A/N: As I said at the beginning, this fic is going to contain a f/f relationship. This is where it starts...

They arrived back in camp and Greta had gone with the twins to their tent. However, they apparently hadn't wanted company, so she had left and been planning to go in search of Salty and Pepper who had hurried past them not long before, shouting for her to go and play with them. She hadn't made it very far before she was stopped in her tracks.

"Greta? Rehearsals." Desiree called to the blonde, heading in the opposite direction to the big tent.

"OK!" Greta called back, changing direction.

When she walked into the tent, Jimmy was on stage singing his heart out. She could feel the raw emotion coming off him in waves. Taking a seat in the audience beside her mother Greta found her eyes drawn, almost magnetically, towards Eve who was playing the guitar. As her fingers skilfully plucked at the strings, Greta shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her stomach flipping alarmingly. She blushed, suddenly feeling incredibly warm, as Elsa turned to fix her with a bemused stare.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Greta replied defensively. "I am fine."

"Sit still then." Her mother commanded.

Greta nodded and returned her attention to the stage, resolutely keeping her gaze fixed on Jimmy. As the song drew to a close, he let the microphone drop to the floor, much like she had done after her first performance. Elsa huffed slightly beside her and looked sideways at her daughter.

"What is it with you youngsters and abusing the equipment?" She asked in a low voice. Then she returned her attention to the stage where Jimmy was waiting impatiently for her reaction. "Truthfully? Adequate."

"I'm not changing anything."

"I liked it." Greta chipped in with a shrug.

"Be quiet." Elsa snapped, not even bothering to look at her.

"That's the song, that's how I'm doing it. Tonight, mid-show number."

Elsa laughed derisively and climbed to her feet, pushing her hands into her pockets. "Do you honestly think that I would allow you to sap the energy of the audience? Huh? Remember to whom you speak."

"I know exactly who I'm talking to!" He raged. "A liar. And we don't take orders from liars."

"Jimmy!" Greta exclaimed, frowning at her friend for insulting her mother in front of everyone.

"What's going on here, huh? What is this?" Elsa demanded, looking around. Every one of the performers around the tent looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes.

"The twins, Elsa, we know what you did with the twins."

"They ran off! I told you that."

"Yeah, we heard your story. Maybe it's time we heard theirs."

"What?" Elsa turned quickly, following Jimmy's gaze over her shoulder. The twins stood, staring back at her silently, at the back of the tent.

"You sold them off… like pets."

"That's not quite how it happened, actually..." Dot disputed his words. Her sister looked confused for a moment, but then regained control of her features. "It's true Miss Elsa took us to Dandy Mott, but only because I asked her to."

"But you said that… that..."

"You misunderstood." Dot told him firmly. "Miss Elsa didn't sell us… she helped us. We wanted to experience the finer things in life and Elsa was kind enough to make that happen. But she also said we always had a home here, if that's what we wanted. So we've decided to come home… If you'll have us."

"Well, of course, my darlings." Elsa agreed graciously. "Anything you want." Then she turned and smirked at Jimmy, before looking at her daughter. "Greta, you will take the mid-show number, as usual. I think we will try Bad Boy. Up you go."

"Bad Boy?" Her daughter questioned, frowning lightly. "But we have not practiced that one? I thought you said–"

"I have changed my mind." The older woman informed her bluntly. "You can practice it now. Go on."

Almost nervously, mouthing an apology at Jimmy as she passed him, Greta did as she was told. She picked up the microphone that was still lying where the young man had left it on the floor at the end of his song. The opening bars played and Greta squeezed her eyes tightly closed, feeling at least three accusing sets of eyes boring into her as she rehearsed for the spot that had been denied to Jimmy.

"A bad little kid moved into my neighborhood

He won't do nothing right just sitting down and looks so good

"He don't want to go to school and learn to read and write

Just sits around the house and plays the rock and roll music all night

Well, he put some tacks on teachers chair

Puts chewing gum in little girl's hair

Now, junior, behave yourself

"Buys every rock and roll book on the magazine stand

Every dime that he get is lost to the jukebox man

Well he worries his teacher till at night she's ready to poop

From rocking and a-rolling spinning in a hula hoop

Well this rock and roll has got to stop

Junior's head is hard as rock

Now, junior, behave yourself

"Going tell your mama you better do what she said

Get to the barber shop and get that hair cut off your head

Threw the canary and you fed it to the neighbors cat

You gave the cocker spaniel a bath in mother's laundromat

Well, mama's head has got to stop

Junior's head is hard as rock

Now, junior, behave yourself"

"It was good." Elsa nodded up at her, tilting her head slightly to the side as she appraised her daughter. "Although I think opening your eyes might be an improvement."

