The Carnivale (open,R rated)

Jason pushed his way through the crowd around her and put a protective arm around Dahlia. He held up his other hand, motioning for everyone to calm down. "Dahlia has had a rought time the last couple of days and would like to just relax a bit." he looked around at everyone, "I will be out and about shortly, for I want to meet everyone of you and get to know all of you. I will be making this my

home so i think it only right for all of you to know who I am. But for now, please, we have been on the road a long time and need just to relax and unwind." he gave them a big warm smile and began making for the house that she had sent him an image of. The crowd eased up a bit when he told them he would be coming to meet them all. In the distance he saw Blade. "A little help, if you don't mind." he sent him a mental message.

Blade had barely opened the gate when he heard Jason and turned around to see them just about managing to get away from the hoarde of people. With a smile, he shut the gate again and came back to them. "Now now folks, leave off." He joked to the people, "Family meeting at dusk, so you can all ask your questions then, ok?" He cocked his head at Jason and stepped aside to let them get to the house....

At the door Jason turned and gave the crowd a friendly wave and then opened the door and ushered Dahlia inside. "Rescue completed." he chuckled and wraped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

With an actual audible sigh, Dahlia leaned against the wall and pulled off the heavy outer skirt. Underneath, the much lighter cotton was much more comfortable and she meandered through to the kitchen to find everything had been stocked up. 'Blade?' She called silently, 'Who knew we were coming back early?' Blade had one simple answer to that, but he decided to take Jason into the living room first. It wasn't large, but much bigger than the caravan and much more homely. The couch looked lived in and the furniture, though old, was not as antique. And there was a radio near the window. Blade moved to the couch and flopped down on it before pulling his boots off. "sit down, my boy." He said to Jason, "You and I need to have a talk.".....

"Yes indeed I think we do." Jason said as he took a seat in an overstuffed chair. "Why didn't you tell me that my grandfather was alive and close by?" It would have been good to know that his grandfather was alive. He would have loved to talk to him.

"It was his idea." Blade said, "What Bernie did was for your good, you need to understand that. He knew that there would come a day when you learned who you were and what you were and he'd be able to explain things. In truth, I don't think he was expecting you to be found so soon. Maybe in another ten or so years, but as luck would have it, you found us instead." Blade sat foward in the chair and looked towards the door into the kitchen. "It was probably Bernie." He called to his sister, "I get the feeling he's been here recently." He smiled at the cheeky response from Dahlia and looked back at Jason again......

For his own good? Why. It would have been better to have been told what he was going to be able to do, perhaps even begin training to use his abilities, be ready to use them. He had stumbled through it all after learning he had the abilities. It could have been really messy if it had not been for Blade and Dahlia who knew more about it. "So that was him back there, giving me the idea of making an illusion to scare off those men. Will he be coming here soon?"

Blade chewed his lip a little, feeling the emotions running through Jason and he felt for the boy. Deciding not to make things more complicated than they already were, he just nodded to Jason's questions. Then Dahlia arrived with three mugs of coffee in her fingers and set them down on the table. 'Nice of him to think ahead for us.' She told Blade and watched as he simply nodded again....

He took the cup of coffee and gently pulled Dahlia down to his lap. "Well it seems that in a little bit I should be seeing him. In the mean time I need to find a place to set up shop at and then go back and get everything I will need to make a work place here."

Blade nodded, "You're more than welcome to stay here." He offered, "We have a good sized spare upstairs and I'll knock heads with Hoss about setting you up a temporary shop on the main strip.".....

"That sounds good. He would take it easy with Dahlia. He was in no rush to do anything. She still had to get to know him and him her. They each had their little quirks that they would have to see how they set with each other. "So tommorow I guess I will the the main attraction here." he grinned. "Town meeting to let everyone get to see me and find out about me."

"Well, it's that or be pounced on at every step." Blade laughed, "Besides, I always hold meetings when we get back for those that want to. We keep the energy there for the others to soak up. You'll feel it when we get inside." He sipped his coffee.....

Those that had been with the Carnival was now mingling with the rest of the people, they were telling them of how Jason had first showed up, of him foiling a robbery, then protecting Dahila when she was attacked, and how he had been able to warn them of the attack on them and keep the men away to give them time to get on the road and out of town. This only made them want to meet and find out more about Jason. It also made him more welcome among everyone. He had done what no outsider would have and risked his own life to do it. To them that just confirmed he was family. Inside the house, Jason sipped his coffee, enjoying having Dahlia on his lap. "So what do we do for the rest of the day?"

Blade laned back in the chair and put his feet up on the table. dahlia quickly kicked them off again and stuck her tongue out at her brother. "I guess we get our house in order." He said, rubbing the toe his sister had connected with. "I'll give you the grand tour.....

