The human heart has hidden treasures,
In secret kept, in silence sealed;
The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures,
Whose charms were broken if revealed.
And days may pass in gay confusion,
And nights in rosy riot fly,
-

"I don't see why I have to be here." Sanya said, staring at the Pevensie house in front of her.
Despite the reindeer decorations, the flower-bushes in the garden and the mailbox with six stick figures on it, it seemed as intimidating to her as Dracula's castle.
"They're your parents."

"Oh, no, you don't." Edmund said, tightening his hold on Sanya's hand. He was holding the bag of presents for his siblings and parents in his other hand. "You pulled that card with Sel and made me tell my siblings on my own, you can't use it again."

She scowled, "But I hate telling people things! Especially when I know they'll take it badly!"
Oh, she just wanted to go back home and write the mermaid story. Or any of the stories. Whichever she felt obsessive about for the day. Or she could masturbate. Or sit and draw the flowers in the garden. Or sleep.
Hm, sleep...

"You don't know that-"

"Because every parent wants to know their nineteen-year-old son is having a baby with a girl he married six months ago."

"Seven months." He corrected lovingly. "And twelve days."

Sanya fought the urge to stomp his foot. She also fought the urge to kiss him.
"I'm going to be sick." She announced, hoping he would take mercy and let her go back to Great Shelford. Or at least to her grandmother's house. "Morning sickness-"

"You're only having morning sickness on Mondays, and that, too, at night."

"It is Monday-"

"It's Thursday, Moonshine." He rolled his eyes, but was close to laughter, still.
He was so nervous that there was a whole circus of rats and mice dancing in his stomach, but his wife's attempts to avoid her in-laws were hilarious.
"Look, you can't leave. It's Christmas."

The once-High Queen of Rihaaya looked far from moved, "I know it will come as a shock to you and every other Christian in this world, but saying 'it's Christmas' doesn't automatically excuse and save everything."

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes," Edmund was honestly only messing with her now, but her cheeks were getting red and she looked so cute, "it does."

"Keep saying that, and we're not having sex until the child's on their way to university."

He snorted, "Says the woman who had sex with me in a telephone booth the day before."
They had been on their way to Ms. Potts and Dr. Wright's wedding, when their taxi had broken down. They had left early enough that they would reach on time nevertheless, but Edmund had felt it prudent to telephone them and let them know they could be late.
He had gotten into the telephone booth, the glass of which was so frosted it was impossible to see in from outside- and Sanya had got in just as he had begun to dial the operator, and- and- well. She had smiled at him, and he'd swallowed, unconsciously moving closer to each other.

He never did manage to make the call.

"Look, the doctor said that was because of the pregnancy." Sanya said, blushing.
They had been to Dr. Michael Wright only once, at his maternity hospital in Hauxton- which was barely ten minutes by car, but they did not have a car, so they had walked it, despite Sanya's not-so-subtle grumbles and complaints. It had taken forty minutes. And then the receptionist had scolded them both for deciding to walk so far while Sanya was in a 'delicate' state.

They'd then decided to just get a taxi from the next time.

They had spent more than two hours in Dr. Michael Wright's chamber, because of how many questions they (mostly Edmund) had.
They had both nursed the idea (hope?) that Dr. Nick had been wrong, and that she wasn't really pregnant- but at the end of the first hour, it had been obvious that either she was truly pregnant, or whatever disease she had was just similar to pregnancy in every single way.

"My- over-excitement is not my fault. It's hormonal insanity!"

She had been like that while pregnant with Seraphina, too- but later on, during her sixth month and onwards, and her lust had not been to this degree.

"Is that what you told yourself when you walked in while I was having a shower last week?"

"No, I told myself that Edmund looks very handsome with water dripping all over him, and I wanted to see that for myself." She spoke softly, tilting her head close to his mouth.

She'd got in the shower and kissed him, before kneeling down and wrapping her mouth around his cock- and then it had been a very dangerous next hour.

