✩★ ɱɑɖɪՏσɳ ★✩ & Isis

[Isis]

"I doubt it. He's a busy man," Ella replied simply before climbing up onto her little platform. She always chose this spot to practice on because it was farthest away from the others. She stretched. She was a contortionist, so her stretches were pretty extreme compared to most. Her stretches alone probably could have been an act, but they weren't. She was double jointed in almost every place she could be and she could bend herself fantastically. She was sure it was one of the only reason she even had a husband. But, she was also an escape artist, and she couldn't even get away from the circus. It was pathetic and she tired not to think about it too much.

"I don't much like having the tent to myself. I like everyone to be here, just on the other side. I like the noise because it's practice for the crowd." She stretched a little too far and groaned. She backed off and rubbed at her belly lightly. "I ate too much, I think."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid watched her while she was stretching, amazed that she could bend like that. Sure, she could do some pretty amazing things other her body too, flips and such, but watching Ella almost made her own joints hurt. When she suddenly stopped though, Ingrid frowned that she'd hurt herself, but she knew that her explanation wasn't true. She couldn't haw eaten too much when she hadn't eaten at all. Something else must be going on here. "Maybe you should just take a rest for the night. You don't want to hurt yourself before the performance tomorrow," she said, not questioning any of Ella's lies, at least not yet.

Just then, Peter approached them with his hawk perched on his shoulder. "Getting in some last minute practice ladies?" he asked them, gently petting the feather's on the hawk's belly to keep it calm before looking back at them. He thought that both women where very mysterious and suspicious in their own ways, and it was strange to him to see them together.

[Isis]

Ella shook her head quickly. "No no. I'm fine. I'll stay here for a while more and get everything perfect." Her eyes drifted to the man walking up to them now. Peter. He had been with the circus almost as long as she had but she couldn't even remember having had a conversation with him. All of the performers had their own demons to face, and thinking about it, not many of them spoke at all. There were a few pairs that never separated, but even they just kept away from anyone besides each other. This circus was definitely not the typical family unit. It was a wonder they managed to work together.

Oliver finished his food and threw his plate in the sink to be cleaned. He wasn't going to be leaving the house for the rest of the night so showered and dawned his robe. He sat on the couch to wait. He felt he had been quite generous with his wife and he planned on making sure she knew that as soon as she came in.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid sighed when Ella insisted on staying even though she'd just hurt herself stretching. She hadn't even started practicing her actual act yet. "Apparently yes," she said in response to Peter's question, "But we shouldn't be, we should be resting for tomorrow instead of trying to push ourselves too hard." When she said "we" she was referring to Ella, and she looked at her the entire time she was speaking to let both her and Peter know that in no uncertain terms. She truly was just concerned for her well being and didn't want to see her hurt.

Peter truly was interested in these two women, purely because it was clear that they were both hiding something, although he was sure that he was the only one that suspected either of them to be. "Alright, well, don't work too hard I suppose," he said, being his hawk down off of his shoulder and letting it hold on to his forearm instead, not caring about the sharp talons poking his skin. He'd grown to enjoy the pain. "I suppose that I'll see you tomorrow Ingrid and....Ella?" he asked, looking at each of them respectively, happy that her been able to remember Ella's name.

[Isis]

Ella looked down to her toes as Ingrid stared so blatantly at her and then simply nodded to Peter. "Alright. Goodnight. Tomorrow." She turned away from both of them and started to work on her act. Every show her act got more extreme, as were her husband's orders. She really did need the practice, though she would have liked to skip the show entirely. She would also have liked if the trapeze girl and the hawk guy would just go ahead and leave her alone. She didn't need them to stand there staring and prying, because she knew that they both were. Her husband was a mystery and she had their answers.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Peter sighed and nodded, turning to go and put his hawk in it's cage for tomorrow's act. He'd already worked with the lion earlier, so he felt confident that everything would work out just fine for the performance. As he left, he stopped by Ella again to whisper, "For the record, I think that she's hiding something. Maybe you could find something out for me, hmm?" glancing at Ingrid who was doing warm up backflips. He smiled and winked at Ella, trying to make her smile at least a little as he turned to leave. He could tell that Ingrid was in some way or another annoying her. He was good at reading people like that. Peter knew that Ella was hiding something too, but he decided that he liked her much more than he liked Ingrid, so he was going to at least try and befriend Ella if he could.