Jason chuckled as she hit his feet off the table. Reaching up he turned her head towards him and pulled her down to kiss her lips. When he broke the kiss he said, "That would be great." he said to Blade's offer.

Blade grinned and put his feet back on the table. "Off you go then." He said with a chuckle. He then put his head back and closed his eyes, "And try not to make too much noise, hmm?" Dahlia scowled and got to her feet. She held out her hand to Jason and tilted her head, bidding him to follow.....

He laughed at Blade. He should have known that it would be Dahlia giving him the tour. He rose and followed her, taking her hand.

Dahlia smiled and led him towards the kitchen. It was large and well stocked, but very basic. No microwave or electric oven. No gadgets or gizmos here. 'This is my favourite room.' Her mind told him, 'I could spend my life in here and never be bored.' It was bright and welcoming. It felt like a home. She showed him the pantry and the laundry room which were just as basic. The washing machine was little more than an old style twin tub with a removeable spool. After that, she took Jason up the stairs and onto the main landing. It had a deep country feel to it, but still open and very bright. Every wall held a window of some description and every window had soft net curtains and white drapes. There were pictures everywhere of family and friends along with a few landscape pieces that must have been at least a century old by now. In amongst those paintings, there were a few recognizable pieces too. Dahlia showed him her favourite piece. The Sunflowers by Van Gogh, and it was the original too! 'It was terrible what happened to him.' She offered, 'He was a good friend once. Loved to drink wine and sing with us.'....

Jason chuckled as he saw the paintings. Many would fetch a small fortune. "Knew Van Gogh eh. What was he like?"

Dahlia furrowed her brow a little, 'Honestly, he was a bit too weird sometimes.' Her mind said, 'Like he wasn't entirely there all the time? Still sad though what happened.' She smiled then and led him down the landing to the first door. It opened into a large bathroom with a roll-top tub that could easily fit two people or more. Everything was tiled in pristine black and white motife and a huge mirror took up one wall. 'So good to be home. I can have a decent bath again.'....

He grinned at the mention of a bath. It seemed that he probably could use one himself. He looked in the mirror looking at the two of them together. Slipping his arm around her he liked the look of them together. He turned her to face him and kissed her again.

Dahlia kissed him back with a smile and then moved further down the hall. There were four more doors. The first was a small library and study room. The second was a spare room with ensuite bathroom. The third door was the same again and the fourth seemed seperated slightly down the middle. One one side, there was a large double country style bed with deep blue blankets, a chair, wardrobe and drawers. The other side was an equally sized bed, but in white and lilac. Even in their real home, they still shared a room together...

He wondered about Dahlia and Blade sharing a room. He knew they were twins and all but even twins had their own rooms. He figured it might be because of what had happened to her so many yeas ago. He was in no rush to have her move into a room with him, but down the road he figured they would. He would take the spare bedroom with the bath. "Nice, warm and has that lived in feeling." he told her. It just felt so nice and comfortable. He moved behind her pulling her to him and holding her. Everything just felt so good.

Dahlia smiled and cuddled him back, 'What you mean to say,' Her mind said, 'Was that it feels like home, right?' She looked up and smiled, 'That's how I felt when we moved into it.'.....

She was right. It did feel like home. Just like his place did. Well his grandfather's place that he inherited. "Yes, home." he whispered. "So since it is still early, what shall we do. Not use to having a bunch of free time on my hands."

Dahlia smiled again and moved away. She went back downstairs, then stopped as though something was blocking her way. It was nothing malicious though as seconds later, the smile on her face was like magik. She raced quickly to the front door and swung it open wide, 'Bumble!' Her mind called. Blade arrived a few seconds later with a similar smile and turned to Jason. "Are you ready?" He asked.....

When they went back downstairs, she stopped then smiled and almost ran to the front door. When he heard the name Bumble he stopped dead in his tracks. The man that was there when the door opened was his grandfather, only a much younger looking man then he knew when he had visited him. He looked at him raising a brow. Now this was going to be interesting. "Ready?" he rubbed his jaw a moment then moved forward and embraced his grandfather. "Why didn't you tell me about this years ago?" he asked as he stepped back.

Dahlia hugged Bernie tightly, then kissed his cheek. 'Welcome home, Bumble.' She told him, then moved back to let Blade greet their old friend. He did, then went to the man's truck to collect his things. Once inside again, he looked to Jason with a smile, "Go easy on him." He offered, then pulled Dahlia away and towards the stairs. "I'll get these stowed away for you." dahlia followed reluctantly, but at the top of the stairs, she c ouldn't go any further, so ducked down and watched between the banister poles.......

