Chapter 3: Feelings Had Been Forgotten

The sun was shining brightly.

But that wasn't what bamboozled her.

Rhoda glanced at Jesse, baffled. He placed down the Acme wooden boards that she had ordered. For once, Jesse was simply wearing jeans and a button-down shirt, its sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

She turned back to the plank that she was hammering.

I should've known he would keep his word.

A smile began to pull in her lips. I don't understand why people think he's a snob. He warms up once he'd let them in.

She stilled, feeling uneasy at the tenderness in her thoughts. She hastily shut down its course, ending wherever it might lead to.

She already knew where.

C'mon, Rhoda. This is why we need to keep him at arm's length!

So the whole day, they simply worked. Rhoda limited her words to "Thank you", "Over there" and "You're welcome".

From afar, she could see Jacques and Ronnie playing. Or what seemed to be a game in their own way. Ronnie sat on the fence, pretending to ignore him. Jacques would make different barks, jumping and wagging his tail to get her attention.

Rhoda giggled.

"Ow!" she cried, accidentally hammering her thumb.

Jesse looked up. She grinned apologetically and hid her hand.

"I'm okay!" she said, pretending to shake it off.

They were done replacing the wooden flooring by the time the yawning sun was setting. Rhoda smiled to herself.

It just needs some polishing. Finally! Things are getting done! She stretched her arms. Most of all, I'm keeping my distance from-

"I knew you grew up in a farm," Jesse spoke up. "But I didn't know you were such a handyman."

She could've just nodded and moved on. But Jesse surprised her. From what she knew of him, he would hardly start a conversation, preferring simply to go with the flow.

"Mater taught me everything she knew," Rhoda replied. "She used to carry a tool belt like this," she smiled down at her own, feeling nostalgic.

Something mentally tapped her shoulder. What happened to keeping him at arm's length? Asked the voice that was more concerned of holding herself together.

She cringed. The skeletons rattled in her closet.

And do you really want to think about Mater right now?

Jesse nodded slowly, digesting the information. "I never knew that."

Rhoda shrugged, shutting down unwanted thoughts.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," she replied, hoping that would end the conversation.

She turned her back and silence followed. Relief washed over her and she prepared to pack up her tools.

But after some time, the quiet felt different. Panicking that she might've gone too far, she sneaked a glance at Jesse.

Only to see Jesse looking at her with an expression that she couldn't read.

"You're right." He straightened up and dusted himself. "Would you like to have dinner at my house?"

Confusion struck her. She had been nothing short of tepid, and now he was inviting her over?

"It must've been a while since you've eaten something that isn't camp food."

She wanted to tell him no. Jesse was making her heart spin when it had just been throttled. And ripped. And grounded. And burned. And disfigured. And-

"Okay."

Through her amiable smile, Rhoda wanted to walk right into a rake.

If Jesse noticed that it took her awhile to answer him, he didn't show it.

Then again, Jesse usually kept his cards to himself, she thought.

"Come at seven," he said before he left. "You can bring Jacques too."

Rhoda sighed as soon as she heard his door closed. She took off her work glove, deflating with relief when she saw that her thumb was painlessly normal again.

Ever since she broke up with Jared, her tooning had been out of whack. The crew barely finished producing the rest of the Baby Mina shorts, because Rhoda kept messing her lines. Her bloopers were putting them over the budget, that CB Maroon called her into her office.

Rhoda pushed away her thoughts and walked out to the backyard. She took off her tool belt and tugged down her coveralls. Stepping inside the tub, she sank into the soapy water instead of doing her usual rigmarole.

Her past conversation with CB echoed in her head.

"Get back with him," CB said when she confessed why she kept screwing up her act.

"W-what?"

"You can't toon well because you're unhappy. You're unhappy because you missed him."

Rhoda looked down. Her gut twisted with dread. For some reason, CB's words reminded her of how Jared would tell her what she was supposed to be feeling.

"N-no," she answered, hating how weak she sounded. She gripped the hems of her overalls dress. "I don't want that."

CB swivelled on her seat with a sigh.

"Rhoda, you're the sweet bunny nanny of your show." She rubbed her temples. "You're supposed to be good and forgiving."

Her hands clenched the edges of her dress tighter. Something hot surged in her, that it took her by surprise when she realized what it was.

Why am I mad?

"Look, you both work at my studio," CB said. "But if this persists, I'll have to let you go."