Fucking in the shower was risky, especially if you valued intact bones.

And after the shower, he had set her down on the countertop beside the sink, knelt down and licked her dry. She had almost broken the mirror when she'd orgasmed.

But that was not very often, shower sex. Usually they just giggled at each other and washed each other's hair.

And even more usually, they showered on their own. Bath times being separate had been an unspoken decision between them in Narnia, and it carried on here, too. They absolutely adored each other, but it was important to spend some modicum of time apart.

Obviously, Sanya disliked those modicums- but she had always and currently did love her solitude. It was comforting and freeing to be alone.

"You look so romantic with wet hair."

His lips twitched, and he hoped she did not see him gulping.
"I missed my first two classes."

"Worth it." She smiled angelically. "You could have told your professors you were studying the Indian ruling body-" she'd been a ruler, she had a body, and she was considered Indian, so it was not a lie, "they'd have let you off."

Edmund was inclined to agree. The professor of the first class had a keen interest in the situation in India, and he would often tell them news about the country, which he in turn relayed to his wife. Sanya usually knew all the news from before, but he still kept on telling her.
But her mentioning India reminded him of something.
"Speaking of India." He said, letting go of her waist and properly facing her. "I was thinking."

"It's your best skill."
Well, among his best.

"Do you want to move there someday?"

Sanya's eyebrows shot up into her hair.
"What?" Her eyes began to water from how wide they were. "Are you serious?"

"Very." He spoke with a nod, feeling suddenly bashful. "I've been thinking about it for a while, actually."

"B-but-" Sanya was truly speechless. She had thought about it before, probably from the first time she had read on the country- but she hadn't known that her husband had, too. He had never even mentioned having the inkling of such a thing! "But- but why?"

"You stayed in Narnia because you love me." Edmund said quietly.
He knew that there had been no rule in their alliance that stated that she had to spend her entire life in her consort's kingdom.
And she had told him what her mother had told her, while informing her of the marriage alliance- that she would have to stay in Narnia perhaps a few years, but not forever. She could have gone back to Rihaaya, returned home, anytime she had wanted to.
But Sanya had stayed with him, by his side. Even after he'd disappeared, she had lived in Narnia, taking care of it to the best of her ability.
"I know India isn't Rihaaya, and nothing in this world can be your home the way Azraq was home- but it'll be a lot closer than England is."

She was almost in tears. Oh, her wonderful husband- and these wretched hormones! Why were they even affecting her this soon- she was only at the beginning of her pregnancy, at the first trimester, as they called it!? She should not be feeling overly emotional until at least the fifth month!
"Well, you're-"

But Edmund had descended into a ramble now.
"I know it won't be possible for a few years, at least until I finish university, but it'll happen someday, if you want it. You'll be much happier in India-"

The food would be a lot better and vibrant there, and the weather would be warmer, so he was not wrong.
"Uh, I guess-"

"And even if you aren't, we can always move back, thanks to the safety net of the Rainsford fortune." He chuckled then, a sound both nervous and sarcastic. "Especially with the baby coming- I think it's important our child sees and knows your culture, my darling- well, a version of it- instead of just mine."

"Edmund." Sanya said loudly, and he finally fell silent, his freckled cheeks pink. "I- I'm- I'm so touched. And I would love that-"

He started to smile, "Alright, brilliant-"

"Someday." She ended, taking his hand in hers. Her eyes were luminous, and she was smiling softly, too. "When India's independent, and our baby is a little older."
And it would take her time to be used to the idea of moving, to adapt to yet another place. She would prefer to have that at a time when she was slightly more mentally stable.

Oh. Right. He hadn't even thought about that- of course she wasn't going to want to move to India while it was still under British rule. Her heart would break, just as it had when she had returned from the Faerie Realm and found out that her country had effectively been wiped out.
"I think it'll be soon. The freedom." He whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. It was slightly too warm, even for her- he hoped that was because of her woollen hat, and not because of the first-trimester fevers she had had with Seraphina. "Who knows, an independent India may come even before our baby does."

