#1
It was one of those days when Miss Peregrine took some of the children into town to buy groceries, check the post and do any other errands. On these occasions she'd trust the older children to watch over the house. Today she'd taken Claire, Bronwyn and Horace into town with her, the twins were out in the yard playing while Enoch was locked up in his room working on his homunculi. Hugh and Fiona were in the kitchen baking while Aurora and Millard were playing the piano in the sitting room, Emma and Olive were also in the kitchen making tea for the others when there was a loud crash.
Millard and Aurora heard it over the soft melody of the piano and went rushing into the kitchen to see what had happened. When they burst through the door they could see shattered glass and red goop in the doorway between the kitchen and the pantry, standing among the mess was Enoch and Hugh who seemed to have crashed into each other while Hugh was getting ingredients and Enoch was getting more pickled organs. Now the two were shouting back and forth about whose fault it was.
"Can't you look where you're going you clumsy buffoon!" Enoch shouted.
"Me? You're the one who's so eager to run back to his room you rush in and outta here without even lookin'!
"Do you even know how long it took to pickle all this?" Enoch said wiping some of the gunk off his shirt.
"Hey watch it!" Hugh shouted as some bits landed on him as Enoch flicked it away.
"Or what?" Enoch challenged getting red in the face, clearly nearing his wits end.
"Or this." Hugh said reaching over to a large bowl of flour, taking a handful and throwing it at Enoch creating a cloud of white. For a moment it seemed as if time stopped as everyone froze to see what would unfold next. Enoch glared at Hugh as he reached over and grabbed a pitcher of cream and poured it over Hugh's head. As both boys reached for their next weapon Millard ran forward and threw himself between them.
"Alright, enough! Do either of you have any idea how immature and childish this behavior is?"
"Millard?" Aurora called from behind him.
"Yes, Darling –" he said as he began to turn to her only to get a face full of whipped cream. Aurora pulled her hand back and couldn't keep from giggling, luckily Millard had been wearing his cap so she'd made a direct hit.
"Sorry Mill, I couldn't resist." She said still giggling.
"It's okay." Millard said though there was an underlying tone of something else in his voice. "Gimme a kiss."
"Ohhh, no." Aurora said smiling as she backed away as Millard approached her still covered in whipped cream.
"Hey Millard!" Emma shouted and when he turned he got an additional face full of pumpkin puree that Fiona had been working on. And that was the turning point, suddenly everyone was throwing food across the kitchen. Hugh continued to assault Enoch with flour until the dead riser picked up the smaller boy and threw him over his shoulder.
"Enoch! Put me down!" Hugh shouted but when Enoch refused Hugh grabbed a jar of honey off the tea tray Emma and Olive had set up and he dumped the sticky honey over Enoch's head. Fiona, Emma and Olive were laughing as Emma threw more puree and Fiona grabbed a bowl of batter, Olive was left with a small bowl of sugar and a carton of eggs adding to the mess. Meanwhile, Aurora and Millard had run out of whipped cream to throw and Millard had gotten his arms around Aurora's waist from behind. When he had a good enough grip on her he reached over to grab a bottle of chocolate syrup and began drizzling it over her head as she squirmed and laughed and tried to break free. The entire kitchen fight was partially cloaked in a white fog from all the flour but that wouldn't keep them from getting caught, especially when they heard the Bird shout, "What is going on in here?!"
#2
Aurora was sitting away from everyone else, all her friends and the gypsies who had been kind enough to help them. She had her legs crossed as she sat on the ground pulling up blades of grass and ripping them to pieces in her hands. She had tears running down her face at the argument she and Millard had after he'd spoken to Radi.
"He wants to come with us."
"Who? Where?" Emma asked groggy.
"Radi. With us."
"And what did you say?"
"I - - didn't say no. . . precisely."
"You know we can't take on anyone else." Emma said.
"I know, I know." Millard said, defeat already coloring his tone, "But he's disappearing very rapidly, and he's frightened. Soon he'll be entirely invisible and he's afraid he'll fall behind their group one day and they won't notice and he'll be lost forever in the woods among the wolves and spiders."
"I know he'll be disappointed. But it's really impossible. I'm sorry, Mill." Emma told him gently.
"I'll give him the news." Millard said heavily.
Aurora followed after him, hating the sad tone in his voice and wanting to lift his spirits.
"So what else did you talk about?" she asked as she caught up to him.
"Nothing much." He replied curtly.
"You were with him a long time." She prodded carefully, "Surely, it all wasn't nothing."
"It's nothing you have to concern yourself with darling." He said being rudely brief. She shrugged trying to seem nonchalant.
"I know, I just –"
"Aurora." Millard cut her off sternly then he took a deep breath and said softer, "He needs me."
