Archive of Our Own

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Peter tries to ignore the shuffling of socks against the hardwood floors as Milly paces the length of the breakfast bar, from the end of the island to the fridge and back again, over and over and over, until he can't concentrate on the report in front of him and he has to intervene.

He swivels himself around and locks his gaze onto her frantic movements, her hair is falling out of the braid Emma did before she left for work, and her cheeks are flushed, a look of pure concern clouding her face.

"If you're not careful Mills, you're going to wear a hole in the kitchen floor with all that pacing. Is everything okay?"

She stops abruptly, turns to face him, and he swears he can see the weight of the world bowing her shoulders.

"It's mommy's birthday tomorrow, and I want to bake her a cake, but I can't ask Mimi, or Papa, because they're both really busy…"

She elongates the word really, and Peter has to pacify the grin that almost upturns his lips, oh to be a child again with only superficial things to worry about.

"…and she never likes anyone to make a fuss on her birthday, but she'll be 30 this year, and my teacher told me that 30 is a special birthday, so I wanted to make it special for mommy."

There's a crease in the middle of her forehead, similar to the one Rose gets when she's worried or anxious or agitated, and for a moment he can't tear his gaze away from the forlorn look in her eyes.

He wants to put her world to rights and take away every ounce of worry that she's feeling right now.

"Do you think I could help you out Mills?" He'd have offered even if she didn't look like she was on the verge of tears, but there's something more to his offer, maybe it's knowing he can do something nice for Rose as well, or perhaps he'd simply do anything for that little girl, and helping her bake a birthday cake is just the tip of the iceberg.

He'd take a bullet for her.

He'd shield her from all the evil in the world if he could.

He'd risk his own life to protect her, and the same goes for Rose too.

It's not love, not quite, it's something deeper than that, a calling, maybe, as cliche as it sounds. It's an innate understanding that he was always meant to protect them.

"You want to help?"

Milly watches him carefully, her soft blue hues darken against her widening pupils, he feels scrutinised under her relentlessly inquisitive gaze, and he knows she's trying to catch him out, to see if he really means it.

Trust comes easier for her than it does with Rose, but she's still cautious sometimes, and not always quick to open herself up. She's smart, and Peter wishes he'd been quite so in the know when he was Milly's age.

"I do," he nods, fully turning his chair around so that he can face her properly to further back up his concurrence, "if you go and find some a sweater and some shoes, we can take a drive into town and go to the store."

A smile flashes across her lips and her whole face brightens up.

She's running for the stairs before Peter can ask her to slow down, and he waits until he can hear her upstairs in her bedroom before he turns back around and pushes the half read over, annotated report back into the folder.

It can wait until later, because right now this is more important.

.✦ ݁˖🎂๑💐✮⋆˙.
In hindsight they should have made a list, because as they enter the store and slowly make their way to the baking aisle, Peter realises that he doesn't actually know what ingredients they'll need to bake a cake.

Or if they already have any of what they will need back at home.

Milly's right hand is clasped tightly in his left, so he can hold the basket with the other, and so that his dominant hand can be freed at a moments notice, just in case.

He scrutinises the people walking by them, the mothers with their young children, the elderly customers going in twos and the solitary shoppers. They're who he keeps an eye on the most.

Keeping Milly between him and the aisles as they walk through the store, as an extra layer of protection, mostly for his own peace of mind.

Their options for boxed cakes, frosting, sprinkles and other decorations are endless, and for a second it overwhelms him, but then he feels Milly tug at his hand to pull them closer to the stocked, colourful shelves and he can see her wide, excited smile and it quashes his anxiety.

"What kind of cake do you want to make princess?"

The nickname slips out, and Milly tilts her head upwards when she hears it, a shy grin tugging at her lips, he's been retelling the same story to Milly at her request for the last three weeks near enough, about the princess and the queen, and their kingdom that is saved by a brave knight.

He's the brave knight, Rose is the queen, and she's the princess, of course.

She thinks about it for a minute and then turns her thoughtful gaze to the many colourful choices of cakes, Peter feels her pulling away from his grasp and he almost doesn't let go, but a quick glance up and down the aisle reassures him that there aren't any immediate threats, aside from the danger of choosing the wrong type of cake.

So he loosens his fingers just enough to let her go, and she moves forward towards the shelves, but when she looks back at him over her shoulder he closes the gap between them.

"Funfetti." Her firm deciding tone makes her sound exactly like Rose, and it makes him smile.

Every day he gets to spend with her the more he sees the strength, love and joy that Rose has poured into her, raising her to be a kind, caring, determined and happy little girl. In spite of everything the two of them had to face, everything Rose faced, they made it out the other side.

Milly settles on a particular boxed cake with the image on the front that shows a vanilla sponge with sprinkles running throughout the cake, and although he's slightly sceptical, he holds his hand out so that he can take it from her.

"You sure this is the right one?" He deliberates, raising his eyebrows and wiggling them just to make her laugh.

Milly nods enthusiastically making her point clear to him, so he drops it in the basket.

"Now what else do we need your majesty?"

She skips over to the section filled with frosting and all the decorations and Peter watches as her whole face lights up. It's not often that he sees her upset or in a bad mood, but even still it never fails to boost his own mood when he gets to see her happy.

"Frosting and sprinkles and candles! We also need balloons and confetti, and maybe a badge too? Have you got mommy a birthday present Peter?"

She reels off everything on her list, but her last question catches him off guard.

He's never been good at getting gifts for people, not that he ever really needed to, the only two people left in his life are his best friend Cisco Jenkins who is always happy to accept a beer and his company, and his godfather who he hasn't spoken to in almost ten years.

The thought of even so much as getting Rose a birthday card, regrettably, hadn't crossed his mind until a few weeks ago after a conversation with Emma. Essentially, she's his boss, not a friend or a coworker, but as Milly looks up at him expectantly he realises that to her that doesn't mean anything.

So he smiles gently, kneeling down to her level, "I have, but maybe I shouldn't tell you, unless you can keep a secret?"

Milly leans in closer, an excited grin on her lips, "I can keep a secret Peter, I promise!"

Thinking on his feet has become second nature to him, with his job and what it can ask from him sometimes, so he's not prepared for his mind to go completely blank when he tries to think of a gift he can tell Milly he got for Rose that won't mean she asks him a million questions about it.

Especially when the gift he has bought already seems too inappropriate, considering the slow building of their friendship, even if things have been going well lately.

"I got her some flowers, some new origami paper," both things he can quite easily explain away, then something else pops into his head on the back of a conversation he had with Emma a few weeks ago, which he doesn't mean to say out loud but he's talking before he can stop himself, "and I got her a necklace."

Milly's eyes light up, and she leans up against his arm, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Mommy's going to love her presents Peter!"

Her seal of approval should make him feel happy, but considering he already feels apprehensive about gifting them to Rose, the weight of Milly's excitement only further increases his anxiety about the prospect that Rose may not appreciate the gesture.

