(A/N: There are two versions of this chapter. The more intense/steamy version can be found on the Archive of Our Own site at Otherwise, read on... :). April's POV)

April stepped off the train, and tried to still her trembling hands. It had only been a few days, but it felt like a lifetime since she had said goodbye to Peter. Would he be here to meet the train? Would he be distant again, or would he...?

She had no more time to fret because the doors opened and she was on the platform and then she was engulfed in strong arms, her cheek pressed against a warm chest. She sighed. She had been worrying for nothing. He pulled away and smiled into her eyes. His were twinkling with laughter.

"You were worried," he said softly.

"Yes," she admitted bashfully.

"For nothing, my love. I am yours forever!"

She sighed again as he kissed her gently.

"All right you two," said a voice beside her.

She broke away from Peter and turned to see Edmund, standing there grinning.

Her eyes softened. "Thank you, Edmund."

She turned to him and gave him a tight hug, surprising him. Edmund let go of his sister-in-law and smiled. "Nothing to be grateful for. I couldn't stand him anymore, so I had to do something!"

April laughed and Peter punched him in the arm.

"April!" she heard her name squealed and Lucy came running up. She welcomed the hug of her friend and now sister. She looked up and saw Susan standing there. Breaking away from Lucy she stood before Susan.

April smiled and could sense the tension of the siblings around her. "I've missed you," she said to Susan, simply and softly.

To her surprise tears welled in Susan's eyes and she moved forward to hug April. "I'm so sorry April...for your loss and for your pain. Coming back from Narnia is very...difficult."

April sensed more than saw the amazement on Peter's and the others faces that Susan would mention Narnia. Susan's words meant more based on their reactions.

"Thank you," April said and then couldn't resist adding, "you are missed there too."

A tear spilled over and Susan brushed it away, and also seemed to brush away any emotion as well. The mood was broken. "Well," she said briskly, "I need to get back. I will see you soon April."

April turned to Peter. "I didn't mean to upset her."

Peter smiled gently and pulled her close. "It is hard not to upset Susan these days. What you said was perfect."

--00--

After a fun and lively dinner together, it was difficult to say goodbye to Peter for the evening, knowing he was so close, or well, at the school next door. But Lucy was very excited to catch up on 'girl talk'. So April's melancholy disappeared quickly as the younger girl settled her in her room and sat April upon her bed peppering her with questions about Narnia.

April was happy to share all that she could remember with Lucy and Lucy sighed over and over again at the places April had seen and experiences she had. But then Lucy switched the subject.

"I have been so worried about Peter. I am really glad you all patched things up. We were afraid he would enlist without even asking us."

April nodded, biting her lip. She had experienced that fear as well. Soon Lucy was talked out, an amazing feat. April was finally able to lie down in the darkness and think. It had not been too long ago that she slept in a bed just like this one and she allowed herself to think of her and Peter's first days on these campuses together.

The girl's dining hall had been under construction and they took their meals with the boys at Hendon House. How handsome he had been sitting there at that table all alone day after day. She was amazed she had the courage to approach him that day. She was even more amazed when their eyes had met and something tangible flashed between them. Just thinking about it made her tingle. The electricity, the bond that she shared with him even then overwhelmed her, and made her long for him. She allowed herself to go over more memories of their time together and eventually she slept with the knowledge that she would at least get to see him tomorrow.

~~0~~

"You must be April," a voice said from behind her.

She whirled to find herself looking at an Asian gentleman a little shorter than she but very broad. He bowed, and introduced himself. "I am Master Kai."

She resisted the urge to curtsy back, squelching her Narnian etiquette. "I am pleased to meet you Master Kai."

He smiled, "Peter is much more in balance now. I am guessing that has to do with you. He is a promising student, and I am pleased to meet the woman who compliments him so well."

April was amazed at his words and blushed a bit but graciously said, "Thank you. And, thank you for providing him an outlet for his grief. I do believe you helped him greatly."

"It was my pleasure," he said.

April didn't get a chance to respond as the chime sounded signaling the fencing match was to begin. She found her seats with Lucy and Susan and scanned the teams looking for Peter and Edmund. With all of the fencers in their white matching suits, it was difficult until he turned around and began searching the crowd. She waved and caught his eye. He smiled and seemed to visibly relax. She sighed to herself at the sight of him, lean, strong, intense, and ready for any challenge, just as he was in Narnia.

The match was exciting. Lucy explained the rules and she cheered for the Hendon House team, after the referee called 'halt', of course. It was a close but the Hendon team came in first with Peter and Edmund gaining the winning points. She was happy and proud and couldn't wait to see him. Eventually, the team came out in their normal clothes. She couldn't help herself. She ran over to him and he caught and spun her around, as she was hoping he would do. Before he set her down he whispered in her ear, "I'm so glad you're here!"

"I am too." She met his eyes and they shared a tender smile.

His family was crowding around and more words would have to wait. She congratulated Edmund on his match.