"And you've done so much for him, I'm sure you've put his mind at ease about a lot –"
"But he's still nervous." Millard said his cap tilting away as he thought. "And if I could have had someone there to explain this to me I. . . I can't describe how much it would have helped."
"Millard, our group needs us. Miss Peregrine needs us. We have to find help for her. I want to help Radi too but we have other responsibilities."
"There's no we Aurora." He said, "It would only be me staying behind."
Just like that it felt like she was having trouble breathing and it took her a moment to gather her thoughts and form a response. "What are you saying?"
"You're too valuable to the group, with your peculiarity they'll need you, but me. . . I might be more useful here."
"But what about how much I need you?" she said starting to break down.
"Aurora, you're so much stronger than you give yourself credit for." He said bringing his hands to rest on her shoulders. "You don't need me, you'll be fine –"
"No." she said shaking her head.
"Aurora –"
"No!" she said slapping his hands away and marching off. He didn't go after her, instead he put his hands in his pockets and kicked at a few pebbles thinking about what he should do.
Aurora had been crying by herself since. She knew it was silly, everything Millard had said made sense and she couldn't keep him all to herself when he could be helping another. But at the same time she couldn't imagine going through everything they'd been through without Millard by her side. She didn't know if she was being selfish or if her reaction was perfectly reasonable but either way it didn't stop the tears that silently ran down her face. Then out of the corner of her eye she saw Millard approaching, she turned her head and kept looking at the small blades of grass she was pulling apart doing her best to ignore him as he sat beside her on the ground. He bent his legs in front of him and wrapped his arms around his knees and didn't say a word but Aurora could feel the tension radiating off him knowing he'd say something eventually she just couldn't tell if it would make her feel better or worse.
"I'm staying with the group." He said quietly, then realizing how unclear his statement was he continued, "I'm staying with you."
Aurora was quiet for a long moment while she continued to pull at the grass, Millard didn't push her he just waited patiently until she was ready to speak.
"I don't want to make you come if it isn't something you want." She said and he cringed at how choked up she sounded.
"Please don't cry." He said scooting closer to her, "I hate it when you cry." He continued as he brought a hand to her cheek and wiped the tears away.
"Can't help it." She murmured so softly the words were almost carried away in the wind.
"I just thought maybe I could help him." Millard admitted.
"You already have. You've given him and his family more hope than they ever dreamed they'd have. Because of you they know their son isn't fading away into nothing. They know he'll still be there even if they can't see him."
He took a deep breath, "It just threw me off guard. I've never met anyone like me before."
They were both silent after that. Millard carefully brought his hand to cover hers on the ground hoping she wouldn't pull away. His lips pulled up in a small smile when she didn't but his heart still broke a bit when he heard her sniffle. After a moment he moved closer and wrapped his arm around her and she turned her head to rest it between his neck and shoulder. Then out of the blue she asked,
"What would you do if there was a cure?"
"I'd take it." He replied and she looked up at his surprised by how quickly he answered.
"Just like that?" she asked her eyebrows now pulling together in slight confusion, "Without even thinking it through?"
Millard took another deep breath, "For years I've done nothing but think about it, I could teach, I could take you on a proper date, I could have a real life one outside of a loop and we could have children and grow old. But that's such a fairytale and I know it will never come true and there's a part of me that's happy about it. Because as much as I'd like to be seen it would have changed so much in my life. I never would have met Miss Peregrine, I never would have seen how beautiful her loop was, never met the friends I have, never would have met you. Sometimes the grass is greener, but in the end I love my life exactly how it is. I'd only take a cure now because I know it wouldn't change the past and I'd still have you by my side invisible or not." Aurora had started to tear up again as he spoke but it wasn't out of sadness now, they were caused by how touched she was that Millard cared for her so deeply and she was glad her head was on his shoulder and he couldn't see her crying again, "Aurora, you are the most important thing in my life and if it was between you or Radi, or you and everyone else, I'd choose you every time."
#3
"Millard. Millard. Millard." Caul said with his hands behind his back as he paced the floor in front of the invisible boy. He shook his head but had a smile on his face which made Millard uneasy.
"I've been very upset with you, as you've probably gathered." He continued looking at the blood – both old and new – on Millard's face, body and clothes. "That last minute stunt you pulled with Aurora, during the chaos at the subway. Of course my men are partially to blame for not noticing your little girlfriend going missing but I digress. I'm not sure you're completely aware of the prize you cost me."
Millard knew something bad was coming, some sort of punishment, a continuation of his torture but still he couldn't help but feel pride rise in his chest that he'd been able to outdo Caul's soldiers and keep Aurora safe.
