The sun rose as two trolls sat on the sand of the shell decorated beach. Floyd had curled himself up into a ball crying into his hands. Spruce wrapped his arms around him going against his own comfort. Last night was something...  A few soft tears escaped from Spruce as well. His body was covered in bandages tied with knots.

" We could have- The Bergen- Branch- John- Clay- they..." Floyd stuttered and hiccuped.

" I know... But, we can't go back now... The Bergens know..." Spruce sighed.

" We can't just- I don't want to leave them there..." Floyd lifted his head.

His pink eyes were now blood shot. His cheeks were puffy and his nose became runny. Black mascara smudged with black lines going down his cheeks. His breathing was heavy. Heartbreak, guilt and regret painted a tragic picture in his features. Floyd wasn't the only one in pain over the escape but, he was the most vocal and physically displaying it. Spruce bowed down his head in shame.

" I don't want to go forward without them either but, we can't just go back. Let's go to Vacey Island and find Brandy.  She can help us in some way." Spruce admitted softly.

Biting down on his lower lip,Floyd glanced down at his knees before returning his gaze to his brother. Accepting their circumstances he nodded his head feeling defeated but,was not giving up. Slowly standing up hoping to provoke the least amount of pain,Spruce offered his hand to the younger troll. His cyan hand has no cuts but, there was a purplish bruise on his palm. Hesitantly Floyd grasped his hand allowing the bandaged up troll to pull him up.

The sun was now wide awake giving everything and everyone a shadow. The sky went from a blend of pink and orange to bright blue with only a handful of clouds traveling across. Seagulls flew over the trolls head while dolphins splashed in the far away distance of the sea. More seashells washed up upon the shore as the salty waters reached the shoreline. Boats sailed and rowed closer to the makeshift dock. Baby turtles hatched and crawled their way to sea. Today was a new day.

" We'll figure it out... eventually. " Spruce promised.

Then a speedboat with the Vacey Island flag parked at the dock Floyd and Spruce were resting at. Islanders got off chatting away about how they were going to get fuel then sail back home. A light bulb turned on within Spruce's mind as an idea sparked. His frown replaced itself with a hopeful grin while his blue eyes sparkled.

" Hey! Need some help?" Spruce called out causally.

Meanwhile back in the Troll Tree, Rosiepuff was waiting by John's side in the clinic. In the same room Branch and Clay were there too. Branch was asleep with no injuries or concussion but, he was put on medicine to help with his headaches that made him sleepy. Clay had his scratches applied with cream to cool down the burning. John Dory however was the least lucky. While his bruises had cream applied to help heal them,his right leg had broken bones from his knee to his foot. Not to mention Clay and John also body aches from being stepped on and thrown. Branch wasn't the only one on medicine.

" I'm so so so sorry! I should have stopped you boys from going out there. Now you three are hurt and Spruce and Floyd are out there on their own. " Rosiepuff cried.

" No! No! No. No... Grandma, they're safer that way. They're free. At least they made it out..." Clay reassured sitting beside Rosiepuff.

" I'm the one who should be sorry. If I had just done something different. Just acted faster. Just had me and Clay get on the telephone pole through a different way we would have all escaped... I failed us... This was my idea..." John sighed. " I promised I wouldn't let the Bergens get us and here we are."

Hearing the most injured blame himself snapped Rosiepuff out of her crying. Like a pot something inside her boiled overflowing to the surface. Red mixed pink blurred her vision. Years of pent up or rather controlled emotion leaked out into every word. John felt his grandmother's grip on his hand tightened while Clay sat nearby holding Branch. Clay jumped back in his seat while John froze like a child caught stealing.

" DON'T YOU DARE BLAME YOURSELF,YOUNG MAN! You hear me? You did more than the bravest of trolls last night. You sent three Bergens running in fear of you when protecting your brothers. If it wasn't for someone holding me back I would have got out there myself and helped you, Johnny." Rosiepuff angrily declared with love.