[Isis]

Ella looked at him rather shocked and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She had no idea how to react to his words. Ingrid was hiding something? Why did he feel the need to ask her to find out about it? Why was he acting like they were buddies? She was confused, but he was already walked away. She swallowed and she looked around at the other woman. She hadn't even thought she was hiding something, but now she wasn't sure she should even be around this person. She felt panic rising inside her, but she pushed it away as quickly as she could. She ran a hand up through her hair then gave Ingrid a slight smile when they happened to make eye contact. "So um, why is that you're here?" she asked. She didn't know why she was bothering to ask the question, but she felt that she had to.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid looked up from her warm ups when Ella spoke, but wished that she hadn't asked that question. She did have an answer already prepared for it though, and she knew that it was the best and most believable answer so could possibly give after watching the habits of the other circus performers. "Oh...I...I don't like to talk about it," she said, looking away from Ella, forcing a hurt expression on to her face. She knew that everyone here had dark pasts that had lead them to see selling themselves to this circus as the only way of surviving or carrying on in life. So, she knew that she couldn't be any different. She couldn't be too eager to talk about herself, or else she'd stick out too much in the crowd, which she didn't want.

[Isis]

Ella nodded a little bit, though, now that she was actually paying attention she thought that that answer seemed rather forced. "I understand. I don't much like to talk about my past either. We've all come upon rough times though..." She didn't bother to say that they would get past them, because that simply was not true. Every single person who had gotten themselves involved in this circus was very likely never going to see a good day again. Their lives were owned by a man who hated everyone and everything. Even the animals died of depression in this place, especially the tigers. They had had to stop using them a few years back because they had gone through three young ones in only two years. The lions lasted a bit longer.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid nodded in agreement, but then said. "Isn't it nice though that your husband started this circus for people like us. It gets us out of our bad situations and let's us at least have a halfway decent life, don't you think?" she asked, even though she didn't believe a word of what she was saying. She was just trying to get Ella's opinion on this whole thing to see if she would side with her husband or not. Clearly, he didn't make this circus so that he could save people from themselves and their terrible lives. He'd done it out of his own selfish desires and motives that Ingrid had yet to figure out. That was why she needed Ella so much, for when the time was right, she'd be able to reveal herself and who she really was, and she'd be able to save these poor people from Ella's husband, who essentially owned them. He took innocent people who had no other choice and forced them to work for him. It was sick.

[Isis]

Ella shrugged her shoulders a bit and looked down towards her feet. "I don't know," she sighed. "I wasn't around when he started this whole thing up. I'm not sure why he did it, or with what money he makes this happen. He's a private man. He did save my life though, once, a while ago now. I was on the brink of starvation with a bad case of pneumonia when he found me. Though, I don't know how he found me either." She shrugged her shoulders a second time. She hadn't really answered any of Ingrid's questions, because she didn't know how to without admitting how miserable she really was. Her hands fell absently over her belly, rubbing lightly, as she tried to think of a better answer for the woman she didn't quite trust. "I guess some people like it here. Circus life is interesting."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid nodded, smiling a bit as Ella admitted her own suspicions about her husband. She didn't know why he was doing this or where the money came from or how he found any of these people. The part that bothered her though is that Ella didn't at all seem fazed by that. She didn't seem at least a little curious about it, she simply just excepted that her husband was a "private man" and moved on. How could she not see what he was doing was shady? That was what had drawn her agency to him in the first place. Nothing added up or made any sense when it came to him and this circus. They'd originally thought that he was just cheating on taxes or something, but it turned out to be much more complex, which was why she was sent in under cover. Ingrid looked at Ella, seeing again how she was rubbing her belly. This was the third time that she'd done that now, but before Ingrid had just been pretending not to notice it. This time though, she decided to call her on it. "Are you pregnant by chance?" she asked her.