"But now there may be a way for you to make up for it." He said stopping his pacing and squatting in front of Millard who had been forced to his knees by the guards. "Invisibility is a rare gift, and quite a useful one. I remember, when I was impersonating my sister, that you had said yourself you're a veritable master of the five-fingered arts. A talent like that should be used for much more than petty theft." By now a wicked smirk was growing on Caul's face and paired with his white soulless eyes it should have made Millard's spine shiver. But it didn't, he could see where this was going and if anything it made his resolve even greater. "Join the winning side Millard and I'll call off the hunt for Aurora, maybe I'll even let her live. All you have to do is renounce your foolish ymbryne, betray your friends and join me."
"Never!" he shouted then spat in Caul's face. As the man recoiled and wiped his eye the two guards leapt into action and beat Millard into the concrete ground. They punched and kicked until Caul raised a hand in a silent order to make them stop.
"I expected as much from you Millard." Caul said as Millard laid on his stomach catching his breath and trying to find the strength to even lift his face from the floor. Then the guards took him by the shoulders and brought him to his knees again, "Perhaps all he needs is some more time with Mr. Barker."
"No!" Millard shouted in horror remembering the wight who could dig into your mind and pull out your worst experiences, and turn your best ones into some terrible nightmare. "No!" Millard kept shouting as he struggled in the guard's grasp as Caul smiled and left and Mr. Barker re-entered the room.
oOo oOo oOo
When Caul next visited Millard Mr. Barker had just left and Millard was being held up by two guards though given his hunched back Caul could tell his head was drooping and he was probably on the verge of unconsciousness. As he got closer he could just barely hear Millard muttering something.
"I'm sorry Millard, I seem to be having trouble hearing you." He said in a mocking tone, "Perhaps you could repeat –"
"Kill me!" he begged straightening up to look at him, "Please just kill me."
Caul's only reaction was a wide smile before he chuckled, "Millard, why would I throw out my new favorite toy?"
Millard's head dropped again as he realized Caul would keep him alive if for nothing else but to continue his torture and relish in his agony.
"You want the pain to stop?" Caul asked. "Kneel. Pledge your life and your duty to serving me and kneel at my feet."
The guards let go and Millard fell to his knees even using his hands to brace his fall. "I – I'll serve."
Caul smiled and was about to open his mouth to comment on Millard's choice when Millard continued speaking. "I'll only ever serve the one who would never ask me to kneel at her feet. The one who gained my loyalty without being cruel." Caul's smile dropped as he realized exactly who Millard was talking about. He also had to hide how impressed he was when Millard started to get up off the floor. Even though every nerve in his body protested against it he put everything he had into getting up, first to his knees then on one foot then the other until he was standing face to face with Caul, "I'll only ever kneel to Alma Peregrine."
He saw a flash of anger in Caul's pure white eyes before he heard a sharp pop and felt pain erupt in his gut. He fell back to the floor clutching his stomach knowing what had happened because he'd felt this pain once before – he'd been shot. Caul, in his anger, had pulled out a pistol so fast Millard hadn't seen it coming. Millard felt his own warm blood start to leak between his fingers as he tried to apply pressure to the wound, then he felt the cold metal of the gun on the back of his head. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something better, something worth his last thoughts. He remembered Aurora, and what it felt like kissing her under the willow tree, what it felt like when she'd called him attractive even though she couldn't see him. Then he heard Caul chuckle and removed the end of the gun.
"No, no. I have a better idea." Millard looked up at him and knew something sinister was stirring in Caul's mind, "Gag him, I'm sick of hearing him talk and take him to the infirmary to get patched up." He ordered the guards before addressing Millard once more, "You're much more useful alive. As leverage to make sweet Aurora do whatever I want."
Millard tried to pull away from the guards at the mention of Aurora but his gut flared up in pain when he did. He tried to curse Caul, to throw every insult he had at him but the gag made it so only unintelligible gibberish came out which seemed to amuse Caul.
"I'm sorry Millard I can't understand you." He mocked, "The gag makes it impossible, it must be so frustrating." He laughed, "Not to be seen or heard. Almost like you're nothing."
#4
After he had gained consciousness after the whipping Millard found himself locked back in his cell with his back to the wall, he thought it would hurt more but he found that he felt oddly numb. That didn't mean he couldn't feel the stickiness of his blood against his skin from the open wounds.
"Mill?" he heard Hugh call from the cell next to his, "Mill, you up yet?"
"Yeah." He replied though the word hurt his raw throat that was still sore from all the screaming.
"Well get outta here." Hugh said trying to lift his friend's spirits, "We're gonna be oka-"
"Tell Aurora I love her." Millard interrupted him and Hugh got really quiet.
"Mill, you're going to be able to tell her yourself."
"Hugh." Millard said before going into a coughing fit, all this talking irritating his throat, "Hugh, I think I'm going to die in here." He said starting to get choked up and feeling tears sting his eyes.
"No you're not, Mill. You're not."
"Hugh they've beaten me half a dozen times since we've been here, if they keep this up I won't last."