Raising his hands up as if to show he wasn't threatening or going to fight the affection. While John had seen Rosie's less sweet side she was never as aggressive as she was now. Despite how angry she sounded her words were rather comforting. Confused by the mismatched tone and comfort, the bed ridden troll straightened his back setting himself up on his best behaviour for the pep talk like lecture.

" Okay! Okay. It wasn't my fault. Got it." John said accepting aggressive affection.

Realizing her mistake Rosiepuff softened her gaze and loosened her hold on her grandson's wrist. Her intensity faded away but, the love and emotion was still there. John brought his hands down resting them down at his sides. Eventually Rosiepuff let go of him while letting out a sigh.

" I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I love you. You know that, right? Midnight was rough for all of us. I wished it turned out differently too." Rosiepuff apologized.

" Don't worry about it. " John smiled masking his regret.

" I can't, Johnny. You all got hurt in different ways. "

Then a knock at the door echoed through the room. All three awake trolls' ears perked up at the sound. Standing up the elder turned around to a doctor,Dr Plum Plumsy. Clay turned his head looking back at her too. Redirecting his path of sight John fixed his eyes at the entrance of the room. The female doctor held a clipboard in hand while wearing green scrubs.

" Am I interrupting anything?" Dr Plum asked.

" Oh. No. We were just talking." Rosiepuff shrugged masking her true emotions.

" Well then I got good news."

Dr Plum came forward towards John's bed side. After scribing on a note she ripped it from her clipboard and handed it over to Rosie since she was the main caretaker. What she handed over was a subscription for stronger painkillers than the one Clay got.

" So while Branch and Clay are being discharged now, John will be discharged this afternoon. Only one leg is broken. These pills will help and make sure to apply this cream on all bruises and scratches." Dr Plum claimed.

She handed a bottle of medication and a round plastic container of new cream that was being tested out on patients. Rosiepuff carefully took each item placing them in her red satchel. The doctor turned to John as she set her clipboard aside. Despite how serious her patient's injuries were,she didn't want to scare him off.

" Now,John. It's best if you rest that leg for at least three months. We're gonna put you on crutches for a little bit to see if you can handle that. Make sure to take pills everyday. Just threw per day. After all that you finna be better in no time back to feeling super. "

" Oh hmm....Thanks, doc." John responded.

Later that day Clay and Branch were home alone. Their Grandmother was still at the clinic staying by John's side. Rosie didn't want the pair staying on their feet in an uncomfortable place all day like she was choosing to so she made sure to take them home then went back. However before she had left the grandmother had whipped up an extra special breakfast of waffles. Finally waking up Branch yawned while stretching his little limbs. Clay looked down away from the ceiling to see the toddler on his chest was giving him the slow frog blink.

" Hey Bitty B..." Clay whispered.

" Hi Clay." Branch yawned sitting up.

The little one's stomach rumbled loudly like he hadn't eaten anything. Being hungrier than usual was a side effect of the syrup medicine Branch had to take. Clay knew because, he had read it twice. Chuckling despite being in his own pain, Clay petted Branch's head like he was a puppy.

" Hungry..." Branch said.

" Waffles?" Clay smirked.

" Waffles." Branch nodded.

Picking up the smaller troll Clay sat up then got off the couch. Like the rest of their brothers, Clay had developed a habit of carrying the youngest around even when it wasn't needed. Branch never fused about it though so nobody had a reason to stop carrying their favourite around. When he  placed the three year old in his booster seat Clay made sure to be gentle. They were all still hurting from midnight.

A plate with one blueberry and chocolate chip waffle covered in honey and maple syrup presented itself on the table. The bookworm had prepared it earlier when the little guy was still in dream land. Clay had already eaten so he wasn't going to join his little brother. Maybe only sit with him for a bit. Being at home alone together felt different this time around. No Spruce or Floyd for the next few years. No Grandma and John Dory until the afternoon. It was almost suffocating being in the silence but, Branch made it less lonely.