[Isis]

Ella just about jumped out of her skin at Ingrid's next words. She gasped in breath. Her eyes opened wide and prepared to pop out. "Please," she begged in a whisper, "Please don't say anything. Don't say anything to anyone. He can't know you have to be quiet." She was quickly on her feet and scrambling away from her practice stand. She was shaking her head rapidly back and forth and backing up. She was like an animal caught and backing into a corner. She had never been a brave girl, or a very smart one. She had never really had a chance. But, finding out she was pregnant had felt like her one chance to do something. She could already feel that slipping away. She had been a fool, already giving herself away. How was she to hide this from Oliver when a stranger could figure it out. She was too proud, to cautious over her bundle. She had tried not to be but it was instinct. She had blown cover through pure instinct.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid truly felt terrible when Ella got so flustered and frightened. She hasn't meant to do that to her, she'd just asked a simple question, and honestly she hasn't expected to get the truth. It wasn't like she was interrogating her or anything like that. "Hey, shh, it's okay. I won't say anything if you don't want me to," she said gently, truly meaning it. She wondered why she didn't want her husband to know about it, but she figured that this wasn't the right time to ask her that. There had to be a good reason though, and Ingrid knew that this could lead to a lot of new evidence of everything went correctly. "I am happy for you though. Truly, I am," she said, giving her a genuine smile.

[Isis]

"It's time for me to go inside now," Ella whispered then she was turning and running, and by some miracle, did not trip. She ran straight back to her home with Oliver, caught her breath outside the door, then entered. She knew she would probably look flustered but she could likely pass that off as having practiced hard. She hoped so, anyway.

When she got inside she saw Oliver sitting there on the couch. She swallowed hard and gave him a big smile. "Hi honey. Was dinner ok? I just practiced a little more while you were eating. Is there anything I can get you?"

Oliver rolled his eyes then shook his head. "No no. I'm not an invalid. I can get things for myself if I need them. Come." He stood up and held out his arms for her. He waited for her to walk over then he grabbed her by the hair. He pulled her off toward the bedroom despite her soft protests.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

"No! Ella! Wait, please! I can help you! I swear!" she called after her when she started to run, knowing that if she had to reveal herself now to get her to come out and tell her the rest of her story, she would. This wasn't just about her mission anymore because she truly cared about Ella and her unborn child now that she was certain that something was happening between her and her husband and it couldn't be good. Ella herself had voices suspicions about who he might be and his motives.

Ingrid took off running after her, trying to make one last attempt to stop her, but she did trip, and as she fell forwards, she put out her arms to catch herself, but because she was falling too hard and too fast, she fell funny on one of her wrists and cried out in pain. It made a disgusting snapping noise and from how terribly it hurt, she knew that it was broken. Ingrid gently took her broken wrist in her other hand and held it close to her as she shakily stood up, unsure whether or not to go after Ella or go try and do something about her wrist. She was about on the verge of tears because of the pain and she knew that she couldn't do her trapeze act with her wrist broken. She didn't want to think about what the ring master was going to do to her.

[Isis]

Ella and Oliver's eyes met as they both heard the cry come from outside. Oliver let go of his wife and set out on a run in the direction the noise had come from. Ella was not far behind him. The two were over to the person who was shakily standing at this point.

Ella noticed who it was and the guilt hit her immediately. She couldn't help but feel responsible for the obviously broken wrist. The woman had been running after her and had fallen. It was so much her fault that she wanted to run to her and scream her apologies. Oliver was in the way, however.

"What the fuck happened?" Oliver hissed under his breath as he saw the woman's wrist against her chest. "You've got to be kidding me. You're a trapeze artist and you trip? Pathetic! Get out of my sight and don't come back into it until you've decided not to destroy my entire show!" He turned away from the woman and grabbed Ella. He pulled her forward. "Help that clumsy bitch with her wrist and then get home. You're going to have to take her place tomorrow and I don't have time for your bullshit. Go!" He stormed off.

Ella looked at Ingrid, shaking slightly. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. Come on, we have to get to the medical tent. I'll call a doctor and give you some pain medication. I'm so sorry."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid knew that she was in big trouble when Oliver and Ella came running out to her. She glared at him when he called her a clumsy bitch and acted like she was his entire show and now that she couldn't preform, he was ruined. He had plenty of other acts that were very good and he could do just fine without her. But no, he had to make a huge deal out of it because he was a self centered bastard who only cared about himself. He didn't even care that she was in pain and had absolutely no empathy.