"Well my boy it wasn't the right time." he moved into the living room and took a seat. Jason followed and sat down across from him. "At the time you didn't show any sign of having the gift. No moments of insight or glimpses of the future that was normally associated with it. Was no sence telling you about something that you might not have. But now you have finally come into it and you will need the trainging that Dahlia and I can provide." Jason nodded. It made sence. Also not telling him he was alive and still young looking made sence. How do you explain that to some one. "So you are going to stay here now?" Jason asked. "Yes my boy, I have found out what I wanted to know and what you now want to know." he grinned. "I can hear your thoughts, when they are unguarded. Something you will need to know how to do now that there are three of us here that can read minds." Jason looked up and saw Dahila and smiled. He motioned with his hand for her to come down and be a part of the discussion.

Dahlia grinned and scuttled back downstairs. However, she didn't go to Jason, she went to Bernie and cuddled up to him. It might have looked odd to an outsider, but their history made it more like a reunion. 'It's good to have you home again Bumble.' She told him, then looked across at Jason and smiled, 'Both of you. It's like having our family all back together again.'......

That made Jason smile. It had been some time since he had a family around him. Jason grinned, "Well now I have been told that you were a rebel and some what of a trouble maker in your younger days." he chuckled. "Getting into trouble and the like." Bernie looked over at him and laughed. "Oh yes. In those days it seemed to be the thing to be. Never know, might be that way again." he grinned and it was something to see, how much the two of them looked alike. He gave Dahlia a kiss on her cheek and motioned with his head that she should be with Jason. "Don't know how I didn't see this coming." he looked at Dahlia and then Jason. "But I think it is about time for you girl." he looked at Dahlia smiling.

Dahlia smiled back, but then that old haunt came back in her eyes. 'We'll see.' Her mind said back, 'But you're right. It is about time I let someone in.' She hopped off his lap and then went across to curl up with Jason. Shortly after, Blade arrived in the room and smiled, "Oh good." He said, "Everything is still intact." The hint of sarcasm made Dahlia giggle silently. Blade turned his eyes to Bernie, "I've put your bag in your usual room." He said, then turned to jason, "And I've put your stuff into the room next to our's. I figured you'd want to stay close. I haven't unpacked your smalls, I ain't that curious.".....

Bernie nodded and Jason thanked Blade. "I will have to go back to get things settled and get what I need to set up shop here." Jason spoke up. Bernie grinned and shook his head. "Already done boy. The house is sold. Yep already. There has been some one that wanted that house ever since I supposedly died. Gave them a call pretending to be you and that they had one chance and only one chance to buy it at the price that you asked for. They snapped at the chance and it is a done deal. Money already in the bank. As for what you need, well, everything is out there in that brand new RV and truck, along with all your personal stuff from the house." Jason was taken aback by that. "When you been around as long as I have you get to know people and the ways of things. Ain't that right Blade?"

Blade smiled and nodded, "Indeed I do." He replied, "Oh, by the by, thanks for stocking up while we were away." He went towards the kitchen to start up a pot of coffee. "I'm holding a town meeting tonight so Jason can meet everyone and they can soak up the energy if they want. Are you coming?".......

"Wouldn't miss it." he told Blade. "Now my boy I think you should know what I know about our gift." He leaned back in his seat and looked over at Dahlia and Jason. They looked just right for each other. "Since my wife died, I have been trying to back track and find out why our family has this strange gift. I have followed leads that lead no where and others that have. Mostly been following back along the family tree. Seems like back in the days of Rome, BC time frame some thing fell from the sky near a village where our ancestors lived. People started dying, and before long the entire village lay dead in their homes or on the street. That is except our ancestors. Newly wed and just getting started in life, they were the only survivors. Years later their son grew up and he was the first to have the gift. He out lived his parents and lived on for quite some time. Don't know how he delt with the psychic part of it all but he did. Some called him a prophat others a wizard. Back then you weren't burned at the stake for it. People feared you and looked up to you. From that time on, every other generation gets the gift. Some have gone crazy, been put into mental
institutions and such, but always after they have married and a child has been born." He looked over at Dahlia and into the kitchen at Blade. "Never learned anything on how you two can do what you do though. Have you every tried to find out?"

Blade shook his head, "We don't have the luxury you did, Bumble." he said, "We were found as infants, remember? Gladys Jones picked up off the side of the road in a basket." He looked to Jason, "That's right. Our mother abandoned us on a roadside somewhere between Prague and Budapest. We never knew where we came from or who." Dahlia looked down at her feet and swayed them too and fro.......

