Hello, lovely readers! I realize this isn't exactly January 7, but its pretty close enough. :) I just want to say a few things: 1) I love the Penderwicks 2) I really really hope you enjoy this chapter. It flowed. I really think it's something special. I hope it balances hopes with reality. I loved writing it. I hope you like it too. 3) I am glad if this story gives you some more Penderwick sister stories to love while we all destroy our nails waiting for the fourth book 4)THANK YOU GUYS

This is the second to last chapter.

Thanks to mah regulars (I can't even express enough gratitude for how much you've given me. Thank you. Marry me?): Skyeblue (aww thank you so much! And hopefully if I write one one day you can be an early reader and editor!), applesandbananas (thank you! You're reviewers are seriously the best thing ever. Seriously. You're amazing. and yes my cliffhangers muahaha. John Green is great and I haven't read the Book Thief but I love the movie. I do hope you decide to get an account!), Readwriteedit (I love writing Skye too and Batty! Thank you thank you for sticking with this story), StardustTARDIS (thank you so much for your dedication and awesomeness! hope you liked Frozen!), Sailheart (thank you! And yes I think the awkwardness is great too hehe) , Anne (thank you! And yes their friendship means a lot to me too), Jane (thank you for all your details and support! Means so much for me! Character development is a huge deal to me), and Don'tBlink (thanks for your honesty and care and support! Skye's character is brilliant)

Thanks to my spontaneous reviewers and newbies (ya'll rock too) : Ice (I know me too! and yes I hope to write one someday!), km2save (thank you! to you too!), OldbutYoung (thank you!), PartyCat77 (thanks for your honesty. and yes i did!), Skye, nzz, annamaytf, ipsa, Mataki (thanks!), sky-blue, random guest, Pinkamenagirl, Whovianforever (thanks!), AJ, me, Reflections of Twilight (you are wonderful!), Jaybirdblue, swimflyaway, smoke and lavender, Nicole, and Iruchi-chan. Hope ya'll come back to review some time soon!

And then finally to my guests, anons, and newbies. You all are fantastic. I really hope you invest in this story. And to the Guest who had the dream about this story: whoever and wherever you are, that dream is the coolest thing ever. Thank you for telling me! It made my day!

This is the last long intro I will have on this story. There may be a few surprise notes. But if there is anything you wish for me to say or explain or thank then review or PM me!

That so many of you have said this is one of your favorite fan fictions means so much to me. I'm not great with the whole consistent confidence thing but writing is my passion so your feedback and the notifications I get when you read the chapters are great.

Yes, I am planning on writing other fan fictions. The fandoms I have ideas for and are considering are: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus (!), Gallagher Girls (!)(perhaps a crossover with Heist Society), The Legend Trilogy, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (!), Harry Potter, Divergent, and a few others. Also a few TV series. And of course the Penderwicks! :) If there are any stories you want me to write or any fandoms you want me to write about, please please PLEASE let me know! PM me or review your ideas and wishes and I will try my best to oblige. != Big Ideas

Remember, this is the Second to Last Chapter.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope it is everything or nearly everything you dream and hope and love. I hope it is surprising and heartwarming and awkward and wonderful. Read on, mis amores.

Skye pulled hard at the iron handle, the hollow noise echoing down the corridor. "Rats," Skye said. She turned and leaned against the smooth wood, thinking hard. "Locked."

Jeffrey tried his hand at opening the door. It didn't budge. "Skye, why are we trying to get to the attic? You know, I'm sure Mother has the key. I could go ask her for-"

Skye waved away his offer. "No no no. I don't think she'd approve."

Jeffrey scrunched his eyebrows. "Why not?"

"Because," Skye turned and yanked again at the door, "I'm taking you to your birthday present."

"Skye," Jeffrey insisted. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Shut up," Skye said. "Of course I did. Now all I have to do is—" Skye snapped her fingers. A grin spread across her face.

She grabbed Jeffrey's arm and began to pull him back toward the grand staircase. "Come on! I've got an idea."

-*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*-

"A fire escape?" Jeffrey asked, regarding the spiraling iron steps doubtfully.

Skye looked up proudly. "Good find, huh?" Skye kicked off her shoes and hiked her dress unceremoniously up to her knees. Then, she began to climb. She peered down over the railing at Jeffrey, who was still staring up at the stairs. "What? You're not afraid of heights, are you?" She challenged with a sly grin.

Jeffrey shook his head.

"Then, come on!" Skye began to climb the rest of the stairs. If Skye had looked down, she would've seen Jeffrey smile slightly at the ground before she heard his hollow footsteps on the fire escape behind her.