"Go to hell," she said under her breath, still on the verge of tears from the splitting pain shooting through her wrist and glaring at Oliver as he left her with Ella. She then looked at her and shook her head, "It...it's not your fault. It's my own fault," she said shaking her head, "I'm just a clumsy bitch, right?" She didn't really believe that about herself, but she didn't want Ella to blame this on herself when she already had enough to deal with.

[Isis]

"You're not clumsy, nor a bitch. I've seen your act, and you couldn't be clumsy if you wanted to. The ground is very uneven." Ella shrugged her shoulders then led the other girl away, toward the medical tent. She set her down on the cot there then picked up the telephone. She made the call for a doctor, one who would be willing to bring his kit to the circus and accept payment in cash. It only took one call and the doctor was there in record time. It was a very good thing, too.

Ella sat next to the Ingrid as her wrist was repaired. She hated to see anyone in pain, unlike her husband. She just wanted to hug the woman and promise her that everything would be ok, but she stayed silent until the doctor had finished, been paid, and left the premises.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid sat still and didn't say anything as the doctor came and fixed her wrist. She winced a few times in pain as he set the bone and then put her wrist in a splint, making sure that it didn't move around and get even worse.

Most of her cocky attitude and confidence and optimism was destroyed and she didn't know what to do now. She'd probably just ruined everything not only for her and her mission, but for Ella too. A pregnant women shouldn't be doing flips on a trapeze, especially when she wasn't even trained. No one should be doing trapeze who wasn't trained.

Once the doctor had left, she looked at Ella and sighed. "If that money was yours, I promise to pay you back as soon as I can," she said, doubting that Oliver would spend his precious money on her, or any of his performers, "And, I'm doing my act tomorrow, and you're not. You and the baby are much more important than me."

[Isis]

"It wasn't my money. It was the money from the medical fund that we sort of all put together just in case. Don't worry, there's more. As for your act, we have a backup for you. She's not very good but she is trained and she can do the basic stuff. Oliver was just upset..." Ella sighed softly then gave the girl a light hug. "Don't worry. I won't let him get rid of you or anything. Your wrist should heal pretty fast and you can work with the lion tamer for the time being. Perks of being the wife I suppose. The only perks."

She stood and brushed herself off. "Don't mention the baby though, please. If I do this for you will you just, not talk about it. No one can know and you shouldn't know either. Ok?"

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid was kind of surprised when she hugged her, but she gently hugged her back and nodded a bit. "I already promised not to say anything before, but then you ran off, and...well you know the rest," she said. She didn't look forward to working with Peter, but if it was her only option, she supposed that she would, even though dangerous animals scared her if she had to get close to them.

When Ella talked about the only perks to being Oliver's wife, Ingrid sighed a bit, knowing that she had to go back to getting more information now. "You really hate him, don't you? I can tell by the way that you talk about him," she said, "What did a bastard like him do to get you to marry him?" She truly did want to know why Ella had agreed. Had they truly been in love at one point or another?

[Isis]

Ella's eyes were once again on her feet and she was collecting herself. She stood and let out a soft sigh. "Well, I fell in love with him of course. He really did save my life and he seemed so...perfect. It was an easy little trap to fall into. He's just, not exactly what I thought." She ran a hand up through her hair. "I was a teenager and he was a grown man with a handsome face. I would have thought I was in love with any man like that, whether he saved me or not. But, sometimes we grow up and our fantasies are realized to be just that, fantasies."

She looked from her toes to her still flat belly. "I hate him just as much as the rest of these people, but he owns me too. He owns me on two sets of paper, and one is our marriage license. I just need to get out of her before I have this baby."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid truly felt bad for her because she'd been foolish and gotten herself into a situation that she couldn't get out of. She'd married a man who she didn't love, and was truly a terrible person and then gotten pregnant with his child and there was nothing that she could do about it.

"Look, I wasn't lying when I said that I could help you," she said softly, "I can, but you just have to trust me and wait until it's the right time, okay? I'm on your side of your on mine." Now that she knew how Ella truly felt about Oliver, she knew that she wasn't going to try to defend him when Ingrid took him down.

