Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own original characters and I just had a really nice slice of pie.

A/N: And here we have book two! I'm really excited about this, you guys. I even changed tense and everything. This book takes place during the year the Pevensies spend at home after accidentally leaving Narnia. So in between LWW and Prince Caspian. I wish it didn't take this long to get here, but as I'm in university and juggling schoolwork with every thing else, my schedule is full. So I'm sorry in advance if I don't update as much as you'd like. However, I'll do my absolute best. And now, please enjoy the first chapter of After the Raids.

After the Raids

We Are Not in Narnia Anymore

"I know you've been through a lot," Mrs. Pevensie says, emptying her arms of what luggage she could carry. "So I won't expect you to do too much for the next few weeks. Think of it as your summer holiday."

"Gosh, I think I've forgotten all about school," Edmund says, sighing.

"And don't think that excludes you from doing your normal work around here," she pinches Edmund's cheek.

"Ow! Mum, I'm not a kid anymore." He rubs his face with his elbow.

"Well. A few months away and he's all grown up."

"I didn't mean that, just... No more pinching. No more nicknames, please." He sets down his luggage at the foot of the stairs and does the same with Lucy's.

"Thanks," she murmurs, swallowing.

"Aren't you all a bit quiet," Mrs. Pevensie fusses, putting her hands on her hips. "Peter, why don't you help Charlotte take her things home? I'm sure her mum is anxious to see her."

"Sure," he exchanges his things for mine and begins walking to the front door.

"Oh and don't forget to tell her! We're having a celebration dinner tonight. Here!" She calls.

But we're already out the door, so it's more of an echo.

"Are you okay?" Peter asks as we reach the porch. "I mean, I know you're not okay. But are you... you know..."

I sigh, placing one hand on the doorknob.

"It's been awhile since you've seen her, is that it? It's been awhile since you've been home?"

My pace quickens as I open my mouth to speak. "I just... I can't stop thinking about Narnia—"

The door opens from the other side, dragging me in. We both focus in on my mum, who is standing in the threshold beaming at us.

"My darling! Oh my darling, darling girl!" She throws her arms around me and squeezes tightly, which is more than what I expect of her. "Oh my love I've missed you so much. How was the country? Peter I see you've been taking good care of her; she's more beautiful that I remembered."

"I did my best, Mrs. Dawson." Peter smiles. "Shall I take these inside?"

"Oh! Yes yes, you can just leave them outside her room, thank you."

As he scoots by us, mum ushers me into the parlour and we sit together on the sofa. "So, tell me everything."

I cannot help but notice how frail she's gotten. She was already in bad condition before I left and now, it's gotten even worse. Her clothes are too baggy for her but she can't afford to wear a belt lest we see how thin she is. Her hair is disheveled about her face, wisps of gray circulating about the crown of her head. The skin around her wrists is almost translucent so her veins show clearly through. She is not healthy. She hasn't been for a long time. And where have I been but galavanting across another world without giving her much thought over the past few years? I am riddled with guilt, knowing I could've prevented at least some of what's happened to her if I stayed. Loneliness is no cure for anything.

"Well," I start slowly, gathering my words. "The professor's home is enormous. Filled to the brim with the most lovely artifacts. And the grounds are beautiful—trees, gardens, ponds, a lake outback..."

"I'm on my way out, Char," Peter calls. "I'll see you at dinner."

"What's this?" Mum asks.

"Oh, Mrs. Pevensie's having a celebration dinner for us later this evening," I say.

"Oh that'll be lovely. Now what were you saying?"

She listens to me with her whole body. Her posture, her facial expression, her hands that are grasping mine. I tell her everything we did at the professor's in detail, adding in a few things here and there to make it more exciting. Though it's enough to last us for awhile, I feel as though neither of us are saying what we really want to say. In a moment of silence, I catch her gaze.

Mum. Mum I was pregnant in a land called Narnia and I lost it. I lost it. The thought of saying these things out loud brings tears to my eyes, so I break the stare and get up from the sofa.

"I'm going to start unpacking and change my things," I say, smoothing my skirt. "It'll be time for dinner soon."

She smiles as I leave the parlour.

Mum walks across the yard to get to the Pevensies', I crawl through the hedge. When I arrive on the other side, I find Peter sitting in the grass.

"What would your mum say if she found you ruining your good suit," I say, smirking.

He looks up at me and stands, brushing himself off.

"Your tie is crooked," I murmur, walking to him and straightening it out. He leans forward until our heads are touching.

"You look beautiful." When I don't respond: "Can you believe I find these clothes scratchy after all this time?"

"We're all uncomfortable when wearing something we're not used to. It's okay." He leans forward to kiss me but I duck away. "Mm, lipstick."

"Right." He takes my hand and walks me inside where the rest of them are chattering away with ease. Before I know it, dinner's on the table, and we all sit down to partake. Everything seems smaller than usual. Nothing is 'usual' anymore. It is all new. We are relearning what it is like to live on earth. We are not okay.

