(A/N: Not to drag you away from my other "Madeline" fic; I just have inspiration coming from all different directions. In any case, enjoy!)

Summary: Years later, after everyone has up and gone, Madeline writes a letter to her favorite boy next door.

Disclaimer: Like "The Wizard of Oz", I'm not even sure I would want to own "Madeline". I would be too afraid I would destroy everyone's childhood memories. : / THAT would be très scary. I'll just leave it to Ludwig Bemelmans, if that's all right with you.

Je T'aime, Pepito

A Madeline Fanfic

by Jill Diamond

Dear Pepito,

Bonjour, dear friend. Remember me? I'm the little redhead girl you used to live next door to. How many years has it been? Too many to count, that's for sure.

There is a reason that I'm writing you this letter. There's something that I need to tell you. Something that I've been meaning to tell you for a long time, but never had the courage. Ha. Listen to me. The little daredevil who wasn't even afraid of the tiger at the zoo not having the courage. It sounds rather silly, doesn't it? I haven't quite been able to make sense of it myself.

But, Pepito, what I'm trying so desperately to tell you is that I love you. No, not even that – I'm in love with you. I have felt this way for far too long. I wanted to tell you this years ago, but life kept getting in the way. First you moved away, and then I moved away, and everyone just lost touch, and...I'm glad I decided to write a letter instead of say all this to you in person. That may seem mean, but if I told you all this myself, I probably wouldn't be able to form a decent sentence. This whole thing is just too complicated, and I would get lost in your dark, Spanish eyes and chicken out.

Do you remember those breezy spring days when you would jump over the wall in between our houses, and we would play together with the other girls? Or in the winter out on the pond, when you and I would have skating races? Sometimes, I wish things could have stayed like that forever. Just me, Miss Clavel, my friends, Genevieve, and you. Everything was just our little world and nothing interfered. What I would give just to see the Bad Hat peeking over the wall again. What I would give to see your mischievous smile. To see that handsome sparkle in your eyes. To see you, Pepito.

Oh, that day you moved away. That's when everything started tumbling down. Curse your father for having such a capricious position. I still remember how my heart felt when you said goodbye and it broke. That sad face you wore and the tears that fell on your cheek are forever etched into me like my appendicitis scar. When you pulled me close for a hug, and told me you would remember me, the world stopped for just a second, and there was nothing except you and me. Did it stop for you as well? Did you feel the same? Did you feel my mutual tears on your shoulder that I made such an effort to hide, as I felt yours on my shoulder? Did you keep your promise and remember me? Because not a day goes by where I don't think of you and how much I wish I had had more time with you.

I realize that you probably have a beautiful wife, or at least a girlfriend, but I needed to tell you and get this off my chest. I am sorry, Pepito, ma chére, but you had to know. Believe me, I have tried to make myself realize that it could never work between us anymore. I have tried to find other men. But whenever I am with them, positively everything reminds me of you. Sometimes I even hear your voice as a little boy in the back of my mind, just saying little innocent things but always cutting me quick to the core. I will never forget the night when I was out with a man, and the younger you said, "You are my un verdadero amiga, Madeline, my one true friend", and I broke out into tears then and there. The man I was with didn't have the faintest idea what I was crying about, and I refused to tell him when he asked me, so he just took me home.

I am sorry. I realize probably now see the stains from my tears on the paper. Whenever I think I have the most control over my emotions, that is usually when I have the least amount of control. C'est la vie, I suppose.

Your friend,

Madeline

(A/N: I really wanted this to be longer, but... IDK. I may possibly write Pepito's reply, if you want me to. *blushes* I think I'm getting into this couple waaay too much! Anyway, thanks! And remember to give feedback and review! Au revoir! Oh, and ALL HAIL GOOGLE TRANSLATE! This fic probably would suck heavily if it were not for that. ^^)