You could only stare at the trapeze artist, awestruck. The way he so easily handled his partner, the graceful way he swung... it could only be described as a work of magic, almost as if he were flying. A fairy, he must have been, you decided that night.

As soon as you had left the tent with your family, it wasn't twenty steps before you found yourself drawn back, almost immediately. When you re-entered, most everyone had cleared out with the exception of the circus performers. A few glanced up at you as they were beginning to clear their space.

"'Ello, lass! An' what might ya be doing back so soon?" the leader asked brightly. "Might 'ee be wishing to see more o' the show? 'Fraid we might be packing up today for our next place."

"Oh, really?" you asked, your voice faltering slightly at the thought. They were leaving already? Granted, Noah's Arc Circus traveled, but... so soon?

"That's 'ow it is, lass," he said, giving you a sympathetic smile. "'Ee best be off to yer family." For just a moment, you thought you saw a look of guilt in all of their eyes, but they passed so quickly, you decided to disregard it.

"Wait, Joker. No need to coldly turn the kid down when we haven't cleaned everything up yet," Peter said, ruffling his blond hair, looking a little irritated. He had smiled so brightly before—did he really have such a different personality? Then again, there was also what he said. "What do you want to see, kid?"

"Well, firstly, my name isn't kid," you said, feeling a little defensive. If anything, you're the one who's a kid... He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, you wanna tell me what it is? Not like you introduced yourself, kid."

"F/N," you said, controlling a bit of irritation at his intentional needling. "And I was going to say that you were so excellent on the trapeze that I wanted to see it once again."

"Oh, that so? Wendy, you up for another performance?"

"Sure," his partner replied with a slight shrug, and you watched, surprised as the pair rose to the trapeze and began to swing, side to side and back again. It seemed like they were talking, but you couldn't make out much besides the fact that their lips were moving. Eventually, Wendy let go while Peter caught her, and they both landed on solid ground again before coming back down to you again.

"Excellent, once again. Thank you," you replied, reaching into a small purse you carried with you to find a few coins.

"Don't pay me for that," Peter said, placing his hand quickly on your purse. "It's... a service." Wendy looked at her partner strangely, but she said nothing. "But, if you see me again, I do want to be paid. Handsomely."

"Right..." you mumbled as he steered you out of the tent.

"Now go back to your family!"

<><><>

As it so happened, you did see Peter again.

And if you had thought you had already seen the part of him you weren't expecting to, you were wrong.

The very night you had gone home, you had passed a boy, no older than nine, running about the street with glee, and for a few, fateful moments, you stared after him. He was heading straight for one of the circus members in an alley. Odd that they would be here, but you supposed it was advertising.

Up until the child was lead into a carriage and a police officer was killed in front of your eyes by Jumbo as he attempted to rescue the boy from his kidnapper.

And the next thing you knew, a taut wire was pressed up against your neck, and you had the sinking suspicion you were going to die just because you had witnessed the awful spectacle.

"Oh good lord, it you..." a familiar voice grumbled. "That cheeky girl."

"Hah. My name isn't 'girl' either," you replied, trying to loosen the cord somehow, but Peter was a lot stronger than he looked.

"Your name is what you're concerned about?"

"No, I'm concerned about my pudding that I accidentally left out for the cat at home," you derided. "At least remember my name if you're going to kill me. And the horrified expression on my face. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Sarcasm and a scolding? You're a hundred years too early to lecture me."

"Am I? Killing is never an answer. Nor is kidnapping innocent children for lord knows what."

"Why haven't I killed you yet?"

"It's polite manners to remember someone's name before you kill them."

"You're stalling."

"And you're losing," you replied, having finally found a way away from the rope before you started running, though not before you smashed a heel on his foot. You heard the other circus members tell him to wait as he angrily chased after you, obviously not badly injured, judging by how his feet quickly caught up with yours, but you decided it was a long enough distance.

It didn't take much time, however, for Peter to set the rope back against your neck, restraining you, this time against the ground.

