After Peter's confession and Edmund's brutal honesty, life progressed in the Pevensie world. Susan clung to Gregory despite her brother's warning. Summer came and went, and the Pevensies found themselves immersed in winter. Peter and Rachel had made it to their sophomore year. Susan was attending a fashion institute not far from home and Gregory was attending Cambridge. Their separation was less than desirable. Ironically, as Susan's relationship crumbled, Peter's relationship flourished. He and Rachel were a serious couple now. They had made it through first fights, dinner with her family, and even the always awkward meeting of families. Their first Christmas together had been spent apart, a task that both found difficult. But, kissing each other into the new year had more than made up for it. Peter was 19 now and aware of the fact that he was no longer considered a child.

Peter awoke to someone pounding on the door. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes. After a moment of silence, he decided that he hadn't heard anything. Just as he drifted back into a half-sleep the pounding began again, this time more incessantly. He sat up slowly, blinking stupidly at the door. The knocking got louder, and was accompanied by a voice.

"Pete!" a baritone voice came through the wood. "Peter. Wake up!"

The voice forced Peter to leave the warmth of his bed and dragged him towards his door. He stumbled over some obstacle in the dark.

"Pete!"

"I'm coming," he mumbled, groping for the doorknob. Across the room, Steve grumbled and rolled over, pulling his comforter over his head. Steve and Peter had gotten closer last year and had decided to be roommates again this year. Peter finally swung the door open, revealing an equally as tired boy from down the hall.

"The phone's been ringing on and off for the last half an hour." he offered by way of greeting, "I finally picked it up. It's your sister, she wants you to call her back."

Peter stared at him blankly, still not awake enough to comprehend yet.

"Right now,"

"What?"

"Geez, Pete, I don't know. Call and find out." The kid was clearly irritated at being woken up to take Peter's call.

"Alright," Peter agreed. "Thanks man." The boy grunted his response and shuffled off. Peter, still not quite certain as to what was going on, grabbed his keys off the bedside table and made his way down the hall to the phone.

The operator greeted him in a voice entirely to peppy for the middle of the night. As he muttered his home number, his voice cracked with sleepiness. After the operator connected him and he listened to the familiar drone of the dial tone, it occurred to him that something serious must be going on. The line clicked.

"Peter?" Susan addressed him through a watery sob.

"Su?" Peter was wide awake now. "Susan, are you ok?"

"Pete, no." the sound of Susan's tears swallowed her words.

"Su, whatever it is, it's ok. It'll be ok. Just, breathe, breathe Su. I'm here, talk to me."

He listened to his sister crying for a moment more. Her sobs subsided into broken breaths. Finally she spoke.

"Gregory and I broke up." With this proclamation, she burst into tears once more.

Peter stood there in silence. The selfish part of his brain simultaneously cursed being woken up for this and celebrated that the news was not worse. The big brother part was already planning where to hide Gregory's body, and the rest of him knew that Susan needed him.

"Peter, are you still there?"

"When did this happen Su?"

"Today," she mumbled.

"Why? I mean what did he say?"

She started sobbing again. "He said we were too different. That he wanted to be friends but he couldn't be in a relationship. He said that we have grown apart since we left high school." Her voice broke.

"Su, I'm so sorry…" Peter wanted to hug his little sister through the phone.

"Peter, I feel so stupid. I can't believe that I let myself care about him. All of the signs were there. "

"Su," Peter cut her off shortly. "Don't you dare think that. You did nothing wrong. There is nothing, and will never be anything, wrong with caring about someone. You did exactly what you were supposed to do."

"But he said--"

"Damn it Su! I don't care what he said. He's an idiot if he doesn't realized what he had when he had you. And one day he's going to look back on this and regret ever letting you go, ok?" Peter neglected to mention that he and Ed would certainly make sure that Gregory saw that sooner rather than later.

Susan took a deep shaky breath.

"I love you Su, and so does everyone who meets you. Gregory doesn't deserve you." There was a beat of silence.

"Thanks Pete."

"Of course Su." Peter sat with her for a few moments more, uttering words of comfort and assuring her time and time again, that someone was out there for her.

"How will I know when I find love?" she asked finally.

Peter paused. "You'll know. I promise."

"When did you know?"

"Almost immediately." The words slipped out of his mouth before his brain could acknowledge them. The words took him by surprise as well. Ten minutes later, after he hung up the phone, he was still mulling it over. He walked slowly back to his room. He paused at the door, a thought formulating in his head. He raced in, pulled on a cardigan and raced out of his building.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Rachel awoke to the tapping of pebbles bouncing off of her window. She crawled out of the bed, wrapping her fluffy white comforter around her. She knew it was her boyfriend before she opened the window. He frequently surprised her late at night by the window, taking her to drive in movies, moonlit walks and ice skating under the light of the stars. Now he waved up at her. She looked at him puzzled, but nodded as he waved her down to him. A moment later she met him on the grass. The nights were becoming cooler now, and she was bolstered in her faux fur lined jacket against the weather. She snuggled into the crook of his arm, a habit she had formed in the past months since they had said I love you.

"What's going on?" she asked contently.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair.

"I know baby. Did you come all the way out here to tell me that in the middle of the night?"

"Sort of. I talked to Susan a few minutes ago."

"Did you? Is she alright?"

"She's a little heartbroken. She and Gregory broke up."

Rachel made a sympathetic sound. Peter continued.

"Anyway, she got me thinking about love and what's important in life. And how you are the most important thing in my life." He pulled away from her.

"Rachel?"

"Baby," Rachel was confused. "Baby, what are you doing?"

Peter got down on one knee.

A/N: I know I skipped a bunch of time, but I have to keep the story short, or my G.P.A. is going to suffer. Sorry. :-\ Also, a thousand apologies for the cliff hanger. Please review!!