AN: This is the second to last chapter. The Next one will be the last. I know not very much happens in this chapter other than Peter and Edmund talking and then Susan and Peter talking but I felt it was still a big part of the story.

London England, 1949. (One week before Infamous The Last Battle railway crash

"Peter, something has to be done about her." Edmund said firmly. They were sitting in Peter's room after returning from yet another Party Susan had dragged them to.

"Ed, what are you talking about?" Peter asked.

"Susan." Edmund explained. "Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Peter asked, already dreading the conversation he knew they were going to have. Of course he noticed, he just preferred to ignore in and pray it was just a phase.

"That Susan's completely changed." Edmund said. "Peter, don't play dumb. You know it as well as I do."

"It's a phase, Edmund. She'll get over it." Peter insisted. At least he hoped it was. She'd been simply horrible lately. She'd gone to party after party wearing way too much make up and talked down to Lucy as if she speaking to a four year old rather than the lady she had once co-ruled Narnia with.

"Pete, it's not a phase, a phase is like when you went around with a towel pinned to your shoulders and told everyone you were a super hero and then changed your mind and was a fireman the next week." Edmund didn't believe Susan was ever going to be her old self again and wished Peter would get out of denial.

"Big deal, I was nine." Peter said, suppressing a yawn.

"She doesn't even believe in Narnia anymore." Edmund pointed out.

"Yes she does." Peter said. "Of course she does."

"Alright then," Edmund got up and opened the door to the hallway. "Why don't you go and talk to her about it then? Have a nice chat about the balls and tournaments."

Peter knew she wasn't going to talk about that. She never did anymore. She avoided any talk of Narnia like it was the plague. "It's late."

"She's still up."

"She's tired." Peter said knowing it was a lame excuse.

"Tired from what?" Edmund asked stubbornly. "From going around a room all night whispering with her friends and flirting with boys? She must be exhausted." Edmund rolled his eyes.

Peter's eyes narrowed. "She was not flirting with them."

"She was, Pete." Edmund said in a kinder voice. "I know you don't want to believe it but she's not the same girl she used to be."

"She is..." Peter insisted weakly. "She's just...confused."

"She's changed, Peter." Edmund said. "You just can't see it because you don't want to."

"That's not true." Peter retorted.

"Yes it is, you just don't want to admit that the girl you're in love with has become a vain, selfish, egotistic..."

"Don't talk about her like that." Peter said in an 'You are treading on dangerous grounds' voice.

"I'm only saying the truth." Edmund said. "I care about Susan too but she's not the Susan we used to know, Pete, she's a stranger, and I don't like her."

"Well that's your problem then." Peter said.

"Darn it, can't you see what's happened to her?" Edmund asked.

"Drop it." Peter said in a warning voice.

"Why should I?" Edmund said getting very more upset by the minute. "The only way we can do anything for her is if you're willing to admit she has a problem."

"Shut up, Edmund." Peter didn't want to hear this.

"Listen I'm only trying to help." Edmund said thinking of how much easier convincing Susan that Narnia wasn't just a game they'd played as children would be if Peter were only willing to admit she needed help. But he wouldn't. He simply refused to believe the change had even taken place. "You're in denial."

"I'm in denial?" Peter snapped in a rather nasty tone of voice. "I'm not the one who still believes Julia's coming back after nearly two years." As soon as the words were out of his mouth and he saw the look on his brother's face, Peter wished he could take them back.

"Thanks for that." Edmund said in a hurt voice. "Thanks a lot." He turned to leave.

"Ed, I-" Edmund turned around but only half way. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

"Yeah, you did." Edmund said. He never understood why Julia never came back for him. She'd promised she would, but he hadn't heard from her since she left England and went home. He wondered if something had happened to her or if she'd just forgotten him. But how could she just forget about him after claiming she loved him?

"Alright, maybe I did." Peter admitted. "But I..."

"I know." Edmund said then he gave Peter a look that meant, 'I'm going to say something important so shut up and listen' "But trust me Peter, as far as Susan's concerned you don't have it sorted."

"I don't know what to do." The feel of denial lifting and long suppressed pain being let in hurt even more than he'd expected it would.

"There's only one thing you can do, talk to her." Edmund said as he left the room. "There's no other way."

Sometime during the past year, the Pevensies had gotten a pool in their back yard. It was Mr. Pevensie's idea on what to send some extra money they'd unexpectedly come into on. Lucy swam in it all the time and occasionally joined by Peter, Edmund, or one of her parents.

Susan of course never swam there in the daytime. Anyone could look out and see a mermaid and she'd be hauled off by Ella Sting or someone else just as bad quicker than you could say, "Secret's out". But Sometimes at night, She swam there. It was the only time she could stand her tail these days. She found herself hating it more and more. More than anything else in the world, she just wanted to be a normal girl again. No more fish tail and no more memories of life as a Narnian queen.

As she swam, her long gold tail swaying to and fro behind her, She suddenly heard footsteps on the tiles beside the pool. She quickly ducked under.

"Su, it's alright." A voice said. "It's me."

Susan surfaced. "Peter? Good gracious you scared me."

"By the lion, who did you think it was?" Peter joked.

Susan shook her head at him and laughed. "Don't you think it's time we stopped swearing, 'by the lion'?"

Why would she say something like that? Peter wondered. "No, why?"

"People who didn't grow up with us playing those funny games wont get it." Susan explained. "We'll look so foolish. I suppose it's alright for Lucy, she's still young but for you, me, and Edmund? Don't you think we should be more grown up?"

"You don't really believe it was a game do you?" Peter asked kneeing on the tiles so they were eye to eye.

Susan looked up at him surprised that he looked angry. "Why are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you." Peter told her. Although he thought considering the fact that she felt free to flirt with other guys right in front of him at parties, he had every right to be mad at her if he wanted to be. "I just want to talk about Narnia."

"Narnia." Susan said dreamily. "Wasn't it funny that the Professor played along with us when we told him we lost his fur coats in a snowy wood in the back of his wardrobe? He was such an old dear. Sweet man, so good with us children. Where ever did we hide the coats again? Was it behind the grandfather clock? I don't remember."

"You don't remember because we didn't hide them." Peter snapped, his patience wearing thin. "We lost them in Narnia before the start of the golden age."

"Sure we did." Susan winked at him.

"By the lion's mane, you'd deny the tail on your own body if you could." Peter said. "Why, Susan? Why? I know it's hard to deal with the fact that we're never going back, but I thought we were in this together."

"We are." Susan said. Why did he seem so upset? "Who said otherwise?"

"You, when you talk like that." Peter explained.

"Like what?" Susan asked.

Peter wanted to scream at her but he couldn't, she looked so innocent. Like she didn't have any idea how much the way she was acting hurt him, how much it hurt all of them. Didn't she know that she could run away from who she was? It was like Susan had been replaced by a stranger with only flickering moments of resemblance to the real Susan.

He didn't want to fight, not now. It was late. "I'm going to turn in."

"See you in the morning." Susan said.

"Will you be out here much longer?" Peter asked just to be sure she'd be safe.

"No, a few more minutes, then I'll go in." Susan told him.

He kissed her goodnight and then went back inside. Peter wondered if Susan's faith was the only thing lost. In a way, he thought maybe he was also losing his own.

AN: So did you like it? Please review and let me know.