Chapter Twenty One

May 8, 1945

"It's over! The wars over! We can go home!" shouted Edmund as he burst into the house with Eustace trailing behind.

"We just heard!" shouted Lucy who was standing in the living room with her aunt and uncle.

"What's going on?" asked Carolyn from the kitchen doorway. There was a step there so she couldn't get down.

"That war is over. Germany surrendered," said Edmund walking over to her, "it was all over the radio. People are celebrating in the streets everywhere."

"This is great!" said Carolyn flinging her arms around Edmund then letting go and hugging Lucy who came over.

"We can go home now," said Lucy who then looked at Edmund, "we get to see mum and dad, and Susan."

"Oh we should celebrate!" exclaimed their aunt, "we'll have something special for dinner. What do we want?"

"What about the shepherd's pie that I was preparing?" asked Carolyn.

"We'll have it tomorrow. Come one, then, what do you all want for dinner?" asked their aunt. Eustace smiled and everyone started shouting out their favourite dishes. It really was the best day in a long time.

London. It wasn't just as they had remembered it. There was rubble everywhere from the bombings and people were everywhere, still celebrating. All of the Pevensie's and Carolyn were now standing on their street. Repairs had been done overtime to the neighbourhood and things were just as they left them.

They made their way into the house and began to unpack their things. Carolyn was now sharing a room with Susan and Lucy, but it was tight so they were all debating about moving her in to share a room with Edmund once Peter went off to Uni.

"I want to go next door," said Carolyn. Susan had been writing a letter to a suitor in America and Lucy had been working on schoolwork. Carolyn was staring out the window when she finally got the courage to say what she was thinking.

"What?" asked Susan.

"I want to go next door. I just want to see it one last time," said Carolyn still looking out the window.

"I'll go get Edmund and Peter," said Lucy getting up and leaving the room.

"Are you sure, Carolyn?" asked Susan, "I think it will just bring up painful memories of the past. We should be looking to the future now. The war is over, you're about to finish school, not to mention you relationship with Edmund."

"I just need to go over there and see, for closure," said Carolyn. Lucy then came back with the boys following her.

"What's going on?" asked Peter.

"I want to go next door, just one last time," said Carolyn locking eyes with Edmund. He silently walked over and started pushing her out the door. Once they got to the stairs He picked her up.

"Pete can you get her chair?" asked Edmund. Peter came and carried the chair down the stairs after them. They made their way next door and got lucky that it was unlocked. They made their way inside and Edmund placed Carolyn back in her chair and they let go around the house.

Everything was dusty and it seemed all of their old things were stolen or broken. She made her way over to the fireplace and to the mantle where pictures of her family used to sit. They were all destroyed in the bombings.

"Oh, I'm sorry boys, but this place is off limits. It's going to be sold," came a voice from the doorway.

"Right, sorry, our friend use to live here and wanted one last look," said Edmund. Carolyn made her way back over and saw a man in a suit there.

"Good afternoon, Miss," he said tipping his hat, "I'm Benjamin Locke, real estate agent. Is it true that you use to live here?"

"Yes, before the war, my mum and I lived here," she said.

"Well where is your mum now?" he asked.

"She died, upstairs," she said.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Yes I knew there was one body found here. Well what about your father?"

"Soldier, died at war."

"Again I'm terribly sorry. A lot seemed to be taken from you in this war, hmm?" He was looking at her wheelchair.

"Just my parents, and now my home, apparently," she said.

"Well technically you are a minor, and unless there is a will somewhere, this house belongs to London, and they gave a ring to my business and I'm here to sell it."

"No, it's okay, I wouldn't want to live here anyway," said Carolyn glancing around the room.

"Okay," said the man smiling again then turning around at the sound of a car door closing, "Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Jules, here let me help you." The realtor ran down to help Mrs. Jules who was pregnant and struggling up and small slope towards the house.

"Carolyn?" asked Peter. Carolyn was staring at the woman and her husband, imagining that they were her parents. Her father helping her pregnant mum up, them not knowing their child would be in a wheel chair all her life. Not knowing each of them would die and not live to see their daughter graduate from school, their daughters first romance.

Carolyn sighed and grabbed Edmund's hand.

"Can we go?" she whispered. He nodded and went behind her chair.

"Oh, hello. I thought we were the only ones viewing the house," said Mrs. Jules who finally made it into the doorway.

"We were just leaving," said Peter moving out of the way for the new party.

"This young lady use to live here," said the realtor, somewhat introducing Carolyn.

"Well, a pleasure to meet you. I swear we'll take good care of her," said Mr. Jules leaning down a bit and looking at Carolyn.

"Don't put the nursery in the first room on your right, the bathroom door squeaks and you can hear it very loudly in that room," she said before looking at Edmund and he pushed her out of the door with Peter following after them. The couple and realtor looked after them before going back to viewing the house.

Silently they helped Carolyn back up to her room and she made her way over to her bed.

"What happened?" asked Susan looking at Carolyn.

"A new couple is looking at the house," whispered Peter. Carolyn looked out the window, it was facing her house, and she could see the couple moving about in there.

"Hey, can I talk to Carolyn?" asked Edmund. The other three nodded and left; Lucy closed the door on her way out. Edmund walked over to Carolyn and kneeled in front of her. He saw tears trailing down her face and he reached up and cupped her cheek and rubbed the tears away with his thumb. He reached into his pocket then held a penny up to her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked. Carolyn gave a weak smile before taking the penny and then his hand and lacing her fingers with his.

"I just miss my parents. You managed to get yours back but mine are gone, and we never had a funeral or anything. And now that the house is being sold, I feel…empty. I love your parents, don't get me wrong, and I am thankful for all they've done for me, but I really miss my own," she said sniffing and more tears trailed down her cheeks. Edmund gave a sympathetic look and then picked Carolyn up and sat on her bed with her on his lap.

"How about, I talk with my parents and we can have a funeral for your parents. I'm sure they will agree with it. Okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"Thanks," she said.

"And as for you feeling empty," he said, "I will try my hardest to fill it." He gave her hand a squeeze and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Edmund, thank you," she whispered smiling. He smiled back.

A/n: Yea, this was a bit short, but it was just for transition purposes. Next chapter I will get into The Last Battle.

Thank you for reading and reviews are welcomed.

-Charlotte