"Doctor said probably before June," though even he was unsure how far along she was- it may even be April, "and I don't think the British will let go of India that early." She hoped they would- but hope was foolish, especially in the face of centuries-long cruelty. "Anyway, I- I know England isn't home for me, but right now, I'm happy where I am."
Mostly because she was with him.
"And I love our dear not-so-little cottage."
She leaned up and pecked his lips.
"I'm happy, husband."

Edmund smiled a lot more brightly, and he cupped her cheeks, kissing her with far more ardour.
Her kiss had been sweet, but not enough- because in a moment like this, when he was so happy, too, he wanted their kiss to reflect that.
"See?" He murmured against her lips, and their noses bumped against each other. "Saying 'it's Christmas' does save everything, Moonshine."

She rolled her eyes, an action more fond than irritated, and pushed him away.
However, the blush dusted over her cheeks remained, and she did not let go of his hand.
"I don't care about telling your parents, by the way, I'm only here because you got me lovely stuffed toys for Christmas."
The plushies had been so cute! One had been a little purple elephant- she had named it Elphu; a grey horse that they'd both named Lunar; and a white owl she had yet to name.
"It was the best gift, and I love you, so I owe you my presence. You know that's why I'm here, right?"

"Yes, dear." He teased, grinning because he knew she was exaggerating. "I'm quite happy you loved them. And I knew they would be beneficial for me, somehow."

She knew he was joking, and so she had to work hard to not laugh. Oh, he always made her laugh!
Instead, she nodded in front of them, "Let's go in before the snow starts once more."

It had been snowing fiercely a few hours ago, when they had gone to the Rainsford house to spend some time with Maude.

They'd meant to tell her about the baby- but her doctor had shown up, and they had wordlessly agreed to tell her later.
Dr. Greene had looked at her in such a piercing way, though, that Sanya felt that he had realised- which, frankly, she didn't mind.
If he ended up telling Maude himself, it was good for Edmund and Sanya, because it was not an easy task to tell her grandmother something like this, and they both had been very nervous about it.

It had stopped snowing by the time they had left- but it could begin again at any time, and Sanya just knew that Edmund would end up catching pneumonia.

Edmund nodded, and they began to walk to the Pevensie house- he smiled at Rudolph's statue, because the red-nosed reindeer had always been his secret favourite- and then they were at the front door.

"The house smells good." Sanya said suddenly, sniffing at the air. "Thank the Heavens- I was worried the smell might have made me nauseated."

"If you do feel sick, let me know, and I'll take you back to Maude's." Her husband said- he didn't want her vomiting in the middle of the meal. Obviously partly because he didn't want the food ruined, but mostly because he fretted very much about his wife's health. "You'll rest better there."
He'd always been overprotective during her pregnancies- but he was even more so, now. He was not about to let her suffer through another miscarriage- and they could not lose another child.

"Yes, dear." She retorted with a little smile, leaning up to kiss his cheek. He was so cute when he was worried about her. "You can knock now."

Before Edmund could knock, though, sounds of shouting reached them.

"Not while you live under our roof!" It was his mother, shouting in a way he did not remember ever hearing. "You best buck up-"

"No, you two fuck off!" It was Susan.
Despite the language used being very un-Susan-ish, there was no mistaking the voice.
"You asked me to study that stupid course, I did! You asked me to get a part-time job, I got one!"

"Which you were fired from within a week!" That was George- he sounded more controlled than his wife, but his anger was just as apparent. "Have you even started looking for another one?"

"But I don't want another job-"

"And we don't want a daughter as thankless and unbalanced as you, but here we are." Helen had stopped shouting, but this crisp tone was a thousand times more terrifying. "The least you can do is be with your family on Christmas. The least you can do is be a good daughter and sister, since you clearly care not a fig about becoming anything more."

There was a sudden silence from the living room- that was where the voices appeared to be coming from- and Edmund and Sanya looked at each other, identical expressions of shame and curiosity on their faces.

