The next chapter! I hope you like it, please let me know! And thanks to everyone who read the story so far and left a review! You're awesome!

The song to this chapter is 'Listen To Your Heart' by Roxette.

I don't own the characters or places!

Pepper

We planned to leave Philadelphia two days after my article was published in the local newspaper. Actually, we wanted to do it sooner, but Phil knew a tailor in the city who could make us new clothes without being too expensive. It was an offer even I couldn't refuse. The thought of having a few new dresses was tempting. I didn't get new clothes in months. Normally, it would be a scandal for a woman to wear the same clothes over and over again. Luckily, we were on the road most of the time and didn't stay in one place for too long, so no one noticed yet.

Phil returned with our clothes early in the morning of our last day in Philadelphia, a wide smile on his lips. He was carrying a large package which made me curious immediately. I sat up on the bed and put the book I'd been reading down on the small table in the room. Sherlock Holmes. Nearly everyone was reading the books at the moment and after lots of persuasion from Phil, I'd decided to give them a try. I wasn't that convinced yet since there wasn't any magic involved and Mr. Holmes solved all the cases just with his intellect, but I decided to finish them anyway.

"From the way you look, those clothes have to be excellent." I noted and grinned at him.

"They are." Phil confirmed and placed the package on the bed, where I started to open it immediately, making him chuckle. Normally, I wasn't that interested in clothes, but this time, my curiosity won.

The firth thing I saw was a beautiful dress in a light shade of blue. It was very light and I noticed that it definitely wasn't something I could wear every day. It didn't seem to be very practical, but I liked it. "Phil..." I whispered and looked at him with a smile. "That's wonderful."

He held up his hands. "Don't thank me, this has been Giovanni's idea. He thought that you couldn't go to parties in your usual clothes."

I laughed. "We're never invited to parties, remember?"

"Now that people start to know you, it might change sooner than you expect." He said thoughtfully.

"You know that I don't even enjoy being around too many people." I muttered and concentrated on the package again. The second dress was more my style. Green, more practical and it didn't show so much of my skin. There were three more and I wondered how much money Phil had spent on them. When I saw that the last one was rose, I raised my eyebrows.

"He thought it would look good on you." Phil muttered sheepishly. After a few moments, he added "And I think so too."

I decided not to argue, it wasn't worth it. And who knew, maybe they were right? When it came to fashion, I wasn't very good. "Now show me what you have." I demanded and made Phil chuckle once more.

"It isn't that spectacular." He threw in, but obliged and showed me his new clothes. Most of them were suits, but there were also more practical clothes, which were good for travelling. When he saw me looking at them, he grinned and held up a small bag. "Those are for you. But people will talk when they see you wearing that." He warned me.

I beamed at him and nearly ripped the bag from his hands. Then I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "Thank you so much, Phil!" I exclaimed loudly and before he knew what was happening, I'd vanished behind the curtain in the room to try on my new clothes for travelling. Beige pants, a white shirt, together with a brown vest and leather boots. They were perfect for riding and I was happier than I'd been in a long time. All this travelling in carriages was exhausting. I loved horses and riding always made me feel so free!

When I stepped into the room again, Phil grinned. "You look awesome! A little rebellious, but I like it."

I laughed. "I'm a journalist who travels through the country to see magic shows. And I'm not even married, instead I travel with my uncle. I think my clothes will be the last thing the people talk about."

He nodded. "Maybe you're right about that."

"So we'll leave soon?" I asked hopefully. I wanted to leave the city and ride through the woods and fields again, like I always did at home, back when my parents were still alive.

"We can get the horses in an hour." Phil explained. "You should get all your things."

I couldn't pack fast enough. While I did that, Phil explained what he'd heard in the city this morning. "The people loved your article." He explained. "They think it's incredible how many things you saw during that show others didn't notice. They all thought the trick with the bird was real." He hesitated. "However, the owner of the show isn't happy. Apparently, his show was nearly empty last night."

I pushed the guilt I felt at this aside. I was doing the right thing, after all. They were just liars and it wasn't right that they fooled people with their false magic tricks. "He should do something real instead." I said simply. "And not fool all those people."

