Welcome. I have been planning this story for a long time but here and now it finally comes out onto paper (Well really a computer screen, but I think that we can omit that small detail). Anyway hope you enjoy the story and as always reviews are loved and adored.


Home is Where the Heart Is.

Chapter 1 - Surprise

Edmund looked out the train window, the world seemed to rush past him, like it had nine years ago. His largest adventure had started on a train, going out into the countryside. That train nine years ago had led Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund to a house, a house with many rooms, one you could easily get lost in, but it was only one room that really mattered to them. One of the spare rooms at the top of the house, it contained a wardrobe; the wardrobe contained a world called Narnia.

Narnia – the place of dreams, a world, a lifetime. All four of them longed to return, their times there had all been too short and too few, but they could not return. Aslan had told them so. But there was still hope, they all clung on to it, desperately, never failing to wish to return every single day.

The dusk of England settled over the land and Edmund watched it, the change from day to night, the link between the light and the dark, the ending of the light, the beginning of the darkness before the evening. Many people feared the dark, and what it symbolised, but Edmund did not, he knew the dark showed you things which the light could not if only you knew how to look. He looked at the stars rising to crown the sky with their regal realm.

Across from Edmund, Lucy was looking out of the window and thinking. Tomorrow she would turn eighteen, for the second time in her life; she was being taken by Edmund to the countryside, near to the professor's house, the place where they had first entered Narnia. They all had a special bond with that part of the country. Their parents presumed it was because of their evacuation, but the four siblings knew why, and kept it secret.

But there would be no going into Narnia this time, just relaxing in the peaceful English countryside as the birds sung them their sweet songs of spring. Once Lucy had found out that Edmund was taking her she had been ecstatic and in her delectation she had immediately called Peter and Susan to see if they could come and reminisce old times. Peter had said that his university exams were fast approaching and he had not left enough time for studying, but he had promised that after he had finished all his exams he would take Lucy wherever she wanted to go to make up for not seeing her on her birthday. Lucy forgave Peter.

Her next telephone call was to Susan in America. Susan did not answer the phone her roommate did, and a sudden hope washed over Lucy, if Susan had not picked up the phone perhaps she was on her way back to England. However no such surprise greeted her. Susan's friend informed Lucy that Susan was out with a certain Beau of hers in the 'Rockies' and she wouldn't be back out next week. Lucy was not angry at Susan's friend, she was only conveying a message but how could Susan have been so heartless so as to not even left a telephone number with which Lucy could call her with. Lucy was not angry with Susan, just sad.

Still smiling Lucy called her parents. They said they would be pleased to come and Lucy rejoiced, until she received a phone call back saying that it was too far from the train station to walk for father, with his bad leg. So it was just Lucy and Edmund travelling up to the coast to celebrate her 18th birthday.

"You only turn eighteen once." Lucy said out loud without meaning to.

"Don't worry Lu;" Edmund said, seeing and understanding how disappointed his sister must be. "I'll make sure that we'll have a great time." Edmund put a comforting arm around her. The train drew to a stop and Edmund took both their suitcases as they marched out onto the platform.

"So Ed, how far away is this house?"Lucy asked slinging her arm into his as she often did.

"A twenty minute walk, but a pleasant walk nonetheless. There are some shortcuts through some fields if you like." Edmund started to walk Lucy tagging along. "And if you've got suitable shoes of course."

"I'd love a cuppa tea so the faster we get there the happier I'll be." Lucy said laughing, she had always been close with Edmund, especially after their trip on the dawn treader.

The two of them walked at a fast pace arm in arm and snuck across fences into pastures where they were not allowed to go into. Lucy felt free and started to run and when she had reached the end of the field she stopped and turned around.

"Come on, catch up slow coach." She shouted back to Edmund who was still quite far behind.

"Hey Lu, I'm carrying your suitcase. I can't walk too fast while carrying all these clothes that you thought necessary to pack."

"I didn't pack that much. I packed less than Susan would."

"You still took more than I did."