Skye and Jeffrey climbed and climbed, past the inviting glow of the ballroom windows; past nailed wood blanketed in winding, evergreen ivy; past the rough white stones of the second and third floors. Skye stopped at the top platform and reached up to grab the edge of the gutter. She used the railing as a boost and pulled herself up onto the roof, the edge of the gutter digging into her palms. Her heart pounding, she carefully found sturdy shingles for her hands and feet. The roof scraped her knees as she crawled up the slant. When she reached the ridge, Skye rolled onto the rectangular flat part of the roof.

There, as Cagney had promised, was her beloved telescope. He must've also guessed that the night would be unusually chilly—and indeed the air had grown colder the higher Skye had climbed—because he'd laid a blanket on the ground next to the telescope and to the left of the attic trap-door.

Jeffrey climbed onto the roof beside her, breathing hard. "What's up here?"

Skye was already at the telescope, tweaking and turning the dials and screws. Thank goodness—it seemed Cagney had managed to avoid even the tiniest of scratches. Skye didn't care how nice a person was; no one messed with her telescope. She pressed one blue eye against the eyepiece and focused the scope. Slowly, slowly she moved the telescope up and to the right. Small, bright blurs flew across her vision.

Skye felt Jeffrey approach. He knew better to interrupt when she was doing serious work and waited patiently until she stepped back, a grin of pure excitement lighting up her face. "Now," she said proudly, gesturing to the scope. "Take a look."

Skye watched Jeffrey squint one eye and look with the other through the telescope. The cold wind bit at her nose and her fingers tingled. Her heart seemed to be beating faster than normal—she dismissed it as a reaction to the cool air.

"Well?" she asked, unable to wait any longer. This was his gift after all. "If you don't like it I understand. Well, actually, I don't understand. But I—"

"No," Jeffrey breathed. "It's . . . beautiful. Really, really incredible. This is the Milky Way, right?"

Skye nodded and her smile widened. "Yes, the disk view of it actually. We're on the galactic halo—the outer arm—of the spiral structure. You're looking toward the constellation Sagittarius, see? It's basically in the direction of the galactic center, where stars are distributed more thickly. That's why it's so bright. Think of three million sun-sized masses and 100-400 billion stars concentrated into a tight space. How incredible is that? So much matter is crowded at the center, that there is probably a black hole. Actually, the number of light years between—" Skye stopped herself from rambling. "Anyway, the sky is perfect for stargazing here.

She took a hold of the telescope again and directed it to the left. Jeffrey peered through the glass and said, "A star. A very bright star—almost blue, really. Wow."

"That's the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. But it's actually two stars—Sirius A and B," Skye corrected, practically beaming. "Check this out." She took a hold of the telescope again.

They must've spent hours up there. Skye showed him everything she knew, everything she'd learned from both Iantha and her textbooks. She showed him the gradual changes in light in the domed sky, like paint on a canvas—light gray on the horizon to pale blue to a dark royal to a deep violet and then a blue so thick, so velvety, so endless and dark that it was almost black, making you feel as if you could jump into the sky and sink and sink but never ever drown. It was endless, endless and magnificent. Skye pointed out the pin prick of red that was Venus and the direction of Jupiter and Saturn. She traced the outlines of the Dippers and connected the dots of Canis Major the large dog, Taurus the bull , and Orion the hunter.

Jeffrey stood next to her the whole time, listening attentively, green eyes watching in awe as Skye introduced him to her love of equal name. Jeffrey knew then that it wasn't the telescope that was his gift. Not really. Skye wouldn't be willing to part with that, no. His birthday gift was something bigger. Something a person—especially a person like Skye—would be hesitant to share with anyone other than a true friend or sisters.

Her gift was her thoughts.

Jeffrey knew this was special and also delicate—for sharing knowledge, sharing a passion is never an easy thing. She was willing to reveal to him one of the things she held closest to her heart. Temporarily gone was the tough exterior, gone was the sass and gritty determination.

Here was a passion.

He took one last look and then stepped away from the telescope. "This is going to sound crazy."

Skye gave a short laugh. "I have three sisters and a baby brother," she said. "Try me."

Jeffrey shot her a small grin. He glanced out across the Arundel estate, his home, and then up at the universe. "When I see this," he said, "I hear it."

"Here what?"

Jeffrey turned, face flushed but eyes bright from the chill. "The music."

Skye cocked her head, listening. "I hear nothing."

"Listen."

She did. She heard clinking glasses and laughter, but no music. "Jeffrey, the band is taking a break. Are you sure you're feeling okay? Your mom would murder me if you got sick." She put a hand to Jeffrey's forehead but he swatted it away.

"I'm fine. You're just not listening. Look at all this—stare at it," Jeffrey insisted, gesturing out and around him, up at the sky and out to the horizons. "Listen hard, Skye. Focus."

