(A/N: For those of you who have read either The Last Battle or the New Jedi Order series, this is an AU fic due to the fact that Anakin, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy are all alive and with their families. But I still do not own the Chronicles of Narnia or Star Wars, C.S. Lewis and George Lucas do.)
Christmas Eve, England, 1955
"Isn't the professor a jolly old chap to let us use his house for our holiday get-together?" Peter asked.
"Of course he is. He knows this is our second home, for all practical purposes." Susan said.
"All these years later and you still think logically?" Edmund asked.
"Of course, Ed. I have to be the logical one of the family." Susan replied.
Edmund just shook his head at his older sister. It had been 15 years since the Pevensies had stumbled out of the wardrobe from Narnia and back into England and they all retained a lot of the same personalities that they had as children. Peter always tried to look out for the other three, Susan still tried to talk logical sense into her siblings, Edmund still had a smart mouth from time to time, and Lucy was still quite vivacious and energetic.
"Lucy, can you go get the tea? I think it should be ready by now." Susan asked.
"Of course, Susan. This will be a lovely party!" Lucy exclaimed.
Even at 23 years old, Lucy was still full of energy. The fact that her boyfriend of 4 years had proposed to her 3 months earlier made her even more excited and she was having a lot of fun planning her wedding.
"Yes it will, Lu. And it will be even lovelier with tea." Susan said.
"Ok, I'll get it." Lucy said and bounded out of the room.
As she did so, Susan happened to notice a certain necklace she was wearing. It was a beautiful white turtledove ornament on a silver chain with two names inscribed on it, "Jaina" and "Lucy". Susan had to clench the skirt of her dress in her hand to keep from crying as that necklace brought back a flood of memories from Narnia, more specifically memories of three old friends that she and her siblings hadn't seen in many, many years.
"Su, what is it now?" Peter asked.
"Oh, nothing. I just miss being around Eric, Margaret, and Matthew." Susan said, referring to her husband and her two little children.
"You'll see them tomorrow when they arrive here for the big gathering, you know that." Peter said, although he wasn't convinced that not being around her family was the real reason Susan suddenly looked upset.
"Yes, I do know that. But I still miss them, and you of all people should know how I feel." Susan replied.
"I love my family too, Su. But I take comfort in the fact I'll see them again when we're apart." Peter replied.
"I'm back!" Lucy exclaimed, appearing in the room with the tea pot and cups on a tray.
Tried as she might, Susan could not fully enjoy this Christmas tea time as her eyes kept wandering to Lucy's necklace. She wondered if Lucy was even aware that she was wearing it, as she sometimes wasn't. Lucy noticed Susan staring at her with a sad look on her face, which made her curious.
"Susan, what is it? Is there something you want to tell me?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, um, it's nothing, Lu. I was just thinking on how we need more decorations in here." Susan replied.
"Well, I think the professor has some decorations in the spare room upstairs. Why don't you look there?" Lucy said.
"Lucy! Don't you remember what else is in the spare room?" Edmund asked.
"Yes I do, Ed. And I also know that we can't get back to Narnia that way, it has to be when we're least expecting it." Lucy replied.
"Enough, you two. I'll go get the decorations and be right back." Susan said.
But Edmund's comment really got her thinking as she made her way through the house to the spare room upstairs. Can I really get back to Narnia that way? And if I can, will it be the same? she thought. Susan knew not to get her hopes up, but as she opened the door to Spare Oom, she felt a surge of excitement throughout her body.
"There it is, just as we left it." she whispered to herself upon seeing the wardrobe.
While it had aged over the past 15 years, it still had the same recognizable designs on it and it brought back many fond memories for Susan. She really did wonder if she could try to get back to Narnia through this old wardrobe as she ran her fingers along the doors.
"Well, it never hurts to try." Susan whispered and slowly opened up the door.
She was nervous as she closed the door behind her, but she was determined to find out. As Susan slowly stepped backward and held her hands out behind her, she was surprised to find that they kept brushing back against coats, never touching a wall.
"How funny! Am I returning to Narnia?" she thought to herself.
