A/N: I did say that these would be unrelated, but I had a request to continue a couple of them into maybe a two shot. This was one of them. This one is a continued from "Passing Through". Though I like 'passing' a little better than this one, this gives a more definite ending for Red and young Jiminy. More Young!Jiminy and Performer!Red AU ahead.
"Taking Root"
"Another town, another chance," Jiminy took a deep breath of fresh air as he walked with his horses and freshly painted wagon to the front gates of Snowland.
He could ride from the driver's seat, but he'd much rather walk with his horses up front. Besides, it was still night and despite the full moon, it was still pretty dark. He heard many creatures around road's edge and kept a good hold of his horses. He was a little anxious about the sounds, but his horses were probably even more so. Many would have camped along the side of the road on a night like this, but he didn't want to take the chance with his horses. Too many chances that they would scare and run off, a predator come after them or even a person in need of another horse take them while he slept. He was careful, especially around the most dangerous of animals.
Blue eyes behind his round spectacles trailed up the road to see the top spires of the city's gates. It had been at least a couple of years since he had last stepped foot in the beautiful city of Snowland. Not since he still had his parents with him; his poor, unfortunate parents. They were his family, responsibility and some would say his burden, but that was all done with now. All ties cut in one of the most horrible of ways. Jiminy's eyes glazed over as he thought back to the week prior.
His stallion huffed into his shoulder when they dropped their pace and nudged him slightly to the side with his nose. Jiminy nearly tripped from the push and caught himself on their reigns. As he straightened himself he gave his stallion a look.
"Was that really necessary?" he asked the stallion who nodded his head as the mare whinnied as if she was laughing. Jiminy chuckled at the two and shook his head, "Well, I guess we all could use a good laugh, couldn't we?"
A loud howl split through the night air behind them and Jiminy stopped the horses. He shushed them as their hooves tapped the ground in an anxious dance as if unsure if they should stay with their owner or run. They huffed in agitation and their ears flicked in all directions.
Jiminy patted their faces and looked them in the eyes as they turned to him, "I won't let anything happen to you. Don't worry."
This seemed to calm the horses and they nudged his face with their noses as if they understood him. He took a deep breath to give them more comfort and turned to walk the road again. All at once his breath left him as a very large and what looked like a very feral wolf blocked the pathway. The wolf paced from one side of the road to the other as if trying to judge what angle to best attack from. Jiminy and the creature eyed one another as he kept his body in front of his horses.
"You won't find your dinner here," he said in what voice he could find and lifted his head, "They are my pack, as small as it is. I hope that you could understand that."
The wolf's back suddenly lost its arch and the ears popped up as if intrigued by what he said. A couple of padded steps closer and the wolf tilted its head in thought. The golden eyes surrounded by the dark fur narrowed to look at him again, but in a much different way. This wasn't sizing up a meal; this was sizing up that man. The wolf suddenly ran up to Jiminy and placed its paws over his chest as it took a long sniff at his pulse point. His pulse was racing and his breath came out in shallow puffs.
Jiminy closed his eyes and whispered the only thing that he could hold on to, "I try my best to be a good man. I will never forget that someone once thought that I was the best of all. I strive to make her proud. I will always do my best, even at my worst."
The wolf suddenly stopped sniffing and jumped back from his chest. Jiminy popped his eyes open and looked at the wolf who looked shocked. The wolf whined a little toward him and took a step again toward him, but then heard a distant howl. It shook its head, gave another glance back at Jiminy and then ran into the woods. Jiminy let out the large breath of relief and tried to get his hands to stop shaking.
The mare reached forward and nudged him at his back which made him jump. He let out a startled yelp and then turned back to her, "Sorry. That's not something that happens every day, is it?"
After he settled his nerves, Jiminy pulled them forward and to the gates at a much faster pace than before. The guards checked him and his wagon and let him in. He found the side of the old performer's circle quite easily and noticed that there much less booths and stages than the last time he was there. He let his horses roam in the empty green pasture to graze and get some sleep while he tied down the wagon.