"Sorry…" Greta muttered, rubbing the back of her neck and trying not to look anywhere but at the blonde. Everyone in the tent knew that the song choice was meant as a message to Jimmy, although no one would ever voice that thought out loud.

"We will try it again, from the top. Really enunciate the last two lines… I do not want them to get lost in the music this time. We need to really hear them; like you mean it."

The introduction started up again and Greta inhaled sharply before meeting her cue. This time, she kept her eyes open, but trained them on her mother while she sang. Elsa made her practice the song four more times before she was satisfied, but then she dismissed the troupe. They all left the tent quickly, eager to get away from their boss and the tense atmosphere.

"Mother?" Greta started nervously as soon as it was just the two of them left.

"Mmm?"

"Will you… will you let Jimmy sing in the show tonight?" Seeing the expression on Elsa's face, she continued quickly. "Not the mid-show number, obviously, after what he said, but… please?"

"He questioned me in front of everyone." Elsa snapped moving to stand directly in front of her daughter. "He accused me of being a liar and you expect me to give in to his demands?"

"No, of course not, but… he was upset. He was worried about the twins and… he could not understand why they would choose to be there instead of here. He jumped to conclusions. Please, let him sing."

"Do you think it was me… that I sold them?"

"Of course not." Greta assured her quickly. "I trust you, Mother. If you say it was not you, then I believe you."

Elsa gripped her daughter's upper arms tightly and leant close to her, pressing their foreheads together. "Good. As long as I have your trust…"

"Of course." Greta told her with a weak smile.

Standing back and wiping her cheeks quickly, Elsa pushed her hands into her pockets. "Now, you go and have something to eat. You need to keep your strength up, my little star. You may inform Jimmy that he can sing his little song in the second act."

"Thank you."

Wearily, the young woman nodded and turned on her tail. She walked as quickly as she could without raising her mother's suspicions. As much as she wanted to believe Elsa and trust what she said, there was something in the back of her mind that didn't sit right.

Spotting Suzi and Eve sitting at one of the tables with Pepper and Ma Petite, Greta made her way over quickly and sat down beside the pinhead. Pepper grinned at her, pushing a plate of sandwiches along to the table for her. The others fixed her with curious looks, but the blonde didn't say anything until she had finished eating her sandwich.

"I spoke to Elsa," she told them finally, "she agreed that Jimmy can sing in the show tonight."

"How did you manage that?" Suzi asked, chuckling. "Blackmail?"

"She is not that bad." Greta replied, rolling her eyes. "I just told her that he was upset about the twins and confused and that he did not mean what he said."

"Well that's a lie." The leg-less woman pointed out.

Greta rolled her eyes. "I know that, but what is the point in making her angry. If Dot says that Elsa helped them, then who are we to argue."

"Quite right." Elsa agreed from behind the young woman, making her jump at the unexpected intrusion to their conversation. She stared wide-eyed at her friends, wondering how much the older woman had overheard. "I want to hear no more of this." She leant down to whisper in her daughter's ear. "A word, liebchen."

Shooting her friends a wary look, assuming that Elsa had heard more than she had hoped and now she was in trouble, Greta stood and followed the older woman from the tent. They went, wordlessly, over to Elsa's tent and the woman ushered her daughter inside first. Taking a seat on her chaise lounge, Elsa lit up a cigarette and handed it to her daughter, before lighting up one for herself.

"Is something the matter?" Greta asked her nervously.

"I have worked out why you were so against the Beauty and the Beast idea." Elsa informed her calmly.

The younger woman's eyes widened comically. "What?"

"It is obvious now I think about it, mein liebling. I have seen the way you look at Eve; it is not difficult to understand the look in your eyes." She shrugged. "You are homosexual."

"I do not know–"

"How ironic it is that the only non-freak in this troupe has turned out to be the biggest freak of all!"

"Elsa! Stop it!"

Elsa smiled at her and shrugged. "It is of no matter to me; as long as you are happy I do not care who it is in your bed or, rather, whose bed you are in."

"It is not like that! Eve is my friend… my best friend. We have not–"

"But I would advise caution… if there is one group of individuals who are disliked more than freaks, it is homosexuals."

"I…"

"Your sleeping arrangements have not gone unnoticed." Her mother told her, almost gently. "It would perhaps be wise if you were observed going into your own tent tonight."

"Do you really think that anyone here cares where I sleep?"

"You can never be too careful, my darling."

