Hey everyone!
Now, because I ship Freakshow and Lydia, I decided to write a one-shot about our two favourite circus villains. But I warn you; it has tragedy written all throughout it.
No, I don't own Danny Phantom, that belongs to Butch Hartman, nor do I own Say Something, that belongs to A Great Big World.
Please read and review!
GhostWriterGirl out!
Say Something
The circus was packed; huge crowds were roaring and cheering for more acts, food and drink had been devoured in the thousands and tickets had sold out like flies. Everyone had loved the circus' performances so far, but everyone was here to see the most death-defying, and most spectacular act of all; Lydia The Tattooed Lady's Defying Death trapeze act.
Fred peered out from where he was behind the curtain and looked concernedly at his wife, who was stretching.
"Lydia, are you sure you still want to do this."
Lydia rolled her beautiful green eyes at him, smiling the coy smile that he found adorable.
"Freddy, I'm sure. The crowd has been waiting for it, and I better give it to them. Anyway, I've practiced it and we've done it numerous times before with success."
"Yes, but... we've got our third member of the family on the way," Fred said worriedly, resting a hand gently on Lydia's stomach, where there was a small bump.
Lydia smiled motherly at her stomach and rubbed it, before smiling at Fred and patted his cheek assuredly.
"Don't worry, Fred. The baby will be fine; I'll be fine. I told you, we've done this a thousand times before without a hitch, and I practiced this before tonight's performance. It'll be fine."
"I know, my love. Just... be careful."
Lydia smiled warmly at him and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm always careful."
Suddenly, the intervention ended and Lydia smiled that adorably coy smile at him.
"Better get out there and do what you do best, Ringmaster Freakshow."
Fred smiled back at his wife and gave her another kiss before stepping out from behind the curtain, adopting his ringmaster persona, Freakshow.
"Good evening, fellow outcasts! We've seen creepy and disturbing acts so far, but something tells me you want more, yes?"
"MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE!" The crowd shouted.
"Then good news for you that we have more! Now be prepared the act you've all been waiting for, Defying Death!" Freakshow announced, gesturing to where Lydia was standing on a platform, in her costume of a red cloak, black cuffs on her wrists, black corset top, black bikini bottoms and black boots, her tattoos on full display, her black hair spiked into a spiky Mohawk. Lydia bowed to the audience, smiling at them, before she leapt off the platform.
The crowd gasped in fear, as there was no net to catch Lydia, but at the last second she caught a flying trapeze and swung through the air, holding onto it.
The crowd cheered and applauded and Freakshow smiled, standing from the sidelines as his beautiful, graceful wife let go of the trapeze, did a somersault, and then caught another trapeze. The act was going smoothly, and it looked like Lydia and the baby would be okay; he had no need to worry after all. His wife and child would be alright.
Unfortunately, Fate had other ideas in store for him.
Lydia, saw the other trapeze swinging by; it was in the middle of the act. Once she did this, she would be halfway through. The other trapeze swung closer... closer...
Lydia let go of the trapeze.
The crowd took in a fearful gasp, but Lydia smiled. They had nothing to fear; she had done this act so many times that she couldn't slip up.
She executed a perfect triple somersault, and when she finished, she reached out to grab the trapeze...
... and missed by an inch.
And then she was falling.
Freakshow gasped in fear and horror and began running, screaming, "NOOOOOO!", as time seemed to slow down.
"Say something, I'm giving up on you."
Lydia had a look of shock on her face as she fell down, down, down. How could she mess up? It had been flawless when she practiced this morning. Why had it gone wrong? She glanced down and saw her beloved Fred running towards her, desperate to catch her and save her, but she knew it would be too late; there was no net at the bottom.
She would be dead before he caught her.
"I'll be the one, if you want me too."
Freakshow continued to run, his wife still falling. He needed to catch her, needed to save her and their child; he couldn't bear to live without Lydia or their baby. If he died trying to catch them, and Lydia was dead, he would gladly follow her into death.
"Anywhere, I would've followed you."
As she fell, and as he ran, Freakshow and Lydia locked eyes. He could see the fear, the shock in her wide green eyes, and she could see the horror and the desperate need to save her. But she knew it was going to be too late.
Lydia mouthed to him, I love you, Freddy.
Tears gleamed in Freakshow's eyes as he mouthed back to her, I love you too, Lydia. Hold on.
But Lydia had glanced away, tears streaming down from her own eyes. This was the end for her. She was going to die.
