Enter Sebastian, Charlie, Woody, and Claire/"-May We Come With You?"
"*Ouch*- listen to what *THIS poor 'fille'* writes. 'Juliet, is there *anything WORSE* than *a man*??!'"
Everyone either in Italian or English clucked, tisked, and murmured in sympathy in agreement with the poor girl's letter that Louis read a bit of aloud if not guiltily going red in the face and laughing sheepishly, going through that day's collection of letters. As Pinocchio had promised, the other Secretaries were more than happy to have Hector join them alongside himself and Sophie, and would be very glad to house him while his cousin was off at his super-exclusive wine auction in Livorno.
Someone -*TWO someones- knocked at the doorframe- de ja vu, much??
"Excuse me- well, *excuse US*," said the first with curly golden-blond hair, deep blue eyes, a quietly-handsome face, a tallish broad build, and wearing a light green-and-white-striped button-down shirt with beige slacks and brown sandals in a distinct British accent like Harry's. He sounded polite enough, yet a little impatient and very business-like; *not STUFFY*, however.
"We're verra sorry t' interrupt, but- are ye th' Secretaries o' Juliet??"
The second male's Scots-and-Italian-intoned voice that sounded quite a lot like Ewan McGregor and expression was more hopeful and enthusiastic while being just as courteous, and he possessed thick slightly-wavy hair that was such a light shade of brown that it seemed *silvery-gray* in certain lights, an intense interesting handsome face with a matching mustache, and pale aquamarine-blue eyes that were almost like Kurt's yet not. He was fair-skinned like his companion, but had just a bit more of a tan, he was taller and thinner, his preferred color seemed to be deeper shades of blue, and he was carrying what looked like a violin case over his shoulder.
It was Harry who answered the second man's inquiry. "Yes, that's us," he nodded.
"May I please ask which one o' ye wrote t' Charlie's grandmother Claire Smith, an' which one wrote t' my grandfather Woody Pride?"
"I- I wrote to Claire."
"And- And I wrote to Mr. Woody, 'signores'. *Oh my gosh*- I can't b'lieve it FOUND YOU BOTH!"
"Yes, we Brits and Scots tend to stay in our family homes- well, *mostly*."
"EXCUSE ME if I like t' travel!"
"-*This is AMAZING*! It's been less than a week since we mailed them..."
"*I know*!" the blue-eyed and blue-clad man said happily to Sophie, actually almost hopping a little in place like a- like a cricket. Then he flushed and exclaimed, "I'm *VERRA sorry*! Where are my manners?? My name is Sebastian J. ('Jiacobbe') Cricket, an' Woody Pride's my grandfather. This is Charles 'Charlie' Christopher Wyman, grandson o' the lovely lady whom I call 'Aunt Claire'."
Sophie and Pinocchio smiled brightly at 'Sebastian'. It was 'ladies first' usually, but Sophie decided to let her younger brother go ahead.
"Hello- how d' ya do, Mr. Sebastian? This is my big sister Sophia 'Sophie' Amanda Cosette Hall, and m-my name is ...P-Pinocchio. 'Pinocchio Edward Benjamin Hall'."
The genial smile sent back his way as Sebastian shook his smaller fingerlessly-gloved hand in return for some reason made Pinocchio's heart skip a beat and then *FLUTTER double-time* like a butterfly's wings to make up for it, and he blushed a bit.
"'Tis verra nice t' meet ye both, 'Signorina' Sophie- 'Signorino' Pinocchio. *WONDERFUL, even*! 'Mille grazie' fer answerin' our grandparents' letters."
By now, the three males and young woman had ventured outside the office and out of the building for privacy.
"Yes, they were very thoughtful letters. Now, -*what were you thinking*?"
"*Charlie*!!" Sebastian whispered-hissed with a glare and elbow-nudge.
"Well... we were thinking that they deserved an answer."
"We- We just felt that we *HAD TO write back*, M-Mr. Charlie!"
"Yeah, *fifty years ago*, maybe. *Not NOW*!"
"-I'm sorry. I didn't know that True Love had *an EXPIRATION DATE*."
"'*True love*'?? *Are you JOKING*? Can you IMAGINE what would have happened if she *hadn't seen sense*- or Uncle Woody, for that matter?"
"Well, yeah- YOU *WOULDN'T be here*, and that would be an *upside*."
*YIPES*- Sophie and Mr. Charlie didn't seem to get on well at all. But even though he was a little hurt and saw that Sebastian was still glaring at his pseudo-cousin, Pinocchio could clearly see and tell that Charlie Wyman loved his grandmother and just didn't want her to get hurt again; which was why he was being so defensive and skeptical.
"What are you doing here, anyway?? Are you just two lonely American folks who have to vicariously live through others?"
"*CHARLIE*!" Sebastian snapped again, this time whirling around on his heel. "*Shame on ye*!! I ken tha' yer verra concerned aboot this whole 'lunacy', but tha's no excuse t' be *RUDE* aboot it, 'cugino'!"
"I am *NOT 'lonely'*. I am engaged," Sophie replied coolly and stiffly.
