Playing With Fire (EDITING)

You Idiot!

Lyrica's PoV: When the double's dance ended, Doug had tripped numerous times and received countless bruises. But we were both laughing so hard, it was no wonder he couldn't keep his feet. When the song ended, he sank onto the log and blew out a breath, ruffling some longer pieces of hair that had fallen into his face. "Oh, come on," I pleaded. "One more?"

He laughed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. "I can't. I'll kill someone."

"No, you won't. Kurt might've, but you're doing fine."

Kurt stuck his tongue at me but I rolled my eyes and tried pulling Doug up again. "Naw, Lyrica, I'll watch."

"Fine," I humphed, cocking my ear to listen for the next beat. When it came, I recognized the song immediately; it was my favorite. There was no way Doug would have been able to keep up with the steps, so I danced alone, turning and clapping and stomping in time with the drum and penny whistle. The tempo increased gradually until I was spinning breathlessly, barely keeping up.

At last, it finished and I exhaled deeply, coming to a sudden standstill. Doug was grinning. Megan and Kitty applauded for me and were joined by a few members of the troop. "Your Ma used to dance like that too when she was your age," Ma Leah said, coming up behind me.

"I know," I replied, taking deep breaths of the humid fall night. "She taught me."

"I shoulda known she would've. Well, I'm off t' sleep, but you kids be good, alright? I don't wanna be hearin' about any o' ya gettin hurt or causin' trouble."

Kurt smirked mischievously but Kitty slapped his shoulder and the smirk was wiped off his face. Before I could find a seat, Doug took my hand and pulled me away from the circle of light cast by the fire, past the tents, past the animal pens, toward the open field where there was nothing to get in the way of the brilliant stars sprinkling the velvet sky above us.

We laid on the grass side by side and he was silent for a few minutes before asking, "So what's the whole story about you and the circus?"

"You already know most of it."

"Will you tell me all of it?"

I contemplated this before quietly saying, "Yeah. I might as well."

And I plunged into my story. I began with the fire that burned my home and Uri taking me to the circus. I told him about how they welcomed me at first before they found a use for me as a freakshow participant. "But on days when my wings wouldn't come, I was used backstage. If they didn't need the extra hand, I was told to hold nets or pulleys and cables and the like. As I got older, a tight rope walker taught me some tricks and I took over for her when she got married and moved on. Later, I began filling in for a trapeze artist and the acrobats and ribbon dancers. It was fun now and then. But if there was a day when I couldn't control my wings, I was locked up."

"How did you leave?"

"Grandpére found me. He took me out, gave me to Ma for safe keeping, and dealt with the circus for what they'd done. When mon Papére heard, he took things into his own hands. Gave me the knife when Uri was bent. And..."

"Don't say it," he whispered. "Go on, um, Daniel. Tell me about meeting Daniel and Han."

I smiled. "Well, after the circus wreck, Papére left for business and Ma and Grandpére decided it was time to relocate again. We came pretty far south for the time and stayed for a bit in New York. On our way, we ran into the Bennetts...here actually. Vermont. This same valley. I was too young to remember much of it, but I remember meeting Daniel. He was shorter than me and he insisted on standing on tiptoe when he walked beside me. Han and my Grandpére got along really well right from the beginning. And a month later, Papére joined up with us someplace in New York. Apparently, Han was an old friend he and Clint had met during their time in the circus as teenagers. When Papére ran off with Grandpére, Han left with them but went his own way when he learned the plan. He had heard about a Barton traveling through and decided to confront my dad, but he found my Ma and I instead."