I do not own American Horror Story: Freakshow.

I doubt Ryan Murphy would even recognize it now.

Wherever You Are

Back At Home

I don't know, Sister.

It hung on their minds.

We've always lived here. This is our home.

Discussed here and there.

People here look at us.

And randomly.

But we know them.

Maybe not so randomly.

Well, some of them.

But how do we even consider leaving this place?

Either way . . .

I don't know.

. . . they discussed it . . .

And do we even really . . .

. . . exhaustively.

. . . want to?

Jimmy Darling Walker had grown up on the move.

Carnie life.

Nowhere for more than a few months at a time.

At most.

He had loved it.

He had hated it.

He had never known anything else.

But then the world as he knew it, had changed.

As he had dreamt of.

And his dream, after so many years spent it living it, wasn't a nightmare.

Not by a long shot.

But it was . . .

"Hey, welcome to Clark's."

. . . somewhat wearing at times.

"Hey, welcome to . . ."

The question really was . . .

"Hey, welcome . . ."

. . . was he really ready to uprooted his entire family . . .

"Hey . . ."

. . . on a whim?

We can't hold him back, Sister.

But we can't just throw ourselves into the world either, Dot.

If he really does want to try this, he'll resent us if we don't let him.

It's not just about him, Dot. We're the ones they stare at, not him. They think Jimmy is some kind of hero.

And he is.

Yes, he is.

But we're important too.

Too important for rubberneckers to pass up rubbernecking.

Do we even know what this Quincy place is like?

Like every other place on earth, I'm sure. Full of people who don't know us.

"We were thinking, Jimmy . . ."

Green beans shuffled anxiously around the dinner plate.

"Is this . . ."

Careening right into the mashed potatoes.

". . . Walmart thing . . ."

A disaster in the making for sure.

". . . something you're really . . ."

One they should have had the foresight to avoid.

". . . interested in?"

But had not.

"Or is it just a passing thought?"

Jimmy, seemingly unaware of the catastrophic series of events taking place mere inches away from his own much more calm supper consumption, shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't want to leap without looking or anything."

Eyes carefully trained on their plate.

"It'd be weird, though, huh? Being in a different place and all."

Roll lifted up . . .

"Well, the thing is . . "

. . . crumbs falling down atop the Salisbury steak . . .

" we're not sure if . . ."

. . . marring its perfectly gravied surface.

". . . we really want to move."

Jimmy, nodding already in acceptance, guessing as much.

"Yeah, silly idea, I guess."

Ice rattling brittlely in tea-d glass . . .

"But that doesn't mean . . ."

. . . wet with condensation . . .

". . . you couldn't go."

. . . in danger of slipping . . .

"We don't want to hold you back . . ."

. . . shattering completely.

". . . from your dreams."

Jimmy, stopping his evening mastications entirely.

Lightly lined face finally turning up to them.

Eyes, dark and confused.

As if he had not heard them correctly.

"What are you talking about?"

They sat together on the couch.

Supper left abandoned and uneaten.

Together for now. But silence and uncertainty threatening to wedge them apart.

"So, you're suggesting . . ." Jimmy spoke slowly, as if trying to work out in his mind what they had said into something he could understand.

"You drive up there Sunday afternoons and stay through the week," Dot replied simply, refusing to sound anything other than completely confident.

"Then you drive home Friday afternoon and spend the weekend with us," Bette concluded, doing her best to match her sister's even tone.

And Jimmy their darling stared.

"Without you?"

They kept their hands folded calm and still in their shared lap.

They refused to squirm, to fidget.

To show worry.

"Only for the week."

Jimmy frowned.

"But we've never been apart for more than a day."

Except when you were almost dying in the hospital.

Hush, Sister.

"We're not ready to be gawked at anymore than we already are here, Jimmy," Dot stated gently.

But firmly.

"But we want you to be able to go out into the world if you want to," Bette continued.

"And we believe our relationship together is strong enough for the time we'd be apart," Dot concluded once more.

Jimmy sputtered for a long moment.

And then stopped.

Still. Lost.

Finally . . .

"But I'd . . . I'd miss you two."

And the twins smiled.

We love him, Sister.

Yes, we do, Bette.

And so it was decided.

Initially.

Jimmy would contact Mr. Walton, voice his interest.

And lay down his proposal.

Citing family needs and concerns.

At least for the first six months, trial basis.

And if the proposal was denied, well, he had Clark's already and it wasn't meant to be anyway.

And if it was accepted, well, in roughly a year's time, Jimmy would enter the wider world.

Residing in a boarding house, short term tenant of some sort.

Leaving Bette and Dot behind.

At least for Monday morning through Friday evening.

"So, darling, how's college?"

But they weren't ready to talk about these things with their daughter just yet.

"How's your radio job?"

They'd rather just relax . . .

"And the apartment."

So much to keep up with.

She's a bullet, isn't she?

. . . and enjoy the after eight long distance call.

Phone perched between them so they could both hear their daughter's tinny voice coming to them from far away Colorado.

I wonder if it's really like it is on Mork and Mindy.

Do you think our daughter's falling in love with the alien who lives in her attic?

Oh hush, Sister.

"It's good. College is good. Work is good. My apartment is a wreck. Ha."

She sounds so happy.

A little too happy. Do you think she's found a man?

I don't know. She doesn't seem to have been looking for one.

"Dave said he'd work something out to record one of my sessions so I could bring it home so you could listen to my show."

I like this boss of hers.

Our little girl. On the air.

"Anything else of note, darling?"

"No, not really. The heater broke in my apartment last week."

I wonder why she's not talking about him.

Who?

Her new man.

What new man?

I think she has a new man.

"Well, I hope you're not too cold."

Light pause. Full of invisible light and energy.

"Nope. I'm good. So what are you guys having for dinner?"

She definitely has a man.

You're right. She never asks what we eat.

I know, I know. Stop breaking up the band, Yoko.

But it'd be interesting anyway, huh?

Thanks to brigid1318, autumnrose2010, and midnightrebellion86 for so graciously reviewing so much. :D

Up next, hello, Patrick.