The Gentleman

By Shahrezad1

Disclaimer: I don't anything OUAT-related. Although I do possess a few fairytale revamps of my own. :3

Summary: Ruby finally breaks down and asks her grandmother for advice regarding a certain foreign member of the opposite gender. Ruby/Granny conversation, followed by RedXCricket. Some Emma, MM, and other character involvement further on.

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Chapter 11: Lady in Red/Save the Last Dance (Part 2)

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Archie wasn't normally physically violent, but there was something about the three men sitting at the table next to him that made him want to strike out. It could have been any number of things. Or it could have possibly been their topic of conversation.

A conversation he shouldn't even be listening in on. For one, he typically was out walking Pongo this time of night. For another…what was he even doing here?

Trying something new. He'd reminded himself of that important detail again and again as he had begun his preparations earlier in the day. After all, Archie had long had the urge to shake things up a little; to change his life and have an adventure or two (or as much of an 'adventure' as he was willing to attempt).

So, he explained away his sudden need for drink and merry company to this drive for improvement, for transformation, and for experimentation. It had nothing to do with the strange stirrings he'd been feeling lately, of course, and it certainly wasn't being caused by the increased presence of his good friend Ruby.

His amazing, funny, intelligent, incredibly gorgeous friend Ruby.

Or her long legs.

Dr. Hopper had been having a hard time keeping his mind off of either, but he was determined that in all things he would treat her like a gentleman—even in his thoughts. It was just taking more effort than he was accustomed to.

He'd chosen a dark blue button-up shirt and deciding to ditch the "nerd" look for one evening, opting to forgo on wearing a tie or sweater-vest. But he had felt almost naked without his usual armor, so had thrown on a black sports jacket. Nothing tweed, and nothing twill. The article had appeared at the back of his closet, and while he'd been surprised he'd also been grateful.

After all, it was time to branch out a little, but he didn't know if he could deal with the indignity of buying new clothes. He shuddered at the thought of entering Modern Fashions. It was just…too much.

The Sleeping Giant had been chosen well in advance as a prime location for his first foray in adventuring. Well, not prime, exactly. It was just that most of Storybrooke was locked up this time of night, as respectable folk took a well-deserved rest for the day. Which left the company of less respectable folk as his only option.

Of course, now that Archie was here he couldn't help rethinking the idea. The bar was full, tables occupied, and at this point it was standing room only. Leaving him trapped just a few yards in from the door, stuck as an unwilling witness to the social degeneration of the human species.

Archie fisted the hands he'd shoved into shallow pockets as he stood trapped behind a trio of drunkards whose sole occupation was discussing a certain Storybrooke waitress.

"She couldn't get enough of me," the most repulsive of the three slurred, a candle-maker by trade named Harold. During daylight hours Archie knew him to be a respectable business owner, well-kept, financially responsible if a bit prone to loud laughter. But intoxicated by night, and sitting to the good doctor's immediate right, he was a grotesque figure with a curled lip and scowling features, "so I don't know what she's playing now, turning her back on all of us."

The 'she' was of course Ruby. Archie clenched and unclenched his fingers within his sports jacket, teeth gritted and expression set in a stubbornly neutral expression. He didn't approve of badmouthing others even in normal situations, but the fact that it was one of his closest companions being discussed made him want to jump in, fists flying.

Of course, the rage he was feeling had nothing to do with jealousy, he told himself in justification. His anger was only the end result of his protective defense mechanism; the same one which acted up whenever anyone he cared about was being maligned.

The first of the three men, on the psychiatrist's left, was Tomas from the deli. Sporting a somewhat scruffy beard, he had a dark complexion and intelligent eyes. The man exchanged a look with the middle figure, a baker named Richard, as he fingered the neck of his beer bottle, "I don't remember it happening that way."

Some of the red haze coloring Archie's vision faded a bit. But only just. Doctor Hopper unconsciously began rubbing his finger and thumb against one another, back and forth hard enough that at one point a knuckle popped.

Harold scowled and flung his arm out in an angry sweep, spilling outward some of his tankard in the process. A shout of shock sounded as a woman with short brown hair and large green eyes got splashed with the edge of the backlash. Her companion, a lanky man with a goatee, frowned and moved the two of them away as he offered her his jacket.

"Rumors!" Harold sounded, firmly, in an attempt at innocence.

"I don't know," Richard said, running a hand through sandy brown hair. Of middling height and nondescript features, he was a pleasant if average man, "wasn't there something about a black eye-."

