Circus (Open, casual)

[JANE EYRE]

Surviving was painful. Moving past those moments that should have broken someone beyond repair hurt and took a lot of time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears. Jane knew. She had survived so much; so much death, heartbreak, illness. Every inch she made in her life was accompanied by hardship and trails, tribulations but she was more than convinced that the end product was worth it. She was still on the earth, walking about (albeit not as well as she once was), and was happy with her lot in life. Well, happy enough. There were some things she wished hadn't happened or that had happened differently.

Meningitis and Edward Rochester re-entering her life fell under that category.

Her illness hadn't done the damage it could of. After all, she still had her legs and they still worked. Unfortunately, the rebuilding process was long and painful. For months now Jane had been attending five appointments a week of physical therapy to try and restore muscle to her sickly, toothpick legs. She had given up hope of getting the stinging nerve pains to stop and had resigned herself to taking medication for it.

It didn't change the fact that below the hips she looked like a Holocaust victim.

It also didn't change the fact that it was rather difficult to create art when she was in pain.

The physical therapy was intense and unfortunately, very necessary. It lasted only an hour and Jane's doctor was very kind but after every appointment she had to take a break and lay down on the grass in front of the building.

The first few times she did this, Jane got nothing but odd looks and some inquiries about her well-being. Eventually, it became normal to see Jane Eyre sprawled out on the lawn. Even now in the winter, wrapped in her coat and sweaters, Jane would lay down in the snow.

She laid herself down and looked up at the surprisingly clear sky, noting shapes in the clouds.

Eye glasses, a rabbit, a castle, a hippopotamus, two birds carrying a balloon...

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

This was Monte Cristo's second winter in New York. He had yet to adjust to the kind of cold the city seemed to be prone to. Walking out of the building, he pulled his coat tighter and wrapped his arms around himself. Despite the clear sky above, the weather still felt miserable to him. Or was it he who was miserable?

If it were he, he had no reason to be. The considerable victory he had won in completely crashing the economy was still worth preening over. No one aside from himself and his cohort knew about that, however, and he and Richard had already done their private gloating. Since then, he had only attended meeting after meeting of businessmen whining about the economy and how they needed more investors to survive. Monte Cristo had made more refusals than usual lately, simply because the petitions he was getting were simply pitiful to look at. No one was asking for money these days; everyone was begging.

Today it was a hospital, whose argument had been that, as a public good, they deserved Monte Cristo's investment. He had not known whether to laugh or cry at the desperation that tactic revealed, so he had simply sat silently as the meeting progressed, then excused himself when it was over, absently telling the hospital's administrators that they would hear from him within the next few days. Now he found himself on the hospital's steps, meandering to the front lawn, where his driver would pick him up.

The familiar black sedan was already waiting for him, allowing him to make a clean getaway, and he was nearly across the lawn before he noticed a figure in the snow. A few steps later, it occurred to him that this person was known to him. Doubling back, he found none other than Jane Eyre lying on the quad. Chuckling softly, he knelt down and smiled at her.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked simply, there being no need for introduction between them. He did not know what Jane happened to be doing here, but he did know that the weather was not being friendly, and it was his duty, in an odd way, to ensure that she was well.

[JANE EYRE]

With a smile, Jane kept seeking out shapes in the clouds as the snow helped to quell the burning ache in her legs. The cold had seeped under the collar of her coat a little, but not enough to prompt her to move for a bit longer. Today's session had been particularly grueling and Jane could feel it all over her body, not just in her poor legs. Jane didn't want to budge until she started to feel more like a normal human again instead of a giant bundle of sore nerve endings.

Jane paid no attention to the passerby's; they didn't bother her so she didn't bother them. She kept her eyes trained on the clouds until crunching snow near her prompted her to turn her head to the side.

She was a little surprised to see Monte Cristo kneeling beside her, chiding her softly about the temperature.

"I'm quite alright, really. Just cooling down after and appointment." He didn't know that she was in physical therapy though she supposed now he would. It would be rather difficult to come up with another explanation behind lying in the quad in yoga pants.

It was a lovely surprise to see his face again though. Ever since their run in on the beach, Jane found herself with a brother like figure in Monte Cristo. As a child who grew up without any siblings, it was thrilling to have someone claim her as a relative, even if they weren't really related. It was better than the semi-mother figure she had found in Lady de Bourgh.

"What brings you here?"

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

If a person was lying outside a clinic, was it natural to assume that said person had just come from an appointment within it? Never one to assume, Monte Cristo would let Jane tell him what the matter was, if she chose to, rather than jumping to conclusions about her purpose here, outside the dreary hospital. And when she did, she mentioned having an appointment; of what nature, Monte Cristo was left to discern on his own. Her manner of dress suggested a physical therapy session.

