Here it is, my first Cinderella fanfic! I love Jaq and Gus just as much as everyone else does, and when I was watching Cinderella II recently, I thought about the relationship between Cinderella and Jaq - how he seems to be her right-hand man, so to speak. My buddy Hafanforever, who is an even bigger Cinderella fan than I am, loves puns, so in her honor, I give her... "My Right-Hand Mouse!" Happy birthday, big soul sis! I hope you love your present as much as I loved writing it for you!


"You look like an angel, Cinderelly!"

That pretty, tinkling laugh that always made him feel so loved filled his ears. "I'm far from that, Jaq!"

"Not that far." It was true. She was his angel; always had been, ever since she rescued him two years ago. He could still remember it like it was yesterday – the day that was both the worst and the best of his life….


Two years ago…

"NO!"

The anguished cry tore out of him in a high-pitched squeal as he pelted toward the bloody, mangled scrap of fur lying on the floor. Shreds of red cloth littered the floor around the body, remnants of his mother's dress… his mother…

"Mama!" Jaq wailed, tears streaming down the brown fur covering his face. He threw himself onto his mother's body and sobbed, feeling like his little heart would bleed from the grief. "Mama, come back! Don't leave me! Come back!" But he knew deep down that she never would. The pool of blood she lay in and her open, lifeless eyes told him all he needed to know. His mama had joined his daddy in heaven, her life taken by the same beast that swallowed his father whole: a humongous, coal-black monster with razor-sharp teeth and poisonous green eyes, slit like a snake's… As the thought of the monster feasting itself upon his mama filled his head, Jaq's tears turned to rage. When he couldn't take it anymore, he bellowed his fury to the skies, his anger boiling over.

"I hate you, Lucifee!" he screamed, shaking a fist at the cat who, right now, was nowhere in sight. "I hate you!" Just like that, the tears returned, and Jaq crumpled in on himself, crying in a tiny ball. He was all alone now. The other mice had fled the house, too afraid of Lucifer and his claws, and he was still a little mouse, only a few months old. Who was going to love him now that Mama was gone? Who could he love?

"Oh, no! Marguerite!"

At the sound of the human voice, Jaq squeaked and darted behind the nearby broom. It didn't sound like the one called Stepmother, the mean lady who let Lucifer terrorize the house. It didn't sound like the two girls, Anastasia and Drizella, either – they sounded as bad as Lucifer when they were screeching at each other about something stupid. No, this sounded like…

A human girl knelt beside Mama, reaching out to gather the body in her hands. Jaq peeped around the bristles of the broom, watching the girl intently. This definitely wasn't Stepmother or the two dumb Doras, no sirree. This was the one his mother had called Cinderella, the one who had always been so nice to her and Daddy. She had made that pretty red dress for Mama, the one that was now torn to bits, and she had done her best to keep them safe from Lucifer's clutches.

Why couldn't she do that now? If she'd been here, Mama wouldn't be dead! Daddy would still be here! I wouldn't be an orphan! Didn't she care about us?

Jaq's indignance abated when he saw Cinderella nestle her cheek against Mama's body. It amazed him. Mama had been ripped to pieces by Lucifer, her soft fur soaked in blood, and yet Cinderella was cuddling her like she was alive, whole, and clean. Tears dripped from her eyes and soft sobs escaped her, which touched his heart. Humans usually didn't like mice, yet Mama had often told him how nice Cinderella was; how she treated them as friends, not pests. Seeing her weep for Mama made realization dawn on him: Cinderella loved his mother. And if she loved his mother, there was a chance she could love him, too.

Slowly, quietly, he crept out from behind the broom. He approached Cinderella's kneeling form and softly squeaked her name. "Cinderelly?" it came out, his tiny voice not quite getting the name right.

Cinderella started, looking around for the voice that called her. Clearing his throat, Jaq called to her again. Finally, she spotted him. Gently, she lay his mother's body back down and focused on him. She looked like an angel, she was so pretty: golden hair tied back in a blue ribbon, and eyes as blue as the sky outside. Her eyes were beautiful for sure, but they also had great kindness in them as they studied him. Emboldened by this kindness, Jaq moved a little closer to her. "Well, hello," she said, giving him a smile through her tears. "Where did you come from?"

Jaq nodded back at the broom. "I was hiding. Not know if Lucifee still out there." His eyes welled again as they shifted back to his mother. "He did that to Mama, you know."

Cinderella nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry. I should've been here to protect her from Lucifer. I loved your mother, you know. Very much."

It was amazing to hear his thoughts echoed by her own mouth, but Jaq had come to realize he harbored no blame toward Cinderella for his mother's death. "Jaq-Jaq know that. It's Lucifee's fault. Nothing you could've done."

The look on Cinderella's face held nothing but compassion as she gazed at him. "I wish there was. My stepmother and stepsisters have kept me hopping around so much with my chores all day, I feel like a rabbit."

"That's a-better than a mean old cat," Jaq said emphatically. "Bunnies are cute, like mice-mice."

