Chapter 25

Susan stared down at her sleeping son wrapped tightly in his blanket. His small mouth was moving slightly and his fingers twitched in his sleep. Susan reached out and gently ran a finger down his soft cheek.

"Hey little Jeremiah," Susan whispered touching his cheek. "It's your momma. I just wanted to talk to you about something, even though I know you won't understand it now. You have a sister, her name's Isabella. You're twins, actually. You're not from here. Well, a part of you is, but the other part is from a different world, a magical world called Narnia."

Susan lifted her head and looked around the room. Was it only a few weeks ago that a dragon had smashed through the place? Now it seemed as if it was all a dream, but she knew she wasn't dreaming. She had the proof right in front of her. The other half of it she had sent to her other home.

She looked down when Jeremiah started to stir, scrunching his eyes and clenching his hands into small fists. He let out a few tiny whimpers as his fists clenched and unclenched. She reached into the crib and gently lifted him out. Jeremiah let out a yawn, his face scrunching up before blinking open his big brown eyes.

"I guess you're hungry, huh sweetie?" Susan cooed, holding him securely as she moved over to the bed and sat down, making sure not to drop him or jostle him. She let out a yawn as she moved part of her nightgown, exposing herself as Jeremiah searched for the source of his food. Once he clamped on Susan let her head fall back and she let out another yawn. Her eyes were burning, she was so tired. "Do you want me to tell you the story of how we found Narnia?" She asked Jeremiah. He let out a little burping sound and she took that as a yes. "Well, it was during the war. Finchley was being bombed. My mother, your grandmother, made us leave the house as the place was being blown apart. It was then that she decided we, with a lot of other children, were to be shipped off to the country side to stay safe. I didn't want to love Mum, but she said it was the only way she'd know we were safe. In the end I'm glad she made that decision."

Susan's head shot up. She thought she had heard a scuffling sound somewhere down the hall. 'Mum must be checking to make sure the baby's ok.' She sniffed. 'I'm doing just fine by myself, Mum, not that you care. I would be doing better if I were in Narnia but you had to take us away.' She turned her attention back to Jeremiah and adjusted his head a little before continuing. "We were playing a game in the yard when Edmund had hit a ball through the window. We thought we were in trouble so we ran and hid from Ms. MacCready. That's where we found the room with the wardrobe. We decided to hide in it. Hide we did indeed. Turns out it took us to a whole other world, Narnia, where you're from."

Jeremiah looked up at Susan with his big eyes, as if interested in the world that she was explaining. "There are many different creatures there. Horses, centaurs, minotaurs, mermaids, anything you could think of. We weren't there for long when we were recruited by the mighty and noble lion, Aslan, to protect the lands because we're the Kings and Queens of Old." Susan smiled as the name passed by her lips. She glanced down and saw that Jeremiah had let out and let out a yawn, his tiny pink tongue sticking out between his lips. "We were able to save Narnia from the White Witch and we grew up there, actually. Time moves faster in Narnia. By the time I was in my late twenties there I found my way back here and I was a kid again." Susan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "A few years passed and then we were called back again to help stop the Telmarines from taking over Narnia. That's how I met your father."

Jeremiah cooed. "Yeah, your father. He's a handsome man, Hispanic decent I think. That's where it sounds like his accent is from. You have his eyes and his face, although smaller and more innocent." She chuckled a little. "The night we had a celebration of defeating the Telmarines was the one and only time your father and I were together. I didn't tell anyone about being pregnant, not my best friend Crystal, not even my brothers and sisters. Lucy, the smart little girl she is, eventually found out. You see, I didn't want anyone to know because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something on my own." She sighed. "I still couldn't do this by myself. But I will now. I made the decision of Lucy bringing Isabella back to Narnia by myself and I'll raise you by myself, since that's what my Mum wants so badly."

Susan looked down and saw that Jeremiah had fallen back asleep. She carefully and slowly got off the bed and put him back in his crib. She had brought a blanket all the way up to his chin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She tensed and whirled around, panting heavily when her eyes locked on deep browns. "Caspian," she whispered.

"Susan," Caspian whispered in reply. He slowly held out his hand and touched her cheek, as if making sure she was real before pulling her into a hug. He dug his nose into her hair, taking in her scent as he held onto her smaller frame tight, making sure she was there. Susan had a strong hold on him as well; making sure what she was hugging wasn't from a dream, lack of sleep, or her eyes playing tricks on her.

"Caspian. How…why…how did you get here?" Susan asked, holding onto his arms, looking him in the eye. "How did you know how to get here?'

"Susan, I couldn't go on without having you back in Narnia," he said as he caressed her face with a finger. "I can't live without you."

"I didn't leave by choice," Susan explained. "It was my Mum. She made me and Lucy come back here. I wouldn't have left you willingly." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss against his mouth. He cupped her face and kissed her back, passionately. Her heart spread wings and soared in her chest at the protective hold he had on her. She didn't want to ever pull out of that moment; she wanted to stay there for eternity if she had the choice.

"Well, I've come to take you back," Caspian replied.

"What?" Susan asked, making sure she heard him right.

"You don't belong here, Susan," Caspian replied. "You belong in Narnia, with me, where you're supposed to be."

"Where I'm supposed to be?" She repeated, bristling. "Who are you to tell me where I do and don't belong?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. She remembered to keep her voice down so she wouldn't wake up Jeremiah who had finally gone back to sleep.

"Susan, you can't possibly like it here," Caspian said, trying to suede her.

"This is my home," she responded.

"Your home is in Narnia with your brothers and your sister and the rest of the kingdom of Cair Paravel," Caspian replied.

"My home, right now, is right here away from the wars and the fights and the hostility," Susan replied, standing her ground. "I can't risk it, especially with Jeremiah." A look of confusion crossed Caspian's features. She nodded to the crib and Caspian turned his attention to the small bed. He slowly walked over to the crib and looked down at the baby boy. His face softened slightly as Susan stared hard at him. "You have to understand why I have to stay. I want to stay with you, I need to stay with you, but right now our son's needs come before mine."

"We can keep him safe in Narnia," Caspian argued, turning around to face her, half his face hidden in shadows. "That's what nannies are for."

"I don't want to leave my baby in someone else's hands," Susan said, slowly shaking her head. "Jeremiah is staying here with me and that's that. I don't care if I change history."