No Harm, No Fowl

Chapter Six: Surprise

The two women caught back up to the children, who had finally noticed that the ymbrynes had fallen behind and thus they had stopped and were whispering excitedly to each other.
"Now what's all this?" Alma asked, announcing her presence.
"Nothing, Miss Peregrine! Nothing at all." Olive spoke up with a grin as sweet as sugar and a voice laced with honey. Alma raised an unconvinced eyebrow but dismissed it, and Jenny covered her own mouth with one hand, trying to hide her goofy smile.
"Very well. Let's finish our walk, then go home and have lunch. Miss Honey, Matilda, have you already eaten?" Matilda appeared from the crowd and shook her head while Jenny explained.
"Just breakfast. We woke up, got ready, and got here as quickly as we could. We just couldn't wait to see all of you." She nudged Alma, and thankfully none of the children noticed. Or at least, none of them said anything if they did.
"We've been so excited for you to come back. We thought you'd tell us first!" A bodiless voice exclaimed. Alma pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath.
"Mr. Nullings, how many times have I told you not to go around in the nude? Now Matilda and Miss Honey are here, and you're not wearing clothes."
"It's more comfortable this way!" Millard complained.
"When we get home you will go directly to your room and put some clothes on before lunch." She sighed and he groaned. Jenny giggled imagining his face. Alma shot her a look, but it just made her giggle more.
"We're so glad to have you back." Fiona said to Matilda, then as if to emphasize her point she bent down and grew a daisy, carefully picking it and handing it to Matilda, who put in in her hair with a grateful grin.
The group turned back to the house and began walking back, this time Alma and Jenny were leading, talking in low voices. Occasionally they heard a giggle and whispering from behind them, but ignored it for the most part. Once or twice, Jenny and Alma looked back curiously, and when they did the group fell silent and donned innocent looks. It was clear that they were planning some surprise, and not very well. But they still didn't know what it was, so they weren't doing too badly.
They reached the house and Alma opened the door, allowing everyone inside. She felt for Millard and when she found him she pointed upstairs.
"Also, Millard dear, if you would take Matilda and Miss Honey's bags upstairs with you and set them in the hall." He agreed and came back down shortly later, wearing clothes this time.
Everyone seated themselves at the table, Enoch and Alma at their usual spots. This time, Matilda was between Claire and Emma. Olive was next to Jenny on one side, with Horace on the other side of her.
"I'll be right back with the sandwiches. Behave yourselves." Alma stood and went to the kitchen, returning with a platter full of sandwiches. Luckily she always made extra food, so there was enough for Jenny and Matilda as well.
"We have a surprise for after lunch. Will you please let us do it?" Hugh begged Alma, who raised an eyebrow.
"That entirely depends. What is it?"
"We can't say, cause then it wouldn't be a surprise. But we promise, it's really good." Emma said excitedly.
"Fine. That will be alright. But don't scare Matilda and Miss Honey away please, they've just arrived."
"Well don't get too used to them," Enoch spoke, drawing glares from everyone, "We all know they're going to get bored of us, of this repeating life, and leave again. Just like they did the first time. Just like Abe did."
"Enoch! That's enough!" Alma shrieked.
Emma's glare darkened and she slammed her hands down on the table.
"Stop saying that, Enoch. Don't bring Abe into this. You know very well why he left."
"Yes. I do. Because he had a war to fight in. But he could have stayed here and been safe, with us, with you, but he didn't did he? He chose war over staying with us." Enoch stated bitterly. By now, Emma's eyes were welling up and Jenny stood.
She didn't know who Abe was, but it was obvious that he was very important to her. She left her half eaten sandwich and made her way to the other side of the table where Emma was sitting and gently pulled her into the living room, where she sat her down on the couch and pulled her into her arms.
"He's such an ass." Emma said quietly, letting her tears loose.
Jenny held her closer and whispered comforting phrases until she had calmed down some.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked calmly. Emma shook her head and breathed deeply, burying her face deeper in her shoulder and inhaling the scent of Jenny's perfume. Suddenly she started giggling through what few tears were left, leaving the older woman confused.
