A Peculiar Time in 1944 - A Millard Fanfic (Miss Peregrine's Home) #wattys2020

Chapter 91

"After a lifetime of searching, I've finally found Abaton, and the ymbrynes – this perfect combination of ymbrynes – have unlocked the door for me." {Jack/Caul, pg 315 book 3}

Once Aurora had done all she could to help the peculiars she and Millard left the bunker knowing there was no time to wait for them to wake up and she and Millard were needed elsewhere. They were ducked down behind the building while Aurora peeked out around the corner looking to get into the fight to help the others but also not wanting to be an easy target for the wights who still had plenty of bullets in their guns. Millard was behind her, his thoughts racing as the sounds of screams and gunfire met his ears. His eyes were glued to Aurora as he thought in horror that these might be their last moments together. He felt foolish for wasting so many years in their loop expecting to have all the time in the world with her only now to regret everything they hadn't done. Seventy years and he'd always been too afraid to go too far with her, too afraid he might scare her off. But now after everything they'd been through he wasn't afraid of scaring her away anymore, not when she seemed so fearless in the face of battle.

"If Jake's hollow is where I think it is. . . " she began still with her back to him as she assessed the battlefield, "then we should have an opening right about –"

"Marry me." He blurted out and she froze cutting off her sentence immediately. They'd talked about the subject at length before but he'd never really asked her, it was always something they assumed one day would happen but now staring death in the face – yet again – he couldn't stand letting the question go unanswered. He also started to worry because Aurora appeared to have stopped breathing since the words had left his mouth.

"Wh-What?" she stammered turning to him, her long hair flying over her shoulder from the sharp snap of her head. Her expression was confused and shocked and he could understand why.

"I know it's the most inopportune time to ask." He admitted, "And it isn't anything like either of us pictured it, but. . . in case we don't make it through this I have to know. . . will you?"

She still looked at him incredulously, "Millard you really are the smartest idiot I've ever met." She said in what sounded like a reprimanding tone. His heart sank a bit in his chest, he should have kept his mouth shut, after all they were fighting for their lives, it was no time to bring up such a matter. "Did you really think I'd say no?"

His eyes snapped up from the ground and he stared at her in awe. "You're saying yes?" he asked somewhat astounded and she chuckled as she clearly heard the shock in his tone.

"Do you still doubt me when I tell you I love you?"

"Sometimes." He muttered, "Mostly because it always seems too good to be true." He took her hand, "But you are saying yes. . . right?"

She smiled, her eyes beaming, "Yes." She said linking their fingers, "And we're going to make it through today."

Then there was a familiar roar and Aurora turned and saw Bentham on the back of his grimbear charging into the fight, Nim running beside him.

"Hullo, young man!" he cried looking to Jacob and waving his cane, "In need of some assistance?"

He rode up beside Jake who was still on his hollow and the two exchanged a quick conversation.

"PT, you heard the boy. KILL!" Bentham ordered and the grimbear dove into the fight knocking wights aside like bowling pins. One wight ran up and shot PT in the chest with a pistol but the bear only seemed to get annoyed before he picked up the wight and sent him flying. Together the hollow and the grimbear began picking off the wights and in no time they became the outnumbered ones. Now with their numbers decimated to no more than ten of them they tried to run off however when they got to the bridge-hollow Jake seemed to gain control and halfway across the chasm they were dropped flailing and screaming until they plooped into the acid below. As Aurora and Millard ran up to the others she started assessing the damage they had taken and began healing their wounds, further off she could see Mr. Bentham and Miss Peregrine conversing. Bentham seemed to be pleading his case for his sister's forgiveness but if Miss Peregrine's stern look was anything to go by she wasn't buying it.