Part of him wants to forget he even got her anything, to tuck away the badly wrapped presents and not even acknowledge them, but he can't. He doesn't want to deny himself the opportunity to make her smile, or do something nice for her, because she deserves it.

Not wanting to dwell on the matter any further he turns Milly's attention to the shelves in front of them, setting the basket in front of them so Milly can reach it.

"Right, first off we need candles. Do you think mommy will want her age or just some normal candles?" Peter eyes the surplus of candle options and wonders how on earth Milly's going to choose when even he's overwhelmed.

"Can I look at both please Peter?"

He can feel her hand pulling away from his arm, but she's patiently waiting for his permission before she walks off and he knows he's lucky that Milly has never been any trouble for him, but he tried from the start to foster an authoritative but respectful relationship with her, working on mutual trust from the beginning because that's always been an important part of how he does his job. It doesn't work for everyone but it works for him and for Rose, Emma, Henry, and Milly, which is all that matters.

"Go ahead Mills, just stay close okay?"

Milly nods before moving away from his side to inspect the numbered candles and he shifts to stand up, the sudden appearance of a lone shopper making him nervous because even though she's an older woman and doesn't appear to pose an immediate threat, she hasn't stopped staring at Milly since she turned the corner and started walking up their aisle, and that alone sets him on edge.

Peter situates himself between Milly and the woman as she gets closer, reaching for her hand and squeezing tightly three times, waiting for her to squeeze back twice so he knows that she understands that they may have to leave quickly. It's a signal Peter insisted on having when Rose finally agreed to let him take Milly out on his own, more for his peace of mind than anyone else's. The weight of her small hand in his as she grasps onto him tightly does little to reassure him when the woman approaches them and peers behind him to look at Milly.

"She's beautiful! Do you mind if I say hello?"

Peter has to force himself to smile, even though his jaw is clenched and his whole body is tense anticipating the worst. It's the first time this has happened when he's been out with Milly but he wonders if this is a regular occurrence for Rose or Emma. Whether strangers always feel entitled to approach people with kids, just to say hello.

He looks down at Milly trying to gauge how she feels about the whole situation, but she smiles up at him and moves out of his shadow so he steps aside, "sure, go ahead."

The woman seems to have crept even further forward, and Peter struggles to keep his expression neutral.

"Hello dear, are you having a nice day with your dad?"

Reflexively Peter almost corrects the older woman, but when he realises that it's probably better for people to think that he's Milly's dad as opposed to a stranger he stops himself, glancing down at Milly who seems to have gone shy all of a sudden, "we're shopping for ingredients for mommy's birthday cake aren't we princess?"

Milly clutches the back of his shirt but peers up at the woman, and Peter gently nudges her side to tell her that it's okay to answer.

"We are," she nods flexing her fingers against the back of his hand, "and we also need to get balloons and confetti and a badge."

The woman beams at her and Peter pretends to check his watch, hoping that shell get the subtle hint that they have to get on.

"Well isn't that just lovely, I won't keep you then. Happy shopping dear, and I hope your mommy has a great birthday. Bye bye now!"

Peter doesn't release his rigid grasp of Milly's hand until the woman disappears down another aisle, but before he can say anything Milly is asking him something that leaves him without an answer to hand.

"Why did you let that lady think that you were my daddy?"

To him it makes perfect sense but to a seven year old his logic and reasoning probably won't translate. He actually makes note of the time when he looks at his watch, cautious of the time they'll actually have to get everything done, and then turns his attention back to her, "because it's my job to keep you safe, especially when it's just me and you out together, and if people thinking that I'm your dad helps do that then I won't correct people. Does that make sense?"

Milly takes a moment to process what he said and deliberate her answer, but then her smile returns and she loosens her hold of his hand, " yeah, I guess it does! Thanks for being my pretend dad Peter, you're really good at it."

He lets her go when she pulls away, watching as she pulls some of the candles off the shelf to inspect them, trying to ignore the way his heart starts to ache at the thought of never having kids of his own, let alone a kid as wonderful as Milly. But before all of that he has to find someone willing to love him and want to spend the rest of their life with him and that just makes him think of how he failed Zoe, so he picks up the nearly empty basket and walks over to Milly who promptly drops in some white and pink candles.

"Now we just need frosting, confetti, and balloons!"

A tub of frosting landing in the basket with a heavy thud moments later.

Peter smiles gently at her, "and a badge," he reminds her, sticking his tongue out at her when she pouts, "do you think mommy will appreciate it if we add some fresh strawberries to the list of ingredients?"

As much as he knows that birthday cakes aren't supposed to be healthy, he can't help but feel a little queasy at the thought of all the sugar involved when he looks down at the contents of the basket.

"For the cake?"

Confusion piercing her inquisitive tone.

"Yeah, to decorate it, maybe we can even put some between the layers as well as on top. What do you think?"

He anticipates a no, but then she surprises him.

"Fine, but they have to be the reddest, juiciest strawberries ever! Come on Peter!"

There's no time for him to even breathe before Milly has hold of his hand again and starts to drag him back up the aisle, and he lets her march ahead, because it's worth it to know she's happy.

.✦ ݁˖๑✮⋆˙.

Peter isn't quite sure how they ended up with what feels like fifty extra things they didn't need, but when he takes the final item out of the plastic bag, a pot of edible pink glitter, he has to laugh and adds it to the rest of the items that are cluttering the counter top.

They have about three hours before Rose gets home from work and Peter just hopes that they'll have enough time to bake the cake, let it cool, decorate it, and take it to the guest house all before that happens.

Milly's hurried footsteps pull his attention to the stairs and she comes running into the kitchen with a huge grin on her face, drowning in one of his old T-shirts because he couldn't find the aprons Milly was adamant they had and he didn't want her to ruin her clothes.

"Do I look silly Peter?"

The green shirt reaches her knees, and the sleeves almost fall past her elbows, but her smile is what makes the look, while silly may be the correct description of how she looks, Peter pulls out his phone to commit the image to more than just memory, so he can show Rose, and Emma and Henry tomorrow.

She spins around and he has to reach out to steady her before she gets too dizzy and falls to the ground.

"Not at all princess, now first things first we need to wash our hands. Let me grab a chair so you can reach the sink and then we can get started."

The chair he pulls away from the table is Milly's, he can tell because of the paint splotches, residual glitter and the worn away spots in the varnish at the edge of the seat where she always rests her feet.

Peter helps her up, standing close by just in case she falls, and then when they've both washed their hands he moves the chair over to the kitchen island, with Milly still on it.

Her laughter fills the room, and he basks in the warmth of her happiness, wondering how on earth he got so lucky with this job, to be able to share moments like this.

When he surveys the scene in front of him, he starts to think of all the potential scenarios that almost always end with Milly falling, and suddenly the chair isn't a good idea.

"Actually, maybe it'll work better if you sit up here, what do you think Mills?" He pats the counter top, looking at her with a thoughtful expression, trying to gauge her reaction to his proposal.

