A/N: HELLO! This is the sequel to Dancing in the Rain. A quick note that if you haven't read the first story, I suggest you do before moving on to this one. Or else you will be really confused.

Anyway, I'm really excited about this and i can't wait to embark on another wonderful journey.

So...without further ado...

The first chapter of Always and Forever! :)

By the way...the way to pronounce Nerine is Nuh-reen. Just in case you'll were wondering. ;)

Chapter 1: Nerine

High above the landscapes of the great Narnia, in the sky and clouds, a certain Daughter of Eve looked down upon the land she once called home, and still considered it such.

She watched four monarchs ride through the woods, chasing after a certain White Stag. She had forgotten what it felt like to sit upon a horse and ride through the woods. The feeling of the wind and of the earth, all were numb to her as she sorrowfully gazed at her four loved ones, watching a certain Just King especially closely.

Suddenly, feeling a presence behind her, she turned to find a great beast walk up to her, its mane glorified by the rays of the sun.

"It is time."

The Daughter nodded almost obligingly as she turned back to find the siblings disappear behind the thick coats and branches.

Slowly, she turned back to Aslan, who watched her with great pride and love, but at the same time, sadness and apprehension. He watched the Daughter slowly close her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply before opening them with more will and strength than ever.

"I am ready."

Edmund's POV (One year later):

"You're welcome." I mumbled as I placed my trunk on the floor and squeezed onto the bench next to Peter.

"I had it sorted." He haughtily replied, getting up and pacing around.

I rolled my eyes at his arrogant behavior.

If getting his butt kicked was him having it sorted, then by all means, he certainly had it sorted.

"What was it this time?" Susan asked in her usual motherly tone.

"He bumped me." He replied, as if it was the most obvious answer on Earth.

"So you hit him?" Lucy asked in disbelief and disappointment.

"No. After he bumped, they tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him." He answered coolly.

"Really, is it that hard just to walk away?" Susan sarcastically replied, glaring at Peter.

"I shouldn't have to! I mean, don't you ever get tired of being treated like a kid?" He asked in frustration.

"We are kids." I pointed out with a sarcastic laugh.

"Well I wasn't always."

Oh no.

He just had to bring up that topic.

Our faces immediately changed as we realized what Peter was referring to. Susan glanced at me with a worried expression. I simply looked back with a straight but knowing face. She knew I was sensitive when it came to that topic, but I learnt to not let my emotions easily show.

"It's been a year. How long does he expect us to wait?" Peter asked in exasperation as he sat back down next to me.

"I think it's time to accept that we live here. It's no use pretending any different." Susan chided as she crossed her arms.

I was about to reply when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Excuse me, Edmund?"

I turned to be greeted by blue eyes and a gentle smile.

Oh no.

"You dropped this." Nerine said as she held out my wallet.

"Thanks." I curtly replied, grabbing the wallet and turning away as quick as possible, but not before catching a glimpse of her hurt face.

Lucy glared at me before looking up at the blue-eyed-brunette.

"Hi Nerine. How are you?" she politely asked.

I tried my best to look away, but I couldn't help but stare at Nerine as she spoke.

"I'm fine, Lucy. Hi Susan, Peter." She smiled at them.

I knew she wasn't going to greet me as well because whenever she did, I never responded.

Susan engaged in some small talk with Nerine and I got a flashback of when we first met Nerine about 10 months back.

Flashback:

"Hey Pete. Where's Mum?" I asked as I entered the living room.

Peter looked up at me from his game of crossword and shrugged.

"I think she went to the market."

I nodded and plopped myself down on one of the new couches we got after our home was repaired from its shattered state after the air raids.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Lucy yelled from the hallway outside our living room.

"Were we expecting guests?" I casually asked Peter.

"Mum mentioned the new neighbors probably dropping by for a visit."

Before I could answer, I heard a gasp from the front door and Lucy yell.

"Edmund! Peter! Susan! Come here quickly!"

Her tone was almost distressed. Peter and I jumped up immediately and ran over to the front door, with Susan coming down from upstairs not far behind us.

When we reached the front door, I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Peter to bump into me and Susan to bump into him.

Lucy was standing to the side, holding the door open as she looked at us with a worried and confused face.

A young girl, around my age, stood there with her long brown wavy hair tied up in a messy bun. She wore a floral knee-length skirt and a plain white shirt. She had full lips with a tint of pink lipstick which was curved into a gentle smile, and the bluest of eyes.

