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

Chapter 9

AURORA P.O.V.

Millard had walked Aurora home that night after they'd met again in the garden, the temperature had dropped so he'd offered her his jacket to keep her warm. She snuck back into her bedroom window and got ready for bed. It wasn't until after she'd changed into her nightgown and brushed her teeth that she realized she hadn't given Millard his jacket back. Oh well, she thought, she'd see him again tomorrow.

She took his jacket from her bedpost and held it close, it smelt like him, like parchment paper, fresh linen and vanilla, she found it comforting. She crawled under the covers and held the jacket to her chest as she drifted off to sleep.

MILLARD P.O.V.

Millard spent the rest of the night walking through the woods, his head and his heart had been battling each other all night. His head was winning, logic ruled Millard, and he knew it and everything Abe had said was pure fact and reason. Millard couldn't fight hollows and wights, he couldn't keep Aurora safe if there was another attack, hell, they wouldn't have even lived through the first one if Abe hadn't shown up when he did.

He put his hand to his chest, just thinking about leaving Aurora made him hurt, made it harder to breathe. He knew the two options he had: go home to Miss Peregrine, Aurora would be safe and he'd be miserable; or stay, be happy but always be looking over his shoulder, never being able to relax, spending days and nights running for their lives at the first sign of trouble. And what kind of life could he offer her anyway? They'd have no money to live off of, except what he stole and pickpocketed; Aurora deserved better than that.

As the thoughts spun around his head his heart lost more and more of the argument until Millard was trying to figure out how to tell Aurora, or if he should tell her at all. If he just disappeared, left without a trace she'd be heartbroken, she'd wonder what she had done wrong. If he told her to her face that he was leaving for her own good, she'd still be heartbroken but at least she wouldn't blame herself.

Millard felt like screaming just to let out all the anger, despair, and hopelessness he felt, but instead he turned and made his way back to the cabin as the sun appeared on the horizon.

oOo oOo oOo

AURORA P.O.V.

The next day went by smoothly until dinner, Aurora was in the small kitchen cutting what few vegetables they had when her father stormed in and threw something on the kitchen table. Aurora turned at his sudden appearance, she looked wide-eyed at what he'd thrown – it was Millard's jacket. He must have found it in her bedroom, her stomach started turning in knots as she saw the furious look on her father's face.

"Care to explain what this is?" he asked in fury jabbing a finger at the jacket.

"A jacket?" she asked frightened.

"Don't get smart with me!" he shouted picking up the jacket again, "I want to know why I found a man's jacket in your bedroom!"

"I – I'm holding onto it for a friend, tha- that's all." She stuttered while trying to find a way around him. Her mother came out of the adjoining room holding Noah, she looked just as frightened as Aurora felt.

"Lying little bitch!" Her father cried grabbing her arm and shoving her to the floor.

"Richard!" her mother cried.

"Stay out of this, Emilia!" he shouted, "She's probably been out whoring herself to any man willing to pay a dime for her! Only this time she left evidence behind." He shook the jacket in his hand again as proof.

"I have not!" Aurora shouted back getting up off the floor uneasily, "He's been a perfect gentleman, if you must know! Besides the only reason you're upset is because me spending time with anyone means that I can't be here waiting on you hand and foot simply because you're too lazy to do a thing for yourself –"

There was a loud smack as he slapped her across the face with enough force to send her crashing back to the floor. Noah started to cry so her mother made her way into her bedroom with him.

"I've had it with you!" her father shouted throwing Millard's jacket aside and reaching for his belt. Aurora hadn't been belted since she was a child and it wasn't an experience she was looking forward to repeating. She scooted back as far as the wall would allow and shielded her face with her hand. Before her father could strike her there was a loud bang as the door burst open and her father was pushed to the ground. His head started snapping to the side again and again as Millard punched him in the face. Too stunned and confused her father didn't put up much of a fight as Millard beat him.

Aurora rushed to his side, placed her hand on his unseen back and grabbed his hand that was covered in her father's blood – Millard's punch had broken his nose – and she stopped him from striking her father again.

"Millard, he isn't worth it." She said as she heard him panting, trying to get a grip on himself. Her father passed out beneath him and Millard slowly stood up, he took Aurora's hand and led her to the door, both knowing they couldn't stay there any longer.

oOo oOo oOo

MILLARD P.O.V.

They found themselves in the woods again, Millard couldn't stop replaying the past few minutes in his head. He had been heading to Aurora's early so he could figure out exactly what he was going to say to her when he heard the shouting. Her father calling her a whore and pushing her around. When Millard had looked through the window and saw he was getting ready to belt her it was like a switch flipped. His logical side shut off as his instincts took over, his anger flared and he couldn't stop himself from attacking the man.

Aurora had brought him back, her words had turned his switch again and he knew she was right. It wasn't worth it, beating up a man wasn't going to give him any satisfaction, it would only make him feel worse in the end for sinking to his level, for being an even lesser man for giving in to such violence.

They made their way through the woods at a quick pace but Aurora pulled him to a stop when they arrived at a small clearing. She turned to face him and pulled a small handkerchief from her pocket. She took his bloodied right hand and started wiping it clean. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

"Millard, you're hurt." She said, worry in her voice and showing on her face. He looked down to his hand, sure enough he had cuts on his knuckles.

"I've never been able to throw a decent punch." He said dismissively. Aurora began to run her fingertips around the wounds as she looked up at him.

"That's now the second time you've saved me." She said smiling, he returned the smile – even though she couldn't see it - hating that now he had to find the words to tell her goodbye. His hand began to feel warm, warmer than normal and he glanced down shocked at what he saw.

"How did you do that?" he asked in awe.

Aurora's brow furrowed in confusion, then she looked down as well. Where she'd been rubbing his knuckles the wounds had healed, the blood was gone, not a trace left, not even a scratch. He looked back up at her in amazement.

"Aurora you're peculiar!"