Here it is, the end of a long journey. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story, you mean more to me than I will ever be able to express. My next fanfic might be for the Umbrella Academy fandom, so if you're someone who likes TUA, be on the lookout for that! Love, Queenie

The Pevensies were reunited on a dreary autumn day. Peter could hardly believe it when his brother and sister told him of their adventures, asking all manners of questions. He had been as incredulous upon learning that Eustace had accompanied them and, despite assurances, it would take a visit to the Scrubbs before he truly believed them when they said that their cousin was a changed boy.

When Peter asked about how their friends and Narnia were faring, Edmund and Lucy shared a wistful smile and told him that Narnia was and likely forever would be in the good hands of Caspian and his kin. They recounted all that they knew about their Narnian friends. Trumpkin's role as Caspian's regent. Trufflehunter's inn. Reepicheep's departure. Peter listened intently to all they could possibly tell, absorbing as much of Narnia as he could through his siblings.

He missed it and he was truly grateful for all that he had learned in Narnia. It had made him a better man, a man who knew how to earn, keep, and command respect from his peers. For all that he complained about having to leave at all, he had accepted that his home would remain in England until the time was right.

Whereas Peter paid avid attention to his siblings' tales, Susan did not. She felt they were being childish, clinging so tightly to something that would forever be out of their reach. In the darkness of her bedroom, long after bedtime, she often found herself wondering how much of it had been real. Only a few years had passed since she last saw Narnia, yet she could recall next to nothing of it.

In light of her dwindling memory, she grew resentful of her siblings and their continued enthusiasm. Could they not see her pain? It was not fair that they brought up Narnia time and time again, not when she could not take part in their delight. Their childhood adventures were over and as such, it was time for all of them to grow up and make good use of the lessons they learned. What good did it do to dwell on times passed?

For the life of her, Susan could not understand why it all mattered so much. She saw no reason in Peter's constant dismissal of the eligible, young women who all vied for his attentions. When she asked him about it, questioning if he intended to insult every woman England had on offer through rejection, Peter had simply smiled sadly and told her that she should know that he held his prospect to a standard he knew would be hard to meet. Confused and infuriated, seeing as he clearly thought she should know what he meant when she did not, Susan had told him to adjust that standard, lest he break their mother's heart. But her brother had given her a shake of his head and firmly declared that he refused to sacrifice his happiness to appease others'.

Edmund was no less a menace to their family's reputation than Peter. He was, as a matter of fact, even more insistent on pushing away every prospect presented to him. It would cut into Susan's very soul to see her parents whispering at the dining table each time they returned from whichever function they had used as a way of introducing their sons to the daughters of their friends and acquaintances.

As such, Susan did her duty to the family. At a gala celebrating the end of the war and those who had fought for their country, Susan encountered David Sullivan. Though he was just the slightest bit boring, he was a good man who had served England well as a part of the Royal Navy. He would take care of her and provide a welcome distraction from the rumours surrounding the Pevensie brothers. They married in the summer and mere months later they announced that they were expecting.

It was only as she was listening to her siblings playfully discuss baby names and the name Aslan came up that Susan thought of the games they had played as children again.

Unlike her siblings, Lucy tackled the idea of life back in England with vigour. She kept Adeline's words from that night on the Dawn Treader close to her heart and went about her life in accordance with them. In school, she made sure to do as well as she could, refusing to play dumb in order to make herself more interesting. Despite several protests from her sister and their parents, Lucy spoke loudly and clearly in class and actively participated in debates on various topics. She would not be remembered as the quietly intelligent girl, not when she had the capacity to be so much more.

Peter and Edmund both supported her endeavours, much to the dismay of their peers and their elders. By the time Lucy had strong-armed her way past society into university, it was an open secret in Finchley that Susan was the more reasonable of the four Pevensie children. Being seen as unreasonable did not bother Lucy though. She had come to understand long ago that the only person to ever be worthy of her was the one who saw her pursuit of happiness and refusal to bend to societal expectations as strengths.

James Bishop did. Edmund had been nearly apoplectic when he first found out about his old friend's interest in his little sister, recalling with ire the many inappropriate comments he had been unfortunate enough to hear when they were younger. Lucy found herself amused and touched by his vehement insistence that she could do much better than James, but made sure to remind him that she was perfectly capable of handling herself. Though he relented, after nearly two months of protests, it would take nearly a year before he accepted James as part of the family.

And as she twirled around on the dance floor at her wedding reception, Lucy wondered if her brother would ever settle down. Even Peter, with his near-impossible expectations, had found himself a nice girl to marry. Yet Edmund stood on the sidelines, watching. Waiting.

It would be unfair to claim that Edmund did not live his life upon returning to England. Though he longed for Adeline and lay awake at night remembering her and their adventures together, he was not a recluse. No, he lived his life to about the same extent as his siblings. He finished his education, pursued a career as a professor of philosophy, socialised freely with colleagues, and happily spent the time he had over with his family.

He was the fun uncle, who would always be available to babysit at the drop of a hat. His nieces, Lucy's two daughters, and nephew, Susan's son who was a student at the school where he taught, were the brightest parts of his life, and he was perfectly content with that. Despite his parents' constant attempts at finding him a wife so he could have children of his own, he would not succumb to their pressure. Not when there was someone waiting for him who he loved more than life itself. It would hardly be fair to whichever poor maiden his parents found to be married to a man who loved someone else.