"Well you don't have a sense of hygiene, so you don't change clothes as often as I do."

With this Edmund dropped the suitcases and run at Lucy catching her in one big swipe, he then lifted her up and walked over to a rather large pile of cow manure. Lucy knowing what her brother was going to do shout out for him to stop.

"Now I don't think I quite heard you correctly, my darling little sister, would you care to repeat what you just said."

Lucy clung to her brother's neck and said with her most angelic voice

"I love you, dearest darling brother, now would you please let me go."

"Yes now carry your own suitcase, dearest darling sister."

Lucy took her own suitcase and started strolling towards the house whose chimneys were just visible.

"Why it's beautiful Edmund." She shouted back to her brother.

Indeed the cottage was very sweet, green ivy enclosed it making it look very snug. Lucy ran as fast as she could to the cottage and knowing that the keys lay under the door mat quickly opened the door.

"Surprise!" A chorus made from the rest of her family shouted.

"Mum? Dad? Peter? Susan? I thought you all weren't coming."

"Well you sounded so disappointed over the phone we thought we had to come." Peter chimed in

"I thought you were studying Peter. Don't you have really important exams?"

"Lucy, honestly, what do you think is more important to me, you or my exams?"

Lucy threw herself around her oldest brother's neck and kissed his cheek.

She looked to her right and seeing her father she threw herself round him also.

"But father surely you didn't walk all the way here did you?"

"No of course not, darling. Peter arrived here first and picked the rest of us up by car."

"A nice old MG racing car too." Peter added

Susan sighed "Men and their cars."

Lucy unhooked herself from her father and went over to give Susan a hug and a puzzled look.

"I called you but your friend said that you were away in the 'Rockies'."

"Oh Lucy, you are so gullible." Susan said lovingly "Of course I wasn't, I just told her to say that if you called."

"Oh thank you for coming all the way from America to see me Susan."

"Well, I think it's high time we go inside and get a fire going." Edmund suddenly exclaimed from behind Lucy.

"Edmund!" Lucy once again threw herself around her brother.

"Lu, you just saw me, no need to hug me again." Edmund said giving her a puzzled look.

"You knew about all of this didn't you?"

"Of course he did, he organised it all." Mrs Pevensie pointed out

"Oh did you Ed, thank you." Lucy said squeezing Edmund even harder.

"Is she really turning eighteen tomorrow?" Edmund looked round at his family in disbelief and then looked down at his younger sister. "Well it was all Peter's idea."

"But it was you who came up here every weekend to sort things out." Peter replied quickly.

"Mum and dad funded it all though."

"And Su bought all the presents."

"Well, thank you everyone for your individual contribution, but how bout we go inside for some nice tea." Lucy said, feeling her stomach beginning to rumble.

"Good idea Lu."

Mr and Mrs Pevensie went first leading them into the dining room where cups of tea were already brewing and a beautiful cake was already laid out.

"We were going to give you the cake tomorrow on your birthday but we thought it would be nicer fresh and that you would be hungry after your long trip." Mrs Pevensie said looking with loving eyes at her youngest child. She did not have the good looks that Susan possed, but to Mrs Pevensie that did not matter, to her she was beautiful and far kinder than Susan was.

"Why it looks beautiful. Thank you Mum, Thank you Su." Lucy replied clasping her hands together with glee.

"You're welcome, dear. Susan said that she had tasted it somewhere in America and knew immediately that you would like it. Except she could not remember who had served it to her nor what it was called and nobody seemed to know the recipe so we sort of guessed our way through baking. We tasted some before we put it in the oven and it seemed delicious but we will see how it turned out."

Edmund had at this point just walked in and his eyes had immediately flown to the cake. He licked his lips and looked at his mother pleadingly, asking whether he could not have some.

"No, Edmund. It is your sister's." Mrs Pevensie replied with a mother's strictness "and Edmund would you just look at me for a second."

Edmund with a confused, looked at his mother and flicked a rather annoying strand of hair out of his face. Over his studies Edmund had not had time to cut his hair and over the past year it had grown very shaggy.