[Isis]

Ella looked at the girl in confusion. She shook her head. "I don't understand. How can you help me? What are you talking about?" She had no idea how a trapeze artist with a broken wrist could possibly help her out of this terrible situation. It seemed rather ridiculous in her opinion, but she would take the help where she could get it and hope that it didn't blow up in her face. "Ok, alright. I'll trust you for now, but if I find out you're working against me, you'll regret it."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid smiled a bit and nodded, happy that Ella had agreed to trust her. "I can't tell you how right now, but I promise that I can help you, and I don't break promises," she said, "Just give me some time and then everything will be ready. I'm going to try and save you and everyone here if I can."

She knew that she'd have to call in other agents for backup when the time came to arrest Oliver, but she could deal with that later. She still needed more evidence because there were still so any unanswered questions about this circus that he intended to figure out.

"Now, if it's all right with you, I'm going to head off to rest. I need to be prepared to handle your husbands wrath in the morning when he sees me and remembers that I can't preform," she said, giving her a small smile even though she wasn't kidding.

[Isis]

Ella sighed softly and nodded. "Alright. Good luck. I'll do what I can for you but I don't think that will be much." She kicked at the dirt a bit then she started off toward her own excuse for a home. She had his wrath to face too, and she didn't have the luxury of waiting until morning, so she walked quite slow. He would either be asleep or he would be in a rage. She could only hope that he hadn't managed to find a bottle of anything and put it to his lips. She couldn't deal with drunken wrath.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid felt terrible for leaving her alone to go and face her husband, and she almost stopped her to say that she could come and sleep in her room for the night, but she knew that at the end of it all, that would only make things worse. Oliver would be very angry if she just never came home.

Ingrid couldn't help but wonder if Oliver was always like this to Ella, or if he was just angry and over reacting. She wouldn't put it past him to be abusive, and decided to investigate that next as she headed for her home. It would add yet another terrible thing to Oliver's ever frowning list of crimes.

[Isis]

Ella heard snores as she came back into the room. She let out a sigh of relief. Apparently seeing Ingrid in such pain had lightened his mood just enough to allow him to fall asleep. She had at least that one thing going for her. But, that meant she was to be sleeping on the couch. If he was asleep before her she had strict orders not to enter the bedroom and try to get into the bed, because it may wake him up. She didn't mind the couch anyway. It was incredibly uncomfortable and hurt her back, but it was better than laying in bed next to him where he thought he had unlimited access.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((Should we skip now?))

[Isis]

((Yes ma'am))

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((Would you like to start since you're kind of in control of where this goes? :) ))

[Isis]

((Sure sounds good.))

Ella walked behind Oliver to the tent. It was time for the last practice before the show that evening. She stayed quiet. She hoped that if she kept herself low profile to him then he would forget about his promise to make her do the trapeze act. She couldn't do that. She would fall to her death, or at least break every bone in her body and kill her unborn baby. She couldn't do that. It was best to just stay back and wait until he made his decisions.

When they got to the tent Oliver looked around at the entirety of his circus gathered. He looked at Ingrid with her broken wrist and smiled. "My wife seems to think you will be of some use to Peter. So, I pray that you are. Peter, tell her what you need and she will do it." He turned to the back up trapeze girl. "You're up. Don't ruin this or you'll have at least a broken wrist too. Understood?" He popped his knuckles. "Everyone practice. Now."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Peter said nothing at all to Oliver as he spoke, simply glared at him with his arms crossed over his chest. He hated him, hated him with a burning passion that grew each day. If he was braver, he would have taken Oliver down. Peter was at least three inches taller than him and he was stronger too, so it wouldn't be hard to hurt him, but something held him back every time that he thought about doing it. Maybe one day, something would motivate him enough to force him to do it, because more than just about anything, he wanted to damage Oliver's perfect face.

For now though, he did as he was told and led Ingrid away, not knowing what exactly he'd have her do, since he was kind of a solo act. It was just him and the animals, and truly having someone else there might distract them and not have them do as they should. He sighed, looking down at Ingrid. "That bastard has no right to threaten you like that," he said, still angry about the whole thing, "I'll try and find something for you to do, but for now you can just sit tight and rest, alright?" He then went off to get the lion out of it's cage.


