One-shot summary: Xavier never meant to adopt Juliet. It just happened.

Xavier made the decision he rather liked Juliet.

For having been a wanted criminal, she was a pleasant enough person to be around. In the past two weeks she had been in his company she had been nothing but kind and helpful. She seemed a little – okay, a lot – out of her depth when it came to alchemy, science, and even the craft of blacksmithing, but what did come was a willingness to trust that he knew what he was doing.

As well as the ability to transcribe the messy handwriting of Varian. His writing was beyond recognition at times and he was thankful for whatever gift bestowed upon this girl that let her understand what the young man had scrawled. Adolescent boys were notorious for their poor handwriting skills, and it seemed the little genius was no exception.

"It seems he said the only thing that even caused the amber to react was bleach," Juliet said from the corner of the room, her back against the wall. Rudiger was curled at her feet, resting in the late afternoon sunset as the rays cut through the window.

Xavier nodded and pulled forward the cylindrical vile filled with bleach, moving to keep it separate from the other chemicals nearby. He should have automatically guessed that Varian had discovered something in regard to the bleach given that he had less of it to work with than everything else.

"Did he specify what kind of reaction?" Xavier asked her.

Juliet shook her head and stood up, rifling through the papers and disrupting the tired form of her furry friend. Rudiger gave some tittering as he woke up before jumping on to the stool she just vacated. She rolled her eyes and walked over to Xavier.

"Maybe next time you shouldn't fall asleep on my feet," she said to the raccoon. She returned to his attention by time she reached the table he was currently sitting at, a small assortment of brightly lit vials of liquids in front of him. She spread the papers in front of him, so he could see, which he took to with a critical eye.

"He says that it created a lining around the amber, actually made it harder to work around now," Juliet said. Juliet furrowed her brow and looked at the tarp thrown over the chunk of amber, the only visible piece of Quirin being the tip of his boot sticking out the end. Even if Xavier hadn't personally known the middle-aged man, it was another thing to see an inanimate body trapped in a golden prison. He liked to think most people would be bothered too.

"I know I'm not a super intelligent alchemist or a wizened old blacksmith – but have you tried…. just hitting it really hard?" Juliet asked.

Xavier laughed and shook his head. "The strength needed to break it…. it's near impossible." That had been his first thought upon getting here actually.

"Oh well," she said, a timid blush rising to her face. She pulled at a small wisp of hair so that it curled around her ear, only to immedailty come undone, and looked back up at him. She saw where vials sat, the pile of elixirs that were in excess but not in necessity after checking over Varian's notes or were pushed aside after their own experimentation. She picked a few of them up and moved to put them on the opposite table and out of the way.

"Thank you, Juliet," he said graciously. He returned to the chemicals before him and picked up a bright purple one, which had been labeled with a word that he couldn't make out. He reached down to pull off the cork top, but a large crash distracted his attention before could.

He whipped around to see Juliet, looking slightly upset, a barrage of multi-colored liquids across her old dress. At her feet was a pile of glass – which was a large problem considering that she had yet to invest in a pair of shoes. Rudiger shot across the room and sat on the table directly next to her, saying something to her at rapid-fire speed.

"No, no, Rudiger, I'm fine," she assured him, reaching over to pet him before remembering the chemicals on her hands and pulling it back towards her. Xavier walked over to her and raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"What happened?"

"Well, I –uh – I dropped the vials," Juliet said simply, wiping some of the contents off her arms. Xavier could of swore he was crazy…. but were the colors of Juliet's dress fading?

"Juliet….?" he said, motioning to the dress. Juliet looked down and he saw her eyebrows shoot up. Before Juliet's dress had been a mis-match of many different colors and fabrics, but now the colors were lightening as they moved closer to varying shades of white. Xavier supposed it was a blessing this was what it all appeared to be – she could have caught on fire just as easily.

"Well, there goes my dress," Juliet said with a huff, reaching for a nearby towel. Rudiger said something to her, which she apparently didn't appreciate all that much because she frowned at him. "Gee, Rudiger, if you didn't like my dress why didn't you say something?" Rudiger said something else and her eyes widened. "What do you mean Varian didn't either?!" Rudiger quickly responded. "You are an evil, evil raccoon."

Xavier coughed once to get the young girl's attention, which he got after he tried a second time.

"Juliet, are you alright?" Xavier asked. Juliet nodded, waving off his concern with a flick of her wrist.

"It appears the worst of it just got my dress," Juliet said, looking down at her now completely white and very damp dress. She laughed under her breath. "Under the circumstances, I suppose it was possible that I could have ended up with lime green hair or something."

Xavier rolled his eyes and looked down at her feet, where the glass sat in an uneven pile.