Hearing about how they had been abandoned and raised by some stranger did not sit well with him. How could some one just abandoned two babies. "You never went back to see if you could find out anything?" he asked.

Blade lifted an eyebrow, "Every year for nearly thirty years." He replied, "And in the village nearby. No-one was willing to talk to me, or Dahlia, or any of the troupe.".....

"What year was this?" Jason asked.

Blade hissed lightly between his lips, then sucked his teeth, "The last time I went, it was, I think, 1820, or thereabouts."....

He raised a brow at that and thought. Troubling times and a time of superstitions. Abandoned or left to save their lives. It was quite possible that their parents had left them so that they could live. If their parents were like them then they would have been considered witches or worse. People not talking about it probably were afraid of the Church at the time and any involvement with thier parents. "Well." Bernie said, "I bet that they had a very good reason for leaving you where you would be found."

Blade gave a small shrug of his shoulders, "At least we were still alive when Gladys found us, but she did say that we were both suffering from hypothermia and were starved half to death, so I doubt our parents had much care for whether we lived or not.".....

"Well it was a good thing that she came along when she did." Bernie said. "Otherwise we wouldn't have the two of you here." he got up and put a hand on Blade's shoulder.

Blade gave a small shrug of his shoulders, "At least we were still alive when Gladys found us, but she did say that we were both suffering from hypothermia and were starved half to death, so I doubt our parents had much care for whether we lived or not.".....

"Perhaps." Bernie said. "But I am glad that she found you when she did. I kind of like haveing the two of you around." he grinned and stood up and placed a hand on Blade's shoulder.

Blade grinned back, "I like being around." He replied smartly, then grinned....
:
Jason sat there with Dahlia on his lap. "Yes same here." he gave her a hug and kissed her neck.

Dahlia smiled and nuzzled him back, 'Agreed.' Her mind said.....

Jason looked around at them all. Family. Something that he had not had for a while. It felt good to have. "Well now how long before this town meeting?" he asked. He had basicly lost all track of time.

Blade pulled out his pocket watch, then moved to the door quickly, "Right about now, as it happens." He said, then smiled and opened the door. Dahlia was up and moving quickly....

Jason sighed. He was enjoying having her sit on his lap and his arms around her. He got up and followed her out the door. "Lead on." he told Blade. This was going to be interesting.

Most of the town had turned up for the meeting and some were already soaking up the energy and looking and feeling all the better for it. Blade moved to the front of the room, motioning Dahlia and Jason and Bernie to follow. "Hey folks." He said, "Glad to see you all. I've already filled the energy, so you guys can soak up all you want for hopefully the next 50 years or so." That got a few cooes of excitement which made him smile. "And we have a new family member. Some of you have already met him, some of you haven't." He motioned Jason forward. "This is Jason O'Riley, Bernie O'Riley's grandson. He's decided to stay with us and he's brought some much needed skills with him. But hands off ladies, he's taken." He motioned to Dahlia as the crowd laughed innocently. "And Bernie is back too, so it's a double whammy! Anyhoo, make Jason feel welcome and part of our great family." He then motioned Jason forward to say a few words of his own.....

Jason walked forward a bit embarased. He looked out over the room full of people. There were so many of them, all different in so many ways. "Only a few days ago I was just another person in a city. Alone and not really haveing that feeling of being home." he reached out and took Dahlia's hand and pulled her forward. "Then by chance I met Dahlia and Blade." he squeezed her hand. "Now I feel as if I have come home after a very long time away." he turned to look at her. Then he turned back to the people. "I hope to meet all of you individually and get to know you all."

There was a small applause come from the crowd before a few started standing up to ask questions. "Blade says you've brought skills." One ageing man said, but his age was being turned back by the energy right before their eyes. "What skills?".....

"I am a mechanic. I will be setting up shop soon and trying to get any and all vehicles back in shape." he didn't want to tell them that he also was a budding psychic."

A few of the crowd nodded, then a woman stood up, "Do you just fix cars, or can you fix other things too?" she looked similar to Dahlia in the way she dressed, but a few years older.....

"Like what?" he asked. He could fix some things. He had fixed small applances and of course anything with a small gas engine.'

"Well, like a refridgerator for example, or an ice box?".....

He smiled and nodded, "If it is repairable yes." he told her
:
The woman beamed with a smile, "Excellent!" She chimed, "Mine went bang a few weeks ago. Can you come by later? I live at The Challows Cottage just off the main drag." Then a young man stood up, "Would you be taking on any other staff, Sir?" He asked.....

Jason looked at the young man. "Well from the looks of things, I will need some help." he grinned.

