Hey this is my first Cirque Du Freak fanfic. I've only read The Vampire's Assistant so far, so…I don't know a lot about the characters. Don't like it; don't read.

Disclaimer: I do not own Cirque Du Freak. I only own Phoenix.

Darren woke up and stretched. He turned to the left and noticed that Evra was gone, probably all ready doing chores. Darren stood and got ready to start the day.

He stepped into the morning light to find NOBODY doing anything, not even the Little People. Well, if you count eating, then they were doing something but that was it. Evra looked up from his spot on the ground in front of Truska, the bearded lady, and smiled at his friend, rising to greet him.

"Hey, Darren," the snake-boy said.

"Hey," replied the half-vampire. "Uh, why isn't anyone working?"

"It was weird. We woke up and there was NOTHING to do. The Little People had been fed; the dishes were washed; the Wolfman was fed AND he was peaceful, which is weird; and everything was set up for tonight's show."

"That IS weird."

"Yeah. It was as if magical little elves came and did everything."

"More like a phoenix," came a voice.

Darren spun around and looked at the voice's owner. He gulped. It was a girl. A beautiful one, at that. She had black hair, fair skin, and beautiful red eyes. Her eyes weren't that red, though; they looked red-orange. Like fire. Absolutely beautiful.

"Phoenix," whispered Evra under his breath.

"Well?" she asked. "Aren't you gonna give me a hug?"

Evra's eyes widened and he shook his head, as if, for the first time, realizing she was there.

"Phoenix!" he exclaimed, running towards the girl.

They collided and embraced like two siblings that hadn't seen each other in years. He swung her around and she laughed the most beautiful laugh that Darren had ever heard. Like wind chimes.

Evra set Phoenix down and she stepped forward.

"Who's your friend?" she asked, looking Darren up and down with interest, who smiled in return.

"Down, girl," said Evra, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and pulling her slightly back. "This is Darren."

"I see," she responded. She held out a hand to the vampire. "Hey there. I'm Phoenix."

Darren stared for a moment before regaining his composure and taking the girl's hand, which happened to fit perfectly in his. Their eyes locked.

"Darren," he confirmed.

"So I've heard. You're…Mr. Crepsley's new assistant, right?" she asked, still holding his hand.

Evra cleared his throat, making the two let go. Darren scratched the back of his head self-consciously.

"Uh, yeah. I am."

She nodded, looking away from the vampire boy. "Yeah, I used to be his assistant, too."

Darren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You're a…?"

"A vampire?" she asked. He nodded. "No."

"But… wait, what?"

"I'm not a vampire but I was his assistant."

"How so?"

She shrugged. "I just WAS. You know, I fed Madam Octa, practiced tricks with her, stuff like that."

He nodded in understanding. She looked him up and down again and smiled as if in approval, earning a smile from him in return. Noticing the sudden rise in emotions, Evra spoke up and stepped slightly in between Phoenix and Darren.

"So, uh, Phoenix, it was YOU who did everything?"

"You know me, I'm always the early bird."

She and Evra laughed at the insider.

"So, what can you do, Phoenix?" Darren asked.

She smiled and snapped her fingers, a ball of fire now in her palm. "That," she said, snapping her fingers again. "And this…"

The girl snapped both fingers and immediately, there was a fiery bird in her place, a phoenix to be exact. Darren's eyes widened and Phoenix was back in her regular form again.

"That's cool," he said.

She nodded. "It is. Fun, too."

"Yeah, I bet." He said, staring into her fiery eyes. They stared at each other, their emotions spiking and fevers rising. Lust. Pure, raw lust.

They wanted each other and both would stop at NOTHING to get the other.

Hola! Anyways…how'd you like it? Good? I'd love to hear from you guys. Comment and review.

--alice