Jim took a deep shaking breath as he looked up at the house. He was terrified and excited all at once.
“Go on, Jimbo,” Toby said from behind him, “I wanna see their faces!”
Jim smiled and walked up the steps and nocked on the door.
“Coming! Just one second!”
It took every fiber of his being not to cling to her as soon as she opened the door.
“J-Jim? Is…Is it really you?” Barbara’s eye welled with tears.
“Ye-Yeah, Mom. I’m back. And-And this is me again! I’m back!”
His mother laughed and the tears spilled over. She reached forward and pulled her son into a bone crushing hug. Jim returned it with gusto.
He turned and looked up the stares at the changling, “Hi, Stri-…Walt.”
“My God!” Walt flew down the last half of the steps and enveloped Jim and Barbara in a rough hug, wrapping his wings around them for good measure, “Oh My God!”
The dam broke. Jim began sobbing his heart out. He clung to his mother as tight as he could, no longer afraid of hurting her. He sobbed so hard he felt like his chest was going to explode. Finally, he began to calm down. He loosened his grip on Barbara and promptly, passed out as the adrenalin wore off.
Barbara smiled and stroked his hair gently. Walt chuckled.
“Come on. Let’s get the two of you out of the doorway.”
She nodded. Walt gently scooped the teenage boy into his arms and made his way over to the sofa. Barbara shut the door and hurried to sit before Walt could lay her son down. She held his head in her lap and stroked his hair gently. Walt sighed and brushed one lock of hair from the boy’s face.
“You two stay here. I’m going to clean out that storage room so we can move the familiars in there. I get the feeling Young Atlas would prefer to sleep in his bedroom tomorrow and not on the sofa.”
Barbara nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from her son, “Thank you, Walt.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead gently.
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theartofmadeline
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