Title: Close Quarters

Author: scullymulder T

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish.

A/N: Set in 1946…even though I can't write dialogue like English 1946 dialect. Also, as this is completely unbeta-ed, I apologize for any mistakes that might have (and there are probably quite a few) been made. Hope ya enjoy!

Ha! It's my birthday! How am I giving you the gift?

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Susan sighed and laid her head against Peter's chest, lamenting the day. This day marked first official month back into the real world, away from the Professor's house. Their first real awakening that they may never truly see Narnia again.

It had been so hard to remember that they had to dress themselves; they couldn't do what they wanted; not everybody loved them. They weren't going to be served absolutely anything they liked at dinner, but what Father wanted. But the strangest thing of all was that they had grown up in Narnia – now they were adults trapped in children's bodies.

Peter looked through his lashes at Susan and watched her own brilliantly blue eyes droop slowly shut in the heat of the afternoon sun and smiled. He loved being this close to his sister. So much was she distant and 'grown up' (though not so much in Narnia as back in England) that he never got to hold his little sister anymore. Oh, sure, there was Lucy, but Lucy and his relationship wasn't quite the same as Susan and his.

He figured it was because of their age and maturity being closer together than in comparison to Edmund and Lucy's; Susan and he could talk about things that they couldn't talk about with anyone else.

He had heard that, after they came from the Professor's house, people whispered that they had broken the law and were in a relationship. Peter and Susan had sneered at them, saying to themselves having a loving relationship between siblings was not against the law, and if it actually was then there was something terribly wrong with the government.

Peter knew that there were many types of love, but since the only real love he'd known was with family, the lines were often blurred when it came to matters of the heart, platonic or not; particularly Susan – they were best friends.

Peter sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around Susan, dismissing his worries until a later date. He drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face, knowing that he would have a peaceful rest.

In Narnia, even up until shortly before they came back to the Professor's manor, he woke up with nightmares of Susan, Lucy, and Edmund being killed by the White Witch. Shortly after that, he would trot down the hall to Susan's room and crawl into bed with her. She would always roll over to give him enough room before falling back asleep again. For some reason, he never had nightmares when he was slept near Susan; she made him feel safe….wasn't that his job, though?

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Peter and Susan were so close that it scared them, sometimes. Sometimes they actually believed the whispers. But mostly, it scared their parents. Relatives and neighbors constantly whispered to them that it was 'unnatural' and 'sinful', and soon, their parents came to believe that the neighbors were right. Such, they spent every spare moment they had getting Susan and Peter as far away from each other as they could. This only put the two in a bad mood, worsening situations. Sometimes, they would completely skip what they were supposed to be doing and just spend a day in relaxation in each others' company. But when they got home, all Hell was raised -- their parents claimed they had been 'out of their minds with worry' and 'where had they run off to?' but in reality, they were only worried about their own reputations. Every time they ran off, the neighbors talked, and every time the neighbors talked, they talked bad about the Pevensie family.

Edmund and Lucy knew what they had gone through in Narnia, so therefore didn't judge them, but also in part because they too shared a equally close relationship, but because of the age difference they weren't as close to Peter and Susan as they were each other. They tried to keep their parents from getting mad; sometimes they went as far as to make up stories for Peter and Susan when they had to get out of the house for a few hours and just be alone.

Both Peter and Susan had become a tie for each other, to Narnia and to sanity. Sometimes it felt as if they would go mad because the world around them had changed so drastically so quickly. Sometimes they just must get as far away as possible from the rest of the world, to just be by themselves, to remember what little holdings they had to Narnia left.

This had become one of those times. Their cousin, Eustace had been dumped at their house for the summer (his parents had gone to travel America) it had not just been whispering that was being done. He had come straight out and said exactly what their parents had been thinking.

"You're sick, Susan! Both you and Peter are!" he shouted. "You run off together every day and do what? Snog each other? Have sex? It's absolutely disgusting. The rest of the family is ashamed even to hold the same last name as you! My mum and dad are even wondering why your parents haven't disowned you yet!"

Susan stared at him for a moment before running out the front door.

