Disclaimer: If I owned Once Upon A Time Raphael Sbarge would be in every friggin' episode and Red Cricket would be canon, but alas! I only own the first season DVD set and my imagination.

Author's note: Thank you to the Red Cricketeers on tumblr for encouraging me to post this. This one is for you guys, you are awesome! Chirp on! (...Oh my, that sounded all kinds of cheesy, sorry.)

Rating: T to be safe

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The door was rattling under the force of her furious knocking, and when he opened it he understandably looked like he was anticipating a disaster. He always was very perceptive, Red thought as she stormed past without giving him the chance to invite her in. She was already pacing the living room in obvious agitation by the time he hesitantly joined her. The frustration that had built in her all afternoon welled at the mere sight of him and overflowed.

"What the hell was that?!"

He flinched in the face of her fury but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She had planned to ease into this whole conversation, had practiced what to say in her head ever since they all got back to town, but despite her attempts at composing a well-worded and convincing speech, all she had really done was to work herself up into an angry frenzy.

"I... I don't understand..."

She turned to him and was ready to give him a piece of her mind, but some of the wind went out of her sails as she saw his face and realised that he was telling the truth; he really had no idea why she was so angry. Her eyes narrowed and a small part of her felt gleeful at the sight of him visibly swallowing.

"The border." She didn't have to add the 'you idiot' as she was sure he heard it in the tone of her voice. She hoped he did, the idiot. "You tried to bail." Her voice was lower this time, but the lack of volume didn't negate any of the fury behind it.

She expected him to defend himself or at least try to explain - she wanted him to, because that way she could yell at him some more and force him to see reason... but to her surprise he just sighed and walked past her to slump down on the couch. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, closed his eyes and started slowly massaging his temples.

"Why..." He sighed again, fingers stilling at his temples for a moment before they continued their slow, circular motion. "Why are you so angry, Red?"

"What do you mean, 'why am I so angry'? Of course I'm angry! YOU ALMOST DELETED YOURSELF! Voluntarily!" Her hands were clenched so tightly they ached.

He looked up at her with weary resignation, fingers still touching his temples, but no longer massaging the skin. "What I mean is; why are you so angry that I would do that? Was Archie so bad you couldn't bear to -"

Red hid her face in her hands and groaned loudly in frustration, seriously contemplating kicking him in the shin for being so dense. "You don't get it, do you!" It wasn't a question, but even if it had been she didn't pause long enough for him to answer. "I would have lost you! Jiminy, Archie - Charming is right, we are both! I'm not angry that Archie would remain, I'm angry that Jiminy would be gone!"

He looked at her in a way she couldn't quite decipher. She expected this was Jiminy, because Archie had never had quite that depthless look in his eyes, a look that spoke of countless secrets and hard decisions; the eyes of a conscience in human form. Perhaps it shouldn't surprise her to find his blue human eyes even more inscrutable than his black cricket eyes, but it did. Back home in the Enchanted Forest she had always told herself that had he been human she would have been able to read more from his eyes – apparently she had been wrong.

He slowly lowered his hands and clasped them loosely in front of him, elbows still resting on his knees.

"Why?"

She was so angry she wanted to scream – maybe then would he finally hear her. But before she had the chance to open her mouth he rose from the couch and for the first time in her life – both her lives - she felt he was towering over her, even though her heels made the difference in height between them just a few inches.

His voice rose slightly, but he was still nowhere near the volume she had been using.

"We were friends both back home and here in Storybrooke, but why do you feel so strongly about this? Why would you care if Jiminy was 'deleted', as you call it? Archie would still be here, no different from the Archie you've known for 28 years now. I was not the only one who wanted to cross the border, but I have a feeling I'm the only one whose door you nearly broke down to get in and shout at." He stepped up to her, right into her personal space. His expression was pained and when he spoke again it was little more than a harsh whisper: "Why is that, Red?"

Red didn't know what to say. Her heart was racing. The wolf in her could feel the heat coming off of his body in waves and could detect his distinct scent under the aftershave Ruby liked so much.

She closed the remaining distance between them and kissed him.

