AU verse [locked to Regina]

[themaniwanttobe]

Madness. This was utter madness, he was sure of it. But madness or no, he was here.

Here in the worst place possible, somewhere he never thought he'd end up, but doing something he had to try, for the sake of everyone.

He had to try and talk to Regina. There was so much at stake, with the constant fighting, that he had to take the risk. Deep down, he doubted that he would be able to do much to get through to her, but if he didn't try, he end up regretting it for the rest of... well, however long they lived.

Flying up to her castle, he pushed down the stab of fear he felt. Regina was not to be trifled with, and he knew she wouldn't like his words. But still he flew up to an open window. The advantage of being a cricket meant that he could sneak past her guards. The feel of magic all around him made his teeth itch - or it would if he had any.

He'd struck lucky. Regina was alone in the third room he checked, and he hovered uncertainly for a moment, trying to work out the best way to approach her without getting swatted.

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[unhappilyeverafter]

Again. Again that wretched child had evaded her grasp.

Returning to her palace, the Evil Queen stomped down from her carriage, ignoring the hand that waited to aid her. With a furious glare, she flung all her guards out of her path with a swipe of her hand. Leaving them in crumpled heaps, she stormed inside, her regal robes flowing behind her with every step.

Slam, slam slam, went every door that closed behind her, putting more and more distance between her and the kingdom she had come to loathe. The Mirror followed after her hurriedly, asking her what had happened, but with barely a flinch, the sheen of the glass blacked out to nothing, silencing his questions.

She walked until she reached her private rooms, and with one resounding crash, the doors slammed and locked behind her. As the dying echoes of her tirade fell silent behind her, the fury seemed to sink from Regina. Letting out a sudden and desperate breath, she crossed the room with much slower steps. She stopped as she reached her fire place, leaning her hands against the mantle as she stared down into the flickering flames.

Still she was tormented that by Snow White, every day that passed, she was mocked by her mere existence. No matter what she did, she couldn't put an end to it, and it was destroying her.

[themaniwanttobe]

Jiminy watched her for a moment, as the mask seemed to fall away from her. Not so much Evil Queen, as woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

There was something driving her, that much was obvious. He just didn't know what.

After a moment, he summoned up the courage to approach her, and flew close to her, seeing what she would do.

[unhappilyeverafter]

Regina had no idea she was being watched, or else her walls would've been back up, as strong and as guarded as her palace. Her gaze continued to fix unfocused into the hearth, her eyes seeing not the flames, but every moment Snow had ever escaped her.

But then she was drawn from her contemplation by a flutter of wings and she looked up suddenly to see a insect invading her space.

With a noise of surprise (and disgust) she tried to swat it away from her.

"Ugh! Get away from me!"

[themaniwanttobe]

"Don't hit me!" Jiminy squeaked out, ducking out of the way of Regina's hand, making sure she didn't swat him. "I'm not like other insects!"

He moved up, to on top of the fireplace, perching primly, his umbrella in his tiny hand, looking down on her.

[unhappilyeverafter]

The last thing she had expected was for the insect to speak. She suddenly stopped, out of shock more than compassion and she stared at the little creature that perched himself upon her fireplace.

"A talking cricket? Oh, this is the last thing I need." She swatted at him again, this time intentionally. "Get out of here!"

She could hardly send for her guards for this intruder, so her hand will have to do.

[themaniwanttobe]

Jiminy was used to dodging out of the way of people who would swat him out of the way, so he easily dodged out of the way of her attempts to dismiss him.

He ducked under her hand, heading back up higher above her. "Please don't do that," he asked politely. He wasn't hopeful he would get a response, but he had to try.

[unhappilyeverafter]

With her attempts to hit him unsuccessful, she dropped her hands, scowling in a way that was verging on childish.

"You're trespassing on royal grounds," she snapped sharply, like this would hold any weight much a cricket, much less a talking one. "You have no right to be here."

[themaniwanttobe]

He paused for a moment, part of him half tempted to forget this path, and just go, but... what could she do to a cricket?

She could kill him, but there was nothing to be gained by that. So, despite his instincts telling him to flee, he perched back on top of the fireplace.

"I won't tell anyone if you won't," he said, preening his wings slightly. "I'm here to help you." Or at least try to. He wasn't sure how much help the Voice of Conscience could be to someone like Regina, but he had to try now he was here.

[unhappilyeverafter]

As tempted as she was to swat him again, she was starting to look foolish and that would never do. With a stern breath, she straightened her posture again, leaving him be. After all, if she allowed him to stay, it was on her terms, and she could convince herself she was in control.

Despite how much she had wanted him gone, his words intrigued her. Regina's plight with the criminal Princess was common knowledge throughout the land, and the fact someone might want to help her was a rarity. Still, she had hoped that someone might be more impressive than a bug.

"Help me?" she asked doubtfully, taking in his tiny stature. "And how exactly can you help me?"

[themaniwanttobe]

Bug or no, he was here, now. And for the sake of helping his two charges, he would try anything.

Knowing that his next words would be likely to cause Regina's fragile grasp on her temper to slip, he puffed out his chest in a deep breath. "I'm here to tell you that you don't need to follow this path. That I'm here to help you."