"Miss Honey, do you seriously wear honey scented perfume?" She asked, looking up at her face. Jenny smiled sheepishly.
"Maybe. I like it! It smells nice!" She laughed too, wiping what few tear tracks were left off of Emma's face. They'd stopped falling. "Also, you can just call me Jenny." Emma smiled and nodded.
"Jenny." She tried it out. Then she stopped for a moment. "How long will you be staying this time?" She asked quietly.
"Don't tell the others this. They don't know yet. But Miss Peregrine invited me and Matilda to stay here as a permanent part of the loop. Initially I decided against it and went home because of the school and my students... But I discussed it with Matilda and we're accepting the offer." Jenny laughed lightly as Emma's face lit up.
"Really? Oh, my birds! That's amazing! Everyone will be so excited!" She paused, calming herself back down. "You're not leaving again? You promise?"
"I promise."
"Does Miss Peregrine know?"
"I told her on the walk. That's why we fell so far behind. We were talking about it." Jenny let the little white lie slip, guessing that Alma most likely wouldn't want her children knowing exactly what had actually happened.
"I imagine she's so excited," Emma's voice dropped to a whisper, "She really missed you, you know."
Jenny smiled and the tips of her ears turned red, and she glanced toward the kitchen.
"Are you ready to go back, dear?" Emma nodded and stood, leading Jenny back to the kitchen. She was fully composed now and Enoch was sitting back with his arms crossed, having a stare down with Alma. Emma and Jenny finished their sandwiches quickly and in silence, having been the last to finish due to going off to the living room.
"Can we do the surprise now?" Fiona asked.
"Yes. Go ahead. I'll clean up, run along now."
"No, Miss Peregrine, you have to come too. It's not just for Miss Honey." Bronwyn begged, and Alma sighed.
"Alright. I can shift things around a little. Where are we going?"
"Just to the living room!" Bronwyn giggled and shot off, trailed by the other children. Matilda appeared to be in on it, which made Jenny suspicious. The little girl had too many ideas.
Enoch was last to reach the living room, stalking in and plopping on the couch. The children stood around as Bronwyn guided Jenny and Alma to sit down on the couch beside each other and Emma snuck over to the record player and put the needle down. It scratched and started playing 'Run Rabbit.' All of the standing children started singing along, except Claire. She was still shy, Jenny noted.
Jenny giggled as Hugh sang off-key and Horace did his very best to fix it, though it didn't work too well. Matilda was even singing. How she even knew the song, Jenny had no idea. She was just delighted to hear the children singing and see them having so much fun. Even if some of them didn't sound the best. Claire came over and crawled up into Alma's lap, and she stroked the back of her head absentmindedly while listening to the others sing. As Alma was stroking the little girl's hair, Jenny looked over and realized that under her curls, there was a second mouth. That must have been her peculiarity. She hadn't paid attention to Claire at the dinner table enough to notice that she had been eating with her backmouth the entire time. She made eye contact with Alma and questioningly tapped the back of her own head, earning a short nod. She smiled and turned her attention back to the music, which was drawing to an end.
Emma paused the music to keep it from going into the next song and approached her headmistress.
"Your turn."
"Absolutely not."
"Please? We want to hear you sing." Olive joined, and Fiona came and sat next to Alma and cuddled up sweetly to her, adding a "please" of her own. Alma shook her head and Jenny looked at her.
"It'd be lovely. Please?" Jenny asked, and Alma looked at her.
"Go ahead, Miss Peregrine, don't be shy." A gruff voice spoke, and everyone was surprised to realize that even Enoch had joined.
"Please sing for us?" The small girl in her lap begged, catching her attention.
Alma rubbed her face and huffed.
"Fine. One song. And that's it." She handed Claire over to Jenny who instantly started stroking her hair, and Alma stood. She wasn't happy about it.
