Chapter Text
•Phillip•
His family was burning.
As he stumbled towards them, the world seemed to tilt. Smoke ringed his head like a halo, filling his lungs and choking him. Flames licked at his fingertips, and the heat beat down upon his back like hammers on a weary anvil. The roof cracked and swayed. But the sole focus of Phillip's vision was Anne.
And P.T.
And Charity.
And Lettie, Charles, W.D and the Barnum girls. The whole circus was screaming as their flesh burned and their eyeballs seared.
Phillip tried to call, to tell them to move, run, just go.
But no sound left his parched mouth.
He screamed until his throat was raw and blood stained his teeth, but still his family burned.
•Anne•
“ANNE!”
“Phillip!”
“NO! P.T! CHARITY, LETTIE, NO! RUN!”
“Phillip!”
“PLEASE, RUN, JUST GET OUT PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE JUST GO!”
“Wake up Phillip!” she screamed in vain. The man in question tossed and turned on the hay, drenched in sweat. Eyes clasped shut, he continued to scream into the darkness for the figures present in his dream (nightmare, Anne corrected herself, shuddering).
Suddenly, Phillip stopped. He turned over and began to curl into himself, muttering under his breath. As moonlight slowly began to filter into the stables, glistening tears were illuminated on his face. Anne stifled a sob, and leaned in closer.
“I’m sorry...” Phillip whispered. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”
Anne leaned back with a sigh. Now she was faced with a dilemma. She could either wake him up and risk scaring him further, or leave him to suffer in his nightmare.
What would Mama do?
She bit her lip hesitantly, then shuffled sideways until she was seated to Phillip's right. A tentative arm around his shoulder, some slightly awkward manoeuvring, and Anne was soon laying next to her lover on the hay. A tiny whimper escaped his mouth as his dream continued.
Phillip thought she was gone, right?
All she had to do was remind him she was still there.
She reached out her hand and began to card it through Phillip’s hair, stroking it gently like she had done so many nights before.
She took a deep breath.
“Phillip?”
•Phillip•
He stumbled through the ashes of the circus. The sky, buildings, his hands, everything was grey with ash.
His family was gone.
“HELP!” he screamed. “PLEASE, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP!”
He dropped to his knees in the rubble, tears tracing tracks in the ash coating his face.
“Please...” he sobbed. But no one came. Not a single soul wondered the grey streets. No hands reached out to help him.
And now the fire was back, springing into existence from nothing and circling him, rushing like wind. The flames roared and bit at him, snarling like wild animals, like the circus lions they had slaughtered.
From the fire, faces formed. Horrible, disfigured memories, masks of curling, twisting flames shrieking in pain and accusation.
“You could have saved us!”
“Why did you leave me?”
“You promised!”
“Worthless!”
“Alone!”
And now a final face burst from the flames, rearing its head and filling Phillip’s world with blistering heat. Anne, her face charred and melted from the flames, mahogany hair rippling with fire.
“Phillip! Listen to me: I’m safe, I’m right here. Please, wake up!”
That wasn’t an accusation, or venomous hatred spilling from acid tongues. It was... familiar. The fire had to be tricking him, taunting him.
“Phillip, please. You’re dreaming! I’m ok, I’m right here next to you!
No. No.
“Please, Phillip. Remember the first time we kissed? Remember the second time, after you made the deal with Barnum? And the third, when we finished a full rehearsal for the first time and you got so excited you swept me off my feet? Everyone started to cheer, and Charles shoved a 5 whole dollars into Lettie's hand and began to grumble. Remember that?”
He did. He did remember that. Barnum had treated them all to drinks, and his girls had asked when the wedding was.
Fire couldn’t know about that.
“I love you, Phillip Carlyle. Please wake up.”
And a hand stretched out from the flames, not curling crimson but slender fingers and a calloused palm. A human hand, offering escape.
Anne’s hand.
Phillip reached out and took it.