Phil knew well enough not to argue about this. "We should avoid meeting him when we leave the city." He said instead. "I don't think that he would be pleased to see us."

"They rarely are." I muttered and remembered how we'd left Pittsburgh. "We could leave the city in the south." I suggested. "They won't expect us to travel north then."

"Good idea." He agreed and left to pack his own things.

Somehow, I was glad that he left me alone with my thoughts for some time. I took the photograph of my parents which had been standing next to my bed and smiled. I missed them so much, it still hurt every day that they weren't with us anymore. I often wondered if they would approve of what I was doing now. I just tried to make them proud. They'd taught me that true magic was the most precious thing in the world. It was only fair to stop those shows then, wasn't it?

I thought of our next stop. New York City. One of the biggest and most chaotic cities in the whole country. I'd read once that it was a very dirty city full of criminals. Somehow, I wasn't so sure if I really wanted to see it. But if there really was a very popular magic show, I didn't have a choice. I had to see if it was real. I prayed that it was real this time.

We didn't know much about it yet, only the few things Phil had heard from the people in the city. Apparently, the owner was called Anthony Stark, though he refused to let people use that name. Instead, he was always called Tony. Some said that he was very handsome, but since I'd never seen a photograph, I couldn't judge that. Just like the fact that he seemed to be a charming man. I would have to wait until I met him myself.

We left our hotel at midday and made our way south. The horses had already arrived, so we could ride through the city. It was far more comfortable than walking on foot. People were watching me in my new clothes, but I decided to ignore the reproachful glances, both from women and men. However, there were also those who smiled at me encouragingly. Then, I smiled back.

Somehow, I thought that the glances weren't just because of my clothes. Of course the people knew who we were. The woman with the green eyes and red hair, together with her companion. We had quite the reputation by now. It was like Phil said. Many people liked my critics, but there were also those who didn't. It was like that in every city.

We'd just left Philadelphia behind us when the noise of horses sounded behind us. I exchanged a glance with Phil, but he smiled calmingly. Most probably, those were just people who were in a hurry. I looked over my shoulder and could see four horses on the road, the riders were all men. Something in their posture made me feel uneasy, it nearly looked like they were angry, even from the distance.

"We should make space for them." I muttered to Phil, who seemed to share my uneasiness. He nodded and together, we led our horses away from the road.

Unfortunately, the riders stopped close to us and my heart sank when I recognized one of them. It was Arthur Pembroke, the owner of the magic show I'd criticized a few days ago. He looked furious.

Next to me, Phil smiled at them calmly. "Good day, sirs. Are you also travelling somewhere?" In this moment, I was happier than ever to have him with me. "The weather is very beautiful for a journey."

"Stop this nonsense!" Mr. Pembroke interrupted him quickly. "Did you really think that you could just steal away like that? And leave this city after doing so much damage?"

Now it was my turn to step forward. I smiled innocently. "What are you saying, Mr. Pembroke? Stealing away? As far as I'm concerned, we just left the city on the main road, watched by many people. It wasn't a secret that we left." I paused. "Of what damage are you speaking, sir?" I added.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, woman!" He shouted. "You embarrassed me in front of the entire city and now I'm ruined!"

I raised my eyebrows. "I was just doing my job, Mr. Pembroke. Like you did yours." I was nervous and tried to hide it as good as possible. Those men didn't look like they would leave us alone any time soon.

"I think you have to excuse us now, sirs." Phil threw in. "We have to catch a train in Washington and don't want to miss it." I forced myself to remain neutral at this, even if I wanted to smile. It was clever of Phil to lead them into the wrong direction, if they might consider following us.

"You're not going anywhere!" Pembroke gave his companions a sign and in an instant, they had formed a circle around us. I felt my horse getting nervous and placed a hand on his side carefully. "I won't let anyone ruin me, least a woman! Who do you even think you are? You don't even have a man by your side to protect you!"