"I have a key." Edmund whispered to his wife, just as the shouting began again- something about his sister having cleaned out all the beauty shops in London, which simultaneously cleaned out his father's pockets. "We could head in quietly, and sit in my room until they're done?"
He would have suggested they take a walk around the neighbourhood, but it was too cold to be outdoors at the moment, and it really wasn't right for Sanya to tire herself out.

Sanya nodded at her husband, before asking hesitantly, "C-can you hear the drawing room from your room?"

Edmund nodded, pulling out the silver key, "Yes, if you keep the door open."
He smirked at her.
"Why else do you think I suggested it?"
He had to listen- he was pretty sure his parents were in the right, for the sole reason that his sister was almost always in the wrong nowadays. But he would listen to the entire argument, and then make a decision- and try to comfort his parents, and maybe even his sister.

"You wicked boy." Sanya said, awed, as she watched him stealthily unlock the door.
The lock made no sound- and even if it did, it would have been drowned out by Susan's scream that she did have ambition, lots of it, but there was nothing in the world that interested her.
"We are absolutely having sex when they go quiet again."

Edmund smiled over his shoulder at his wife, as the door opened.
"Your wish is my command, my Queen."
--

"It's one party!" Susan said- she wasn't shouting anymore, not like she had been, but her voice seemed to have turned permanently shrill. "And I'm going with Claire, you know Claire, she tutored me-"

"Claire?" Sanya mouthed to her husband, who looked as befuddled as she did. "I thought she lives in Y-Yorkshire?"

"She does." Edmund spoke in a hushed whisper- she had come to their engagement party, as one of his rugby teammates' date, and they had spoken briefly. "Susan's lying."

Sanya and Edmund were lying down, sandwiched together, on Peter's bed- it was closer to the door, which was wide open. Edmund was lying on his stomach, resting his chin on his elbow, and his elbow on the bed- and Sanya was on her back, because lying on her stomach wasn't really an option for her, and her head half-lolled off the bed. Edmund had his other hand draped over his wife's torso, while Sanya had one leg tucked around her husband's foot, and the other rested on a pile of clothes at the other end of the bed.

Susan went on arguing, "But I'm with you all the bloody time."

George scoffed, "That's because you don't have a job."

Helen said something else, "That is true, but not with your siblings-"

"As though that is my fault!" Their daughter cried- cried, as in shouted, but Sanya couldn't help but think that her sister-in-law seemed close to actual tears. "I'm here! I'm always here- they're the ones who aren't."
Her voice lowered- Edmund and Sanya neared their heads to the door, but they could only hear only snippets of what she said next.
"I'm- xact- posed- be- but they- where else. Some- ar- far away."

It did not take the former Just King long to understand what the whole sentence was.
"I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be." He murmured to his wife. By the look on her face, it appeared that she had fallen in a few-seconds-long doze, but she soon caught up. "But they're somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away."

Sanya swallowed, "Is she talking just about living in different places or- or is she subconsciously thinking of Narnia?"

"I think she thinks that we live in fantasy, while she does not. Part of her knows that that fantasy is true- but-" Edmund shrugged, breaking off- he didn't really know what to say next.

Downstairs, Helen exhaled to keep what patience she had left, and said, "Your siblings are away because they're all doing something worthwhile- Lucy won a photography competition last month at school. She telephoned to let us know, but you were out shopping for shoes."

Susan muttered something that might have been 'there was a sale'.

"Peter's starting an internship at a surgery from April-" his two-year course at Cambridge would end in March, which was in three months, "if it goes well, that may well be where he does his residency."

Their daughter had snorted at the 'if it goes well' part, but Edmund and Sanya heard no more sounds of mirth after that.

"And Edmund is settled in every single way possible." George said, more than a hint of pride in his voice.
Upstairs, his son smiled to himself.
"He's studying with good results, he's working and providing for his wife, he has a lovely home- and your mother told me that Sanya told her that he may get a paid internship at a law firm next year."

