The next morning when Greta woke up, she stretched languidly, thinking that she hadn't slept so well for a long time. Movement behind her reminded her that she was in Eve's caravan, in her bed. Rolling over, she found herself face-to-face with her already conscious friend. Eve was slightly cross-eyed, looking at Greta at such close proximity. The blonde giggled.
"Good morning."
Eve yawned. "Morning sweetheart, sleep OK?"
"I did. Did you?"
"Mmm…" The older woman agreed, poking her gently in the side so that she rolled out of bed and let her get up. "Best night's sleep I've had for a while." Greta looked at her curiously, wondering at the fact they'd both thought that. "What?"
"Nothing." The blonde said innocently, shaking her head and smiling broadly. "I think I had better go and get dressed. I have a feeling that today might be a busy day of rehearsals."
Leaving the caravan quickly, not bothering to check whether anyone was watching, she padded barefoot across the camp towards her tent. She was passing the dining tent, examining her nails closely and not paying the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings, when a cry from the table there made her jump and swear loudly.
"Scheiße!" She clutched her chest dramatically. "Elsa! Are you trying to kill me?"
"Where were you?" The older woman demanded, standing and striding across the scrubby grass towards her daughter. There was a wild panic in her eyes that Greta had not seen there before. "You were not in your tent!"
"Edward Mordrake was here last night." Desiree told her, more gently. "We were worried…"
"You were worried that he came after me?" Greta arched an eyebrow as she looked between them. "Why would he? I did not see him after…"
"So where were you because I am not going to buy that you got up early to take a walk." Her mother snapped.
"I stayed in Eve's caravan. I was a bit… I did not want to be on my own if Mordrake came back." The young woman admitted with a shrug. "Eve was kind enough to let me stay with her."
They stopped talking as the roar of a motorbike sounded behind them and turned to see who was riding it. Greta recognised Jimmy at once, but frowned as she realised she didn't know who the blonde riding with him was.
"Another one who does a disappearing act!" Elsa groused, throwing her hands up into the air.
"Who is that?"
"Who?" Her mother frowned and then shrugged. "Oh! That is the fortune-teller I hired; Mystic Miss Esmeralda… otherwise known as Maggie."
"Hmm…" Greta frowned as they dismounted the motorbike.
"Where the hell have you been?" Elsa demanded loudly, moving closer to the pair.
"Curfew's lifted."
"What? Have they caught the killer?"
"He did." Maggie announced, pointing at Jimmy. "Caught the killer… saved the kids… saved everybody." She shifted slightly. "I've gotta pee; you try holding it on a bike for five miles."
Before she wandered away, she pressed a kiss to Jimmy's cheek, causing Greta to raise her eyebrows. She smacked him round the back of the head as he stared after her dreamily, pulling a face. Elsa rolled her eyes at the childish behaviour, before leaning close so that she could lower her voice.
"That girl has cast a spell." Then her tone became harsher. "She's not the only one. The camp had a visitor last night…"
"Edward Mordrake." Jimmy said.
"He came to you, too?"
"Not to me, but he claimed his freak."
They all stared at him, wondering what he meant. Before they had a chance to ask, however, the sound of multiple cars heading towards the camp caught all of their attentions. Greta took an involuntary step towards her mother as the older woman's eyes widened and she looked worried.
"Was ist los?" She murmured.
"Vielleicht ist es nicht etwas schlechtes." Greta suggested hopefully, slipping into German easily in an attempt to reassure her mother.
Elsa shot her a look and shook her head sharply. "They've finally come to run us out."
Deciding on safety in numbers, even if everyone was still dressed in their nightclothes, they headed out to meet the townies together. Elsa led the way, with Jimmy and Greta on her heels. Amongst the crowd were women and children and Greta suddenly didn't think that this was some kind of lynch mob after all.
"You Jimmy?" A man at the front asked.
"What do you and the rest of this mob want?" Elsa demanded in a hostile tone, putting her hands on her hips.
"We wanted to thank you." The man said, looking directly at Jimmy.
"You saved our son." The woman beside him explained.
