"It's a joke, that's what it is." Cora speared a bite of eggs and fixed her eyes on her younger sister, a smirk on her face as she taunted, "And some of the people in Jupiter, momma, they act like this little band of freaks are the second comin. And the one guy, Lobster Boy.. He's doin half the woman in town on the side… Charging about 50 dollars… just for the use of his hands."

Grace clenched the fork in her hand. Unfortunately, she knew about Jimmy's 'side business', he'd been doing it before they kissed, she lamented, she'd have had to be an idiot to think he'd stop and give up the badly needed extra cash just for some little no one like her. But hearing Cora say the words out loud… It hurt. And it hurt badly. She took a forceful bite, glaring at her older sister. Her mother spoke up and then said with a smirk, "Yeah, well, the sooner those abombinations are out of our little town, the better off we all are.. And neither of you girls better be at that show… We're not trash. We don't and we won't associate with such filth."

Grace's stomach churned as she heard her mother's words because she knew then that if Cora got it in her head to do so, she could very well get Grace into serious trouble. One look across the table at Cora confirmed it… her sister was grinning like the cat that ate the canary literally. And Grace's stomach churned even more because that smile on her sister's face was a clear indicator if there ever was one… Her sister was going to use this to her advantage.

Cora's father came into the kitchen and planted a distant kiss on his wife's forehead, sitting down, picking up his paper, promptly grumbling as he read the headlining article, about the murders taking place in their little town. Grace bit her lower lip as he spoke up and said sternly to both her and her sister, "If I catch either one of you girls out at that damn freakshow at the carnival, you will not like what happens. Are we understood? They're saying that one of these…. Those freaks, he got taken to jail last night.. They think the son of a bitch murdered Hank."

"Hank's dead?" their mother looked up, a brief moment of pain flashing through her eyes as she sighed quietly and then asked quickly, "What happened, Bill?"

"He went out to question those damn wastes of air and he never came back, that's what happened, Mirabelle. Either way, they found Hank's badge, nothing else. And now they have this one guy, this Meep.. What the hell kind of name is Meep to begin with?" Bill wondered aloud as he glared hatefully at his wife when she wasn't looking.. In his opinion, Hank should've died long before, but sadly, Bill didn't have the stuff in him to pull it off… Bill knew about Mira's little affairs on the side. Hell, one of them resulted in Grace, scandalized the whole damn town.. They were still getting strange looks because despite the affair and Mirabelle's pregnancy, Bill stayed married to the woman.

Money was a great motivator… And Bill knew exactly what would happen if he were to walk out on Mira… he'd have to part with at least half of the money he kept put away in the bank.

As far as their second daughter?

She wasn't his kid, he honestly didn't give a shit about her one way or the other. He pretended to, because he had to, but it was made crystal clear to anyone who really knew him that he preferred Cora to Grace. Cora was his own flesh and blood, though.

"So they might be the ones killing off those poor girls?" Mirabelle answered, shooting daggers into her husband's turned back as he poured his morning orange juice and sat back down at the table. If she knew she could fend for herself, she'd have left Bill a long time ago.

If she'd been smarter, more discreet, if she'd taken Grace and quietly given her up for adoption… Mirabelle bit into her lower lip as she thought about everything that was crumbling between herself and her husband and how much she hated his rotten guts.. She'd loved Hank… Now Hank was gone and she was stuck with Bill the prick.

"Girls, it's time to get out that door and get to school."

"I'm working late tonight." Bill said the words casually as he smirked to himself… Working his ass… He was meeting one of the girls from that nursing school on the edge of town. She was a candystriper down at the hospital and she was probably the best lay he'd had in years.

If Mirabelle could have her fun, he reasoned, then why the hell shouldn't he?

"I'm going to a Tupperware party later." Mirabelle mumbled in response, smirking to herself, wondering if Marion had gotten the entertainment for the night lined up.

Grace felt her stomach really beginning to sink.. She knew by now that Jimmy worked those sorts of things… The thought that her mother might… It had her sickened. She got up abruptly, washing off her dish, bolting out the door, worried and afraid and a little envious of all she'd heard… and possibly, that's how she would wind up standing outside the gates of the campground, biting her lower lip, fidgeting with the full skirt of her sundress as she scanned the campground for any sight of Jimmy.

She finally found him, working on his motorcycle.

Jimmy had just stood, was wiping the sweat from his brow and about to slip out of the chambray button up shirt when he spotted Grace heading his way. He met her halfway and he could see the tears gleaming in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Dollface? What's wrong?" Jimmy asked in concern and Grace took a few deep breaths and said quietly, "My sister, she was saying all these things and…" as Jimmy pulled her against him and pressed his lips to her forehead, looking down at her. "About me?"

"About the stuff you do for extra money."

"You mean the stuff I used to do for extra money… I had a chance to do a party tonight, turned it down.. Was gonna pick you up from school this afternoon and surprise ya." Jimmy mumbled in a calming voice as his hands moved slowly up and down her back, stopping to rest across her lower back. He looked at her again and asked, "That all?"

