This story is partially inspired by "Abe's Farewell," by ER Bright, which is a really great take on Abe leaving for the army and highly recommended. My story is set in the movie-verse, although I think it mostly works for the book, too. There will be a few chapters to it.

-x-

It was a lazy, peaceful September afternoon — just like every other afternoon in their time-loop — and Emma was lying barefoot in the hammock that hung between two trees in the orchard behind the house. She had settled here after lunch, meaning to do some reading. It wasn't always easy to read inside a house with thirteen other people, especially when most of them were young children. Yet Emma hadn't read much of her book, for the cool shade of the orchard and rocking motion of the hammock were so relaxing that her eyes had slipped closed and the book had slipped from her hands. Now she was lulled not quite to sleep, but was floating on a pleasant tide of daydreams, lost in thoughts about Abe. The look in his cool grey eyes, the feeling of his warm hand holding hers...

When she heard footsteps coming closer through the orchard, Emma could tell that it was Abe. She opened her eyes with a smile, but when she saw the dark look on his face, her smile slipped from her lips and fell to the grass beside her book. Abe's brow was furrowed, and his mouth was pressed into a tight grimace, as if he were about to do something unpleasant. It was Emma's first clue that this wasn't going to be a lazy, peaceful afternoon like so many others.

Emma shifted and sat up slowly in the hammock, tucking a wayward lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Abe?" she asked, puzzled and a little nervous. "Abe, what's wrong?"

Abe was silent for only a moment, but the seconds stretched out and felt like a very long time to Emma as she sat and waited, gripping the ropes of the hammock in one hand. Then, he took a deep breath and told her the news, blunt and flat-out, because there really was no easy way to say it.

"I'm leaving the loop, Emma. I'm going to join the army."

Emma stunned silent for a moment. Then she laughed a shrill, unnatural laugh, trying to hide the uneasiness that was suddenly making her stomach toss. But Abe didn't return her smile. He frowned and shook his head at her, and a cold fear crept over Emma's skin as she realized that he wasn't joking. She had a strange feeling like the hammock had just flipped over and tossed her to ground — even though she was still sitting in it — for that was how much her world had just been overturned.

Emma's first tactic was to stay calm. Yes, she would stay quite calm, and she would explain things to Abe, for surely he didn't really understand. "Abe, don't be silly, you don't have to join the army," she said patiently, smiling. She'd stood up from the hammock and now, she took a step towards him and put one hand on his chest. "The army's never going to draft you. Maybe they would if you lived in ordinary time, but we live in a loop, remember? So that means you can stay here forever. I'm sure Miss P told you that already, but maybe you—"

"Yes, I do," Abe interrupted, his voice thicker now. Emma felt his body tense beneath her hand, and without really meaning to, she lowered it from his chest. "I do have to, Emma. I know they won't draft me, but I have to do it anyway. For me."

Emma just stared at him for a moment, blinking. She wasn't sure quite what Abe meant by that, but she didn't try to understand. Her second tactic was to bring up Miss Peregrine. "Well, you still can't do it. Miss P won't let you. Haven't you thought about that?" She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at Abe, proud of herself. In Miss Peregrine's house, if she said not to do something, then that thing didn't happen. It was as simple as that.

Abe dropped his gaze, unable to meet her eyes now. "Miss P already knows, Emma," he muttered guiltily to the ground. "I... I talked to her about it about it last night. She doesn't want me to leave, either, of course, but she said she won't try to stop me. She said she understands..."

But Abe trailed off when he raised his eyes and saw Emma's face. Her mouth hung open in shock, for she felt for the second time that her world had just been flipped upside-down. Miss Peregrine, their very own ymbryne, was actually letting one of her children leave the loop? And leave for the army, of all things? No... she wouldn't. She would never. Miss Peregrine had always been very protective of all of them. Protecting peculiar children was what ymbrynes were born and bred to do. Everyone knew that.

"H-how..." Emma managed to sputter, but she was too stunned to say anything else.

The pained look on Abe's face... Emma felt tears in her eyes, and she hastily tried to blink them away. Abe stepped towards her, but she moved back from him, feeling tempted to turn and run away through the orchard. "I'm sorry, Emma, really," Abe sighed. "Miss P's going to tell the other kids tonight. During supper. But I didn't want you to find out then. I wanted you to hear it from me."

Abe paused for a moment, but when Emma still said nothing, he went on, "I wanted to try to explain to you, Emma. It doesn't have anything to do with you or Miss P or anyone else. I just can't live with myself..."

He said more, but Emma didn't really hear the rest of his words. The sense of betrayal was so sharp that it physically hurt, as if she were being torn apart. She thought of their old housemate Victor, who'd been killed by a Hollow not long ago, and she wondered if he had hurt this much when he died.

Emma did start running then, but instead of running away from Abe, she ran forward past him, towards the house. Miss Peregrine couldn't really be letting Abe leave for the army, especially not so soon after losing Victor. Emma would go ask her right now. Blood pounded in her ears as she ran barefoot across the lawn, and from behind her, she heard Abe calling her name, but she didn't stop. Yes, she would go inside and ask Miss Peregrine about this, and Miss Peregrine would tell her that no, it wasn't true at all, no, of course not.