Silence.

Evelyn shifted uncomfortably against a tree, fidgeting with her torn skirt and glancing quickly over at Joker as she struggled to find something, anything, to say. The silence between the two was deafening, to say the least. Neither spoke; each just leaned against their designated trees and stared - Joker at his hastily bandaged stump, Evelyn at her lap.

"Er..." The sound was long, drawn-out, and just as cringe-worthy as Evelyn thought it was sound. Looking to Joker, she studied his face for a moment, before grunting and struggling towards the small creek that they had stayed near in order to recover. She felt the redhead's eyes watching her as she tore a piece from her skirt, leaning down and dunking it into the water, wringing it out as she pulled it from the rocks. Without a word, Evelyn turned back around and stepped towards the man, kneeling in front of him and soundlessly beginning to wipe days worth of dirt, grime, and running makeup from his face.

Two days had passed since they had escaped from the mansion. Forty-eight hours since Evelyn had thought Joker was dead. After the man had taken a shuddering breath, violently coughing and taking great gasps of the crisp February air, Evelyn had hugged him tightly, tears bursting forth from her eyes once again as she sobbed and pressed her lips to his. After a weak, quiet "I love you," the redhead had allowed her to pull away his skeletal prosthetic, watching her solemnly as she tossed the bone far off into the shrubbery. And thus, the pair's new life had begun.

Evelyn was tasked with mostly everything. Even in her wounded state, she stabbed at fish with sharpened sticks, threw rocks at small animals and gutted them, tore a long length of cloth from her petticoat and wrapped it tightly around Joker's severed arm. She was met with many grateful thanks and apologies from the man, seeing as he couldn't do more. It wasn't as if she minded - it wasn't as if she could complain, anyway. At least I have both hands to do this with, Evelyn had thought sadly as she tossed a large stone at a rabbit, feeling sick to her stomach at the crunch that came from the poor creature's head.

"Thank you." Joker's voice was quiet as Evelyn drew the cloth away from his (now bare) face. The girl visibly saddened as she ran her thumb over his bruised cheek, darkened from her panicked slap two days before. He flinched slightly as she caressed the bruise, and immediately Evelyn drew away, apologizing and feeling horribly guilty. "I've no idea where this even came from. Did Black hit me? I don't remember it, if he did." Evelyn smiled sheepishly at Joker, looking down at her lap before replying.

"...No, that was me," she admitted, raising a hand and rubbing the back of her neck. "I kind of... panicked."

To her surprise, Joker chuckled quietly. "I don't blame you," he smiled, albeit sadly, down at the girl before leaning in and pressing his lips to her cheek. Evelyn turned as he pulled away, settling down beside the man with a slight groan.

"So..." the redhead sighed heavily, settling back against a tree and looking up at the slowly darkening sky. "What do we do now? What's next?"

The question hung in the air for quite some time, neither the redhead nor the brunette giving an answer. After a while of silence Evelyn turned to look at Joker, a steely look crossing her face as the answer came to her mind.

"I'll tell you what's next," she replied, leaning in and winding her fingers into his disheveled hair, kissing him fiercely. As Evelyn pulled away for air, a vicious smile crossed her face, her voice dripping with contempt as she spoke.

"We eliminate Ciel Phantomhive."

And thus, the story ends.

I'd like to thank you all for following Cirque de Merveilles so closely and being so kind and supportive. It really means a lot that you took the time to read my cheesy little love story. This is the first story I've ever actually finished, so that means even more. THANK YOU.

So what does this mean? Evelyn's story is definitely not over. I'll give you a bit of a spoiler - there's a sequel in the works. :) Remember those one-shots I promised? While the planning period is in process, I'll write a little one-shot from time to time until the sequel is up and running. Look forward to it!

Also, remember the roleplay account I told you guys about? Well, only two people voted, so I went ahead and made the account - and it's a Joker roleplay. I cannot get enough of his character, let me tell you. Anyway, I'll have the name of it up on my profile, so check there if you'd like to keep up with my shenanigans!

See you next time!