You're not alone

In the middle of the night

Susan lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
She'd been laying there for almost two hours and it was now 2am.
She'd seen off the party going to get Edmund, before putting Lucy to bed and going to bed herself, even though she wasn't sleeping.
She frowned when she heard a quiet noise from outside her door, followed by footsteps.
As quietly as she could she slipped out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown and a candle.
Slipping her feet into her slippers she walked across the room and opened the door, peeking out into the hallway... just in time to see Peter disappear around the corner.
Frowning to herself she began following him, all the way to the library which is where he stopped.
She stood around a corner and waited as he walked in, closing the door behind him.
Sighing a little Susan walked over and entered, finding Peter sat at the desk that Edmund usually sat at, Edmund's crown in his hands as he went through all the books.
"Peter." She said gently.
Peter jumped and spun around in his seat, relaxing when he saw Susan. "You made me jump." He muttered, turning back to the books.
"Sorry." Susan sighed, walking over and standing beside Peter.
"How come you aren't sleeping?" He asked.
Susan shrugged. "I couldn't." She whispered. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
Peter swallowed hard. "Had a bad dream." He choked, squeezing his eyes shut for a second.
Susan nodded slightly. "Why did you come here?" She asked, frowning slightly.
Peter thought for a moment. "I really don't know." He sighed eventually.
Susan sighed, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder as he flicked through one of the books on the desk, finding a bookmark half way through. "He'll never be able to finish it." He mumbled, eyes shining with tears.
Susan sighed. "Peter." She mumbled, but didn't know what else to say.
"Do you remember when - when you read him, what was it, Peter pan for the first time?" Peter asked after a while, a small, weak smile appearing on his face.
Susan smiled. "I do." She said. "He was only 5."
Peter took a deep breath. "He ran around the house for days afterwards pretending to be Peter pan." He whispered.
"Waving that fake wooden sword around, the one you made for him." Susan remembered.
Peter nodded. "And he insisted that I was to be captain hook." He said. "Every time."
Susan chuckled slightly. "He did have a rather big imagination as a child didnt he?" She breathed.
Peter nodded a little, blinking back tears as he closed the book again.
"You should get back to bed." Susan whispered after a long while of nothing but silence.
Peter sighed. "It's hard." He choked. "I - I keep expecting to hear his heavy breathing, I keep expecting to hear him moving around in bed, talking in his sleep."
Susan sighed. "Why dont you spend the night in my room?" She offered.
"You wouldn't mind?" Peter asked, glancing up at her for the first time.
Susan shook her head with a small smile. "Of course I wouldn't." She said gently.
Peter took a deep breath as he stood from the chair, still gripping Edmund's crown.
"You can't carry that around everywhere you go." Susan murmered as they headed back upstairs.
Peter sighed. "I know." He choked, but said no more about it.

☆☆☆

Early the next morning Edmund came across a stream, and immediately stopped to take a drink.
It was only when he stood up again did he notice a cave, and looking back and forth from the stream and the cave, he suddenly realised that this was where he was supposed to wait.
Walking over he entered the cave, to his surprise finding a blanket and a few pillows inside.
"Thank you." Edmund murmered, before walking back outside and sitting against a tree.
Now he just had to wait, now for three days until he siblings showed up.
He longed to see them now, but he wouldn't dare go against what Aslan had said, no matter how much he wanted to be with them.
He knew these three days would be rather long, so he set about finding ways to entertain himself.
"A start would be collecting some fire wood."

☆☆☆

Susan woke with a sigh around 6 hours later, and glancing to her left found Peter fast asleep on the other side of her bed, face buried in the pillows and the blanket pulled right up to his chin.
Smiling sadly Susan carefully climbed from the bed, before heading to the bathroom and getting changed.
Once she was ready she headed towards the dining room, where once there she found Lucy already sat at the table, looking down at the food she had as she slowly ate.
"Morning Lu." Susan murmered.
Lucy looked up at this and gave her a forced smile. "Morning." She whispered.
Susan sighed. "Sleep well?" She asked as she sat beside her sister.
Lucy sighed. "I guess so." She mumbled. "Where's Peter?"
Susan bit her lip. "He's sleeping." She answered. "He was up alot last night."
Lucy nodded. "I don't get it." She whispered after a while.
Susan frowned. "Don't get what?" She asked.
"How could Aslan of let this happen?" Lucy choked, shaking her head slightly.
Susan took a deep breath, she hadn't even thought about that. "I'm - I'm sure he had a reason." She said slowly.
"A reason for letting Edmund die?" Lucy choked.
Susan frowned. "Lu this isn't like you to doubt someone." She said. "Especially Aslan."
Lucy swallowed hard before sighing. "I know." She mumbled. "I'm just so upset and - and angry."
"We all are Lucy." Susan sighed.
"When - When will they come back?" Lucy asked. "You know, the people that went to get Edmund."
"Around lunch time I should think." Susan breathed.
Lucy nodded. "Can I see him when he's back?" She asked.
Susan hesitated before nodding her head. "We'll all go and see him."

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