"If you'll just wait there, I'll go get a broom," Xavier said. Rudiger made a few noises next to the girl and disappeared to the floor. Juliet turned to Xavier with a smile.

"It seems Rudiger went to go get the dustpan," Juliet said. Xavier gave a quite chuckle reached for the broom in the corner.

"Rudiger seems to be a very helpful raccoon," Xavier said. Rudiger hopped up on the table again with a dustpan in his mouth and Juliet gave the raccoon a warm look.

"When he wants to be," Juliet said softly. Rudiger hoped down and placed the dustpan down next to the glass so that Xavier could sweep it into. Xavier gave him a nod of thanks and quickly moved the glass so that Juliet could move past.

"Thanks, Xavier," Juliet said. Rudiger quickly jumped into her arms – apparently that the little raccoon was still a little concerned for the girl despite nothing having come of the accident.

"You're welcome, Juliet," he said. He raised a brow at her bare feet. "Have you really never thought of wearing shoes? At least while you're in here?"

Juliet shrugged and pet Rudiger's head almost absentmindedly.

"Well, I arrived on the island with shoes, but I was around six years old, so they don't exactly fit me anymore, so I got rid of them a long time ago," Juliet said. "And then when I came back here there was no real reason to get them and then you know, me and Varian were a little busy, and now I don't exactly have money to go get them." She sighed once.

"I remember my old ones," Juliet said. "They were red and shiny, and I thought I was so cool because I was the only on the island who had something to cover their feet!"

Xavier laughed under his breath and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sounds like you were pretty popular back then," Xavier said. Juliet shrugged and turned away from him, expression going much softer. Xavier frowned and gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder at her turn of mood.

"I guess. Azul didn't really like me wearing them," Juliet admitted. "Made me "different"."

Xavier's frown deepened at the mention of Azul. Juliet had dropped some hints that perhaps that Azul – who Xavier surmised to be her caretaker on the island – had been less than stellar at his job. An offhand comment about Azul saying she couldn't do something and lulls into conversation whenever family was rarely brought up.

What had Azul exactly told her? The way Juliet talked about her home was kind and loving, everything that is, except that bird. He could see seeds of doubts planted in her eyes all the time whenever Xavier said something nice to her. They would disappear quickly, but he could see the distrust in her eyes. Something was holding her back from accepting that someone would like her or want to be her friend.

He hesitated for a moment. Saying the wrong thing was dangerous at this moment, one misstep and Juliet would think that Azul perhaps had been right.

Apparently, he waited too long, because Rudiger looked up at Juliet and said something to her. Juliet smiled and petted the top of Rudiger's head.

"Thanks, Rudiger."

The dreadful lull the three of them had been in broke in that moment. Xavier pulled back his hand and Juliet shook her head, clearing away whatever memory that had pulled her in. She smiled up at him and pulled at the wisps of her hair that had come undone.

"Is it alright if I go ahead and head home? So I can clean up?" Juliet asked.

The rock situation here in Old Corona wasn't exactly fixed per say but had been cleared up enough following Rapunzel's misdirection of them that the city was once again livable. A few of the citizens had declined to return home, however, had just opted to rent out homes here and stay where they were on the island capital or in the other towns. Xavier had managed to find one soon after arriving here a year ago and was renting from an old woman living in Southtown, a town ironically to the north of here. When Juliet had arrived here, he had quickly given her the spare room despite her insistence that I can sleep outside, honest, I did it for almost ten years.

Xavier forced on a make-shift smile.

"Of course," Xavier said. Juliet nodded with that same energetic smile and moved like she was going to hug him but remembered the raccoon in her arms and her still damp dress and backed away sheepishly.

"Thank you," Juliet said. "I'll see you at home!"

She quickly left, Rudiger still tight in her arms. Xavier watched her leave with the forced smile before dropping it the moment she had left.

Juliet was a curious girl, and he was always learning new things about her. When the teen had arrived shoeless, he had assumed that she was like the princess and just had taken to not wearing them. Nothing had contradicted that sentiment and perhaps it was still the right one to have. But the way Juliet had spoken of her old shoes made him rethink for just a moment. Was she secretly wanting a pair?

He looked down at the spot where the glass had connected to the floor, the spot stained green from the contents that had been inside. He smiled to himself. Maybe he had just the excuse he needed.

Xavier stepped into the small kitchen of the home he and Juliet shared, finding her splitting a piece of bread between herself and Rudiger. Rudiger was quickly biting away at the bread, while the brunette girl was watching with a smile and taking small nibbles.

Xavier shifted the box in his arm and drawled further into the room, unfazed by the exchange. Juliet had quickly established that wherever she was that Rudiger wouldn't be far behind, kitchen included. Juliet said that she had made a promise to look after him, but Xavier suspected that Juliet also simply enjoyed having him around.