"Bee sting! Had nothing to do with her!" the portly, balding man interrupted, "which isn't important. All I'm saying is she…she's thinking she's better than us! We see neither hide nor hair of her-."

Archie had had enough. Attempting to squeeze past the unfortunate victims of the flying mug incident, he firmly set aside the conversation in the search for some liquid refreshment. Or at least the existence of a familiar face. Frowning, he tried to move away.

"You do know that she is here tonight, right?" Tomas' voice carried.

Behind them the good doctor jerked to a stop.

Then the reaction came that he'd been trying to block.

Increased pulse rate. Quickened breathing. His hands moistened slightly in the heated crowd.

Pale eyes scanned the room, but couldn't see anything. Only then did he manage to calm enough to pay attention. But even so, he was reminded of what he'd really come here for: her.

A myriad of colors—red and brown and green and white—flashed in his mind's eye, reminding him of moments of laughter and sadness and anxiety and cheer. Archie had enjoyed their shared company, particularly in that time when he'd been an accidental lodger. And in the days since he'd felt the loss of that welcoming 'home away from home' acutely.

No, it hadn't been the B&B's absence, he forced himself to acknowledge. It had been her's. He was going crazy because she wasn't near him…and he couldn't figure out why.

You know, lying, even to yourself, won't get you anywhere.

He could hear his own voice, aimed low as though being pitched toward a patient during a session. And the truth was that it was right-he'd be lying to himself if he kept this facade up.

Archie was attracted to Ruby. It was as simple as that.

Then again, what man wasn't attracted to Ruby? The distasteful male in front of him was a point in fact. But in Archie's case he at least had an alibi—he blamed Henry.

It had been the child whom had placed the idea in his head, and then had reinforced it every chance he got. And his storybook wasn't much help. Archie felt sympathy for the fictional character that was Red Riding Hood, but more than that he felt empathy for the Ruby Lucas that he knew.

His mind was stuck on replaying every moment between the two of them. Talks in the diner, holding hands on Career Day, talking about books and events over breakfast. He loved the swing of her hair when it was a sheet of dark silk floating over her shoulder, and was fascinated by the way that it seemed to frame her face when she let it curl.

And then there was the liveliness of her personality. She was an individual that listened with her whole self, never wavering. Every person she spoke to felt as though her eyes and ears and attention were completely on them, a focused point from which she would never deviate. To a man accustomed to remaining silent first and speaking second, it was a heady experience. Especially when her eyes lit up and her lips twitched in a wide smile.

Ruby was intelligent, loyal, and loving. It was as simple as that. And Archibald Hopper, too old, too stodgy, too conservative for a modern girl like her, was a bit smitten.

When he shouldn't be. He really shouldn't be. But when they'd been having that lunch together, just before he left Granny's Bed and Breakfast, something had sparked between them. A hovering something which had made his heart lurch and his mind open wide with possibilities. He'd felt like drawing her close in that moment, tucking her head underneath his chin before arching down to place his lips on hers. Which had startled him more than anything else in this world or the next.

The new sensations had caught him entirely off guard, paired with his characteristic need to defend her from Mr. Gold, and he'd run out of there like a bat out of…well, he'd made a run for it, anyway. Since then it was becoming harder and harder not to think about their interlude, and he'd tried distancing himself from her in an effort to break himself of this new attraction between them.

Which shouldn't be! They were friends, by all that was good! And he didn't want to wreck that. When he'd expressed his concern to Marco the man had just laughed and said to trust in his heart. So he hadn't received much aid from that corner.

He might pretend that his reasons for coming involved his search for adventure. But the truth was that he needed a distraction tonight, and had hoped that he would find it in The Sleeping Giant.

A plan which had failed entirely.

True, it was one of her regular haunts. And perhaps his unconscious had led him here in the hope of seeing her.

But he'd heard that she hadn't been around the establishment lately and had been somewhat wishing that she wouldn't be returning anytime soon—Ruby seemed more calm and cheerful without the liquid crutch…and the desire for male companionship.

His disappointment that she was present was paired with a certain sense of guilt as he thought about his own presence in the bar, the pot calling the kettle black. Still, it was definitely a surprise and made his nerves jump in a backward mix of anxiety and anticipation.

On the off chance that she wouldn't be present he'd been eager to use the time alone to mull over what he'd learned. To analyze his reactions to her and her reactions to him, but it looked like he wouldn't have that time for his leisure.

"—And then she strolls in like she owns the place!" the drunk continued as though he hadn't been interrupted.

