Well... I haven't updated this in like four years and I'm SO SORRY for that. I also don't remember who requested Walter/Barbara content.

But here's that request FINALLY being fulfilled!!

(I'm so sorry omg pls forgive me.)

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Barbara Lake was not the biggest fan of change.

But spending the rest of her life with Walter is the perfect example of change she can't wait to experience.

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Barbara Lake was not the biggest fan of change.

After her husband cheated on her and then disappeared, leaving her and their son all alone, it was up to her to adapt, which had her feeling most days like all she wanted to do was stay in bed, cry her heart out, and give up on life itself. She couldn't be blamed for falling into such a pit of depression. James Lake Sr. had been the love of her life. He really had. To lose him like she had hurt beyond comprehension. But Barbara Lake had persevered, in both her education to become a doctor and in the care of her son. Those two things were the only reason why she kept on pushing forward—why she never gave up.

She received her diploma when Jim was ten. And that was a big change in itself because it allowed her to quit that cashier job at the mini mart and actually make better money to sustain both her and her son comfortably. After that, her life consisted of work and raising Jim. Those were her only priorities for years to come. For the longest time, she thought that was how her life would always be—just her and Jim, and she was okay with that. She truly was because she couldn't picture a better life. She couldn't ask for anything else.

But then she met Walter, and things started to change uncertainly. Her stomach started to flutter whenever she thought of him. Her heart would beat faster every time she saw him. As a young adult herself with a stubborn son already well into his teens, she had never even considered the idea of love again. Love had been the farthest thing from her mind. But when she realized she had fallen for Walter, well, that was the kind of change that scared her so badly that she tried to avoid it at first.

But there was no avoiding it. Not forever. Walter became a constant thought in her mind. She found herself unable to stop texting him... or smiling down at his message like a teenage girl. She couldn't say no when he asked her out on their first date. She couldn't find it in herself to pull away when he leaned in to kiss her for the first time.

She couldn't stay away from him.

Like she had suspected (and worried countlessly over), Jim hadn't been for the idea of his mother and Walter dating. He'd made it extremely obvious from the beginning that he didn't want them together. He was even straightforward with her when he asked her if she would stop seeing him.

At first, she thought it was just her son being defiant. She had no idea it was because Walter was actually a shapeshifting troll...

That had really freaked her out at first. In her experience, when most men were hiding something, it was usually the fact that they were seeing another woman. The fact that the man she'd been seeing was actually a troll wasn't exactly something that would cross anyone's mind. Regardless, she supposed that was just another sign that they were meant to be. Because even after she had figured that out and had given him the cold shoulder for at least a month after finding out, she was still in love with him.

After Walter realized what side was the right side, and her son defeated Gunmar, Jim seemed to warm up to Strickler having a place in their everyday life. He didn't spend much time with them before he had to leave for New Jersey, but before he left, he had apologized to them both, and had made them aware that he was happy for them.

She only hoped he would feel the same way once he caught notice of the ring on her finger.

Barbara quietly stepped inside her home and clicked the front door shut behind her. Aaarrrgghh!!! was taking up most of the living room and Blinky was leaned up against him, the both of them snoring. She entered the kitchen to drop off the groceries, chuckling softly when she found NotEnrique sleeping on the kitchen counter. She headed upstairs next, and a quick peak in her bedroom confirmed that her fiancé was still sound asleep in his troll form. A fond smile pulled at her lips before she partially closed the door, leaving it cracked open.

She checked the guest bedroom next, which confirmed Toby, Douxie, and Archie were also still asleep. Despite the bed being big enough for the both of them, Douxie had insisted on sleeping on the floor with his familiar when it became almost impossible for all three of them to fit on a full sized bed. Thankfully, she'd had a twin-sized air mattress stored away in the garage.

And last but not least, she wandered over to Jim's room. A peek inside confirmed her son was sound asleep, wrapped around his girlfriend. One of the happiest moments of her life recently had been when her son returned home, back as a human, and gave her the news that they had saved the world yet again. He'd gotten taller, and she only knew that because his head no longer tucked itself underneath her chin when she hugged him.

She insisted on a welcome home party for Jim and his friends, despite the fact that her son groaned stubbornly at the idea. He enjoyed himself regardless of that, though, as she knew he would. The aftermath of such a celebration was a very quiet house. Barbara smiled at the sight of Jim and Claire cuddling. Her son was wrapped around Claire, snoring softly into the crook of her neck. She knew he was exhausted. After everything that had happened, it seemed everyone was in need of some well-needed rest and weren't planning on parting from their loved ones anytime soon.

A sudden hand on her shoulder startled her and she gasped, but she quickly relaxed when a pair of familiar arms wove around her.

"You scared me, Walt." Barbara whispered, mindful not to wake up her son. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was... but then I heard the door creak when you closed it." He whispered hoarsely near her ear before he softly pecked her temple. "Where were you? You weren't in bed earlier this morning when I first woke up."

"The grocery store." She whispered back. "The fridge was practically empty."

Walter hummed thoughtfully at that. "You should've woken me. I would've gone with you."