"You little brat," Peter snarled at him before running after Susan, his voice fading as he ran farther away. "Wait! Susan, come on! Wait! He has no idea what we've been through! Susan!"

"No, Peter, come on! It's not like I blame you! She seduced you!" Eustace called from the front door.

Edmund and Lucy looked at one another before rounding on Eustace. "You have no idea, Eustace. There was no seducing involved, and certainly there was has been no sex. You have no right to go and judge them for things they haven't done. C'mon, Luce. Susan needs us."

They both gave him one last vile look before stalking out of the house.

When they found Susan, she was wracked with sobs and crying into Peter's shirt under the maple tree near their house. He looked up at the pair, pain visible in his eyes. "Why can't anyone understand? We aren't like that. We haven't had sex or anything. We're just siblings that are much closer than most! We haven't broken any laws."

"We know, Peter," Lucy said. "But we've been to Narnia. We know why you're so close. The rest of the world…for the rest of the world, this happened over night, not in fifteen Narnian years and five of our years. And yeah, we understand that it was a long while even here, but people were caught up in the war and not thinking about us…So it seems bizarre to them."

"If we weren't related, this wouldn't be a problem. We'd be just best friends, but people would still look at us and sigh 'Oh what a cute couple' or something like that," Susan muttered, her sobbing ceased momentarily but still being held by Peter.

Edmund nodded. "You've just got to learn to ignore them. They'll shut up in time. But Eustace…he might not on his own. I could make him, though."

Peter cast a sharp glance at him. "Ed, no. You'd get in more trouble that he's worth. Thanks for the offer, though," Peter said with a weak smile.

Edmund smiled back and clasped Lucy on the shoulder. "C'mon, Luce. We need to get back to make sure that mum will believe that Peter and Susan 'went to the store' before Eustace tells her otherwise. Susan, feel better, okay?"

She lifted her head towards her little brother. "I will; thanks Ed, thanks Luce."

They walked off, leaving Susan and Peter by themselves. "Are you going to be okay, Su?"

She smiled up at Peter before turning to watch the sun shine through the clouds. "Yeah. It just got to be too much right then."

They watched the sun glint off the nearby lake by for several minutes until Susan interrupted the quiet. "Peter?"

"Hmm?" he asked drowsily.

"Thank you."

"For what, Su?"

"For being my brother; for understanding me; for being there for me."

Peter smiled. "Anytime, Su. You do it for me – I might as well do the same."

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"Peter," Susan whispered softly, shaking him from his sleep.

"Wha?" he asked groggily.

"Peter, come on and wake up. We have to go to the store, otherwise mum and dad will wonder where we've been."

Peter slowly climbed to his feet. "How long's it been?"

Susan looked up at the sun. "Not long. The sun has barely moved from when we saw it before we fell asleep."

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"Peter, they're staring," Susan told him.

He quickly glanced up at the elderly couple before glancing back down at the box. "I see that."

"How much longer until we're done?" she asked him.

"Just a couple more things, Su, and we can go. If you want, you can go get the milk and meet me back here."

Susan shuddered. "No. More people will look at me then."

"Oh, and they're not looking at us now?" Peter asked, amused.

"Well, yes, obviously, but you're here."

"Which is probably why they're staring, Su. If you were alone, they wouldn't care as much, I suspect."

"Peter, I feel safe with you. Ever since we've left Narnia…you've been my body guard, for a lack of a better term."

Peter smiled. "Thanks, Su."

Susan looked again at the couple. "Good God. They're still staring."

"So say something, then."

Susan looked taken aback for a moment. "What? What would they think then?"

"That you're raving mad, I suspect," Peter said, still looking at the same box.

Susan sighed and turned on her heel. "Hello, Mrs. McAvrey; Mr. McAvrey. How are you today?"

The wife looked shocked that Susan would actually talk to her, while the husband grinned at the girl. "We're doing just well, Susan. How are you? Your mother and father well? How about your brother and sister? I can see that Peter is doing fine."