"Strolling? Really, Harry," Richard sighed, shaking his head. He took a sip of his own drink, a glass of rum that he was partaking of conservatively. Of the three of them he seemed the most tired with the conversation, as if it were an old one that had been rehashed too many times to count.

Tomas only frowned, "she doesn't look happy. I don't know why you are so angry with her, Harold. She's just sitting. Not even flirting today."

That he didn't want to hear about. Archie again attempted to edge around them, to no avail. He was tired of this talk. And if Ruby was present, then…

"Well, I heard that she's found someone."

Richard had said the words, the most sober of the three, and his tone was half speculation and half admiration. The doctor was arrested, completely frozen in place.

The deli-worker's surprise was similarly palpable, "really? Who?"

"No one knows. But Jackson and Pete have some ideas."

"What do those bozos know?" Harold demanded, banging his tankard on the table. He was no longer responding violently but was still belligerent as he buried himself in liquid courage.

Both of his companions ignored the man, sharing open information across their raised round table. Positioned as they were they had a clear view out into the building's main thoroughfare, affording them with almost all of the place's interior, but their eyes were trained on the bar for some reason. A series of wooden arches highlighting tall bottles and decanters in a rainbow of translucent color.

Without thinking about it Archie found himself instinctively pulling up a chair just out of sight, able to see their expressions and hear their voices as a sudden clenching attacked his stomach. Ruby had found someone? Who could it be?

"They say that she's found a straight-shooter. And that she's trying to become someone else. 'Change her ways.'"

Tomas nodded thoughtfully, "I noticed that she was dressing differently. Acting different, too."

"So what's she doing here, then?" Harold hiccupped, eyes starting to blur. It seemed no matter what she did she was to be condemned for it. Archie half wondered exactly what it was that Ruby had done to offend the man, then changed his mind. He really didn't want to know.

Richard shrugged, "dunno. But it's like Tomas said—she didn't look happy. Maybe something happened."

The main in question nodded, "yes. That's too bad, though. She's a nice woman and deserves to find love somewhere."

"Who do you think it is?" the baker asked speculatively, sipping his drink. Tomas shrugged and opened his mouth to speak, but not before their third companion could interrupt loudly.

"Probably some dandy with too much money and a possessive soul to match! I say it's Gold."

Feeling wrath welling up again, the psychiatrist seriously pondered interrupting the conversation with a well-placed fist.

Richard shook his head, thinking, "no, not with her grandmother's rent hanging over their heads. Especially since I heard the place is going to hers some day."

Tomas nodded and took a small swig of his drink, "well, who is left then?"

"It has to be someone that'd treat her like a lady; a real gentleman. She wouldn't wear those duds for just any man. Did you see those pearls around her neck?"

"Si," Tomas affirmed. Leading all three men to mull for a moment before he straightened, "do you think that it could be Doctor Whale?"

Both Harold and Richard scoffed.

"Not in a million years," Harry sneered, "she hates him more'n me." Richard nodded. Apparently there was one thing that they could agree on.

"Maybe Mike Tillman," the baker offered up instead. Archie shifted uncomfortably, recognizing that yes, such a match would be good for Ruby. But somehow he immediately hated the idea, despite the progress he'd seen in the man as he had slowly grown into the role of being a father, "Ruby's been spending time with that new daughter of his."

"But only the nina, not the padre," Tomas pointed out. He tapped the glass of his bottle, "what about that doctor?"

"We already said-."

"No, no. The other one. El Medico por locos. Psiquiatra."

"Tomas, we don't-."

"Hopper! The red-haired man."

All four men fell silent, including Archie in his hiding place. It was as though the rug had been pulled out from under him, he was in such shock. All he could hear was his own name being replayed, over and over, as though a death sentence was falling upon him.

Well, he'd asked for a sign the other day. He'd received an afternoon's attention from Ruby, followed by an almost…something. Since then his mind had plagued him with questions and reminders of her; enough to drive him truly batty. And if that hadn't been enough, this definitely counted as a sign. Especially when Tomas's companions joined in to speculate on the possibility.

"…you know, now that I think about it, she has been spending a lot of time with him lately…"

"Never did like the man. Dog's always getting out, barking late at night."

The three of them moved off, finished with their repast. The shocked counselor remained as stiff as a board and twice as solemn, resembling more of a gravestone than a man.

Ruby. And him. Was it even possible? Archie had definitely 'woken up' when it came to her, but how could she even be interested in him…? She deserved so much more and… Did that mean that the almost-'something' that had almost occurred had possibly been an intentional almost-something…? So how was he to react…what was he to do?