The young man grinned and sat down again. Then there was a little noise from the back of the room and a small girl came racing down. She looked like a little munchkin from the Oz movie, all dressed up in frills and lace with ringlets of blonde hair bouncing in ribbons. She ran right up to Jason and pulled on his trouser legs. A young woman tried to chase her, but gave up and waved her off. She wasn't the girl's mother.....

Jason looked down at the little girl then squatted down and picked her up, bringing her up on the stage. "What can I do for you, young lady?" he asked with a broad smile.

The girl giggled, then held out her arms to Dahlia. Dahlia took her with a warm smile and kissed her cheek. "Missed you." She said. Dahlia touched her chest with her free hand, then made a sign to say the same back. "Are you gonna be my mummy now?" Dahlia lifted an eyebrow.....

Jason looked at Dahlia and then the little girl. He had no idea of who the little girl was. But it seemed that the little girl wanted to be with Dahlia. He gave Dahlia a questioning look.

'It's a long story.' Dahlia told him silently, 'I'll explain back at the house.' Blade stepped in and smiled, pinching the girl's cheek lightly, "Ain't she adoreable." He said as the crowd sighed, "Hows about we grown-ups talk about it later, yeh?" The girl wriggled down again and went back to the woman she had run away from. "Anything else?" Blade asked.....

Jason couldn't wait to hear the explanation. The little girl was adorable and seemed to like Dahlia.

There were no other real questions to be answered and after a few events while they had been gone had been reported, the people started filing out. Blade moved Dahlia and Jason towards the door to go back to the house. Once outside, the young woman in charge of the girl came forward. "Sorry about that D." She said. This woman seemed to be the only modern looking one there. "She escaped me again." dahlia smiled and signed to not worry about it. "Ever since you told her you'd take her in, she's been impossible. Never known a child so determined like that." She then looked to Jason and held out her hand in greeting. "Lucy Wilson." She said warmly, "I'm the town's teacher.".....

Jason took her hand and shook it. So Dahlia had promised the little girl to take her in. He could imagine Dahlia being a mother. He smiled over at Dahlia. "So think you can handle a little bundle of fire like that." he thought to her, smiling.

Lucy smiled, then turned and went back to collect her own little troupe. Dahlia smiled at Jason, 'She's not like that so much around me.' She replied silently, 'I'll tell you the story back home and you'll understand.'.....

He grinned and put an arm around her, "Yes I would love to hear it." he told her in her mind, and what does your brother think of it?"
:
Dahlia began walking back to the house and smiled, 'He loves her to bits.' She told him, 'Has done since the minute he laid eyes on her. Same with me really and she's such an adorable child. We named her Lilly.'....

Jason nodded. It would be a strange household for a little girl to grow up in. Three psychics, one of which still had to learn how to control his abilities. He pulled her closer to him, moving his hand up and down her side. "Well I take it then that Lilly is going to be coming to stay."

Dahlia nodded. A few minutes later, she stepped inside the house. She went into the living room, then through to the dining room. She pulled out a large blanket bag that was filled with clothes and toys and everything was a varient of pink. 'On our last trip out, one of Hoss groundsmen had a fling with a married woman. Didn't think too much on it at first, no-one did. But the husband found out and came to the carnivale to get revenge. Shot Mike dead before Hoss or the others could get involved. Then, nine months or so later, the husband turned up and dumped a basinet on Blade at our caravan. Told him he wouldn't take care of another man's mess and walked away. So we brought her home. Couldn't very well leave her in some orphanage or something. It wouldn't have been right.'....

Jason drew her into his arms. "No it would not have been right. You did the right thing. Lifting her chin he kissed her lips gently. "I can see how some one could fall in love with her."

Dahlia smiled and kissed him back. 'When we got here, we put her on our town register as being born here and named her and she stayed with me for a while in the caravan as the house hadn't been finished. Before we left this time, I told her that everything was ready for her to live here now and that when I got back, I'd take her home with me and be her mother properly. Her room is the only one you haven't seen yet.'.....

"MMMMMMMMMM now would that mean I am going to be her Father?" he grinned. Then his face went white. How would he be as a father. He didn't know how he would be around young childeren. He had never been around them.

Dahlia laughed silently, though there was a small sound in the air, more like a whisper of laughter. 'Maybe in time.' She said silently. 'Once she understands that you and I are together, she might give the idea some thought and ask you. For now though, I wouldn't worry too much. She's only three.'.....

He looked down into her eyes. Together. That sounded so good. Living in the same house and just down the hall from each other. He wondered how that was going to work out. He kind of wished that they would be sharing the same room and bed. But that would come in time he guessed. He would let her decide when that was. He just nodded and kissed her again.

