I do not own American Horror Story: Freakshow.
I doubt Ryan Murphy would even recognize it now.
Wherever You Are
Sally Field Gets It
"You've, uh, drawn quite the crowd outside."
They went slightly pale together . . .
You had to say it.
Well-
. . . but remained steady.
"Are they protesting?"
Richard shook his head, looking surreptiously out the window again as he spoke.
"No, I don't think so. I think they just want to see you. To see that you're actually real."
He turned to Annabel.
"We could sneak them out the back. Bring your car around. Scoot 'em in and create a diversion."
Dot, voice strong and confident even in its gentility and warmth, cut off his developing get-away plans.
"No. We have nothing to hide. Bring the car around front. We'll walk to it together. Let them see."
Annabel instantly flinched.
"Uh, Moms?"
And Dot patted her daughter while Bette gifted her with an encouraging smile.
"It's alright, Annabel. We're proud to be who we are. It will be fine."
Are you sure, Sister?
Yes, dear Sister. I am proud to be who we are.
No, I mean about the crowd.
. . . Yes. If you're with me.
You know I am.
And as they sashayed calmly to the ladies', Annabel pulled Richard to the side.
"Can you call the cops or someone? Have them set up a barricade or something?"
He nodded.
"Yeah. Stall them."
We never had a barricade when we were at the Freakshow.
No. We just had the stage. And Jimmy.
And that little French man jumping into the crowd.
I remember.
The google-eyed rubber-neckers stood in near silence.
About a crowd of fifty or so.
Just staring.
And Dot began to feel herself-
Oh, Sister-
-lightheaded and short of breath.
No ma'am! You decided this. Head up, Dorothy Jean!
. . .
At least until we get to the car.
. . . Yes. Yes, you're right.
Yes, yes, we are.
And they did not clench their hands together.
They did not hunch and scuttle.
They stood tall and proud and brave in the face of Normal People.
As they had done so many times before.
Remember the man who yelled out how many snatches did we have?
What an ugly word for a body part. I hope he's not here today.
I hope he never got to be acquainted with another one again.
"Moms, you alright?" Annabel whispered at Bette's ear.
She refused to flinch. Instead summoned a smile even as she summoned words.
"Of course, Darling. The sun is just little bright after being inside the radio station for so long."
And then, one step at a time, from the building to the curb, they walked.
Annabel on one side, stoically bewildered officer of the law on the other.
Crowd waiting.
They were almost there, just a few steps away when they heard it.
It could have been an echo from the past.
Or paranoid hallucination of their overloaded minds.
"Oh my god. What ugly freaks."
Nevertheless, they did hear it.
And it was real.
They faltered -
"Moms, come on-"
-nearly stumbled-
"Moms-"
-and saw it out of the corner of their eyes.
"No, they're not!"
An angry rebuff.
And a challenging push to back it up.
"They're not ugly!"
A girl.
A young girl.
Why isn't she in school?
Oh, I hope she's not a dropout, poor thing.
"They're beautiful!"
And a cry of encouragement.
"You're beautiful!"
And Bette and Dot turned.
A girl, just a slip of a girl.
Not much different than their dear, darling Annabel.
"And amazing! I love you!"
Face alight and nearly glowing.
Gazing at the two-headed, one-bodied women, old and aging and slightly dumpy, they supposed, in their-
Oh dear child-
What an angel-
-simple blue knee length dress.
And sensible shoes.
And they smiled, big and bright and toothy.
"Thank you, darling!" Dot called back. "You're amazing too!"
"And beautiful!" Bette lavished. "So beautiful!"
Together now.
"We love you!"
And crowd laughed, more lightheartedly than perhaps they had been before the girl had spoken up.
Bette blew a directed kiss.
Dot, a warm, welcoming, waving hand.
First to their fan.
Then to the entire crowd.
Oh, I feel like Sally Field-
Do not say it, Sister!
And then they were ushered into the waiting car . . .
Oh, they like us!
I know!
They really like us!
. . . and sped away.
Naturally, Jimmy their darling lost his precious, ever-loving mind.
"Hey, girls!" Fairly leaping up from his chair. "How did it go? You sounded great, I was so proud!"
"Darling," Bette declared with the adrenaline of the truly euphoric. "We were amazing!"
Then they kissed his cheeks and giggled almost like young women again and Jimmy, their darling, beamed with pride.
"I'm not surprised, you've always been amazing to me! From a second I met you-"
"Right in front of the mess tent?" Dot teased.
"Wearing that sleeveless undershirt and winking like a charming little devil?"
Jimmy dashed a dimpled faux pout.
"Little, huh? Who you callin' 'little'?"
And they fawned and cooed.
"Why, darling husband, we never meant to insinuate you were ever anything other than a strapping, healthy man-"
"But of course, if you want to prove it-"
"Ahem."
And the flirtatious trio turned.
To see a slightly blushing Annabel standing in the doorway.
"Hey, there's my little roving reporter!"
"Daddy, that's not what I am-"
"Annabel, you've got the knack, you were fantastic today, you never missed a beat, your voice is like honey right from the comb, baby, I'm so proud-"
And he was off again.
And he didn't stop for hours, it seemed.