Edmund looked at Sanya, "That was not meant to be public information until I actually get the internship."

Susan shouted something sarcastically about how she was sorry that she didn't get married right out of school, and to forgive her for not wanting to be a teenage bride!

"Baby made me do it." Sanya grinned, ignoring the shouting and patting her stomach.
There was not yet a baby bump- but it would be soon, probably by her nineteenth birthday, because she would be hitting the four-month mark somewhere around that time.
Probably.
She truly had no idea when it was that they had conceived this baby- they really did have sex too often.

He rolled his eyes- but he was quite unable to stay annoyed, and he bent down to kiss her nose.

Her smile disappeared as his lips moved away, and she looked worried suddenly.
"Edmund." She asked quietly- tremulously. "What if I miscarry again?"

His eyelids fluttered as he heard the question he had been worrying about for weeks- and he swallowed the lump in his throat.
"If- God forbid- that happens," Edmund said, rubbing his hand over her stomach, "then I'll hold your hand through it all. We'll go through it together, Moonshine."
What else could they do, but be together for it all?

"Thank you." Her smile was tender, and she reached a hand out to clumsily pat his shoulder. She looked at the door again for a second, before looking back at her husband, "Can I ask you something else?"

"Yes," oh, if anything Susan had said had got to Sanya, he was going to have strong words with his elder sister, "of course."

Sanya pouted, "Would you still love me if I was a worm?"

He stared at her.
"What."
It wasn't even a question. It was a declaration to how dumbfounded he was by her genuinely asinine query.

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?" She repeated seriously.
Part of her was holding in laughter- but she did want to know the answer, so she kept that part shuttered in.
"Or a bug, if you prefer something more like Kafka's stories."

"I- I-" Edmund was still close to being speechless, "yes. Yes, I'd still love you."

Her eyes shone, "Really?"

"Absolutely."
He had meant his wedding vows with every fibre in his body and soul- and, though there was no part of it that spoke of a spouse turning into a worm, Edmund thought that that might be included in 'for better, or for worse', or 'in sickness and in health'.
"I'll make a birdhouse thing, but for a worm, and I'll cut out a bit of our blanket so my worm-wife can stay warm- and I'll find you the miniature figurines that babies always swallow so you can play with those while I'm at university."

"Aw-"

"But the problem is, I'm not sure if the United Kingdom allows marriage between human and worm- even a worm that was formerly a human."

Sanya no longer looked happy- she knew Edmund was teasing, but in her hormonal state, she could have become upset at a painting with a sad theme.
Not even at the sad content of the painting- just the sad theme.
"Oh- well." She pushed herself closer to Edmund, and he instinctively held her tighter. "If we overcame being separated by worlds and thousands of years, I think we can overcome me being a worm and some British laws."

He smiled, happily surprised, "You have such faith in us."

"I don't have faith in much." She admitted. She never had- daydreamer she may be, but she was also a cynic. "But I have faith in our love."

"Me too." He said, kissing her again. "Back to eavesdropping?"

Sanya nodded immediately.

Susan, Helen, and George were now hollering on another topic- most likely a tangent caused due to the summary of Edmund's present life.

"You don't even have anyone special in your life."

"Well." Susan answered to her mother, sarcasm clear even in just one word. "I have you two."

"It's not funny, Susan." Helen snapped. "I'm not asking you to get married now, or even anytime soon- but you're almost twenty-two, and you don't even mention any boys."

"Edmund." She retorted. "Peter. There, those are boys-"

"Not ones you're related to." Her father sighed, and the teenage married couple upstairs imagined he had his palm on his forehead. "Honestly-"

"I keep in touch with Noah Williams- I met him in Boston." She wasn't lying! They did send letters back and forth, every few months, and she had struck up a correspondence with Clara, his wife, too. "He and his wife are lovely."

Helen was afraid that the next thing her daughter would say that she had plans to be a home-wrecker, and she shared a nervous glance with her husband, who promptly said, "Forget boys-"

"Happily."