He startled, but she put both hands on the sides of his face to keep him from retreating. She tried to explain everything with that kiss, but felt fear spread though her and tears burning in her eyes when he just stood there, stunned. She was about to give up, but then suddenly he was kissing her back. Eyes opening in surprise she saw a single tear trail down his cheek before he broke the kiss and pushed her slowly away. He held her at arm's length and didn't look at her, seemingly fighting for control. The fear that had receded slightly when he kissed her back started seeping outwards again.

"This ..." His voice shook slightly and he cleared his throat. "This is part of why I wanted to-to cross the border, Red. Archie... Jiminy is..." He shook his head and Red could see a painfully familiar look of self-loathing on his face. She had often seen that same look on her own face looking in the mirror. "Neither Archie nor Jiminy are worthy you, but at least with Archie the age gap could be, if not ignored then at least condoned. And – and while he's a weak man Archie is a good man. With the curse broken he might actually have a chance to grow and to evolve, maybe even muster up the courage to ask you out. But with Jiminy still here I remember just how unworthy I am of your love. Jiminy... Jiminy has much to answer for. Too much. Jiminy ... is even weaker than Archie."

He wiped another tear from his cheek with the heel of his hand and sat down at the couch again with a huff. He was silent for a beat before he continued, voice a little stronger. "I was scared, and I ran. I'm not proud of it. I felt so overwhelmed... I still do." He let out a humourless chuckle. "That's one thing Archie and Jiminy have in common, they are both weak. With weakness enough for two... it's still very tempting to just leave. The Prince has no doubt put guards on the road, but they can't watch the whole border – all I have to do is go into the woods and walk until I reach the city limit."

He looked so lost and forlorn and tired and beaten that Red just wanted to hug him. But she didn't think that would go over well at this point, so instead she sat down next to him, took his hand in both of hers and gave it a squeeze.

"Did you know I used to wish you were human?" She couldn't help but chuckle when his head snapped up and he looked at her with surprise clear on his face. "I did. Back home in the Enchanted Forest. So many times. You were my best friend and you helped me so much, and so many times I just wished I could hug you. Or kiss you..." He was still looking shell-shocked and haunted, but when she leaned in for a second kiss he kissed her back with such reverent tenderness she wanted to cry. When they broke apart they sat for a moment, not saying anything, foreheads touching, noses nuzzling, breathing in sync.

"You're human now," she whispered.

"I am," he whispered back, and Red felt the first tendrils of hope radiating outwards from her heart.

"I know it's a lot to take in," she murmured. "I know you're scared – I am too. I know that Jiminy is carrying a lot of guilt – but so is Red. 'When you owe a debt that can never be repaid, all you can really do is to try to do so anyways.' Remember you told me that? It's good advice, even though it's hard to follow sometimes." She put her hand on his cheek when he moved to pull away, gently turning his head so he was looking at her again. "And I also know that apart from Snow you're the best friend I've ever had. Now Snow is gone and she might not come back, and the thought of loosing you too..." She had to pause for a few seconds before she was able to speak past the lump in her throat. "Back home I could talk to you about anything, even stuff I couldn't talk to her about. You were always there for me. And here in Storybrooke... Ruby never thought she was good enough for you, but you have no idea how many times she wished she were."

"I'm too -"

"You're not too old," she stopped him before he could even finish the protest. "If anything you're distinguished." She waggled her eyebrows in an exaggeratedly leery way and was relieved to hear him chuckle softly. He shook his head, but the corner of his mouth was curving into a small smile. She gave his hand another squeeze, and this time he squeezed back.

"You are both Jiminy and Archie, just like I'm both Red and Ruby, and though it's confusing as all hell it helps to know that ... that ... I don't know, that we're in this together, that we have each other. All four of us, I guess..." She trailed off as he chuckled again, and she gave his shoulder a playful push. "Hey, gimme a break, I'm trying here. Shouldn't this be the therapist's job?"

He leaned into her slightly and she immediately closed the distance between them, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're doing splendidly," he said softly, turning his head slightly, his cheek warm against the top of her head. "You'd make a wonderful therapist."

The silence stretched between them for a long moment before Red spoke again.

"I could live without you," she admitted softly. "But I'd be miserable at best. Please don't make me."

He put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled closer. The wolf in her felt his pulse against her skin, and she revelled in the fact that he was alive, and that their hearts were beating in sync.

"I won't," he promised.