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Summary: My take on the reunion between Pinocchio and Jiminy, set right after "Selfless, Brave and True".
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Pinocchio's head felt heavy and strange, full of half-remembered dreams that evaporated as soon as he tried to get a hold of them. It felt like he had awoken suddenly from an unexpected nap, not knowing where he was or how much time had passed - minutes? hours? years? (No, he told himself, not years, that was silly.) The last thing he remembered clearly was jumping into the roaring waves as Monstro was about to swallow him and his father, raft and all... but obviously there should be more memories after that.
Pinocchio threw a look back over his shoulder and caught a last glimpse of the pretty fair-haired lady before they rounded a corner and were out of sight. He really wished he could tell her what she wanted to know. Pinocchio frowned at the memory of how sad she had looked when he told her he couldn't remember. She had tried to hide it but Pinocchio had still seen the sadness, and for a moment he had considered lying to make her feel better. But he hadn't, because somehow he had known, deep down inside, almost as if he had been told so before, that if he were to remain a real boy he would have to be selfless, brave and true - and that meant no lying.
He didn't even know her name, but he knew he would help her with anything he could. He promised himself that he would find her and tell her immediately as soon as he remembered anything.
As they walked along his father started explaining how the Evil Queen's terrible curse had banished the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest to a land without magic, and how Pinocchio and a little princess had travelled through a wardrobe to escape... but the more his father explained the more confused Pinocchio became; he didn't remember a princess, he didn't understand how a wardrobe would help against a curse, and the mere concept of a land without magic was really hard to wrap his mind around. No magic? At all? How did that work? Something heavy settled in his stomach at the same time as something light stirred in the back of his mind, but while the heavy feeling persisted, the feather-light touch of a memory disappeared before he could reach it.
Pushing both the confusion and the frustration away as well he could Pinocchio looked around curiously, and without meaning to his mind began to wander. It wasn't all that hard to believe that they were in a strange land, his own eyes told him as much; the houses were big and somewhat uninviting, the people they passed were dressed in unfamiliar fashions, and though there were many strange carriages parked along the road there was not a single horse in sight. And even the road itself was different! At first he thought it was cobblestone, but upon closer inspection Pinocchio decided it couldn't be - though he could see some cracks it looked like the road was made out of one enormous slab of something ... a strange rock perhaps? Pinocchio stomped his feet experimentally and marvelled at the feel of it. Really strange! His father looked down at him questioningly and Pinocchio decided that for now he should focus on where the road was leading instead of what it was made of.
"Where are we going, father?"
His father, either oblivious to the fact that Pinocchio had not paid attention to his explanation or willing to overlook it, squeezed his hand with a smile. "We're going to find Jiminy, my boy! Now our whole family will be reunited at last!"
"Jiminy's here, too?"
"Oh, yes! He'll be very happy to see you again!"
The heavy and unpleasant feeling that had slowly built in the pit of Pinocchio's stomach ever since his father had said they were in a land without magic suddenly unclenched and faded away. He had been afraid that Jiminy would be gone, lost somewhere in the woods, all alone - because how could a magical cricket survive in a land without magic? Without magic Jiminy would be just an ordinary cricket, wouldn't he? Pinocchio knew that ordinary crickets were fragile and easily hurt, and prey to lots of different creatures, and they couldn't talk, either! They couldn't cry for help if they needed it, they couldn't even strike up conversation just to be friendly! The thought made Pinocchio sad. Even though he didn't always listen when his conscience talked to him, it would be awful if Jiminy didn't talk at all.
"But he's a little changed from what you remember, Pinocchio," his father added as an afterthought and Pinocchio frowned, suddenly a little worried again. He glanced up at the Blue Fairy walking next to them. She had changed a little, but not really all that much; clothes, hair and size... but her smile and sweet voice were the same. Pinocchio wondered how Jiminy had changed.
"There he is!"
Pinocchio looked in the direction his father was pointing and felt his worry increase tenfold. A little changed? Jiminy had changed a lot. Much more than the Blue Fairy. And if he could change that much on the outside, who knew if he still was the same on the inside? Pinocchio dug his heels in to try to slow down, but his father didn't seem to notice and kept dragging him along.
"Jiminy!"
But to Pinocchio's great surprise it was the man who turned around at his father's cry. The stranger opened his mouth to greet them, but as soon as his eyes landed on Pinocchio they widened in surprise and his words seemed to freeze in his throat.