Dahlia smiled and kissed him back lovingly. Just then, Blade wandered in and coughed into his hand. "Not disturbing anything, am I?"

Jason gave Blade a look saying "Yes" then smiled. "Nothing that can't be continued."

Blade grinned, then spotted the box of goodies. "Ahh, so our little angel is finally joining our house, hmm?" He said as he wandered over to the toys and clothes Dahlia had pulled out.....

"You up to having a little one running around the house?" Jason asked. "I hear they can be a real handful."

Blade smiled, "Well, it has been quite a while since we've had children running around us." He mused, "But at least she's not a baby baby, if you know what I mean." He gave a shudder in jest, "Dirty nappies and night feeds, ugh, I don't miss that.".....

Jason laughed. "Oh Yes I know you don't miss any of that. Well which room is going to be hers?"

"At the back of the house." Blade said, "It's quieter and I'm guaranteed some sleep..." He looked to Dahlia, "Providing a certain someone can stay in their own bed for a while." Dahlia looked down and blushed lightly......

"Oh and why is that?" he asked. He saw how she blushed and looked down.

Blade wanted to make a joke of it, but thought better, "It's a long story." He offered, "And not mine to tell." He moved past them and picked the large bag up. "I'll get this upstairs for Lilly." And he left. Dahlia stayed where she was and chewed her lip......

"Mmmmmmm I take it that it is something you probably don't want to talk about." he kept his arms around her and held her tightly to him.

Dahlia hugged him back. 'I have nightmares.' Her mind said, 'About the past mostly, but sometimes about the future. Blade can make them go away if I'm near him.'.....

He nodded. "Well hopefully those are now all in the past." he told her. "Come on show me her room."

Dahlia smiled and got to her feet. Blade had forgotten a stuffed rabbit for Lilly's room, so she picked it up and took it upstairs. at the top, instead of turning towards the front of the house, Dahlia turned the other way. There were two doors here. One was a walk in closet where most of the laundry was kept and the other was Lilly's door. It was somewhat obvious to look at. The door was covered in something rather familiar. Snowflakes and butterflies. The room itself was an ode to pink and white. White walls with a soft pink carpet and curtains, a chandelier of butterflies around the ceiling lights and a small but perfectly child-sized cot bed with one side taken out. Hung over the bed was a delicate white voile curtain with pink and purple butterflies sewn on to it and everywhere there were dolls and stuffed animals. lilly even had her own little toy kitchena nd dinner service for those all important tea parties. 'What do you think?' Dahlia asked....

Jason grinned. "Definetly for a little girl." he said. "Looks like she will not need any stuffed animals for a while. The place was perfect for a little girl.

Dahlia smiled and walked into the room. On a shelf above the bed, there were a small selection of stuffed bears and they looked incredibly old. One had an ear missing, the other, an eye. Dahlia looked at them briefly and then went to the bed, putting the rabbit on a cushion at the top. 'Everything a princess could wish for.' She said silently, 'I wanted to give her everything we could never
have growing up. And it's all easily changed so it will grow with her.'....

Things would change as the years went by and the little girl got other intrests. He had seen it happen as he was growing up. All depended on what was around and looked interesting. "When are you having her move in?"

"Hopefully, tonight, or early tomorrow morning." Blade interjected, "Depends on how much Lucy likes her sanity." He gave a sarcastic laugh and seconds later, the doorbell rang. "She likes it more than I thought." He went downstairs and opened the door to a happy, screaming thre year old that was immediately thundering up the stairs, "Mummy!".....

"Oh, oh I guess that is your que." he told Dahlia. He watched the little girl come running down the hallway, all smiles and happy.

Dahlia swung herself around just in time to catch the completely hyper toddler and hugged her lovingly. A quick kiss and Lilly was wriggling to get free so she could explore her new room and all the new thigns she could play with. 'That should keep her happy for half an hour.' Dahlia sighed in Jason's head, but it was short lived. Lilly had found something far better to play with;
Jason. "Who's you?" She asked innocently, "I saw you before.".....

Jason grinned and squated down so he was more on her level. "I am Jason. I will be living here too. Dahlia and I are seeing each other and someday might be alot more."

Lilly half spun on the spot and grinned before she moved to Dahlia and took hold of her skirts. dahlia looked down and smiled before she crouched a little and made the sign for bed time. "No!" Lilly said, "No bed, I wanna play." Dahlia shook her head and made the sign again. Blade stood at the door and laughed.....

Oh the little one was definately going to be a fiestly little one. Jason chuckled at her defiance. "Do you have any friends here that you play with?" he asked the little girl.

Lilly smiled again and nodded, "Yes." She said, "I play with them at school."....