Rhoda sunk deeper into the water. With Jared slandering her name, the polls wouldn't want her to be in the Baby Mina show anymore.

She finally went through the motions of scrubbing herself. Climbing out of the tub, she put on her bathrobe over her one-piece swimsuit.

"I just have to go one day at a- DAY?!" she startled.

It was already dark. Strangely, no lights were coming from the other houses. If she would look up, she would've noticed the swirling storm clouds.

But she didn't.

She jumped into her tent, fumbling for her alarm. Rhoda yelped upon seeing the time. The tent barely contained her rush to get dress. She stumbled out, finger-combing her hair. Jacques bounded along her.

I was going to help Jesse make dinner! She thought with exasperation. He's already going through the trouble cooking one and I'm too busy stewing!

She allowed herself to chuckle before she continued admonishing herself.

Zipping to his front door, she knocked. Jacques nosed her hand.

Just dinner and small talk. Keep him at arm's length, she told herself.

Jesse opened the door and let them in. He was back in his signature suit.

"I'm sorry!" Rhoda said, Jacques trailing behind her. "I was going to help you make dinner but-"

She stopped functioning upon seeing the dim room. The dining table was glowing with candles, giving it a romantic air.

"There has been a blackout," Jesse said. "Have you heard? There's a-"

Rhoda internally face-palmed with as much hands as she could imagine. His voice blurred in the background. Jeepers, what's wrong with me? Am I that starved for love and affection? This is why I should've told him no in the first place!

"-so I hope you got your cottage covered," he continued.

"Of course!" Rhoda chirped, glad that she was able to keep track of their conversation. She had boarded up the windows to keep away dust.

He led her on a chair. Rhoda sat on it stiffly, determined to play the role of a good guest.

Just small talk, Rhoda. Keep him at arm's length, she thought as Jesse put potatoes on her plate.

"Thank you."

Jesse sat down across from her. She kept her eyes down on her plate, feeling the weight of his gaze.

"Remember when Director Minkoff wanted Carla to do that stunt in high heels?" he asked.

Rhoda looked up, surprised. He sure has changed. Usually, he was content with silence between peers.

Then again, perhaps he just wanted to be a good host.

She hesitated. Then brightened a bit. A smile quirked in her lips. "And Carla dared him to do it in heels first?"

Jesse shook his head. "It's a pity the director chickened out. I would've loved to see it."

He watched her break down into giggles, pressing down an amused smile of his own.

"And remember that actor who went red in the face," she puffed up her chest, hands akimbo. "Bragging on and on of how famous he was?"

She stood up abruptly, a curl in her lip. "Don't you know who I am?" she mimicked the actor's fake accent.

"Then all you said was..." She zipped to the other side of her chair with a stoic face, her rabbit ears swept into Jesse's hairstyle. "Don't you?" she spoke in her best baritone. "Then you walked away like you didn't just zap him!" she exclaimed, collapsing into guffaws.

She surfaced again, wheezing. "I'm serious, Jesse. You should've been a comedian."

Jesse took his time to cut his food. "I was going to audition for the Baby Mina show a long time ago."

Her ears perked in surprise. "Really?" A year before she met Jesse, none had passed the auditions for the male-cast. So the studio head borrowed characters from Disney. One of them was Ash the Disney Prince.

"Jeepers, we could've been co-stars," she said, lost in thought at the image of her, Jesse and Baby Mina filming together. "That would've been great!"

She thoughtfully put her hand on her chin. "Although Ash is also a pretty good colleague." Her face broke into a fond smile. "He helped me not to lose hope in finding true love."

Rhoda froze, reddening brighter than a stoplight.

"I mean before I met you. NOT after I met you!" She chuckled nervously, her rabbit ears twiddling shyly together. "There was this rabbit before who turned me away-"

She wanted nothing more than for Elma Fudd to appear and blast her with her rifle. The last thing she needed was to spill how she got stupid enough to ask him out.

"But it's all water under the brick now," she smoothed over. In truth, she was having as much serenity as someone who had stubbed their toe.

"Don't you mean bridge?"

Her lips twitched into an innocent grin. "I 'Jesse' it that way," she shrugged.

"If you say s-" his eyes widened. Then he covered them with his hand. But Rhoda could see his shoulders shaking.

"Gotcha," she said in a sing-song voice, laughing along with him. Once you know how to make a person laugh, that's when you know them well, she inwardly grinned.

She stopped, confused, when she saw him leaned back. He regarded her, his head tilted to the side, with a smile that she couldn't read.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" She wished he wouldn't. It was making her heart raced.

Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought.

"I'm glad you're back," he said.

Rhoda chuckled. "Jesse, where have you been for the last couple of days?"

"I mean, the Rhoda that I know is finally back."

She stilled. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't been yourself lately."

She swallowed, her soul feeling bare under his emerald eyes.

Then he smiled. It was innate. It was warm. And it was tearing her apart.

"You just… 'Rhoda' boat," he said.

She burst out laughing. But her mind echoed with sobs that she couldn't let out. She collapsed in her arms, chuckling. But in truth, it was also to contain the hearts threatening to pop all around her.

Please stop reminding my why I lo- liked you!

It was pun-y. But she got what he was saying just the same.

His eyes crinkled more when her grin told him she received the context.

It was true that Jesse valued relationships. But it wasn't the kind of relationships that people expected from him.

He saw past her star status that was equal to Micka Mouse and Buggy Bunny. He became her friend for… whatever reason he saw in her. Maybe she was an okay kind of person? She hoped she was.

There was a lull of comfortable silence before she spoke.

"Remember, when I was joking about forming a one-pun club?" she quietly said, reminiscing the good times. "We're the only official members."

"It's my pun-ishment to bear so others may live," he replied dryly.

She leaned back, theatrically slighted. "Oh c'mon! You can't deny I'm a pretty good com-pun-ion!"

"The rest of the crew became 'bored' of directors because they couldn't stop groaning," he coolly pointed out with a raised brow of amusement.

She whooped with approval, raising her hand for a high-five. He calmly met it with his palm, unperturbed by her ecstatic energy.

It was like they were back again in the old set, waiting for their scenes to be shot next.

She knew she should be distancing herself. But Rhoda was enjoying too much to care.

I need this, something in her begged. It's almost what it's like to be happy.

"Although I don't think you missed much when you weren't able to try out, Jesse," Rhoda said. "Ash usually has a few lines and I just act all lovey-dovey around him."

The crew had thought Ash being the nanny bunny's love interest wouldn't work. The audience might identify him too much with his Disney movie, happily married to his princess.

But Rhoda acted her "crush" on him as puppy love. Ash treated her in the cartoons like an older brotherly figure.

It was "Disney" enough to make people happy.

"I missed out on a lot of things," Jesse quietly said, still looking at her.

Her rabbit ears cocked into question marks. Jesse had always been like a rose. He was a myriad of layers underneath. The same could be said for his tone.

"I still remember you like carrot cake, though," he said.

Rhoda felt her heart sank. She looked away, already pushing her plate.

"No," she grimaced.

He looked surprised when she rubbed her nose as if ridding the smell.

"Why?"

Rhoda frowned on her lap. It was one of the ways Jared showed his love, baking her a carrot cake. It was what convinced her that he loved her despite his… flings. Until she found out that he would also bake carrot cakes for them too.

"I just don't anymore," she almost whispered, unable to look at him.

It was sweet of Jared to know how to bake carrot cakes. But looking back at it now, it seemed to be more for his ego than for her or the women that he would bake them for.

Silence enveloped them. She felt guilty when it struck her that Jesse must be thinking that he just ruined the mood. She was about to lighten up the ambiance but he spoke first.

"It's alright, Rhoda." He quietly said, touching her side of the table. "If you won't tell, I won't ask."

She nodded, relieved to let things be. "Thanks, Jesse."

Even though some would do things for Jared-

She gasped, her eyes widening.

"ExcusemeIgottago!" She rushed out of the dining room. Then returned back. "I'llhelpyouwiththedishesJesseThankyouThedinnerwasgreat!"

"Rhoda, wait! The storm-"

But a puff of dust only remained where she had been.

"No, Jacques. Stay!" she told her dog, slamming the door behind her. She might've heard him whine but she was already out of Jesse's yard.

Six blocks away, she stopped, entering a sole phone booth. She could've borrowed Jesse's phone but she didn't want him to overhear.

There was something about Jared that she needed to tell Edna.

Author's Notes: To those who haven't know it yet, Ash is the guy version of Cinderella. Holiday hassles have come and go.

To Cedrez: Thank you so much, that means a lot :)

To the Guest who had mentioned the other AUs: Thank you. I'd be writing the other AUs later on but I can't promise you when. I'm still have an original story that I'm trying to finish. I'm just permitting myself to write this fanfic for now.

Happy Holidays, everyone.