He flew down to face her directly. "Your Majesty, if you carry on down this path, something will happen that we will all regret."

[unhappilyeverafter]

It was a hope that was soon dashed. The moment he began to speak, she realised he didn't want to help her at all. There was barely any warning as her face darkened with renewed rage and her hand darted out to snatch him out of midair.

"You're not here to help me," she then snarled, either seeing the truth, or her paranoid mind working overtime. "You're here to stop me."

Her fingers tightened over that fragile body, pulling him closer to her face, to loom over him in threat.

"Nobody can stop me. Especially not pathetic little bugs!"

[themaniwanttobe]

The pressure around Jiminy's chest was tight, and he struggled to breath. He fought against her, trying to escape her grasp.

"I want to stop everyone, not just you!" he pointed out, the words coming out as a gasp. "This path you're all on can only hurt more people." Snow and Charming were too stubborn as well, which was a bad combination.

[unhappilyeverafter]

"But I don't want to hurt anyone," she then assured him, her voice lifting with a lightness that was as false as her smile. "I only want to hurt Snow White." With that, her eyes darkened again and her smile twisted unpleasantly. Her grip turned tighter around the cricket, as though he was the traitor herself.

"Now, tell me who you are," she said, leaving no room for hesitation with her hand holding him the way it was. She didn't know if he was an ally of Snow's, or just someone trying to do 'good'. Either way, she didn't like it.

[themaniwanttobe]

Jiminy thought about Geppetto, and Pinocchio, and how they would be in danger if she linked them to him. But then, why would she pay attention to who a cricket was connected with other than Snow and Charming. No one else seemed to matter to her.

"Jiminy!" he squeaked out, barely able to breath. "My name is Jiminy!"

[unhappilyeverafter]

When he complied, she slackened her fingers just so, as though he should be rewarded for obeying her. "Good. Now, Jiminy. What do you know of Snow White?"

This was the answer she wanted most of all, that would decide if Jiminy was useful to her, or if he would meet his untimely end. Regina only cared about those who were valuable to her, a fact that had not gone missed during her bloody tirades across the villages.

[themaniwanttobe]

The pause he gave before speaking was telling. Not just because he was getting his breath back from having been squeezed so tightly, but he was deciding how much to tell her.

"I know how much she wants this to end. That there was something in your past... that she won't talk about." It maybe gave away too much about how well he knew Snow, but he was scared, and babbling a little.

[unhappilyeverafter]

There was a flash of bared teeth and her hand tightened again, soon ending Jiminy's reprieve. "No, she won't talk about it. Because she knows what she did," she whispered through a hiss, not caring that these words would mean little to Jiminy.

She turned away from the fireplace with the cricket still in her grasp, stalking across the room with a dramatic flare of her dress. Today's defeat was still raw, and the reminder of what that wretched child had done was another wound opened.

"The only way this will ever end is when I have Snow White's heart," she promised in dark, unfurling tones, lifting Jiminy back to her line of sight.

[themaniwanttobe]

Jiminy felt entirely out of control. His life, literally was in Regina's hands at the moment. "But what if there was another way?" he asked, trying desperately to keep some sense of equilibrium. Not easy when you were moving because of someone else.

[unhappilyeverafter]

"There is no other way," she assured him, narrowing her eyes at the mere suggestion. It wasn't the first time people had tried to convince her of another path - her father, namely. But all he wanted was his daughter's happiness, and if that meant pursuing Snow, then he allowed it.

"But you would have me do that, wouldn't you? To spare your precious Snow?"

Yes, she most definitely noticed how well he knew the princess.

[themaniwanttobe]

"I want to spare everyone." His first concern would always be Geppetto and Pinocchio, and if it helped Snow and the others, then that was a bonus. "Because this feud between you will only lead to loss of life, not only Snow, but everyone else, and who knows what it will do to your soul? It's not too late to help yourself, your Majesty!"

[unhappilyeverafter]

It had already led to loss of life. There were villages burning in her name, graves piled with the bodies of those her men had slaughtered. It was too late to turn back, there was nothing to turn back to.

"I am helping myself!" she declared with a shake of her fist. "This is the only way I will ever know happiness. A happiness that wretched girl took from me in the first place! If you want all this to stop, then help me put as end to Snow White's miserable existence."

[themaniwanttobe]

Snow put a stop to her happiness? Jiminy made note of it, but struggled against her grip. "What happens when it's done?" he asked her curious now. He knew that it wouldn't bring her the happiness she thought, it was obvious there was something more missing in her life. Snow was a target, that was all.

[unhappilyeverafter]

"Then, it is done," she answered simply, lifting her chin with a dignified air, like she should be commended for not being complicated. She simply wanted Snow gone, then her life could begin. But she was wrong, of course. Because with Snow's loss, came the loss of her own heart, as the last of its light was taken over by evil.

[themaniwanttobe]

"And that's it?" he pressed on, knowing that there had to be more to life than that. "The story ends? Everyone gets their happy ending?"

There would be no happy ending while this carried on, of that he was sure.

[themaniwanttobe]

Jiminy dropped his gaze quickly, his courage leaving him. No convenient Blue Fairy to turn him back. He truly was stuck here.

"I still happen to think that you won't find anything useful from me."