"You saved our town. I wanna shake your hand."
None of the circus performers knew how to react to the unexpected sentiment. Elsa pushed Jimmy to make him move and he shook the man's hand warily, still unable to understand exactly what was going on.
"Jessie…" The woman urged her daughter forward.
"Homemade brownies… I only ate one." The little girl said with a smile, holding out a plate to Jimmy.
He took them, the confusion still etched on his face. "Thank you."
"Are you a real lady?" The girl asked Desiree curiously.
"Jessie!" Her mother chided her. "Manners!"
Desiree only smiled broadly. "Oh, that's OK, darlin'. I'm a lady… and then some!"
Slowly the two groups began to merge; the townies actively engaging the carnies in conversation. Greta chattered happily to a woman who was looking at her curiously, as though trying to work out what was unusual about her. The young woman almost laughed as she explained that the only thing that was special about her was her ability to sing.
Moving away, Greta beamed at Salty and Pepper who were thoroughly enjoying themselves. She found herself in the midst of a group of young men and thought back to what her friend had told her the night before. Asking which of them had decided he was going to rescue her, she laughed inwardly as a boy, probably no older than fifteen, went bright red. The anger she had felt towards him melted away as she watched him floundering and attempting to explain himself.
"Why do you live here?" One of the boys asked her curiously.
"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.
"Well, you're not… you know… one of them." He tried to explain. "So why are you part of a freak show?"
Greta grinned. "This is my family. These freaks, as you call them, are my brothers and sisters, my aunts and uncles, my cousins… my mother is here. They're my friends."
The boys nodded, apparently a little confused, but accepting her words. Shaking her head slightly, Greta moved away to join Eve and Ma Petite, holding out her arms to take the tiny woman from her friend. She nodded as Ma Petite chattered excitedly, pointing out people and telling her what they'd said to her. Eve grinned down at the blonde when she caught her eyes.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Elsa called, drawing everyone's attention to her. "One and all… we would like to invite you to our grand command performance tonight, here in our big top. Tickets are available over there at the box office."
Motioning for her daughter to join her, the show owner leant against the wooden panel behind her. Greta passed Ma Petite back to Eve, before making her way through the crowd to see what Elsa wanted. The older woman told her to go and get dressed quickly, so that she could meet her and Jimmy ready for rehearsals.
Nodding, the young woman did as she was told, pulling on a pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt quickly. She was ready in record time and arrived at the big tent before anyone else. Humming the tune that Eve had played her the night before when they had decided on the song, Greta practised her part while she waited.
Before long the others started trickling in. Elsa outlined the idea to Jimmy, who raised his eyebrows but didn't protest. Making a comment about how at least one of the youngsters knew better than to question her decisions, the older woman took a seat in the front row to watch their practise. Eve played the song several times for them while they became familiar with it. Jimmy read out the lyrics for Greta patiently and she memorised them with ease.
After several hours, Elsa was satisfied and gave them a break for lunch. After lunch were more rehearsals and then another break. That break, however, involved her setting everyone to work putting out chairs ready for the performance. She urged them to put them as close together as they possibly could so that they could fit more people in.
"You wanted to see us?" Dot and Bette asked together as they walked into the big tent a while later.
"Yes. We have a sold out show tonight and I've made some changes to the set list." Elsa informed them.
Awkwardly, Greta moved away, helping Eve put the chairs even closer together. They both looked up, pulling faces at each other as they caught snatches of the strained conversation going on between Elsa and the twins. Greta felt terrible enough that she and Jimmy were replacing them as headliners and she doubted that her mother was breaking the news that they were warming up for the pinheads gently.
"Who is he?" Greta demanded in a low voice, nodding towards the stranger that was talking to her mother.
"No idea…"
"I do not trust him." The blonde said narrowing her eyes.
Eve laughed and shook her head. "What d'you mean? You don't even know him!"
"I know…" Greta shuddered slightly. "I just have a feeling… I am a good judge of character. I do not like him."
"OK, sweetheart."
