|Saying Goodbye|

Star tied George's necktie for the sixth time in the past half hour. The boy let her, looking up at his big sister with watery eyes. Star's eyes were just as watery, making everything a blur. It would be the first time in over five years she'd be separated from her little brother. The thought of not being near him when things could go wrong tugged at her heart in a way she couldn't ignore.
'Hey little brother. You're gonna be strong, aren't you?' she asked him. Instead of correcting her in the way he always did, George bit his lip, nodding once. He wiped at his eyes once, quite fiercely.
'I will. You too, okay sis? Joker and everybody else is counting on you. So you can't mess it up. Y-you guys have to come back, okay?' Star nodded once, just as fierce as George had wiped his eyes.
She ran her hands through the young boys hair, pressing yet another kiss on his forehead. Augustine was watching from a distance, impatient without showing it. Though she longed to have 'Star' out of the way, she could grant the siblings some last time together. Joker stood on the other side of the field, leaning against one of the last carts to leave. His horse was waiting next to Star's. She still preferred to ride the black stallion that had earned the name 'Devil' for himself.

Her pale fingers kept stroking George's pale cheeks, messing up and smoothening his hair time and again. Where other boys would have long protested this kind of treatment, he let it happen, not wanting his sister to leave.
'So… you can't grow too fast, got it? When I get back, I want you to be shorter than me. Otherwise I can't call you little anymore. Eat your vegetables, even if it's carrots. Some sweets are fine, but too many will make your teeth go bad.' She sniffed, looked at the little kid she had been raising for so long. 'Always mind your manners. Bathe regularly. Don't even think about riding a horse before you're twelve, I'll find out.'
George nodded at every single thing she said, even though he had been whining about learning how to ride a horse ever since they had joined the circus. He nuzzled his face against her hand, looking at her in unhidden adoration. They fell together in one last hug, clamping to each other as if they were about to drown. He wasn't her brother in blood, but he felt so much like her brother she didn't think she could have loved him more if they shared common blood.

She stood up, looking down at her little brother. They both nodded once more, and started to walk away backwards. When George reached Augustine, she took him by the hand, guiding him up in the carriage. The boy waved at them until he couldn't be seen anymore. By this time Star had reached Joker. The ginger touched her shoulder, cautiously.
She fell into his arms, sobbing loudly now that George was gone. It had taken her all to keep strong as long as he was there. Joker wrapped his arms around her, her head resting in the crook of her neck. His prosthetic was holding her pressed to him, his other hand running through her long hair as he made soothing sounds. When Dagger and Doll appeared to check on the last few carts, Joker shook his head at them when they looked as if they were going to come closer. Star probably wouldn't want anyone to see her so weak.

She held onto his shoulders as if she would fall from the earth is she ever let him go. Joker's green eyes looked over the road to where the carriage had disappeared. He considered going after it, so he could bring back George and make Star smile again. But without any of the necessary medicine, the boy was doomed for certain. For all his magic tricks, Joker couldn't conjure medicine out of thin air. Instead he could only try to somehow lessen Star's sadness a bit. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, murmuring sweet nothings to her. Gradually her sobbing lessened, and she pulled back from him.
'I'll see him again, right?' she asked him. He nodded. 'Of course. We'll go back, soon as we get the chance.'
She smiled, and he pressed a soft kiss on her lips, to reassure her that he would make sure that she'd get to see her brother again. 'Ye don't have to worry 'bout a thing. We're just gonna get goin', and we'll be back before ye know it.'
Star nodded, and swung up on Devil. The horse neighed softly at her, and started off at an easy trot. Joker followed, and rode up next to her. He cast back one wary glance to where the kid had gone to. For some reason, the separation of the two had left him even more on edge than he could have imagined. Not to mention he'd miss the little one too.

|The nearby town|

'Okay, let's get all of our stuff unpacked. It's a big day tomorrow, we've got time for one show, and then we move again!' Joker yelled out, riding back and forth to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. Star was still quiet, moving around as if she was some kind of robot. She helped with the unpacking of one of the carts, following instructions without ever really hearing them. Joker let out a deep sigh seeing her like that. Right now she was hurting pretty badly, and there wasn't anything that he could do to make her feel better. This wasn't the kind of pain you could fix easily with some flowers.