"No, just hearing the shit my parents said, the way the entire town can't just see that you're not bad people… and Cora gloating, practically rubbing it into my face that unless I do every single thing she asks for, she'll tell her father about me and you… And knowing Bill like I do, he'll ship me off somewhere…" Grace bit her lower lip and Jimmy looked at her, stomach churning.

Was she about to end things with him because the pressure was too much?

His quick temper flared and he said in a cold voice, "If you're gonna walk out, do it."

"Jim, no.."

"I mean it, Grace.. If you can't handle all of this," he gesture at the camp behind him, nodded at his hands as he held them up at her, "Then you need to go. Because I'm a little tired of having my emotions toyed with. Happens too damn much."

Grace flinched at the harshness in his tone, the coldness of his words. Tears blinding her, she turned away, starting to walk away from him, just hurt and confused by what he'd just had the nerve to accuse her of…

It hit Jimmy just as she got to the gates and was about to go out of them and he caught up to her, his chest against her back, his hand over her hand on the pull to the gate. "C'mon, dollface.. I shouldn't have yelled at ya. I just had a long night last night and you show up here cryin and you said all of that… I was afraid you were gonna leave me too."

Grace took a few deep breaths and turned to look at him as she said quietly, "What I was going to say was that we just have to be really, really careful. I can't.. I don't want this to end. I know you'll all be leaving sooner or later but I just… I don't want to lose you until you have to go. I know I'm only 18 but… I know what I want." and bit her lower lip as she held his gaze, worked on calming herself down again.

Jimmy's shocked look and the way he pointed at himself made her laugh a little and she nodded, pressing against him, standing on the top of his feet so she could pull him down into a kiss. "I'm sorry about Meep… How the hell did the detectives connect him with the murders though?"

"Del Toledo. That's how." Jimmy muttered the name darkly, trying not to get sick all over again at the thought of what he'd done the night before when the detectives came, demanding to search the camp after an FBI agent came out to question the Tattler twins and went missing.

That was two people's blood on his hands… The guilt was eating at him, but if he hadn't acted, they were going to hurt someone. They'd already tried to rough up a few of the others the first time around… And if Meep died before Jimmy could get him out, then his blood would be on Jimmy's hands too.

'You should have just let her go, Darling.. You're a murderer.. Do you really think a murderer deserves to be happy?' his mind taunted him, but he tried to ignore it, tried to focus on holding her in his arms, the way her perfume smelled like vanilla, the way her lips tasted like cherry balm… Anything but the sickness and disgust he felt at himself for doing what he'd done about 3 weeks ago.

"Are you okay, Jim? You're shaking, baby…" Grace stepped back, looking up at him. There it was again, that look he sometimes got in his eyes, or he had since they'd first noticed each other… Like something bad was eating him up from the inside out.

"I'm fine, dollface.. Wanna go in my trailer, get away from watching eyes? Since you're supposed to be in school right now… Speakin of, why didn't ya go?"

"I had to see you, okay?"

"Doll…" Jimmy countered, picking her up, carrying her into his little trailer and shutting the door behind him as he did so. From across the camp, closer to the treeline seperating the camp from the forest, Dandy Mott stood watching angrily, arms folded over his chest.

First, they turn him down when he asks to be in the show.. Now the guy had the nerve to move in on the one girl his momma probably could manage to get to stick around. Dandy punched the trunk of a tree and turned, storming away, getting into his car.

On the upside, he thought to himself… Murdering people was fun and he was pretty fucking great at it….

Okay, I was thrilled that I got four reviews now! Thank you guys so much for leaving a review, it's very much appreciated and I'm so happy to hear you like the story, or your suggestions when you make them! This chapter, obviously, happens about a two weeks after their kiss... They're a thing now, but certain obstacles are sort of presenting themselves, the biggest ones being Cora and Dandy.. Look, I like triangle things, and I happen to think Finn Whitrock is sexy af... I mean he's not up there with Evan Peters on the daddy af scale but.. He's cloooose.

Despite that, I hated Dandy. so this is kind of a one sided obsession on his part. But it won't last much longer, because soon he'll have the Tattler twins and that god damn clown to deal with. The clown he already has now, he's helping Twisty do the murders.. This chapter is actually taking place BEFORE Jimmy and Maggie would have found the kids on the bus.

Seriously thinking that when I bring Stanley in, it will be because Stanley is the older man Cora is boning, the one who calls himself Amos.. Just to keep loose ends fairly tied off because it'll annoy the hell out of me if I don't do that or at least try to.. I do pose a question for you guys.. How soon is too soon for Jimmy and Grace to be having sex?

I ask because I kind of have a bit of an idea for something a little later in the story, and I'm curious to know what you guys think... I know their whole 'love story' is sort of glossed over for right now but once the drama of the actual events I keep in Freak Show in my story... It'll get so much better.. Teeth rotting fluff all around.