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

Chapter 65

"These people belong to the past, and the past can't be changed." {Millard Nullings pg 223 book 2}

Enoch led them through a labyrinth of narrow streets toward the cathedral. The further they got from the train station they saw more evidence of the bombs that had been raining down on London. Building fronts were pocketed by shrapnel, there were shattered windows, the streets were covered like it had snowed, everything coated in a layer of dirt, dust and debris. Then they came across a scene of such destruction they all had to stop and gape at it. A bomb crater stretched across the street like a wide mouth with broken pavement for teeth. Buildings were missing walls, debris still smoldered where it had landed after the blasts. Piles of bricks and splintered wood. Some buildings had fallen completely except for their bones, the framework the only thing left.

"Let's go. This place is nothing but a graveyard." Emma said as they continued to trudge along. They did their best to keep their eyes down but it was almost like the horror around them demanded attention. Like not looking at it was disgraceful to the people who had actually suffered through it. They passed other people every now and then, in various states of disarray. They all had the same expression though, despair, hopelessness. As the others continued Aurora saw something that stopped her dead in her tracks – a baby in a stroller, left alone in the street bawling.

MILLARD P.O.V.

Millard did his best to block out everything around him, the crackling of fire, the crashing of another wall falling into dust, the cries of an abandoned baby, the siren of one lone fire truck far in the distance. His feet stopped however, when he noticed the baby had stopped crying. He hadn't been the only one to notice as several of the others turned toward the carriage. His heart broke when he saw Aurora gently rocking the baby in her arms, a warm look in her eyes. When he looked around at the others he saw the same devastation in their faces as he felt.

"I'll take care of it." He whispered and began his trek toward Aurora. He took a deep breath preparing himself to deliver the terrible news. The closer he got to them the worse he felt, he could now see a small smile on Aurora's face and could hear her humming 'Run Rabbit'. He softly placed his hand on her shoulder gently breaking her out of her peaceful bubble. She didn't tear her gaze away from the baby.

"Aurora, we have to go." He said softly knowing that Miss Peregrine was running out of time and every second counted. She still didn't look away from the baby, he looked down and saw the baby was staring back at Aurora too. She had wisps of blonde hair and striking green eyes and was wearing a small white sweater with little pink flowers that was stained with soot and dust from the debris. She was old enough to hold her own head up and had a few teeth peeking through her gums. With another heavy sigh Millard continued, "She can't come with us."

Aurora finally looked up at him and the moment their eyes met he wished she hadn't. They were wide with shock and she looked very disturbed by what he'd just said.

"Millard no." she whispered as her eyes started to tear up.

"Aurora –"

"Don't ask me to abandon a baby, please."

"Darling, even if we took her with us it wouldn't make a difference."

"I don't care." She murmured.

"Aurora, it's how time works. If she's meant to live she'll live, if not. . . there's nothing any of us can do to stop it."

Aurora looked back down at the baby and kept shaking her head. The tears in her eyes had started falling down her cheeks and her breathing became irregular. He reached out to take the baby from her and she jumped back away from him.