No Harm, No Fowl

Chapter Fourteen: Forever

Two years.
It had been two years since Jenny had asked Alma to be her girlfriend.
They were the happiest years of Jenny's life, and Alma's too. It was filled with ymbryne training, lots of cuddles and kisses, staying up too late and the two women being basically inseparable, always sitting together and making meals together. Alma had even taught Jenny how to do her hair, and now it was routine for the brunette to put the other woman's hair up each morning.
Matilda was nine years old now, Jenny had taken her outside of the loop each year so she could age up, and they'd continue like that until she was sixteen. Though Jenny had to be careful with how long she herself stayed out, because she didn't want to age.
The children were thriving with the two ymbrynes watching over them, Matilda even more so. She and Millard were also slowly becoming inseparable, though they insisted they were just best friends. Matilda still liked him, though Jenny wasn't sure how Millard felt. He had definitely backed off significantly when he found out she was only seven, but seemed excited to know that she'd be aging until she was sixteen- roughly his age.
It had also been almost two years since they had buried Agatha outside of the loop, putting her to rest forever. Finally the world was rid of her darkness for good. Jenny had cried that day, but not with sorrow. She didn't miss her, and she had been thankful to be safe from anything she could have done. Since the day Agatha had been killed, Jenny had made it her goal to befriend Enoch. It had worked, he tolerated her more now, even to the point at which when he rose something he sought Jenny out to show her what he had done.
Memories of the past two years within the loop floated through Jenny's mind as she woke up, sitting up in bed and looking down at Alma beside her. She saw that her sparkling green eyes were cracked ever so slightly open, discreetly raking over her.
"Happy anniversary, my love!" Jenny's perky voice rang out through the room, bringing a smile to Alma's still sleepy face.
"Good morning baby. Happy anniversary." Alma pushed herself up and captured Jenny's lips with her own in a soft kiss.
"Two years." Jenny sighed happily, rubbing her thumb over the other ymbryne's lightly pink cheeks.
"The most wonderful two years." Alma wrapped her arms around Jenny, pulling her into a hug.
"I love you so much."
"I love you more."
"No, I love you more!"
"Not possible, petit oiseau." Jenny giggled as Alma tickled her sides.
"Quit- that!" She laughed out, swatting at the woman's persistent hands.
"Make me." Alma challenged, pushing the squirming Jenny down on the bed and tickling even more.
"That- could be- arranged." She said between fits of laughter, desperately trying to catch Alma's quick hands as they flew over her body, knowing exactly where she was most ticklish. Alma's cheeks were rosy as she laughed evilly, tickling her girlfriend senseless. Her pace slowed as she thought about what she had planned for their anniversary. She didn't usually like to make a deal of holidays or birthdays, but this one would be different. Jenny didn't know she had anything planned at all.
"Jenny, I have something for you. I'd like to give it to you now." She climbed off of Jenny and stood, followed by the brunette.
"You didn't have to get me anything, darling-" She was cut off by a box being pressed into her hands and Alma speaking.
"I wanted to. I love you, and I wanted to get you something. You deserve it. Now open it."
The box was about the size of Jenny's hand, wrapped in brown paper sealed with the same wax seal that Alma had always sealed her letters with when Jenny was gone and they wrote to each other. She carefully unfolded the paper and set it to the side, then pulled open the box and grinned, pulling out a silver pocket watch. It had a bird carved skillfully onto the front of it, wings spread majestically. She flipped it open and watched it tick, her heart melting a little more with each click of the little hand.
"Alma, this is so pretty! Thank you so much. Seriously, this is so sweet." She looked up at the woman and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her cheek.
"I knew you liked mine, and thought that as an ymbryne it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to have one. I hoped you'd like it."
"I don't like it, bluebird." She giggled as a panicked look instantly crossed Alma's features, "I love it."
"Oh. Oh, thank the birds. You scared me!" She playfully swatted Jenny on the shoulder.
"I have something for you, too. One second." She crossed to the vanity that had been added to the room, right across from Alma's, and searched through a drawer. "Here it is." She went back to stand in front of Alma, holding two things. One appeared to be a large book, bound in leather. It didn't have a title on it, just intricate designs stamped into the cover. The other was square and thin, though Alma couldn't quite tell what it was as it was wrapped in paper. Jenny handed them to her and requested that she open the square item first. She set the book on the bed and did, realizing that it was two records she hadn't heard before. Though one rang a bell in her mind and she thought back to the day two years ago when Jenny had sung to her... The Beatles. She smiled as she realized where she knew the name from. The other was a collection of famous hits from the 1970s to the 1980s. She set them down with a grin and thanked Jenny, wrapping her in a warm embrace.
"We will listen to them tonight." She looked at them again, then her gaze wandered to the book next to them, which Jenny picked up and handed back to her.
"I want you to look at this now."
Alma nodded and sat down on the bed, Jenny hurrying to sit beside her and lean against her, resting her head naturally on Alma's shoulder. She laid the book in her lap and opened it, scanning the first handwritten page.