Carnie Love

“Damon. A minute of your time.”

Damon was fixing a wheel on one of the wagons and pretended not to hear Nikolai at first, until he gave Damon a whack with his walking stick. Damon turned around with a glare.

“I’m busy,” he said. “Do you see this wagon tilted to the side?”

“You can get back to it,” Nikolai scowled. “I just need to speak with you for a moment.”

Damon reluctantly stood up and wiped his hands off on a rag. Not that it made much of a difference. He had been doing maintenance and repairs all day, and was covered head to toe in dirt.

“What do you want?” Damon sighed. “If it’s about Rigby, you can’t get rid of him at this point. Everyone loves him. He sleeps in a new bed every day.”

“It’s not about the dog,” he said. “It’s about Willow.”

“Willow,” Damon repeated. “What about her?”

“She’s been acting a little… off,” Nikolai said. “You wouldn’t know anything about that?”

“I haven’t seen her in a long time,” Damon lied. “Why would I know anything? You should ask Justine.”

“You haven’t seen her,” Nikolai said in a flat tone. “Is that so?”

“You told me to stay away and I did.”

“I’m to believe that you actually listened to me?”

“I don’t care what you believe,” Damon said. “I do my part. The rest is on you.”

“Fine,” Nikolai said. “If you don’t know anything, then you don’t know anything. I suppose I’ll just have to give Willow more to do. To keep her focused.”

“She’s doing plenty,” Damon snapped. “Let her rest.”

“How do you know how much she’s doing?”

“I don’t,” he said defensively. “I know you. And I know your sick obsession with her. If she doesn’t get a break, she’ll get hurt.”

“I’m not obsessed,” Nikolai growled. “You know nothing about running a business. If I catch you lurking around her, you’ll be sorry.”

Damon watched Nikolai stalk away, and it gave him a concerned pit in his stomach. Nikolai knew something. Or he suspected it. He knew he couldn’t do much to punish Damon, but he could hurt Willow and that was what it took to get to Damon.

The next few days, Willow wasn’t in her room when Damon went to get her. Nikolai was overworking her, like Damon was worried about. He lingered outside the inn one afternoon until he managed to catch Justine. She yelped when he grabbed her hand and pulled her into an alley so no one could see them talking.

“Oh, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” she gasped. “Damon, what are you-“

“I haven’t seen Willow in days, where is she?” he asked.

“At the stage,” Justine said with a grimace. “Nikolai has her running drills back to back. I’ve been trying to give her energizing food and drinks between exercises, but he’s obsessed.”

“It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Damon frowned.

“No,” Justine reassured him. “We’re all terrorized by that beast. It just seems that Willow has his attention at the moment. All we can do is hope something else occupies him soon.”

“Shit.”

“Damon, are you hearing me?” Justine said. “It’s not your fault. If anything, you are the one thing keeping her strong right now.”

“Do you know about-“

“Of course I do,” she chuckled. “Molly and I have tea every Tuesday. I also have eyes.”

“Oh.”

“Get some rest,” she told him. “You look a mess. I’ll send for you when she’s back in her room and has time to breathe.”

Damon reluctantly left, but he didn’t get much rest. He snuck into Willow’s show that night, just to make sure she was alive if nothing else. He ducked into a dark corner, far from Nikolai, and watched anxiously as Willow came out. She was glittering in her fairy-like costume, but he could see the exhaustion in her face.

She managed two songs before the exhaustion got to her, and everyone gasped when she suddenly collapsed on stage. Damon instinctively tried to jump up to get her, but Justine was with him and pulled him back before Nikolai saw him.

“Come to her room in an hour,” she said. “I’ll cover for you.”

That hour felt like years, but when Damon climbed through Willow’s window, she was finally there and tucked into bed with a cup of hot tea in her hands. She was in a nightgown, but there was still glittery makeup on her face. She looked pale, but lit up when she saw Damon.

“You’re here,” she said breathlessly.

“I’ve been here,” he told her. “He’s been dangling you just out of my reach for days.”

She sat up in bed and gasped when Rigby suddenly came bounding out of Damon’s jacket and into her lap. She cooed softly and cuddled him close.

“You brought Rigby?”

“I thought he’d help you feel better,” Damon said as he sat on the edge of her bed.

She scooted over and moved her sheets aside so he could crawl under the covers with her, then cuddled up to him with Rigby in her arms.

“I feel better already,” she said.

“I gave him too much attitude,” Damon said. “It’s my fault he worked you so hard.”

“It’s a blessing in disguise.”

“A blessing?” Damon frowned. “Willow, I thought you were dead up there.”

“That part wasn’t great,” she admitted, “But it pushed Nikolai over the edge. He left.”

“What?”

“He said he was going to Ridgeview to get me some medicines they don’t have around here,” she said. “He’ll be gone four days, at least. The show is on hold until he gets back.”

“He left,” Damon said slowly. “For… medicine?”

“I think the medicine is an excuse,” she said. “He’s spooked. He thought I died for a minute, too. I don’t really know what he’s doing out there, but he needed space from us. All of us.”

“He’ll be back to his awful self when he comes back,” Damon sighed. “But at least we get a break. You need it.”

“So where are we going tonight?”

“You’re joking,” Damon chuckled. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying in bed until the color comes back to your face.”

She wrinkled her nose and he leaned in to kiss her. When he pulled away, she was bright red.

“See? Like that,” he said.

“But this is our only chance to do things with each other while he’s gone,” she pouted.

“We still have to be careful,” Damon reminded her. “We don’t know some of these new carnies. They’d sell us out to Nikolai for a shiny penny. Also, you died an hour ago.”

“I didn’t die,” she scoffed. “I fainted. That’s it. I’m not weak.”

“You’re a force to be reckoned with,” he chuckled. “How about this? Tonight and tomorrow you stay in bed and rest up. If you feel better by tomorrow night, we can go dancing.”

“Dancing?” she blushed. “I don’t know, I’m not much of a dancer.”

“That’s too bad,” Damon shrugged. “I guess I can find another partner. I’m sure there’s lots of people waiting around for one.”

“Fine,” she giggled, swatting his arm. “Dancing sounds great.”

“Good. Now cuddle your puppy and get some sleep.”