"'Cooling down,' indeed." Monte Cristo gave Jane a small, teasing smile. An only child himself, it was interesting for him to have found someone he cared for as he would a little sister, especially this "late" (for he was forty-three, after all) in his life. Jane had managed to find such a place in his heart, though, and he was glad she had. Though they were only just getting to know each other, the fact that she existed helped ease the loneliness that Monte Cristo had felt since leaving Haydèe behind in the Mediterranean. How many years ago that had been!

She asked him why he was there; he checked his response before speaking. He did not want to tell her that he was going to turn down the hospital's request for funding. He could find her a better physical therapist… but perhaps she enjoyed coming to this location, working with these doctors. He really had no idea what the situation might be; as awkward as it would likely become, he would have to ask. Such was his care for her that if she asked him to save the little clinic, he would.

"I was in a meeting with the hospital administrators, discussing their funding." That was all he said for the moment, expecting Jane would probably react to those words if any worry about the state of the clinic bothered her. "I didn't know you were seeing a physical therapist. Is everything all right?" A silly question, perhaps, but that was the most delicate way he could think of to address his concern for her health.

[JANE EYRE]

Jane didn't want to make Monte Cristo crouch like that for too long, it wasn't comfortable to stand like that she knew. She leaned herself up on her elbows and slowly started to work her way to her feet. It took a bit of work but eventually she was teetering on sore legs. Jane brushed her coat off and smiled at Monte Cristo, holding a hand out to help him up too.

To hear that the small clinic was having financial trouble was sad. Jane loved attending the small clinic for her physical therapy. Jane looked back at the humble establishment and made a mental note to make a sizable donation to keep it afloat. Jane adored her doctor, a kindly middle aged woman, she liked how small and intimate it was. Jane couldn't imagine going to a larger facility, even one heralded as the most advanced or most successful. Jane would rather feel at home instead of feeling like an experiment. It was a personal preference. Jane knew that she could probably get better care somewhere else but really, she wasn't that concerned with making a fast recovery. She had plenty of time.

"You should consider helping them out." Jane said mildly, trying not to put too much pressure on him. She was going to make a donation no matter what but some additional funding would certainly help.

As for why she was getting physical therapy, Jane knew he was going to ask sooner or later. "Um, well, you remember that meningitis I had? It did some nerve damage in my legs. I've been going to physical therapy to fix it."

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

There was something in the way Jane got up that made Monte Cristo feel concerned - or, more accurately, more concerned. She took her time, as though she were discomfortable. Yet she helped Monte Cristo to his feet as well, and he gave her a nod of thanks. She was a strong young woman, if not physically then most certainly in every other way, and that was perhaps part of what kept Monte Cristo drawn to her. If he had indeed had siblings, he would have wanted them to be like Jane.

It was as Monte Cristo had thought. The little clinic did mean something special to Jane. She did not say as much, only suggesting that he help them, but he could tell in the way that she spoke what she wanted. Monte Cristo would have gladly enrolled Jane in the top physical therapy clinic in the world, no matter where it was or what it would cost; he was less inclined to grow attached to places and more likely to seek out the best, and that was how he treated others unless asked otherwise. But he would do his best to understand Jane's mode of thought, and do what she had quietly and very appropriately asked of him. He smiled gently in response. "I will." And in that moment, the clinic was saved.

She explained that a case of meningitis had left the nerves in her legs weak. Monte Cristo frowned, of course, not glad to hear that she was still suffering. Her doctor would probably have told her to use her legs as much as possible, but the Count figured she had had enough of exercise for the moment; there was a line where therapy became harm, and given the way she had gotten up and was currently standing, it seemed Jane was pushing it. Or perhaps he was simply too protective of Jane for anyone's good. Whatever the matter, without having responded to her comment regarding her meningitis, he carefully swept her up into his arms. If she was a bit taken aback by this, he simply chuckled.

"Where are you headed?" he asked her with a smile, determined to carry her to her car, or to his if she had walked to this clinic. It was fairly obvious he would not be letting her "push through the pain" for now. He had never been injured himself, but he knew what it was like to have to suffer. Jane did not deserve to go through the same.

[JANE EYRE]

Jane beamed at Monte Cristo when he said he would consider funding the small clinic. That was such good news. It deserved every bit of funding it could get. Jane knew that Monte Cristo would probably prefer it if she let him take her to the best doctors in the whole but she couldn’t let him do that. She didn’t need special treatment for something as silly as a small bit of nerve damage.