"Uncle Henry lets me sit up here sometimes. But he always tells me not to tell mommy. Do we have to keep it a secret now too?"

There's an edge of worry in her voice that cuts right through him.

Peter realises that Milly has probably reached her 'secret' limit for today, and he carefully reaches out to swipe his thumb across the little crease in the middle of her forehead until it disappears and she smiles up at him, "not if you don't want to, we can tell her tomorrow if you want. Not all secrets are bad, but if you ever feel like it isn't a good idea to keep a secret then you should always find an adult you trust to tell them."

"Like mommy, or you? Or Mimi and papa?"

He nods, "exactly, or auntie Lucy and uncle Tim. Someone who you trust and know, because they love you and want to keep you safe. Now, let's get this cake made or we'll never get it done."

With one swift, gentle movement, he lifts Milly up onto the counter and moves the chair over to the left out of the way.

They're halfway through making the cake when Milly announces that she needs to go to the bathroom, so Peter helps her down and watches her run down the hallway before turning back to look at the (messy) progress they've made.

Aside from the half mixed cake batter, with half of the ingredients missing, there's sprinkles and edible glitter coating the surface of the kitchen island, and he tries not to think about how much is covering his shirt and her hands—which Milly promises was an accident—but he swears he only turned his back for a minute or two to preheat the oven and wash the strawberries.

At least when she comes running back in, there seems to be considerably less glitter on her hands, even if his shirt is quite possibly beyond saving.

The sheepish look that Milly gives him when she stops in front of him doesn't fill him with much hope though. "I think there's some glitter in my hair Peter."

He tries to keep a straight face, but when he looks closely he can see the soft shimmer of pink by her hairline and he has to laugh, "it's okay, we can tell Mimi later and ask her to wash it out, don't worry."

Milly suddenly steps forward and wraps her arms around his waist, and it catches him off guard but he circles his arms around her, "what's this for Mills?"

She leans her head back and rests her chin against his stomach, catching his gaze, and he tries not to focus on the glitter on her cheeks.

"Just because I want to…"

He knows that's not all, because her lips are still parted and he swears he can see the cogs turning inside of her head, so he waits.

"..and because I wanted to say thank you, for helping me do this, and for being the best brave knight that I know, for keeping me and mommy and Mimi and papa safe."

Nothing makes him feel like he's doing a good job more than this. Between the soft, silent gratitude from Rose, the constant reminders from Henry and Emma, and Milly's loud, unfiltered appreciation, as if he can do no wrong beneath her innocent gaze.

"It's the highest honour to be able to protect you princess Milly, and your kingdom," he hesitates at first but then he lowers his head and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

He'd be happy to do it forever, but he knows that eventually there will come a time when he's no longer needed, and he'll move on like all the times before.

But until that happens, he's happy here, with them.

Despite the fact that he's never so much as attempted to bake before, when he pulls the cakes out of the oven he feels pretty proud of himself.

Halfway through making a pink paper crane, Milly looks over at him from the kitchen table–where she's been since she got bored with watching the cakes bake in the oven–and raises her eyebrows a smile slowly growing on her lips, following him with her eyes as he puts the cake tins down on the cooling rack and pops them out.

"It smells delicious in here!"

Peter can't argue with that observation, because even he can't deny the fact that the freshly baked cakes have made it smell amazing in the kitchen, if a little sweet and sugary.

"Now we just need to wait for them to cool," which by his 'professional' calculations should take around forty-five minutes, leaving them a good hour to decorate the cake and make sure it's hidden in the guest house by the time Rose gets home, "mind if I come and join you?"

Milly nods, already pushing a rectangular, green piece of envelope paper over to her right.

He's been getting good at the basics, creating stiff, neat folds and becoming more confident in his technique, even if some of the things he does end up making don't look exactly how they're supposed to.

So far, he's managed to master an 8 petal flower, a Daylily and a crown. Emma is a good teacher, but he prefers to have Milly explain things to him, somehow it makes it easier for him to understand.

This weeks creation he's been challenged to make is a boat, and Milly promised to talk him through it the other day after seeing the pitifully small collection on the windowsill of the guest house, deciding of her own accord that that just wouldn't do.

Peter drops down into the empty chair and pulls it close to the table so he's not tempted to slouch, or else Milly will tell him off; he never knew posture could be so important to a seven year old but he's not the only one who's felt Milly's wrath when they don't sit properly, and he's not eager to endure another lecture about how bad it is for his spine and back so he squares his shoulders and makes sure his spine lines up with the back of the chair.

"Alright Mills, you're gonna have to talk me through this, or this boat won't be fit to set sail," he holds up the rectangle of paper, awaiting instructions for his first fold.

It's red on the back, and he flips it over to the green side, patiently waiting for Milly to finish what she's doing. The egg timer ticks on quietly in the background, and he taps his foot against the floor to the same rhythm.

"First, you need to pick which colour you want to be on the outside of the boat, and which one you want to be on the inside. Or you can choose a different colour altogether, I just picked the green paper because I know it's your favourite colour."

If thoughtfulness was a person he's quite certain it would be Milly, because in the short few months he's known her, there hasn't been a single moment where he's noticed her not putting other people before herself or just thinking about the people around her.

"Thanks Mills," he grins at her and smooths the piece of paper out on the table in front of him, "okay, I'm ready."

"Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge."

He does this with ease, but he appreciates the way Milly takes her time explaining the first step to him.

"Next bring the right corner over to the left and make a small crease."

"Then unfold the previous step."

It will never not amaze him that she's so articulate. God knows he probably wasn't at her age.

"Bring the top left and top right corners down using the crease as a starting point."

"Flatten the paper down so both flaps align properly."

"Fold the top layer of the lower edge up."

Milly pauses her step by step explanation to watch him, and he feels the pressure when he tries to make the fold as neat as possible, even though it seems stressful he can understand completely why some people choose to do origami as a way to relax. Maybe when he can master the art of the smaller, finicky folds it'll become a stress free activity for him too.

"Flip the paper over and do the same on that side."

"Pick up the paper and open the underneath part of the model, it should look like a hat!"

He picks it up and opens his hand to place it on the flat surface of his palm so he can show it off, trying not to feel too embarrassed of how proud he is.

The paper rests in the middle of his hand and he lets Milly inspect it before she carries on talking him through the process.

"Bring the two pointy ends together so you can flatten it into a diamond shape, no not that way Peter, the other way!"

"Fold the bottom flap up to the top point, then flip it over again and do the same on the other side."

He gets a little confused but then Milly worms her way onto his lap and helps him fix his mistake.

"Then you need to open it up again until it looks like a hat."

She guides his hands, and positions his fingers into the right places until he can figure it out on his own, and he takes a moment to bask in the confidence that seems to be emanating from her. If Rose was here right now Peter knows that she would be so proud of Milly.

"Next you have to flatten it out to be an even smaller diamond shape, gently, that's perfect Peter!"