Ingrid sighed and nodded, sitting down on a crate and watching everyone else practice their performances. She truly wished that she could perform, because she did enjoy it a lot, and she knew that if Oliver made Ella do her act, then she would step in and do it anyway, even with her broken wrist. Ella couldn't do trapeze even if she wasn't pregnant. She'd never been trained and Ingrid had no idea what made Oliver think that she could do it. When he wasn't looking, she waved Ella over, wanting her to practice close by so that they could talk.

[Isis]

Ella finally managed to escape and go off toward Ingrid to practice. She did her stretches first, as usual. "Sorry. This was the only thing I could do for you," she said with a soft sigh. "I know Peter probably isn't very happy and you won't get to do much." She started working on her actual routine, minus the escape part. She was not allowed to practice such a thing since it involved so much water. She also assumed that her husband hoped she would drown in that water if she did not practice. Sure, he loved having her around as his personal slave, but she knew that he hated her almost as much as she him.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid sighed and shook her head, knowing that working with Peter was going to be fine, even if she hardly got to do anything. It would be nice to have a rest for a while. "If Peter doesn't want me to work with him, then he'll just have to live with it, because this is what Oliver said, and he's already threatened me enough. I don't want him to carry out any of those threats," she said, watching Ella and holding her injured wrist close out of habit.

Just then, Peter came back with the lion, leading it by the rope around it's neck. It looked tired and weak, just like everyone in the circus, and Peter knew that it's time was coming, just like the tigers. "Are you sure it's safe to have it out here with everyone?" Ingrid asked and Peter nodded. "He's way too weak to cause any trouble. He barely does what I direct him to do anymore," Peter said, frowning because it truly was sad. "Ella, I might have to talk to your husband about this, even though I'm already dreading it. The hawk is alright, but I don't know how long this guy is going to last," he told her, "It's really depressing to see that not even lions and tigers can take living here."

[Isis]

Ella sighed and looked down at her feet, despite the awkward posture she held in the moment. "I would help you but I just don't think I can. It's probably best to just call a vet in the middle of the night and see if they can do anything. If we're lucky they'll call the cops and report animal abuse or something. Otherwise, you may have to just let the poor creature die. He'd probably prefer it anyway, because this is no life for a lion, or a tiger, or a person." She clamped her lips together. She had been talking way too much and she could already feel more words wanting to escape. "And stop calling him my husband. Just call him Oliver, or anything else."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Peter sighed and nodded, "I know, I wasn't expecting you to do anything because there is nothing to be done. A vet might be able to help, but I doubt it," he said, scratching the lion behind it's ears like it was a dog. A half smile appeared on his lips when she told him to stop calling Oliver her husband, because he knew now that she wanted nothing to do with him, and for some reason, that made him very happy.

"That's so sad," Ingrid said sadly, truly feeling bad for the poor creature. She was sure that Peter was good to it, but this life was just too much for it to handle. Lions were some of the toughest animals alive, and yet it just couldn't take it. She slowly reached out to pet it's mane and it didn't even look at her. "If he does...die, then I don't think that you should get another," she said, "You shouldn't put another animal through this." She knew though, that it was Oliver's call, just like it always was, and she hated him more for that.

[Isis]

Ella felt like she wanted to cry all of a sudden. She knew it was probably the hormones piling up in her system and she wished they would just go away. She forced herself to suck back the emotions then shrugged her shoulders. "Peter doesn't get a choice. We all know who calls the shots around here and it sure as hell isn't Peter. It's Oliver who will decide if he wants a new lion or not, and he probably will. I think he likes to watch them wither away and he sure has the money for more. People always come to see this damned show, because people like to watch other people perform for them." She gritted her teeth and forced yet another emotion away, rage. She untangled herself and stood up, only to feel a hand push her straight back down.

"What did you say, Ella?" Oliver asked from behind her. She could suddenly feel her breath on the back of her neck, hot and angry. She didn't know how much he had heard, but she had a feeling she was about to find out. She gulped and felt herself begin shivering just the slightest bit.

Oliver gripped her shoulder harder and yanked her back so that she was looking up into his face. "I asked you a question. What did you say about me and the lions? Tell me!" He pulled her off her stand and yanked her to her feet.