Dagger walked up next to him, looking past Joker's shoulder to where Star was walking back and forth. Joker started to walk further, to see to it that everyone was doing their job.
'She still ain't feeling better, huh brother?' Dagger asked, looking behind them, kind of worried. Star was absent-mindedly trying to untie one of the laces of her dress that had gotten caught between a pair of crates.
Joker shook his head, twirling his cane in his one hand as he looked at Snake, attempting to help some of the lower-string members with the setting up off their tents. The men were visibly nervous as they looked at the snakes, but tried their hardest not to run away, screaming like little girls.
'I dun think there's anythin' we'll be able to do to make 'er feel better.' Joker said, rubbing his skeletal prosthetic past his face. Star's expression had been so sad the entire day, he wished he would be able to cheer her up soon. This town was too small to have a proper pharmacist. They'd have to wait until they got to London before he would be able to get some medicine. Then they'd turn right back. Father would be able to support them for a bit, and then they could get working again.

Unless Father would send them another request. That would cause trouble for sure. In the months Star had been with them, Father hadn't sent another letter. It wasn't out of the ordinary, there were plenty of other people also working for Father. But… it did worry him to know nothing about who was taken. Guilt wrenched his heart for a moment, as he looked at the ground. He had to do what he was doing, so he could keep his family at the workhouse safe. That was all that would matter to him. Not the lives of people he didn't know. He knew nothing about them. He would not care about them either.

'Could Star sleep in yer tent tonight?' Dagger asked him. Joker looked sideways to his brother, the flush in his cheeks intensifying as he heard that question. He started to stutter immediately.
'St-st-st-star? S-s-s-s-sleep in me tent? Why?' He'd assumed Star would huddle up with Doll tonight. They hadn't taken to sharing a tent yet. Star had been reluctant to leave her brother alone, and if she left now, Doll would be left all alone.
'Yer startin' to sound like one o' Snake's snakes.' Dagger chuckled. His blue eyes lit up from underneath his bangs as he continued. 'Doll says she wants to sleep wiv' me tonight. Thinks it'll be easier on Star if she were to sleep in yer tent. More comfortin'.'
Joker grew an even deep red. 'What are ye all suggestin'?!'
Dagger shrugged, and clapped his adopted brother on the shoulder as he started to walk away.
'Tonight she'll be coming to yer tent. Better be nice to 'er, eh?'
Joker stood there, thoughts about setting up the circus completely faded from his mind. Having Star in his tent… but… 'I need to go and get it set up. Neatly, it has to be neat.' He couldn't let his girlfriend sleep in a sty, now could he?

Dagger watched as Joker stood there in confusement for a moment, before running away, keeping his hat and staff in one hand as he rushed to the place where the first string tents were to be placed. He let out a chuckle as he watched the redheaded man jump over carts rather than take the way around, because he didn't want to lose a second. As he cast his eyes to the ground for a minute, he thought he could understand Joker a little bit. If big sister were ever to visit him in his tent, he'd be running to make sure everything was presentable too.
He started to walk towards the meet-up point, trying to ignore what they were about to do. There would be little sleep for them tonight, but it was true that Doll wouldn't be in camp to sleep with Star tonight. Having the woman sleep in his brother's tent was the easiest way to avoid questions for the time being.

The sun was slowly setting, and the camp seemed to be tossed in fiery orange paint. Beast, Jumbo and Doll were already standing there. As soon as the others arrived, they'd be able to go through with the plan. He forced himself to think of it as 'the plan'. He wouldn't call it 'kidnapping George'. Then he'd think about the boy's smiling face as he threw around some of the little practice daggers Dagger had given him. George had been keeping it a secret from his sister, because he had wanted to impress her. And because she would've thrown a fit if she ever found out that Dagger had given her precious little brother something sharp to play with.

Doll looked away from the rest of them as she spoke. 'We're really doin' this then?' she asked. Off them all, she would probably be the one having the most trouble with what they were about to do. She had become such fast friends with Star and George, it was only logical she would be closest to them. Though none of them had ever know what Father did with the children they sent him, they could guess it wasn't a very good thing. Joker never commented on it when he came back from Father's mansion. If the children were… alive, he surely would have said something. There were so many sent to Father, it would have been impossible to miss them.