As she continued to move backwards into the closet, Susan began to notice something peculiar. She was no longer in the middle of fur coats, but robes instead. And these robes looked quite familiar, almost like they had a connection to her old friends. Susan's memory was suddenly flooded with thoughts of lightsabers, Padawans, and most importantly, three friends that she missed dearly.
"No, it can't be true." Susan said as she came upon a metal door and pushed it open.
But it was true, for a familiar sight greeted her as she stepped out of the closet and into a huge auditorium. Susan immediately recognized where she was: the Jedi Temple on the planet of Yavin. She felt quite excited as she hoped that she could see her old friends, the Solos, again.
"It is true, I'm back! I wonder if Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin are still here." Susan whispered to herself.
"Susi! Susi! Mesa so smiling to be seein' yousa!" a familiar voice squealed and Susan whirled around towards the main doors into the auditorium to see another familiar face.
"Ayonna? Is that you?" Susan asked in surprise.
"Muy, muy! 'Tis I, Susi! Mesa Jedi Knight now." Ayonna said happily.
"Oh you are. That's wonderful, Ayonna. I suppose that you also have a Padawan." Susan replied.
"Uh-huh. Mesa Padawan is Sammeno. But my no know where he is." Ayonna replied.
"That's quite alright. I'm quite happy to see you again." Susan said.
"Yousa lookin for Jaya, Jasa, and Ani?" Ayonna asked.
Susan immediately brightened up when she heard the nicknames of Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. Ayonna knew where they were and Susan hoped that she could be lead to her old friends for a reunion.
"I am, Ayonna. Are they around?" Susan asked hopefully.
"Uh-huh. Theysa trainin da younglings righta now, theysa Jedi Masters." Ayonna replied happily.
"Jedi Masters? That's wonderful to hear. You lead the way, Ayonna. I want to see them again." Susan said.
"Uh-huh. Yousa follow me now, okeeday?" Ayonna replied and lead Susan out of the auditorium and upstairs to a much awaited reunion with the Solos.
In the Jedi practice room
"Reach out with the Force, it will tell you what to do." Jaina said to the group of younglings.
The younglings nodded as they kept their eyes closed and waved their lightsabers around, blocking laser blasts from floating remotes. It was an exercise that Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin felt to be quite important in teaching one how to use the Force.
"Good, good. Remember, your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them." Anakin said.
"A fine quote by the great Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Always keep that in mind." Jaina added in.
"Exqueeze me!" Ayonna squealed as she bounded in the room, startling everyone.
"Ayonna! What did we say about interrupting our lessons? Knock on the door if you want to talk to us." Jacen exclaimed.
"Mesa sorry, Masa Jasa. But mesa thinking dat's someone here to be seein yousen." Ayonna replied.
"And who might that be?" Anakin asked.
"Mesa thinkin' tis an old friend of yousen." Ayonna replied.
A black haired woman entered the room, smiling brightly as she looked at Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. All three Jedi Masters had looks of pure shocks on their faces when they saw her, as they immediately recognized the woman as being…
"SUSAN!" they shrieked as they ran over to their old friend and practically mobbed her with a huge group hug.
"I can't believe it's you, Susan! We missed you so much!" Jacen exclaimed.
"Oh I missed you all as well. I'm quite happy to see you." Susan replied back, smiling even brighter.
Realizing that they still had the younglings to attend to, Jaina turned to them and announced that their class was now dismissed for the day and to continue practicing what they learned. Ayonna took this as a cue that she might want to leave the Solos and Susan alone to allow them to catch up.
"Mesa goin' now, okeeday?" she asked.
"That's fine, Ayonna. We will see you later." Jaina replied.
In the hallway
"So, how have you been these past few years?" Susan asked the Solos.
"We're doing just fine, Susan. As Ayonna probably told you already, we're Jedi Masters." Anakin said.
"She did tell me that, and I think it's absolutely splendid." Susan said.
"Why thank you. We're even teaching our own children how to use the Force." Jaina said.
"You have families now, Jaina?" Susan asked.
"Yes we do, Susan. All three of us are married. I have three beautiful children, Jacen has two, and Anakin doesn't have any yet but his wife is expecting." Jaina said.