[Isis]

Ella felt like she wanted to cry all of a sudden. She knew it was probably the hormones piling up in her system and she wished they would just go away. She forced herself to suck back the emotions then shrugged her shoulders. "Peter doesn't get a choice. We all know who calls the shots around here and it sure as hell isn't Peter. It's Oliver who will decide if he wants a new lion or not, and he probably will. I think he likes to watch them wither away and he sure has the money for more. People always come to see this damned show, because people like to watch other people perform for them." She gritted her teeth and forced yet another emotion away, rage. She untangled herself and stood up, only to feel a hand push her straight back down.

"What did you say, Ella?" Oliver asked from behind her. She could suddenly feel her breath on the back of her neck, hot and angry. She didn't know how much he had heard, but she had a feeling she was about to find out. She gulped and felt herself begin shivering just the slightest bit.

Oliver gripped her shoulder harder and yanked her back so that she was looking up into his face. "I asked you a question. What did you say about me and the lions? Tell me!" He pulled her off her stand and yanked her to her feet.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ingrid had seen Oliver coming at the last second, but it was too late to warn Ella, and she cringed when he shoved her to the ground and then yanked her back up again. She wanted to do or say something, but she knew that she couldn't because Oliver was already pissed enough at her, and she couldn't afford to create even more bad blood. Suddenly, she felt Peter put the rope that served as the lion's leash in her hand and when she looked up at him, he glanced back to the cage. She nodded in understanding and left to go put the poor thing away before things got any worse.

Peter was thankful for Ingrid when she went off to put the lion away because he didn't want her to get involved in whatever was about to happen here. He felt the need to do something again, instead of just standing by like he always did. Peter was probably the only one who could stand up to Oliver, but he just never had. Before he realized it, he was saying, "Leave her alone. It's my fault. The lion is going to die any day now and she's just concerned for it, that's all."

[Isis]

Oliver laughed and shook his head. "Isn't that just like my wife? So stupid she's concerned for the life of a lion." He laughed again, harder, then pushed Ella back down. He grabbed her face in his hand and looked down at her. "If you go near that lion then I'll be sure that you are up there on the trapeze. Understand? Try to keep that stupid brain of yours out of the clouds." He pushed her back so that she almost fell to the ground on her butt, then he walked away, shaking his head.

Ella managed to catch her balance right in time then she sighed softly and ran a hand up through her hair. "Thanks Peter, I guess. I suppose that worked out better than it would have." She sighed again, shakily. She looked up at Peter and gave him a soft, weak smile.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Peter glared at Oliver as he left and shook his head, hating that man so much. He sighed as his expression softened when he reached down to Ella, gently helping her up from the ground. He was still angry though, and his urge to pick a fight with Oliver was overwhelming. "It's okay," he said softly to Ella, but then louder, so he was sure that Oliver hear, he said, "I'm worried about the lion too, and that bastard would be too if he had a scrap of decency or humanity in him." Peter's patience with Oliver had finally reached it's breaking point, and he was finally starting to fight back against him. He couldn't just stand there and watch anymore while Oliver abused Ella, especially when she'd never done anything wrong at all.

[Isis]

Ella's eyes widened as Peter raised his voice and said such a thing. This man was going to get himself killed. She had no doubt that Oliver had it in him to murder, though he was such a coward he would do it while Peter slept. "Quiet," she begged him, "This isn't the time. Please. You're going to get us both killed." Her eyes looked up into his face, searching and begging for him to stop before it was too late. It wasn't that she thought Peter couldn't take Oliver, it was that she knew she could not. She was already going to be punished for what she said earlier, if this man was agreeing with her then she would be punished for that too. She couldn't take the beating, not now.

