AN: If you don't already know this, Princess Lucy is writting a sort of prequal to this story. She has my permission to do so.

"Alright, out with it." Mr. Pevensie said calmly but sternly staring down his daughters who sat at the kitchen table with their fairy photos spread out in front of them. "How'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Lucy asked, bewildered. Did they really think she and Susan would fake such a thing?

"Susan?" Mrs. Pevensie looked at her oldest daughter. "Tell the truth...how did you do this?"

"We just took the photographs, Mum." Susan insisted.

"They're real fairies." Lucy told them, handing the photo of herself and the leaping fairy to her father.

"Girls, you can't expect us to believe that you really played with fairies." Mr. Pevensie shook his head. "Please don't lie to us."

Edmund walked into the room. "Lucy doesn't lie." He stood up for her. He couldn't help over hearing them.

"She never has before, but this..." Mrs. Pevensie looked doubtful. Her daughters weren't liars but she didn't believe there were really fairies at the bottom of Mrs. Esmara's garden. And yet, she couldn't help but think, not only that the girls looked honest but that creatures in the photographs were remarkably life-like.

Edmund grinned at his sisters. The only girls clever enough to actually get photographs of the mysterious winged beings. "Let me see." He said reaching for the photographs.

Susan fought the urge to grab the photographs before Edmund could reach them. They hadn't planned on showing him the fairies. But he was their brother and besides, he already knew about them. He wouldn't tell anyone.

"You got so close to them!" Edmund gasped in amazement. He knew they'd played with fairies but this was incredible! The leaping fairy was a mere half-inch away from Lucy's face. She could've turned her nose and make contact with it if she had chosen. And that Gnome was so nearby Susan that if she had wanted to, she could have snatched him up, put him in a wash basket and brought him home with her.

"Edmund, you aren't saying you believe in all this nonsense do you?" Mr. Pevensie asked.

"It's not nonsense." Edmund insisted. "Just look at these, they're more real than anything ever photographed by anyone." He picked up the photograph of Susan and her shy fairy, Rosie. "I mean just look at this!"

Lucy grinned at him. Susan managed a half smile before turning back to her mother with pleading eyes. She had done this mainly for her parents. She wanted to give them something. She wasn't sure what. Something with hope in it. Something to believe in. Why wouldn't they just take what she yearned to offer them?

"Children, go up to your rooms until I call you down for supper." Mrs. Pevensie ordered.

Lucy nodded and stood up. Susan shook her head angrily, grabbing the photographs in her hands. She refused to leave them with unbelievers. She wondered if Lucy had felt this awful when no one had believed her about the wardrobe at the professor's house being magic. Actually, Lucy had felt worse, no one had believed her. At least now, Susan had both Edmund and Lucy on her side. And if Peter was there, he would have believed her as well.

Downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie whispered back and forth.

"Do you believe them?" Mrs. Pevensie asked her husband. "They seemed so sure..."

"Helen, they can't possibly be telling the truth." Mr. Pevensie said.

"Those photos...." Mrs. Pevensie sighed, grabbing her vegetable cutting knife, starting to prepare supper. "Why do you suppose they'd want to fool us in the first place?"

"I don't know." Mr. Pevensie said, rubbing his temples. "But I do know that there aren't any fairies. Not in Mrs. Esmara's garden and not anywhere else either."

"Part of me wants so badly to believe them..." Helen admitted, getting a little misty eyed.

"I don't know what would be more frightening." Mr. Pevensie said softly. "If the girls are lying to us, or if they're telling us the truth."

The next morning, Lucy got up and dressed as quickly as she could. She wanted to go to Marjorie's today. She couldn't wait to show her the fairy photographs.

"Susan, may I have the photos?" Lucy asked before heading downstairs.

"Why?" Susan wasn't quick to part with them.

"So I can take them to Marjorie." Lucy explained. "You promised I could show them to her, remember?"

"Yes, yes." Susan grumbled, handing her sister the photos. "I remember."

"Do you want to come?" Lucy offered, noticing the sad look on Susan's face. "It'll be fun."

"No thank you." Susan sighed. "Marjorie's your friend, you should be the one to show them to her."

"But you could come too." Lucy protested.