Anakin's cheeks turned red with embarrassment at his sister's comment. Susan giggled softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder for reassurance.
"Don't be embarrassed, Ani. Be proud that you're going to be a father." she said.
"Which reminds me, how is the rest of your family doing?" Jacen asked.
"We are all splendid, Jacen. Peter, Edmund, and I are all married now. Peter has three children, I have two children, and Edmund has one child and another one on the way. Lucy has no children yet, but she is engaged to be married next year." Susan said.
"Does she want children when she is married?" Jaina asked.
"Oh she does. She's so excited about it we can't calm her down." Susan said.
"So she's still our little Lucy." Jaina said, smiling.
"That she is, Jaina. And she always will be. Which reminds me of the reason I came here to see you." Susan replied.
"Why are you here, Susan? And how did you get here in the first place?" Jacen asked.
"Well, my siblings and I are back in England now. It's Christmas Eve there and we're having our annual get together at the professor's house with the four of us. Our families are joining us tomorrow, but I would like to invite you three to come tonight and spend some time with us." Susan said.
"Do you really mean it?" Jaina asked.
"Of course I do. It will be wonderful to spend time with old friends." Susan replied.
"Is Lucy there?" Jaina asked.
"Yes Jaina, she's there. And I know she'll be quite excited to see you again." Susan said.
An evil smirk grew on Anakin's face as he realized that he might get to see Edmund again. Noticing it, Susan rolled her eyes as she said "And yes, Ani. Edmund is there too."
Anakin started laughing evilly under his breath, looking forward to plotting some more evil pranks with his old friend. Jacen nudged him to get him to be quiet and it was then that Anakin noticed Susan giving him an amused grin.
"Um, Ani? Peter still has his sword." she said.
"Oh, he does?" Anakin said, touching the top of his head where Peter had smacked him with his sword all those years ago.
"Yes he does. And Edmund still remembers that incident quite well." Susan replied.
"Well, enough of this chit-chat. Let's get to England and see everyone again." Jacen said.
"Oh yes, we must. But if you could lead me back to the closet, I would greatly appreciate it." Susan said.
The Solos were quite happy to lead their old friend back to the closet where their adventures had all began, as it would now be the beginning of a wonderful reunion.
Back in the professor's house
As everyone tumbled out of the wardrobe and back into the spare room, the Solos took a moment to look around the room. They had heard plenty of stories from the Pevensies about how they came across this wardrobe during the war and used it to enter Narnia, but they had never seen it in person until now.
"Wow, is this Spare Oom Lucy was telling me about?" Jaina asked.
"Yes it is, Jaina. And that is the wardrobe that she found that led us into Narnia." Susan replied while collecting a green holly garland in her arms.
"It's a beautiful wardrobe." Anakin said.
"Thank you, Ani. But everyone is downstairs in the sitting room, so I must ask you to be quiet. I want this to be a surprise." Susan said, placing a finger in front of her lips.
The Solos nodded their heads and kept as quiet as possible as they tiptoed out of the spare room and followed Susan quietly down the stairs. It was hard to stay silent as Susan lead them to the sitting room where her siblings were, as Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin were quite excited about seeing their old friends again. But they were determined to keep their presence a surprise until they saw the others face to face for the first time in 15 years.
"Ok, that's the room. Wait right here until I say so." Susan whispered ever so silently.
"Ok, we will." Jacen replied.
Susan smiled at them as they quietly leaned against the wall and she walked into the sitting room with the garland in her hand.
"Susan! There you are! How long does it take you to find those decorations in the spare room?" Edmund asked.
"Well, Ed, it didn't take long at all to find the decorations. But to find our guests, it took a while." Susan replied.
"Um, Susan, we didn't invite any guests over tonight. It's just us, I thought you knew that." Peter said.
"Yes I do know that. But I thought it would be nice to have these guests over. I believe we all know them quite well." Susan said, trying not to laugh.
"Su, we know plenty of people. Who could these guests possibly be?" Peter asked.
"Well, Peter, it's people that we haven't seen in a very, very long time." Susan replied.
Sensing his cue to enter, Jacen stepped into the sitting room and announced "An acute observation, I'd like to add."
