Sorry to anyone waiting on Carte Blanche, but this had to be done... Thanks to H Max Marius for beta'ing! Love ya, duckie! (Did I just say duckie?)

Title: Missing
Summary: "I reserve the right to smack him round the head." Someone goes missing.
Notes: Because I'm now going through this. Hopefully, the story will have a happy ending, depending on the outcome of real life. Sort of a "how did Peter feel?" fic. Drabble-esque two-shot.
Disclaimer: See profile.


The moment he noticed that the scowling member of the family had disappeared, Peter saw red.

"I'm going to bloody kill him."

When he first saw the space where Edmund had been was now vacant, he figured the little blighter had stepped outside. It wasn't safe to be out in the open (or so Mr Beaver said), but Edmund was once again being a selfish idiot. The rage he felt at his disobedient younger brother was overwhelming, and a part of him wanted to teach him a lesson he would not forget.

"I reserve the right to smack him round the head," he muttered to himself as he ran to the door and threw it open, before calling for his brother over the wind.

There was no response, and no sulking, dark haired child in sight.

Peter's heart was suddenly very much as cold and empty as the stairs.

While the younger brother might not have noticed, Peter did care about Edmund, possibly more so than either of his sisters. Edmund had always been one to get into trouble or, rather, trouble was an expert at finding him. Even before going to that horrid school, it was likely he would return home with a fresh black eye blooming beautifully on his face, or one of his siblings would find him in a lone swing park, watching the other boys his age play a game of football, too afraid of a few mean children to ask if he could join in.

As a result, Peter felt it his duty as an older brother to watch Edmund's back; to make sure he always had someone to play with, to ensure he got home safe and sound, to help the boy climb up the tree to get the satchel that had been thrown up into the topmost branches by lads a few years older than him...

And now in a strange and dangerous world, Edmund had wandered off, lost somewhere amid the snow and ice. Peter felt as though his heart had stopped beating, and a sense of emptiness as deep as the ocean threatened to consume him. He trembled, knees weakening and bucking under the sudden weight that had dropped onto his shoulders, guilt and fear eating away at his mind.

A warm hand slipped into his own, and a face entered his view. Susan smiled softly, not covering up her own concerns, and placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. Lucy slipped her empty hand into her sister's, and pulled them both forward.

Silently, they began to search for their wayward lamb, a new resolve filling Peter and blocking the cascade of emotions.

Peter's little brother was missing.

He would be found.

And Peter was going to slap Edmund round the head after he'd thanked the heavens for his safe return.


Ok, it's short and pretty crappy, but I'm trying to channel this confident Peter, because all I can think about right now is how I'm going to give my friend a fucking kick in the head when she turns up. It's not been a day or anything, but she always calls home when her plans change, and she'd only gone to the local store for some bread. Her mother is worried enough to call around, and no one has seen her, so I'm freaking. And I freak by being violent towards the person causing me to freak.

See you in chapter 2!