George ignored his daughter's interruption, and went on, "Susan, you don't even have any friends."

"Yes, I do!" The elder Pevensie girl said immediately, sounding genuinely offended. "Who do you suppose invites me out to parties? Random people off the street?"

"Darling, considering how much make-up you put on your face sometimes, I wouldn't be surprised if you actually were at a street party."

"I am not a prostitute, Mother!"

"I did not mean in that way, at all." Helen sighed, and Edmund heard the creak of the right armchair as his mother sat down on it. "I meant, that these parties you go to don't seem like respectable or tasteful affairs, which explains why you have more make-up on your face than a sixteenth-century French courtesan."

There was silence again, until Susan said tersely, "I have friends. They may not be- bosom friends, but I do. And I don't care whether a party is tasteful or not- though, I assure you, I would not touch a street-party with a hundred-foot pole- as long as I have fun."

"Susan-"

"I'm going to be here for my whole life, Father." She said firmly. "I'll jolly well enjoy myself as long as I can, no matter what you say. I know that women have a very limited time of their life they can truly have fun in, and I'll make the most of it."

"Poor Susan." The True Queen said- it was remarkable how Susan made her want to smack her and hug her tight at the same time.

"You have no idea how many times I've thought that." Lucy said as she slouched into the room, looking exhausted. Despite that, she smiled at the couple as she sat downtown on Edmund's bed, and said cheerfully, "Merry Christmas!"

"Sssh!" They said immediately, Sanya waving her hand at her to get her to lower her voice and Edmund lifting a finger to his lips to signal silence. "They don't know that we're here!"

Lucy looked perturbed, and asked in a much softer voice, "Really?"

They nodded in unison, and her brother said, "We thought both you and Peter were out?"

"Peter is. He forgot to wrap one of his gifts, and there's no more wrapping paper in the house." The girl shrugged. "I would've gone, but there was some last minute homework I wanted to finish before, because there is absolutely no way I'm touching my books from after Christmas lunch until I go back to school."

"It's so weird that our final year ended in December, but yours will continue till June." Sanya said, her head turned so she could properly look at her sister-in-law. "By weird, I mainly mean unfortunate."

Lucy sighed deeply, "Ah, it's alright, I don't mind school. Anyway, yours was an anomaly because of the war ending."

Edmund nodded again, moving to lie on his side- talking with his baby sister was more important than eavesdropping on his older one.
With a smile, he whispered, "Merry Christmas, Lu."

Sanya grinned, too, and held her hand across the space between the beds so she could hold Lucy's.
She was so overcome with love for the younger girl- the first person in Narnia who had made her heart feel warm.
"Merry Christmas, Lucy." She said, swinging their conjoined hands wildly- Lucy giggled very quietly. "Do you want to know a secret?"

"Sanya." Her husband said in surprise, knowing entirely what the 'secret' was and being very unaware as to why Sanya had chosen now to tell it. "Are you sure?"

"Very much." She said, and pulled herself into a sitting position- unfortunately, letting go of her sister's hand in the process. "Do you want to-"

He shook his head, smiling a little.
"You can tell her."
He was fine with that- he had a very strong feeling that he'd end up being the one who'd have to tell his parents. His wife would no doubt be awkwardly silent- which he was fine with. He just needed her to hold his hand.

Sanya nodded, before looking to her sister with a nervous smile.
"Lu- I'm pregnant."

Lucy gaped at her.

She had to say it again- she wanted to say it again.
"We're having a baby." She said softly, her tone of absolute joy, and she felt Edmund press a kiss to her hair.
He was smiling, too, she knew it.
With a little laugh, she amended, "Another baby, yes."

Lucy now had her hands clamped firmly over her mouth, the rest of her body starting to shake.

Edmund chuckled, half his face hidden by his wife's hair, "It's alright, Lu, let it out."
The conversation downstairs had ended long ago- he'd heard his parents' footsteps move towards the kitchen, but not Susan's, which meant she was sulking in the drawing room.