Jane was about to thank him for his kindness when he swept her up in his arms. Squeaking in indignation with no small bit of flailing, Jane eventually wrapped her arms around his neck to secure herself. She decided it wouldn't do any good to protest, Monte Cristo was just looking out for her after all. Instead, she focused her attention on not moving around too much so she wouldn't be in danger of being dropped. That wouldn't be too enjoyable at all.

"Oh, well, I was going to rest for a bit then walk to a French bistro near my flat for lunch." Jane didn't own a car. In fact, she was ashamed to admit, she didn't even know how to drive. Or swim. It was embarrassing for a girl nearing twenty to not know how to swim, drive or even cook. Besides, Jane enjoyed walking. Even if it took a lot longer than busing or catching a taxi, Jane always walked places unless it was a formal event and she was dressed up in a gown and pumps.

"If you give me another fifteen minutes or so, I'll be fit as a fiddle again and go ahead and walk home. You don't need to go out of your way."

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

Imagine the reaction the administrators of this little clinic would have if they learned they had been saved by a small, somewhat fragile young woman who had said just a half dozen words in their support! Imagine the press! But Monte Cristo would never say anything to that effect, unless Jane asked him to; all the reward he would need was contained in the bright smile Jane gave him upon his reply. He swung her into his arms, intending to carry her wherever she had intended to go, or at least to his car, and she protested at first, which made him laugh a bit. He would have set her down if she had really insisted, but eventually she settled in, and Monte Cristo proceeded toward the parking lot.

Slender though he was, the years had made his body sturdy, and though she was now probably considerably farther from the ground than usual (the Count being over six feet tall) Jane was in no danger of falling. She mentioned going for lunch after a bit of rest, and implored him to go to no extra lengths for her. "I won't be going out of my way," the count said cheerfully, walking carefully so as not to jostle her. "I have nothing planned for the next three hours. Perhaps I could join you for lunch, unless I'll be intruding."

His driver had pulled up as close to the sidewalk as could be managed, and, when he saw that Monte Cristo was carrying someone, he immediately got out and opened the door for them. Monte Cristo helped Jane into the car, then sat inside and closed the door behind them. "Comfortable?" the count asked with a smile while closing the door behind them.

[JANE EYRE]

Jane blushed a little, mostly from the odd looks that passerby’s were giving them. She tried to ignore them but, as per her usual, self-conscious self, Jane was all too aware of their gaze. Monte Cristo wasn’t a small man by any means and surely they looked ridiculous. Him carrying her like she weighed less than a sack of potatoes.

"I have nothing planned for the next three hours. Perhaps I could join you for lunch, unless I'll be intruding."

“Of course you wouldn’t be intruding. You’re welcome to join me.” Jane smiled up at the man who had become a brother of sorts to her. Jane didn’t have dining companions very often and knew she would appreciate having him there for once. What they would talk about she didn’t know, all she knew was that it would be nice to not eat alone.

When they neared the car, Jane helped to maneuver herself inside even though she couldn’t do much. She just tried to make it a bit easier on Monte Cristo. Jane slid into the car and over so that he had room to get in and was buckling herself up when he shut the door. “Oh yes, I’m comfortable. You didn’t have to do that, really. It was sweet, but unnecessary.” Jane smiled gratefully at Monte Cristo to let him know she appreciated the gesture.

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

It seemed some passersby found their appearance odd, as Monte Cristo carried Jane to the car. Quite used to being stared at, the count ignored them. At least they weren't paparazzi. They would continue on their way, not stop for photos and harass the count and Jane with questions. Monte Cristo hoped Jane would never be in a position where she was hounded by paparazzi on his account.

Monte Cristo gave Jane a smile as she insisted that his actions were sweet but unnecessary. "Perhaps the lack of necessity makes the thought that much sweeter," he said gently. He was likely overreacting, but that was nothing new for him. He was well aware that he was a bit on the dramatic side at times.

"Where to?" the count asked her, prompting her to give the address of the French bistro she had been going to. He did not know where her loft was, and so had little idea where they were headed, but they had a car and plenty of time, so he was not concerned about either.

[JANE EYRE]

"Perhaps the lack of necessity makes the thought that much sweeter,"

Jane smiled and nodded, reaching over and patting his knee lightly. "That is true, I suppose." It was rather sweet to have someone looking out for her even though they didn't need to. It further cemented Jane's feeling that Monte Cristo had become rather like family to her; she had always wanted a brother.

Resigning herself to the fact that Monte Cristo was quite stubborn once his mind was made up, Jane went ahead and gave the address to the bistro to the driver. Maybe it wouldn't be horrible to have someone to eat with today.

"So, what have you been up to as of late besides boring old work?" Jane knew that Monte Cristo's job was tedious at best and also knew that he had little to do outside of it. Of course, she did make an effort to invite him out to things as often as she could. More than once she had planned a little beach picnic for them.