He grumbled a bit, "I was better than Peter, but then he had to go there and brush up on his skills."

Peter just smiled and ruffled Edmund's hair and said, "Come on, let's go to town and get something to eat."

The walk into the small village reminded her of the early days that she had been remembering the night before. Peter intertwined their fingers and they walked slowly behind the others.

"I thought about you last night," Peter said softly.

She smiled and echoed his words.

"I have a plan," he said mysteriously.

"Oh, you do?" she teased. "Now why does that not surprise me, High King, master of strategy?"

He grinned, squeezed her hand and said, "Just wait."

They ate at the local diner and the mood was fun and festive. They wandered about the village some and then headed back to the campuses. Lucy, Susan and Edmund all found friends and ran off. April relaxed and smiled as Peter shot her a look and pulled her into Hendon's gates. She looked at him surprised and he reminded her the campus was open today due to all of the end of term sporting events.

He led her around the back of his residence hall toward a patch of woods. She was catching onto his plan and her heart began to beat a little faster. As they were passing some open windows she heard some of the boys yell.

A voice broke through above the others. "Hey, Pevensie! Who do you have there? Do you even know what to do with her?"

Peter stopped abruptly, his face a mask of anger and indignation. April looked at him confused.

"What? Who are they Peter?"

"Mathinson," he ground out his teeth gritted together, "and his gang. Twerps, all of them, wouldn't know what to do with a girl if she were handed to them."

She smiled and pulled him forward until they were almost to the edge of the woods and still in sight of the obnoxious boys.

"Why do they bother you?"

"They know that I am different and it drives them crazy because I don't react to their taunts. They aren't so bad about it now, I have had to knock a few heads together a couple of times to get them to stop. My guess is that they have snuck in some alcohol somehow and seeing you, they couldn't resist."

He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "But, Mathinson...he makes me so mad I cannot see straight! He kept your letters from me."

"What?" April pulled back in confusion. "Why the nerve!"

She balled up her fists and took a step forward. She felt like knocking some heads together herself. She stopped when she heard him chuckle beside her and turned to him with indignation and a furrowed brow.

"I love seeing you angry."

As she whirled away from his touch, he grabbed her hand again and laughed harder. "As long as you are not angry with me. Come on. They are not worth the trouble!"

He pulled her into the forest. She couldn't help but smile and wave at the windows and even blew the boys a kiss as she disappeared into the woods behind the man she loved.

She kept up with Peter's pace easily. As they moved through the forest she breathed deep, loving being among the trees again. It felt like home. Peter explained that the woods stretched to the edge of the schools property lines. There was a break in the fence and she could get back to Lucy's school through it, but he took her the opposite way, deeper in. She smiled at his foresight and planning. As comfortable in the forest as she was, she had no doubt that he knew exactly where he was going.

He stopped before a little clump of evergreen trees and pulled her inside. They were completely secluded with a soft bed of pine needles underneath their feet.

She was surprised when he pulled a blanket out from under one of the trees. His eyes twinkled at her reaction and he spread the blanket out on the pine needles. She smiled, slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the blanket. She met his eyes. They were intense, but full of joy.

She smiled with contentment and sat down. "I love seeing you happy."

She tilted her head and studied him. "You are different, even from last weekend. It's like your spirit has settled."

His smile was broad as he joined her on the blanket. "It was in this very spot that I made my peace with Aslan a few days ago. Everything has been better since then."

"Oh, Peter. I am so glad. Without his peace..."

"I know, love. I know."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and they sat quietly for a few moments. She felt the silence seep into her and found it very restful and intimate to be here with him. It was like their souls communicated without words. She loved him even more in that moment.

He turned to her and whispered, "Have I told you today how beautiful you are?" He took her hand and brought it to his lips.

She inhaled deeply at the contact and shook her head, "No...not today."

He turned her hand over and kissed her palm sending an involuntary shiver through her.

"When I searched the crowds this morning and saw you smiling and happy and there just for me, I couldn't breathe. You do that quite often...take my breath away."

His soft lips caressed her wrist and her breath caught. "The feeling is mutual," she whispered.

He looked up into her eyes, placed her hand on his shoulder, and moved one of his hands around her waist. With the other, he tucked her hair behind her ear and brushed it slowly off of her neck.

Pulling her closer, his lips brushed her ear, he said, his voice low, "I am deeply, passionately in love with you."

She felt weak with emotion and was grateful she was seated. How he could move her with his words. She smiled and with the soft breeze blowing about them, the scent of pine needles wafting around, she was instantly transported back to Narnia. She whispered, "Oh...My Magnificent King!"

Then his lips found hers and she was truly home. As he kissed her in the way she loved, she melted even further in his arms. She had been kissed like this many times, but today was different for April. They had weathered the storm and while last weekend had been about rebuilding trust, today, here, it was as if they were truly one. The peace that came with security and trust was truly beautiful. Pulling back slightly, he whispered...

"April. My love, my darling, my Queen! I am yours from now until the end of time."