( A/N - Pausing the TWT book for a while, don't want to finish it when there's still four billion months until the movie. )

Poppy had ran into Branch's bunker, practically at the speed of lightning (weather joke), ignoring the trolls that asked her questions about her party.

She opened his bedroom door, and saw Gary peacefully sitting on his pillow in his crib.

She took the new batteries off the shelf and opened Gary's back up with a screwdriver.

After replacing the batteries and tossing the old ones out, she closed the back and sat him back down, tucking him in. "Good mor-night Gary!"

She giggled and looked around the bunker, which was a mess.

She made his bed and folded his laundry for him. Why not clean the whole place? Give him a nice surprise for when he returns.

Poppy ran around his bunker, cleaning while singing.

"Just whistle while you work
And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place
So hum a merry tune
It won't take long when there's a song to help you set the pace."

She pictured Branch's broom as him and repeated their Hair Ball dance.

And as you sweep the room
Imagine that the broom
Is someone that you love and soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune
When hearts are high the time will fly so whistle while you work."

( A/N - Whistle While You Work by Adriana Caselotti )

She sighed and plopped on to his chair. "Does he ever clean?"

Poppy noticed a door was cracked open. "Ah, cupcakes, I missed a room."

She walked in with the broom, and was shocked to see that it was very tidy.

There were shelves with curtains, an organised desk, and a dimly lit lamp.

Poppy slid open the curtains to find another surprising discovery.

"Every single card I've ever given him."

She recognized the twenty years of freedom from the Bergens card. 'He fixed it!'

She blushed more than she ever had, and closed the curtains, making sure he'd never know she knew.

~

Poppy made her way back to her pod to change and head to the lagoon for her party that was only a half hour away.

With her ear to ear grin, she twirled around in her suit and opened her drawer to bring the picture's of Biggie, Guy, and Branch, to make it feel like they were there.

She looked through, but couldn't find Branch's photo. "That's weird, I thought I put Branch in here too."

Poppy looked around her entire pod for it, but it was missing.

It was no big deal, so she took a picture of her teasingly putting her fingers in his mouth to make hin smile out of the frame, and safely placed it in her hair.

~

She arrived to the lagoon a little late, but her guests forgave her.

Poppy placed each picture in their own individual beach chair so they could sun bathe.

"'Ello Poppy!" Creek greeted, placing Mr. Dinkles right on top of sun bathing Branch.

"Hey Creek!" Poppy hugged him.

"How is Mr. Dinkles?"

Mr. Dinkles looked at Creek with a demonic look again.

"He's fine."

Poppy chuckled then grabbed his wrist, wrapped her hair around a (tree) branch, then swung in to the water with him.

Once Creek breached the surface, Poppy started splashing him, sparking a splash war between the two.

"This is the most fun I've ever had!" Poppy shouted over the sound of water.

"Same here!" Creek yelled back.

Hearing those words come from Poppy's mouth surprised the Snack Pack.

"Doesn't she say that with Branch all the time?" Satin turned to her twin sister.

"Yeah," Chenille responded.

“Oh my guh, she's losing interest in Branch!” Smidge jumped on Cooper and shook his neck.

DJ Suki stopped playing music to join the conversation, luckily no one noticed. “I'm sure y'all are just overreacting, they're not coming in super close contact with each other.”

Archer who was standing nearby drinking fruit punch, raised his eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

They looked over to see that Creek and Poppy were hugging each other amorously.

“That is creepy.” Cooper said, adding a short laugh.

“We can't control Poppy's love life.” Satin stared down at her leggings.

“Or can we?” Smidge tapped her chin and got an idea. “What if constantly remind Poppy of Branch?”

Everyone agreed with the plan, and very subtly started sending out the reminders.

“WOW! BRANCH IS SO HANDSOME!” Chenille practically screamed at the top of her lungs.

That got the entire village's attention.

“He is.” Poppy blushed, remembering his face.

“HE HAS SUCH A GOOD TASTE IN MUSIC!” DJ added.

“He does.” Poppy sighed dreamily.

“BUT HE'S VERY OVERPROTECTIVE!” Archer stated, just because he didn't care about Poppy loving Branch, as he too had a thing for her.

“He is!” Creek agreed.

“Because he wants to keep us safe.” Poppy pointed out.

“It prevents us from having fun!” Archer argued.

The Snack Pack shushed him.

Poppy rolled her eyes and got out of the water to get some snacks.

She looked up at the sky, seeing that it had turned a smoky gray color, it seemed like it was about to rain and the wind picked up, “Aw.”

She stood on a chair to announce the news. “Everyone! We're going to need to stay near that tree over there until the sky clears up.”