Xavier slipped the box in front of Juliet silently which effectively cut off her view of Rudiger. Juliet furrowed her brows in confusion before smiling and turning to look at where Xavier was standing next to her.

"Xavier!" Juliet said happily, rising to her feet. "I was wondering where you were! You weren't here this morning, I had thought that you went ahead and went to Varian's old house. Me and Rudiger were just going to join after we ate something."

Xavier rolled his eyes. "It's alright, Juliet, I actually was out to go get something I ordered the other day."

Juliet raised a brow and looked over the box, surprise liberally filling her chocolate eyes the second she caught the words "Madame Lydia's Seamstress Shop" written on the ribbon tying the box closed. Rudiger reached over and began scratching at the ribbon and Xavier laughed at the sight. It seemed that while Rudiger could be helpful and fairly intelligent, sometimes he acted like every other animal.

"Why were you at Madame Lydia's Seamstress Shop?" Juliet asked, rubbing the ribbon between her pointer finger and thumb anxiously.

"Open the box," Xavier urged, "and you'll see."

Juliet gave him one more look and then slowly opened the box, every second painfully torturous for Xavier. Though he had thought it a good idea, he still felt a little doubt just like everyone else did. He had hoped that he had done the right thing, but Juliet was a curious girl and reacted differently.

Once the ribbon had been carefully undone – and given to Rudiger, who was staring at with much wonder and preceded to immedailty play with it more – Juliet pulled off the top of the box. She pursued her lips upon seeing the contents and reached inside.

"Cloth?" Juliet asked. Xavier grinned as she pulled out the whole thing, which unfolded in her hands to reveal what it really was: a red dress that was just below tea-length. Juliet looked at it in confusion and surprise, tilting her head back to look at Xavier.

"A dress?" Juliet amended, but still a question.

"Not just any dress," Xavier said, gripping onto a sleeve to pull closer to her, "your dress."

Her eyes widened and for a moment seemed completely speechless.

"My dress?" Juliet asked. Xavier nodded in confirmation.

"I thought you might find it more appealing to wear than your current attire," Xavier said, motioning down to her still colorless dress. Though it had been days since the event, her once colorful and mis-matched dress hadn't returned to it's regular state. As opposed to being a rather strange but likable assortment of fabrics and ship sails, it appeared like a roughly joined together bunching of white fabric.

Juliet shook her head and tried to shove the dress into Xavier's arms.

"Xavier, I-I can't," Juliet said, "I don't have any money, I can't pay you back."

Xavier chortled kindly. "Juliet, this is a gift, you don't have to repay me."

This only seemed to unsettle the girl more. She looked between him and the dress for a few moments before sighing.

"But I didn't do anything to earn it," Juliet said.

A pause from him, another hint from her.

Xavier knew that the world of nature was harsher than what was coming of the world of man, that things came from battles fought over food and territory. But he also knew that for their young, they made exceptions. Reprieves of food, warmth, and shelter.

Azul – from what Xavier could tell – hadn't stood for that. Everything Juliet had on that island was because she had made it or because Azul had deemed something correct, as Juliet had just implied. While it was correct to instill a nice appreciation for work, it was another thing entirely to never know what it was like to be given something for no other reason.

Xavier blinked and recovered, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course you did," Xavier said, eyes and expression sympathetic. He continued at her questioning look.

"You earned it," Xavier said. "You woke up today, didn't you?"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously I did."

He laughed. "And I think the world still being graced with your presence is reason enough to celebrate. I think your friend Varian back in the dungeons might agree." He added on that last part with a small wink, which was answered with a light blush.

Her relationship with Varian was another thing Xavier was picking up hints about. Juliet had quickly explained that they were friends, but the way she talked about Varian seemed to indicate that she seemed to like the young man as more than that. Xavier couldn't resist giving her some light teasing over it.

Even if as time passed, he started to dislike that connection she had with him. She was only fifteen. Far too young for boyfriends. Especially a potential one that was in jail.

"Xavier, still, I-I don't need it," Juliet said. "Even if my old one is appalling to look at, it does its job."

Xavier laughed and gestured back towards the box on the table.

"I think you might need something in the box," Xavier said. Juliet bit her lip and looked over the edge. Her breath hitched, and Xavier knew he had done the right thing. She reached in with one hand as a smile began a small trace up her lips.

One of the matching set was in her hands and her smile was so wide it could scare away darkness.

"Shoes…" she whispered happily. She turned over the simple flat-footed item in her hand to inspect it. It wasn't the most spectacular shoe that Xavier had seen, but it was the only red pair that he had seen. They were a simple flat the same cherry red as her new dress.

