AN: Sorry about the long wait and I'm sorry if this isn't my best work, It's just that whenever I sat down to write anything, Some one walked by and I hate being watched while I write. It makes me jumpy. I hope you like it anyway. I'll try to make the next chapter more exciting.
Peter faithfully kept Susan's secret, and true to his word, he never called her fish girl or teased her about having a tail. Not even as a joke. He did worry about her though. What if someone found out and took her away? What if it rained just as they were about to go somewhere?
In fact, it did rain just as the family was getting ready to go to visit Grandma Pevensie.
They were getting ready to leave, everyone's suitcases were already in the car and they were just grabbing a few last things. Peter noticed Susan gaping at something from the door way. Big dark rain clouds had gathered, which could mean a lot of water.
"The weather report says it's only going to be over cast." Peter said as much to himself as to her. It sure didn't looking like over cast. It looked like it was going to start pouring any second.
"That does not look like over cast." Susan gulped. Maybe she should race into the car now before it was too late.
"Don't worry, there's no way it will just start..." Peter started.
With a loud burst of thunder, water started falling from the sky so thickly that you could barely see though it.
"...raining." He finished.
"I wouldn't even make it off the porch." Susan sigh-whispered.
Lucy came down the stairs all the more cheerful to see that it was rainy out. She liked the feel of rain. Without even a coat and hat on she started for the door but Peter pulled her back and made her put on her coat and hat before running out. She didn't run to the car, only fast walked. She clearly didn't mind getting a little wet.
Edmund let out a groan before making a dash for the car. Susan watched them both waiting in the backseat. Peter would make it there no problem, but what about her?
"Come along dears." Mrs. Pevensie said cheerfully.
"Where's your umbrella?" Susan asked her mother.
"Oh, it was misplaced somewhere." She shrugged her shoulders. "No big deal."
"They're not bullets." Mr. Pevensie laughed noticing the panicked look on his daughter's face. "We'll just make a run for it."
Susan didn't know what to do. She thought she was going to be sick. Wait, that was it! She was going to be sick! She let out a groan and put her hand to her stomach. "I don't feel so well..." She looked at Peter, hoping he got the hit.
"Oh, you don't think you caught the flu do you?" He played along.
"I don't know." Susan said hoping her acting wasn't as horrible was she thought it was. "I just need to lie down for a moment."
If it had been Edmund who'd faked sick many times, Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie wouldn't have even blinked but Susan was rarely ever sick and had never faked it before. They helped her to the couch.
"I guess I'd better tell mum we aren't coming." Mr. Pevensie said looking down at his daughter. "She'll be disappointed but what else can we do?"
Poor Grandma Pevensie, she lived for visits and she didn't get many. She's always been kind to Peter too even though she was one of the few people who knew his secret. Which made him feel a tad bit guilty at the moment. But what about Susan?
"Why don't you two go with Edmund and Lucy? I'll stay here with Su and make sure she's doesn't get any worse." Peter offered. "It's only for a week anyway."
"Well...I don't know..." Mrs. Pevensie started.
"My mother hasn't stopped talking about how long it's been since she last saw Ed, and you know Lucy's a sort of favorite with her...it would make her really happy if they came." Mr. Pevensie thought it over.
"But without Susan and Peter?" Mrs. Pevensie asked.
"They'll be missed but it'll be better than nothing." Mr. Pevensie sighed.
"Mum!" Edmund's voice called from the car. "Lucy wont stay on her side of the car."
"The middle does not count!" Lucy's voice said back.
"Does so."
"Does not."
"Doesn't."
"Does."
"It's both of ours!"
"it's not."
"Why do you get it?"
"I'm bigger and older than you."
"So?"
"Great, seven hours of that to look forward to." Mr. Pevensie moaned, hoping his mother was grateful that he wasn't leaving them behind too. He went out to the car and took out Peter and Susan's suitcases, bringing them back into the house. (Edmund and Lucy rarely fought having learned many life lessons in Narnia but sometimes they got into stupid arguments as most siblings do)
"If she gets worse call us." Mrs. Pevensie said giving her two oldest children each a kiss goodbye on the forehead. "I love you."
"Love you too, mum." They called back.
Susan let out a sigh of relief as she heard the car starting up. "That was close."
"Tell me about it." Peter agreed.
"Now what are we going to do for a week?" Peter wondered out loud.
"Just hang around I guess." Susan said in a laughing sort of voice. "I'm ill remember?"
Peter started laughing. "Speaking of which, we have got to get you some acting lessons." He fell to the ground in an exaggerated mimic of her pretend sickness.
It was a pretty good Imation. Susan burst out laughing at it. "But apparently you don't need them."
"I'm talented and you're not." He teased.
"Well at least, I didn't get politely asked to skip dance class when the people who paid for the school came to visit." Susan laughed.
"I hated that class anyway." Peter shuddered remembering the horrid class mum had talked him into taking.
An hour later, the rain let up. Peter had an idea. "Hey Su, why don't we go swimming?"
"You're kidding right?" Susan frowned at him. How exactly did he expect her to hide her tail while doing this?
"No, think about it, we could go up to the part of the lake where all the weeds grow, no one would see you." He explained.
Susan shook her head. "No one swims that far up."
"That's why you wouldn't be seen." Peter pointed out.
"What about currents?" Susan asked.
Peter slapped his forehead. "Su, you're a mermaid for Aslan's sake. You don't need to worry about currents."
"You think?" Susan hadn't really seen it in that light before but he was right. If she was a mermaid, she could swim through anything.
"Sure." Peter said. "Come on, it'll be fun."
"Oh, alright." Susan gave in. She did miss swimming. And it did sound like fun.
"Great Scott!" Peter exclaimed as he tried to walk through the thick weeds over to the water. "It's like a jungle."
Susan had been listening to him until she reached the water. Then feeling a tremor of excitement, she dived in. She let out a squeal of delight as she surfaced flapping her tail behind her. She did a small flip in the water and then surfaced again.
"Show off." Peter teased.
Susan splashed him.
"Hey!"
Then Susan reached over, grabbed his arm and pulled him into the water.
"You got water up my nose." Peter protested in a voice that made it clear he wasn't the least bit upset.
"Well, aren't you going to do anything about it?" Susan asked using her tail to make a big wave and splash him again.
He splashed back. She laughed and dived under the water just as it was about to hit her.
"Cheater." He splashed again when she came back up.
"You'd better watch it." Susan told him.
"Why?"
"Because what if all that stuff in myths about mermaids drowning young men is true?" She teased
"I'm not scared of you." Peter stuck out his tongue at her.
"Oh yeah?" She drove under and pulled on his feet.
"That tickles." He laughed, grabbing onto her fin. She flapped it up and down trying to get him to let go.
The fun stopped suddenly when they heard a voice call, "Mum, I'm telling you there's a huge golden fishy up there!" A small child who'd been in some of the more distant weeds had managed to spy Susan's tail but he hadn't seen the human half of her or the fact that she wasn't alone before racing off to tell his mum.
"We've got to get out of here." Peter said calmly. He got out of the water then reached out his hand and pulled Susan out behind him. "How fast can you dry off?"
Susan had an idea. If she could boil things, was it possible she could use that power to dry off quicker and get rid of her tail before anyone saw her? She tried it. Thankfully, it worked and her legs came back just as the little boy arrived pulling his mum by the hand.
"I don't see a big fish." The boy's mum said.
"Fishy?" The boy looking sadly at the water. "Here fishy..."
Susan and Peter waved to the boy and his mother. She didn't wave back she grabbed her son's hand and told him not to make up stories about fish anymore or else she wasn't going to bring him to the lake again.
AN: Please review.