It was a 2 hour or so drive West of London to Marlborough, a quaint market town which housed but a few mansions on its outskirts- one of which Tom's Range Rover found itself driving up the drive of.
The journey had been mostly uneventful, but a time for the Pevensies and Sanya to experience all types of modern music thanks to the magic that was Spotify- not that Sanya had been paying much attention to it.
"Maybe you should go... announce that we- someone is coming." Sanya said, hiding behind Tom, looking and feeling as nauseated as she did when she had morning sickness.
He gave her a friendly smile, "Alright" and went in.
"Pops, there's someone... some people here to meet you." Sanya heard Tom say and her heart seemed to drop down into her stomach, beating erratically.
"Are your brothers here?" She heard a hoarse, slightly wobbly voice say and she couldn't help it, she pushed open the door which led to his private room and went in.
"No, it's me," She said, trying not to show how fucking HORRIFIED she was at seeing her boyfriend so old- confined to a wheelchair, hair grey, skin sagging and wrinkly, still slender but with a paunch now, oh but his eyes were still the pretty, sparkling brown she had looked into when they had kissed in the ocean under the stars.
"S-Sanya?" The old man- Peter, she hastily corrected herself- started to shake. He looked like he was about to pass out, but then he steeled himself and looked to Tom. "Tommy, I think my meds are off, I'm seeing a ghost."
"I'm not a ghost, Pete." Sanya clicked her tongue impatiently. "I WISH I was, though."
"It really is you." He said in a wondrous voice, looking at her- so familiar yet so different, as beautiful as she had always been.
"B-b-but you're dead." He stuttered, heart rate elevating at an alarming rate. "I saw your body, I went to your funeral, I named my daughter after you-"
"Pops." Tom put a calming hand on his shoulder. "Relax."
"I did die- we all did." Sanya confirmed, trying not to think of what else he'd said. "Then woke up here."
"We?"
The others, who had been stood rather unsure at the door, stepped forward, Susan waving her hand slightly in a small, awkward wave.
"Hey." She spoke, her greeting as small and full as trepidation as her gesture was.
"I- You're all... here!" Peter spoke, Lilith noting a light in his eyes as if electricity had been surged into a worn, dusty bulb.
"But how?"
The others glanced at one another, quite unsure of WHERE to start- yet Sanya seemed quite hurried to explain, and so she did, leaving the others to wonder whether it was her just wanting to expel the information or simply leave as soon as possible.
The thought which broke their hearts a little.
"God." The now much older said lightly. "Your lives really ARE full of fantastical magic, aren't they?"
Sanya wanted to cry. "Doesn't feel fantastic or magical at all, Peter, I never wanted t-" She looked at the others, and it was more of a glare so they all hastily left, except Tom, who stayed. "Never wanted to leave you."
"I never wanted you to leave me either." He said and his voice no longer seemed to belong to the 92 year old man but to the same boy who had shyly asked her out 74 years ago. "But... I'm sure your lives are improving now. And you're with Edmund, you two are meant to be-"
Sanya almost screamed. Here she was, trying not to break down in front of her boyfriend who she had last seen as an 18 year old and now was an old, old man and trying not to think that her lost child might be in the same way and here he was with all that 'meant to be' crap!
"Ed and I are NOT together, Pete, to me it's been barely a week since I lost you!" She argued.
He touched her hand slightly and she started terribly, and Tom couldn't help but smile slightly at his stubborn confidence.
"I'm sorry." He said. "It took me quite a while to get over you, I shouldn't have-"
"It's alright," she murmured back, remembering that it was always impossible to be mad at Peter, and that seemingly hadn't changed.
"Anyway..." she looked out the window. "We should leave, you need rest as you're really old."
"Only physically." His eyes twinkled at her as he laughed and she felt lighter and youthful again.
The car ride back was mostly silent, them all in their own thoughts.
"You guys should hang around a few days." Haz suggested from the passenger seat, "There's loads to do in London- OUR London."
"That'd be great," Lilith spoke up, "But maybe in a while, financially it isn't a great time for us to be galavanting around the capital city-"
"You don't have to worry about that! We can-"
"No." Lilith was quite surprised at herself as she cut Tom off. "As much as we appreciate- we owe enough people enough already. We'll probably have enough once we've all got our first pay slips."
"Saves me some money then." Haz replied with a shrug, looking back at them through the sun visor mirror with a smirk. Lilith poked the back of his neck through the head rest, hard.
"So you'd pay for all of us a few days in London, but not a taxi? You're an ass."
He nodded once more, "Seems you're not up for taking charity."
"We're not." Peter replied for her. "We can manage on our own."
"Oh, but Sanya's staying at our place for a few days." Haz suddenly remembered and said.