Pinocchio had to bite his tongue about saying 'lonely and single' for himself; he'd rather not be mocked, thankyouverymuch.
"Congratulations, Sophie lass! How long?"
"Almost a year, 'Signor Grillo'. Been dating for five."
"-No ring?"
"Oh, well... see, that's- that's me. He was just so busy, you know, setting up his new restaurant- and I just, I felt it was unnecessary."
"Still- everyone should have a ring."
"My condolences to the groom."
Another harder elbow-nudge via Sebastian.
"*Excuse me*!" Sophie said hotly. "So- so that's it?! You've come *all the way from London* just to give us a LECTURE??"
"*No*, 'Signorina' Sophie," Sebastian then said kindly but firmly. "We came b'cause we couldna let Charlie's 'Gran' an' my grandpa come here on their own."
"Miss- Miss Claire and Mr. Woody *are HERE*?? Wh-Why?"
Now Sebastian's aquamarine eyes twinkled a little as a small smile danced over his mustached lips (slim, nicely-shaped lips, 'Nocchi couldn't help but notice), raising a hoar-beige eyebrow in a friendly manner. "I think tha' even you an' yer sister might be able t' work *THAT ONE out*, Pinocchio-lad," he chuckled.
And then, the Hall siblings *KNEW*.
"-*Oh my God*! *That's AWESOME*! She's come to find her Lorenzo, and he his Buzz!" Sophie cried happily, her blue-green eyes sparkling in her lovely face framed by long golden-blonde hair.
All a joyfully-stunned Pinocchio could muster up was "-*Gee*...!"
"Indeed so, t' both!"
"'Awesome'?? And if neither of them wants to see the other, they've forgotten them, are *gravely ill*, or DEAD, let's say, just for fun- then what? -Thought so."
THAT earned Charlie a smack upside the head via Sebastian, who seemed to also be trying to set him on fire with his eyes. To the blond's credit, he seemed a bit ashamed of himself as he rubbed at his sore scalp.
"*Anyway*, I think tha' 'Zietta' and Grandpa would verra much like t' meet ye both. T' meet th' persons responsible fer givin' them a 'better late than *NEVER*' answer to their plea for some kind o' help back in 1957."
"You do, Mr. Sebastian??"
"Someone as sweet, warm, an' polite as ye two? How could *they NOT*, 'occhioni'?"
"*Madness*. *You KNOW* this is *MADNESS*, right?!"
"'By my heel, I *care NOT*!' Also, *shut th' bloody hell up*, Charlie. If ye cannae say somethin' NICE, then dinnae say *anythin' at all*, why dontchye?"
Miss Claire Smith was an old woman, but she was still a very lovely and elegant British lady even past her prime. Mr. Woody was not quite nearly so refined, yet for all that a more-or-less handsome man who must have been quietly-striking in his youth. Her blue eyes and his brown ones were some of the warmest and most genuinely-kind that Pinocchio had ever seen besides Sophie's, Papa's, Hector's, and Miguel's own- plus those of the Secretaries of Juliet.
"Ex-Excuse me. Claire? Woody? H-Hi. My name is Sophie, and this is my brother 'Nocchi. We- We wrote you the letters."
"Letter?? From 'Juliet'? *Goodness- thank you*!"
"Yes- *THANK you*! But, however did you find us??"
"Um, well- Your- Your grandsons *found US*, a-actually, Mr. Woody."
Woody didn't seem the least bit surprised where Sebastian was concerned, but Claire was certainly pleasantly astonished. "You did?? With Sebby?"
"Right, well- the thing is-," Charlie stammered, looking quite flustered.
"Yeah, well, he's very sweet and very charming, same as his cousin 'Signor' Sebastian, and they thought that you'd both like to meet us."
Pinocchio bit back a giggle as Sebastian snickered. Woody's eyes twinkled as he said sotto voce, "Uncharacteristically thoughtful of you, Charlie-boy."
"Yes, well- under the circumstances, it seems a little churlish *not to* meet the woman and boy responsible for this voyage of lunacy," Charlie shrugged.
"Okay..." Sophie murmured.
Claire chortled, "Charlie doesn't approve, which makes this all the more fun!"
"And- Sebastian approves?"
His shrug was sheepish yet more lighthearted. "What can I say? I love my grandpa an' want t' support him, an' I'm a sucker fer possibly-happy endin's."
Sophie gave him a thumbs-up, and Pinocchio smiled bright and sweet in his direction.
'Oh "Dio", but tha's *adorable*! *HE'S adorable*; same as his sister, yet differently...'
"We were just going to go for a glass of wine. Would you like to join us?"
"-Yes. Of course! I actually have the *PERFECT place*..."
"...I can't b'lieve that you're both *REALLY* HERE!"
'Aye- *adorable*... An' Sophie seems rather sweet herself; what *th' DEVIL* is Charlie's problem??! Zia Claire and Gramps like her an' young Pinocchio jus' fine...'
