Wow. I've managed to write something, thought it's not as long as I would have liked. I do have more chapters in the works, about twelve. That and school should keep me plenty busy over the summer.

This chapter is dedicated to Jaspert because there really isn't enough fan fiction about him and he's pretty much the most awesome older brother anyone could ask for. Without him, Deryn wouldn't have gotten into the air service or met Alek. There's a tragic thought.

Since the books never said how much older Jaspert is than Deryn I'm winging. He's supposed to be three and she's about six months old, making him two and a half years older.

I've discovered that I can't write young children for crap so if anything sounds odd that's the reason.

Does anyone happen to know what a baby bed was called in 1914, if was called anything different. I just went with crib but I could be completely wrong about that.

And as always, if anyone spots any glaring grammatical errors, please let me know.

"A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams."
*

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life."
-Isadora James
*

Jaspert crawled out of bed, his bare feet hitting the chilly floor soundlessly as he crossed the room to the crib where Deryn lay. It was late and the entire house had been as dark and silent as a tomb for hours. He had been awakened by his baby sister's quiet whimpers and immediately scrambled out from under his warm blankets to check on her.

In one hand Jaspert clutched his stuffed lizard. It had shiny black button eyes and was made of bright green velvet that faded to turquoise as it reached the tail. Da had picked it up for him on one of his many balloon trips to London. It was exactly like the lizards used to carry messages on the huge ships in the air service, or so Da had told him. The stuffed fabrication was Jaspert's pride and joy, going everywhere with the small boy.

When he reached the crib, Jaspert gripped the bars and hauled himself up, lizard held firmly between his teeth. Leaning over the top rail, he dropped the toy beside Deryn and patted her lovingly on the head.

"It's alright," He said, repeating what Ma always said whenever he or Deryn cried. "I'm here. Don't cry."

She calmed, immediately recognizing the comforting sound of her brother's voice. Her hands reaching out, wee fingers stretching towards him in the moonlight. Jaspert held out his own hand and she grasped it, making happy baby noises.

Jaspert loved his little sister dearly. When Ma and Da had first told him he was going to be a big brother he had nearly driven them mad with his endless questions of when the baby would arrive. They finally had to explain to him that babies took time and that he would have to wait nine months. That seemed like an awfully long time for a lonely, impatient little boy to wait.

Jaspert hadn't been quite sure just how long nine months was, but judging the amount of time it had taken Deryn to arrive, it was very nearly forever.

He hadn't cared if the baby was a boy or a girl; though secretly Jaspert had hoped for a girl. A little sister would need an older brother like Jaspert to teach her all the important things there were to know about life. A little brother might already know all those things on his own.

He stroked Deryn's pale hair.

"I'm going to show you how do all kinds of boy things." He promised seriously.

She squealed her approval, stuffing one foot in her mouth and chewing on her toes.

Jaspert continued chattering on, talking about mud pies, worms, and anything else that made sense to his three-year old mind. Eventually, Deryn's blue eyes began to drift shut. The sound of Jaspert's voice was making her sleepy, as comforting as any of Ma's lullabies. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes with a tiny fist. Jaspert noticed this and slid down from where he'd been clinging to the bars. He planted a kiss on the palm of his hand and patted it onto one of Deryn's round cheeks. Then he pulled up the blanket that she had kicked off and placed his stuffed lizard beside to her.

"You can have him tonight." He said with a yawn of his own. "Sweet dreams, Deryn."

Jaspert sleepily crawled back to his own bed and slipped beneath the covers. He was soon sound asleep, dreaming of their adventures yet to come.