A/N: Thanks so much for everyone who has taken the time to review, favourite and follow this story. It's really encouraging to see that people like the idea of the story and encourages me to continue writing. I'm not sure I like this version of Caspian but I'm interested in exploring him and those who read my other stories will know I like a happy ending, so hopefully he'll get more likable. This chapter is told mostly from Susan's POV. Next to Edmund she's my favourite Pevensie - I love a good complex character. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Narnia. It belongs to C. and the movies belong to all those people who did varingly good or not so good versions of Narnia

'I'm glad we came back.'

Susan Pevensie tossed in her sleep on the narrow bed in the room that she shared with her sister in her Aunt Alberta's house. She was dreaming again … dreaming of Caspian, of what had been, of what might have been …

She was glad that she had gone back, that she had allowed Narnia to break the cold, logical barrier that she had begun to build around herself once more to protect her from the hurt that she had felt by being forced out of the one place where she had felt free to be herself. Safe to let others see who Susan Pevensie really was without the mask she presented to the world.

The mask of a pretty face, a logical mind, the big sister, the mother figure. Without the mask she was so much more and without it, in Narnia she had flourished. But then when she had been flung back into England, she had needed that mask, that barrier again, needed it badly lest she crack and splinter completely from the shock and horror of being torn away from her home and friends.

'I wish we had more time together'

She wished it too. She had finally let the barrier fall once more. And it was mainly due to him. To Caspian. She had been determined to keep her barriers up, to stop Narnia from getting in, so that she would not be hurt again when she left, but he had chipped away at those barriers bit by bit until they crumbled, they had crumbled beneath his loving gaze, and she had been glad.

'It never would have worked anyway'

But then he had killed, killed his uncle in cold blood and with that one act, something within him had changed or started to change. Aslan had seen it, Peter had seen it and so had she. When Aslan had told them that they were to return home, that he had planned for them never to return, her heart had started to splinter. When he had told them what he had feared for Caspian … that that one act had started a process, one which would turn him into a cold uncaring monster, her heart had cracked. She had wanted to stay, knew that the love that had started to blossom between her and the Prince would be enough, could be enough to save him, she could be enough to save him. But it was not to be. Aslan had decided that it would never have worked. He told them that they must wait, that the time to save Caspian was not now. That they must go, bide their time and come back again to save him.

'Why not?'

Yes 'why not?' she had wanted to scream the same words at Aslan. Why would her love not be enough? Why not. Why could she not save her Prince now? She did not know what Aslan's answer would be and so she had no answer for Caspian. Not one that would make sense anyway. And so, she had turned away.

But then he had kissed her.

She had been so shocked that she had not even returned the kiss. Even as she felt in it, Caspian's inherent gentleness warring with his newfound ruthlessness. He needed saving from himself so badly and she was not to be allowed to do it, not yet. And so, she had torn herself away. Torn herself way from him, turned her back and left.

She had returned to England with her siblings, but she had not erected those barriers once more. She had held on with all her might to Susan, Queen Susan the gentle. She needed to be herself, with no barriers, no false masks if she were to be able to return and save Caspian from himself.

Susan dreaded to think what she might have become if Aslan had indeed exiled her from Narnia for good. What she might have been forced to become to keep at bay the hurt. What self-preservation might have forced her to forget.

But she had not forgotten, she had held on and when her parents had suggested that she go to America with them she had refused. She had to stay with her siblings if they were to return to Narnia together. Peter too had stayed, they had all stayed close together, knowing that together they must stand, together they must return to Narnia to save it, to save him once more.

"Susan, wake up."

It was Peter, ever the light sleeper, ever listening with half and ear in case one of his siblings needed him, ever the big brother and protector. He was there, sitting on her bed, waking his whimpering little sister from her unsound slumber.

"You were talking in your sleep again."

Susan rubbed her eyes, even as they involuntary wandered towards the painting on the wall.

"What is he waiting for?" She asked her brother.

