Breath Mint?

A/N: This story takes place during the Touch-A-Truck-athon. Where Strickler approaches Jim and explains he's got a lunch date with his mother and asks for a breath mint. My take on how that scene could have gone.

"You wouldn't happen to have a breath mint?" Strickler mock whispers to Jim.

Jim's eyes narrow and harden, his left hand laying on the truck curls into a fist. In his back pocket he feels the amulet respond to his emotional state. He moves his right hand over the amulet, a motion to calm both the amulet and himself.

Stricklers eyes widen and then narrow almost imperceptibly, unless one was looking for it.

"You wouldn't dare." he sneers.

That did it. What marginal control Jim had over himself and the amulet, snapped. "For The Glory of Merlin, Daylight is Mine to Command!" Jim incanted as he pulled the amulet from his back pocket. In a flash of blue and white light his armor snapped into place. His left hand lost contact with the truck as Daylight materialized between his two hands, held confidently between himself and Strickler. "Wouldn't I?" Jim asked with a raised eyebrow.

Strickler took a hasty step back trying to put some space between himself and Daylight, which was being held menacingly in front of his face.

"Now, now Young Atlas," Strickler pleaded, waving his hands placatingly in front of himself. "You don't really want to do this, right?"

For every step Strickler took backwards, Jim advanced, holding Daylight steady between them. The rest of the school watched awestruck; even Steve had failed to comment on Jim's hand leaving the truck. Tension was thick in the air as everyone waited, breathlessly, for the combatants next move.

"No, I think I do." Jim replied. "You're a traitor, and you have been working to bring doom to the entire world. I take you down now and there's one less madman for the world to worry about."

Strickler and Jim had slowly been moving toward the shadows of the school. As Strickler passed under the awning, he sighed. "I guess you leave me no choice then." With a crack and a flash of green light there stood Strickler in his troll form. "Let's see if you have what it takes to beat me, Young Atlas!" he cried as he reached up to his collar to pull out several knives.

With a determined shout Jim charged at Strickler. The two combatants engaged with a clash, the sound of metal on metal ringing out through the otherwise silent courtyard. None of the onlookers had been able to so much as cry out in surprise as they watched a scene from fantasy play out in front of them.

Again and again the pair came together, Strickler occasionally throwing his knives at Jim who would expertly dodge out of the way. While Strickler had the advantage in height and experience, Jim made up for it with a nimble quickness that kept the two evenly matched. Plus Jim could retreat to the sunlight to keep away from some of Stricklers close range attacks.

Suddenly, Jim turned the flat of his sword towards Strickler and reflected the sunlight into his face. With a pained cry, Strickler dropped the knives he was holding as he stumbled backwards with his hands up to protect his sensitive face from the sun's rays. Jim was on him instantly, sweeping his opponents feet out from under him and holding Daylight to his throat.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't separate your head from your shoulders Strickler," Jim growled in his teacher's face.

"Please Young Atlas...Jim...Trollhunter!" I beg you, spare me! I promise I'll disappear, you'll never see me again. I'll leave your mother and Arcadia behind. I promise!" Strickler begged. Seeing Jim's unmoving stare, he continued, "Enough secrets have been revealed this afternoon. Do you really want your classmates to watch you kill their teacher?"

With a start Jim looked around the school courtyard and realized what he had just done. The secrets he was bound to protect, laid bare in front of the entire Arcadia Oaks High School student body and faculty.

Jim sighed, "Fine. But I want you to promise to leave and never return. And stay away from my mother!" Jim withdrew Daylight and with a mental command, his armor disappeared as he placed the amulet back into his pocket.

With a crack Strickler returned to his human form and stood up, dusting himself off. "I promise Young Atlas. If it is any consolation, I always was very fond of you. I hope you continue to have success in your new duties." With those parting words, Strickler turned and walked away.

"Haha...so...yeah..." Jim stammered as he turned to survey the silent crowd surrounding him. Unsure what to say, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath...

When he opened them he saw Strickler's face in front of him. His left hand was clenched in a fist pushing against the truck and his right lay protectively over the amulet in his back pocket.

"You wouldn't dare," Strickler sneered.

Drawing himself up to his full height, Jim's confidence and posture embodied the Trollhunter had had become. Looking directly into Strickler's eyes, his voice rang with a confidence and maturity that belied his sixteen years. "I recommend you leave now, Stricklander."

Stunned at Jim's use of his true name, Strickler didn't respond.

"Go, before I change my mind and we both regret our next actions."

"Very well, Young Atlas." Strickler replied.

Jim and Strickler's stare was broken as Shannon called out "I have a breath mint!"

"You are out! Darci wins for the girls!" cried Senor Uhl.

Strickler reached over to take the breath mints and with a sarcastic wave and rattle of the tin, he turned and walked away.

With a sigh Jim the Trollhunter became Jim the High School Student once again.

"Dude! Mr. Strickler is dating your Mom?!" Steve laughed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Yeah, it was going to be a long afternoon...

A/N: Remember this all took place in Jim's head. A kind of wishful thinking, if you will.