There was a startling bang as the front door was thrown open with enough force to bounce off the wall behind it. All three children – Peter brooding in an armchair, Edmund reading on the chesterfield, and Lucy relaxing on her belly in front of the fire, drawings of Narnia spread across the rug in front of her – jumped, their gazes leaping to find the source of the sound.

Susan stood in the doorjamb facing them, hair tangled and legs soaked from the knees down.

'Su?' Peter said with a concerned frown, half-rising from his seat.

But Lucy had noticed the tear tracks on her sister's face and beat him to it, 'Susan! What ever is the matter?' She scrambled up off of the floor faster than Peter could fully stand up and threw herself into her sister's arms.

Susan rocked back a little when Lucy hit her, stepping into the snow for balance, her arms encircling her younger sister but not returning the hug. Peter finished standing and moved forward, Ed shadowing him, but the oldest sibling hung back from actually making contact with either of his sisters.

'Oh, I don't deserve any of you!' Susan cried, her hands moving to urge Lucy away, 'You shouldn't be so kind when I've been so dreadful!' Lucy simply clung to Susan more tightly and it was now that Peter saw the tears that were flowing down his sister's face. He felt Edmund prod him forward but he didn't need the assistance; his feet were already moving.

'What are you talking about Su?' Lucy asked, her voice muffled in the front of Susan's coat. Susan just sobbed in response; they all knew that Lucy was lying, and rather poorly at that. They knew exactly what terrible actions the eldest Pevensie daughter was referring to.

Susan stopped trying to push them back, simply stood with her eyes closed for a moment, afraid that her nerve would abandon her. But then she recalled the beautiful painting she'd seen, remembered that wondrous kingdom, thought of him, and felt a rush of strength and resolve. So she took a deep breath and whispered, eyes still tightly clamped, her voice quaking, 'I'm so very, very sorry; I've been awful to all of you, and I've been untruthful and I'm not entirely sure why. I know that Narnia still exists, I don't know why I pretended to have forgotten!'

She was beginning to sound hysterical, and Lucy pulled slightly away to cut her off, removing her head from where it was buried in her sister's front to be sure that she was properly heard. 'Susan,' and she reached up a small hand to her sister's cheek, encouraging her with the touch to open her eyes, 'of course we forgive you. You would do the same for us. We found Narnia twice, and I don't know why you lost it, but I'm quite glad that it's found you again.'

Anything more Susan wanted to say – and there was so much more for she was sure that she could spend a lifetime or more with them and still not fully articulate everything she was feeling in this moment – was stopped right then as her throat constricted, her eyes welling anew with tears.

'Su,' came Peter's voice, rough with tears, and she snapped her head up to look at him, 'I'm sorry that we let you get so far away, and I'm sorry that we've been so hard on each other. Please know that I've only had all of your best interests in mind, even if I let my stubbornness get in the way sometimes. Forgive me for losing you, Susan.'

She opened her mouth to respond – to tell him that he had nothing to be sorry for at all and to stop being so ridiculous; that she loved him; that she loved them all – but she found that she couldn't form any words. He seemed to understand her just as well, though; he always had. And to tell the truth, she had always understood him just as well. So she was pleased, though she expected it, when he leaned forward to hug her, trapping Lucy between them. The younger girl gave a contented sigh as she was crushed between their bodies, happy that everything was settling back into its rightful place. Edmund, never much a fan of hugs, reached out a hand to rest on his older sister's shoulder; he could feel her shaking softly beneath his palm and he gave her a comforting squeeze.

'Love you too, Su,' he said gruffly, not quite able to hide the emotion in his voice.

The four stayed like that a moment until there was a sudden rush of air around them. Rather than breaking apart as they may have once done when they were younger they simply clung to one another tighter as Lucy's drawings swirled madly about them. They weren't worried or panicked in the slightest. Rather, the four were excited and happier than they had been in what felt like a very long time.

They knew this feeling: this wonderful, amazing, sensation.

They were returning to Narnia.

There; hope that you enjoyed! I don't think it's as good as the first part (it was originally intended to just be a one-shot), but you all gave such wonderful reviews that I felt obliged (and inspired!) to write some more on this. There's going to be at least one more chapter, and that will more than likely be the end of it. Again, thank you for the amazing reviews; more are, of course, always appreciated. They truly make my day! (and in this case, inspire me to write more, haha)

Ciao, Moksgmol