Helen Pevensie walked up to her younger son, who was quite a bit taller than her now and with scissors in hand moved so as to hack some of his hair off. Edmund realising what she was about to do stepped back and said

"Leave my hair alone. I've grown quite attached to it."

"But Edmund, you look like a dog that has just come of the street." Replied his mother moving yet another step forward.

"Your mother does have a point son." Added in his father, peeking over his newspaper that he was reading "Don't they have any hairdressers in Cambridge."

"They do. But for a start they're expensive and secondly I don't have time."

"I thought you had a job in a cafe, son."

"I do, but all my money is going on paying Aunt Alberta for my accommodation, not getting some fancy hair-do."

"Or all your money goes on having drinks down at the pub." Susan chirped in. Edmund gave her an evil glare.

"Susan!" Mr Pevensie said not jokingly "It is a man's job to go down to the pub while the woman looks pretty at home. Edmund here is just learning how to be a man."

"A man who looks like a mop." Susan replied

"How about we all stop discussing Edmund's hairstyle and get down to the important business of eating cake." Peter interrupted

"Good idea son."

And so the family sat down for the first dinner they had had together since Christmas. After Lucy had blown out the candles on the cake and wished for what she wished for every birthday – to return to Narnia, they all settled down and the boys discussed their studies and the girls discussed all that was happening in America. When Lucy had finished her slice she turned to Susan and said quite innocently.

"That was indeed the finest cake I have ever had. I am surprised that you remembered the recipe after all those years."

"Oh no Lu, I think I only tasted it this year."

"No Su, you are mistaken." Lucy lowered her voice. "It was my favourite cake from Narnia."

Susan always lost her nerve at the mention of Narnia, why did her siblings have to keep playing this game, it was stupid, they were adults now, Lucy was going to turn eighteen in a few days. It was time she expressed her feelings. "I am sick and tired of all this talk of an imaginary world. It never existed and it never will."With this Susan marched off upstairs slamming her bedroom door behind her.

Mrs Pevensie looked at her younger daughter curiously "What did you say, dear."

"I told her that the cake was from Narnia." Lucy looked at her brother's for support. Peter betrayed no emotion and Edmund tilted his head to remind her that they were in the company of their parents who knew nothing about Narnia.

"What's Narnia? Is it a bakery?" Mrs Pevensie questioned.

"Yes" Peter said before his youngest sister could say anything. "Well I'm off to bed, thanks for the cake."

Peter followed Susan up the stairs and the rest soon followed them to their beds. The night passed and Lucy's birthday came. The four of them were all going to go to the beach and they had all woken up early – much to Edmund's dislike. Lucy had opened her various presents, consisting mainly of dresses and make-up, not her favourite things, but nonetheless she did not complain. Susan led her upstairs to dolly her up, their argument from yesterday seemingly forgotten. When Lucy came down the stairs she looked completely different. Her hair was loose and her makeup had been done to professional standards. Her fashionable dress flew around her knees as she and her sister jumped daintily into the car.

"What took you so long? We were falling asleep." Edmund mocked a yawn so as to prove his point.

"While you two were fussing over the car, we were dressing so as to be beautiful." Susan replied haughtily.

"Well you can be beautiful later. We want to go to the beach today preferably."

"Well we apologise." Susan muttered sarcastically as she slipped into the back next to Lucy. Peter took the wheel with Edmund next to him.

"How fast can it go Pete?" Edmund asked.

"We'll see." Peter replied while pushing his foot against the accelerator. He turned around and grinned. "You two don't mind me going fast do you?"

"No. Course not." Lucy replied for both of them.

The car shot forward as Peter weaved through the country lanes. Susan began to look a bit queasy so she leaned forward and shouted to Peter above the roar of the engine.

"Please Peter, slow down."

"Come-on Su. Don't ruin the fun." Peter looked back at her and smiled reassuringly. However he didn't notice the truck coming towards them until Edmund and Lucy shouted.

"Peter! Watch out!"


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