Cinderella smiled. "That's true. And you're one of the most precious little mice I've ever seen." She lay a hand on the floor. "Come on. I won't hurt you. I promise."

Jaq believed her. She had never hurt Mama or Daddy, so she wouldn't have any reason to hurt him. He trotted the remaining distance and crawled into her hand, where she cradled him in her palm. She lifted him close to her face and gave him yet another beautiful smile. "Jaq? Is that your name?"

"Zuk-zuk! You betcha!"

"It means 'God is gracious.' Your mother named you well, because God was gracious enough to bless me with Marguerite and Jean when I needed friends, and then He blessed them with you. Now He's passed that blessing on to me. And what a blessing." Cinderella gently scratched him behind the ears. "Your fur is just as soft as your mother's. And you have your father's velvety ears."

Jaq was grateful for the fur on his face, for he was sure he was blushing. No, he wasn't in love; it just felt nice to hear some kind words, especially now. It was pure, sweet love that Cinderella was showing him, reminding him that Mama and Daddy would still live on in him, and he was more grateful than she would ever know. "Aww, zuk-zuk," he muttered, returning her smile. "Cinderelly was good to Mama and Daddy, and Jaq-Jaq gonna be good to Cinderelly. We gonna be friends, right?"

"The best of friends," Cinderella affirmed, cuddling him against her cheek. "You can be my right-hand mouse, Jaq."

"You mean help Cinderelly?"

"Uh-huh. I'll do the chores, but you can help me rescue any mice that come to the house. Lucifer won't be taking another life if we have anything to say about it."

Jaq blew a raspberry at the still-unseen cat. "Bad old Lucifee! Not gonna kill any more mice!"

"That's right," Cinderella laughed, rubbing Jaq's head. "We're going to make all of our friends feel safe and loved, starting with you." She set Jaq on her shoulder and picked up Marguerite's body once more. "We'll give your mother a good funeral in the rose garden, and then we'll get you some clothes. What color jacket would you like?"

Jaq's eyes rested on the remainder of his mother's favorite red dress. "Red. To remember Mama."

Cinderella turned her head to him and gave him a smile. "What a lovely thought, Jaq. I know your mother would be very proud of you. I certainly am."

His heart so full he thought it would burst, Jaq hugged Cinderella's neck. "I love you, Cinderelly."

"I love you too, Jaq, my right-hand mouse," Cinderella laughed as they walked together into a new life.


A new life had begun then, and a new life was beginning now, as Cinderella stood before Jaq, Gus, Mary, and the rest of their mouse friends in her room at the Prince's castle. Even after fitting the glass slipper and finally getting out of Stepmother's grasp, Cinderella hadn't forgotten her beloved mice. They had all come to live with her in the castle – thankfully, the Prince had been let in on the secret and had come to love all of them just as much as Cinderella did. Now, she was getting ready to marry the Prince, and Jaq had never seen her looking more beautiful. Dressed in her long white wedding gown and veil, with her blonde hair shining like gold and her blue eyes sparkling, she was an angel all over again. And Jaq didn't hesitate to tell her so.

"You're our angel, Cinderelly," he said, hopping onto her jewelry box to better look her in the eye. "Look how much you've done for us mice-mice. We're all safe from Lucifee here, 'cause you didn't forget us!"

"Yeah! Bad old Lucifee!" Gus cried, while the other mice clamored in agreement. He would be the one to shake his fist, so to speak – after all, he'd nearly been eaten by the rotten cat.

"But you saved Gus, Jaq," Cinderella pointed out. "And you led the mice in helping rescue me when I thought I'd never see the Prince again. And you all helped Bruno give Lucifer exactly what he deserved!"

The mice all burst out laughing at this memory. Bruno, Cinderella's faithful hound, had chased Lucifer until he fell out of the tower window, thus freeing the mice to give Cinderella the key that Jaq and Gus had taken from Stepmother. And Jaq had never felt prouder than he did when Cinderella kissed first him, then Gus, for saving her. Until now.

"Aww, zuk-zuk, Cinderelly," Jaq said, yet again grateful his fur was hiding a blush. "It was nothin'."

"It was more than nothing, Jaq. You're my hero." Cinderella picked him up in her hands and pressed a kiss to his furry cheek.

"Yeah, but Princey gonna be your hero now. You gonna be married. Might not need Jaq-Jaq's help anymore," Jaq said, a bittersweet pang tugging at his heart.

"That's not true, Jaq. I'll always need you. You're my best friend." Cinderella pressed a kiss to his furry cheek. "And no matter where I go, you'll always be my right-hand mouse."

Jaq smiled. "Promise?"

"I promise." Cinderella cuddled him against her cheek, just like old times, and set him on her shoulder. "Now, let's go. We have a wedding to go to!"

The mice cheered and followed after Cinderella – and Jaq, who was riding along with his best friend, heart full and giddy with the promise that, no matter what the future held, she would always be his Cinderelly, and he her right-hand mouse.