"You should watch out what you say, sir." Phil warned him, his voice now lower and dangerous. I knew how good he was at fighting, both with a knife and a pistol. He was carrying both with him all the time, knowing how dangerous it could be for two people to travel through the country all by themselves.

Pembroke scoffed. "Do you really think you could protect her from all of us?"

"I don't think so, I know it." Phil replied calmly, though I wasn't sure if he was bluffing or not. Could he really do something against four men on horses? Of course I also wasn't as helpless as they thought, but I doubted that I would be of much use. I could handle a knife quite well, but I wasn't as strong as a man.

"Do you really think beating us up will make the people come back to your show?" I threw in, hoping this wouldn't lead to a fight. "The article has already been published, it's too late."

"It's never too late." He argued with a grin. "And if it won't work, I'll at least have the satisfaction that you had to suffer for what you've done. I think it will prevent you from doing it again."

I tried not to shiver when he spoke of me suffering. "Maybe you should just do something else with your show. Not faking magic tricks."

"Are you really so naïve to believe in magic, Miss Potts?" Pembroke raised his eyebrows and his companions laughed. "Those are stories for children."

"You wouldn't say so if you'd already have found your soulmate." I argued and crossed my arms.

"Those are also not real." He argued simply and reached for something on his belt. It was a pistol. "If you would step to the ground now, both of you? This will make it much easier for us to tie you up."

I glanced at Phil and from the concentrated look on his face, I knew that he was looking for the best way to get us out of here. The way he frowned told me that it didn't look good.

"We will not come with you." I said sternly to buy Phil more time. "I did nothing wrong."

"You ruined my life!" Pembroke hissed again, this time not trying to hide his anger anymore. "In the past days, people rarely talked to me and last night, my show has been empty!"

"That is not my problem." I argued. "You should have thought about it before setting up this show."

"Why can't we just make them shut their mouths now, boss?" One of the other men said impatiently. "I bet we could have some fun with her once we're alone." He looked at my body with dark eyes and next to me, Phil growled warningly.

"If you touch her, you will regret it!" He hissed, which only made them laugh louder.

"We're four and you're only two people." Another man clarified. "You will lose, old man." I knew he just said it to provoke Phil. He wasn't old yet. Luckily, he remained calm.

"The number of people doesn't matter." Phil reached for his belt slowly, where I knew he'd hidden the pistol. I wondered if this was a good idea. After all, Pembroke was already aiming at him. Suddenly, I felt afraid. I couldn't lose Phil. He was everything that was left of my family. I didn't doubt that they would just shoot him and try to get me then. The knife was in my boot, though I wasn't sure if I could reach it in time. Or if I could do something against four men all on my own.

"Who says that they're alone?" Another voice threw in and we all whirled around at once. Apparently, none of us had heard someone coming closer.

A few people were coming out of the small forest on the other side of the road. They were clothed very colourfully and I was surprised to see a few women among them. All in all, there were five people coming to our aid. However, they didn't look very dangerous.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Pembroke hissed at them. "This is none of your business!"

"If you keep threatening them, it will be our business." The man said simply and held up a shotgun, one I'd seen many huntsman use. The others copied the movement and suddenly, Pembroke and his men didn't look so confident anymore. Phil also raised his pistol now, pointing at Pembroke as well.

"It would be better if you leave now, sir." Phil said calmly. "And never come back."

For a few moments, I thought that they wouldn't back off, but then Pembroke sighed. "This is not the end!" He looked at me warningly. "We will find you! There's no place to hide!" He gave his men a sign and they all turned their horses, riding back towards the city.

My heart was beating wildly in my chest and when someone touched my hand, I flinched. But it was just Phil. "Are you alright?" He whispered.

I swallowed and nodded. "Fine." I said simply before turning to the newcomers. "Thank you for saving us."

The man who'd spoken for them shook his head. "You don't have to thank us." He said simply. "They wanted to hurt you and that isn't right."

"You don't even know what we've done." Phil noted.

"Hurting someone is never right. It doesn't matter what you've done." The man said simply, making Phil and me exchanged a surprised look. "You should leave this road for now." He continued. "They might come back. My name is Ephraim, by the way. And this is my family. My wife Estella and my children, Aila, Jonathan and Timothy."