Everyone groaned, but stood under it anyways. It was pretty tight because it was just one tree and an entire village.

Poppy rose up on her hair to keep an eye on the sky and what was going on.

“Weird, that rain looks a lot like big ice balls.” She held her hand out to feel it.

One smashed against her hand, causing her to lose balance and crash to the ground, only to be hit by more.

Archer pulled her back under the tree. “This is hail.”

“What are we supposed to do?” A young purple troll with blue hair and a similar look as DJ did asked.

“We're safe under here.” He reassured.

“BET IN FLANCH'S BRUNKER!” An auto-tuned voice shouted off in the distance. The crashing hail and wind made it hard to hear what they were saying.

( A/N - I was gonna keep Guy with Biggie and Branch this time but nahh- mama needs her Briggie. )

“Who's Flanch?” Smidge climbed up a troll's hair to see this shouting troll.

“BET IN BRANCH'S BUNKER!” The voice that belonged to Guy Diamond yelled again.

“Why are we betting?” Creek tilted his head..

The trolls saw that Guy was running in to Branch's bunker, and understood what he said finally.

Panicking, they all did exactly that.

“My pictures!” Poppy ran back to the shore to grab Mr. Dinkles, and the pictures of her friends.

Guy's had already blew away, but at least she knew he was the villlage, Biggie's was stuck in the legs (that part that keeps lounge chairs holding, I don't know what to call it) of the chair, giving her the easy chance to grab it.

As soon as Poppy picked up Mr. Dinkles, Branch's picture was carried away by the wind. “No!” She reached for it.

“Poppy! Get in!” Creek was holding the door open, urging Poppy to join the village.

Seeing all the debris flying around, she gave up on getting the picture back and ran in to the bunker.

Poppy slid in, and at the perfect time too, a (tree) branch fell right on the door, blocking the exit.

“Phew.” Mr. Dinkles sighed in relief and hopped out of Poppy's arms to go make a mess somewhere.

“What's going on out there, Guy? Why are we in here?” DJ stepped to the front of the crowd to hug her crush and make sure he was alright.

Guy seemed completely fine, besides a few leaves sticking out of his hair and a bruise on his shoulder.

“We were out in Misty Meadows watching this storm, when Biggie was knocked by unconscious by what I thought was a snowball, but Branch referred to it as a hailstonne. He reassured that we would be fine, the storm was going to miss us, but it shifted directions and started heading towards us, forming a tornado. We were planning on returning to the village, but the wind and debris made it hard to see, so we seperated and I made it here, but apparently they didn't.”

A/N - you're gonna see that story again lol )

Poppy's heart sunk as she heard the news. “Do you think they're okay?”

Guy shrugged. “We did dig a ditch in case we did come across dangerous weather. I couldn't find it, but maybe they did.”

She nodded and excused herself from the room. She sat at his desk to look at some of the cards. Thanks to the tornado, these cards are probably the only other pictures of Branch she had left.

She hugged the anniversary from the Bergens card while fighting back tears. She tried hard to think positive thoughts, but her brain transferred them to negative.

‘He and Biggie are dead. They didn't find the ditch. If they aren't dead they're probably missing limbs.‘

Poppy slammed her head against the table, not too hard that it wouls give her a concussion, just hard enough to switch her thoughts around.

Creek poked his head in. “If it makes you feel any better we can search for them tomorrow.”

Archer looked in, standing on top of Creek. “I'll come too.”

She wiped her tears. “Thanks! I was planning on sneaking out to find them anyways so I'm happy to hear that other people want to come too.”

Creek bent down, making Archer fall right in front of Poppy. “I'm falling for ya..?”

Poppy laughed and pulled him up. “Oh, you.”

Creek rolled his eyes, jealously.

Poppy skipped back out to talk to Guy and DJ. “Do you two want to come with us to look for Branch?”

“And Biggie.” Guy added.

“I'd love to come!” DJ beamed.

Guy nodded.

“I want to come!” CJ jumped in.

“Me too!” Keith followed CJ, giving puppy eyes.

“Despite the utter treachery, I want to join the search as well.” Priscilla said being all sMaRt.

They were too cute to say no to, so Poppy allowed them to come.

So they'd have energy in the morning, everyone fell asleep, mostly puked on each other.

Poppy, Peppy, Smidge, Cooper, and Guy slept in Branch's room on his bed, Poppy and Peppy being the only trolls who used his blanket, while the others sat at the foot like dogs.

Poppy's mood had dramatically changed from depressed to excited. She could barely sleep. Then again, she's excited so all the thinking wore her out.

( A/N - “And so it begins.”

YAY- BRIGGIE BONDING TIME! )