A/N Hope you enjoy!

After I made the decision I would stay, I needed to both talk to Jacob and Miss Peregrine.

I looked over at Jacob.

"Hi, Jacob? Can I talk to you for a moment?" He looked up at me.

"Sure" He nodded to Emma and she smiled at me as we went to the corner of the room.

"Jacob, Millard said you could talk to me, uh.. I want to stay with you guys, but I have a friend, she's kind of dependant on me... I'm not sure what I can do" I looked at the ground.

"I know what you mean, I had a lot of internal conflict dealing with leaving my parents. But, when I did go back to them, well, it's kind of complicated but I struggled. Then, one day they died, in an accident. I had no where else to go, and the hole these guys left was eating me up from the inside. I missed Emma... I'm happy here though" He smiled at me, a sad smile. I nodded.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry about your parents. I want to stay, because in comparison, the hole you guys will leave is going to hurt me more, in comparison. Besides..."

"Besides what?" I blushed. "Did something happen between you and Millard?" Jacob grinned at me, and I shrugged.

"Maybe" but I was smiling. Then I heard a familiar voice.

"You can talk, Jacob!" Millard sounded a bit flustered, and he stood next to me.

"Autumn!" I turned to see Miss Peregrine beckoning me.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I smiled at Jacob and in Millard's direction, before walking toward her.

"Miss Alma LeFay Peregrine" The ymbryne shook my hand and I smiled at her.

"Autumn Lynwood, I've heard about you"

"Ah, yes, please come to my study where we can discuss things in private." She lead me upstairs to a cosy room where I took a seat at her invitation. "I apologize to assume Millard educated you well on peculiardom" I nodded. "Good, well, then you understand. I see that you have a developing talent, and so I am going to ask you something... What do you have back home?" I looked at the floor.

"Nothing." I met her blue gaze. "Just a neglecting aunt, a hoard of loud, misunderstanding friends, and Serenity" Miss Peregrine looked at me.

"I see... Serenity?"

"My oldest and only true friend. She helps me out a lot, and she kind of depends on me."

"We'll understand if you want to go back to her"

"Of course I'll stay, I have more of a chance at a family here, and I think that the void you will leave if I turn back now ill be too large to fill, besides..." I trailed off, not wanting to mention Millard and I's relationship just yet. Miss P seemed to let it go. She nodded, and smiled. "...can I stay?"

"We always have room for one more" she winked "welcome to the family" I thanked her, and said that I would be back after I had said an albeit vague, but wholesome goodbye to Serenity. She agreed, and Millard walked me out to Merridale.

"I'll be here at four tomorrow, as always, and then there'll be no more goodbyes." I grinned, and hugged him, drinking in everything about him that was so human. I bid him goodbye, and walked home. My aunt was unfazed, as always, stating she wouldn't be back until late the next day. While I was in my bedroom I found a crumpled piece of paper in my pocket. I read it. It was from Millard.

Dear Autumn,

I just want you to know that I'm glad you can come and stay, and that I can't say this in front of miss Peregrine, she'd have a heart attack. I know you can't see me, and that hurts, but let me just let you know how I see you. I do see you, I know you're there, and you help me feel more human than I ever have. Thank you, and you deserve to be in the Tales of the Peculiar. Autumn, with eyes of deep amber and hair of a luscious brown. You really ought to go down in history. We'll talk later.

Love, Millard

He warmed my heart, and was one of the most human people I had ever known. I loved him with all my heart, and I waited for the day of escape to finally come. Finally, it did.

I spent the entire day practically glued to Serenity, going over how she protects herself and who to go to when I wasn't around. At the end of the school day, I hugged Serenity, and told her I had to leave, and that I would miss her. She seemed confused, but I couldn't explain it all before I ran into the woods, and toward the loop. Toward Millard. Toward home. Suddenly, I ground to a halt about two minutes away from my goal when I felt someone familiar push me from behind. I landed and rolled over, coughing from the dust in my mouth. It was her. How she found me here, I didn't know, but I felt violated that this bully was here, in Merridale. I was so close to escape. She grabbed Millard's letter from my pocket.

"'Autumn, with eyes of deep gold and hair of a luscious brown.' Who wrote this, your boyfriend?" Mary Green sneered. "Gets all of the special treatment just for going back to school after she went and got herself cancer" She rolled her eyes and Maribel behind her giggled. Clenching my jaw, I tensed up.

"Give it back" I coughed.

"How about no?" She raised her fist and I shielded my eyes in preparation. But the blow never came.

"What the hell?!" Maribel was sent running and screaming as Mary struggled to bring her fist down. It seemed trapped in air. Stopped by some invisible force. Millard. I scrambled to my feet, and did what I had always wanted to do. I kicked Mary in the stomach, sending her running away. When she was gone, I turned to feel someone hugging me, and I hugged back, closing my eyes.

"Are you ok?" Millard sounded so concerned, that I felt the need to kiss him. A

So I did. Tentatively, I traced my fingers across his jaw, and put my lips on his.

We walked back to the loop, hand in hand, and smoothly up to the cottage.

Towards a future, a future with him.

A/N I hope you liked it, remember to drop a review follow/ favourite ;)