Dreams of Stars (A Once Upon a Time/Jiminy Cricket fanfic)

Dreams of Stars Part 27

One evening, when Jiminy got home from his office, he said, "We should go out to eat." He was smiling.

"Oh, y-you mean..." Kaelin stammered, but only finished the sentence in her head: ...like a date? It seemed a little silly to her to consider eating out with Jiminy a date, while eating at home with him was just a "regular meal". Still, there was something more exciting about eating out.

"Shall we go to Granny's?" he offered.

"Yes!" Kaelin replied, "Thank you!" She smiled, and smiled even bigger inside. A date! she thought, My first date with Jiminy! Come to think of it, it was her first date at all.

The air was nippy outside, so they bundled up in jackets, and Jiminy put on a striped scarf and a gray cap. Then they drove over to Granny's, went inside, and sat in a booth near the back of the room. They ordered sodas to begin with, then settled down to look at the menu.

"Have you heard how it's going with...trying to bring Queen Snow and Emma home?" Kaelin asked. She studied her menu carefully, not looking at him. Storybrooke was in a state of tension because of their absence.

Jiminy sighed and shook his head. "I'm not sure," he said, "They're still trying to figure out how to open up a portal. I think they're mining for—"

Suddenly, the door flew open, its bell clanging loudly, and six jubilant dwarves came stomping in, along with David and some others. They went to the bar and ordered drinks, laughing and clinking their glasses. "Fairy dust!" someone said.

Jiminy shrugged and gestured toward the dwarves. "They found it," he remarked.

In her scramble to fill all the sudden, new orders, Red practically forgot about Jiminy and Kaelin. Sipping at her soda through a straw, Kaelin bit her lip, somewhat miffed at the unexpectedly noisy atmosphere. Her first date was disrupted by this party. Still, it was hardly possible to be annoyed at the dwarves, considering what they were celebrating about. The thought that sweet Snow might be home soon was exciting.

As the raucous celebration began to die down, Red hurried toward the corner of the room, pausing in front of Kaelin and Jiminy's table. "I am so sorry," she said, "Are you ready to order?" Her manner was apologetic but still businesslike. Kaelin ordered a Reuben with fruit on the side, and Jiminy ordered a chef's salad. Then Red went on back a few tables and to clear up some dishes.

Suddenly, there was a little shriek from behind Kaelin, accompanied by a loud clatter. Kaelin jumped and glanced over her shoulder, but Red had just dropped some dishes back on the table. There was a young man in the corner by the jukebox, and he seemed to have startled her.

Kaelin turned back to her almost-empty soda, but then she thought she heard the young man say, "I was a mouse..." Eyes widening, Kaelin looked over her shoulder at him again. "My name was Gus..." the young man went on shyly, speaking to Red, his mouth twisting in an awkward grin. He had moderately dark skin, a wide nose, and a slender build. His black hair was close-cropped on top, and he had a shadow of a black beard and mustache.

A huge smile spread across Kaelin's face, and she pressed a hand over her mouth. Excitedly, she turned back to Jiminy. "It's Gus-Gus!" she whispered, leaning forward on the table, "Look!" she nodded back toward the young man.

"Who—? Oh! Oh, Gus. Your mouse friend. How do you know?"

"Well, I just heard him say it," Kaelin replied, "Nova and I have been keeping an ear out for him because we knew we wouldn't be able to recognize him. I'm going to go talk to him, but—but he's talking to Red now." She bent over her soda and sipped at it until the straw made a rattling sound in the bottom of the glass.