Susan shook her head. "I'd rather stay here."

"Alright." Lucy gave in. "I'll be back soon."

Lucy walked the two street blocks to Marjorie's house and knocked on the door.

Marjorie's mother answered. "Oh, hullo, Lucy."

"Hullo Mrs. Preston." She said politely. "Is Marjorie home?"

"Yes, do come in." Mrs. Preston held the door open so she could walk in.

The house smelled warm and rich. Clearly Mrs. Preston had been baking again. It smelled like vanilla, Lucy noticed. Her mouth watered at the thought of vanilla cake and she almost forgot why she'd come in the first place. That is until Marjorie came downstairs and greeted her. Then she remembered what she had to show her.

"Lucy!" She said happily. "What a surprise. I didn't know you were coming today."

"Well, I have something to show you." Lucy told her. "Can we go to your room?"

"We'll be upstairs, mum." Marjorie announced, grabbing Lucy's hand. The two girls raced up the stairs as quickly as they could. As soon as they reached Marjorie's bedroom, they shut the door behind them.

"Look at this." Lucy was fairly bubbling with excitement as she handed the photographs to her friend.

Marjorie let out a gasp. "Oh my god!" She screamed so loudly, that Lucy became afraid that Mrs. Preston might hear, and covered her friend's mouth until she regained composure.

"Sorry..." Marjorie said. "It's just..." She looked at the photograph of Lucy surrounded by fairies. "How did you get these?"

Lucy lowered her voice to a whisper. "At the bottom of Mrs. Esmara's garden. Susan and I have been playing with real fairies down there."

Marjorie pouted and slapped Lucy's arm. "You might have told me sooner."

"I thought you mightn't believe me without proof." Lucy explained. Then she added a tease, "and I worried your loud squeals of joy would scare them off."

"They're so beautiful!" Marjorie said in a tone of wondered. "I never knew they'd be so wonderful."

"They are everything the stories say." Lucy admitted. "They really do enjoy cake."

"And so friendly," Marjorie pointed to the one with Susan and Rosie. "I mean just look at that fairy with your sister."

"She wont come close to me." Lucy told her. "She only likes Susan. But the others play with us both."

"Oh, will you take me to see them?" Marjorie begged, with her hands pressed together. "I do so want to see a fairy."

"I don't know if they'll come around if there's more people than just Susan and I there." Lucy said doubtfully.

"Well couldn't I just hide somewhere and watch?" Marjorie suggested. "Please?"

I should have known the photographs wouldn't be enough for her. Lucy thought almost bitterly. "Maybe, if you were really quiet..."

Marjorie leaped up and hugged her friend. "Oh, thank you, thank you."

"But you can't tell anyone." Lucy said sternly, giving her a sharp look.

"I wont." Marjorie promised. "not a soul. Not even if they threaten me."

"Alright then." Lucy said.

"So when can I see them?" Marjorie asked.

"When do you want to?"

"Today?" She suggested, with a hopefully grin on her face.

Half and hour or so later, Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Marjorie walked through the garden.

"This is a bad idea, Lu." Susan whispered. "Why did you tell her we'd show her the fairies?"

"She only wants to see them, she wont hurt harm them." Lucy insisted. "and what about Edmund? He'll be right there to keep an eye on her."

"But what about what you told me about betrayal and curses?" Susan wondered.

"I thought you didn't believe in it." Lucy shrugged.

"I don't." Susan told her. "but I don't like the idea of too many people knowing about this."

"It's not too many people, Su." Lucy huffed. "The photographs were your idea in the first place. And it's only Marjorie and Edmund."

"I know, I know." Susan sighed.

"You know, we can hear you." Edmund said, standing only a little ways behind them.

"Sorry." Susan blushed. "We just care about the fairies, that's all."

Lucy took her brothers hand and led him behind a tree. "You and Marjorie wait here. Susan and I are going to try to herd the fairies this way so you can see them." She said. "But whatever either of you do, don't move."

"My feet are rooted to the spot." Marjorie squealed bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes.

"Marjorie, if you can't be calm..." Susan warned her.

"No, I'll be good." Marjorie said. "I'll stay right here with Edmund, I promise."