" Yay. Thank you, Clay. " Branch rubbed his eyes.

" Your welcome, B-"

Suddenly there was another knock. " Clay?" Viva called out.

" Viva?" Clay muttered surprised.

Making his way to the front door, he opened it to see none other than his best friend. Before he could even greet the heir tackled him into a hug rightly then lifted him up. She spun them around mid embrace until her momentarily high energy greeting calmed down with her putting him down. In her caring pink eyes were some soft shining of worry while her face was not showing happiness or excitement for once. Rather it was relief and conflict?

" Woah there, Veev." Clay said dizzy.

" OH MY GOD! Clay, are you okay? Where's Branch and John? Spruce? Floyd? I heard a lot of trolls talking and they said you guys pulled a midnight disappearance act but, got caught! They went on and on about how the Bergens got you but, you all fought back. Then that stuff gone crazy. Now my Dad is saying that " You can't be friends with that Clay boy anymore. Bad influence." but I was like "Dad! I'm an adult. I will be friends with whoever I want" and then..." Viva paused. " Am I rambling again?"

Clay chuckled at the self aware ask. Her rambling was one of the quirks of Viva he grew to love. At first it was annoying due to how she would talk as fast as a train endlessly but, now it was a melody to his ears. Something about it made his heart skip a beat. Smiling fondly Clay nodded his head.

" Yeah but, no biggie. So hmm-" Clay cleared his throat. " Come in. Branch is in the kitchen."

" Thanks,Mister Clay." Viva chimed.

Walking right in Viva went straight to the kitchen just to see if Branch was truly there. The toddler was happily and messily eating cut up pieces of waffles. The little boy looked up at her causing the new adult to smile fully again. Not feeling like talking Branch simply waved back with an equally fond smile. Viva waved back matching his energy before returning to Clay on the couch.

" So trolls are talking, huh?" Clay asked.

" Yeah. The whole village is! Or maybe just my circles are. You know? I came by to find out for myself if any of it was true. That and to check up on ya family and make sure y'all are okay. They're saying things like John stoned a Bergen, Spruce and Floyd disappeared and you got chased then fought a cat! That you got stepped on. " Viva listed.

" More or less. Half a gold star. A lot happened at midnight... " Clay stated.

Viva's face fell. " Are you okay? Did the cat or the Bergen give you those... scratches?"

Clay's face scratches were on the right side of his face. Navy long, big and going up across from his cheek to beside his eye. Two of them were shorter than the middle scratch. The doctor insisted they would heal and might fifty fifty leave a scar but, there was still a chance they would fade away out of sight. Clay allowed Viva to lay her palm to cup his damaged cheek.

" It was not from the Bergen or the cat. Something brushed against me in the alleyway. I didn't feel it until later. It was dark. The Bergen hit their head real hard after a while of chasing me then went lights out. The cat cornered me but, John got me out of there... He's the reason I'm still here. That Bergen tried to take Branch so I decided to make him want to take me instead." Clay leaned into Viva's touch.

" Oh I'm so sorry. That must have been super terrifying! You're so awesomantastic. You're a brave troll. Just like John. I'm sure Branch thinks you're his big hero now. I do." Viva rubbed her thumb against Clay's nose.

" Thanks. You're such an extra goofball sometimes. I like that. Spruce and Floyd escaped. They're probably out of Bergen Town far away by now. John told them to go while they still could. I just hope they will find a safe place. John... He's still in the hospital. Broken leg from the Bergen stepping on us. " Clay sighed.

" It's not your fault. I don't know if you actually think that or not but, I want you to know this. Whatever happened that led to you,John and Branch getting caught isn't your fault. I may not know everything that happened but, I am here for you whether my daddy likes it or not."

Viva removed her hand from Clay's cheek then brought both of his hands into hers. Her thumbs soothingly rubbed circles into the side of his hands. The two friends locked eyes with Viva being the most determined to maintain it. Blushing at how intense and intimate the moment had become, Clay felt warmth spread through his body from his chest.

