Collision in the closet

Disclaimer: I don't own the Pevensies or Prince Caspian. I own Aunt Mildred and Uncle George.

A/N: Written back in 2008. I was so ecstatic when I was able to recover this and present it to you all!

Typically a rainy day denotes gloom or tranquility. But in the case of 14-year-old Lucy Pevensie, it indicates a hard time finding fun things to do while being held up at home. Currently she was lying on her stomach reading a book on the floor of her living room. Edmund was sitting in front of the couch facing her, writing in his battered journal. Susan was working on her schoolwork on one end of the couch and Peter was writing college essays and was sitting on the other end.

It was a mostly quiet Friday afternoon, mostly emphasized due to the rain that was pouring outside and banging on the window. The Pevensies were looking forward to a weekend of fun and relaxation…because it was simply the weekend. Their hopes were dashed the moment they stepped out of school, rain greeting them almost in a mocking way. Luckily, Susan and Lucy were smart enough to pack umbrellas. Susan and Peter shared an umbrella while Lucy shared her umbrella with Edmund.

To their surprise, there was a note on their door knocker when they arrived home that just may have been the remedy to their ruined weekend.

My Dear Children,

Your Aunt Mildred has fallen ill. Your Uncle George called me while you were all at school to inform me that I was needed at their home. I'm sorry for not notifying you while you were at school. I should be back by Sunday night. Take care of each other and of the house. I love you and I will see you soon.

Love,

Mother

They all looked at each other with dumbfounded looks on their faces and then merely shrugged. After shaking off the umbrellas, putting away the coats and changing into more comfortable clothes, they all fixed themselves snacks and took the position they were currently in.

Lucy looked up from her book. Although she loved it dearly, it occurred to her that she may have grown bored of it when she realized she had been reading the same line for the past 15 minutes. Lucy looked around at her siblings to see how they were doing. She took note of Peter's determined expression as he wrote out his college essays. He was bent on getting into Oxford, his dad's alma mater. But if Oxford wouldn't accept him, his next choice was Gloucestershire. It was a respectable school but he didn't have a passion for any other school other than Oxford. Susan's beautiful face, while illuminated by the crackling fire in the fireplace, was humorously marred by being wrinkled up in concentration and her furrowed brow. Lucy heard her mention that she was working on Latin homework, which was a rather difficult subject. Lucy turned her gaze to Edmund. His dark brown eyes were normally so intense, it would sometimes haunt her. At this moment, they had softened and had a look of contemplation. Sometimes he would stop and tap his pen on his journal or chew on the pen if he couldn't gather his thoughts. She didn't realize she was staring at him until he looked up at her, his eyebrows gathering in confusion and his head cocked to the side, making him look six and not sixteen. Lucy blushed and returned her gaze to her book. She eventually moved on from that single line that had kept her attention.

It had been a comfortable silence for about three hours. While the sounds of pens and pencils scratching on paper and erasers squeaking and pages turning floated through the air in addition to the occasional pop of the fire and the pitter patter of the rain, no one had said a word. Peter suddenly coughed, making everyone jump.

"Sorry." He said with a sheepish grin.

Susan rolled her eyes. "You don't need to apologize for that, Peter."

"I know. But it has been quiet for so long that I can't help but apologize for that."

Lucy and Edmund looked at each other and shrugged. After what seemed like an eternity, Edmund threw down his journal and flopped down on his stomach, rolling onto his back.

"This is sooooooo boring! There's nothing to do here!" He groaned.

Lucy poked him with her foot, gesturing over to Peter and Susan. Edmund glanced over and raised his eyebrows when he saw that they had paid no attention to what he said. The two of them were both in their world, oblivious to anyone around them. Except Lucy.

Lucy piped up. "We could play hide-and-seek like we used to when we were younger."

Peter and Susan looked up from their work, glanced at Lucy and then looked at each other. "I suppose we could. It's not like there's anything better to do." Lucy smiled, glad she got their attention. Edmund's eyes widened when they responded to Lucy and not him. But he didn't let that bother him. He was the champion (in his opinion anyway) of hide-and-seek. Already the wheels were turning in his mind as to think of hiding spots. Ooh! I know! He thought. There was a secret door in the closet that led to a hidden cellar. As far he was concerned, none of his siblings knew about it.