Barbara turned around in his arms and placed her hands on his chest. "I couldn't... you just looked so peaceful."

With a smile on his lips, Walter leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. The kiss was short and sweet.

"Augh... mom... Mr. S... could you guys not do that right in front of us?"

Barbara whirled around in shock, finding that her son was now awake and groggily staring at them both, although despite his sleep deprivation, he somehow managed to narrow his eyes. She smiled sheepishly at him, feeling slightly embarrassed. Claire's eyes were still closed, but she was smiling, an indication that she was also awake now.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Jim." Strickler chastised playfully and made an effort to place another kiss on her lips.

Jim huffed and buried his face into the crook of Claire's neck again, intending to hide his own presumably secondhand embarrassment. Claire squirmed and giggled, seemingly ticklish by the action.

Barbara's smile couldn't grow any larger, she was sure of it.

"Since you're awake, there's actually something I want to talk to you about." She added before anything else could be said. Jim lifted his face from the sanctuary of his girlfriend to meet his mother's eyes again, a look of confusion slowly morphing on his face. She walked further into his bedroom before he could invite her in and took a seat on his desk chair.

Jim watched her every move in confusion. He even propped himself up on one arm so that he could look over Claire at her. "What is it?"

"Well..." Barbara involuntarily wrung her hands together in her lap, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. She wasn't even sure why she was feeling nervous. She knew that Jim approved of their relationship. Jim liked Walter. "Walter and I have been wanting to tell you this for a while now... but with having to save the world and all, we wanted to wait until the time was right..."

"And since we've achieved peace, we figured now was a good time." Strickler added as he stood beside her and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

Jim looked between them both as he tried to piece together the unsaid news himself. His silence led Barbara to continue. "So... we wanted to say that we're—we're engaged." 

With the news out in the open, she timidly lifted her left hand for her son and his girlfriend to see, revealing a silver band with a glistening jewel on her ring finger.

It took a moment to see those words register in Jim's head. Claire reacted right away. She practically pushed him aside as she quickly sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her smile wide from ear-to-ear as she squealed excitedly. She lunged forward to give Barbara a hug. She pulled back from Barbara a second after and congratulated them both, even making a comment about how them getting married was an event long overdue.

However, it took Jim a solid ten seconds before his eyes widened in absolute shock, and with it, a smile slowly pulled its way to his lips until he was grinning widely.

"Are you serious?" His eyes darted excitedly between the ring on her finger and Walter's wide grin before he asked, "You guys are seriously getting married?"

Barbara's smile was sheepish as she nodded once. Strickler answered with words before she could. "Yes... yes we are, and since we are on the topic of marriage, I wanted to ask... if you would do the honor of being my best man, Jim. I couldn't see a better man fit for the job."

Jim quickly sat up, his grin widening. "I'd be honored."

Strickler grinned back and Jim swung his legs over the bed, standing to his feet and briskly moving across his bedroom to give the troll a hug. They embraced each other tightly, and Barbara felt a warmth in her chest as she watched the heartfelt scene unfold. Stickler met her eyes over Jim's shoulder, his smile fond and almost reassuring, as if to say, 'See? I told you Jim would be happy about this.'

And truly, Barbara wasn't even sure why she had been so worried in the first place. Jim had taken the news extremely well, and now he was sitting on the edge of his bed next to Claire, who had her fingers woven with his. He was still talking to Strickler, his wide smile having yet to fade as he asked questions about how he'd gone about the proposal—even teasing Walter for not asking for his permission first, which earned him an embarrassed groan from the troll as Walter ran a hand over his face. They all laughed out loud, and Barbara found herself giggling. She could see the beginnings of her new little family, something she never thought could expand past her and Jim. But here she was, surrounded by her fiancé, her son, his girlfriend, and a house filled with people and trolls she knew would forever be a part of their circle for the end of time.

For once in her life, her future never looked so clear.

A tired groan suddenly emanated from Jim's bedroom door, and their laughter ceased as they turned their attention to it. Toby stood leaning against the doorframe, his eyes squinted from the light and his bed head a disheveled mess.

"Why are you all laughing so loud?" Toby whined.

They all laughed in unison despite his pout. Walter wrapped an arm around Barbara's waist. Barbara opened her mouth to tell Toby the great news—

But Jim beat her to it when he somehow materialized at her side and raised the hand with her ring on it, flashing it right in Toby's line of sight. "My mom and Mr. S are engaged, Tobes!"

It took Toby a moment to register those words, but when he did, his eyes widened in absolute shock. The widest grin replaced his pout, his braces fully on display, and whatever tiredness had been there was gone in an instant when he practically hopped on his feet in excitement.

"Awesome sauce~!!"

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I always disliked the fact that they made Barbara and Walter reveal their engagement to Jim right smack dab in the middle of battling the Arcane Order. It was such terrible timing (and kinda rushed) and then they had to go off and kill Walter right after which was just the icing on the worst possible tasting cake you can imagine.

So that's why I wrote this, which I pictured would happen shortly after the Arcane Order was defeated and where everyone gets to come home because after everything these characters have been through, they deserve that happy ending.

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