at how cute she was. "She's just like you were when you were a baby. Except she's a different color. Looks familiar, though..."

Poppy looked away nervously.

"Have you picked a name for her, yet?" King Peppy asked.

"No, not yet," Poppy replied. "Maybe, if I look at her long enough, something will come to me."

"Too bad her father can't name her," Peppy said as he gave the baby back to his daughter. "I'll leave the two of you alone."

Right when the king left the room, Branch quietly stepped inside. He approached Poppy and stared at their newborn in amazement. She looked just like he did before turning grey. He was happy to be a father, but at the same time, he was afraid. What if what happened to him would happen to his daughter?

No, he thought. I'd rather die than see her end up like me. I'll make sure she won't.

"Wanna hold her?" Poppy asked. Before giving him a chance to answer, she gently placed the baby in his strong arms, slightly adjusting them. "Go on, say hello!"

Branch looked down at the sleepy baby and softly said, "Hi. I'm your dad."

"So, which weird plant did you decide to name her after?" Poppy asked with a smirk. "Probably something special, like Flax? That says a lot about someone."

Branch rolled his eyes and looked at his baby girl one more time before making his decision.

"Flower. I want to name her Flower."

"Oh, Branch, that's perfect!" Poppy said sweetly. "It's almost as if..."

"... she's whatever she wants to be," Branch finished. At that moment, Flower snuggled her body closer to her daddy's chest and let out a small yawn. Branch loved his daughter immediately.

"I'll be there for you," he whispered. "Always."

Sorry this took a while, I had trouble figuring out what would happen exactly (I always do). But Sandrastar1 managed to help, so thanks.

Until next time. 🌈