Greta sighed deeply. "It does not matter anyway. Eve is not interested in me."

"I have seen the way you look at her, but I have also seen the way she looks at you. When you sing she can barely keep her eyes on her music. It is like you are the only thing in the world." Elsa told her. She chuckled lightly at the bright smile that lit up her daughter's face at the information. "If you like her then you should tell her. But be careful."

Nodding, Greta finished her cigarette thinking hard. She left Elsa's tent and went in search of the twins, hoping that they would have time to give her a lesson, or at least see how much progress she had made while they had been away.

Halfway to their tent, however, Salty and Pepper ambushed her, demanding that she play with them. Smiling she nodded and found herself embroiled in a lengthy game of hide and seek for the rest of the afternoon. They had only just found Ma Petite, a late entrant to the game, hiding in one of the large pots Ethel used for cooking, when Suzi came to remind them of the time.

Elsa remained true to her word to Greta and she informed Jimmy that he could sing his song during the show. He had nodded wordlessly but, when he was introduced onto the stage, he smiled at the younger blonde and bounded onto the stage. His performance went down well with the audience, but he had the good grace not to rub it in Elsa's face when he passed her leaving the tent.

With her mother's warning ringing in her mind, Greta decided to sleep in her tent that night. She explained to Eve that she just needed some time on her own, unable to miss the confused disappointment in the brunette's eyes and allowing herself to hope that Elsa had been right about Eve's feelings. Hovering outside her tent until she spotted Dell crossing the camp, Greta waved and called goodnight, making sure that he had seen her going inside.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Greta jerked awake, woken by the sound of a door slamming somewhere around the camp. Slipping out of bed, she moved quickly to the entrance of her tent and peered outside. A shadowy figure, short and squat, was walking unsteadily through the tents, clutching its arm tightly against its body. Greta frowned and left the tent quietly, using the various tents and trailers as cover to follow the figure and work out who it was. Her confusion was heightened as the figure disappeared into Dell's caravan and closed the door.

Heading back towards her tent, still trying to work out what might have happened, Greta paused as she passed Eve's caravan. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw the soft glow of a light on inside the trailer and changed her mind about her destination. Hesitating outside the door, the blonde raised her hand and knocked quietly. It flew open and Eve's dishevelled, furious scowl greeted her. The younger woman stumbled backwards slightly in response, alarmed by the almost feral snarl on her friend's face.

"Back for round two?" Eve demanded angrily. Then she blinked, her eyes widening as she realised who was outside. "Oh… Greta…"

"What has happened?" The blonde asked, pushing her gently inside the caravan and stepping in after her. She looked around and frowned, before repeating her question more urgently. "What has happened?"

"Dell… he came in here and tried to…"

Greta's eyes blazed. "He did what?"

"Oh, don't worry, he didn't get very far." Eve told her, chuckling darkly. Then she winced, clutching her hand to her chest as though it was hurting her.

"What is it?" The blonde asked gently, taking the older woman's hand in hers and examining it. She inhaled sharply as she saw the red, tender skin across her knuckles. "Ouch…"

"I'll be alright."

"This is all my fault."

"What do you mean?" Eve asked, frowning.

"If I had not decided to sleep in my tent… everyone knows I have been sharing your caravan and the one night I do not…"

"Hey, hey!" Eve grabbed her failing hands gently. "This isn't your fault."

"I cannot bear the thought of him touching you." Greta admitted quietly, refusing to look up and meet Eve's eyes. "I cannot bear the thought of anyone but me touching you."

There was a pause and then the blonde felt a finger under her chin, urging her to look up. Eve's hand moved to cup her cheek gently as she searched for answers in the younger woman's eyes. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Greta nodded silently. She held her breath as Eve leant in and brought their faces so close together that the blonde could feel her breath on her lips. When the older woman stopped, Greta closed the gap and pressed their lips together. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest that she thought it was likely to rip straight through. She didn't think she had ever been so happy.

As she moved to deepen the kiss, Eve pulled back slightly, wincing. At the wide-eyed questioning look she received, she smiled broadly and pressed a kiss to the other woman's forehead. "Just a bit sore from kicking Dell's ass."

"We have got plenty of time to be together when you are not battered and bruised." Greta told her with a grin. "We should get some rest."

Nodding, the Amazon climbed into bed and opened her arms, allowing the blonde to snuggle into her side, tangling their legs together. Before she lay down properly, Greta pressed a light kiss to the tip of Eve's nose, grinning at her happily.

A/N: Lyrics in this chapter are from Bad Boy by The Beatles :)