After he stabilized the wheels he climbed up to the driver's seat and looked out over the different wagons and stages in the circle. He noticed that the large one he was looking for was gone, as he thought it would be. His fingers trailed over a small scar on his chest, just to side of his heart. It was the only souvenir that he had of that day. He knew that it should have faded without a problem since it was so shallow, but for one reason or another it had scared and stayed with him. He was actually grateful, it reminded him what he strove to be and not who his parents were.
With a deep breath he scanned the town around the circle and nodded in a decision. It was about time to see what this grand city had to offer and what he could offer it. In the morning, there was exploring to be done.
As he climbed down and then jumped into the back of his wagon to finally get some sleep, a pair of golden eyes flashed from the surrounding woods beyond the gates.
…
Jiminy packed a small bag with food for later, made sure that his horses were taken care of and walked out into the city. The daylight really brightened the streets and the people that walked them. The Princess Snow would be crowned later in the week as queen by her father and it looked like the kingdom was flourishing. The market street was bustling with business and everyone was smiling. He definitely could get used to a place like this.
His feet took him back toward the performer's circle and he stood in the same spot that he stood two years prior as a beautiful woman tamed vicious beasts before his very eyes. He looked over the empty air as if the stage was still there and caught her eyes again. With a wave, she disappeared along with her stage. He looked down and shook his head with regret. A vision he knew he would never see again in the flesh.
A quiet bark drew his attention to the side and he saw the large wolf from the show two years ago in-between two buildings at the circle edge. He closed his eyes in a slow blink just in case it was a remaining figment of his imagination. When he opened them again the wolf was still there and turned to follow a figure in a red hood. Jiminy gasped at the flash of red color and began to follow the wolf and the figure. He pushed through the crowd, hopeful to keep up with the two.
The wolf seemed both at home and out of place in the busy streets of Snowland, with its handler leading the way. From what he saw most of the people ignored the wolf, or if they acknowledged it, they brushed it off as if it was a normal event. Jiminy didn't mind the people too much attention for fear that he would lose the wolf. The beast and figure led him in a large circle back around toward the performer's circle. The figure suddenly stopped before they entered the sparsely populated stages and looked over their shoulder.
"Why do you follow me?" the voice barked from beneath the hood.
"I don't mean any danger or hostility, I promise you," Jiminy held out his empty hands toward the figure and the wolf that had turned toward him, "I was just looking for someone… I was hoping that- I know it's probably not possible…"
The figure stood still, not showing any response that they had even heard him. The wolf trotted up to Jiminy and sniffed at his hands and then at his face. It huffed as if uninterested and trotted back to its handler, nudging their right hand still sniffing at whatever they had in it. The hand clenched tighter as the person gasped and then lifted both hands toward the hood.
"Hello again, Jiminy," a new voice, gentler and very recognizable, said from beneath the ever growing familiar red hood.
The hood was released and her black hair spilled over her shoulders. She had a light and pleasing chuckle as she turned toward him and tilted her head to the side in jest. Jiminy stood still under her eyes and took her in. She hadn't aged a day from what he could remember, and he remembered her well. He remembered every curve that he could. The curve of her hips, her waist and the shallow curve of her lower lip that had once pressed against his.
"Red," he breathed out a small smile.
"You remember me," she chuckled again with her smile growing wider. She held out a piece of fabric that she was holding in her right hand and he immediately recognized it, "I remembered you too."
"So you were the one that tore my shirt," he smiled and had hoped that she was the cause for the torn clothing and the scar on his chest. He pulled at the neck of the shirt he now wore and pointed out the strange scar, "…and gave me this."
"I didn't mean to scratch you," she furrowed her brows at the mark and looked worried as if he was going to be mad at her for it.
"No! Don't apologize," he shook his head and let go of the neck line, "I…it's become a good thing in my life. One of very few good things."
She smiled again, her worry vanished at his explanation and pointed at his face, "You're just like I remember."
"The same of you," he gestured toward her, "Sometimes I thought that I just dreamed you."
"How strange we think alike," she nodded and stepped closer to him, "I have not seen a better man than you since you were last here. The piece I tore from your shirt gave me hope that there were still good men out there… or at least one."