"Ahhh!" She dropped her hands and squealed, jumping over to Peter's bed. "I'm SO HAPPY FOR YOU!"

"We're very happy, too." Sanya said, looking over her shoulder to Edmund. "Right?"

He pressed his lips to hers for a short, sweet second, and whispered, "Over the Moon, Moonshine."

Once she was satisfactorily sure that their little moment had ended, Lucy threw her arms around the couple, continuing to squeal her congratulations.

"When did you find out- do you know if it's healthy- oh, I'm so happy- what colour will you paint the nursery- oh, more babies of you two- I'm sorry, but I will take SO MANY pictures of the baby- and of your pregnancy, too, Sanya, if you don't mind, to document- oh, this is just so NICE-"

Very gently, Edmund pushed his sister away from his wife.
"I love you, lovely Lu, but I sort of want our baby to be born with functional ears."

His sister pouted for a moment, displeased at the hug being cut short, but nodded in acceptance of what he said.
"Yes, that's fair, sorry. I'm just so very happy-" Lucy said, her blue eyes shining- even her hair seemed more lustrous, somehow, "and no one deserves this joy more than-"

"Edmund! Sanya!" It was Helen, coming into the room with a dusting brush and an expression of surprise. "I had no idea- Lucy, what are you doing here? I thought Peter took you with him to get wrapping paper?"

"I had some homework to finish." Her youngest child shrugged, before biting her lip. "Sorry, Mum- I would have told you, but you were- er, preoccupied."

She flushed, and shifted her attention back to her younger son and his wife. Lord, she never would get used to that, even if she lived a hundred years.
"When did you two get here?"

"Not long ago." Edmund said- it had been an hour, almost, but 'not long ago' was relative, so he wasn't technically lying. "Sorry we didn't see you first, but Sanya's feeling a bit under the weather-"

Sanya nodded, forcing an apologetic expression on her face, "Yeah, sorry, Helen, I just really needed to lie down for some time."

"Oh, no worries, sweetheart, rest as much as you need." Helen said comfortingly, reaching down to hug her son for a short moment. As she rose upright again- she did not hug Sanya, because as far as she knew, the girl was not fond of hugs- she asked worriedly, "It's nothing serious, I hope? If it is, I should call the hospital and-"

"No, nothing serious." Sanya said, sharing a look with Edmund. His eyes were lit up with mirth, and she gave a barely perceptible nod. "A little long-term, but nothing bad."

"Yeah." Edmund nodded, a grin threatening to break. "Nothing bad- it'll just last about six or seven more months."

His mother looked confused. If a disease lasted that long, surely it was serious?
"Six or seven-"
She broke off with a gasp, as she realised.

"Yes." Her son said brightly, hoping he was reading the question written on her face correctly. "You're about to be a grandmum, Mum."
Again.

But, of course, she did not know about Jem, Selene, and Seraphina. He wished he could tell his parents about them- someday, even if it was someday too far. He really hoped so- but he knew it would never happen.

It was alright. He had Sanya to talk about their children with, to reminisce with, to grieve with. She'd always be with him.

Helen simply stared.

Sanya remembered that Asherii had had to very bluntly tell her that she was expecting a baby, before she had finally grasped the situation happening.
"I'm pregnant." She said, for the second time in five minutes. But that was fine- the more times she said it, the less scared and paranoid she felt about this. "With Edmund's baby."
Again!

Her husband rolled his eyes, "I think that's a given, my love."

"Well, just in case..."

"George." Helen spoke suddenly, sounding faint. But, almost in an instant, her vigour returned, and she shouted, "George! George, dear, come up here for a moment!"

There was a shout from downstairs, "Coming!", at the exact same time that the sound of the front door opening came, and Peter called, "I'm home! Peter Pevensie with wrapped presents after a pretty terrible shopping trip present!"