Skye sighed, thinking about how ridiculous and illogical this was, but that it was Jeffrey's birthday, and she'd try it just this once if he asked. Even if she had to imagine it.

So she listened. Really listened. Life in ballroom continued on. Skye heard laughter and the click of heels. She heard crickets chirping in the gardens. A splash from the lake on the left. The gravelly roll of limo wheels. The shutting of a door.

She stood still and quiet, staring up at her favorite stars and constellations, letting herself float among them, forgetting the things that tied her down to the marble three floors bellow. And then, she heard it.

Chimes. Chimes and wind, and then a violin. Her eyes moved from star to star, travelling down the curve of the Milky Way Galaxy. She spun in a slow circle, the sound becoming clearer in her ears as she focused on the immense space and sky, letting it encompass her. The violin was joined by a flute and then a cello, and then a collection of low trumpets, each sound distinct and blending at the same time. It seemed to come from both inside her head and out.

"Do you hear it?" Jeffrey's voice was far away.

Skye nodded, but didn't speak. Her sky and the music. Perfect. Skye realized then that Jeffrey was giving her a gift of his own. He was showing her what could come from something so magnificent, what eternity and endlessness sounded like.

They stood there together, quietly, two friends who understood each almost as well as they understood themselves. The blonde-haired girl and the green eyed boy, gazing up and around at an unfathomable universe.

The music slowly faded. Just as the last note touched her ears, a shooting star blazed across the Skye. She sensed Jeffrey suck in a breath beside her. Skye glanced over at him, a grin curving the corner of her lip. "Cool, huh?"

"Better than cool," he said, looking in the direction of what Skye recognized as Ursa Major.

"This is the moment where Jane would say something really poetic. And Batty would make one of her stupid wishes," Skye noted.

"Didn't you make one?" Jeffrey asked, turning to her.

Skye snorted. "It's ridiculous. Stars don't grant wishes. Weren't you listening? They're flaming balls of rock."

Jeffrey shrugged. "Until you can prove that wishes don't come true, I'm going to keep making them."

Skye opened her mouth to respond.

Then something strange happened. She felt a warm presence around her palm, fingers wrapping around hers. She stiffened instinctively. She became acutely aware of the cramp in her neck from looking up at the sky for so long. Human contanct—unless it involved tackling or aggressive soccer moves—was not her thing.

But this, this was a little different. The hand was soft, a little calloused. It was a sure hold, but also a little uncertain, as if waiting for a reaction. What was going on? What was Jeffrey thinking? After Kade and Pierce, hadn't she had enough with romantic boys for the rest of her life? Skye was about to jerk her hand away and ask these very questions, when something stopped her. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks—she didn't want to say anything. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't want him to let go.

"Is this okay?" Jeffrey asked quietly, uncertain, his eyes still trained on the sky.

Skye scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, almost not believe the words she was about to say. "Yes. Yeah, it is."

Jeffrey released a sigh of relief. "Good."

Skye felt a small smile on her lips. How strange, she was holding hands with a boy. Jeffrey, of all people. Voluntarily. And weirdly, she was okay with it.

Then Skye shook her head hard. No. No gooey thoughts—that was Jane's job. And romance? She'd leave that to Rosalind. Maybe this moment with Jeffrey was okay right now, but she was not going to let it turn her into some empty-minded sap. That much Skye was sure of.

They sat on the blanket, not too close but not too far apart. They talked about Jane and Cameron and Alec and Jeffrey's birthday and Dexter and the sky. They laughed and joked and insulted—nothing had really changed. The only difference was that there was a little extra something: two children's clasped hands, neither willing to let go.

At one point though, a line had to be drawn. Skye saw Jeffrey straighten a little and adjust to look at her. He turned his head slightly. "What if I kissed you right now?"

"Woah." Skye scooted so there was a slightly larger gap between them. She didn't let go, but held up her other hand between them like a stop sign. "Hold it right there."

Jeffrey scrunched his eyebrows. "Too early?"

"Definitely. This is weird enough as it is."

Jeffrey laughed. "For me too. And, let me guess, you'd punch me."

"You know me so well."

From below, Skye heard a door open and the crunch of feet on grass. "Jeffrey? Skye?" Monique's voice called.

"Up here!" Jeffrey called. Monique walked around the corner of the house and came into few—a small figure far below, her black dress blending in with the night, but her teeth were bright in a smile.

"Come down!" she called. "It's cake time!"

