"the stars incline us, they do not bind us"

i.

Jeffrey sat outside the cottage at Arundel listening to Skye and Jane bicker about the proper way to do… something, he had lost track of the conversation several minutes ago and was now watching Rosalind help Batty collect fireflies. The eldest Penderwick sister spotted him and smiled before returning her attentions back to Batty. Jeffrey could feel a blush creep up his neck.

"Jeffrey?" Jane asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

Jeffrey started, he had almost forgotten about the sisters he was sitting with.

"He looks like he's been hit by Cupid's arrow," Jane sighed dreamily.

"Nah, he's just not paying attention," Skye laughed and shook his shoulder, "Think we can fit another game of soccer in before it's completely dark?"

Jeffrey snuck another look at Rosalind before he ran off with Jane and Skye.

ii.

Of course it was Skye. It had to be Skye.

"How was that?" he asks, breathless and lying beside her.

She snorts, "Of all the things to say of course you say that."

He flushes and wipes a hand across his sweaty brow. Jeffrey had never done this before, that should be obvious to both of them. "I was just curious," he said sheepishly.

"Not too bad," Skye laughed again, "B…uh… B+."

Jeffrey rolled his eyes, "Thanks."

"Hey, that's above average."

Now it's his turn to laugh and he rolls over to kiss her cheek. Skye freezes.

"Jeffrey, we should talk."

iii.

Jeffrey hasn't seen any of the Penderwick's since Skye's college graduation party about a year ago. But they always manage to sneak their way into his life at unplanned times, so when he's walking down the street in New York City and spots Jane sitting in a coffee shop, he isn't completely surprised and rushes over to greet her.

He pauses before he reaches her, when he notices a man sitting opposite her. They're both tipped forward in their chairs, drinks and several scattered notebooks between them left forgotten, too busy staring at each other to notice anything else in the world. Jeffrey feels like he's been punched in the gut.

He's surprised with himself, Jane had always been a dear sister to him and he should be overwhelmingly happy that she had found someone. But he feels… strange. It's not quite jealously, but it's not not either. He felt similar after Skye's rejection several years ago, like he was being cut out of something.

Jeffery doesn't think about this very long though. A few seconds later, the man leaves and Jane notices him, excitedly waving him over.

iv.

"Honestly Jeffrey I don't know how you live here," Batty tells him one afternoon as she sits at his piano, fingers flying across the keys.

There are stacks of books and sheets of music spilling off the table. His couch has several stains on it and dishes are sitting haphazardly in various spots across the room. For a man with his upbringing and assets, his apartment is small and cramped, its only vanity is the piano. He hasn't spoken to his mother in years.

"You get used to it," Jeffrey replies, he's lounging on the stained couch scribbling notes onto his sheet music.

"I wouldn't want to," she scrunches her nose and begins playing again.

Jeffrey laughs, they have this conversation often when Batty comes by to practice. He's thirty-one now, teaching music lessons and not quite struggling, but close enough. He knows that there is a small fortune waiting for him back home, but he doesn't want to think about going back to his mother right now.

Instead he watches Batty hunched over the piano and smiles before turning his attention back to his music.


a/n: I haven't read the Penderwicks in a while but this idea just came to me when I was watching Little Women, so there's probably a little bit of that in there too.