Emma grinned wickedly and unpaused the music, which immediately started playing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. She cast a dark look at Emma and when the lyrics started, Jenny stopped petting Claire's hair in astonishment. Alma was a beautiful singer. She was quiet and shy about it at first, but by the end of the song she was walking around the room and singing with a smile. At the very end of the song she stopped back in front of Jenny and smiled wider.
"If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow... Why then, oh why, can't I?" She finished. Everyone clapped loudly and whooped, as they'd never heard her sing before. She sat back down and Jenny leaned over to her and whispered.
"You're incredible." Alma's cheeks grew pink as she thanked her.
"Your turn." Alma said, with a playfully evil grin.
"Woah now, I'm not any good and-"
"You made me do it." She pointed out, and Jenny sighed.
"I did partake in that, didn't I?" She silently cursed herself as she set Claire down and stood. "I'll get you back."
"Excuse me? This is my getting you back. We'll now be even." Alma challenged with a wink.
"Go ahead, Emma." Jenny nodded to the record player and the girl hit play.
'Silent Night' began playing and Jenny laughed at the odd selection of songs. Soon the words began, and she started singing. The children watched and listened intently. She had lied, she was good. Alma started swaying to the music, and when her eyes weren't closed they were locked onto the singing woman. Jenny looked at her and she lost her focus, causing her voice to crack which made her lose the confidence she had gained. She pulled back and sang the rest of the song very quietly. Once she finished she sat back on the couch and hid her face. Alma put a comforting arm around her and whispered to her.
"You were wonderful, Jenny."
"I failed, my voice completely failed."
"Everyone's does. Even the most famous singer's voices crack. And let's be real, do you honestly think any of us here will judge you for it?" Jenny showed her face again and leaned back.
"Well, I suppose not." She muttered.
"I'm judging." Enoch grumbled, causing Jenny to laugh.
"You really were amazing. Both of you were." Bronwyn giggled, addressing the two ymbrynes. Alma realized she still had her arm around Jenny and quickly pulled it away.
"Thank you, dear." Alma smiled at her.
"Yes, thank you. You all were amazing as well! I loved hearing you sing." Jenny complimented them.
"Don't speak of it in the past tense. Stand back up, both of you, please." Emma spoke, and as she did she grabbed each of the women's wrists and dragged them up. "We have one more song, and we'd like you both to sing it together."
Jenny's eyes widened and a blush rose quickly into her cheeks. Alma sat immediately back down.
"I said one song, and I meant it." She said stubbornly.
"Miss Peregrine, please?" Claire asked, and Alma shot Emma a dark look.
"You've brought Claire into all this!"
"What, pray tell, is 'all this'?" Emma asked innocently.
"Making me and Jenny sing." Alma said lowly.
"Just one more song?" Jenny held out a hand to Alma. She looked up at her and scowled.
"You're a backstabber." She said, reluctantly taking Jenny's hand and allowing her to pull her up. The children clapped with delight, and Emma hit play.
It was a slow song, one that Alma knew well, and she groaned inwardly. This particular song was five and a half minutes long, she remembered. Jenny didn't know it, but it seemed simple enough, so after a verse of just Alma singing she joined in. Their voices mingled in a very soothing way, and the children partnered up to dance. They were for the most part terrible dancers, which caused Jenny and even Alma to laugh at times.
About a minute and a half in, Jenny boldly took Alma's hand and spun her, catching her almost in a dip when she stumbled because she wasn't expecting it. Alma flushed slightly, but was having a lot of fun. Her heart was beating very quickly, and when Jenny pulled her back up she caught her bearings and looked at Jenny with a shocked expression. But she allowed it, and lifted Jenny's hand up into proper dancing position and rested her other hand on her waist. Jenny followed suit, and put her hand on Alma's shoulder, unsure. She looked for approval and Alma nodded. They continued singing, Jenny now watching Alma's feet as the two danced lightly. Soon she was able to get into the swing of it and meet her eyes, dancing as if they were the only two people in the room. The children were still dancing, and Jenny vaguely noticed that Millard and Matilda were partnered up and smiled to herself. It was entertaining to see a girl dancing with floating clothes.