Milly tips her head back against his chest to smile up at him and he returns the gesture, scooting backwards on the chair so that Milly can reposition herself until she's no longer close to falling off his knee.

"We're almost done! Now you need to take the two top pointy bits and pull them outwards, and then it'll look like a boat."

He does as she tells him to, and when it actually turns into a small boat shape, the smile that stretches across his face makes his jaw ache.

"Is that it?" Peter questions admiring his creation, already planning to make it front and centre on the windowsill.

"One last step! You just need to flatten it again and then open it back up."

When he's completed the final step he places it on the table and wraps his arms around Milly, "thanks a lot Mills, I couldn't have done that without you, you're a brilliant teacher."

She leans back into his embrace, and reaches out to touch tip of the middle point, the dark green paper on the inside complimenting the sharp red on the outside perfectly.

The shrill sound of the egg timer cuts through their carefully crafted silence, and he waits for Milly to jump off his lap and run ahead before he follows behind so he can check on the cakes.

He still can't get over how perfect both cakes look when he's standing in front of them, and even though they still have to decorate them, he's more than happy with what they've done so far.

Once he's washed his hands, Peter lets his hand hover above both of the cakes, and when he's satisfied that they've cooled enough to begin the decorating process he lifts Milly up onto the counter once again.

"Are we still using the strawberries in between the layers? Or do you just want to add them on top?"

After careful consideration he decides to give Milly full creative freedom over how they decorate the cake, because even if he did have the skills to make it look perfect, it wouldn't mean as much to Rose.

"Will there be enough strawberries to do both?"

Peter rearranges the decorations that are already on the counter top, then grabs the tubs of frosting, and the punnets of strawberries from the refrigerator, trying to be as quick as possible so he doesn't leave Milly on her own for too long. Not that he doesn't trust her to be safe up on the counter, but he's heard countless horror stories of parents turning their backs for mere seconds and then worst case scenarios happening immediately after.

So he moves back over to the kitchen island before anything like that canhappen, "I think we'll have enough, but it's okay if we don't, it doesn't have to look perfect, your mom's going to love it because you made it for her."

Milly beams at him and then tries to act inconspicuous when she reaches for a strawberry, so he turns around to grab the bowls and piping bags that he almost forgot they had to give her the chance to eat it before he spins back to face her, even though the evidence is still apparent on the corners of her mouth he pretends not to notice.

"Let's get this cake decorated then Mills."

.✦ ݁˖๑✮⋆˙.

When Emma arrives home first it settles the worry in his chest, because he's barely finished with cleaning the kitchen and the birthday cake is still sitting on the counter.

Milly is back at the kitchen table making more origami boats than he count, in all different colours and sizes, covered in far too much edible glitter and frosting for him to explain away as an accident.

"Hey Emma," he greets her with a wave of a soapy hand, and pulls the final cake tin out of the sudsy water and rests it on the drying rack, "please don't tell me Rose came home with you."

Emma shakes her head and Peter breathes out a sigh of relief, she's already inspecting the cake and along with his watchful gaze, Milly is looking at Emma with a cautious expression.

Both of them waiting for either comments of criticism or her seal of approval.

The strawberries managed to stretch so they had enough for the layers and the top of the cake, and although his piping skills need a lot more work he managed to make everything look symmetrical, even if the swirls look more like hastily arranged blobs. Milly went to town with the sprinkles and the glitter, but somehow it didn't end up looking too overwhelming, and regardless of what he thought, Milly was proud of her contributions.

"You two have done a wonderful job, your mommy's going to love this sweetheart. And no, don't worry Peter, Rose said she'd hang around with Henry to finish up some paperwork, so you still have a little bit of time to hide this before she gets home."

Milly is elated, and Emma heads over to the kitchen table, leaving Peter to finish putting everything away in the cupboards. His organisational skills leave a lot to be desired but he doesn't want to mess with whatever system Emma has in place, so he makes a mental note to ask her tomorrow if she'd prefer for him to move everything to the guest house.

Right now all he wants to focus on is getting the cake out of here and hidden away at his place.

"Is it okay if I head home now, or do you need me to do anything else," Peter leans against the edge of the worktop, looking down at the dried frosting and pink shimmer on his t-shirt.

Emma waves him off, "go on, get yourself home honey. I'll see you tomorrow."

Taking extra care to balance the cake in his arms, Peter moves slowly towards the front door, stopping just before so he can say goodbye to Milly who's already recounting their day to Emma with a remarkable amount of enthusiasm after the long day they've had, "see you tomorrow princess Milly, make sure you don't forget about the glitter in your hair!"

Milly smiles at him, her widening grin and the soft sparkle in her eyes is enough to tell him that she's grateful for his help today.

"Oh wait Peter, don't forget your boat!"

She scrambles off the chair and runs across the room almost colliding with him, producing the red and green origami creation and placing it on top of the container in his arms.

"See you tomorrow Sir Peter, thank you for making today the best day ever." She hugs him goodbye and then runs back over to Emma, continuing where she left off with her retelling of their day.

Peter makes the short walk across the backyard to the guest house and when he gets inside the weight of the day rests heavily on his shoulders, tiredness he didn't realise was there creeping in and clinging to his bones.

Once the cake is safely stored in the corner of his kitchen, properly sealed under the plastic container, he adds the boat he made to the other creations on the windowsill. Trying to fight the urge to just drop onto the sofa and let the exhaustion win.

The quiet feels foreign after spending the day with Milly, and he misses the chaos of her company and the endless supply of conversation.

He knows tomorrow will be mostly the same, but Emma told him that they all had plans to spend Sunday in the city and Peter did ask if they wanted him to go with them but Emma reassured him that they would be fine and that he deserved a day off.

It just doesn't feel as comforting as it used to, spending time alone, and the stark contrast between choosing to isolate himself and then being thrust into a family unit is a harsh reminder of what he doesn't have.

What he wishes he had savoured and enjoyed before it was torn away, even though he couldn't have done anything to stop it.

"It's just one day," he mumbles in an attempt to pacify the anxiety he feels over looming solitude. Forgoing the inviting comfort of the couch to drag himself upstairs to shower, reminding himself that tomorrow will be a good day, a day to celebrate Rose and spend time with the closest thing he has to a family now.

.✦ ݁˖🎂๑💐✮⋆˙.

Birthdays have never been important to him, he barely remembers celebrating his moms birthday, and his dad never bothered to make a fuss over his own, or his for that matter, especially not after his mom died.

His uncle Jim used to take him out fishing or camping if his birthday landed on a weekend, but when everything happened with his dad and they stopped talking Peter found himself letting his birthday pass by just like every other day.

Zoe used to try and plan surprises for him so he couldn't back out of celebrating, but even she gave up eventually.

Cisco makes a point of calling him every year, and if their schedules align they try and meet up for a drink.

Aside from that, he doesn't care to celebrate.

So, hanging up banners, inflating balloons, and setting up the living room with Milly in anticipation for Rose when she gets from work brings him more joy than he'll ever admit.

Milly woke up early, and wouldn't let Rose do anything for herself, down to the outfit she wore for work or making breakfast.

The minute it was just the two of them, she was relaying their plans for the day to make sure everything looks perfect.

Somehow, half the day passed by in the blink of an eye and after providing every distraction under the sun to keep Milly occupied, he finally caved and told her they could start decorating the living room.

He ties off one of the final helium filled balloons and lets it float up to the ceiling, and when he looks over at Milly she's sat on the sofa, cross legged, surrounding by pink and yellow balloons.

They decided to do a mix of both so they could decorate everywhere downstairs, and he'd tasked Milly with pairing one pink and one yellow balloon together, to her credit she picked it up far quicker than he did.

"How are you getting on over there princess?"

Milly smiles at him, holding up the last two balloons which are attached to each other.

"I'm all done! Can we start decorating now?"

Her enthusiasm is palpable, and he hates to burst her bubble but they're not quite ready to start birthday-ifying just yet, "we need to do one more thing, and then we can. All these balloons," he points up at the ceiling, "need a piece of ribbon tied to them. Do you want to come and give me a hand?"

The speed at which Milly clambers off of the couch and wades through the balloons to get to him makes him feel a bit dizzy, but he just about manages to move himself over before Milly dives onto the couch.

"What do you need me to do?"

Her excitement runs through every word, and she resumes the same position she was in before with her legs crossed, but this time she can't seem to sit still.

He knows she's absolutely beside herself waiting for Rose to come home so they can surprise her for her birthday, but he doesn't want her to wear herself out before that can even happen, so he comes up with a plan to keep her occupied but curb her excitement so that she has more of a chance of making it through the day.

"We need to make sure every balloon has a ribbon, so we can tie some of them to weights to keep them on the ground, and then the rest of them can just float back up to the ceiling. I'm going to be in charge of getting the balloons down, and you're going to be in charge of making sure each balloon gets a bit of ribbon, but you need to sit very still and I'll need you to tell me which order I should pull the balloons down in. Do you think you can do that Mills?"

With that, she stops bouncing and sits as still as a statue, and Peter tries not to let his ego get the better of him where his successful attempts at redirecting are concerned because he knows that Milly choosing to listen to him the first time is more than likely just a fluke.

"I'm completely ready! We should do the numbers first, so then they're taken care of and we don't forget about them."

Even though the 3 and the 0 are far bigger than the other balloons scattered around on the ceiling, and he doesn't think that they would have been able to forget about them, Peter doesn't argue with Milly's reasoning and instead he pulls down the three, passing it to her and watching as she ties the ribbon carefully around the little tab at the bottom, then lets it float back up.

One down, about twenty more to go, and he chooses to focus more on the helium filled balloons over the other ones because otherwise he'll end up feeling completely defeated before they have a chance to start.

.✦ ݁˖๑✮⋆˙.

"I love balloons, especially the shiny ones. They're so awesome and they look so pretty when the sunshine comes in and lights them up."

Milly is sprawled in his lap, half focusing on the TV, but more importantly preoccupied with the spinning foil number balloons that are displayed in the bay window beside the colourfully wrapped presents.

Not long after they finished with the balloons Milly managed to convince him to braid her hair, (something else Emma and Rose taught him to do after Milly asked him one morning and he devastated her by telling her he had no idea how) even though it's a little lopsided and one of the strands is noticeably thicker than the others, he can't help but feel proud at his attempt, and at the very least it kept Milly chilled out.

The noise of a car on the gravel outside is almost muffled by the sound of Beauty and the Beast playing in the background, but then his ears seem to pick up on the slam of a car door and he tries not to disturb Milly when he pulls his arm up to check his watch.

It's barely 3pm, and he hopes that maybe Emma or Henry have left the office early, but there's a distinct nagging feeling building in his chest that tells him that it's neither of them and he braces himself for what could become a very difficult situation.

Motion detected on the front porch.

The alarm system pierces the peaceful atmosphere and catches Milly's attention, she shoots up and immediately peers over his shoulder at the front door, eyes wide with curiosity and her cheeks flushed.

"That's not mommy is it Peter? It can't be mommy she's too early! It's going to ruin the surprise!"

He doesn't want to assume that it is her, but then his phone buzzes in his pocket and he takes an educated guess that it's from Emma or Henry telling him that Rose is on her way home.

The door opens, and his worst fears are confirmed when Rose comes into view, a gentle smile on her face that falters just slightly as she takes in the decorated living room and the set up in the kitchen.

Peter almost says something to try and remedy the situation, but then he turns to Milly who's no longer balancing on her knees, her wide gaze no longer curious as tears fill her eyes.

It's the first sob that gets him and he tries his hardest not to show how painful it is on his face, how every single breathless cry that follows makes it feel like there's a steadily tightening vice around his heart.

Milly buries her head into his chest and Peter scoops her up letting her cry into his shoulder, all the while Rose looks close to tears herself as the realisation of why Milly is upset sinks in.

He stands up and walks over to Rose, offering her an apologetic smile, "hey, you're home early…"

Rose grimaces, looking around at everything and wishing that she could just turn around and walk right back outside, just hearing her daughter sobbing because she accidentally ruined the surprise is enough to break her heart in two.

"I'm so so sorry," murmurs, mostly to Milly but also for Peter's benefit, because everything looks so perfect, even down to the colour scheme of the decorations in the living room, "I figured no one would mind if I slipped away from work early. Oh Milly, I am so sorry baby girl."

Peter reaches out to squeeze Rose's arm, taking some comfort when she rests her hand on top of his, because he knows that even though this is breaking his heart, it's going to be hurting Rose and Milly twice as much.

"You…were…supposed…to…come…home…on…time." Milly hiccups through her sobs, still holding onto him with her fists wound up in the fabric of his shirt.

Rose swears that her heart is being ripped out of her chest when she hears just how heartbroken Milly is and she has to take some deep breaths to keep herself calm.

"Hey Mills it's okay," he soothes, gently rubbing circles on her back, "it just means mommy gets to enjoy her birthday with you for even longer. I know you're upset and it's okay to feel that way but please don't worry about the surprise."

"What can I do to make this better Milly? Do you want me to go outside and come back in?" Rose tries to coax a less distraught reaction from her daughter, and even though her sobbing starts to taper off she still has her head buried in Peter's shoulder.

Milly shakes her head and Peter tries to wrack his brain for another solution to help smooth over the situation, and then just as Rose looks as though she's about to start crying too he gets an idea.

"Hey princess, why don't we wait until Mimi and papa come home and then we can surprise them? Mommy can join them too and then it'll still kind of be a surprise for her too. How does that sound?"

There's a brief pause in her sniffling, and then Peter feels the weight of her head lift from his shoulder, finally face to face with Milly he reaches out to gently wipe away the few remaining tears on her cheeks.

"Yeah…I'd like that." She croaks out, rubbing at her eyes and slowly turning around to face Rose, who still looks just as distraught as Milly.