"Well now, how about you going to bed now and getting a good sleep and tommorow you invite them over for a tea party and you can show them your room and things." he said with a big smile.

Lilly frowned, "I'm not tired." She said firmly, but then gave a huge yawn. Dahlia picked her up with a smile and took her to the bed. Blade came in and went to a large chest of drawers and pulled out a long frilly nightgown, handed it to Dahlia and then left the room, pulling Jason with him. "Let's give the girls a moment." He offered.....

Jason left the room and walked to his own room. He needed to go and get his stuff from the RV and move it up to his room. He could see that it might be a bit before Dahlia was done with Lilly. Get her changed, in bed, probably a bed time story, well that or something. Bernie came in and said, "Well this is going to be very interesting." he laughed. "Looks like you now have an instant family." he slapped Jason on the back.

Blade laughed also and leaned against the door frame. "The city is that way if you want a good head start." he offered in jest.....

Jason raised a brow and grinned. "Well a home is not a home unless you have family." he said back to Blade.

Blade nodded, "True." He said, "But it's different when it's not your own blood." He moved off the doorway and started outside to help unload the RV, "And you've only been with us for a week. I hope you know how patient you'll have to be.".....

Oh now that was going to be the fun part. He went out and grabbed clothes and his laptop computer and took those in first. His laptop would be used mostly for ordering parts and scheduling work on the vehicles and such. Finding the right parts and at a good cost. Then came his other stuff, like his tolietries and music that he liked to listen to. The rest could wait until later. "I think
everything will work out fine." he told Blade.

Blade smiled as he hauled in a large kit bag. It was very heavy, "Jeez, what you got in this thing?" He chuffed as he put the bag down again.....
:
Now that he didn't recgonize. "That must be Grandpa's." he told Blade. "I don't remember anything like that.


Blade shrugged his shoulders and went back outside to get the rest of Jason's things.....

Jason began putting things away and he wondered if Dahlia had nightmares now, would she still be going to Blade for comfort or would she come into his room and sleep with him. He shugged his shoulders and wondered if she had succeeded in getting the little one to sleep.

Blade felt Jason's thought and stopped for a second, wondering whether or not to say something, but decided against it and brought the last of the bags and boxes inside. "I think that's just about it." He offered, wiping his brow....

Jason thanke Blade for his help and then headed for Lilly's room. He would be able to talk to Dahlia in her mind and there fore not disturb the little girl. "Having any luck getting her to sleep?" he asked in her mind.

'Just about.' Was the reply, 'She just dozing now. I should be out in a few minutes.'.....

He grinned and turned back to go downstairs. There the grownups could talk about things. The little girl was excited and would take a bit to get use to a routine within the house. Jason figured that after she had some friends over a few times to play and get in a routine she would not be so hard to get her to do things.

As promised, Dahlia arrived a few minutes later and smiled, 'My my!' Her mind said, 'A room full of men. What people would think.' There was laughter in the thought and it showed that she was happy....

Jason chuckled. "Well now I guess we will have to take turns reading our little family member a bed time stories." he thought he would like doing that. "What do you think Gramps." he tuned to Bernie, "I would say that you are the most experienced in these matters."

Dahlia laughed silently to herself as Blade made the more audible sound at the joke. After a few minutes, Dahlia moved into the kitchen to make supper while the men chatted in the living room. She looked around at all her trinkets and such that she had collected over the years and moved happily to the pantry to find something worth her time. All the while, she felt happy and settled. Jason had taken to Lilly like a duck to water and she was starting to give some serious thought to sharing a room with him. Not a bed just yet, but his room was big enough to fit her bed on the far wall and a few bits of her furniture and she was sure that Blade would be overjoyed to have his personal space back after so many years sharing it with her. With a small nod as she sliced some onions wafer thin, she decided she would give him a few days to settle into the house, then move her stuff into his room.

West City -
Professor Wallis paced the floor yet again as he waited for his friends to arrive. After the sudden and rather infuriating disapperance of the carnivale, he'd spent most of his time trying to figure out how his experiences had been possible. Sure, magicians had made themselves vanish with ease for centuries, but he'd never even dreamt it could happen in someone's arms! And then the weird stand-off with that greasy low brow mechanic that had been with them. Just how had he managed to draw that many snakes between them and then made them disappear again? Was it another illusion, or was there something else entirely going on there? He was adamant that the strange silent woman had a lot to do with it, and that odd man that looked just like her.