Oliver gritted his teeth and turned back to them. His hands were at fists by his sides. "Would you care to say that to my face, Peter?" he asked. "Or, would you rather remember exactly who you work for and why? I've had enough decency and humanity to allow you a life when we both know that you would be dead if it were not for me. My dear wife there that you seem to be so suddenly fond of, would also be dead. I can put you both right back into those positions, so I suggest you both mind your mouths."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Peter saw how frightened Ella was and he quickly looked at her, his eyes having a sort of gentle kindness in them because he knew that she never received any of that. He wasn't sure what had suddenly made him so brave and ready to defend himself, and Ella too, but he figured that he'd finally just reached his breaking point and decided that he didn't have to take this shit anymore. Ella didn't have to either, or Ingrid, or any of them. He realized that he wasn't just standing up for himself, or Ella, but he was standing up for all of them.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let him hurt you, just stay back, please," he whispered softly to Ella so that only she could hear, and then he looked back at Oliver, his eyes flaring with anger again. "You call this decency and humanity? You might of saved our lives, but in return for that, you forced us to work in this damn circus and be your little performing monkeys. This place is hell, and I'm sure that a lot of us would rather go back to our old lives than be forced to stay here," he said coldly, "And as for me, you can kick me out if you want to, but truly, you need me. You're already down your trapeze artist, and without me, how long until the rest of this circus goes downhill too? You're setting out to ruin yourself Oliver, so I just suggest that you leave Ella alone and get the hell out of here and let us practice."

[Isis]

Oliver was smart enough to realize he wasn't going to win this fight, not right now with Peter staring at him and holding Ella back. He would solve this problem later, maybe not directly, but he would solve it none the less. "Alright. Do get back to practicing then. All of you, get back to practicing before I lose my patience and throw you all out onto the streets with nothing." He turned away and he walked. He walked straight out of the main tent and off into his own home trailer. He would destroy them all, but for now, he just pretended he wasn't seeing stars of rage. After the show, after the show he would fix this problem.

Ella looked at Peter and shook her head. "You know you're right, but, what can we do? He's just going to wait until after the show then he's going to make me pay for this. I can't. I could have before but not right now. I-I'm too weak for a beating." She averted her eyes in order to keep herself from spilling the truth. "He might come after you too. I know you're trying to protect us but I just don't think that you can. These people won't stand up to him knowing what he will do to them."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Peter was so relieved when he actually won the argument and Oliver left the tent. It was proof that he actually could stand up to him, and now that he knew that, he sure as hell wasn't good to keep quiet anymore when he could be standing up for himself and others.

When Ella spoke though, he looked down at her and his eyes widened. "He beats you?" he asked, knowing that he should have known, but it was hard to tell when Oliver always was carefully enough to make sure that she didn't bruise. Peter was disgusted by that, even more than he already was if that was possible and he shook his head. "I'm not going to let him hurt you, not anymore. Besides, if he seeks revenge, he'll come after me, and that's okay, I can handle myself," he said surely, "I'll find some way to make him leave you alone, I promise." Peter was changing so fast, he never used to be so brave and sure of himself, but his patience had finally run out and he was fighting back in any way that he could. He decided that Ella was now his number one priority. A husband should never beat his wife, and Peter wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again.

[Isis]

Ella looked up at him for a moment longer then she looked down. She shook her head and sighed. "No, Peter. I'll be fine. Please don't try and fix this whole thing for me. Maybe, maybe you should just take the others and get out of here before it's too late. Just, I don't know. Peter, you can't protect me. You can't follow me around endlessly and neither can anyone else. Ok? This is my problem and I'll have to take care of it myself somehow. Thank you though, Peter. I'll never forget that you did this."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Peter shook his head, too determined to help her now to give up so easily. "Well, I've made it become my problem. I should have done this a long time ago instead of staying back and watching him torture you and the rest of us," he said angrily, "Besides, this is my fault you know. If I wouldn't have brought up the lion, he wouldn't have ever even come over here because you wouldn't have said that about him. It's my fault, so I'm going to make up for it, and that's that." Now that he'd committed to this, he was committed and there was nothing that she could say that would change his mind.

[Isis]

Ella's lower lip wobbled and she could feel tears pricking her eyes. She was not sure which emotion was causing these tears and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. There were so many things going through her mind.

She was so thankful that Peter was willing to help her and stand up to Oliver, but at the same time, she was terrified. She knew Oliver would not threaten to take her life or the life of her unborn baby and she knew that this was a very dangerous situation for everyone in the circus if Peter decided to take a stand. Then again, she felt relief, relief that someone was willing to do anything at all and put them out of their misery one way or another.