"Hey there sweetheart, I'm really sorry I ruined your surprise. You've done an amazing job, did you do this all by yourself?"

Rose tries not to push Milly too much, noticing that her hand is still tightly wound around the fabric Peter's shirt, but for the question she asked, Milly seems to be thinking up an answer.

"Peter helped me, we made your birthday cake yesterday and hid it in his house, and then we did all the decorating today. Do you really like it mommy?"

Her frown turns into a smile as she nods, cautiously opening her arms just in case Milly feels ready for a hug, "I love it, all of it. Especially my birthday cake and my balloons, you and Peter have done an amazing job sweetie."

Milly takes a second, still holding onto Peter with a vice like grip, but then she relaxes slightly and reaches out for Rose, taking the cue Peter guides her into Rose's arms waiting until they're both content with each other before he drifts into the kitchen give them some space.

Rose spins around to face him and seeing the relief flooding her face puts him at ease, she mouths the word coffee to him and he nods, already reaching for two mugs, finding the excitement of just this afternoon drawing out the exhaustion that's beginning to creep in.

He can hear the gentle chatter between Milly and Rose and the smile on his face only grows when the laughter follows, it's true that his job is to protect everyone, but there's something to be said about the way he feels when he thinks about Rose and Milly in any kind of danger, he'd take a bullet for all of them, but he'd set the whole world on fire if he had to and wouldn't dare let a single flame touch either of them.

Feelings aren't part of the contract, but building a bond, forming relationships is the only way for him to do his job properly, but he's pretty damn sure that there isn't a clause that says he can fall in love.

So it's a good job that he isn't…

He doesn't miss a beat as he moves around the kitchen for everything he needs to make Rose's coffee, she likes a dash of oat milk (because it tastes better) and then most of the time she has creamer too, except for first thing in the morning when she prefers it black.

It's good job he isn't…

"Hey," Rose punctuates the silence.

Edging closer to him with her arms folded across her chest, Peter can tell that she's still upset, but she's trying to push it all down, for Milly's sake.

"Hi, how is she? I am so sorry I should have mentioned something to you this morning but I knew how excited Milly was about getting to surprise you," he pushes her mug across the counter and then turns back to finish making his own.

Rose glances at Peter's back, looking from him, to her coffee, and then she casts her gaze over her shoulder to look at Milly who's watching the rest of Beauty and the Beast.

As soon as she wraps her hands around her mug, it brings her a much needed sense of comfort, but then she takes a sip of her coffee and peers at Peter with a smile. He remembered.

It's a silly thing, to be moved by such a small gesture, and while Peter's attentiveness has never gone unnoticed, Rose feels a stab of regret that it's been taken for granted. He's been with them for three months now and he feels like part of the furniture, but also so much more.

He knows how she likes her coffee, he knows Milly's routine on school days and the weekends, he makes an effort to make conversation with Emma about so many different things, including letting her teach him origami, and it brings Rose so much joy seeing Henry and Peter spend so much time together. Peter is so much more than just a bodyguard, his protection runs far deeper than an obligation of his contract, and Rose suspects that he'd still be there to protect them if all of a sudden it ceased to exist.

There was a time when she didn't want him around, when it made her feel weak, incapable of being a daughter and a mother because she couldn't keep her family safe without outside help.

Therapy helped, but most of all Peter has shown her that she's more than capable of doing just that. He didn't barge in and dictate their every move, he slotted into place like he'd always fit with them. Learning along the way how to move with them, how to adapt to their needs and when to take a step back, how to recognise when they needed him without ever needing to be asked.

It makes her regret ever being cold and resentful towards him, but when he turns to face her and catches her attention, the smile he gives her makes her realise that he's the last person to hold that against her.

That if she ever brought it up, his forgiveness would be instant, even if she's still struggling with the understanding that she deserves it. Peter is the one thing in her life that she can count on for anything, to know that he'll be there if she needs him, and it's been a long, long time since she's been able to put her trust into a man to that extent.

"Rose?" Peter repeats himself, trying to decipher just what the far off look in her eyes means.

When it finally registers that Peter said something she blinks herself out of the haze of her jumbled thoughts and locks onto his gaze.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something. What did you say?"

Peter moves a little bit closer, leaning against the kitchen counter with his own mug safely encompassed by his hands, "I just asked how Milly was, and apologised for not warning you about the surprise this morning. Are you okay?"

Rose nods gently, taking another drink before replying, enjoying the slight rush of sugar that follows, "she's okay, I smoothed things over, and please don't apologise Peter. I should have told Emma or Henry that I was leaving work so they could have warned me, or you. And I'm fine, better now, thanks for the coffee."

Peter's gaze softens, and Rose watches as his shoulders drop, all the worry hidden beneath his smile seems to disappear, and she can't help but take him all in.

The tiredness in his eyes, the careful expression he's holding to try and hide it, the beginnings of stubble on his cheeks and chin, the way his hair is sticking out at different angles probably from the static of the balloons, how crumpled his t-shirt is from Milly's tight grasp, how normal it makes him look.

Rose hates to admit that sometimes she forgets that.

"Peter! Can you come and watch with me?"

Peter smiles brightly when he catches Milly looking at him expectantly as she rests her chin on the back of the couch, "I'll be right there Mills, can mommy come too?"

"Of course!" She chirps back joyfully, turning back around to keep watching the movie.

"Come on, we don't want to miss the best part," Peter brushes past her, gently touching her arm as he does, "happy birthday Rose," he adds earnestly, not wanting to end up forgetting before the chaos of the evening ensues.

Rose lets him go on ahead, basking in the warmth of his words, trying not to focus on the way his touch lingers just above her elbow. Maybe this will turn out to be her best birthday yet.

.✦ ݁˖๑✮⋆˙.

The guilt she felt from earlier when she accidentally ruined Milly's surprise melted away when she got to watch the joy on her face after surprising her aunt and uncle when they came home.

Confetti was somehow involved and Rose suspects that she'll spend the next few days finding the coloured pieces of paper, not that she'll mind the reminders of one of the best days.

While Peter went to pick up some pizza's with Henry, Rose got to spend some time with Emma and Milly admiring all the effort that went into making the house look so perfect, opening a few presents, and listening to Milly talk about the past two days, everything her and Peter did to make today perfect for her.

Which makes it mean so much more, because Peter didn't have to go the extra mile for her, he could've just left it to Emma or Henry to figure out, and now as she watches him converse with Milly both of them trying to beat each other to finishing their slice of pizza first, she's left wondering if he did it just for Milly.

Or if he did it for her too.

The afternoon disappears far too quickly and Rose finds herself wishing that the day could last forever, as the time passes she tries not to hang onto the feeling of sadness that starts to creep in.

Through the soft hum of the radio, her uncle's voice rises above the music, and the quiet conversation between Milly and Peter.