-*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*-

Skye walked into the grand hall with Jeffrey and Monique on either side. The room was dark, but the moon's blue light still streamed in through the tall ballroom windows. In the center of the floor, a large, tiered cake bore what looked like hundreds of warm, yellow candles and two numbers at the top. The crowd gathered around the table began to whisper excitedly and shift. Someone began to sing, other voices joining and echoing around the ballroom:

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Jeffrey! Happy Birthday to you!"

The crowd, clapping, parted to create a path to the table. When Skye and Jeffrey saw the tall figure standing by the cake, the lighter in his hands, they both stopped dead in their tracks. Skye saw a huge grin appear of Jeffrey's face.

"Alec?" Skye asked.

"Dad!" Jeffrey took off running toward the man who had his arms wide, his face flickering in the candlelight and alight with pure love and joy. Jeffrey threw his arms around his father, and Alec hugged him back tightly. "You came," Jeffrey said into his shirt.

"Of course I did." Alec laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "It's your birthday! I wouldn't miss it for the world." Skye thought Jeffrey looked the happiest he had all night.

Beside him, Jane had her hands over her mouth. She beamed at Jeffrey and his father, tears like rivers of glowing water steaming down her face in the candlelight. Behind Jane, Tommy had an arm around a smiling Rosalind, whose head rested on his shoulder. Ick. Skye saw Batty rush to give Alec a hug, and he lifted her up to sit on his shoulders. Batty shrieked in delight.

Skye moved to stand next to Rosalind.

"Skye!" she cried. "You're barefoot!"

"Oh." Skye looked down at her feet in surprise. "I guess I am."

"Better to run through the moonlit fields of bliss with," Jane added dreamily, still watching the reunion before her.

Rosalind seemed about to scold her again, and Skye was grateful when Alec announced, "I think it's time to blow out the candles, Jeffrey."

The crowd cheered their agreement. Jeffrey took a deep breath, his eyes reflecting the fire light, and paused. He smiled slightly, and blew out all the candles in one breath. Clapping ensued all around.

Jeffrey raised his eyes and found Skye, grinning. He motioned her over. "Come help me cut the cake!" Skye and her sisters moved to help Jeffrey, Alec, Monique, and Darcy distribute the cake. Soon, after hundreds of plates and several broken plastic knifes, Skye was handed a slice by Rosalind, who then proceeded to serve herself and Batty. Tommy served himself three times.

Jeffrey and Darcy appeared next to Skye. She felt his hand slip into hers. Darcy raised her eyebrows but didn't say a word.

Skye nodded at Alec, who was talking to Monique, Scott, and Harold animatedly. "See? Told you he would come."

Jeffrey frowned. "No you didn't. Jane did. You weren't sure he was going to make it."

Skye shrugged. "Guilty."

"Well, he proved you wrong."

"The one and only time," Skye promised. Jeffrey laughed and squeezed her hand.

"Jeffrey, aren't you going to have any cake?" Darcy asked. "Churchie insisted on making it herself, you know."

Jeffrey nodded at the huge chunk of chocolate and vanilla cake that still lay on the table. "That," he said, "Is for me for the next week."

Darcy snorted. "Unless Kade eats it first."

"What was that about me?" Kade said with pomp, appearing behind Darcy.

His eyes moved between Skye and Jeffrey and he raised his eyebrows. A smile not unlike a sly cat's crept on to Kade's lips. He winked at Skye suggestively. Skye rolled her eyes.

Kade held out a hand to Darcy. "Care to dance?" The band has started playing again.

Darcy turned, confused, as if she hadn't heard him correctly. "What?"

"You know," Kade said. "Dance." He demonstrated a waltz pattern.

A trace of amusement crossed Darcy's surprised, if a little doubtful, expression. "Alright, weirdo. I'll dance with you. Let's see what you can do."

She took his arm and pulled him onto the dance floor.

Skye picked up her piece of cake. "To you," she said to Jeffrey. She raised her plate as if in a toast.

"To shooting stars," Jeffrey countered.

"To soccer."

"To classical music."

"To targets with Dexter's face on them."

Jeffrey laughed.

"To the best birthday ever."

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey. Whatanight.

Please keep reviewing and reading; I love knowing that you care about this story

If there is anything you wish to say to me about this story or the writing or if you are wondering what may come next for the Penderwicks or Jeffrey's friends let me know! Would you like an epilogue? There will still be only one chapter left, but the epilogue would be at the end of that chapter.

I'm sad that this is coming to an end too, but all adventures come to a close at one point. However, that doesn't mean the adventures have to stop happening ;)

Remember, one chapter left.

Love y'all. Really hope you liked this chapter. Yes, I did research for it. Also, the Happy Birthday song is copyrighted. Let me know what you think and if you found little things or lines you loved.

One.

Left.

Shine on and Rock on

xxShastafirexx