After Peter blesses the meal, we help ourselves to roast beef and potatoes and peas. It's a special occasion, so Peter, Susan and I get wine while Edmund and Lucy get milk. Edmund picks up the glass sourly and takes a sip as though it's the worst thing he's ever had to do. The rest of us laugh at him while Mrs. Pevensie scolds him lightly.

"What's this? Did they not give you milk when you were at the professor's? Have you developed an aversion to it?"

"No, mum," he says, taking an extra-large gulp. "It's just... not something I'm used to."

"Well, you've only been drinking milk for as long as you've been alive," she laughs and continues eating. Afterward, she and I prepare coffee and plate the dessert in the kitchen.

"Did Peter give you a hard time while you were away?" She asks, taking out the cream and sugar bowls.

"No more than usual," I blush.

"He likes you quite a lot, I'd say. I daresay he loves you."

"He does," I look up at her.

"Does he know that?"

"Yes," I assure her by nodding.

"Good. I'm glad for the both of you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Pevensie."

We bring the dessert out into the sitting room and place it on the coffee table.

"Cake and ice cream!" Edmund exclaims, reaching over to grab some.

"No." Mrs. Pevensie slaps his hand away. "Wait until you've been served."

He shrinks into a sulking position. "I wouldn't have had to wait in Narnia," he mumbles. Peter, Susan, Lucy and I look up and focus in on him.

"What was that, dear?" She learned forward to hear him better.

"Nothing, mum. Just excited."

"In Narnia your gluttony was excused because you were a king, but we are not in Narnia anymore so would you please shut up and eat your dessert!" Susan whispered at him furiously, jabbing at him with her elbow.

We are all a bit tense after that. Both my mum and theirs try to engage us in conversation, but it feels forced. Finally, after several minutes of silence and the plates have been cleared, Mrs. Pevensie speaks.

"Alright, kiddos," she says, rubbing her hands together to create warmth. "Mrs. Dawson and I have been talking while you've been gone and... and we've made some conclusions about your education."

Silence.

"Do you know St. Finbar's?" She asks, looking at each of us in turn. We shake our heads. "It's a school, in the city."

Silence.

"Since your former schoolhouse burned down, we've decided it would be better for you to be in a more education-intensive environment. Not like the usual go to school, come home. You'd be a place with people your age, you'd make new friends."

"It's a boarding school?" Peter's eyes widen.

"You can come home on weekends," Mrs. Pevensie continues, getting worried. "The include both primary and secondary students. It be wonderful preparation for university."

"You know we only want the best for you," Mum adds in.

Peter laughed softly, but remained unsmiling. "Do we have a choice?"

"You'll have your interviews in two weeks." Mrs. Pevensie finishes.

"We just got back," Lucy sighs, dragging out the 'a' sound. Mum and Mrs. Pevensie have retired to the sitting room while the rest of us commune in the boys' bedroom. We have to talk about this.

"It was so sudden," Susan shrugs. "We haven't even been here for twelve hours and we're leaving soon."

"But we'll all be together. We can support each other," I say. "It's not like we can get out of this. So let's just make the best of it."

"Besides, we hardly did anything at the Professor's house when we weren't in Narnia. We never went into town, never made any new friends. It was just us. We've done it once, we'll do it again." Peter claps his hands.

"But we just got back!" Lucy says it louder this time.

"It's going to be okay, Lu." He carries her to her own room, tucks her in, and shuts the door. When he comes back: "I think it's time we get to bed."

"What about Charlotte?" Edmund asks.

I stand. "He'll walk me home."

We're outside now, just Peter and I and the grasshoppers. We crawl through the hedge and make our way to the back door. As he opens it, I put my hands out and feel around until I find something steady to guide me. After a few missteps, we arrive at our destination. The bedroom door is already open, so I lean in to turn on one of the lamps.

"Hey," Peter grabs my hand and pulls me away before I can turn it on. The next thing I know, he's kissing me. Our arms are everywhere at once, his around my waist, mine on his shoulders. As I lean back in attempt to break away, he pulls me closer, deepening the kiss. He's gotten taller since we left for the Professor's. It's gotten to the point where I need to stand on my toes to reach him. His hands are sliding up now, but before they can reach my ribs, I let go of him and push them down with my hands. I can tell he's getting too excited.

I try to signal his attention by pushing him back. "Hey, hey..."

He stops, resting his forehead against mine.

"I love you. I love you." Once more. "I love you."

"Is that my cue to leave?"

I hesitate before answering him. "Yeah."

"Charlotte," he says, making his way to the door. "Let me help you through this. I know you. I know everything about you. I know you're not okay."

"Goodnight, Peter."

"Please, I had a hand in making this baby too, I—" I back him out into the hallway and shut the door. As his footsteps recede, I can already feel the tears coming.

It's going to be a long night.

A/N: I hope you liked it! It's the first chapter, of course, so at this point I'm setting up how the story is going to play out. Please follow and review and I'll try to update soon!