Made To Be Mine (A Greatest Showman FanFiction)

37

Energetic, witty, loving and all smiles. That was what everyone associated Phineas with.

None of that could be seen now. He seemed to had aged overnight. His eyes, normally sparkling with energy, were just two dull light brown dots.

"I'm sorry," He spoke at last, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault the protestors burned the circus." Lettie said, though she kept her distance.

"I let money get into the head, I let myself drown in the fake pretence of needing more, that nothing was ever enough. And now I've lost everything I love, everything that I've been doing this for."

He proceeded to tell us everything about Jenny Lind. How she had toured with him for not just the mere reasons of riches and fame. How she had ended their partnership when he turned her down and forcefully kissed him in front of one thousand people.

The circus members were respectable audiences. Only occasionally gasping at outrageous moments and raising their eyebrows at one another as in saying 'He isn't as gone as we thought he would be''.

"So?"

There was a pause. Then Charles held his hands up in the mid-air. "My God," He exclaimed and proceeded to sit in the chair next to Phineas, still noticeably petite. "I need a drink too."

The bartender automatically gave him a tankard.

"I don't expect to be forgiven— heck, even Charity and the girls have abandoned me—"

"Did you tell them all this?" I asked. Everyone stared at me.

"What?" Phineas asked blankly.

"I said, did you tell Charity the truth? Of how Lind took advantage of you and you never felt anything towards her."

"I—I didn't..... I tried to, but she was already leaving. Furious, she was....."

I walked towards him and gently took the tankard from his hand and smiled. "Then go, tell her. Ask for her forgiveness. I don't believe the Phineas we all know and love would sit here and sulk, no. He would be chasing after Charity's carriage, chasing after her train and to the ends of the Earth."

His face gradually softened and for a split second something in him clicked. A smile appeared. Cracks of his former self begun to show.

"You're right, Ying," He said, grasping shoulders in gratitude. "What's waiting for tomorrow starts tonight." He looked out towards all the circus members. "It starts right now."

He leaped from his seat and sprinted out of the bar entrance, only turning around yelling 'THANK YOU' at us and sped out of town, chasing after his wife and daughters.

I could help smiling. Giving Phineas a pep-talk had somehow inspired me as well. I took out my purse, which had been with me and saved from the fire, and fished out a few notes. "Drinks' on me. Order whatever you want." I handed Charles the money and walked out of the bar as well.

"Ying! Where're you going?" I heard someone call out to me.

Without turning back, I answered. "To fix a mess I've helped created."

A carriage was already outside. I hopped onto it and handed the driver some money.

"To where, miss?"

I hesitated for a moment. Did I really want to do this? I asked myself. This time there were no two voices battling over each other; I got a full answer.

Yes.

I smiled to myself. "The Carlyles' mansion, please."