Even though he was now a young man of 29 years old and no longer had a Padawan braid, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy all looked stunned and shocked when they saw Jacen step into the room. They knew immediately it was their old friend who was standing there and were pleasantly surprised to see him again.
"Jacen? Is that you?" Peter asked.
"Yes, my friend. It is great to see you again." Jacen replied.
"But does that mean…?" Edmund started to ask.
"Greetings, Ed. Good to see you again." Anakin said from behind his brother as he stepped into the room.
Edmund was all grins at the sight of his old friend. He was still smiling as he walked over to Anakin and firmly shook his hand.
"Good to see you again, mate. I'm glad you're doing well." Edmund replied.
Knowing full well who was standing right behind the two Solo boys, all eyes fell on Lucy who was gripping the armrest of the sofa in excitement. She knew Jaina just had to be there; she just had to see her best friend again. And her eyes grew even wider when Jaina stepped into the room, now a beautiful 29 year old woman with no Padawan braid and dressed in her finest Jedi clothes.
"Hi, sweetheart. I'm back." Jaina replied as she looked Lucy square in the eyes.
Peter knew immediately what Lucy would do next, so he silently counted down "3…2…1…"
"Jaina! It's you!" Lucy shrieked and leapt up from her spot on the sofa, running over to her dearest best friend.
Although Lucy didn't knock Jaina to the floor like she had done in the past, she still managed to squeeze her tightly in one of her famous suffocating Lucy hugs. As always, Jaina happily hugged Lucy back, only this time she had happy tears in her eyes.
"I missed you so much, Lucy. I thought about you every day." Jaina said through her tears.
"I did too, Jaina. I'm so happy you're here." Lucy replied.
"Gee sis, is that you in there?" Jacen asked, trying not to smirk.
"Wow, you're a wampa again." Anakin added in.
"And I'm the one who turned her into it!" Lucy exclaimed happily.
"How could we ever forget, Lucy?" Peter replied.
Jaina smiled at everyone as she stood back from Lucy and held her hands, amazed at how much her best friend and little sister had grown in the past 15 years.
"I can't believe my sister is all grown up." Jaina said, smiling at the same time.
"Oh yes I am. I'm getting married next year and I'm so excited." Lucy replied.
"So I've heard from Susan. She also tells me you want children when you're married." Jaina said.
"Yes I do, I can't wait until I'm a mother. And what about you? Are you married?" Lucy asked.
"Yes I am, Lu. And I have three beautiful children. My twin daughters are 5 years old and my son is 4 years old." Jaina said.
Lucy giggled happily as she hugged Jaina again, thrilled that her best friend was doing so well in life. It was then she noticed Jaina staring at her, much like Susan had been earlier.
"What is it, Jaina?" she asked.
"I see you're still wearing that." Jaina said, pointing to Lucy's turtledove necklace.
Lucy looked down and blushed upon noticing her necklace. She held it in her palm as she stroked it over and over with her thumb, remembering the day that she gave it to Jaina all those years ago.
"I never take it off. I'm even planning on wearing it on my wedding day. It's that special." Lucy said.
"On that note…" Jaina said and pulled her own necklace out from the neckline of her tunic, much to Lucy's amazement.
"You still have yours?" Lucy asked.
"Of course I do, sweetie. It's been through everything: my Jedi training, my promotions to Jedi knight and Jedi master, my marriage, the births of my children. It's one of my most treasured possessions." Jaina said.
"So, best friends forever?" Lucy asked.
"Best friends forever." Jaina replied, wrapping her arms around Lucy for another hug.
Meanwhile, the others in the room couldn't help but smile at this sweet, heartwarming reunion between Jaina and Lucy. Peter and Susan in particular had one familiar thought on their minds.
"Lucy's alright, she's just fine." Susan said.
"That she is, Su." Peter replied.
"Of course I am, when have I not been alright?" Lucy asked as she sat down on the sofa next to Jaina, her head resting on her shoulder.
"The last time you did that to her." Edmund said.