Peter moved his papers and pens to the table next to the couch and stood up from the couch. He stretched his aching muscles and let out an enormous yawn. "Since I'm the oldest and I know how much Ed wants to win again," Edmund grinned, "I'll be it." Lucy immediately sprung up from her spot on the floor and waited for Peter to start counting. Susan sighed and stood up as well and Edmund hoisted himself off from the floor.

"One, two, three, four," Peter started.

The three siblings dispersed throughout the house while Peter leaned against the wall, his head in his arms.

Susan had found her spot no problem. She hid in the backyard in the hole of the tree. She may not have been hide-and-seek champion, but her spot was inconspicuous enough that it would take Peter quite a while to find her.

Edmund made a beeline for the closet, carefully opening and shutting the door. He turned on the light and let his eyes adjust for a moment. His eyes scanned the closet when his lips curled into a smile when his eyes found the small door. He opened the door, turned around and turned off the light and wiggled his way into the cellar, shutting the door behind him. While not as roomy as the closet, the cellar had enough space for at least two people to hide. He took his place on the floor, closed his eyes and let his mind wander off. After all, he was the hide-and-seek champion.

Lucy was quietly skittering around the house. All of the good spots she had hidden in before she was found in at least once. She sighed and walked over to the closet. She went inside and closed the door. Without even turning on the light, she found the small door and climbed in closing the door behind her. She crawled over to the far side of the cellar when she suddenly bumped into something. She almost screamed out loud until she felt a hand cover her mouth. "Quiet!" the voice said in a loud whisper. It took her a second to recognize the voice. "Edmund?"

"No, it's Father Christmas." He whispered. Even with a whisper she can still hear the sarcasm laced through his voice.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, this is my secret hiding spot."

"I found it first."

She snorted. "No wonder it takes forever for Peter to find you. This is the best hiding spot in the house!"

"I know. That's why I hide here every time."

"Why not any other spot?"

"Because then someone else could take it for them self."

She maneuvered around so her back was against the door. Even though there was no light in the cellar, she could vaguely make out Edmund's face. They looked at each other, as if trying to read other's thoughts on the peculiar situation they were in right now. Lucy tilted her head to one side and Edmund, who could see her too, mimicked her. She touched her finger to her nose and, sure enough, Edmund did the same thing. Even as she sighed, she heard him copy her, which made her smile.

Peter has successfully found Susan, who simply her rolled her eyes as Peter punched his fists in the air and waved his arms around in an exaggerated manner while jumping up and down to emphasize that she was found. "Now that I found you, you need to help me look for Edmund and Lucy." She nodded and added, "You look on the first floor, and I'll look upstairs."

They made their way back inside the house and split up. Peter searched every room and nook and cranny of the first place that Edmund or Lucy could possibly hide in. He finally came to the closet. He threw open the door, stepped in and was disappointed that they weren't in there. He accidentally bumped into some brooms and walked out, closing the door behind him.

The two youngest Pevensies were quietly discussing their last adventure in Narnia with Prince Caspian when they heard the closet door open. They felt their hearts stop. There was a thump against the door, effectively making Lucy jump and lunge towards Edmund. She settled between his legs and latched her arms around his waist, putting a vice grip on him. He had wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her as close as he could. They were deadly silent and were praying that whoever had come in and left. They released their held breaths when they heard the closet door close. Edmund felt Lucy relax in his arms in relief. He had loosened his hold on her, but still held her close. She had kept her arms around him, while loosening her grip, as to not crush his spleen. The only reason that they had ended up so close was because they didn't want to be found and now that that had been accomplished, they could've released their hold on each other. But they didn't want to let go. Lucy was still short compared to Edmund, so he picked her up and settled her in his lap, moving his arms from around her shoulders to around her waist. She leaned her head onto the crook between his shoulder and neck, feeling his warm breath tickle her neck. The position she was in made it awkward to wrap her arms around him so she simply let her hands settle in her lap.

Peter and Susan had met up in the living room, wearing identical expressions of disappointment and confusion. "Did you find Ed or Lu?" He asked. She shook her head, letting her curly raven-black hair fly around her. "No. They are REALLY good at hiding!" He ran his hands through his blonde hair and sighed. He sat down on the couch and propped his head on one hand, the other hand tapping his knee in thought. Susan sat down next to him, leaning on one arm of the couch, shaking her foot. "Should we call olly olly oxen free?" She turned her attention to him. She slowly smiled. "No, let's let them hide for a while. Payback, if you would." Peter knitted his eyebrows. "Let's give an hour and then if they come out by themselves, we can call them out." He smiled.