"My name is Phil and this is my niece Virginia." Phil introduced us with a smile. Apparently, he'd decided to trust those people. When he started to follow them, I raised my eyebrows, but he just smiled soothingly.

I tried not to doubt Phil's decision to go with them, but first it wouldn't work. Only when we'd been riding along Ephraim and his family for quite some time, I began to relax. The events had shaken me more than I wanted to admit.

"Where are you travelling?" Ephraim asked after talking about unimportant things like the weather first. "Because I have the feeling that you don't intend to head south."

"You just left the city there because you already knew that those people would follow you?" The youngest son, Timothy, looked at us with wide eyes. "That's clever!"

"Timothy, be polite!" His mother scolded him, but I smiled at her.

"It's fine." I turned to him. "It was Phil's idea." The young boy began to question Phil immediately and I held back a laugh.

Estella looked at me thoughtfully. "You can stay the night with us, if you want." She offered. "We'll make a fire and tell stories."

"That sounds wonderful." I said.

"You're the woman who criticizes all those shows, aren't you?" I froze at this question. Until now, we'd kept our identities secret. When she saw my reaction, she laughed. "There aren't many women with red hair who travel through the country together with only one man."

I sighed. "Are we that obvious?"

"Not to everyone, dear." She tried to calm me and paused. "I think it's right what you're doing."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "You do?"

She nodded. "Those shows are insulting the real magic in this world."

"You believe...?"

"Of course." She said it as if it was the most logical thing in this world. "Let me tell you a story this afternoon." She winked at me before she turned to her other kids, who were trying to do something stupid once more.

"Once upon a time, there was a woman." Estella began to tell her story that evening. We were camping in a forest south of Philadelphia and it was a beautiful night. The starts were shining above us. We were all covered with thick blankets against the cold and additional to that, we were drinking hot tea. That, together with the fire created a mysterious atmosphere. "She was rich and had everything one could ever dream of. A beautiful home, a loving family and many friends. She was going to ballet school every week and when she was old enough, her parents decided to sent her to boarding school. They hoped that she would marry a rich man one day."

She smiled at us before she continued. "She also had a best friend who was the exact opposite from her. Because he was poor and had nothing. They met when they were still very young, he was the son of a tailor. Their friendship wasn't appreciated, especially by her family, but they didn't care. They kept meeting in secret and he told her everything about the world she didn't know yet. All the little wonders rich people never got to see since they locked themselves in their houses instead of going outside to see the world."

She looked at the sky. "That's when she heard about magic for the first time. In her world, it had been a story to scare the children. If you don't behave, a witch will come and steal you away. However, he told her about real magic. The one that let a smile appear on your lips and made your heart beat faster."

Ephraim took her hand and squeezed it. "There are many different kinds of magic. Some people can calm down animals. Others can let plants grow." I froze at this and glanced at Phil, who nodded seriously. "There's so much we don't know about magic yet, so many different sides. I doubt that people can ever truly understand it. But there's one thing we understand quite well. And those are Soulmates." When she said the word, her children all inhaled sharply.

She smiled at them lovingly. "The first time you make skin to skin contact, it happens. Once a soul bond is formed, nothing can separate those two people again. They're bonded for life. You can feel when the other person is happy or sad. It's a feeling no one can describe completely, for it is different for every pair of soulmates. The only thing they all have in common are their soulmarks. They appear where they first touch and will only fade if one of them dies. Then, the golden lines turn black. It's the worst thing that can happen to someone. Losing his or her soulmate."

Now she looked directly at me. "You should never give up hope to find the right person. It happens unexpected, when you aren't even looking for him. But once you found him, you can't understand how you could ever live without each other."

I swallowed at this. "What happened to her? The girl? Did she find her soulmate?"

"She did." Estella confirmed and smiled at Ephraim lovingly. "He changed her whole world." When she reached out to touch his cheek, her sleeve slipped up and in the light of the fire, I could see golden lines around her wrist. She turned her head to me then, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, she just smiled knowingly.