Beast's eyes hardened as she looked at Doll. 'We are doin' this. Joker would tell us to do this, if he wasn't so occupied with Star. We are doin' this 'cuz if there's a reason to do it, it's because what Joker really wants.'
Beast's voice had sounded hollow as she spoke. She was still trying to convince herself that this was indeed what Joker would do. She was right, but the knowledge of it didn't make things easier. In order to make the person she liked happy, she was prepared to go through this. In order to make her happy, Dagger would do it a thousand times more. Was there anything he wouldn't do for her?
When Peter and Wendy arrived, she nodded, and they all quickly mounted their horses. Nobody in the camp paid much notice to them leaving, thinking it was probably some first-string business. If they were supposed to be involved, Joker would have told them that they were to report.

|Joker's Tent|

Star stood in front of Joker's tent, slightly uncomfortable at the idea that everybody in the circus could see her going in when it was already dark. Thank God nobody was able to see how red her face was, because she was certain she was absolutely glowing in the darkness. She clutched her bag with her sleeping clothes and clean change to her chest a bit more, before pushing the tent open.
'Joker? I'm coming in!' she announced, stepping inside. The tent was lit up by candles, casting light everywhere. Star stood confused for a moment; she had never seen the inside of the tent so… clean and neat. Unlike usually, all the pillows were actually on the bed this time, and no clothes were spilled around the floor either. It looked like Joker had really don't his best to get things in order.

'Ah, Star!' his muffled voice came from her right. When she looked, she could see him stumbling with a large pile of clothes in his hands, trying to look at her without dropping anything.
'I was just… cleanin'!' he said, leaning backwards when the pile moved in his arms. Star quickly jumped to his aid, taking over half of the pile in her arms. Joker looked at her with a warm smile, the make-up already washed from his face.
'Where do I put these?' she asked him, looking around. He pointed her towards the chest at the foot-end of his bed. When she looked inside the chest, she could see that none of the clothes in it were properly folded. She shook her head with a mild amusement. Even if he did try to clean up his room, there was always some kind of mess in Joker's private tent. And that for a man who insisted on cleanliness every single day.

Having disposed of the dirty clothing, Joker sat down on the bed. When Star approached, he pulled her down on his lap, supporting her weight by getting her feet of the ground. She held on to him, but quickly settled in. Looking in his beautiful green eyes, she was almost able to forget about her brother for a while. Joker stroked her hand as he told her about what he had done during the day.
'We've got a new member to perform.' He announced, tracing her fingers one by one. 'His name is Suits now. He's serious, and can't really handle a joke, but he's pretty talented. If yer not careful, ye'll end up losin' to him.' He said, warning Star.
She smiled, and tapped his nose. 'Somehow I don't think I'll lose you to him. Unless there's something you haven't told me yet?'
Joker let out a laugh, throwing his head in his neck as he did so. 'I didn't mean it that way! I meant, he might become a first-stringer. Where'll that leave ye?'

She smiled, pressing a quick kiss on his lips. 'I think that'll leave me in pretty much the same position I am in right now. And I don't really see a reason to object to that position.'
He pressed a kiss in her neck, and she could feel the smile that was contained in it. She let out a giggle, and tried to get away. With a playful growl he grabbed her around the waist, keeping her on his lap. He nuzzled her neck softly, his hands securely keeping her where she was. When he gave her a love bite on the back of her neck, she let out something between a giggle and moan, arching her back against him.
She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her warm lips landed onto his, and he returned the kiss in full vigor. They had far too few moment alone like this, far too few moment when they could fully lay a claim on each other that couldn't be denied. He nibbled her lower lip, and she smirked in the kiss. Her small hands pushed him down on his back, laying on the bed with his legs still over the side.
She shifted one of her legs, straddling his waist as he lay beneath her. She looked down at her lover with sparkles in her eyes. He took a small revenge for this by letting his hand slip up her skirt. She gasped, grabbing his hands and putting them above his head.

He beckoned her closer for a kiss, and she obeyed, still keeping his hands locked above his head so he wouldn't be able to repeat what he had just done.
She was vaguely worried about how more serious this seemed in comparison to the previous times they had been fooling around. But the few kisses and caresses they had been able to sneak without being interrupted hadn't been enough for either of them. Joker bit his lower lip, drawing Star's eyes to that point. Before she could protest, he had flipped her around, leaving him on top. With a mischievous smile, he slowly slid his prosthetic across her thigh again, keeping her hands pinned down with his other hand.
She moved her abdomen a bit, giggling out of embarrassment and because he was tickling her by moving so very lightly alongside her skin. She slipped her hands from his grip, and started to slowly undo his yellow tie firstly, fighting to keep from laughing to loud as Joker's hand kept ticking her leg.

Joker and Star never had a clue what else was happening that evening.