So when Edmund grew ill, he told no one. He kept passing all that he had learned down to his students. He kept watching his siblings' children grow up with a happy smile on his face. It was only once he grew so ill he could no longer continue his work that he let his family know.

"Uncle Ed, why didn't you ever marry?"

He chuckled weakly, patting the space beside him. Once little Lottie sat down, he looked at her seriously. "When I was still very young, I met the love of my life." At seven years old, Lottie would not yet be able to understand. But Edmund knew that there would come a time in her life when she would.

"How old were you?"

"Older than you, but a little younger than your sister." He met Mags' gaze, knowing that the older of the sisters knew what Lottie did not. Sometimes, the fourteen-year-old reminded him of her. He hoped she maintained that for the rest of her life. If she did, there would be little anyone could do to stop her from changing the world. "I loved her so much that there could never be anyone else for me."

Lottie titled her head to the side, brow furrowing. "So why didn't you marry her?"

"Well, before I could, she had to go somewhere I couldn't follow," he explained. "But I'm going there soon, and I promise you that I will marry her the first thing I do." He heard Lucy choke back a sob and could see Peter reach out to wrap an arm around her through the corner of his eye. Yet, he kept his focus on Lottie.

"Can everyone go there?"

Heart clenching at the hopeful look in her bright eyes, Edmund nodded. "They can, but they have to be ready," he said, once again looking at Mags, who had tears in her eyes. "It's the most wonderful place," he continued, smiling faintly at Lottie. "I'll be there to welcome you when it's your turn to be ready."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Unable to stand seeing her daughter's tears, Lucy cleared her throat. "Why don't you two go get something to eat with your Aunt Susan, yeah?" They nodded, Margaret taking Charlotte's hand as they left.

"Bye, Uncle Ed," Lottie said before they left the room. "We'll see you again."

The door closed and Edmund gave a bittersweet smile. "Not for a long time, I hope."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Ed, we'll see you again before it's time." Peter tried to muster a smile to match his poor attempt at lightening the mood. His brother's returning expression, full go understanding and serenity, terrified him.

Edmund shook his head. "No," he stated simply. "I've said my goodbyes and I'm ready."

Lucy gasped, fresh tears immediately stinging her already swollen eyes. "Don't talk like that," she scolded, a sense of dread spreading slowly through her body. "You still have time."

"But I don't want it, Lu." He chuckled, though he could not withhold his own tears. "It's been nearly twenty years, Lu, of living without her, and I don't want that anymore."

"Come on, Ed…"

He shook his head vehemently, finding strength he should not have as he started to release his hold. "I've lived twenty years, dreaming of sunshine and wildflowers, twenty years feeling like something is missing." Edmund clasped his sister's hand, smiling. "I knew it could be treated, Lucy, but I chose this path."

All three siblings were crying. All for different reasons. One was grieving the brother she was losing. Another was proud of his brother, while still sad to see him go. And the third was simply relieved.

"I'm happy," Edmund admitted. "I have always been happy, but this… this is a happiness I haven't felt in a long time." Not once letting go of Lucy as he made himself comfortable, Edmund squeezed her hand, a grin spreading on his lips as he heard waves lap against the shore. Closing his eyes, he was swept away to the scent of sunshine and wildflowers.

O

Lucy sobbed as Edmund's grip went limp. Squeezing it once last time herself, she stood and buried her face in Peter's shoulder, both of them crying into one another. Though he had left them with a smile and words of comfort… they had lost their brother.

Neither was entirely sure how long it had been when they finally dried their tears and left. After briefly stopping to begin the arrangements for the funeral, they went to find their family.

Susan saw the expressions on their faces when they arrived and immediately excused herself, her husband following quickly, leaving Lucy and Peter with their spouses and three sets of children. Peter's three, Susan's two, and Lucy's three.

"Mum," Mags began carefully as they approached. "Is he with her again?" She understood, unlike her sister, what her uncle had meant. Baby Thomas was too young and as such, he had stayed with their father. Mags hoped she could remember her uncle long enough to tell her baby brother about him.

"Yes, darling," Lucy said shakily. "He is."

"Who was she, Mum?" Lottie looked up at her mother with big, innocent eyes, knowing nothing more than that she needed to cry because her sister was crying. "The girl Uncle Ed loved so much?"

Sharing a glance with her brother, Lucy managed a genuine smile. "Let us tell you a story…"

O

Before he even opened his eyes, his senses were assaulted with home. The calming sound of water and waves against the shore and birds tweeting and chattering in the trees.

Opening his eyes, Edmund found himself lying in the grass on a hill not far from the ocean, staring up at the canopies above him. He felt her beside him and turned his head to look at her. She was staring out over the water, more at peace than he had ever seen her before. "Adeline."

She turned her head to meet his eyes and he was sucked into her golden irises in an instant. She had not aged a day.

"Edmund."

He reached out to pull her close, surging up to meet her halfway. His lips met hers and it was everything he had longed for. He was home, back where he belonged, at her side. As he deepened the kiss, the wind rustled his hair and enveloped him in that familiar scent that had coloured his dreams. Sunshine and wildflowers.