"You know, I kind of liked you, F/N," he said, his eyes hollow, and just as he was about to kill you, you came up with an impossible solution, formed as your life flashed before your eyes.

"Wait! I can fund your circus! I'll keep quiet!" Peter paused. "And you even said that the next time I saw you, I should pay you—handsomely, I think was the word you used." Internally, you cursed to yourself as you saw Wendy hovering from somewhere behind her counterpart, looking at you, almost like a grim reaper. You knew you had to be screwed; bribing one person? Doable. Two? Not so much.

"You'll keep quiet?! Where's the proof I have for that?!" Peter interrogated angrily, seeming almost as if he were scolding himself for even considering the idea.

"You'll have to trust me, because I don't know how to prove that. But if it helps, I hate the Scotland Yard for...personal reasons." Peter gritted his teeth, and you winced as the rope tightened again before it released altogether. That was too close.

"You win," Peter grumbled, walking away, Wendy closely following. You could still feel her eyes on you, almost weighing you. Then you heard her speak.

"Bring the money to the location where our circus is. If we don't hear from you within the next day, I'll finish his job." You felt shudders travel down your spine as you nodded quickly, slowly falling to the ground in relief.

Too close indeed.

<><><>

Out of your three momentary encounters with Peter, the last was perhaps the most intriguing.

Initially, you had thought he and Wendy would take the large some of money you had delivered (quite painstakingly, you might add) and run away with it. Yet Wendy was not present, and instead of leaving, Peter held a staring contest with you for at least a full minute. Well, if you could call it that when both of you were blinking.

"Why do you hate the Scotland Yard?" he finally asked.

"Asking for reason in my silence, or are you just curious?"

"Neither, I'm asking because I'm bored," he replied, sitting down on the barren ground.

"Then I can't tell you."

"I was joking."

"Why do you want to know?"

"You just said why. Or do I have to threaten you again?"

"Fine," you said with a sigh, folding your arms. "An officer, years ago, shot my grandfather and claimed it was an accident, a misfire, he called it. I watched him though. I watched him cock the hammer and point straight at his heart. He was killed in cold blood. Then the officer threatened me. Said he would send me straight to hell with him if I didn't keep my mouth shut."

"And what happened to that officer?" Peter asked, now sounding just curious.

"I don't know. The last I heard, he disappeared from the Yard. The rumors say a black dog bit him to death. Serves him right, the bastard." The last sentence you spat out as fiercely as one of your father's disgusting cigars.

"Everyone really does have their own story, don't they?" Peter asked quietly.

"And what about yours?" you asked, making him glance up. "Why are you kidnapping children your age?"

"First of all, they're not my age; I'm 27."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes, I still look like a child, what about it? And second of all, I'm trying to protect my friends, and you, for that matter."

"Me? Why?"

"F/N, you don't get it, do you? Those guys would hate to hear that I let you go, even if it was for a bribe. They would tell me to kill you."

"What question did I ask you?"

"What?"

"No."

"Wha—"

"I just said no." For a few moments, Peter seemed to be heavily confused before he realized he hadn't answered why he was protecting you.

"Oh, hell if I know why," he grumbled, tilting his head back to the sky. Silence settled over you for a long few moments, and you were just about to leave him with the money and leave for the warmth of your bedroom when Peter prodded your mind with an interesting thought. "Hey, would you join the circus? I'm sure you could find a way to make it in, even with your sub-par strength. I mean even when you tried to crush my toes, I barely felt it." You want me to make you feel it? you thought briefly before you considered what he'd just said.

You had stolen a large sum of money from your family. Chances were, they wouldn't want you back, particularly your father. And to be honest, you couldn't say you were happy with the overall situation—it was boring and oppressive to be a noblewoman. This could be freedom.

You couldn't help thinking that Peter's face looked more happy than in his performance earlier that week as you told him you would go right that minute, and you couldn't help smiling too as he lead you away by the hand.