His father finally stopped and Pinocchio reluctantly looked up at the stranger, not sure what to make of him. The bespectacled man was tall, a little taller even than his father, and his hair was almost the same shade of red as Pinocchio's, but though he had found the wherewithal to close his mouth he stranger was obviously still quite surprised.
Pinocchio felt only a little better when the stranger knelt down so they were at the same eye level. The stranger reached out as if he wanted to make sure Pinocchio was not just a figment of his imagination, but he stopped himself before the slightly shaking hand made contact - instead he absentmindedly clenched it into a fist and placed it over his own heart. Pinocchio wondered if maybe the man's heart was thudding just as hard in his chest as his own was.
Swallowing Pinocchio closed his eyes, clutching his father's hand even tighter. "Say something," he pleaded, or maybe demanded. He wasn't even sure himself.
For a long moment there was silence in the face of his odd request, but Pinocchio kept his eyes closed and his ears peeled, because he knew that there was only one way he could be completely sure... And just as he had hoped, when the stranger finally spoke it was with a soothingly familiar voice - patient, warm and quietly amused.
"What would you like me to say, Pinoke? That I've missed you? I have. I've missed you so very much."
Pinocchio opened his eyes, and this time the sight of the man didn't seem quite so strange. He let go of his father's hand and stepped a little closer.
"It is really you, Jiminy... isn't it?"
The man's expression softened and he nodded with a smile. "It really is, Pinocchio."
"When father said you had changed I sort of thought..." he trailed off and felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot as he nodded once in the direction of the dog sitting obediently close by. Behind him both his father and the Blue Fairy chuckled heartily and Pinocchio felt his cheeks flame even brighter. He shrugged and looked at his feet, unable to muster up the courage to meet Jiminy's eyes. But before Pinocchio found the words to apologise Jiminy reached out and gave his arm a gentle squeeze... and when Pinocchio dared to look up he realised that no apology was necessary because Jiminy was not offended. He wasn't laughing like the others, either, he just smiled reassuringly, looking like it didn't matter at all that Pinocchio had mistaken him for the dog.
"Don't worry, Pinoke, it's all right," Jiminy whispered so the others wouldn't hear. "Most of the others didn't recognise me at first either."
Relief blossomed in Pinocchio's chest at the words and it seemed to the little real boy to be much bigger than just the relief that his conscience was not disappointed or mad about his mistake; it was almost like he had waited a lifetime for Jiminy to dismiss his fears and soothe his guilt and worries. It was confusing, but felt really nice.
"That's Pongo," Jiminy added out loud, and nodded towards the dog who immediately started wagging his tail at the sound of his name. "He's been my friend here in Storybrooke, and I'm sure you two will be fast - "
Pinocchio decided that even though he didn't look at all like himself Jiminy was still the same on the inside where it counted, and without second thought launched himself at Jiminy and hugged him fiercely. His conscience didn't seem to mind that Pinocchio had rudely interrupted him in the middle of a sentence because he immediately hugged him back, and when Pinocchio heard the familiar chuckle in his ear it was almost like Jiminy was sitting on his shoulder again.
When they finally broke apart Jiminy's eyes were bright with tears, but he was grinning widely, holding on to Pinocchio's hands as if hesitant to let go completely.
"I don't understand what has happened, or how, or why, but I am very, very happy to see you again, Pinocchio." He looked up at the other two. "Let's head over to my place so you can explain this wonderful and unexpected turn of events to me." He rose, but not before retrieving what Pinocchio now saw was an umbrella - dropped in surprise when Jiminy first saw them. Pinocchio laughed out loud in delight at the sight. Everything was different, yet everything was still the same! He kept a hold on Jiminy's hand in one of his and reached for his father's with the other, and threw a cheeky happy grin over his shoulder at the Blue Fairy. She smiled warmly and righted his hat which had been knocked akilter by the exuberant hugs.
Pinocchio still didn't understand everything that had happened and it still bothered him that he couldn't remember what the fair-haired lady had deemed so important... but as he walked down the unfamiliar road with his family the lingering confusion didn't seem so important anymore. He was happy and felt confident that with the help of his family he could keep his promise to remain selfless, truthful and brave – and they could probably find a way to help the pretty lady as well. His father and Jiminy always had the answers to everything. Pinocchio smiled. Everything would work itself out.