Disclaimer: I don't own The Penderwicks

Chapter 10 (Skye's POV)

Birches hadn't changed much since all those years ago. It was still as small as ever. Still as cosy as ever I guess. The only real difference was I got to sleep inside this time. Though honestly I wouldn't have minded even if I had to sleep on the porch in the cold. I was just happy to be here I guess.

Pacing into the kitchen I noticed Batty leaning over what smelled like pancakes. I wasn't worried since besides Rosalind Batty was the next best cook in the whole family. Slipping into a seat at the small table in the corner, I stared at the fresh layer of snow forming as the flakes kept raining down.

"Good morning Skye." Batty said cheerfully.

I grinned a little as I turned to look at her. "Morning. Jane didn't keep you up too late I hope? I know how it is to share a room with Jane." I almost felt a little guilty for having a whole room to myself, but they'd insisted that it was my right as the OAP.

Batty smiled. "No I slept alright. But honestly I don't think Jane was even in the room all night. I think she might have been writing in the living room or something.

I smirked as I laid my still drowsy head in my hand. "That wouldn't surprise me at all. You know how she gets whenever we have any kind of scenery change."

Batty laughed. "I know! But I can't blame her for feeling inspired. I want to ask Alec's opinion on a new composition I'm working on." Then walking over to the table with two plates filled with pancakes she sat down across from me. "I thought you were great last night too Skye."

I shrugged a little bashfully. "I don't think I'd put it exactly like that…"

Batty pointed her fork at me playfully. "Well I would, so don't disagree big sister."

I raised my hands defensively as I grinned slightly. "Okay fine... sorry Shorty."

She just smiled back as I reached to take a jab at my pancake. And I'd gotten through about two of them when Jane came stumbling into the kitchen. From the looks of it she was "drunk on art" as she often put it, and mostly sleep deprived.

"Oh alas the fragile nature of the frost! Not unlike the fickleness within his heart!"

I raised an eyebrow as I felt a little concerned. "Did…" I started slowly. "Did David dump you…?

She suddenly frowned and seemed to snap awake. "No of course not Skye! But, being at the scene of my first tragic heartbreak has inspired me to write a commentary on all my relationships as a whole." Her face suddenly went so sickeningly sweet I had to cringe. "Yes all the way from my first crush in pre-school to my shining knight David!"

I did my best not to gag on my pancake, but at least so far this David guy hadn't done anything to make me want to punch him. Jane on the other hand...

"Speaking of shining knights…" Batty whispered with a smirk as we saw a familiarly lanky silhouette outside the curtain on the side door. I sighed, rolling from someone else's awkward straight into mine. So maybe a little hesitantly I opened the door. And unsurprisingly there stood Jeffrey grinning from ear to ear. I figured he actually had a sixth sense when it came to detecting when someone was cooking, but he just kept standing there.

"Uh are you okay…?" I asked finally. But I'd barely gotten the words out before he pulled a snowball out from behind his back and tossed it straight in my face.

"The first shot is fired!" He howled as he darted off the porch.

Gritting my teeth a little I raced after him. "Get back here dork!"

But I should have know he'd have planned out this attack. Because he leapt quickly behind a snow fort he'd built, while Alec ambushed me from the side. "I need backup!" I shouted as I took cover behind a tree.

Batty joined the fray with her usual cheerful giddiness, but Jane even made a point to attempt a few tactical rolls to avoid the cover fire Jeffrey was laying down. When they both met me behind the same tree Jane saluted. "At your ready General OAP."

I just rolled my eyes before I laid out our strategy. Jeffrey had thought most of this through, but he was careless about protecting his left side. So I sent Batty out as a distraction while Jane and I snuck around the back of Birches. Then finally I sent Jane out in a direct attack toward Alec while I waited for just the right moment to strike.

Grabbing two handfuls of snow I flung myself out from behind a tree and gave Jeffrey brain freeze. But I knew I'd celebrated too soon when I felt a snowball hit my back. Turning I saw a sixth figure lightly tossing a snowball into the air. She had a smirk that almost looked familiar…

"Mercedes…?" Batty said as her eyes widened.

The other girl smiled before opening her arms wide.

Batty leapt at her until they both fell backwards into the snow laughing.

It had been years and I hardly believed how old she was now. Or maybe better yet, how old I was now.

"What are you doing here?!' Batty asked still holding tight to her long lost friend.

Mercedes smiled wider. "I'm staying with my grandparents to help out with the inn. I've been here since graduation."

"You graduated already?!" Batty asked in what seemed like awe.

She nodded. "Yep, you're up in a year or two right Batty?"

Batty nodded. "In two years yeah." Then she stopped and beamed a smile as she gestured toward me. "Guess what, Skye is getting married soon!"

I gave an awkward grin as I tried to ignore glancing Jeffrey's smirk.

"Really! To whom?" She asked.

Jeffrey took that as his cue and stood from behind his fort and smoothly brushed snow off his shoulders. Then stepping out he cleared his throat smugly.

I frowned before I reached to playfully stuff a handful of snow in his shirt collar. "Yeah," I answered for both of us as Jeffrey squirmed and danced in the most entertaining fashion.

