Dallas, November 1963

"Dusk, I'll take care of James tonight," Mary said as Dusk got ready to head out and perform at one of the local bars for open mic night. Ever since she landed in Dallas, the raven had been taking care of Mary's son. And throughout the years she had stayed with the widow, Mary began to notice her talent for singing.

One night, as Dusk was tucking the toddler into bed, she couldn't help but observe her as she sang a soft lullaby to him. When Dusk finally noticed, she gasped, not expecting to be listened to. "You have the voice of an angel," Mary whispered as Dusk shut the bedroom door. "Thank you. It's always been something I've been drawn to," She replied. A couple of days went by, and Mary then suggested she find a bar to perform at for a night.

Dusk seemed hesitant, knowing that the people in 1963 were not like the people in 2019, but agreed to it anyway. "You sure? I can always perform some other night," Dusk asked, feeling unsteady. "No, you go out and have some fun. You've earned it after everything you've been doing lately," Mary reassured. The raven finished applying a tinted lipstick to her lips before walking out the door and driving to Jonathan's Bar, a few blocks from the Avon movie theater.

Her heartbeat increased as she walked through the bar, the men staring at her like she was a leech. But Dusk had learned to ignore their stares and continued walking and sat down at a table a few feet away from the stage. Different men had gone on, performing songs by Johnny Cash and The Beach Boys, making the young woman dance slightly in her seat. When a third man finished his performance of Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, Dusk took this opportunity to show these men who she really was.

But the moment she stepped on the platform, the drunken men instantly began booing, telling her to get off and that there was no place for a woman onstage. But Dusk stood her ground, sitting at the large black piano, playing the starting notes of a song she wrote about Klaus. She had spent countless nights thinking about him, wondering if he was okay and if he was even still alive. But she never gave up on him.

https://youtu.be/2U0_015pzNI

You called me out and taught me tough with love, 

With love.

You fought my flaws, my teeth, my claws
With love, with love.

Cause every time I'm slipping away from myself,
You're the one that moves me like nobody else.

Cause when I'm down, and I'm done
And I'm coming unplugged,
When I'm ready to fall,
You're the one always holding me up
With love.

When I'm down. When I'm coming undone. No.
You're always there with love
When I'm done,
When I'm out when I fall,
You're always always-always-always there.

When I'm down, and I'm done,
And I'm coming unplugged,
When I'm ready to fall,
You're the one always holding me up.

When I'm down, and I'm done,
And I'm coming unplugged,
When I'm ready to fall,
You're the one always holding me up
With love.

The crowd was filled with silence as Dusk stood up from the piano. To her surprise, applause came from all over the room, causing her to blink away happy tears. "Thank you!" She smiled, feeling confident in herself before she got off the stage.

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, on a country road, Klaus was driving, heading to the city of Dallas, when suddenly the car came to a sputtering stop as smoke came from the engine. He stumbled out, lifting the front and greeted with even more smoke. "Remember when I told you that the engine was overheating?" Ben sighed, giving his brother an "I told you so," look. Landing in Dallas completely changed Klaus, not just emotionally but physically as well.

Instead of having short dark hair, he now had long, flowing locks of curls, as well as a beard, the ends tied together with a small hair tie. "Being smart doesn't make you interesting," Klaus replied. Ben sighed at his comment and asked him where they were heading. "Back to Dallas," The former junkie coughed.

"For how long?" Ben inquired. "None of your beeswax!" Klaus chuckled, breathing in some of the smoke. "You think I'm just going to keep following you everywhere for another three years?" Klaus rolled his eyes behind his orange sunglasses, calling Ben his ghost bitch. His brother had insisted that they go back to San Francisco, to which Klaus replied, "They were so clingy. It felt like my skin was on fire. I don't know how Dusk could handle that feeling all the time,"

Ben rolled his eyes, thinking it was no use to argue as that had never worked out before. Number Four took notice and immediately started poking fun, mocking him as Ben walked away from Klaus and the getaway car. "You don't even have a body without me. You need me," Klaus pleaded. Ben turned on his heel, looking back at his brother as he spoke bluntly. "Nobody needs your shit, Klaus. That's why you're always alone," 

Enraged, Klaus ran towards him, tackling him to the ground and sending the two Hargreeves siblings into a wimpy brawl. They slapped, kicked, and spanked each other until Klaus was nearly out of breath. "I'm done. But we're not going back to San Francisco," Klaus sighed. "Well, the car doesn't work, so how are we going to get to Dallas?" Ben asked.

The two looked at the long vat of road ahead and walked for hours in the blazing hot sun. "You see anything yet?" Klaus asked after about an hour of walking. "There's a bar up ahead. Maybe there's a bus stop there?" Ben suggested. When they finally reached the roadside tavern, Klaus walked inside, asking the bartender when the next bus to Dallas was coming. "Sure do," He answered. "Three o clock sharp tomorrow,"

Klaus bit back a sigh, not wanting to have to wait that long. Well great, this is fucking great. "Hey, pretty boy!" A man called out from the other side of the tavern. Klaus peered at the gesturing man through his orange sunglasses, who asked if he wanted to play poker while he waited. Oh, why not. I'm going to be stuck here for a while anyway. "You know what? I would be delighted,"

At the table, Klaus looked up at his opponents. The men looked at him, almost like they were waiting for him to make a move. "If you keep undressing me with your eyes, I'm gonna catch a cold," Klaus said, stifling a laugh as another thought crossed his mind. "Is something funny?" The man, Buck asked. "No, just thought of a little ditty I'm working on. There once was a young buck from Dallas who sported a miniature phallus-"

Buck suggested they raised the stakes, but unfortunately for Klaus, all of his money was already in the pot. "Throw in that sissy gold necklace, then. Clyde here can melt it down, make me a belt buckle," While this was unfolding, Ben leaned against the wall, trying to guide Klaus. "He's bluffing, by the way. He's got nothing," Ben pointed out. Across the table, Klaus could see Buck's nearby keys, realizing there was an easy way to get to Dallas by nightfall.

"Okay, I'll put in the sissy necklace for the keys to your pickup. Unless your bluffing," Klaus offered as he took it off, wrapping it in his fist. Buck eyed the necklace, eventually agreeing as they placed their belongings in the center. The poker game continued, and Buck smirked as he looked at his men's cards. "Full house. Kings over Sevens," He said, placing his final card down. "Well... that's nothing..." Klaus trailed off, trying to delay the game and win. But he knew full well that he lost.

"Fair is fair. You win," He caved in. But he was not going to let his chance of getting to Dallas slip away. As the men collected their money, Klaus stealthily stole the pickup's keys.

Or so he thought.