Freak Show | Multiship [C]

Chapter 38 | Cold Homecoming

After the show, Chris had plans of rushing back to the hotel. Devin, however, had other ideas. Unfortunately for him, he'd promised her he'd always put her happiness first. Even if it meant facing spirits of his past. The crew of the show was no different. Half of them wanted to see their old friends, while the other half wanted to forget them. While Chris and Devin stood arguing in the alley beside the casino, Ryan-Ashley slipped out for a smoke.

"Long time, no see." She interrupted their bickering.

"Hi, Ryan." Devin softly smiled and greeted her with a hug. Chris sighed, saying nothing as he fell into the background. She glanced over at him, then back at the tattooed beauty in front of her. "We, um, we had no idea you guys were all still performing. We only came to the show because my agent gave us the tickets."

"We figured as much. Would you like to come see the others?" She asked.

"Yeah-"

"The question is," Chris interrupted, "Do the others want to see us?"

Devin sighed, "Look, if you want to go back to the hotel, you can. I want to see my friends though."

"It's fine." He mumbled and followed her inside.

| | |

Ricky sat on top of a stack of crates with his legs crossed Indian style. He watched around the backstage as people came and went. Whether it be his old friends or new crew members, he was just happy to be surrounded by freaks again. Ryan walked over, looking at him daringly playful.

"I need to put this away." He spoke as he referred to the torches in his hand.

"Okay." Ricky perked, playing dumb.

Ryan sighed as he got closer to his little love affair. "And I you to move your cute ass so I put them in this crate."

Ricky looked at him innocently, but his tone spoke otherwise. "Make me." He said just about a whisper.

He set down the torches and closed the space between them. Ricky melted against his lips, only to let out a squeak moments later when Ryan picked him up by the hips. Ryan set down the giggling dancer and couldn't help but smile to see Ricky happy. He lifted open the crate and set his torches inside. Then he heard Ricky's laugher suddenly cut short.

Ryan lifted his head to find the source of his sadness. He saw Chris and Devin walking through the back with Ryan-Ashley. Then he looked to Ricky to see a deep frown on his face. Ryan set his hand on the raccoon's arm and guided him aside.

"C'mon, Sweetie. Let's go grab a shower." He said.

Ricky let his voice remain silent for the moment that the giants passed them. Chris glanced over at him, but could tell it was best not to say another. Ryan looked back over at Chris and Devin with distaste. He grabbed Ricky's hand and pulled him through a set of doors beside them. Several of the other members of the crew gave them that cold treatment.

No one forgot the way they just left. They said no goodbyes, gave no efforts to finding Angelo and Twiggy. And the way that left Angelo, none of them could forgive. They stared, deadness in their eyes.

"Well," Manson seethed as he stood from his vanity, "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Meow." Ryan-Ashley joked. She continued through the backstage to where Josh was putting away props.

"How long has the show been back up?" Chris asked Manson as he approached him.

"A few weeks." He replied simply.

"Why didn't you ask us to return?" He questioned, somewhat scared of the answer.

Manson stared back for a moment. He thought about the way they had found Angelo. The way he was beyond broken. Manson glanced back at Twiggy, who still clung to him, then up at Chris. "You left right when we needed you the most. Didn't even say goodbye. Twiggy and Angelo's kidnappings fucked us all up pretty bad, but you leaving, that's what fucked Angelo up the worst. We all decided it wasn't worth the manpower it took to find you."

"We were just as upset." Devin responded, "And we left because we thought we were of no help."

"You were the one that couldn't stick it out. You made the decision for us, whether you believe so or not." Chris added.

"He did what he had to, to protect us." Angelo sneered as he walked up, "You did what you did to save your own ass. If it weren't for Nikki, I wouldn't be standing here, but you don't give a rat's ass, do you? You never cared to figure out if I was alive or dead. Any of us!"

"You know that's not true!" He yelled in response.

"Chris," Devin softly tried to stop him, remembering that his anger and blood pressure problems don't mix well.

He didn't listen and continued to shout, "I tried my best to protect you, but you betrayed me! I took the one person who hadn't fucked me over and I tried my damnedest to protect her! You made it pretty fucking clear the night you fucked Ryan that you didn't need my help with anything!"

Chris grabbed ahold of his chest. Devin quickly forced him to sit down and take a breather. Angelo walked away for a minute. Much to everyone's surprise, when he returned, he offered Chris a bottle of water. No matter what happened between the two, he still had the heart of an angel. Angelo then said nothing and left the room for good.

Almost everyone excused themselves. The show was over and they all wanted some food, a shower, and rest. Ashley wondered over cautiously.

"You're not going to yell at me too, are you?" Chris grumbled.

"No," She replied gently and hugged him, "I just wanted you to know, I missed you."

"I've missed you too, Ash. What happened to everyone in the last three years?"

She sighed as she thought, "Well, let's see... Nikki and I moved to LA. He started bartending at a club and I was an entertainer at that same club. Angelo became a bartender too, at a place up in Detroit. Maria, Josh, and Ryan-Ashley all moved to Pittsburg and started working in a tattoo shop there. Ryan became a business man in New York and did pretty well for himself. Kuza moved here, in Vegas, and became a blackjack dealer. Ricky also ended up in Vegas as an... Entertainer. Manson and Twiggy didn't really settle in one town and kept moving around until Ryan decided to get the show back together. What about you two?"

"We moved down to New Orleans." Devin replied, "I started singing at a small club there and Chris was writing articles for the town's paper. That was, until a talent scout approached me about modeling. That's what I've been doing for a few weeks now."

"We should get back to the hotel and get you some rest. You have an early shoot tomorrow." Chris told her.

She forced a smile as she looked at Ashley, "Yeah, he's right."

Ashley handed her a piece of paper with a number jotted down. "Keep in touch."