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
Of course, the 'perfect place' was outside at the office of Juliet's Secretaries, and it turned from a simple glass of wine into a delicious light supper that tonight Harry and Kurt had cooked with help from Toothless. And both Claire and Woody gladly shared their stories after introductions, small talk, and partaking in Italian cuisine.
"I was taking an art course in Tuscany, staying with a family outside Siena- and they had a son named 'Lorenzo', and ...it was love at first sight."
"My family, the Prides, had a vineyard in that same area, so Uncle Pete, my twin Jessie, and I were looking over it, and I happened to meet Claire face-to-face for the first time. I met Buzz Lightyear there also- he was taking a gap year and traveling in Italy. We became pretty fast friends, and then- friendship turned to somethin' more."
"They both had such gentle blue eyes ...sweet-talkers that they were, they told us that we were 'molto bello/a'. Lorenzo gave me this ring, and Buzz and Woody gave one another half of a gold heart-shaped locket etched with stars."
"They wanted to get married, and Buzz and I were talking about doin' the same- but Claire had exams back in England, and her parents would have *NEVER* approved. Uncle Pete practically *HATED Buzz*, even if Jessie and Bo got on fine with him ...we got scared, and ran away. Now what we really wanna do is tell them that we're *so SORRY* we were such COWARDS...!"
"Of course," Sebastian interjected lightly, "a *card or a letter* is jus' *too SIMPLE*."
"So you've come to find your Buzz and Lorenzo?"
"Yes- and we think we know where they are."
"Where??"
"On the farm- just near Siena. Charlie and 'Bastian are drivin' us down tomorrow."
"*Only* because neither myself or 'Bas didn't want you two to hitchhike."
"Well, he thinks it's *a BIG* MISTAKE," Woody chuckled fondly.
"Because YOU don't have a *romantic bone* in your body," Kurt said with a shake of his head.
"No, no- it's because I'm *a REALIST*."
"I'd say 'No- because you are *an ENGLISHMAN*, cold as fish!', but given Harry, Remus, and Adam here..."
"Right. And *WHO was it* that wrote 'Romeo and Juliet'??"
"William Shakespeare, another Englishman. *You*, 'mi amigo', are simply a SKEPTIC akin yet not to my elder ''hermana' Imelda."
The clock in the town square rang eight-thirty just then. It was time to go...
"Sophie dear, 'Nocchi lad- goodnight. *Thank you so much*!"
"Yes- thank you."
"'Mille grazie'."
"Goodnight- goodnight, everybody! Charlie, Sebby, Woody, let's go."
"Goodnight, gentlemen; 'ciao'."
"'Buono notte', all!"
"Good luck!"
"'Bye!"
"'Arrivedeci'!"
"How *WONDERFUL* would it be if they found their Romeos??"
"Imagine if they did, *fifty years later*, and all because you and your brother found those letters...!"
"No one would believe it if it weren't true, you know."
Pinocchio could see the wheels in Sophie's head turning- could easily guess what she was going to suggest they do. And if he were being, well- honest, he dearly wanted to see Miss Claire and Mr. Woody hopefully get their happy ending, as well...
"*Wait*! Wait!"
"Oh, for-!! *Here they come*..."
'They came back... Fer what? Not tha' *I'm COMPLAININ'*.'
"S-Sorry! It's- It's just that... um-,"
"-May we come with you?? To find Lorenzo and Buzz?"
"*Come with us*???" Sebastian was knocked for six, same as Charlie. "What aboot this fiance o' yers- 'Victor', ye said his name was?? Yer in Paris's twin o' th' City o' Love, an' ye want t' come *wit' US* on a roadtrip?"
"Yes, we do- because he's busy, and we're free."
"Of- Of course, if 's not an intrusion, 'signores e signora'!"
"No, no- it's *NOT* an 'intrusion'. We'd be DELIGHTED to have more of yours' and Sophie's wonderful company."
"-I do have one thing to tell you, first. Th-This is not entirely selfless on my part- it started out as a simple reply to your letters, and now I think it's SO *amazing*, what you're doing ...and I'd love to write it out, if that's okay."
"Yer a writer? So 'm I! Oh, Charlie, *c'mon*! S' not like it's *state secrets*! An' clearly, neither Zietta nor Gramps mind..."
"Oh, I'm- I'm not a writer; I'm a fact-checker. I mean, I'd *LIKE TO BE a journalist* someday, but-,"
"Fact-checker or no, ye think- *ye BELIEVE* tha' this is a story worth tellin'."
"...Yes. Yes; that's it exactly."
"We'd *LOVE to have you* with us, as Claire said!"
'*YES*!!! I didna want t' say "goodbye/so long" jus' yet ...and I dinnae think that he did, either. Charlie can jus' hush up an' be quiet so long as he's objectin'!'
'I'm *AWFUL glad* they said "yes"! I- I didn't really wanna say "so long, farewell" just yet- not to either Mr. Woody or Mr. Sebastian... Not to Miss Claire, or even Mr. Charlie, grumpy as he is right now! He's just grumblin' b'cause he cares and doesn't wanna see his "nonna" hurt- same as Mr. Sebastian, but he's more open-minded...'