Staring out into the crowd, Dr. Hopper pondered on the situation he was in. Only to be almost immediately interrupted.

Someone shifted into the seat beside him and Archie looked up in surprise, half-recognizing the man but only distantly. He'd probably never treated him before, was the automatic thought, and the psychiatrist almost cursed himself for his reaction. He didn't need any distractions right now.

"Hi," the stranger said outright, hand held out for a firm grip, "we've never met before. I'm Jim. And it looks like you've just been trapped by the terrible trio."

Archie swallowed harshly, wishing he had something to drink, "trapped is a good word for it…"

"Then you've heard the news, I'm guessing?" The other man didn't wait for him to finish, she continued speaking.

"N-news?" his pale baby blues popped up at this, and Jim smiled wryly behind a roman nose that seemed to match the rest of his friendly, angular features perfectly. A young man as physically opposite from Hopper as you could get. Someone he could see Ruby actually falling for…

"Her," the psychiatrist followed the man's pointing finger to the bar area, and was stunned to find Ruby in profile as the crowd began to part. Chatting with Kathryn Nolan as though they'd been friends forever. The latter woman looked healthier and happier than she had in months, even a few years. Since before she'd gotten married, "and you."

"A-and me…?" Archie shakily echoed.

Jim slapped a hand upon his back congenially, "let me get you a drink."

Who was he to argue with a declaration like that?

When 'Jim' returned with two beverages, a scotch for Archie ("you seemed like the scotch type") and a bottle for himself, the doctor latched onto the drink like it was a lifeline. Yet didn't partake of it beyond the first sip. The tall man with light brown hair looked at him speculatively for a few minutes, then nodded.

"That bad, huh?"

"W-what? No!"

"Mmm-hmm," his stranger-friend nodded, "you know you shouldn't lie. Especially to someone whom knows what it's like to love someone that's off limits."

"What…?"

"Look again."

So Archie did. Seeing Ruby and Kathryn Nolan.

Kathryn Nolan, the victim of scandal. The woman scorned, the woman thought dead and lost. The woman currently trying to find solace in a bottle and a crowded room. Just like him.

"Ah."

"'Ah' is right, Doc. And I've never even spoken to her once," the man barked out a laugh and tossed his drink from hand to hand across the table, the sound of glass scraping across the tablecloth a rare sound, "still, I can't help thinking about her."

Archie blinked and pointed at the man as synapses fired and he suddenly remembered a conversation he'd once hand with David. Recently, in fact, at the beginning of a session, "you're the one who found her car, aren't you?"

Jim gave him a sideways glance, smile rueful, "the very one. I've been worried about Mrs. Nolan ever since, checking the woods with no news from the sheriff except that there was no news. And now, suddenly, bam, she's sitting in front of me and I can't even get up the guts to ask if she's okay."

"I'm sorry?" the redhead expressed, frowning. He wondered how much the man had already had to drink and if he knew that Archie was off duty, psychiatrist-wise. He opted not to say anything. Clearly there was a purpose to this man's actions and his words, and he was willing to be an anchor and a friend in an unfamiliar place. Especially after having been gifted with a free drink. Archie wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"So I saw you with that bowled-over look on your face, came to an apparently accurate conclusion, and decided that commiserating together is better than moping alone," he paused, nodding thoughtfully to the side as he deliberately avoided eye contact for a moment, "they're not the only ones that have guessed that it's you, by the way. There's a betting pool going around, but I won't tell you who you're competing against. Cheers."

"Cheers," Doctor Hopper responded miserably, taking another small sip of his poison of choice before nursing it in his hands.

Jim took a slow swill, eyes never leaving his prize, "so. This leads us to a question. You're single. She's single. Both of you are unattached, no skeletons in the closet, and you apparently like one another. What are you going to do about it?"

Archie spluttered, "w-what? Are you crazy. She'd never look at-!"

"A hard-working, honest man who treats her like a lady?" Jim interrupted flatly. Well. There wasn't much that he could say to that, "I hate to say it, but I think that the only one that can't see it is you."

"Y-you must be mistaken. She…Ruby isn't interested in me. I'm not her 'type.' And what's more, it…it.."Grasping for something to say, Archie fiddled with his glasses while ignoring his blush through sheer determination, "it's slightly more complicated than that. We're friends. I couldn't infringe upon her time like that. Plus she's so young—she has better things to do than spend time with someone like me."