Lucy and Susan went down to where they often met the fairies. They found them and played a game of chase. Unfortunately for Edmund and Marjorie, the fairies wouldn't fly towards the tree where they were waiting but were intent on flying about in the other direction.

"Sorry you didn't see any." Lucy told them at twilight when they'd given up and were headed home.

"It's okay, Lu." Edmund said supportively. "Maybe some other time."

Susan and Edmund went ahead into the house. Lucy and Marjorie stayed behind.

"Lucy, can I borrow the photographs?" She asked.

"No!" Lucy gasped, clutching the little tin box she kept them in a little tighter.

"Please?" Marjorie begged. "I only want to look at them some more."

"They're my photographs." Lucy said. "Mine and my sister's I can't let you take them."

"Please, share them." Marjorie begged. "I waited all that time and not one fairy. Couldn't I just keep the photos for tonight?"

"You won't show them to anyone?" Lucy asked.

"No." Marjorie said.

"And you give them right back to me in the morning when I come to visit?" Lucy asked.

"Yes." Marjorie said.

"Alright then." Lucy gave in, handing her the precious tin.

"Oh thank you!" Marjorie hugged her friend before running home with her borrowed treasures.

That night before bed, Marjorie was taking on last look at the beautiful photographs. Lucy was so lucky to have seen those fairies. And to know them. And to play with them.

"What have you got there?" She hadn't heard her mother enter the room.

"Oh nothing." Marjorie said. "Just some photographs. They're Lucy's I'm to give them back tomorrow morning."

"Let me see." Mrs. Preston said.

Surely my mum wont tell anyone about the fairies, Marjorie thought handing the photos over to her mother.

Mrs. Preston's eyes widened as she saw the unbelievable. Little Lucy Pevensie surrounded by fairies. Could it be real? She would have thought it a complete fake had not her father been old friends with a photo-man years ago. The man had once told her that to fake a photograph you had to know a lot about cameras. Lucy and Susan knew only the bare minimums about them. You could tell just by the quality of the shot. Was it possible that the creatures, whatever they were, were real and not added in later?

She took the photos and showed them to her husband.

"Good heavens!" Mr. Preston exclaimed.

"Do you think..." Mrs. Preston started.

"I know how we can find out." Mr. Preston said. "Tomorrow we can take the photos over to Mr. Trent. He lives reasonably nearby and he's an expert on photography."

"Good idea." Mrs. Preston said. "Will he mind?"

"No, Mr. Trent and I go way back. Even if we haven't seen each other much in resent years." Mr. Preston explained. "He'll be glad enough to help. And if these are real...can you imagine what that would imply?"

Mrs. Preston shook her head in wonder. "I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the idea."

"I'm just going to give Mr. Trent a phone call to let him know we'll be over there tomorrow." Mr. Preston said, picking up the phone.

Ring Ring In the quiet office, where nothing besides the tick-tocking of the clock could be heard, the phone ringing made the only two people in the room jump.

Mr. Trent picked up the phone. "Hello?" He listened to Mr. Preston on the other end. "What kind of photos are they?" He paused for a moment. "Well if you really feel you'd rather just show me whatever it is tomorrow that's okay too....yes, sure thing, you come on by." Mr. Preston thanked him. "Alright then, good-bye."

"Mr. Trent, who was that?" The other person in the room asked. It was a teenage boy, tall and blonde with blue eyes. He went by the name of Rupert and as of late had been something of a companion to Mr. Trent whom he felt indebted to because he'd pretty much saved his life.

"A friend of mine wants me to go over some photos tomorrow." He explained. "Nothing big. I probably wont even charge him for it."

Rupert cringed as he shifted his leg. It had been badly hurt and was taking it's sweet time healing.

"How's the leg today, Rupert?" Mr. Trent asked.

"Same as yesterday." Rupert told him. "You would think after all this time it would have healed."

"Boy, I'm no doctor but you had numerous breaks in that leg of yours small ones, big ones, it'll take some time...you just need rest." Mr. Trent said kindly.

"Thank you." Rupert said. "For everything."

"Don't mention it." Mr. Trent gave him an understanding smile and then turned his mind to wondering what kind of photographs his friend was going to bring him the next day.

AN: Please please review! I really really want to know what you thought!