Summary: Even with a war still waging, the former Kings and Queens return to Finchley once again—a bustling city changed by the effects of warfare, holding the prospects of a promising future. Set after Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and during The Last Battle; Peter/OC
WARNING: There are spoilers for Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Last Battle.
~Hereafter~
Chapter One – June, 1942
"Peter, hurry! They'll be here any minute!" Alexa hurried quickly about the room, helping Peter collect anything else of his belongings. He really should have been done packing yesterday, but it couldn't really be helped. Studying for the university entrance exams with Professor Kirke had been challenging for the past couple of months for both Peter and Alexa, and took much of their time.
And when two letters had come in: one from his brother and one from his parents, both writing that Edmund and Lucy would be there the Tuesday of that next week, Alexa and Peter immediately began packing. However, it was now exactly a week to the day those letters had been received, Tuesday. He had forgotten to finish packing all of his belongings.
"I know, I know. Will you stop badgering me?" Peter asked in annoyance as he folded another shirt to add in his suitcase.
"We still haven't finished cleaning and we leave tonight. Honestly, you're such a man," Alexa said as she handed him more of his books. She continued to mumble under her breath, "Procrastination…never works…" Peter rolled his eyes.
"At least I don't nag you when you leave all your maps and pens and things about the study. Do I complain? No…" he murmured, more to himself than anything.
"Did you say something?" Alexa asked, looking up from her task of making the bed.
"Not at all."
"Hmm. Right…I can't wait until Lucy tells us of their adventures. I mean, their letter explained much, but she tells stories so animatedly…"
"It will be even better in person," Peter finished with a smile. His brother and sister had spent the much of the beginning summer with their cousin, Eustace, at the request of their aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, Susan had traveled with their parents to America (their father, John Pevensie, had been honorably discharged from the service because of a severe break in his dominant arm the year previous to this year), and Peter and Alexa had been left with Professor Kirke to study for university entrance exams.
At first, Peter did not envy his younger siblings. He had known Eustace Scrubb to be a vile boy—arrogant and selfish. He had never enjoyed his cousin's visits. But he was…surprised to say the least, by their letter.
"Someday, I hope to meet Eustace in person," said Alexa. Peter nodded in agreement.
"One day, you will."
An hour later they had finished Peter's packing in record time and finished cleaning each of their rooms. Alexa contented herself with napping on the outdoor chair on the veranda. It reclined wonderfully, for which she was grateful as she dozed. Peter set a blanket over and kissed her cheek fondly, to which she sighed and snuggled deeper in the blanket.
Peter then meandered through the corridors of the large, country home. He took in the now familiar walls, each intricate artifact and painting, every statue, and suit of armor he had once walked by. He decided he would miss this place. Not for the repaired window near the extensive armory, not for that spare room on the second floor, or even the bedroom he and his brother had lived in for a brief amount of time.
He would remember the summer days he and his family had spent in the outdoors, soaking up the sun's rays as they enjoyed the vast back yard; the stormy days that kept them inside, curled up with good books; and the late nights spent in the Professor's study, peering at classics for his chosen vocation: English Literature.
Peter's feet stopped in front of oak wood doors. He knocked, and waited.
"Come in."
Peter obliged and closed the doors behind him.
"Good morning, Professor."
The older man casually glanced outside the small window on the far wall of the room.
"Yes, I do suppose it is. Not a cloud in the sky," he mumbled before looking down at the book laid open on his desk.
"Yes, sir," Peter agreed. The Professor gave Peter a cursory glance.
"…What is on your mind?" Peter scratched the back of his head as he gave a small smile.
"I don't know. I…I'm going to miss this, I think."
"Understandable."
"I suppose." Professor Kirke regarded the younger man once again, this time with a knowing look.
"You can sit down. It's more comfortable, I'm sure you know," he said, peering back down at his book. Peter sat in the nearby couch.
"Professor…whatever happened to that young girl…that accompanied you to Narnia?" Peter asked tentatively. It was something he had been curious about. The Professor had not gone into detail when he had told the five of his own adventure into Narnia—when he was a young boy. There was so much about the man that was still a mystery to Peter.
Professor Kirke paused in his reading, and looked at Peter with a calculating gaze.
"…Polly Plumer. She became a good friend of mine in the years following our return…why do you ask?"
"Curiosity. From your story, she seemed quite an intelligible and kind lady…what happened to her?"
"Nothing. She has been living comfortably in her parents' home for many years now."
"Do you still speak?"
"She sends letters from time to time. I respond in turn."
"Does…she ever visit?" It was then, after Peter's hesitant question, that the Professor became slightly impatient.
"I've never thought you to be such an inquisitive young man," he remarked wryly.