"Oh, we're all fine, thank you for asking, Mr. McAvrey. Eustace has come to our house again – we're all a bit annoyed with him at the moment, but everybody knows how he is, so that's nothing new."

"Well, we'll let you get back to your shopping. Have a nice day."

"And you as well, Mr. McAvrey; Mrs. McAvrey."

As the couple walked away, Susan heard Mrs. McAvrey swat the husband on the arm. "What on Earth were you thinking, talking to her like that? Haven't you heard the rumors? What will people think!"

"You worry too much about what other people think, dear. Besides, the Pevensie children aren't like that. So the brothers and sisters get along well? Is there a crime in that?"

"No, but they changed over night! They went off for the summer, and when the war ended, they came back changed people!"

"Nonsense, Dear. It's been five years since we've seen them last. A lot can change in that time. So something life-changing happened to them. Doesn't mean it's anything incest-like."

Susan sighed and turned back around and faced Peter. "I always liked Mr. McAvrey."

Peter chuckled. "Yes, but that's just because you pulled up Mrs. McAvrey's flowers when you were little and the only thing that kept you from being killed was her husband standing up for you."

Peter finally made his decision and placed the box in their cart. "Honestly, Susan, I didn't expect that of you. I've been noticing more lately how much it's changed you."

"What? Narnia?"

Peter nodded and picked up a can off the shelf before moving on, having Susan trail after him. "It matured you."

Susan laughed. "One would hope that I matured over fifteen years."

Peter shook his head. "No, I mean that it's…bolded you. You have more…courage now. Before Narnia, you would have never done that. You didn't even in Narnia. Leaving what we had called home for the longest time changed you…for the better."

Susan shifted slightly from heel to heel. "Thanks."

Peter chuckled as they paid the cashier, who gave them a few wary looks. "Don't be so bashful, Su. It was a compliment."

"And you know I don't take those well," she said quietly.

Peter sighed. "Apparently, some things never change."

They walked in silence back to their house, both of their minds thinking on what Peter had said, what Eustace had said, and what most definitely their parents would say.

They entered their house, letting the front door bang behind them. "We're home," Susan called.

A total of three seconds later, Edmund was seen tackling Peter. "Did you get ice cream?"

Peter threw his head back in the air and laughed. "Yes, Edmund, I did. You have to eat your dinner first, though."

Edmund retreated back to his room, pouting, just as Eustace sauntered past Susan and Peter. "So…the lovers have returned, have they?"

Susan glared harshly at Eustace before turning to Peter. "I'll be up in my room if you need me. Bring Lucy and Edmund with you?"

Peter's brow furrowed in confusion as to why she wanted a family (although it wasn't all the family) meeting, but agreed. "All right. As soon as I put this stuff away."

Ten minutes later, the four Pevensie children were sitting on Susan's bed, looking at her expectantly.

"Well?" Edmund asked impatiently.

"Do you feel as if we're out of place here?" Susan asked.

"Of course," Lucy responded. "We don't belong. And now, looking back, I don't feel as if we ever did."

Peter nodded and turned to his oldest sister. "We all feel that, Su. You, of all people, had to have known that – what's your point?"

"I want to go back."

"Narnia? We all do, Su," Lucy told her.

"No -- well, yes, ultimately. But right now, I just want to go back to the Professor's house. I know we can't go back through the wardrobe again, but…even away from Narnia, I felt like…like I still belonged. It was an in between place – one still tied to Narnia enough so that it felt like home. I just….just wanted to know if you all felt the same. I know that Aslan told Peter and I that we could never go back to Narnia and I hope that we do go back, but even if we never do, the Professor's house is more home that where we are now is. I…do you want to go back?"

All four of the children looked at each other silently for seconds that seemed to last for hours.

Finally, Edmund snorted. "Of course we do! But what are we going to do about it? This," Edmund said, gesturing to Susan and Peter, "all started at the Professor's house. Even though there's really nothing there, everyone, including our parents, seems to think there is. We'll never have a chance to go back."

"Not that we blame you," Lucy said, shooting a glance at her brother. "Edmund and I are just as close as you are. Why no one's figured it out yet is beyond me."

