"Susan!"

Peter jumped up from bed, almost instantaneously waking Edmund beside him. "Where's she, Ed? I've got—I've got to…"

'What's got Peter up in a jiffy?' worried Edmund, as he managed (quite dreadfully) to lift his tired head from the pillow.

"Are you…ok, Peter?"

Nearly dawn, their bedroom was merely a dark, shadowy place. Eszven though the middle Pevensie could not read the emotions on Peter's face, anxiety was visible in the air, as if vibing to him.

Something was definitely up.

"I'm fine," his face perspiring a little, Peter breathed, "It's just…Aslan's come to see me."

"Aslan?" gasped Edmund, "What for?"

Aslan, the mighty Lion of Narnia, the one they consulted and honored above all for advice? Was this matter, simply love, of that importance?

"For Susan," answered Peter, beginning to explain his dream, "I woke up in this misty atmosphere, Ed, and all of a sudden a blinding light shone through, Aslan Himself walking towards me…explaining how the time differences in Narnia and our world do not matter all that much. It's erratic, he said, and by staying with us for sometime, Caspian might be returning to Narnia the exact hour and day he left!"

Edmund looked puzzled. "But that's impossible!"

Narnian time, he soon came to learn, was rather unpredictable, not depending on Earth time—returns back and forth, even in a space of one year, could mean the rise and fall of a civilization…but here, what Peter was saying simply contradicted all the views, lessons, and practically everything the Pevensies had ever learned of Narnia.

What a creation, time!

Or perhaps Father Time, whom Aslan had told them would Awake and be Renamed at the End of the World, was at work…

"Nothing is for Aslan. He told me Susan and Caspian, in a way, were…meant to be, and that we should not worry, but things will find their own ways out."

"That sounds like a riddle," Edmund mumbled, trying to take it all in. Aslan always, he thought scornfully, turned everything into a riddle.

Peter nodded, "The one we must figure out."

The weather was 'simply pleasant,' according to Lucy outside, breezes blowing gently in the air, numerous colorful and sweet-smelling flowers sprung as if from nowhere, and the sun (the best of all, she'd said) shinging like a huge golden ball, a playful invitation for the house's residence to come out, everyone except Peter, hiding behind the curtains, catching glimpses of the delightful picnic his siblings and Prince Caspian were sharing.

"Wow, um, the weather's really wonderful here, isn't it, Susan?" Caspian began, Susan hiding her grin. 'Boys, could they ever begin a conversation with something else?'

"Yes," she'd smiled back, "Very similar to Narnia, isn't it?"

"Without you there, it's not quite a 'perfect' weather," his sentence made her blush over the sandwiches she and Lucy had made together that afternoon, her preparing Peter's favorite ham and cheese, in hope that he would come.

Edmund, in the background, acted as if he was puking.

Susan ignored him completely. "Don't care about Ed," she joked, "Little kids just don't know when to stop pretending."

Above Lucy and Edmund arguing whose line she'd supposedly stole, Caspian laughed, a lighthearted sound that filled Susan's ears.

Without him, she felt lost.

Without his sounds, or, heck, his presence, things did not look the same.

And when he took her hand, like he was doing now, there was this little frizzle of happiness, her soft, delicate hand resting in his strong, warm ones.

There was nothing more comforting.

Nothing compared to his touch and, oh, his eyes, those brown ones she could always count upon.

He's just so there, noble, handsome, good-hearted…

So close…so impossible.

Was this what they called love?

Then, by Aslan, she must be so lovesick.

"Susan?" Caspian said again, waking her from the fantasy, "I'm here.."

"Peter!" called Lucy, "C'mon out! We're waiting for you!" She giggled. "Caspian's learning lots about our world. Did you know he just asked Susan what a radio is?"

All the joyful questions, the calling, everything battled against his feelings.

"Oh, besides, Edmund's getting uncomfortable. I don't know why, but you'd better come see," Peter's eyes followed Lucy's hands and noticed a very 'disturbed' Edmund sitting in between the two love birds.