Knowing that her friend was just humouring her, Greta grumbled quietly to herself. Her frown deepened when she caught Eve grinning and shaking her head in amusement. She banged the final chair into place and then scowled at Eve, before stamping off in the direction of her tent.
"Oh, come on, Greta!" Eve called after her, catching up with the younger woman in a couple of strides. "Don't be like that."
"You are not taking me seriously! I am not a child and I am hardly ever wrong."
"I'm well aware you're not a child, Greta." The brunette said seriously, before sighing and holding up her hands. "OK, OK. He's a wrong 'un. We'll keep an eye on him, alright?"
"I need to get ready for the performance." Greta muttered sulkily. "Where is Ma Petite… she said she would redo my nails for me."
"I'll go and find her." Eve promised. "You go get changed and forget about whoever that man is."
She returned with Ma Petite in no time. Greta was still changing when they arrived and took the opportunity to ask for their opinion on what she should wear. Eve cleared her throat and pointed towards the blue dress the younger woman was holding up, telling her that she looked nice in blue. Greta beamed at her, her mood already greatly improved.
For some reason, nerves set in as she heard Dell announcing their act. The audience was packed, but that hadn't bothered her before. She thought that the problem might be that she would have to keep up appearances of being in love with Jimmy. Dot was already scowling at her from the other side of the tent and the younger woman shifted her gaze uncomfortably so that she didn't have to meet the other woman's.
"And now for the first time ever, our very own lovebirds. This is a real tale of Beauty and the Beast, folks. Please welcome Songbird Sally and Lobster Boy!"
Eve caught Greta's eye as she climbed on stage, winking and smiling reassuringly at her. The blonde returned the smile and moved across to stand by her microphone as Jimmy started singing, doing her best to look at him with adoration. It was easy, she supposed as she watched him, to fall in love with his handsome features and cheeky smile.
"I drew a broken heart right on your window pane
Waited for your reply here in the pouring rain
Just breathe against the glass leave me some kind of sign
I know the hurt won't pass, yeah just tell me it's not the end of the line
Just tell me it's not the end of the line."
Taking a breath, Greta sent Jimmy a dazzling smile before coming in with her part of the song, swaying her hips in time with the music as she danced on the spot. She kept her eyes trained on the audience, picking out several men to make eye contact with, before turning to face her partner at the end of the chorus.
"I never meant to break your heart now I won't let this plane go down
I never meant to make you cry, I'll do what it takes to make this fly, oh
You gotta hold on, hold on to what you're feeling
That feeling is the best thing, the best thing, alright
I'm gonna place my bet on us
I know this love is heading in the same direction
That's up."
Jimmy winked at her and leant into the microphone, wrapping his hand around it without breaking eye contact with the blonde.
"You drew a question mark, but you know what I want
I wanna turn the clock, yeah, right back to where it was."
Stalking towards Jimmy and pulling her microphone with her, they sang together, leaning in so that they were only inches apart.
"So let's build a bridge, yeah, from your side to mine
I'll be the one to cross over, just tell me it's not the end of the line
Just tell me it's not the end of the line."
Jimmy stopped singing, allowing Greta to take the solo. She poured as much emotion as she could into the lyrics.
"I never meant to break your heart, now I won't let this plane go down
I never meant to make you cry, I'll do what it takes to make this fly, oh
You gotta hold on, hold on to what you're feeling
That feeling is the best thing, the best thing, alright
I'm gonna place my bet on us
I know this love is heading in the same direction
That's up."
Greta stopped singing to catch her breath, grinning at Jimmy as he moved into her personal space and grabbed her hand, holding it to his chest. She splayed her fingers across the fabric of his shirt, directly over where his heart was and felt it beating against her fingers.
"Girl, I know we could climb back to where we were then
Feel it here in my heart
Put my heart in your hand."
Pulling her hand out of her friend's grasp and pushing him away lightly, the young woman joined in with him, their voices working together in perfect harmony.
"Well, I hope and I pray that you do understand
If you did, all you have to say is
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm waiting for you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"
I never meant to break your heart, now I won't let this plane go down
I never meant to make you cry, I'll do what it takes to make this fly, oh."