"But don't ask me why…" I shrugged as I shot Jeffrey a playful smirk. "I haven't figured it out yet."

Mercedes laughed. "Well congratulations then! You'll all have to come down to the inn during your stay. I want to treat you all to hot chocolate." Then she shot Jane a sympathetic look. "And don't worry, my brother isn't here."

Jane smirked with a shrug that said she wouldn't have cared if Dominic Orne was at the inn, Tahiti, or the surface of Mars. "Sounds good to me." She then added if just to probably appear less hostile at the mention of past aggravations.

I wasn't sure if most everybody had "Dominic Ornes" they had to deal with at one time or another. The closest I'd came was Pearson, and unlike Jane I NEVER actually liked him. Honestly looking back I guess I was a little sympathetic toward Jane. Childhood had a way or making you regret certain things. I regretted not mailing Dominic to a foreign country (or solar system) before he got the chance to break Jane's heart. And I double regretted ever kissing Pearson. Sure it didn't mean anything to me, it was just to get him to stop being so annoying. But looking back I think the punch would have been enough to do that.

I crossed my arms, as I glanced Jeffrey still wriggling from the ice running down his back. I was actually proud though, proud that the only person I'd actually punched in years was Jeffrey. He was after all the one person I could still get away with jabbing as an adult. I felt myself smile. I think I liked it that way...

Alec laughed as he looked over at Jeffrey. "Yeah that sounds pretty nice. Besides, I have a feeling some of us might need a hot drink to thaw us out."

So to the inn we all went. And after about three mugs of hot chocolate Jeffrey dropped his pretend hypothermia routine. After which he grabbed the whipped cream can and gave himself a thick white mustache. He said it gave his accents more "credibility." Well I offered to buy a whole can myself, and after I did I politely asked Jeffrey to step outside for a "private word." Naturally I fired the whipped cream at him… Naturally.

And from there he sought revenge through a special snow version of our usual soccer drills. It was three against three, and he insisted on being on a different team than me. They actually won, but I thought it was hardly fair. Jane was on Jeffrey's team, and I think she was so fired up over the memory of Dominic that she almost brought back Mick Hart! Of course Jeffrey didn't buy that, so he spent the next two hours finding ways to remind me of his victory. But I still think I got the last laugh when I overturned a whole tub of popcorn on him later. Then when he shot back and dumped his on me… Well… Let's just say they might not let any of us back into that theater ever again...

So needless to say, it was pretty much a perfect day. But I guess we were going for broke because after it got dark Alec suggested a campfire just for old times sake. I admit it was a pretty amazing way to end the day. Alec brought his sax, Batty added in with her harmonica, and Jeffery took center stage with his clarinet. Or at least he seemed to take center stage to me…

The snowy beach looked a lot different from the time I'd been huddled out here worrying about him. In fact if I really thought about it... I guess we looked kinda different now too…

I poked my marshmallow skewer in the flame and did my best to at least get one that was half edible. Satisfied enough with it, I popped it into my mouth before I paced a little ways away from the campfire. I thought the only thing possibly better than the stars in summer, were how clear the sky looked during winter nights. And now I was really glad I decided to bring my telescope. Not that I ever would have not been glad.

Smiling slightly I adjusted the focus and peered through the lens. Orion was my favorite winter constellation, and out of it Rigel was probably my favorite star. It was one of the brightest stars out of the whole sky. A blue white supergiant. Dad used to say it reminded him of my eyes. Which I liked. I liked the night sky even more than the daytime one, and I enjoyed the thought of possibly being name for it too. Named for stars like Rigel.

Pulling back from the telescope I looked above me. It was so bright that even without the help of a lens you could see it so clearly. I guess it was funny to think that the sky had such completely different faces to it. During the day everything was so bright and cheerful, that when night came everybody just assumed it was the opposite. And yeah it was darker of course, but dark didn't mean depressing. To me it always meant fascinating, and peaceful. It meant that if you just took the time to look up you'd see something amazing. If you took the time to notice the detail... I actually liked the thought of being named for that sky most of all.

Maybe it was because I felt a lot like it. Like it would take time and effort to figure me out. To realize that a night sky could be just as beautiful...

I felt myself frown. Somewhere along the way I was ending up sounding way too much like Jane. But I figured it was just another unwanted side effect of adulthood. But even so, I knew I could only let the poetic babble go so far. So crossing my arms I slowly leaned my head back again as I listened to the music drifting in from the campfire. But try as I might, another Jane worthy thought came to me.

It was something about seeing the stars and hearing Jeffrey play at the same time. It had felt good to play the piano with him and Alec last night I had to admit. Not because I was any good, or because I was going to be the next Penderwick musical prodigy. Nope not by a long shot. But… Well it was probably because, at least for a little while, it felt like I really was a part of his world. Like we had enough in common to assure that we'd be happy.

I felt another frown spread across my face. He'd probably think that was stupid, but I'd never completely gotten it out of my head. In fact I almost wished I could have been more like Batty. That I could have understood him more. Understand what music must mean to him. But I couldn't change who I was. And really...well I liked who I was. Music was great (as long as I wasn't playing it) but it wasn't the same. No, not the same as a night sky. Or at least to me anyway.