And hours.
"Yeah, Tom, you should've hear it-"
And hours.
"- voice like Elizabeth Taylor and all the intelligence and tenacity of Walter Cronkite! I'm tellin' ya, man, ain't nobody like my Annabel! She's gonna be famous!"
And to think, Bette communicated in amusement. He didn't even want us to do it.
Tried to make us to take him for 'safety reasons'.
Worried himself inside out.
"Something might happen."
"Somebody might say something."
Now you'd think . . .
"-too! My wives, Tom, nothing beats 'em! They're the cat's pajamas! Best thing since sliced bread!"
. . . it was his idea.
But they really were pleased it had gone so well.
And Jimmy was in such an unbridled delight.
Which they wouldn't have been able to stop anyway-
"-est man in the world at my amazing girls-"
. . . without a hefty dose of a very strong . . .
"-b in the bag!"
. . . large animal tranquilizer.
They found them of course.
The curious and determined always do.
"Excuse me, is this home of Bette and Dot?"
"Uh, yeah. May I help you?"
"Oh my goodness, are you the husband? Oh my gosh, I have so many questions for you, you all-"
"Uh . . ."
They were famous now, it seemed.
Sort of.
Kind of.
"Who did you say you were again?"
Some of the them were nice.
"-true delight to meet you!"
"Well, thank you, darling-"
Some weren't.
"-believe you freaks are really real-"
"Now wait just a goddamn minute here! You don't talk to my wives that way!"
Then Jimmy their darling would turn the waterhose on the rude naysayer.
If his hooks . . .
"Ahhh! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Coolin you off, you piece of monkey shit! Bette, Dot! Call the police! Nobody treats my wives like that!"
. . . turned out not to be threat enough.
Oh dear sister, we may have to move.
We don't have time to pack, Dot, we have to take the pork chops out of the oven in a minute-
But, eventually all the hoopla died down.
"-god! Did you see that?!"
And the world moved on. To the next . . .
"An alien just burst out of his chest!"
To the next . . .
"Shut up!"
. . . jaw-dropping sensation.
There were letters.
"Dear Bette and Dot, my twin sister and I can almost hear each other's thoughts. Do you two ever experience this-"
Not many.
"Dear Bette and Dot, my husband and I are swingers and we were wondering if-"
Not a sack-filled, Santa-load.
"Dear Bette and Dot, I have recently divorced my husband for being a two-bit cheater-"
But enough.
"Dear Bette and Dot, do you have to file your taxes jointly or do you-"
They came to the radio station . . .
"Dear Bette and Dot,-" Why is your name always written first, Elizabeth?
. . . as the Tattler Twins had not been quite bold/rash/insane enough to toss out their personal geographical information . . .
Oh, uh, alphabetical order?
. . . to the hungry freak-fascinated masses.
What do we do with these letters, Sister?
Write back, Dot. Without a return address, of course.
And hand-delivered by their bemused . . .
"Let me know if Bowie's in there, okay?"
"Who, Sister?"
"I think it's the singer boy with the eyes?"
"Oh, him. He's sweet. I think."
"Oh my god, Moms-"
Write back. Of course.
Except for that swinger woman.
Yes. We'll leave her out.
Yes.
"-are famous or something."
Bette beamed as Dot remained pensive.
"So many of them are just lonely souls, reaching out for other human beings."
Bette now, awash with amused wonder.
"Some of them are asking us for advice. Like a fortune teller-"
Mystic Miss Esmerelda, Jimmy thought randomly-
". . . Dear Abby columnist."
Shy Bette chuckle.
"As if we'd know any better than anyone else about how to deal with the intricacies of life."
Jimmy didn't seem near as bewildered as she.
"Well, I mean, yeah, you know, you two are just as smart and wise as anyone else out there."
Shrugging even, gesturing with a wooden lobster claw, chosen appendage for a sentimental evening of relaxation.
"Maybe even more so, ya know? Because of your special connection and the life you've lived. You've got a different . . . perspective on life."
He grinned a dimple.
"And they don't feel like you're gonna throw some stuck-up mumbo-jumbo at 'em like that preacher and his wife on tv who were stealin' money."
He paused.
"You care better."
We care better.
Can you imagine-
"We love you, Jimmy."
"I love you girls too."
Dear Gina, yes, in fact, Bette and I do feel like we can read each other's thoughts from time to time. Isn't being a twin grand-
Dear Francis, we are sorry for such hardship that you have endured. But we assure you are worth a man who will love you and only you for all of his life-
Dear Susan, although our income tax information is private only into the IRS, we do feel like we can say-
I am still not writing to the swingers.
Goodness, no, Sister. What would we say?
Ewww?
So was the cost of fame.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
"You're breathtaking!" "No, you're breathtaking!"
Thank you, Keanu and Keanu-worshippers.
But come on, don't we all need a little more freely-given goodwill and encouragement in this day and age?
Because we're all beautiful! And amazing! And breathtaking!
Okay, okay, I'll calm down.
But it's true. ;)
Particular thanks to these gracious reviewers, midnightrebellion86, autumnrose2010, and smclendon! Thank you!
And thank you to all the silent readers of this story as well!