"I am?"
"She is?" Edmund almost yelled.
Haz looked unbothered at Edmund's words. "Yeah," He turned to Sanya "remember I told you we were going to binge watch all the Marvel movies?"
"Oh, it'll take time?" Sanya asked, remembering it was 22 movies. "Films in our time were just a few minutes long."
"So that's a yes?" Haz asked, suddenly all nervous- Tom saw and gave him a smirk.
Sanya grinned. "As long as I'm back by Monday."
Edmund was glaring once more, familiar jealousy surging through him.
Lilith wanted nothing more but to tell both Tom and Haz to 'fuck off'. But in the end, Sanya was her own person. Plus, there was no WAY she could turn her friend down such an experience.
"Well, we'll be off then. Sanya, YOU take this." The once Unwavering spoke as they gathered at the door to the apartment, taking the old flip-up from Edmund.
"No need." Haz waved her off, producing an IPhone box. "You can have this. I just upgraded anyways." He spoke, handing Sanya the box which she opened gingerly, recognising the 'Mobile' to be similar to Lilith's.
"This one has music?" She asked, looking to him hopefully.
A smile graced his lips, "It can do. Anyways, you lot's train is in half an hour. Here." He added, handing Lilith some cash. "Should be enough for the taxi."
She took it, sliding it in her back jean pocket, "Fine. You're forgiven. Just look after her." She told him sincerely, throwing her rucksack of her shoulder.
"Or there'll be hell to pay." Edmund added, clearly sulking still.
Tom spoke up from behind Haz, promising them she'd be returned in one piece.
"You're staying too?" Sanya asked Tom as they sat down with the original Spider-Man playing.
"Of course!" Tom said. "I've the rest of the week free and what better than a Marvel rewatch? And I'm in some of them and-"
"Oh, right." Sanya nodded. "Haz told me you're the uh... arachnid... er... Spider-Man!"
"I heard my name." Haz poked his head out, walking out with bowls of popcorn. "Come on, let's start."
"Do you two do this often?" Sanya asked. "Invite unknown girls around-"
"Yes."
"to watch movies?" She ended, giving them a look.
Tom smirked, "Only when Haz has a -"
Popcorn hit him in the face.
"They're here!" Lucy's cry came nearly a week later from the living room window as she looked down to see a car pull up.
"An hour late." Edmund pointed out from his spot on the sofa, his nose in Prisoner of Azkaban.
Edmund had done very little of anything else those few days but sit in the same spot, Rowling's boxset beside him.
The 5 had binged all the Marvel films which starred Tom Holland, been on another shopping outing (and Susan had developed a near addiction to Starbucks), but done not much else to occupy themselves before they began work the following week.
Lilith was more than happy Sanya was back with them safe, yet felt slightly gutted that sleeping arrangements would shift once more and she'd have little choice but to go back to Ben's.
Her friend hadn't texted her, hadn't visited nor called since their night out. She'd battled the worry by texting Haz, who'd had brief contact with him and reported back he was in fine health.
She abandoned her apprehension of returning and facing Ben as the apartment door clicked open, greeting her friend with a smile as she approached, the Pevensies at her heel, "Well, how was it?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Sanya muttered to Lilith, knowing that her answer would surprise her greatly.
"Didn't like the movies?" Lucy asked, frowning. She had loved them, and her favourite was EASILY Thor: Ragnarok.
"No, I loved the movies." Sanya answered, thinking that no one could dislike them. It was the OTHER things she had... done which made her feel guilty and afraid to face Edmund- and even Susan. "I can't wait for Endgame."
"Well- then?" Edmund asked, feeling a sense of apprehension draw up in him at her closed off and paler face. She held herself differently too... almost as if she had withdrawn into herself.
"I don't want to talk about it." She said, and plucked the Prisoner of Azkaban out of his hands and all but ran to one of the bedrooms.
"I'll go." Lilith volunteered- one of them had to.
The redhead let herself into the bedroom that Sanya had shut herself in, sliding in and closing the door behind her. "Sanya, what happened?" She asked with a small sigh, fed up at the Universe for throwing such shit at them.
"Oh no, Sirius Black got into Gryffindor Tower!" Sanya had her eyes wide as she read the book and Lilith couldn't tell if she was faking or not. "Damn, if he'd got Harry instead of Ron... "
"Sanya." She spoke in a bordering annoyed tone, "You're really just going to pretend not to hear me? As if that's going to help any situation?"
Sanya set down the book reluctantly. "I think I'm pregnant. I've had all the symptoms... nausea, body ache, no menstrual bleeding for a couple of months... since before I, well, died..."
That was NOT what Lilith was expecting.