Slowly I glanced over to Jeffrey, he had his eyes closed and a contented look on his face as he played the clarinet. I figured he hadn't noticed the sky that much tonight, or at least not in any great detail. Yeah no more than I'd really paid attention to what exact notes he'd been playing… I couldn't really get the frown on my face to go away as I kept staring at him play. But before I could snap myself out of it, he opened his eyes and looked across the campfire and right back at me. I tried to turn and look away so he wouldn't wonder why I was staring, but it was too late.

His clarinet faded out of the melody and I heard lanky footsteps trumping over to me. I wanted to just act normal, I really didn't want to, or even know how to explain what I'd been thinking about. He just plopped down beside me, completely ignoring the snow he was now sitting on.

"Well I see my audience was scowling at me. Was I that off key?" He said in a sad attempt to make me explain all the "bad vibes" I was probably sending him.

"I wasn't exactly scowling…" I mumbled without looking over at him.

"Were too." He shot back.

"Was not."

"Totally were too!" He said again.

I knew with Jeffrey this would never end if I kept replying, so I just sat there in silence, hoping he'd let the subject drop. But instead he reached to poke my shoulder repeatedly until I turned to face him with a groan.

"This," I began with some annoyance. "On the other hand, is a scowl."

He rubbed his chin in playful thought. "Oh you're right I do see the difference now! So then, let me rephrase the question… Why were you gazing at me with morose disdain?"

I frowned. "It wasn't disdain…"

He nodded but didn't miss a beat. "So it's a yes to morose then?"

I shrugged before I reached to awkwardly busy my hands with adjusting my telescope lens. "Sure, whatever. Will you stop asking if I say yes?"

He returned my shrug. "Wouldn't that make me a pretty negligent future husband?"

I huffed a sigh before I gave up trying to get him to drop it. So pointing above me I turned to look at him. "What do you see?"

He looked at where I was pointing before he looked back at me seeming confused. So he just shrugged again before he answered. "Stars?"

I frowned feeling a little deflated. "Yeah...stars…"

We sat there in silence for a few seconds before he spoke again. "And what do you see?"

I admit I hadn't been expecting that. And ironically I didn't know what to say. Yeah they were stars but… But they were a lot more than that too. They were a lot like the jumble of emotion I felt inside my chest. And suddenly I wasn't even sure what point I was trying to make. It just seemed like I'd fallen into the same old hole of doubting myself. Of doubting us. And even though it was the last thing I was going to ask for, I suddenly realized that all I really wanted was for him to reassure me that I was wrong. Crazy even.

Reassure me that we weren't too different, and that he cared about me, loved me...for who I was. Alec had said that everything would go fine with Jeffrey and me since we were such good friends, but I… I just kept seeing the look on Alec's face, and the one on Mrs. Tifton… Why did some marriages turn out so badly? I didn't really have an answer for it, I just knew that I didn't want ours to. I didn't want anything to get in the way of our friendship...

But I couldn't say all that… Or at least I didn't say all that… Instead I just crossed my arms as I maintained my stubborn silence. I was locking him out and didn't even know why… All I could think was to wonder why I always did the opposite of what I really wanted to… But like always… he seemed to do the exact opposite of that.

Bringing his clarinet to his lips he started playing a song that seemed sorta familiar. And as he went on the tune finally clicked together in my head.

Stopping he turned to look at me with a slight smile. "Fanfare for The Uncommon Couple."

I just kept staring at him as he cleared his throat and went on. "I actually happen to know that those aren't just stars Skye Penderwick. The same as I happen to know you are completely daft for thinking what I know you're thinking."

I blinked a little shocked. But he just frowned as he crossed his arms and pouted half playfully. "And don't think I don't know exactly what you're thinking. My powers of perception border on those of savant prowess. So needless to say this is where I'd usually tell you all the logical things you need to hear. All the reasons why ours is a love perfectly matched. But frankly I don't think I'll bother this time…"

"Why not…" I asked slowly.

He frowned a little deeper even though I could tell he was faking the whole thing. Or at least most of it.

"Because to be honest I'm disappointed in you. Are my affections such a trivial thing that they can be so easily discounted?"

I sighed as my shoulders slumped. "Fine...I'm sorry…"

He kept up his air of dignity. "Fair enough, but I think words won't be enough."

I huffed again. "Well what do you want, an oath written in blood?"

He grinned. "Yes that might do it…"

I punched him in the shoulder. "Fine, let's use your blood."

He winced before giving me a coy grin. "Well it looks like someone is back to their old abusive self."

I smirked. "Well sorry, but if we're supposed to be so perfect you better get used to it."

He just sighed lightly. "I already have…" Then without saying anything else he started playing his fanfare again.

And yeah I knew it was music just like every other time, but the sound seemed a different somehow. And looking up, well I thought Rigel looked different too.

Like maybe...each was a little better for the other…

Well don't worry Jane I think most of us have had a Dominic in our life. Mine claimed to be a writer and made me pay the restaurant tip... -_- lol

Anyway thanks for sticking it out with me through this story. More chapters to come shortly!