Author's Note: Happy New Year, everybody! To start off the new year, I've written another Suspian piece, and like "Holding On," it's pretty angsty--I can never seem to write fluff for the Caspian/Susan pairing. I'm not quite as pleased with this as I am with "Holding On," but feel free to read and review.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia.

What Could Have Been

"I'm glad I came back," Susan says to Caspian.

"I wish we had more time together," Caspian replies softly.

The Queen of old smiles slightly. "It would never have worked anyway."

Caspian feels his heart ache. "Why not?" he asks.

"I am thirteen hundred years older than you," Susan jokes.

Caspian chuckles weakly, and Susan's smile fades. Caspian turns his head away as Susan steps toward her siblings, toward a portal that will take her back to her own world.

A bitter lump forms in Caspian's throat as a voice in his head reminds him, She can't stay in Narnia.

Suddenly, he hears Susan walk back towards him. Caspian looks at her. What--?

A split second later, Susan is kissing him. And in his mind's eye, Caspian sees what could have been.

He sees Susan being re-crowned as Queen of Narnia in a newly rebuilt Cair Paravel. She looks at him, her face shining with joy.

He sees Susan in a pure white gown, her dark brown hair loosely curled and falling to her shoulders. She is a bride, his bride. Their wedding would have been the best day of his life.

He sees her, exhausted but happy, holding a child in her arms. The child has Caspian's dark hair and Susan's blue eyes. Their firstborn son would by no means have been their only child.

He sees himself as an older man, with Susan beside him. Their arms are around each other. After all this time, they still love each other, and they never tire of waking up next to each other.

A few seconds later (or it could have been a lifetime later), Susan breaks off the kiss, and Caspian's visions disappear. They're now nothing more than what might have been if the circumstances were any different. Nonetheless, Caspian wraps his arms around Susan, silently begging her to stay.

Susan gently untangles herself from Caspian's embrace. With one last sad look, she turns away from him and walks toward Peter, Edmund, and Lucy.

As the Pevensies walk toward the portal, Caspian keeps his eyes on Susan, hoping that she will look back at him.

She never does.