"Listen, Su. We all want to go back…the thing is…we're just kids here. No one will listen to us like they did in Narnia, let alone us make our own decisions, even though we're perfectly capable," Peter told her.

Susan scowled. "Of that, I have become painfully aware. It's incredibly bothersome, really. Knowing how to run a country, yet not be able to even govern your own lives."

The other three chuckled. "Look, Susan," Lucy told her. "Aslan told us that 'once a king or queen in Narnia, always king or queen. If Narnia needs us, we'll see it again."

Susan sighed and let her head fall to her hands. "Yeah, but Lu…I need Narnia. Not the other way around…this world just isn't as wonderful as Narnia…I keep finding myself comparing it to everything around me, and nothing ever measures up – except for you three. Narnia is always better – the people; the food; our beds; the countryside; everything. Nothing ever measures up."

"We feel the same, Susan," Edmund said. "But how on Earth are we supposed to even get back to the Professor's house, let alone Narnia?"

Susan shrugged. "That's what we're a team for, isn't it?"

Peter adjusted himself slightly on his sister's bed so that he could be right up against her. "Susan," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "At this point in time, there might be nothing we can do."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I know. And that's what frustrates me so."

"We'll find a way, Su," Edmund said. "I don't know how long it will take, but we will find a way to go home – together."

Susan smiled. "Thanks Ed."

"Now, if you three don't mind, there's ice cream waiting for me," her younger brother said with a smirk as he dashed out of the room.

Lucy bounced off Susan's bed. "And I think I'm going to join him. You cheer up, Su."

"I will, Luce. Thanks."

She smiled at her older sister before leaving the room. "Anytime."

Susan and Peter sat in comfortable silence for the next several minutes.

"Peter?"

"Hmm?"

"Have I said thank you for being the best person in the world?"

Peter laughed. "Well, you thanked me for being a good brother this afternoon, but not the best person in the world yet."

"Well, you are."

"Hah. Thank you…and Susan?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll get home, just like Edmund said. I promise."

"Thank you, Peter. I love you."

"And I love you, little sister."

Shortly after, Susan closed her eyes, sleeping for the second time that day. Peter, however, stayed awake, focused on finding a way back to the Professor's house, intent on keeping his promise.

A few minutes later, he was joined by Edmund and Lucy, who quickly fell asleep themselves. Absorbed on the fact that his family – for they didn't need anybody but themselves – was all together, at least for the moment, he himself drifted off, content, for now, just to dream of Narnia, knowing that someday he would see his home again.

End

1/1/06 – 1:33 AM

Melanie Miller

A/N2: Wow. 2,954 words – 8 ¼ pages long. I've really out done myself…and this is just a one-shot. I originally had planned for the four of them to go back to Narnia, but I figured that would be too complicated – and too long for a one-shot – to do, so I nixed it. And while I think that the characters are (sometimes) OOC, well….if you review, you will tell me whether you think they are or not. I also have a big problem with Susan not believing in Narnia, and her never going back in the books. I've read a few good fics on her going back (one great one is Belief) and so, in my mind (and hopefully yours) I have fixed that by her wanting to go back. I decided to combine everything I loved about Narnia, besides Narnia itself, really into one fic…more of what I love about it is below…there's a lot I love in this fic, but I don't really know if it was justified. Edmund might be concerned.

While I was writing this I realized that the beginning held some heavy incest connotations. And, as that was not the intention, I just placed a lot of sister-brother emphasis in the story and on the characters, so I hope that helped. But, if you want to see it as incest, go ahead…This, no matter how amateurish it may be, is (hopefully) a work of art, in the sense that you're expressing yourself, just as a painter would with his brushes and canvas, and all works of art are open to interpretation. I just felt that in that writing this, I would express my love for – in Narnia, among other fandom's – sibling bonding, especially Susan/Peter and Edmund/Lucy…in a platonic sense. So, I hope you enjoyed, and if you want to flame, go right ahead – although I don't really know what you'd flame about. And please, review, if you liked it. I love to read feedback and to see what people loved and hated (and their milder forms, liked and disliked). Thanks so much for reading.