The wolf turned to the side and growled as if it was trying to warn something off. Red turned in the same direction and made a noise toward the wolf. He huffed and ran into the crowd in the separate direction. Red suddenly grabbed Jiminy's arm and looked him in the eyes.
"Is your wagon nearby?"
"Yes, just around the other end of the circle," he nodded and looked at the direction that both Red and the wolf looked.
"Take me there," she requested and he didn't hesitate.
Jiminy grabbed her hand and tugged her in another direction. They made quick time through the short cuts around the stages and buildings. He nodded toward the now green wagon and opened the door to let her in. She jumped in quickly and he followed her in. She took off her hood and laid it over one of the small chairs that he had inside.
"What was that about?" he asked and locked the door to the wagon.
"Peter- my wolf- and I guard Snowland from intruders," Red explained and sat on the floor of the wagon, spreading out her large skirt, "For Princess Snow. There are people who were sent to kill her; especially now that she is to be crowned queen."
"Was that an assassin that he smelled?"
"Oh no, we stop all of them before they get to the gate," Red smiled proudly with a flash of her teeth, "Peter smelled the guard captain. He's been, we'll say persistent in his quest to woo me."
"Oh?" Jiminy asked with his brows raised and sat on the floor next to her under his closed window, "You don't like him?"
"He is a decent man," Red nodded and then shrugged as she turned to him, "I've been holding out for a better one."
Jiminy tried to clear his throat as it seemed tighter than it usually was. He pounded on his chest to clear whatever was stopping him from breathing and turned to hide his blush, "Is that what made you stay? To guard the Princess?"
"One of the big reasons, yes," she smirked as he didn't hide his blush well.
"What about your responsibilities?" he asked and she turned to him confused. He tried to elaborate, "The ones you had to fulfill?"
"Those were fulfilled by the princess," Red nodded and looked at the ceiling above her, "That's why I protect her. I could never pay her back for what she has done for me."
"I saw that your stage was gone and I thought that you weren't here," he admitted and looked at his hands, folded over his raised knees, "I didn't think that I would see you again."
"I am just as surprised to see you back here. Just passing through once again?" she asked, a speck of hope in her voice.
"No, I was actually hoping to lay down some roots," he smiled shyly and turned to her, "Know if there is any good soil around here?"
"More than you would think," she nodded enthusiastically and brighter than he has ever seen, "Of course I could probably find you something more stable than the wagon, unless you are partial to it."
"I think it's served its purpose, in need of a good rest," Jiminy patted the wood fondly.
Red looked at the comfortable, yet humble surroundings that he made inside and noticed that there was only room for one, "You're… alone now."
"Much like you," he nodded and looked way, "My responsibilities didn't want me anymore. They found other avenues and I was expendable."
"Other avenues?" she asked with a frown, "You are their son. How could there be other avenues?"
"Enough money and they could buy servants that were better listeners than their son," Jiminy explained, "They thought that they owned me nothing. They didn't need me anymore- or the wagon- or horses. We were all thrown out… as such, we all stayed together. I wished my parents well and took what I could: the horses and my fonder memories. I never gave up on them, it was them who gave up on me. I thought that with the mare heavy with foal and the stallion getting older, might as well settle down and stop having to worry about the next town."
"I knew you were too good for them," she growled. After a moment of silence she put her hand over one of his that was closest to her, "I had hoped that after you had left that they would have been able to catch your spark. It was so bright."
"Apparently not bright enough. I tried, but it never caught," he shook his head, but kept his eyes on her hand over his.
"Yes it did," she said and his eyes flicked up to hers. She had leaned forward and her nose was less than an inch from his. Her eyes flashed from silver to gold as she scanned his face, "You said that I was a grand fire, but I wasn't. Not until you."
"I didn't do anything special."
"You believed in me as a good person, not just a performer or just a woman," she explained and her eyes looked straight into his, burrowing deep into his soul, "You ignited the flame in me to be a better woman. The day after you left, that flame burst and I had the courage to save a young woman who was almost killed by an assassin; that was Princess Snow. In turn, she made a deal with Gold where he released my debt to him. She freed me… only because you gave me the courage and the inner fire to do what I knew was right, not what I knew I was told to do and to be."
