Alone

A few mornings later Peter and Edmund were looking at a suit of armor and wondering if they could take it to bits when the two girls rushed into the room and said. "Look out! Here comes Macready and a whole gang with her."

"Sharp's the word," said Peter, and all four made off through the door at the far end of the room. But when they had got out into the Green Room and beyond it, into the Library, they suddenly heard voices ahead of them, and realized that Mrs. Macready must be bringing her party of sightseers up the back stairs – instead of up the front stairs as they had expected. And after that – whether it was that they lost their heads, or that some magic in the house had come to life and was chasing them into Narnia- they seemed to find themselves being followed everywhere, until at last Susan said, "Oh bother those trippers! Here – let's get into the Wardrobe Room till they've passed. No one will follow us in there." But the moment they were inside they heard the voices at the door – and then they saw the handle turning.

"Quick!" said Peter, "there's no where else." And flung open the wardrobe. All four of them bundled inside it and sat there, panting, in the dark. Peter held the door closed but did not shut it; for, of course, he remembered, as every sensible person does, that you should never shut yourself up in a wardrobe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I shut myself up in a wardrobe… after their death, now I'm out.

Susan saw herself sitting with Lucy and Peter. Peter was shouting at her while Lucy was trying to calm him down.

I refused to acknowledge the existence of Narnia… why?

Now Edmund walked in, with Polly and Digory following.

Did I forget because I was scared? No, it was because I had grown-up… I couldn't go back… it hurt. I remember.

Susan started to shout now. She screamed and ran out. Peter shouted after her, not to ask her to come back but as if he were angry at her for running out while he was talking.

Why did I make such a big deal out of everything? No wonder everybody hates me…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Susan smiled at Milton then turned to the road in front of her.

" I can't wait for the surprise you promised me," She said.

"You'll love it." He told her. It was the day after she had been to Marian's and already she was feeling alive again. Except for the little hole in her heart, the bit where he family was.

They passed houses and fields for ages before they reached some sort of parking space. Susan climbed out and so did Milton.

"It's the circus! Oh Milton I love going to the circus, Peter always said-" she trailed off as she realized that for the first time in 4 months she'd taken Peter's name… Peter…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A wolf standing on its hind legs, with its front paws against the tree-trunk, snapping and snarling. All the hair on the back stood up on an end. Susan had not been able to get higher than the second big branch. One of her legs hung down so that her foot was only an inch or two above the snapping teeth. Peter wondered why she did not get higher or at least take a better grip; then he realized that she was just going to faint and that if she fainted she would fall off.

Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed straight up to the monster and aimed a slash of his sword at its side. That stroke never reached the Wolf. Quick as lightning it turned round, its eyes flaming, and its mouth wide open in a howl of anger. If it had not been so angry that it simply had to howl it would have got him by the throat at once. As it was – though all this happened too quickly for Peter to think at all – he had just time to duck down and plunge his sword, as hard as he could, between the brute's forelegs into it's heart. Then came a horrible, confused moment like something in a nightmare. He was tugging and pulling and the Wolf seemed neither alive nor dead, and its bared teeth knocked against his forehead, and everything was blood and heat and hair. A moment later he found that the monster lay dead and he had drawn his sword out of it and was straightening his back and rubbing the sweat off his face and out of his eyes. He felt tired all over.

Then, after a bit, Susan came down the tree. She and Peter felt shaky when they met and I won't say there wasn't kissing and crying on both sides. But in Narnia no one thinks the worst of you for that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Su? You okay." Susan snapped back from her trance and smiled at Milton.

"Yeah," she said and looked at the lion cage at the side of the cue.

Susan's heart thumped, as she stood be-witched by the lion. The only thing that separated them was the cage.

"That's no ordinary circus lion… that's Aslan." She thought as she put her hand nearer to it. The lion in response opened its mouth and breathed onto her. "What is it Aslan? What do you want from me?" she whispered, her fear vanishing into thin air.

"I want you to remember… I want you to believe… I want you to believe in me again."

"Believe in you…"

"Susan?" Milton asked turning to her. "Are you alright? Do you want to go home?" Susan managed a weak nod and collapsed into his arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"…She'll be all right. She's under weight though. I don't suppose she ate well during the time she was sick." Susan heard voices outside and groaned. She was back in her bed but this time the bed sheets had been changed. The voices stopped and it seemed that the people had gone. Still there was a presence in the room. Susan got up and looked at the other end. It was him. Aslan.

"I didn't mean to frighten you child." He said. Susan smiled at him.

"Oh Aslan!" she sighed and got out of bed and hugged him.

"We missed you child… all of us… I most of all. My child, why did you forget me?" he asked. Susan closed her eyes.

"Oh Aslan… you have no idea… it hurts… I could never go back to Narnia, I couldn't stand it. I thought it would be better to forget it."

"Peter is there, and so is Lucy and Edmund. Polly, Digory, Eustance… and Jill. You remember Jill." Susan fretted.

"We never got along but she was nice." She laughed. After a moment's silence she spoke again. "Aslan? Can I go there… I mean I know I tried to forget it… but can I come to Narnia and stay there… I mean forever." Aslan bowed his head.

"Someday child… someday; but for now… you need to finish some unfinished business… I need you to go back to England. Yes, to England. Professor Kirk's house. Take the wardrobe and have it burned. The only path to Narnia is now death, the door is only open for one more person… you Susan. It will be a long wait but you will go to Narnia. Until then, live your life to the fullest." As he spoke his voice faded and Susan found herself holding onto the sofa.

"Aslan…" she whispered as she opened her eyes. "I'll never forget Narnia, never again, ever…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

50 years later

Susan looked up at the sky and smiled. She leaned back in her chair and sighed, then turned to the young man in front of her.

"You want to know the rest? There is nothing else. Narnia is gone and I never reached there… but my people are waiting and I will go there again…" she looked away then back again.

"Congratulation on winning an award for The Last Battle, Mr. Lewis. I'm sure my siblings would have been happy to read it." She said. After another 5 minutes he left and Susan's eyes followed his till his car was out of sight. Then she turned to the lion that had been standing next to her the whole time.

"I have come Susan… it is time." He whispered. Susan looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Finally… I have been waiting." She said as she rose from her chair. Maybe she didn't notice or maybe she was just ignoring it but while she rose, her body didn't, and as she walked off into a flash of light with Aslan a young woman came running up to where Susan was sitting a few minutes back.

" Mother! Mother! Mother… no, John, Scissile, Father! Mother's dead!" she screamed.

THE END

AN: I had planned to make it longer but somehow I managed to end it right there instead. What more could I write anyway without making it drag? Again I hope you liked the story (It's the first one I've been able to complete to far… anyway, I'll start working on another C.S.Lewis fanfiction soon but based on his re-telling of the ancient Greek myth of Psyche and Cupid in the book "Till we all have faces" Instead. Gee, I loved that book… I recommend that you all read it! It was in my Aunt's mythology syllabus when she was in college.

Thanks: To all the reviewers that reviewed for chapter one. It's so wonderful to see you ppl enjoyed it ^_^, I'm awfully flattered by your comments. Thanks again.

Disclaimer: You know it so I won't bother again apart from telling you that Mr.Lewis is C.S.Lewis (he does mention something about talking to Lucy –even though its made up- it The voyage of the Dawn Treader), and that the three flash backs (apart from the second one, which is made-up) are from the book: The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe.