"Aw man who cut my hoodie in half?" Jim whined. "That was one of my favorites."
                          
"That's what you're concerned about? Not the whole thing with having horns and stone skin?" Toby asked. Jim shrugged.
                          
"I've kinda been dealing with this for a while."
                          
"Why didn't you tell us?" Claire asked gently.
                          
"I  was afraid? Scared? Terrified? Not with becoming a troll but with the  way you guys would react. I was so scared you would hate me," Jim  mumbled.
                          
"Could never hate Jim," Aaarrrgghh said solemnly.
                          
"Yeah man, we'd love you no matter what!" Toby smiled.
                          
"Thank you," Jim smiled back.
                          
"So care to enlighten us with an explanation?" Blinky asked.
                          
"Well in my future I may or may not have gotten turned into a troll---"
                          
"You what?" Blinky exclaimed.
                          
"It was for a good reason! I wasn't strong enough to beat Gunmar or Morgana---"
                          
"Morgana?!" Blinky shouted.
                          
"Would  you stop interrupting me?" Jim cut in. "As I was saying, I wasn't  strong enough to beat them as a human so Merlin gave me the choice to  become a troll.  To become stronger. He said it was a permanent decision  that there was no going back. So I did and I beat them. Long story  short I found myself in a bad situation and ended up dying and turning  to stone."
                          
"WHAT?" They all exclaimed.
                          
"I'm not finished! As you can see I'm still alive! It was actually Claire that saved me."
                          
"Me?" Claire asked in shock.
                          
"Well  in the future you learn how to do shadow magic. It was your magic that  resurrected me and turned me back into a human. It was your magic that  kept me human after that. When I came to the past, there was none of  your magic keeping me human so---"
                          
"You're slowly turning back  into a troll because future Claire's magic is fading and this Claire  knows no magic," Blinky finished.
                          
"Pretty much," Jim replied.
                          
"Wow.  That story was both incredibly sad and awesomesauce at the same time.  Claire learns magic? You got turned into a troll?! What is your future  man?!"
                          
"A crazy one," Jim joked. Claire had a troubled expression on her face.
                          
"How  do I learn shadow magic? There has to be a way I can help you! If I was  the reason you stayed a human in the future then maybe I can do it  again!" Claire asserted.
                          
"Claire, you can't just learn shadow magic overnight," Jim said, smiling sadly.
                          
"No! There has to be a way I can help you!" Claire shouted. Jim grabbed her hands and forced her to look into his eyes.
                          
"Claire.  Look at me. I'm okay. I was a troll for a year and It's barely been two  months since I turned human again. I made these choices and I'm going  to live with them. I'll be fine," Jim smiled. 
                          
        Please, Jim, don't run away. Whatever you are...I love you.    
                          
Claire engulfed him in a hug. Toby joined too.
                          
Claire then pulled away and looked at him.
                          
"Jim, I have a question," Claire started.
                          
"Go on," Jim encouraged.
                          
"For  a while now, I've been having these weird dreams during the day totally  at random. The only thing they've had in common is when I'm with you.  Like when we were practicing for Romeo and Juliet, I had these visions  where we were performing the play and you were in your armor. Did that  really happen?" Claire asked. Jim blinked in surprise.