You could tell, by instinct, they'd kiss any minute ('Eh, Susan, we're not taking it too far, are we?' prompted Peter's mind. Yeah, right. Acting like an overly protective big brother that you are. He shook his head.), if Edmund wasn't there.

"He needs you, Peter," Lucy's eyes looked up at him hopefully. His eyes smiling at the sight of Edmund, tt hurt him to answer so.

"I--," Peter was left wordless, "I…need to be alone for a bit, Lucy. I'm sorry."

His youngest sister groaned, "When would you stop 'isolating' yourself? Just go out there and say sorry, and it'll end, believe me."

Then she left.

Peter, against all odds, dared not to leave.

For his insides felt drastically opposite, nostalgic of those Long Narnian Winter when the White Witch roamed about and stopped Christmas from reaching the land…

The only thing stopping him from going out now was his sister.

Susan, the (not so, Peter said to himself) gentle Queen, who had always been by his side, sensible enough for every plan, predictable…almost…and altered somehow by…love.

Love, the mysterious feelings one yearned for and yet slipped away so easily during a life time, the one feeling Peter never actually (sigh) came close to.

And who was he, realizing through those miserable facts, to judge his sister's love?

Funny, during the Golden Age as Kings and Queens in Narnia, he never refused battles or tournaments, but affairs of the hearts were another story for him.

Besides, he and Susan had never argued about something like this before.

Let it be, Peter, he told himself, chuckling internally as he did so, don't steal Edmund's job.

Go out now, come on, and make yourself heard! A voice seemed to be telling him.

'After all, she's your sister…and you know her best,' the Voice told Peter as he gingerly opened the door leading to the yard, stepping out to the fresh air and the truth…

"Susan," he called, cringing at the undeniable fact of having to make the first move, and saw everyone slowly turned their heads at his voice, Susan the last of them.

"About…yesterday…I'm sorry."

That's all he said: two words, seemingly the easiest phase to learn at a young age, yet, by some mysterious doings of time, became difficult to utter out later on.

But they were also the two words that mended the brother-sister bond between him and Susan.

For in that split second, Susan stood up and, without further words, pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, too," she murmured, slowly breaking up the embrace, Peter's ears hardly hearing the cheers and clapping from behind them, "You needn't say a thing more, Peter. I understand." And her generous smile was more than enough a confirm that everything was ok. (Though Peter learned afterwards that it was none but Edmund who had settled the matters, still keeping up to his title of The Just one.)

Just like that, the Pevensies became one, the inseparable group, again.

Caspian beamed. "Whatever it was over, I'm glad you two made up," he said at the same time as Lucy, and they smiled at each other warmly.

"Thank Aslan you're here, Peter," Edmund had grabbed him to whisper, "For a moment I almost could drown in their sweetness!"

Peter burst out laughing for the first time that day, "I know you are old enough to understand this, but, trust me, dear brother, however much you push it away, love will come. Everyone has their moments."

Edmund smirked, "Yeah, like mine would," prompting Peter to shake his head.

"So now," grinned Lucy, "Who's up for something fun?"

Various things sprung in the minds of the Pevensies: Edmund and Peter a kind of outdoor game, Lucy a game of picking flowers, but it was Susan who suggested the idea that suited everyone.

"How about 'modernizing' Caspian?" she said, Caspian's face, to the others' hilarity, displayed obvious confusion and helplessness, "Let's go shopping!"

"Oh boy! What a great idea!" Lucy exclaimed, clapping once again, "We're going to have lots of fun!"

Caspian turned to the boys, "Excuse me," he said, rather embarassed, "But what's this Susan just said about 'modernizing' me?"

A/N: As always, your readings/ reviews (constructive criticism most appreciated :))/ hits make my day!

Love you all and be prepared for the next chapter: In Which Caspian is taken shopping by the boys, and Edmund is…(wouldn't want to spoil it to you!)

Anyways, more fun from the Pevensies garaunteed.

Your ever humble fanfic writer ;)

PS. For y'all who'd read my story from before its transformation, I took out Eustace for a moment (but don't worry, he's coming soon—haha), as the situation might seem to sudden.