Disclaimer: It's still not mine. Cravitz.

Susan walked along the desolate plain with Aslan in silence. Where they were going, she could hardly tell. The moon's light remained their only companion, and Susan were it not for Aslan's presence, Susan was nearly certain she would've never ventured this far away from where she had landed. So many questions ran through her mind, but she hesitated to ask anything more of the lion.

"You wish to ask me things," Aslan observed after sparing a glance in Susan's direction.

"Well… yes, actually," she whispered. "Where has Narnia gone, Aslan?"

"It was time," Aslan said simply in response.

"Oh," was all Susan could say, since his answer hardly served to clear anything up. Instead of pressing forward in the conversation, Susan opted for companionable silence once more as they continued ever forward. The silence afforded her the opportunity to reflect upon what her future could hold. Undoubtedly she would be returned to her life in London, back to her work, her friends… Back to a life she no longer fit in. She sighed softly. How could she return to her solitary life? The only person she had regularly communicated with in recent months had been Derik. Derik… she still felt awfully for not recognizing him for what he was sooner. Yet, a voice inside her reminded her, she had never seen the sort of behavior he had exhibited prior to this. Was it really her fault? With a small shake of her head, Susan decided to leave it for contemplation when she could provide a level outlook on the entire debacle.

It came as a surprise to Susan when the great cat beside her stopped, causing Susan herself to make a very ungraceful stop, nearly toppling over the lion in front of her. Her immediate action was to look around. Strangely enough, there was hardly a difference in the landscape now to what it was before. "Aslan… why have we stopped?" she asked finally.

"We have arrived," Aslan said.

"I… I am to go home, then?" Susan said, unable to mask the disappointment in her voice.

Aslan studied the woman for a moment before inclining his head in a nod. "Yes, Susan. You are going home," he said quietly.

Susan nodded. "Where… Oh!" Suddenly before her eyes there was a wooden door that she could have sworn had not been there a moment before. Looking at Aslan in confirmation, she slowly approached to door, looking on the other side at the same wooden door that showed on the other side. "Am I to go through it?" she asked, perplexed.

Aslan padded up beside her. "Yes, Daughter of Eve. Through this door is home. Go ahead… I shall follow behind."

"Aslan…" Susan said, giving pause as she laid her hand on the door handle. "I… my thanks hardly seems adequate," she began.

Aslan nodded, though pushed her lightly towards the door. "I understand, my daughter. Come. Home awaits us," he said gently.

Susan was puzzled at his use of 'us', nonetheless pushing open the door and walking through. When she did so, though, she gasped. She was in a beautiful orchard full of fruit trees- nothing like her London neighborhood where she was expecting to walk into. "Aslan… where…?"

"Welcome home, Queen Susan," came a soft, familiar voice from the tree grove.

Hardly trusting her ears, Susan paused. "It… It can't be," she whispered.

"It is, Su," came Lucy's voice again. Susan turned in disbelief, dissolving into tears of unadulterated joy when she saw her younger sister standing not three feet away, a grin lighting up her pretty features.

"Lucy?" she said. "Lucy, is it truly? I must be dreaming…" Susan sobbed as she ran forward and hugged her sister. "Oh… I… I can't believe it…." She said, hanging on tightly to her little sister's very alive form.

"Oh Susan... You don't know how long I've prayed for this day," Lucy replied as she gently stroked her sister's beautiful locks, once again clean and tangle-free.

Susan hugged her sister for a very long time, afraid to let go. When finally she did release her, she stood back and gave a slight smile through her tears. "Look at you… you're so beautiful, Lu," she sniffled.

Lucy smiled. "No… not I. You were always the pretty one."

"You are beautiful on the inside Lucy. That is something I always lacked in," Susan said softly, humility washing over her.

There was the soft tread of footsteps to be heard, and Susan turned, her breath catching once more as she came face to face with her two brothers.

"I don't know, Su. You may just get there," Edmund said casually, with a twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

"Edmund! Peter!" Susan managed, engulfing them alternately in her embrace. "I can't believe it's true. I am home, aren't I?"

"Yes, sweetie," her mother's soothing voice said. A moment later, Susan realized she was surrounded by her family. An overwhelming feeling of joy coursed through her as she ran to each of them in turn and hugged and kissed them again and again.

When finally she had thoroughly greeted her family, she once more turned to Aslan. "Aslan… am I…?" she asked softly.

The lion gave pause before inclining his head slowly. "Yes. But you are home, Susan."

"That is the greatest gift I could ever receive, Aslan. To be here with my family," she replied, kneeling next to the big cat. "I owe you everything, Aslan," she whispered into his big, fluffy mane as she hugged him tightly. She felt him press his paw to her back in his form of reciprocation before feeling his breath upon her face. "Go, now, Daughter of Eve, Queen Susan. Your court waits to receive you at Cair Paravel. And you know how disappointed Narnians are when their guest of honor fails to show up," he added, a hint of mirth in his voice.

"My court…" Susan repeated, her voice full of awe as she once again tried to take it all in. Her family surrounding her was a greater felicity and reward than she could ever have dreamed of. Were it not for Lucy's good natured pulling, Susan doubted she would've left that beautiful place.

"C'mon, Su. Like Aslan said…. I know the court is positively beside themselves with anticipation," Lucy said with a grin.

"Aye. Even Peter consented to have new clothing made for your re-coronation ball," Edmund said with a smile.

Susan nodded slowly, placing one of her hands in Lucy's, the other in Peter's. "Show me the way?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Peter said with a small smile. "Su?" he said quietly.

"Yes, Peter?" Susan asked, looking up at her older brother.

"I… I'm glad you're back," he confided with a grin.

"So am I, Peter. So am I."


a/n: Well... Let me know what you think. I know it's awfully short and probably ought to have been added as a part of the last chapter, but... shrug This is the final official chapter of this fic... I'll probably be posting an epilogue if I see any interest in it. To all who have added this story as a favorite- thank you so much. To everyone who reviewed- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! It makes it all worthwhile. Props to SarahNev, my beta for this chapter.

Best wishes! Kate