Lucy cringed at the memory of being held captive by the Sith in that horrible, cold dungeon. Noticing how frightened she looked, Jaina squeezed her hand and Peter placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Lu. That was years and years ago. Those evil men can't hurt us anymore." Peter said.
"Speaking of years and years ago: Edmund, remember that time on Yavin—?" Anakin started to ask before being sharply cut off by Edmund.
"Yes, yes! I remember! How can I ever forget it? Susan won't let me forget it!" Edmund snapped.
"Of course not, silly! It was funny then and it's still funny now!" Susan exclaimed and everyone started to snicker at the memory of Edmund being made a fool in front of them.
"Oh stuff it! Susan knows that I knew what I was doing that day!" Edmund snapped angrily.
"Of course you did, Ed! You just couldn't do anything about it!" Susan replied back.
"You better not be telling my son this story!" Edmund said, his voice rising in anger.
"Of course I am. James needs to know about the time his father made a fool out of himself." Susan said while everyone continued to snicker.
"No he doesn't, Su. He's only a year old and doesn't need to be hearing this stuff!" Edmund snapped back.
"Sure he does, Ed. He needs to know how his father became a fool." Susan replied.
Edmund sneered at her while the others erupted into full out laughter. Lucy especially was laughing as she had to bury her face into a pillow to stifle her laughter.
"What is it now, Lucy?" Edmund demanded to know.
"You know, Ed, I'm surprised your wife still married you after hearing this story." she said, causing the others to give her wide eyed stares.
"Lucy! You didn't just say that!" Peter exclaimed.
"What? Laura knows this story?" Edmund exclaimed then looked and Susan and angrily asked her "Su, when did you tell my wife this story?"
"Oh I would say about two weeks after you two started dating." she replied.
"And she still married you, Ed. I'm even more amazed you two have children as well." Lucy said.
"Oh don't even remind me, Lu." Peter said.
Edmund's face really turned red with anger as he glared at Susan, who was desperately trying to stifle her laughter. She really enjoyed teasing her brother about that humiliating moment of his on Yavin and would always do so. Lucy, however, had another idea about how to tease Edmund as she stood up from the couch and made an announcement.
"I think Ed needs a hug!" she said and held her arms out as she charged at her brother.
Edmund looked completely horrified and held his arms out in front of him, desperate to block his sister's attempt at a hug.
"I do not need a hug, Lucy!" he snapped.
"Oh yes you do, Ed!" Lucy replied happily, straining to wrap her arms around Edmund who was desperately trying to block her from hugging him.
Edmund backed up away from his sister exclaiming "No I don't!", while Lucy was trying to wrap her arms around him and squealing "Yes you do! Yes you do!", much to everyone's amusement. Ultimately, Lucy proved to be too agile for Edmund as she ducked underneath his arms and squeezed him tightly around the waist, forcing him into a chair at the same time
"I love you, Ed." she said, resting her head on his chest and squeezing her arms around him.
"Lucy! I'm warning you!" Edmund snapped.
It was then he noticed the others snickering uncontrollably at him. Peter in particular was stifling his laughter and pointing at something above Edmund.
"Um, Ed. You might want to look up." Peter said.
Edmund slowly looked up and was horrified to see that there was mistletoe hanging right above him. Lucy, however, was quite pleased as she pulled her lipstick out of her pocket and applied it to her lips.
"Oh no!" Edmund groaned.
"Oh yes, Ed!" Lucy exclaimed and turned to Susan and Jaina while saying "Come on, girls! Join in!"
Jaina had been told what mistletoe was all about so she eagerly ran over to Edmund with Susan and sat on his lap. Edmund kicked and struggled to get away but it was no use: Jaina, Susan, and Lucy managed to plant big kisses on his face, leaving lipstick marks in the process.
"LUCY!" Edmund shrieked angrily.
"Merry Christmas, Ed!" Lucy replied as she smiled.
"I'm going to get you for this!" Edmund screamed.
"Oh, Ed?" Peter said and proceeded to reach behind the sofa he was sitting on.
Edmund was shocked to see Peter pull out his old sword from behind the sofa and wave it around in the air. Terrified, Edmund exclaimed "I'm fine, Peter! I'm fine, I'm fine!"
