The Chronicles of Narnia" are the property of the Estate of C.S. Lewis, Walden Media, Walt Disney Pictures, et cetera. No profit is or shall be made from this fan work ever.

"Edmund and I are going to meet Lucy," Peter called upstairs to his sister.

"All right, Peter. Have fun. Be safe," she yelled back.

Climbing the first two steps, he pleaded "Susan, please come. Lucy will be so happy."

"No thank you. Not this time. Thanks, though," his raven-haired sister replied, sounding irritated at his insistence.

Disappointed, but not willing to give up, Peter continued up the stairs.

"What are you doing? If we don't leave in fifteen minutes, we'll be late," his brother yelled at him as he jogged up the flight of steps.

Reaching the top of the landing, Peter turned and knocked on his sister's bedroom door. No reply. He knocked again. Same answer. When he opened the door, Susan was sitting on the window seat staring outside. In the reflection of the glass he could see big crystal tears rolling down her face as he walked across to her.

"I know you're hurting. It was just as hard as for me, but if we stick together, we can make it. Remember how you and I always used to stick together? I told you things I didn't want Ed or Lu to know. We need each other if we're going to get through this."

"Stop it Peter. I said no thank you. Can't you leave it at that? I have my own life to live. A real life, not some made up fairy tale life that you and most of the family seem to live in," Susan snapped, barely able to keep her calm. Her lips tightened and her eyes flared with a coldness that until recently had been so foreign to her. Her values had changed since she had come back from America, and not for the better.

"I know nothing is the same, Su. Just because we can't go back doesn't mean we lock it up somewhere in our hearts, draw the curtains ad forget about it. We remember the good times, treasure them and wait for the day Aslan decides to bring us to his country," Peter soothed sitting beside his younger sister and rubbing her back.

Harshly smacking his hand away, Susan yelled in a volume that surprised even herself, "I SAID NO THANK YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE FOR ONCE, PETER? YOU, EDMUND AND LUCY, JUST STOP IT!" then she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"You don't have to do anything to please us or anybody; we just want our Gentle Queen back. Please come?" he pleaded. And with that, he turned to go. Pausing at the door he turned one more time. "Goodbye, Peter," she whispered. Hanging his head, he left the room. Susan heard her brother go down the steps. He was deeply disappointed and hurt; Susan could tell it just by his slow, heavy gait.
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Downstairs, Edmund heard his sister's scream and shook his head sadly. The Gentle Queen was almost gone, though sometimes she appeared for a moment then she would disappear again. Why did his brother insist on trying to make Susan believe again when she simply refused? Didn't she think it had hurt her younger brother just as much when Lucy's and his turn had come and they were told they could no longer return to Narnia? No, she had been to distant to want to listen or to care, too wrapped up in her own grief and too busy keeping up the façade of the prim and proper socialite.

"Well?"

"She won't come."

"I told you so! Oh well, I had she wished she would. She never does anything with us any more. Come on then, we only have few minuets to spare," he urged as he opened the front door.

"Peter, wait!" Susan called out suddenly.

"Yes?" he exclaimed, dashing up the stairs and back into the room.

Sniffing and trying to smile Susan said, "I'll go. Just let me put some makeup on." Peter grinned back happily, his smile warming her like the sun.

"Here dry your tears; the make-up won't work if your face is wet," Peter said as he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her.
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From the impatient noises Peter heard from downstairs, he could tell Edmund was just about to go charging upstairs and drag his sorry older brother down and out to the automobile.

As soon as Susan was ready, he gave her his arm and they descended the stairs together, much to the astonishment of the younger boy.

"Su, you're coming?" Edmund exclaimed, his eyes lighting up when he saw his sister dressed for a trip into town.

"Do you think I'd be so callous as to not welcome my own sister home?" she said with feigned indignantly.

"Hurrah! Lucy will be so pleased."

"Come on, Ed. You were then one who said we needed to leave now. Let's get a move on; it takes at least ten minutes to get there," Peter encouraged, then escorted Susan to the car.