The song slowed even more, as did the pace at which they were dancing. Alma stiffened slightly when Jenny stepped closer and pressed their cheeks together, then rested her head on Alma's shoulder, but eventually she melted into the affection. Red crept into her cheeks, so she bowed her head to hide it from the children. With a pang of disappointment, Jenny realized that the slowing of the music was because it was ending.
The song finally came to a close and Alma parted from Jenny. She had truly had fun, and the sparkle in her eyes showed it. She regained her normal, professional demeanor and cleared her throat as she brushed her slightly crumpled navy skirt off and straightened her matching jacket. Though the sparkle in her eyes remained.
"That was lovely, children. Would you all like to sing one more song for us? You do owe us." Alma said as she sat down, the other ymbryne doing the same.
The children nodded eagerly and the last song played, another that Jenny didn't know but Alma did. This one sounded better than the first they had sung, and Jenny watched happily as Claire scrambled up to join them and sang out. She really did have talent, just as Alma had said in her letters. She subconsciously shifted a little closer to Alma, until they were touching. She caught Matilda grinning wickedly and suddenly it hit her what was going on.
"They're doing this to us on purpose." She whispered.
"I know." Alma said simply. Jenny looked at her, puzzled.
"So you knew about this?"
"No, I didn't know they would do this, but I do know they've got ideas in their little heads. I figured they'd try to pull something like this." Alma turned to Jenny and smiled. "They think they know everything."
"Are they wrong, Alma?"
The headmistress simply smiled wider and focused in on the music, beginning to sway gently and hum along. She pretended she hadn't heard Jenny, which only confused the poor woman more. The music abruptly came to a close, the children cheering.
Jenny clapped loudly, and Alma smiled proudly as she joined and clapped too.
"That was wonderful! Thank you for the surprise, all of you. It was truly special." The children beamed and bowed at Jenny's words.
"You never cease to amaze me, my children. Well done." Alma spoke next, and again the children bowed. Matilda winked at her mom from the middle of the group. Alma pulled her pocket watch out of her jacket and frowned. "I'm sorry to disrupt the fun, but you all must go do your chores. There will be time for more fun, in the future." Some of them raised an eyebrow and looked at each other curiously at the mention of the future, but no one said anything. Emma crossed her arms inconspicuously and examined the floor.
Finally the room cleared out, leaving Alma, Jenny, and Matilda.
"You're really staying?" Alma asked both of them.
"Yes, of course. We love it here." Matilda grinned and pounced on the couch next to Alma.
"Well, you don't have any chores yet darling, so you can go and play with Fiona, Claire, and Bronwyn for now. Fiona and Bronwyn will have to pick a couple of vegetables for dinner later, but it won't take too long." Alma put a hand on Matilda's shoulder and she eagerly ran off to find her friends.
"That was wonderful." Jenny turned to Alma and held out a hand.
"Yes, it really was. Although they're all little sneaks." She took the hand, and was suddenly pulled up and off the couch.
"Encore?"
"I'd like that." And with that they began dancing, though without music this time. Alma's heart fluttered and stomach turned flips, though she wouldn't actually admit it.
She was so incredibly happy that the woman in front of her was going to be a part of her future. Even if it was just in a friend way, Alma was just be happy to be around her forever.
When she had first met Jenny, she'd known there was something different but hadn't quite been able to figure out what it was. From the moment the woman had opened her eyes in the bedroom and she'd seen the joy that she always gave off, she realized.
She was in deep, deep trouble.
Although, thinking back to the kiss and how wonderful and sweet and passionate it had been, she thought that it was much more likely that Jenny wanted her just as much as she wanted Jenny. Though she still was afraid to believe it, and barely let herself think it because part of her was secretly afraid that she would leave again despite her promises to stay.
She was pulled back into the present by a pair of hands holding onto her waist tightly and a voice softly whispering.
"Alma, darling, are you alright?" Her heart fluttered hopefully at the one word.
"I'm perfectly fine, petit oiseau. I would say I'm wonderful, even."