After about eternity of staring at the girl, I took a shaky step forward.

"Ella?"

I saw the girl give me a confused look as her smile slowly disappeared and she shook her head slightly. She opened her mouth and out came the smoothest velvet voice which made my heart flutter.

"Sorry. But my name is Nerine." She spoke softly and calmly.

We all continued staring at the girl in disbelief.

It was like Ella was standing right in front of us.

Susan finally spoke up, probably seeing how awkward the brunette felt.

"Hi N-Nerine. Are you our new neighbor?" she hesitantly asked.

The girl nodded her head demurely, her eyes twinkling.

"That's right. My parents wanted me to drop by to say hello. I heard you and your sister go to St. Finbar's? I just transferred there." She smiled.

Lucy snapped out of her trance and welcomed her in. She brought her to the living room, sitting her down on one of the couches. As Nerine talked about herself, I just kept staring at her, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me.

She was the carbon copy of Ella.

The way she sat.

The way she talked.

Even the way she smiled and laughed.

Suddenly, she noticed me staring at her and looked down shyly and awkwardly. Peter saw me too and asked me to join him in the kitchen to get some snacks.

In the kitchen, he closed the door and turned to me.

"Ed. Are you alright?" he cautiously asked.

It took me a few seconds to recover from the shock of things before I replied.

"Am I alright? Oh I'm perfectly fine, Peter!" I laughed.

"Are…you…sure?" he asked, looking at me as if I had gone mental.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? I mean…the girl I loved, who died in my arms and whom I had to live without for a year in Narnia and 3 months here, suddenly appears on my doorstep as a completely different person with no idea as to who I am. And she lives just across the street! So why wouldn't I be fine!" I exclaimed hysterically as I plopped down onto a high chair at the kitchen counter.

"Look. Ed. I know this must be hard for you. But you got to understand this girl is not Ella. She's Nerine. She just looks like Ella. She doesn't know anything about Narnia or us or who she resembles. We just have to see it as a coincidence that she looks like the Ella we knew. Now come on, we have to go back out there and treat her as our neighbor with courtesy and respect." He said.

"I'm sorry, Pete. But I can't go out there again and look at that girl and talk to her when all I see is Ella. It's like...she still looks like Ella. But she's not my Ella. It hurts to see the one you love look at you with absolutely no feeling or recognition whatsoever." I whispered as I stared out of the kitchen window at the girl chatting happily with Susan and Lucy.

"Alright Ed. I understand. I'll make up something." Peter said before walking out of the kitchen with a tray of biscuits and cookies.

I took one final look at the girl named Nerine before turning away and heading out into the backyard.

There was just no way I could talk or even look at this girl.

It was just too painful.

"Ow!"

Lucy's sudden outburst pulled me out of my thoughts as she jumped up and stood next to Nerine.

"Quiet, Lu." Susan muttered under her breath.

"Something pinched me!" she exclaimed, pointing at her seat.

"Hey, stop pulling!" Peter shouted as he too jumped up.

"I'm not touching you!" I snapped back.

Soon, I too felt like something was tugging at me, like an invisible force, and I jumped up as well.

"What's going on?" Nerine exclaimed as we looked around to find posters and wall tiles being violently ripped out and the whole train station fall apart.

"You feel it too?" Lucy asked as the train arrived and whipped past us at such a speed it nearly toppled us over.

"Quick. Everyone hold hands." Susan ordered.

Peter forced me to grab onto his hand, much to my annoyance.

Suddenly, I heard a shriek from beside me and I turned to see Nerine stumbling backwards from losing her balance and nearly falling into the fast-moving train.

I immediately reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her flush against me.

She looked up at me in fear and panic as her hair whipped around her face from the strong wind. I gazed into her deep ocean orbs as she gripped my hand tightly.

Clearing her throat, she finally stepped away but still held onto my hand as the five of us looked ahead to see as the train zoomed by, the walls of the other side of the train station slowly disappear.

Finally, the train zipped away into a white light and we found ourselves standing in a cave.

A/N: And that is the first chap of my sequel!

Just a quick reminder that voting is still on...

Please please please choose Susan/Caspian or Susan/OC.

I'm going to include Susan's element in this story as well, so that vote is really important.

Or else this story will not develop! :O

SO PLEASE VOTE!

And don't forget to REVIEW as well! :)