"Happy birthday Rosie," he raises his glass and smiles softly, titling it in her direction, "every year we get to spend with you is the biggest blessing, and I will forever be grateful that you came into our lives, you were always meant to be our wonderful girl, and you have made me and your aunt so proud. Cheers to you sweetheart."

The tears brim in her eyes, but she raises her glass and chuckles softly at the sight of Milly lifting up her cup of lemonade. Peter smiles softly at her, and she savours the warmth of the moment, looking to her left and expecting to see Emma but the chair is empty and for a second she freezes, confused.

Until the room is plunged into near darkness, save for the few candles and the string of fairy lights hanging from the mantelpiece.

She turns her head and then the realisation sets in when she sees her aunt walking towards them with the candlelit birthday cake.

"Happy birthday sweetheart, we love you more than words could ever express. Every year I always wish the same thing for you, and that's for you to be happy. You're the daughter we always longed for, and we're so lucky to call you ours."

Milly scrambles off of Peter's lap and runs over to her, and Rose envelopes her in her arms, just as Emma gets into the living room.

"Blow out the candles mommy, make a wish!"

Rose finally gets a proper look at her birthday cake, and her heart swells at the thought of Peter and Milly spending the day making and decorating it yesterday, it looks perfectly imperfect, and that's what makes it all the more special.

She squeezes her eyes shut tightly for Milly's benefit, and then blows out the candles, tucking her wish away in the back of her mind, catching Peter's gaze when her eyes flutter open. You're never too old to make a wish.

"What did you wish for mommy?" Milly asks immediately after she opens her eyes, and everyone laughs.

It's Peter who beats her to it, and she lets him speak. Wondering if somehow, he knows what she wished for.

"If mommy tells you her wish, then it won't come true. How about we go and get some plates so everyone can try our wonderful cake?"

He shares a look with her, raised eyebrows and an expression of uncertainty crossing his face as he draws a cross on his chest and crosses his fingers, and she stifles a laugh, "go on sweetie, I'm sure it'll taste lovely."

By some miracle, and probably down to the fact that box cakes are pretty much foolproof, it doesn't taste half bad and Peter feels relieved when everyone seems to be enjoying the cake.

A calmness settles around them and Peter makes himself comfortable on the couch, watching as Milly brings Rose another unopened present, and then Henry catches his attention so he turns away from them both.

There doesn't seem to be a memory he can recall where a scene like this ever occurred for him before, not even in his childhood, it was always so disjointed and disappointing. His father was never home, and his mother was always too sick, in the memories he does have of her, to do much with him, even though she tried her best. Peter always wondered what life might have been like with a present father and a healthy mother, but he can never bring himself to wish that things were different, because despite all the pain and the heartbreak he endured it's made him into the person he is today. He won't lie and say that it was an easy ride, but everything he's been through led him here and for now, being here with Rose and her family, knowing that he's there to protect them (that he seems to be doing a good job), is enough for him.

The silence from the corner of the room should have been his first clue that they were up to something, but Henry's story has him captivated and he doesn't quite manage to pull his attention away.

Peter knows Milly's behind him without needing to look because he can feel her breath tickling the back of his neck, but he's so focused on Henry and the story he's telling that he doesn't quite manage to predict what's going to happen next quick enough, until he feels the warm, sticky feeling of frosting being wiped across his cheek.

Milly's giggles fill the room, and he pretends to act shocked when he spins around to scoop her up, tickling her before she can protest, the fistful of birthday cake landing against his chest with a soft thud.

"Peter! Stop!" Her voice is high pitched and she struggles to breathe, but he doesn't let up just yet.

Rose is laughing too, and he's pretty sure Emma is filming them both, not that he'll be forgetting today in a hurry.

"What's the magic word princess Milly?"

A heaving breath that's interrupted by a loud shriek of laughter precedes her plea.

"Please Peter!"

He shakes his head, finding her most ticklish spot, dodging her attempts to wipe even more cake on his face.

"Pretty please with a huge cherry on top!"

With one final giggle he relents, and helps her sit up, but she surprises him by staying in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck. He can see the dark circles of exhaustion under her eyes, and she leans into him heavily a telltale sign that she's close to falling asleep.

"You're the best person ever Peter," she whispers in his ear.

The warmth that blooms across his chest hits a nerve, and he tries not to wince at the sudden sharpness that pierces his heart, but Peter doesn't want to leave her thinking that he doesn't appreciate her kind words because he really does, so he squeezes her a bit tighter, "and you're the best little girl ever."

Rose is looking at him with a soft expression, one that he's not quite sure he was meant to see when she catches him staring and quickly turns to Emma, starting a conversation.

The moment passes and Milly starts to curl into his side, and the end of the evening draws closer.

Henry clears his throat and pushes himself up a few minutes later, walking over to Peter and Milly, "right, I think there's a tired little girl ready for bed over here, come on sweetheart let's go and get you upstairs."

Peter helps lift Milly up and waves at her when she blows him a kiss, "goodnight Mills, sweet dreams."

"Night night Peter, night mommy, night Mimi!"

Her tired farewells continue as she disappears upstairs with Henry, and Peter feels her absence like a gaping hole. The sticky frosting on his cheek only makes his discomfort grow, so he finally pushes himself up and starts to tidy up most of the mess. Stacking up the paper plates and picking up the empty glasses.

"Need a hand?"

Emma interjects, and Peter knows that her questions is mostly rhetorical when she reaches out to take some of the glasses from him.

"Thanks," he smiles, making his way into the kitchen, "tell me the truth, was the cake really good?"

Peter drops the paper plates in the trash and then grabs a handful of paper towels and holds them under the running water so he can get rid of the dried frosting from his face, deciding that his shirt probably won't benefit from his attempt at cleaning it with a damp paper towel.

"It was honestly lovely Peter, you and Milly did a wonderful job, not just with the cake. Thank you for doing all that, I know Rose is so happy, you've really made her day."

The confirmation of what he's been worrying about lifts a weight from his shoulders, and he finally lets himself feel content with how everything turned out.

"I got her a couple of presents, that thing we spoke about a couple of weeks ago," he confirms, and any unease about whether it was the right decision washes away when he sees the look of pure excitement and happiness on Emma's face, "do you mind if I borrow her for a little bit?"

"You don't need permission honey, go on, she's going to love it I promise," Emma practically shoos him back into the living room.

Watching the two of them talking, the nervousness in the way Peter stands, and the look of curiosity on Rose's face, it's like watching herself from years ago, when she first met Henry.

Even though she knows that both of them will deny it until they're blue in the face, there's something there, and she's determined to help it grow.

•

The dark blue is just starting to bleed into the light of the late afternoon sky when Peter manages to convince Rose to join him on the porch with another slice of cake, and a glass of wine.

His gifts are tucked beneath the porch swing, and he tries not to focus on how nervous he's feeling about the prospect of giving them to her. The cold beer in his hand does nothing to curb his anxiety, so he sets it down after barely taking a sip and sits down.

Rose passes him a blanket, and he smiles gently in return, keeping the swing steady so she can sit down without it rocking back and forth.