"Say something, I'm giving up on you."
She looked at her stomach and placed a gentle hand on it. As soon as she did, she felt a kick.
Lydia smiled as tears continued to trail down her face.
Please let the baby be okay, Lydia prayed. Please let the baby survive.
"And I am feeling so small."
Lydia curled up into a protective ball, making sure that her child was protected by her body. If she was going to die, then the baby needed to survive, for Freddy.
The baby shouldn't die for her mistake.
"It was over my head."
Freakshow ran; he felt like he was going in slow motion. Lydia was still falling, but she was curled into herself, obviously trying to protect the baby. He cloak fluttered around her, and her hair fell out of it's Mohawk. He couldn't see her face, but he guessed her beautiful green eyes were closed. Like she had accepted she was going to die, but was desperate to have the baby survive.
No; Freakshow needed to save them both. He knew he had too. He just did.
"I know nothing at all."
Suddenly, Freakshow tripped. He fell to the ground, and looked in horror as Lydia continued to fall, faster than before, as if time was messing with him.
"NO!" he screamed.
"And I will stumble and fall."
Lydia glanced down and saw the ground rushing towards her. Freddy wasn't standing there, but she knew with deep certainty that he wouldn't be fast enough to save her.
This is the end, she thought. I'm going to die.
Silent tears slipped out from underneath her closed eyelids. She was going to die, but she hoped that the baby wouldn't. She couldn't have the baby die; she couldn't.
She loved her child like she loved her Freddy.
"I'm still learning to love."
Freakshow began crawling. His hands and knees were scraped by the hard-packed dirt, but he didn't care. All he cared about was saving his wife and child as she fell faster, faster, her cloak billowing around her like a fallen angel's wings, as red as blood.
"Just starting to crawl."
He crawled faster as she fell faster. He wanted to save her, but she knew with a clear clarity that she was going to die. And then...
... Lydia finally hit the dirt with a sickening Squelch!
"NOOOOO!" Freakshow screamed. He stood up shakily and ran to Lydia's side.
Her head was facing the other side, her arm and legs were at odd angles, and her cloak was spread around her as a pool of blood started to spread from underneath her body, making her cloak a deeper shade of red and staining her beautiful porcelain skin and raven hair, her emerald eyes blank and lifeless, staring at nothing.
"NO!" Freakshow screamed again as he gently grabbed Lydia and pulled her towards him, but gently, in the impossible chance that their baby survived, holding her head as tears welled in his eyes.
"Lydia, stay with me! Lydia, please stay with me. Look at me Lydia! Lydia, love, please look at me. Say something, Lydia! Say something! Lydia, please, say something!" Freakshow pleaded, now gripping Lydia's hand, which was slowly becoming cold and clammy.
But Lydia didn't say anything.
"No! Lydia, please!" Freakshow begged. He kissed her lips, a dark red with lipstick, but she didn't return the kiss.
Freakshow pulled away as tears continued streaming down his face, before he gently pulled Lydia's eyelids over her eyes.
Lydia, his beloved, precious Lydia, whom he treasured and loved more than anything, was dead. And so was, possibly, their unnamed child.
"Say something, I'm giving up on you."
Freakshow continued to silently cry as he gently stroked Lydia's pale, cold cheek, his tears falling on her face, glistening drops of his grief.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Lydia. I should have been faster. I should have saved you and our baby. I'm sorry that I couldn't reach you. I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you."
He gently cupped her cheek as he continued to silently cry. His wife and child were dead. They were dead. He had let Lydia perform that dangerous act, and now she was dead. He wanted to scream and rage at himself, and then cry and cry until there was nothing left in him to produce tears. He couldn't live without Lydia; if he could, he would gladly follow her into death. And...
He looked up and saw the platform that Lydia had stood on at the start of that fatal performance, which was so high up a fall from it would guarantee instant death.
A smile made it's way onto Freakshow's mouth.
Maybe there is a way to follow Lydia into death.
"Anywhere, I would've followed you."
He was about to stand up and go to the platform to kill himself to join Lydia in death when she heard her voice, as thin as a whisper, say, Don't do it.
He looked up and saw Lydia, as transparent as a sheet, floating before him. Her cloak was drawn so that he couldn't see her body, and her hood was up so that all he could see was a pair of glowing, pupil-less red eyes.
"Lydia?" he whispered.
Please don't do it, Freddy.