"If I may say, sir, I only wonder why you have been living solitarily all this time. It must have been…interesting letting five strange children into your home. For any inconvenience we may have brought, I apologize," Peter replied. Professor Kirke paused for a moment, taking the time to refill his pipe with the canister of tobacco that sat upon his desk.
"...Quite all right," he spoke at last. "There was no such imposition." Peter fixed his gaze onto the Professor, and felt the small smile that found its way onto his face. He stood from his seat and crossed the room, stopping in front of the oak wood writing desk. Professor Kirke glanced up at Peter, and then to the hand offered in front of him. He took it, and shook the hand firmly.
"Goodbye, Professor. Thank you...for everything." With these final words, Peter did part, closing oak wood doors behind him. The graying man watched them close through round, silver-rimmed spectacles. Just a bare hint of a smile curved his lips. With this he surprised himself.
Edmund and Lucy would arrive later that evening, only two hours before the five's departure from the Kirke home. Of course each of them said their goodbye's to the Professor, and the country abode they had come to love in the duration of their stay. Mrs. Macready brought them back to the station via horse and carriage, and even waited with them until their train came. Just as promised, Lucy and Edmund retold the story of their adventure with Eustace, returning to Narnia for the last time (this was mostly dictated by Lucy, but Edmund did add specific tidbits that Lucy was not present for).
"…Can you picture it? Our cousin, a dragon? It was both magnificent and slightly comical at the time, because he couldn't even fly in a straight line at first," Edmund reflected with a short laugh.
"Well, not that comical. He was flying straight into the mast, flustering everyone on the ship. But he came out of it a better person," said Lucy.
"You should see him, Pete. An entirely different Eustace," added Edmund.
"Yes, we'll have to visit him again soon," said Peter. But then the conversation changed to more serious topics, now that the near future had been brought into question.
"How have your studies been going?" Lucy asked both Peter and Alexa.
"They went well. We will take our entrance exams in Finchley…and then we will most likely have to wait a few weeks," Alexa replied.
"Hopefully, by July we will be packing our bags again to move into the dorms, while you two and Susan will be going back to school," Peter said. All seemed to deflate at the words.
"It will be the first time in a while that we will all be together again, only to be separated once more," Lucy said.
"We will come back for the holidays," Alexa added, but she knew, as they felt, that this was insufficient.
"Even when we leave this train, we'll be going to separate homes, Alexa," said Edmund.
"Right, with my mother…To think, I haven't seen her in over fifteen years…" Alexa mused thoughtfully. As the other three mulled on the fact as well, the conversation died off from small talk about what they would do in the summer, to silence. The rest of the ride passed in this fashion, until they came to a stop in front of the station in London. They exited the train, gathered their belongings, and made their way to the waiting area.
"Peter! Lucy! Edmund!" The three Pevensies turned at the sound of their mother's voice and, besides the luggage they carried, very nearly ran to her, their father, and Susan, who also greeted them. Alexa's mother, Mary Williams, also came for her. She enveloped her in the warmest embrace Alexa had felt in years, and had barely remembered the feel of her mother's calming touch. But she was inexorably glad for it. Both families had their small reunion, and introduced the adults to one another.
"It's wonderful to meet you, I'm Helen Pevensie," the Pevensies' mother greeted Mary Williams with a hand outstretched.
"It's my pleasure, I'm Mary Williams," she replied. She also met John Pevensie in the same way, and they said their "hello's," and "how do you do's?" before the five children explained their close-knitted friendship that had formed in their time in the Professor's home. They all stood and talked there at the station for about an hour, until all agreed it was time to finally go home.
"Goodbye, sister," Alexa whispered as she embraced both Susan and Lucy respectively.
"We'll see you shortly," said Susan sadly.
"Very shortly, like tomorrow," Lucy quipped with a bright smile. Alexa returned it in agreement, and turned to Edmund.
"Make sure you get me something nice for Christmas," he said comically as he pulled her into a bear-hug.
"Ed, it's summer! Christmas isn't for months, you git."
"I know, just reminding you for a later date."
"Right."
He pulled away and pushed her lightly toward Peter, who was trying to stifle his laughter. She smiled as he enveloped her in an easy embrace, but had to close her eyes against the burn of tears. As happy as she was to be with her mother again, parting with the Pevansies was losing her family. She knew things would never be the way they used to be, and it scared her. Most of all, parting with Peter was a knife twisting in an open wound.
"See you soon, love," he whispered, so that the prying ears of their parents could not hear. His had disappeared into her hair and down her back in comfort. "I promise."
Alexa shuddered a sigh and tried to take strength from his embrace, take the courage she used to have.
"I love you," she whispered. She felt his kiss on the top of her head, but still silently mourned that she couldn't at least kiss him goodbye.
"I love you," Peter replied, and tried to smile. "Be good, for my sake."
At this Alexa did smile a little.
"I'll try."