"Thank you for today," Rose begins, tucking her legs beneath her before draping the heavy plaid fabric over her lap, leaning back against the weathered wood, "I've never seen Milly so happy and excited about anything, and I've never felt so…loved. I know that things didn't get off to the best start with us, but I'm glad you're here, and I really appreciate all the effort you put in."

Rose never thought that things would get this comfortable between them, but right now as she watches Peter watch her, remnants of cake and frosting covering his shirt, confetti still hiding in his hair, and a tired but warm smile on his face, she's glad that he's here, in spite of the circumstances surrounding why Peter came into their lives in the first place.

For the first time since they met, she's seeing him in a different light.

"That was all Milly, she asked me if I'd help her bake a birthday cake for you and then the rest just happened. I'm just happy I could help her do something nice for your birthday. I did get you a couple of things, but no pressure to open them in front of me, I don't mind if you want to save them for later."

Rose hesitates, teetering on the edge of accepting his offer to open the gifts later, but then she decides to step out of her comfort zone and let Peter give them to her now.

"You didn't have to get me anything…but thank you. I want to open them now, if that's okay?"

Peter nods gently and then reaches under the porch swing, producing two neatly wrapped presents and a bouquet of flowers. The arrangement mostly consisting of different coloured roses, with a small variety of other flowers dotted in between. He hopes Rose doesn't ask him where he got them because he's not quite ready to admit that he spent far too long asking the florist for recommendations on what would look the best all because he didn't like any of the prearranged bouquets in the store.

"They're lovely Peter, thank you," she reaches out to take the bouquet, setting it down in front of her so she can take the presents from him too.

Rose traces her finger along the edge of the bigger gift, trying to figure out if Peter has exceptional wrapping skills or if he got some help, because not even she manages to fold the edges this neatly.

"Did you wrap these yourself?"

Peter smiles casually, "would you believe me if I said yes? I'm not going to share how long it took me though," laughing at Rose's still sceptical expression.

Even the wrapping paper he chose is beautiful, and it almost seems a shame to tear it up, even if she is extremely curious to see what Peter got her.

So she settles for pulling away at the folds on the edge, so she can try and salvage as much of it as possible, taking care to be gentle when she pulls the item out of the paper.

Rose recognises the embossed brand name of her favourite origami paper company on the box, and glances up at Peter, certain that she looks as shocked as she feels, "this is the expensive kind, you didn't have to do that! We already have so much paper Peter!"

He shrugs, as if it's the most insignificant thing in the world, "I was at a loss of what to get you and I remember that you mentioned it was your favourite but you don't often buy it anymore because of how much Milly enjoys doing origami now. So I figured you'd like it, and need it. Two of the most important things when it comes to a birthday present."

For a moment she doesn't have the right words to express her gratitude, but when she watched Peter's smile stretch across his face, she gets the feeling that he's not really searching for words. So she smiles back at him, hoping that the upturned corners of her lips convey what she can't quite say.

The smaller present is still in her lap, and when she picks it up the contrast in weight with the other one sends her mind into a spiral as she tries to figure out what it could possibly be.

Peter's smile seems to falter, only for a second, but Rose decides to just open it, not wanting to drag it out any longer.

She takes her time with the wrapping paper again, this time it's a little easier to pull the box out, and when she does she drops the paper into her lap and examines the box is a dark satin, in the deepest shade of red that she can only describe as expensive looking.

Her fingers find the seam and she pulls the lid upwards, and when she finally registers what's inside her eyes widen. The necklace sits on top of cushioned fabric, it's a silver paper crane with 'M' pendant next on the chain beside it.

"Peter…" she breathes, pulling her gaze away from the beautiful piece of jewellery to look at him.

Peter wrongly assumes that her reaction means she doesn't like it, and he begins to ramble off a long winded explanation that bleeds into an apology, "Emma mentioned it to me a few weeks ago, about how you'd been looking for something similar, and when I asked her if she had any idea of what to get you for your birthday she offered up this, I kept the receipt so if you don't like it or you want to take it back then you're more than welcome to. I'm sorry if this was slightly inappropriate Rose, I just wanted to do something nice."

Rose reaches out to rest her hand on his knee and gently squeezes, "Peter, slow down," she waits for him to take a breath before she carries on, "it's beautiful, and it's too much, but I love it. It's probably the most thoughtful gift I've ever received, and I'm going to cherish it forever. Thank you so much."

The weight of her hand against his knee is like a shock to his nervous system, but it brings back to a state of calm and he finds himself feeling comfortable with their sudden closeness.

"I'm glad you like it," Peter professes relieved, "and I'm glad you've had a good day. I've never been good at birthdays, not my own or other people's. But getting to orchestrate today with Milly was the best decision I've made in a long time, you deserve it all Rose, I really mean that."

His beer is almost empty, and the sky is completely dark now, the universe trying to hint at him that he should turn in for the night. The absence of her hand against his knee only further pushing him to make the call.

"You're one of a kind Rose Larkin," he adds, emphasis on every word, "happy birthday," Peter raises his beer bottle to her, leaning forward to gently tap the neck of the bottle against the rim of her wine glass.

Rose gets up first, and Peter contemplates waiting until she disappears inside before he heads over to the guest house, but then she pulls the necklace out of the box and lets it dangle in between her fingers.

"Would you mind?" She gestures to the necklace and hopes that Peter gets what she's asking.

Peter stiffens, not entirely sure he's the best person for the job, but he's bracing himself to stand without letting himself think about it too much his movements almost involuntary, and he tries to clench his fists so that his hands don't shake so obviously.

The air around them feels charged with static and emotion, and it almost paralyses him when he steps closer to Rose as if he's not supposed to be there, avoiding her gaze Peter takes the necklace from her so she can turn around. Focusing on the clasp instead of the soft skin of her neck when she sweeps her hair around to the front, his whole body tensing as he reaches out to pull the necklace around her neck so that the end of the chain and the clasp can meet.

Rose tries to keep her breathing steady, but she can't help the sharp intake of breath when Peter's fingers graze the nape of her neck, the cool chain contrasts with the warmth of his touch and it sends a shiver down her spine.

When she feels the chain drop, and the absence of Peter's hands by her neck, she turns back around to face him, hoping that the warmth spreading across her cheeks isn't noticeable under the soft glow of the outdoor lights.

"Thank you Peter, for everything. Goodnight," she almost leans forward to pull him in for a hug, but decides against it after the moment of brief contact they just shared still has her teetering on the edge of regret and something more she doesn't want to name.

"Goodnight Rose, see you tomorrow."

Peter's lips pull into a soft smile, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he watches her walk back inside, not moving from where he's standing until he hears the back door close.

It could have gone better, but it also could have been worse, and honestly all that matters to him is that Rose is happy.

Regardless of whether or not he wishes that there could be something more between them, it's a line he promised himself he'd never cross, and he has no intention of breaking it.

Not even for her.