"Why not? Lydia, I can't bear to live without you. If I die-"
Freddy, I knew I was going to die when I was falling. I knew you wouldn't be able to catch me in time. Just please don't do it. I couldn't bear to exist knowing that I caused your death.
"Lydia, what do you mean 'exist'?"
I'm a ghost now, Freddy. I'm still attached to this earth; I'm still existing. And... and because of that, I'm connected to you.
"Connected to me?"
Freddy, I'm willingly invisible. Anyone can see me if I become visible, but only you can hear me. To everyone else, I'm mute. And, what happens to you, happens to me.
"Lydia, I don't want you to be connected to me! I want to die so that I can join you! Please let me do it," Freakshow begged, more tears slipping out of his eyes.
Lydia's ghost kneeled in front of him. A slender, tattooed, green arm extended from the shadows of the cloak and gently wiped his tears away.
Freddy, I wish that you had caught me; I wish that I was still alive. But, if there's anyone I want to be connected to for the rest of my existence, then it's you. You, and only you.
"Lydia," Freakshow whispered, gently holding her ghostly arm, "what about our child?"
In his head, he could hear the sounds of crying.
"Lydia..."
She died, Freddy. I tried to save her, but she died.
Another tear slipped out of Freakshow's eye, before he got a shocked look on his face.
"She?"
In the darkness of her hood, Lydia nodded.
I wanted it to be surprise. I already had a name for her; Octavia. But, now she's gone.
Lydia continued crying and Freakshow wanted nothing more than to hug his wife.
But she was a ghost now, and he didn't know whether she was going to fade away as he soon as he held her or not.
"Say something, I'm giving up on you."
She looked at him and whispered, I'm sorry that I couldn't save our little girl.
"No, I'm sorry. I should have gotten to you and Octavia; I should have caught you. You died because I couldn't get to you, and for that, I'm so, incredibly, sorry."
Freddy, there was nothing you could do.
"But I should have. And I'm so, so sorry..."
Oh, Freddy...
Somehow, Lydia's ghost managed to hold Freakshow as he cried in her ethereal embrace.
Suddenly, ambulance sirens could be heard and Lydia let go, floating once more over her body.
I have to go, my love. I'm so sorry.
"No! Lydia, wait!" Freakshow cried, but it was too late; she was already gone.
He let his hand fall to his side as he looked at Lydia's body, fresh tears welling up as he lovingly caressed her face.
In the shadows, Lydia's ghost looked at her husband kneeling over her body, and guilt and shame welled up inside her.
I should have just swallowed my pride and not done this act; then I would still be alive and we would be waiting for the birth of our little girl.
With that thought, tears of sadness fell from Lydia's red eyes as she teleported out of the big top, not wanting to stay any longer at the place of her death... and not bearing to see her husband be in so much grief.
"And I will swallow my pride."
Freakshow looked at his dead wife's face and held her cold hand as he whispered, "I love you, my beautiful Lydia."
He squeezed her hand, but of course she couldn't feel it, before he leaned over her, his heart breaking all over again, as new tears began brimming over.
"You're the one that I love."
As he leaned over her, he pressed his lips to hers as a goodbye kiss. It lasted a few seconds before he pulled back, trying to suppress choking sobs.
"Goodbye, Lydia," he farewelled.
And with that, he dissolved into body-wracking sobs, fully grieving for his dead, precious wife.
"And I'm saying goodbye."
...
Twenty Years Later
Freakshow walked out of the penitentiary, after five years in there. Standing in front of him was Lydia. Her expression was blank, but he knew that she was frustrated with him.
Freddy, I told you that using ghosts to be entertainment and thieves to make you richer was a bad idea. And making that Phantom kid an enemy was an even worser idea.
"You seemed as eager for revenge as I was."
That was before I saw how powerful he's become since our last encounter.
Freakshow rolled his eyes; he didn't understand what Lydia was being so worried about. When she was still alive, she hardly worried at all. But now, it seemed like their roles had been reversed. Not to mention, how she benefited from being a ghost.
Lydia, seeing his look, became concerned.
Is it the ghost envy? Are... are you jealous of me?
He could hear the hurt in her voice and felt ashamed. He was jealous of the other ghosts they had "recruited" to join their cast, and they had their arguments, and he did occasionally get jealous of Lydia. But he was never jealous of her. Never. He loved her more than anything else in this world and the spirit realm; the Ghost Zone. When he had that ghost-controlling orb, he had given her the choice of being under the orb's control or not, and while she said she didn't mind being under his total control, he refused to do so, as he couldn't bear his Lydia being a mindless drone, despite her reassurances. It showed how much he truly loved her.