His breath kept catching on itself at her close proximity and he swallowed hard, "You did the same for me."
"How?" she shook her head in disbelief.
"Every time I didn't know what to do, I thought of what you had said to me," he smiled and looked her over this time, "I was a good man in your eyes. What action would keep me a good man? Which action would you be proud of? You kept that spark burning."
Red chuckled, but it was caught on a sob.
Jiminy panicked a little and held her hand that was still on top of his, "I'm sorry, did I say the wrong thin-?"
"No," she put her fingers from her other hand over his lips to stop him and shook her head with a sad smile, "You said the opposite… exactly the right thing."
Without another word she leaned forward and captured his lips against hers. Her hands went straight into his hair or his shoulder where she found her balance. He responded much quicker than the last time she had kissed him so suddenly. His hands went to her waist to keep her near. Both of their eyes closed as their feelings took over. For two years she had waited for him, though she didn't know it. For two years, he molded himself into the man that she had seen and believed in. For two years a flame that they had thought was two, was actually one and had finally become whole.
After a few moments she leaned back and they opened their eyes to one another. She smiled in a relieved fashion, while he was sure his just looked silly. Red laughed happily and settled herself down into his lap, curling like a dog in their owner's lap. His arms slid around her easily and her head fit nicely under his chin.
"I have waited years for you," she whispered, "To think that I let you leave last time."
"To think that I even left," he murmured and placed his lips against her hair, "I am not leaving this time."
Red smiled and bit at her lip as she snuggled into his shoulder, "Than I need to tell you a few things."
"Like?" he asked and hugged her tighter.
"I knew you were here before you followed me in the market," she smiled wide even though he couldn't see it.
"How?"
"We met on the road outside the gates last night," she said and he sat up. She pulled away slightly, ready to let him run if he wanted to. He looked down at her and looked at her eyes and then over at her hood on the chair. Then, just when she thought that he was going to make the connection, he did, but didn't run. He didn't even bat an eye at it.
"That explains how you have a way with animals and their language," he said with a shrug and turned back to look at her, "You know your eyes change color?"
"I- I was aware," she nodded and he settled back against the wagon's wood as she tried to understand his calm demeanor, "You aren't afraid of me?"
"Why should I be?" he asked with a raise of a brow.
"I am a werewolf," she announced and pointed to herself, "I hunt and kill humans."
"Yet you left me alone last night," he pointed out and took her hands in his. He placed her hands flat against his chest where her paws had rested the night before and looked her in the eyes, "You knew me, and you know me still. A wolf doesn't attack a man who doesn't deserve it- doesn't attack a good man. I believe that you never would."
She closed her eyes in happiness and relief, "You are one of a kind."
"So are you," he put a hand through her hair and she leaned into the touch, "A rare find and I am not leaving you again. Werewolf or human, I am not making that mistake again."
She opened her eyes and was about to lean in for another kiss when the wagon door burst open despite the lock. Red turned to the intruder, ready to defend, but found the guard captain at the door.
"What are you doing?" he asked surprised to see her jump out from another man's arms.
"Gustave, I told you to leave me be," Red huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Who is this?" Gustave asked and pointed at Jiminy as he didn't get the hint.
Jiminy shook his head sadly and scooted over to the wagon door. He gripped the door and looked the rather large man in the eyes, "My name is Jiminy, Red's intended. I would like to ask you to stop pursuing her."
"Intended? But, I-" Gustave muttered in front of Jiminy, floundering for words.
"Good day, Captain," Jiminy shut the door on the man and turned to Red who had both her hands over her mouth so she wouldn't laugh.
"That won't stop him," Red shook her head.
"Then I guess I will have to marry you," Jiminy said with a definite nod. He then quickly turned to her, "If you will have me, of course."
Red leapt at the poor man before he could process it and they fell to the floor of the wagon. She kissed him over his face and burrowed her nose into his neck to soak up his scent.
"I have waited for a better man," she said into his neck and smiled like a fool, "I never thought that I could have the best."
"Although, I don't believe it is me, the best is what you deserve," Jiminy hugged her to him, "Time to take root… and make a home."
END