" Wherever Spruce and Floyd are... I bet they got it handled and on their way. When my Dad finally lets us escape we will go find them together. Deal?" Viva promised.

" Deal." Clay smiled. " Is that a box of donuts poking out your hair?

Viva glanced up. " Oh Yes! I forgot about them. When I was on the way here I got thinking of making your fam a " Get Well Soon" gift but, I didn't know what to get so I thought " Hey! Look! Doughnuts."  Then also grabbed some cupcakes and figured you guys might be thirsty so I stopped again for Sparkling Fruit Fizzy. And now I got more than that and I don't know why. " Viva laughed.

As she spoke she pulled out a box of doughnuts,a box of cupcakes, a large bottle of juice, flowers with a " Get Well Soon" card, basket, sunglasses and hat with ribbon and fake flowers pinned in. They were laid out on the coffee table. Smirking at the options Clay playfully picked up the hat and put it on. Then did the same with the sunglasses followed him flashing the princess a smile and two finger guns. Viva played along pretending to shield herself from the bullets giggling.

" Thanks for thinking about us. You're awesomantastic too." Clay took off the glasses.

Viva cringed at hearing her made up word. " Okay. That one is kinda not doing it like I thought. Let's switch it to... Fantamazing!" She suggested.

" Oh you." Clay playfully bumped her shoulders with his own.

Viva bumped him back. " How about you "Oh you" yourself? What did the doctors say anyway about you and your brothers?"

" That I have to put cream on my scratches and bruising and take painkillers. That Branch is fine but, must take medicine for his headaches. John has a broken leg, must rest for 3 months,put on cream,take painkillers and all that jazz. I hope that John will be okay in the end..."

Viva nodded her head. " Me too."

A silence hung between the two trolls. It wasn't tense or provoking or suffocating. Not was it completely peaceful. However the looks they shared during it brought some comfort to it but, not just that. An agreement only they could hear was made. From now on they were going to stick through everything together. Even if others disagreed with their relationship.

Back with Spruce and Floyd, the two had finally made it to Vacey Island. There were beings similar to Brandy bigger than them. Just like the Bergens were. There were also trolls of all races, folks that resembled plastic noodle limbed dolls from Mount Rageous and beach themed wild life. The island was busy with activities such as suffering, tanning, rock climbing and more. The beach was golden and clean. Folks sang,played and danced like they were on holiday.

" Wow! This is even better than Brandy said! " Spruce exclaimed.

" This place is so... Peaceful." Floyd commented as they walked.

Floyd kept looking at the larger islanders still very shaken by his encounters with Bergens. It was only their size unintentionally colliding with that unwanted feeling. Spruce gently squeezed Floyd's hand reassuring him that they will be okay here. One of the beach ball birds picked a cocktail glass from a tree and gave it to Spruce while another gave Floyd tiny sunglasses from out of nowhere. Floyd just stared at the glasses as Spruce took a sip of the drink. It had an odd and strong taste to it but, it was rather refreshing than spit worthy.

The restaurant close by to the two trolls was packed and buzzing with kind folks and hospitality. An older puppet-like gentleman with a surf board glanced down at Spruce. Something about Spruce was very recognizable earning a playful teasing smirk. He turned to the restaurant takeaway window. From there he could see his younger sister hard at work.

" Hey Brandy. I think I just saw your boyfriend!"  He called out.

" Not falling for that one again, Scotch."

" Well he has cyan skin, purple hair and a very specific shell necklace..."

Without a second thought Brandy dropped everything clocking into her five minute break early then ran outside. She wore a crop with a skirt tied to her waist at the hip and apron covering her front from top to bottom. A couple pencils nested in her cute messy bun. Her jaw dropped when she faced the truth. Her older brother wasn't lying. Spruce was here walking on the beach with his own little brother.

" Spruce? Bruce." Brandy called out.

Spruce paused then looked up. " Brandy?"