While Jimmy sang the next few lines, Greta moved to the side of the stage and disappeared momentarily from sight. She raised her arms as Toulouse and Paul quickly secured the belt of the harness, which was attached to a thin but sturdy wire, around her waist.
"You gotta hold on, hold on to what you're feeling
That feeling is the best thing, the best thing, alright."
Swapping places with the young woman, Jimmy was fixed into his own harness before her returned to the centre stage and linked his fingers through Greta's so that they could sing the final two words of the song together.
"I'm gonna place my bet on us
I know this love is heading in the same direction,"
"That's up."
On the word 'up', Dell yanked on the ropes that were attached to the wires of the harnesses Jimmy and Greta had strapped round them. The pair rose high in the air above the stage, still holding hands, to riotous applause from the audience below them. Beaming at her partner, the young woman started laughing, wondering what she had been worried about before they had started singing. Jimmy grinned back, pulling her closer to him and winking.
As Dell lowered them gently back to the stage, Jimmy pulled Greta into a tight hug and she wrapped her arms around him, the adrenaline of the situation causing her to shake. She was glad to have someone to hold on to. Several shouts of 'kiss her' came from the audience and the pair exchanged a look.
Leaning closer so that she could whisper in Jimmy's ear, Greta lowered her voice and pressed her cheek against his, keeping the bright smile on her face. "You even think about trying it and I will break your legs."
"I wouldn't dream of it, kid." He assured her with a laugh.
They turned and waved happily at their audience, before Jimmy led them off stage, still holding Greta's hand tightly. The pair stayed out of the way as best as they could for the rest of the show, watching from the side of the tent. The energy of such a big audience was making everyone put on the best show they were capable of and the spectators were lapping it up. Jimmy went back on for his juggling act a little later on, but Greta wasn't required again, so she simply leant against the canvas with her arms folded over her chest and watched.
"You were a big hit." Elsa congratulated her daughter as soon as the audience had dispersed. "We will have to think of more songs for you two to perform."
"You were great, too." The younger woman said quickly. "Will I have to sing with Jimmy all the time?"
"Why? Did you not enjoy it?"
Shaking her head quickly, Greta smiled. "No, I did. I do like singing on my own as well, though. The audience might get bored if we always duet."
"We will discuss it." Elsa promised her, patting her arm. "The pair of you were very convincing up there… I actually thought you were going to kiss at the end when you leant in close to Jimmy."
"I was telling him that if he tried it I would break his legs."
Elsa laughed and wrapped an arm around the younger woman. "You are definitely my daughter, mein liebchen. Now," she ushered Greta out of the tent, "to bed with you. You need your rest."
Nodding and wishing her mother a good night, the girl headed in the direction of her tent. Halfway there she bumped into Eve who had just taken Ma Petite to bed. Grinning, the brunette congratulated her friend on her performance, earning herself an eye roll for her trouble as the younger woman brushed off the compliment.
"Can I–?"
"Do you want to–?"
They started at the same time, before breaking off and laughing softly. Eve motioned for Greta to say whatever it was that she had been trying to say. The blonde chewed her lip nervously.
"I was just wondering whether I could stay in your caravan again." She said quickly, as though afraid she would be laughed at. "It is just that your bed is so much more comfortable than mine and… well… I slept really well."
Eve smiled brightly at her. "I was actually going to ask if you wanted to. I slept really well, too."
They separated while Greta went to her tent to change and Eve went to her caravan to do the same. Less than five minutes later, the brunette heard a soft tap on her door and moved to let the younger woman in, closing the door tightly behind her.
A/N: thank you to everyone who is reading, following, favouriting and reviewing! It means a lot!
Also, in response to a couple of questions I've had about Greta/Jimmy, as I said in chapter 1 this is going to be a f/f fic. Greta and Jimmy will be close, but I ship Jimmy/Dot and I couldn't bring myself to mess with them!
Lyrics in this chapter are 'Up' by Olly Murs and Demi Lovato :)