Xavier really hoped they fit.

"Red shoes," Xavier said, tone just the smallest proud. "They aren't shiny, but—"

Suddenly Juliet's arms around his neck, dress and shoe still clutched in her fists. The embrace was nothing new; Juliet was a huge embracer and hugged him and Rudiger every chance she got. What he hadn't been expecting was the suddenness of it or the way Juliet was smiling as she did so.

"Thank you!" she said excitedly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She pulled back from him and quickly returned the dress and shoe to the box.

"Come on, Rudiger!" Juliet said. Rudiger looked up from where he was playing with the ribbon in surprise. She didn't give Rudiger a chance to stand up because she picked him up quickly and placed him in the box as well. Rudiger looked up at her in surprise and said something to her.

"I've got to change, Rudiger!" she said, rushing to leave.

She gave Xavier one last hug as she passed. "Thank you, Xavier!"

Then she was gone. Xavier heard the sounds of creaking stairs as she made her way to the spare room she lived in.

He smiled to himself. He had gotten the right thing.

Juliet looked at her reflection, pulling at the red dress with some contemplation. It was a bit tighter than the old one – it seemed that clothing made from actual cloth and not sails fit a more snugly than the one she had made. At least it didn't have a corset, which Juliet had seen some of woman wearing and looked down right suffocating.

"What do you think, Rudiger?" Juliet asked, turning to where the raccoon sat on her bed. He was still clutching the ribbon tightly in his paws but seemed to be paying attention.

"You look nice, Juliet," Rudiger said. "I like this one much better than your old one."

Juliet rolled her eyes and crossed over to sit on the mattress.

"You've made your feelings on my dress ardently clear," Juliet said, teasing in her eyes. She reached down to scratch between his two ears, which he accepted with a pleased look. He crawled over to curl on her lap with the ribbon still clutched tightly in his small little claws.

"You really do look pretty," Rudiger said earnestly. Juliet's eyes crinkled from her beam.

"Thank you," Juliet said happily. She looked over where the box was sitting on the bed, grin fading as she reached inside.

The two red shoes felt made of something unfamiliar to her. It was strong and sturdy, but also soft at the same time. The cerise color was very appealing to look at, and though Xavier couldn't have known, the same shade as the pair she had had back in her first memories.

She unsurely put them, displacing Rudiger from her knees.

Her feet felt just the tiniest bit tight, which Juliet had been expecting. Her toes were being forced together instead of spreading out which naturally made them hurt, even if it was more of a discomfort than an actual pain.

But what she hadn't been expecting the sharp tightness in her chest the second she put them on. Her eyes cut over to where Rudiger was on the floor, looking back up at her, his claws and paws completely uncovered. Juliet had always considered herself more akin to the world of nature than the world of man, no shoes included ever since she six years old.

But man wore shoes. It was silly, but was it possible she was leaving that part of herself behind? She already lived here with no plans to return and was quickly adapting to her place as a member of men's society. She lived indoors now, no longer spoke in the Animal Words, and this – wearing no shoes – was the one thing she still had from back then.

"What do you think, Rudiger?" Juliet said. The Animals Words felt comfortable in her mouth despite the fact she hadn't used them in almost a year, which helped release some of the tightening pressure.

Rudiger seemed surprised by her use of them, dropping the ribbon on the floor and crawling back over to her.

"You can speak like us too?" Rudiger asked. Juliet nodded her head and reached down to take him in her arms again. She hated feeling like this. It was a strange feeling, one she had never felt before. It seemed all that confusion pent up from where she first came here was reaching it's boiling over point and that had been set off by this one pair of shoes.

"Yes," Juliet said. She cleared her throat. "But, um, my shoes. What do you think?"

Rudiger looked at them with squinted eyes and then turned back to her.

"They're shoes. You should wear them, they match your dress," Rudiger said. That tightness in her heart snapped and the excitement she felt in the kitchen flooded her again.

Something about Rudiger saying she should wear them was refilling her confidence. It was an assurance from someone who didn't have the choice. She should wear them, because they matched her dress and humans wore dresses and she was a human, so she should wear shoes with her dress.

"Okay then," Juliet said. Juliet gave the tip of his head another gentle rub to calm herself.

"Come on," Juliet said suddenly, standing up and clutching Rudiger in her arms. "We've got a friend's dad to save!"

And some Xavier and Juliet bonding! Xavier will be popping up in future one-shots and I've had forty billion ideas for one with him in it, but all of them featured an extremely close Juliet and Xavier bond, which is introduced here, and I wanted to show and not tell you about it.

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Anonymous asked you: That's so sweet of you to say! That really got me pumped to write this one! I hope you liked this one-shot!

- Princess Chess