"Oh. Well, we'll go get a test..." she suggested, glancing to the door, submerging her panic the depths of her mind. "You can know by the end of this hour if we go now..."
"And I-" Sanya swallowed her nausea and the memory away. "I- oh, I'm HORRIBLE."
"Horrible? You can be a bit of a bitch sometimes but-" Lilith glanced to her friend, deciding a joke probably wouldn't go down well, her friend being completely serious. "You're not horrible, Sanya. Why ever would you say that?" She asked and walking to sit beside her friend.
"The night we watched Civil War...I was upset that Steve and Tony had broken up-"
"Stony." Lilith interrupted. "Their ship name is Stony."
Sanya rolled her eyes at her, storing the information away. "Well, I- I... " then the words came bursting out of her in one breath "iwenttoHazandwestartedtalkingandthenwehadsexandiveneverhadsexwithanyonebutEd-"
Well shit.
"You slept with Haz because you were upset two fictional characters had broke up?" Lilith summarised, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Don't put it like that, makes me sound like a-" She couldn't say it. "He was really nice to me all week! And he's VERY attractive, you've seen his eyes and well, I WAS upset over loads of other things too!"
"Well... I mean, it's not like you and Ed are together... you slept with someone, that's what people DO."
'It's not like you cheated', was what she WANTED to say, but for her own sake, and the others who were undoubtedly stood listening at the other side of the door, she decided NOT to speak the words.
"Yes but-" Sanya looked down at the book. "I still feel AWFUL because Ed... you know. And this pregnancy clearly isn't normal, and-" Tears started accumulating in her eyes and she tried to blink them away but the fat droplets wouldn't move "what if I lose the baby again?"
Lilith's heart immediately melted as she slid an arm around her friend. "No- no, Sanya you can't think like that! And if you are pregnant, healthcare's so much better now than it ever had been. You'll be safe and the baby'll be okay- we'll work it all out, I promise."
"Yes, I know but what if-" What if Aslan takes it away from again? What if I'm not really pregnant?- she was about to say one of these when the door burst open and Edmund came in, breathing hard.
"You're pregnant?"
"She doesn't know yet." Lilith replied quickly, immediately seeing where the whole situation was going and trying to halt it, also rather annoyed at Edmund for bounding in at a time which was NOT about to help Sanya.
"You slept with someone else?" Susan, who had clearly been trying to stop Edmund from barging in, asked softly and sadly.
Either Edmund hadn't heard that part or the possible pregnancy had driven it out of his head, but he snapped his head at Sanya just as she said, "I did."
Lilith groaned internally at the whole situation as she slid her arm back from round her friend, her hand lingering on her back in support.
"You WHAT?" Edmund's tone sounded as if he had shouted, yet his voice had raised barely over a whisper.
That made her angry. For some stupid reason, the accusing and utterly angry at having his heart broken again tone in his voice made her mad.
"I. Slept. With. Haz." She said, enunciating each word clearly.
"But- you- why?" He managed, all reasonableness draining from his mind. "You barely even KNOW him!"
"It's not like it meant anything." Much, Sanya added mentally, for he was a good guy. "And YOU have nothing to be angry about. Lilith said quite rightly that WE are not together. I can do whatever I want."
Susan half opened her mouth to speak but closed it.
It took him a moment to gather words. "I- yes but- I- you SLEPT with him! And you're possibly pregnant with OUR baby!" Was all he could manage in the end.
"Possibly!" She yelled back. "And it's not like I KNEW I was going to sleep with him when I went over, and do you think if I knew there was the slightest chance that I was pregnant with your-our- child again, I would do it?" She asked, temper still rising.
"I think you would!" He replied sharply, his temper already way past her's. "Or at least I THINK! It's not like I know you anymore!"
"Well then, fuck you!" She screamed, temper reaching boiling point and she dug her nails into her palms to keep from hitting him. "You say you don't know me anymore, fine! See if I care! See if I let you near the baby!" She screamed the last part- it was the anger getting the better of her mind.
5 pairs of eyes landed on her, each holding their own confused shock.
"What?" Edmund voiced all their thoughts.
Sanya blinked, anger now directed at herself. "I- I didn't mean that. I didn't, I didn't, it just came out-"
"But why would you-" even think that, but Edmund failed to speak his thoughts as the room fell silent.
"How about we go get that test?" Lilith suggested to Sanya, much quieter than she'd meant to attempting in ANY way to eradicate the horrific atmosphere they were all drowning in.
Sanya pushing past them all and already out the door was clearly her answer.
Susan said quietly, slightly less upset than her little brother, "I'll come with you."
Lilith nodded and the two girls left, leaving Edmund, Lucy and Peter alone in the room.