It had been quiet in the closet for quite some time. Lucy had gone completely limp in Edmund's lap and he felt drowsiness come over him. He rested his head against hers and felt her long eyelashes skim over his cheek. He felt her lips on his cheek and smiled. Without even thinking about it he kissed her on her pretty little mouth. Edmund was not one for that particular sibling gesture, but sometimes things just happen. He felt her stiffen and felt/saw her head move from the spot on his shoulder to in front of him. They stared at each other, evidently trying to burn a hole in each other's pupil.

Lucy felt his lips press hers and she felt a rush go through her. She lifted her head up and just stared and Edmund, who stared back. He opened his mouth to say something, probably sorry, but she planted her mouth on his. His eyes widened and then closed. There were numerous secrets that they kept between each other and he figured that this could be one more, albeit enormous one that they could keep. Possibly the biggest secret that they kept between each other was that they loved each other as more than siblings. Although the feeling was odd and somewhat shameful at first, they knew put it aside for the most part at let it out when they were alone. He responded to the kiss and felt Lucy smile against her lips. She moved on his lap so she was straddling him. She snaked her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his jet-black hair, pulling him closer to her. He pulled her in closer to him, keeping one arm around her hip and lower back and let the other arm wander up into her soft brown hair. They broke apart and rested their foreheads against each other, smiling.

"One more secret to keep, Lucy goosy?" He asked, using the silly nickname that only he could call her.

She rolled her eyes at the use of that nickname but nonetheless smiled. "Yes Eddiekins. One more secret to keep."

He smirked. He hadn't heard Eddiekins in quite a while. "So what now?" She cocked her head to the side as if in deep thought. "The way I see it, with they will call out olly olly oxen free or wait for us to come out and then call us out on it." Common sense was one of her strengths. "Let's wait for them to call out olly olly oxen free. Just to tick them off." Edmund had a feeling that his deviousness was beginning to rub off on her. He couldn't be prouder of her.

Tick. Tock. Tick Tock. Susan and Peter had been sitting on the couch for two hours and it felt like that sound was engraved in their memories. Her head was now in his lap and his elbow was resting on an arm of the couch, one hand supporting his tired head and the other unconsciously playing with her hair.

"Should we call them out now?" she asked breaking the silence.

He sighed. He didn't want to give Edmund the satisfaction of knowing that he had won. Peter was surprised that he hadn't found Lucy. She was good, but not as good as Edmund. "Fine. OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE!" He yelled, letting the sound reverberate throughout the house.

Lucy resumed her position on Edmund's lap with her head on that spot between his neck and shoulder and his arms around her waist.

"OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE!"

They looked up and smiled at each other. They wiggled their way out of their cellar and proceeded to make their way out of the closet. Once they got out of the closet, they high-fived each other and did their secret handshake. They put their arms around each other and marched into the living room with big grins their faces.

Peter and Susan heard a slap and looked over to the hallway. They saw Edmund and Lucy with big grins on their faces and their arms around each other as if they were best friends. In fact, they were, but Peter and Susan didn't know that.

"Where on earth did you two hide?" Peter asked.

They looked at each other and silently agreed to not give away too much. "Oh, nowhere special." Lucy replied. Susan snorted. All three of them looked over at her. She glanced up. "What? You've never heard a girl snort?" Edmund smiled. "Well yes. Just not you." She rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time today. "Nowhere special? We looked all over the house for you two! Will you just tell us?" Lucy and Edmund shook their heads. "That's for us to know and for you to find out." Lucy said with a smile. Peter and Susan looked at each other, wondering what happened while they were hiding.

"Now if you don't mind, Ed and I are going for a walk." Lucy declared.

"We are?" She elbowed him in the gut. "Ah I mean we are. We'll be back in an hour or so." She dragged him out the front door, letting the door close behind them. The room became silent again, that darn clock's ticking cut through the silence.

"Peter?"

"What?"

"We're playing sardines next time." He just had to laugh. Susan's spot in the attic would be hard to come by. If Edmund and Lucy were he hide-and-seek champions, Peter and Susan were the Sardine King and Queen.