Hugh had no response to that and it got quiet again, every now and then they'd hear the echo of footsteps from another hall or from above them. Millard rested his head on the cinderblock wall behind him before he turned to look out the bars at Enoch in the cell across from his own.
"Enoch." He called quietly but it was enough for the dead riser to hear him. He turned his head to Millard with a hopeless look in his dark eyes. "When you'd wake Victor, did he ever say anything about what happens after you die?"
Enoch's expression changed from hopelessness to shock. He hadn't been expecting Millard to ask about Victor, their friend had become like a taboo subject and they only spoke about him rarely. Though, it did make sense, if Millard thought his end was near wouldn't Victor be the one with all the answers?
Enoch shook his head in response, "All he'd ever say was he wanted to go back." He said and saw Millard deflate a bit, "But, I figure if he was so desperate to get back then it must be a pretty good place."
Millard gave a small nod before resting his head against the wall again this time turning to look out the thin bared window at the top of the cell. He could barely see anything out of it but he could see the stars. He wondered if they changed when you moved from loop to loop, or if somewhere out there Aurora was looking at the same constellations. The thought comforted him a bit, that maybe they were still under the same sky, it made it feel like they weren't so far apart.
#5
At one point even little Claire joined Aurora as she watched over Millard. He'd fallen asleep, his body still needing its basic functions, and without that far off look in his blue eyes Aurora could pretend he was just sleeping and forget all that was wrong about their current situation. Claire took her larger hand in both of her small ones as Aurora looked over at her and mustered up a smile.
"Millard's quite handsome, isn't he?" she asked looking down at Millard as well.
"He is." Aurora said nodding at looking back to him. He looked so peaceful with his slightly tousled brown hair. His face looked much better now that she'd healed his cuts and cleaned off the dried blood. She took her free hand, the other still in Claire's grip, and wove her fingers with Millard's. she poured a bit more of her strength into him and continued to pray that he'd come back to her.
#6
The others went off to plan their next move for when they left Caul's office giving Aurora and Millard a chance to themselves.
"Darling, what's wrong?" he asked noticing the pain in her eyes and she looked up to see the concern in his blue irises.
"I just hate thinking about everything you went through. If I had been with you –"
"Stop." He said sitting up and looking her in the eye, "Aurora whatever I went through it was worth it to keep you safe from Caul. If I hadn't pushed you under the bench at the subway then Caul would have gotten his hands on you that much sooner. He would have hurt me to get you to heal his hollows and then Jacob would have less at his disposal to use to our advantage now."
"But you went through so much pain." She murmured, "Hugh told me about the beatings, the whip, he told me you thought you were going to die in here."
"Aurora look at me." He said drawing her attention away from a string on her shirt she'd been playing with while trying to avoid his gaze. "To have to live without you, that would be true torture. No matter what Caul put me through every time he mentioned hurting you I found the strength to go on because I knew you were out of his clutches, you were safe. Even losing my soul again would be worth it." He said bringing a hand to her cheek and brushing away hair that had fallen in her face. He took a moment after brushing it behind her ear to look at his hand. "I'm just sorry the visibility won't last."
"I'm not." She said and he looked to her shocked.
"Really?"
"Millard, seeing you that empty," she paused repressing a shudder, "I'd rather not ever being able to see you again and have your beautiful soul every day of my life." Aurora couldn't describe the look in Millard's eyes as he took in her words. It looked like a mix of awe and shock and disbelief but it also looked like he was on the verge of crying. In the end all he said was,
"I love you." And leaned in to kiss her.
#7
As the others splashed around in the water Millard sat on the beach with Enoch, both had books in their hands, Millard one on history spanning from 1950 to the present day and Enoch one of Bentham's books on taxidermy he'd found in the library. Millard looked away from his book when he heard Aurora shriek but was immediately relived when he saw it was only because Emma had splashed her. The girls had to get swimwear from Bentham's house as well, and since the man had a collection of things from all decades the girls had ended up in swimwear from a much more modern era. Enoch must have been able to tell by the sunglasses Millard had on that the invisible was no longer looking at his book, he made a noise between a scoff and a chuckle as he shook his head and continued reading.
"It's called a bikini." The dead riser said pulling Millard out of his thoughts.
"Oh." He replied clearing his throat, embarrassed that he'd been caught staring, "And – and who invented it?" he asked trying to make it seem like his staring had been due to an academic pondering and had nothing to do with the attractive girl wearing the item in question.
"Some French guy I think." Enoch said turning the page of his book, "Louis something."
"I love the French." Millard said not noticing the day-dreamy tone he'd spoken in drawing a questioning look from Enoch who again caught him staring at his girlfriend. "They're a good people."
"Careful Mill, I think you're drooling." Enoch chuckled.