"It's baloney! That's what it is!"

Dean frowned at Juan's outburst as he entered the cook shack for lunch. Juan started muttering angrily in Spanish to Anita who rubbed his arm soothingly and murmured something back in French. Dean still wasn't quite sure how that worked.

"What's the story?" Dean nodded at Lola, who was sat up on the table chewing her finger nails looking anxious.

"Billie took a tumble this morning," Lola replied. "And Salvatore still wants them to do the new high bar routine."

"You're kidding!" Dean exclaimed in a vicious snarl. Lola jerked her eyes up, looking slightly surprised at his outrage.

"Nope. You know how the big cheese gets - he's insisting they can still do it but it's pretty darn clear Billie is suffering from concussion. He called me 'Anita' for half the morning.

"They're not going to do the high wire stuff as well are they?" Dean frowned thinking about the lack of a net.

Lola shook her head but shrugged, "The high bar's still high enough though, you don't want to fall off that thing or you're looking at the big sleep, I've seen kinkers crippled from less."

"Can't someone else do it?" Dean asked, "Elmer?" he nodded towards the dark haired boy who shook his head with a grimace.

"I don't know the routine, plus I'm too big for it - there's no one else Billie's size," Elmer shrugged despondently.

"I thought my ears were burning!"

Billie' voice came from behind them making Dean jump. He turned round to see the other boy in plain work clothes and a grubby bandage across his forehead.

"Ugly isn't it?" Billie pulled a face at Dean. "Guess we'll have to see what Lorraine can do with the makeup tonight."

Billie turned to look round at everybody with a smile, "And I'm not concussed guys! You can stop all treating me like I'm about to keel over. Seriously Juan, I'll be fine," Billie added, clapping Juan on the back and grinning widely.

"Say..." Billie murmured looking back up at Dean, "It's your first time onstage tonight right? You're doing an act with the wolves?"

Dean nodded but found it hard to tear his eyes away from Billie's bandage where fresh blood was starting to seep through.

"Looks like Lola and her cats have got some competition," Billie laughed, nudging the red head who rolled her eyes and slid off the table.

"Don't be a sap Billie," Lola pressed her hand against the multitude of curlers covering her head. "If anyone needs me I'll be in my tent."

"She's totally going to practise," Billie whispered to Dean, winking and pointing to Lola's retreating form. "Also if she leaves those rollers in much longer she'll have a mane bigger than the lions!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dean asked quietly before he could stop himself.

Billie's lips parted slightly in the way they did whenever he was surprised, he blinked a few times and Dean noticed, not for the first time, how thick and dark the other boy's lashes were.

"Er, yeah. I'll be fine, no worries! Though I should probably get a wiggle on if I want any lunch - the clowns just arrived, soon it'll just be scraps left!" Billie laughed as he gestured to where a troop of grumpy looking men were entering the tent.

"You know it's kind of ironic that the only one that ever smiles is Melvin and he's the 'sad clown'." Billie murmured, nudging Dean in the arm and winking again before going to get some food.

A few minutes later Viv and Clara joined Dean, Dahlia was in her usual position, coiled around Clara's neck.

"I swear she gets heavier every day," Clara had grumbled, "Soon I'll be challenging Walter for the position of strong man!"

"Hi there baby brother," Viv chirped as she squeezed his shoulder affectionately, "You manage to get Dolores’ paw fixed up?

Dean noticed the way Viv’s voice cracked slightly on their mother's name. Lola hadn't bothered to give the wolves names so Dean had taken it upon himself to christen them.

He nodded, "Yeah, Lawrence came and fixed her up, she should be good for tonight if I don't push her too hard."

"It's so unfair," Viv drawled. "I'm in the ticket booth this evening so I won't get to come and watch your first show!"

"Plus, Anita's throwing knives at Henry tonight!" Clara exclaimed enthusiastically. "If we feed her a little giggle-water beforehand maybe we can get her to hit him."

"Hey!" Henry's offended voice could be heard from behind a gaggle of depressed looking clowns. Frank seemed to be in the middle of attempting to give them a rousing speech. You'd think that he was leading them into battle rather than a comedy show.

"And Melvin for the love of god will you stop smiling! You're meant to be the sad clown. I swear if I have to staple that mouth of yours in a downwards curve I will!"

Frank seemed to be a very angry man.

"You okay little brother?" Viv nudged Dean, shaking him from his reverie. "Nervous about tonight?"

"No. I mean sort of, but no, I'll be fine," Dean huffed.

"If you need cheering up Marie's gonna teach me how to spin plates after lunch?" Viv suggested with a smile.

"Do we have that much crockery to spare?" Dean asked drily, eliciting a peal of laughter from Clara and an indignant huff from Viv who threatened to set Dahlia on him.