"Ah yes, I thought you would see it our way." Peter replied, setting the sword back down on the floor.
"About time, Ed." Lucy said as she sat up from Edmund's lap.
Secretly, Edmund wanted to glare at her and the other girls for the hug and kisses, but he didn't dare for fear of another smack on the head from Peter's sword. So he just settled down on his chair, secretly fuming inside at his sister.
"So, how long has it been since you arrived home from Narnia?" Anakin asked.
"About 15 years, I would say." Edmund said.
"Really? That's strange." Anakin replied.
"Why is that so strange, Ani?" Edmund asked.
"Because it's been about 15 years since we last saw you four." Jaina replied.
"That is odd." Peter replied.
He turned to Susan and asked her "Su, how long were you on Yavin looking for our friends?"
"Oh, about 20 minutes. Why do you ask, Peter?" she asked.
"Because you were gone from the room for about 20 minutes before you came back." Peter replied.
"I was? Blimey, that is strange." Susan said.
The seven of them quietly pondered these strange coincidences, wondering if they were connected in some way. After some time, Jacen piped up with his conclusion of what might be happening.
"You know, I think this means that England time and Yavin time run parallel to each other. Since Narnia time runs so much faster when we are in our home worlds, I would say this probably started about a month after we arrived back on Yavin after our last adventure in Narnia." Jacen said.
"You really think so?" Anakin said.
"Yes I do, Ani. In fact, this gives me a great idea." Jacen said.
"What would that be?" Peter asked.
"Well, Peter, think of it this way: if times in both of our worlds run parallel to each other, we can spend as much time visiting each other as we want and not have to worry about any crazy time differences like in Narnia. Therefore, how about you and your siblings come spend a week with my family every summer on Yavin?" Jacen asked.
"Well, that would be nice. But we all have families now, so I don't know how it would work." Peter said.
"Peter, after I spent almost a half hour in that wardrobe looking for our friends, you're telling me you're backing out already?" Susan asked in disbelief.
"Pretty pretty please, Peter? Can we please visit them this summer? I want to spend more time with Jaina." Lucy begged.
"Lu, don't do that. You're 23 years old, act like it." Edmund groaned.
"I don't see you acting your age very often either, Ed." Susan replied.
Edmund rolled his eyes at her and continued to stare at Lucy, who was giving Peter her typical sad puppy dog look that she always gave him as a child, complete with the lip sticking out and the sad eyes.
"Lu, don't give me that look." Peter finally said.
Lucy started to pout before Peter smiled at her and said "How can I say yes when you're giving me that look?"
"Oh thank you so much, Peter! You're the best!" Lucy shrieked and squeezed him tightly in a hug.
"You're quite welcome, Lu. But we can only visit them on one condition." Peter said.
"Which is what?" Jaina asked.
Peter gave her an amused grin as he said "That you three spend every Christmas Eve with us."
"We would all appreciate it very much. Our friendship is too precious to break up now." Susan said.
Jaina looked over at her brothers for their view on Peter's proposition. Both of them smiled at her for approval, so she knew the answer to Peter's question.
"Of course we will spend Christmas Eve with you. It would be wonderful to spend more time together." she said.
"Thank you, thank you, Jaina! Christmas will be so much fun now!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Well, it always has been. But with our friends back, it'll be the best Christmas celebration ever." Susan said.
Looking over at her sister, Lucy smiled and said "Thank you for finding them."
"It's the least I could do." Susan replied.
Lucy just grinned as she sat next to Jaina and hugged her around her shoulder. She was just so happy to be reunited with her best friend again and looked forward to a wonderful, lifelong friendship with Jaina. And indeed, for lots and lots of years to come, the Pevensies' families always wondered where their spouses went to for their annual summer getaway together.
(A/N: Wow, it's over. I can't believe my pride and joy that is my Star Wars/Narnia trilogy has finally ended. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who read and reviewed the stories over the past 2 ½ years. I am very grateful to all of the support you have lent me. But don't fret over Star Wars/Narnia ending forever. While this trilogy may be over, I still have more Star Wars/Narnia stories in the making. So keep reading and you may see one coming very soon. :c) )