Which was why what he was about to do was so much harder than what he would have done with any other ghost.
Well, Freddy, we better- Lydia started, but Freakshow stopped her.
"Wait."
Lydia frowned, but looked at him, and waited.
What is it, Freddy?
"Lydia, I-I can't do this anymore. You deserve much more than being with me."
Freddy, I don't understand.
"I know you don't understand, but what I'm asking you to do is going to be better for you than being here with me."
Better for me? Freddy, I-
"Go to the Ghost Zone, Lydia."
Lydia looked thoroughly shocked. She stepped back a bit, blinking.
You-you want me to leave?
"Yes."
Freddy, why do you want me to leave? I... I thought you love me.
"And I do. I love you so much Lydia, it hurts. But being here, it must hurt you. And I don't want to see you hurt. I'm asking you to go to the Ghost Zone to help you; to make sure that you're not hurt no longer."
A tear slipped out of Lydia's eye. Fred...
"Please, Lydia. This hurts me too; it breaks my heart in two to even think about you being in that dimension. But I'm asking you-I'm pleading you- to do this, for your own good."
Fred...
"Please. Go. Maybe not for yourself, but for me."
Tears glimmered in Lydia's ruby eyes and Freakshow felt like crying too. He hadn't cried since Lydia's death, but he felt close to doing that now.
Okay. I'll go. For you.
Freakshow smiled a relieved, pained smile. "Thank you."
They leant their foreheads against each other as they touched fingertips, the wet glimmer of tears in their eyes.
"Say something, I'm giving up on you."
"I'm so sorry about this, Lydia. I am sorry about this, and about how I'm sorry I am that I couldn't get to you in time," Freakshow whispered. Lydia smiled slightly.
I forgave you for that a long time ago, Freddy.
"But still... it haunts me." Lydia glared at him. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."
It's okay. And Freddy. There was nothing you could do to save me. I was going to die from that stupid act one way or another.
"But still... why did it had to be so soon?"
Lydia was silent for a moment. And then...
If it eases your conscience, I'm sorry too about insisting about doing that act, when I should have thought about you and our baby.
"I forgive you, Lydia, as you have forgiven me."
They both smiled at that.
"And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you."
"You know, Lydia, if you hadn't stopped me, I would have killed myself. I would gladly follow you, even in death," Freakshow said. "I guess I was thinking of only myself at the time."
No; that's thinking like a faithful, heartbroken husband.
Tears continued to brim in Freakshow's eyes. "Thank you, Lydia."
You're welcome, Freddy.
"And anywhere, I would have followed you."
Suddenly, a ripping sound came and Lydia turned to see a natural portal form behind her.
You knew a natural portal was going to form here? Lydia asked Freakshow.
"It seems better than going to Phantom's or Plasmius' manmade portals."
Lydia began silently crying. I'll try to visit you as soon as I can.
"And I'll count the days until that first visit."
And I the hours.
"And I the minutes."
And I the seconds.
She smiled sadly at him, tears shining on her cheeks, before she kissed him. Freakshow kissed her back, savouring the kiss, until soon, all too soon, they broke apart... and Lydia entered through the portal into the Ghost Zone.
Tears shined in Freakshow's eyes.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, say something, I'm giving up on you."
He pulled out a locket and opened it. Inside was a picture of him and Lydia, before her death.
It was a picture of their first date.
Lydia was smiling brightly at the camera, her green eyes sparkling with mischief, raven hair spilling onto her shoulders, her slender tattooed arms hugging a blushing him, as he tried to avoid the camera.
The locket began shaking, and he then realised that he was shaking. He let loose a guttural cry as he sank to his knees, screaming to the heavens as he clasped the locket to his chest.
"WHY, LYDIA? WHY, OUR BABY GIRL? WHY?!" Freakshow screamed, tears starting to stream down his cheeks.
"Say something, I'm giving up on you."
He stopped screaming and hunched over his clasped hands, crying, crying as much as the day Lydia died and all that was left of her was a ghost of her former self, that was now in an endless void called the Ghost Zone.
And he had no idea if she could come back.
"Say something."
So, this was basically a one-shot of Lydia's death and how it affected Freakshow. They have such a tragic relationship...
I hope you enjoy, and I apologise to all who have read this and cried. I warned that this would cause some crying.
Please read and review!
GhostWriterGirl out!