The man beside him only gave him a piercing look, informing Archie wordlessly that he was only feeding him excuses.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or you? The woman I'm interested in almost died. Was dead for a while. And she's still married. Compared to that, you've got nothing to worry about."

"David's heading for Boston," he mumbled in answer. But the minute the information had swept past his lips Archie felt like cursing himself, fists clenching as he mentally banged his head against the table. That data had been given to him in confidence—his patient hadn't even informed his estranged wife yet. And yet somehow the psychiatrist had spilled the truth to some stranger like he was handing out candy.

"Really?" it was apparently the best news that the man had heard all night, his eyebrows jumping and expression opening.

"N-now, that information is not well-known! Please don't spread it around that I-!"

"Relax, Hopper," his unexpected companion smiled, calming him yet again with a hand gripping one of his shoulders, "I won't saying anything. It's just…good to know. She deserves better than that."

He bit his lip at the urge to say that David was a good man. Even after finding out what he and Mary Margaret had hidden for so long. It had been just as startling as when he'd found out about the second party involved—the choice to stray had been out of character for both of them. Still, people did things they normally wouldn't for the sake of love. And that relationship had apparently been on the rocks long before their resident schoolteacher had even entered the picture. No excuse, but still…

Maybe in leaving David would give them all a chance at a new start. It was possible. Especially if this Jim fellow was as intent on Kathryn's welfare as he seemed.

"I'll go over and talk to her if you talk to the waitress."

That made his head whip around, "what?"

Jim smirked slightly and took a swill of his drink before setting it back down, "I'll talk to Kathryn if you talk to Ruby."

"I could never do that! I-."

A crash interrupted whatever it was he had been about to say. And Archie's heart dropped as he realized where the sound had come from.

Oh, no.

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Harold Waxly shook himself like a bull as he turned to face his quarry, the water she'd thrown at him coming off of him in a sprinkler effect. His left hand was still clenching and unclenching as though in the process of grasping Ruby, while the right was occupied with a quarter-full bottle. Which apparently wasn't his first.

Ruby blinked at the sight of the inept lecher in the act of the violent assailant, but didn't have time to stare for long as he began waving around his glass accessory like a weapon. She turned to tuck Kathryn further behind her and was startled to find that someone had beaten her to it. The local gym teacher gave her a firm nod as he grasped the blonde by the arm and shoulder, moving her safely away as she protested all the while.

But that was nothing next to the surprise of seeing a flash of red hair and glasses from within the crowd.

She shook her head at what had to be a mental illusion. Just because she wished to see him there didn't mean that he was actually there. And she couldn't afford any distractions right now.

Fumbling behind her for something defensive, her hands scrambled on her clutch purse. With the leather cords wrapped around her wrist, however, she felt much calmer. It wasn't much of a protection, but her instincts told her that it could substitute for either an emergency shield or a slingshot in a heartbeat.

Ruby could almost feel a growl growing beneath her skin.

But first, she would try and talk sense out of the man, "Harold, what are you doing?"

"Giving you what you deserve, witch!" he yelled irrationally. The multitude that had previously been a milieu of chatting people was falling silent in a ring around them. Most looked appalled at the man's actions, but were unwilling to interfere. Which meant that her only hope was Joshy at the counter. Except…that he wasn't there.

Ruby mentally cursed. She would have to stall for time.

"Harold…Harry," she ducked a badly aimed swing, only her reflexes saving her from what could have been a bad tumble, "I don't know what you're talking about. Please, I can't make anything right if you don't talk to me."

His eyes glared at her through a haze of boozy anger, "you know what you did. Fooled with me, humiliated me, then show up like some tart! Slinking around with other men, laughing at me behind my back."

Her head jerked with hurt and surprise. It was one thing to hear the words coming from her Grandmother's mouth—she almost expected them. But quite another to hear them tossed about in front of what consisted of a solid third of the town. She could feel an irate flush suffuse her skin, but whether it was rage or horror she couldn't pinpoint—possibly somewhere between the two. Was this really what everyone thought of her? Why was no one trying to stop him from speaking?

"I didn't humiliate you, Harold. I just…don't think that we should be anything more than friends."

He sneered, "friends," he waved a hand out into the crowd, where ducked heads and embarrassed looks abounded, "you're 'friends' with most of the men here!"

She gasped, "Harold, all we had was one date. Just one! Just because I turned you down doesn't mean that I'm-."

"A slut! Whore! You're the underbelly of Storybrooke, the Jezebel of Maine!"