They all felt it, felt the magic radiating from the picture.

They all saw it, saw that the ship in the picture that was as Narnian as they were.

Surely it could only be a matter of time before he called them back.

But how much time?

They had tried to be in the room together beside the picture as often as possible, all four of them. But nothing had happened. It was as if the picture, as if Aslan himself was waiting for something else, for someone else.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

They all gathered in the girls' bedroom the next day to gaze once more upon the painting, willing it to do something, anything to bring them home once more.

"The question is," said Edmund, "whether it doesn't make things worse, looking at a Narnian ship when you can't get there."

"Even looking is better than nothing," said Lucy.

"And she is such a very Narnian ship." Susan agreed from where she sat on her bed with Peter.

A mocking voice came from the door, it was their cousin Eustace.

"Do you like that picture?" he asked.

"For Heaven's sake don't let him get started about Art and all that," said Edmund hurriedly, but Lucy, who was very truthful, had already said,

"Yes, I do. I like it very much."

"It's a rotten picture," said Eustace.

"You won't see it if you step outside," said Peter.

"Why do you like it?" said Eustace to Lucy, totally ignoring his older cousin, who in truth intimidated him.

"Well, for one thing," said Lucy, "I like it because the ship looks as if it was really moving. And the water looks as if it was really wet. And the waves look as if they were really going up and down."

Eustace was about to reply to this when he paused, he had looked at the picture again and it did indeed look as if the waves were going up and down. He turned rather green and made to turn away, but he heard Susan gasp.

"Look … look at the picture!"

Looking back once more he saw that the things in the picture were actually moving. Down went the prow of the ship into the wave and up went a great shock of spray. And then up went the wave behind her, and her stern and her deck became visible for the first time, and then disappeared as the next wave came to meet her and her bows went up again.

"Stop it," Eustace demanded. "It's some silly trick you four are playing. Stop it. I'll tell Alberta—Ow!"

The Pevensies, exactly as Eustace Clarence said "Ow," said "Ow" too. The reason was that a great cold, salt splash had broken right out of the frame.

"I'll smash the rotten thing," cried Eustace

But as Eustace ran towards the picture, the Pevensies trying to hold him back, a great wave came out of the picture and swept them all into the sea.

As Susan felt herself sinking down into the bitingly cold water, even as her body cringed at the cold, her heart rejoiced. Kicking strongly with her legs she pushed herself back towards the surface.

Back to hope.

Kicked with all her might towards the sunlight shimmering on the surface.

Back to Narnia

Just as her lungs felt as if they could hold out no more, she surfaced.

Back to the one place where she could be herself.

She was back in Narnia, back where she truly belonged, but all that she could think about was him. Was he alright, how was he, where was he, where was …

A strong pair of arms grasped her from behind, holding her exhausted form above the waves.

"Caspian!"

Even as the sailors towed Lucy and a struggling, sobbing Eustace to the ship and safely up onto the deck of the ship, Peter trod water just behind his sister, and watched as the prince cradled her possessively in his arms, and he could see Edmund watching Caspian warily too.

Peter had told Edmund much of what Aslan had said of what Caspian could become, becasue he had killed in cold blood, killed when there was no need. Edmund nodded at his older brother's expression. They would both be watching Caspian, watching him and watching Susan and if the Prince made one wrong move …

They had been sent back to save Caspian, but by Aslan, that would not stop them from doing whatever it took to protect their sister from him should she need it!

As for Caspian, ecstatic as he was to have his gentle Queen back in his arms, he did not miss the glances that her brothers the Kings were giving him. He was determined that now that he had Susan back not her brothers, not even Aslan would not take her from him again.

But he would have to be careful. He knew the Pevensies, knew that they had not approved of him having killed his uncle, that they would not approve of him and what he had become, the man that he had grown into in the years that they had been gone, the things that he had done.

He would take care that they were kept in the dark about certain things, until Susan was his and then … then it would be too late!

Please review!