Wallis had spent a great deal of time on Google, searching the carnivale and had come up with some solid evidence of his theories. There was nothing that directly linked the carnivale like a website or search engine, but there were plenty of home movies and reports on the carnivale going back many years. And yet, it had no fixed addressed, no financial links to anything and almost nothing on the people that belonged to it. For the most part, these people had been living off the grid for decades. But he had found something of great value, well, a few things actually that once shared with his cohorts, could make them all very famous. Wallis could almost taste that Pulizter. Then someone knocked on his office door.

Three men entered the large corner office and sat themselves easily on a long sofa under the even larger bay window. Being a West City University professor definitely had some perks these days. "Ok Wallis, you gonna tell us what all this fuss is about?" Asked the first man. Wallis looked at him and smiled coldly.
"Runner's World Carnivale, Hal." He said.
Hal groaned and rubbed his temples, "Look Wallis, you've been obsessed with those people since you freaked out at their show. They're just carnies."
Wallis shook his head, "We all saw what that lowbrow grease monkey did the night they disappeared." He countered, "And you saw what that freaky mute did to me. You know what they did was just impossible, right?"
A few nods and whispers of agreement. Then Hal spoke again, "Ok, I'll give you the freakiness, but they're gone now. How do you intend to prove what we saw if we can't find them?"
Wallis smiled coldly, "I've found someone who knows where they are, or were a few years ago. And that's not all I've found." That certainly had his friends' attention. "I ran their name through a few search engines and came up with a few really interesting things."
Hal moved forward on the sofa. "Well get on with it man." He demanded, "Don't keep us in suspense."

Wallis moved to his overly large oak desk and picked up a saffron coloured folder. He brought it back and dumped it on the matching coffee table in front of the sofa. "Have a look for yourselves." He said, "I'm pretty sure you'll like it."
Hal and the other two men looked throught he folder with confusion before Hal looked back up, "This is impossible." He said, "You've been played my friend."
Wallis laughed and shook his head, "I thought that when I first found this stuff, but I've checked it and rechecked it in detail. Those two have shown up in every major city across the states for the last 200 years at least. And they've been seen at no less than five World's Fairs around the world both pre and pro both wars. The pictures are proof enough. These people aren't fairytale stories, Hal, they're real and we've found them out. Could you imagine the things we could learn from them?"
Hall and the others nodded in ageement, "So where are they hiding?"
Wallis collected another folder from his desk and handed it to the other man. "A few years ago, our little freaks turned up in upstate New York and did the rounds. Only, they left a little something behind. The man you're looking at is one Mr. Adam Morrison. His wife had a fling with one of the carnies and landed up the creek. Out of revenge, he took the kid and basically dumped it on them at their doorstep somewhere in the Mohjave desert. I spoke to him on the phone yesterday and he was happy to tell me roughly where they are, or at least where they were when he dumped the kid on them."
Hal looked up with surprise, "And?"
Wallis grinned again, "About 150 miles outside Las Vegas. Now, I've googled the area with a map search and there is something in that area, but I couldn't see what clearly enough to be positive. I do however, have a friend in a high place that would be willing to help us providing we give his department full access to our investigation."
Hal put the folder down and chewed his lip. "Who is this friend of your's then?"
"Matthew Archer. He's a field agent with the CIA. You'll meet him in a few days. He'll be flying over to meet with us and discuss how best to go about finding our freaky friends." Wallis said, "So are you in, or out?"
"In." All three said together.

A few hours later, Wallis lounged on his expensive sofa in his expensive home in the suburbs and grinned as he went over the day's events. As far as he was concerned, he was about to become the richest man in history......

Bernie looked at Jason and then Blade when he laughed, and gave both a look. "I may have raised a child," he looked back at Jason, "and had a bit to do with your raising, and probably should have been a bit more firm." But he soon leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I had to read to your father on many occasions. It seemed to calm him and put him to sleep. I can read to her, I know quite a few good books and of course other stories by memory."

"Well for tonight anyways it has been taken care of." Jason put in and got up and went into the kitchen. "Need some help?" he moved up behind her and kissed her neck.

Langly Virginia, CIA Headquarters

Agent Archer confirmed his reservation to Las Vegas and then checked in with his boss. "You know this is highly illregualar Burke." his boss said.

"I know sir, but I know Wallis. He would not fabricate something like this. He says he has proof that these people have something that we might be able to use. Just keep this between you and me for now sir. If I find out it is all true, then both of us will be climbing the ladder." he grinned.

"And if this is a wash, you will be finding yourself on the most insignificat assignments I can think of."

Archer nodded and then went down to their research and development department. He went to one of the more esentric researchers that on the side had been researching psyhic research. If they could do what Wallis had said, then he would need something to keep them from his mind. He picked up a small device that sent out an unaudioable sound that was suppose to interfere with any pyshic's attempt to get into your mind. He was then on his way to the Airport to catch his flight.