Any action she might have considered died as her world seemed to ice over. Each epithet was a nail in her social coffin, and a direct stake to the heart. Almost in slow motion she could see him move forward on shaky legs, bottle raise ninety degrees as though he was intending on smashing it over her head. All she could see was how he saw her, and all she could hear was the roaring in her ears. Until, a shift of fresh air brushed through the throng and her world fell silent.

"I think that that's enough for today, Harold."

Then, in a moment which was never to be repeated again, mild-mannered Archibald Hopper landed his fist into Harold Waxly's face. Crumpling the man with a single blow.

His fist was neither as experienced nor as swift as hers might have been, but it did the job. Knocking the drunk off of his face and flat on his back. Seconds after him came Joshy, finally freed from whatever tasks had plagued him. The brawny, entirely bald man with sleeves rolled up scowled with his one good eye out across the crowd as though daring them to say anything, and abruptly the throng of trapped figures dispersed, like a lynch mob doused with river water.

Ruby collapsed against the bar counter, gasping for breath as tears crowded themselves in a blurry veil before her eyes. Archie shook his wrist, wincing, then took one look at her and immediately acted.

"Come on, Ruby, let's go outside," the waitress could only nod, noticing neither the dodged glances nor the fact that Kathryn had a strong arm wrapped around her. All she could focus on was putting one step in front of another. Her heart pounding with the knowledge that no matter how she changed her exterior, the people she knew would always see her as nothing more than the village's prostitute.

They exited the building and the psychiatrist immediately circled his arms around her, his right more loosely placed on her waist than the one on his left, which gripped her back like it never wanted to let it go. Only then did she release her feelings of anguish, crying into a shirt as dark as the night and as blue as her feelings. She wrapped her arms around his neck, forehead pressed against the pulse of his neck.

It was rushing as much as hers was, but with time it slowed. Until she finally calmed enough to notice that Archie was rocking back on forth with her in his arms, humming with what little music they could hear at their backs. Every now and then she could feel something press against the softness of her hair, although she didn't dare guess what. To guess was to have her hopes dashed, and she couldn't afford another heartbreak tonight.

Only when her sobs turned into hiccups did the psychiatrist sigh and draw slightly away, pained fingers coming up to wipe the last streak of tears on her cheeks. He gazed at her, and if she was daring she might have called it loving, but all she could attribute it to was his natural kindness.

Normally his stutter would be more pronounced at a time like this, but in this case it was calm, direct, and soothing. Without any sense of hesitance or worry, "do you want me to walk you home, Ruby?" His thumb rubbed in a smooth circle against her back, a soothing presence.

She gave him a tremulous smile, lip wavering, and nodded, "that would be wonderful."

And so, hand in hand, they made their way back to Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Never speaking on what had just happened. There would be time for that later.

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AN: Wow. Didn't expect that. I mean, I was sort of planning for a fight scene and then a dance scene, but Harold really let that one out, didn't he? And I expected dancing. Where in the world did the dancing go? D: Well, I suppose I can always save that for a one-shot or something. Anyway, sorry about the wait, everyone!

Tomas, Richard, Harold: Tom, Dick, and Harry. The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick-maker. Tomas is channeling two coworkers that I adore. Jackson=Jack and the Beanstalk. Pete=Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater. For a review of the characters, check out chapter seven. :) There's a hidden princess in this one, by the way. ^^

Si=yes. Nina=girl. Padre=father. El medico por locos=the doctor for crazies. Psiquiatra=psychiatrist. Should I have changed Psiquiatra for Psiquiatro? Not sure.

Frederick/Jim (I checked the wiki) is fun to write because we have, what, three sentences of dialogue to work with? He's a mystery to us, other than being a protective, hard-working guy. So he's not quite sure what to do when this married woman who's been hurt and missing and locked up stirs feelings in him that are protective and chivalrous.

Note: There aren't a lot of RedXCricket videos on Youtube, so I decided to fill in the gap by creating one. :) In case if you want to watch it, here's the link: www. Youtube watch ?v= P4dmo KfmTos (delete the blanks)

Also HOLY FREAKING COW! Slfnweitqoqwe! If you haven't checked this out yet, you should: the Deviantart artist Patatat has created some beautiful RedXCricket art, including this scene from, "The Gentleman," chapter 5. patatat . deviantart art/ The - Gentleman – 314154022 (fill in the spaces) I really, truly wish that you could see my face right now. :D

This is a long Author's note. I apologize. ^^;