"Well, that name is the one thing I didn't miss."
"You know you love it."
"I do not-" Jenny was cut off by Alma grabbing her hips and pulling her suddenly closer until her body collided with Alma's. Alma ached to close the distance between them, but allowed Jenny to decide what to do. Unfortunately for the taller ymbryne, she didn't.
"Yes you do." A sly smile played across Alma's lips.
"What is this?" Jenny asked suddenly, lacing her fingers behind the other woman's neck.
"Very nice."
"No, I mean us." Alma sighed softly at those words.
"I don't quite know." She said honestly.
"That's alright. We can stay not knowing for a bit longer. Oddly enough, I don't mind." She stepped closer and hugged her, Alma wrapping her arms contentedly around Jenny's waist. She pulled out her watch and checked it over Jenny's shoulder, sighing happily.
"Ten more minutes."
Jenny snuggled into Alma's shoulder and smiled. "Got it."
They slowly danced to music that was only in their heads, still locked tightly together. Alma gently rubbed Jenny's back, running her nails up and down her shirt and causing her to shiver. Jenny hummed a song unfamiliar to Alma. She assumed it was from the present.
"Six minutes and forty-eight seconds." Alma said softly after a bit, prompting Jenny to open her eyes which had previously been closed. Being in this woman's arms was pure bliss. She mumbled something in acknowledgment and hugged tighter. Alma tightened her grip as well, mindful not to dig her nails in too hard. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her.
Then finally Jenny loosened her grip and spoke, causing Alma to stop rubbing her back.
"Alma?" She was met with a hum which she felt ring through her own body. "Have you ever had feelings for someone?" She asked, and Alma hesitated.
"Yes." She said airily.
"What does it feel like?" When Jenny asked that, Alma's heart sank. She didn't know how it felt to love someone, which meant she didn't love her. She pulled back from Jenny and examined her, face glowing. Her hands stayed on Jenny's waist, though.
"Well, it's quite hard to explain. When you're around them, you feel like you're floating. They make you immeasurably happy. And when you're separated, there can be a physical pain from missing them so much. When you see them you can't help but smile and feel like you'll never be happier. You find yourself wishing you could spend every minute glued to them, and when you kiss there's a fire. It's quite lovely, to love someone." She explained slowly.
"You must have a lot of experience with it, then."
"Not really."
"One more question." Jenny looked around, sheepishly trying to figure out how to word it without sounding rude.
"Do you like women?" She finally settled on saying it bluntly. Alma started laughing and for a second she panicked.
"Jenny. Darling. I kissed you. And I loved it. I would say I do indeed 'like women.'" She traced Jenny's jaw with a nail while speaking, then rested her hand back on her waist.
"Well I wasn't sure if it was like a friend thing or..."
"Oh dear, you're much more oblivious than I initially thought." Alma shook her head, feigning disappointment. She then came to rest her forehead against Jenny's. "Here, I'll lay it out plainly." She paused for a moment, making sure the other woman was listening. She was, very intently.
"I've fallen in love with you, Jenny Honey."
Jenny stopped breathing for a second, processing exactly what had just been said. Everything clicked, and it felt good, and right. It felt so right, and finally she knew for certain.
Matilda was correct, as she so often was.
"I love you, Alma."
A slow grin spread across Alma's face, the biggest Jenny had seen from her yet. She looked forward to seeing many more of them. Alma pressed a soft kiss to her lips and she melted into it, pulling her body to hers once more. The headmistress pulled back though, and sighed when she checked her watch.
"It has, as unfortunate as it is, been ten minutes now. I really must do the dishes, so that I can be ready to make dinner. I'm sorry, Jenny." She disappeared off into the kitchen and soon after Jenny heard the running of water. She followed and approached Alma quietly from behind, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder, speaking gently. Alma leaned into her touch subconsciously.
"So this is forever. I can definitely live with that." Jenny giggled as Alma flicked water over her shoulder and into her face in response. And with that, Alma turned her head and kissed Jenny again on the cheek, then continued with the dishes.