"He always skips the Peyton." Helen muttered to herself, as the staircase creaked with the weight of the two blond men walking up. "It's such a nice name-"

A nicer name was Selene, Edmund thought. He was really quite proud of coming up with his stunning star's name- he still remembered how excited Sanya had been when she had guessed the name, and how much she had loved it, too, just as he had.
He had to start thinking of names again...

"What is it, Ennie?" George asked as he and Peter walked into the room, both looking surprised at it being so full. The boys' room was usually empty nowadays, and he had almost been starting to get used to it. "Edmund, son, Merry Christmas. Didn't know you and Sanya were already here."

"Just reached a little while ago." Edmund said, getting to his feet and hugging both his father and brother, wishing them a Merry Christmas, too.

"Merry Christmas." Sanya wished as well, very politely, a small smile on her face. She would have hugged Peter, but it would be rude to hug one person, and not the others. "The house smells excellent."

"Are you sure?" Helen asked worriedly, bending a little to be inspect her daughter-in-law better. She looked tired- and she felt even more worried. Her son needed to look after- oh, but Edmund was so busy with university and everything, who could take care of her? "If the smell makes you sick, I can take all the food out and we'll eat in the garden while you rest here-"

"Mum!" Peter was flabbergasted.
Christmas dinner in the garden, next to the bomb shelter?
Absolutely not.
"Have you gone bonkers?"

He knew that was perhaps a little exaggerated a reaction, but it had been nearly impossible finding wrapping paper on Christmas Day itself and it had been hell going in and out of the chaotically crowded shop!
He just wanted a good meal in the warm comfort of his home now, was it too much to ask for!?

Very quietly, Sanya said, "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
It was better to mutter literary quotes than respond to someone's fussing, sweet as it was.

Lucy, who was sitting right next to her, grinned as she recognised the quote.
She leaned closer to her sister, and whispered, "How do you know I'm mad?"

"You must be," said the former High Queen of Rihaaya, smiling as well, "or you wouldn't have come here."

"Don't say things like that to your mother." George scolded his elder son- but it was half-hearted, because he shared the same opinion. Who wanted to have a Christmas meal outside in the cold? "But, dear, why do you want to eat in the garden?"

"Of course I don't want to eat there-"

"Then what-"

"It's just that Sanya-"

"What's the sudden concern for San's health?" Peter asked, looking confused. "She's never been a paragon of health, which she would know if she ever went for regular medical check-ups."

Sanya stuck her tongue out at her brother-in-law.

Helen tutted, "Shush, son, that's not what it is-"

"I'm pregnant." Sanya said, seeing that her mother-in-law was starting to sweat from the few seconds that she was having to keep her secret.
She had never understood how it could corrode at people's souls to lie and keep secrets- she, for one, had always done it without complaint.
Usually, at least- sometimes she just had too much of a big mouth.
"Ed and I are going to have a baby."

"What?" It was not any of the occupants of the room- but Susan, who had apparently been passing this room to get to hers. "You're pregnant?"

Sanya nodded, her lips pursed suddenly.
It wasn't that she didn't want her to know- no, of course not, she was the baby's auntie, of course she would know- but Susan was the only one, other than Edmund, who knew about her miscarriage.

Bonnie didn't know, Lucy and Peter didn't know, Mina didn't know, Clarke didn't know, her grandmother definitely did not know- it was only Edmund and Susan. And Dr. Nick.

And she worried that Susan might blurt it out in front of everyone else. Probably by accident- but she might.

Thankfully, before she could say anything more, Peter had escaped his shock and had turned towards his brother, an expression of absolute disbelief on his face.
There was also a fair bit of exasperation there.
"What is wrong with you!?"

Edmund looked affronted.
"What!?"

The eldest Pevensie child looked ready to scold very furiously- but, remembering that there were people in the room who had not lived in Narnia- and there was one who did not remember Narnia- he stopped himself from saying what he had been about to say.
Oh, he would yell at him later.
"Er- well-"
What other thing could he scold him for him, since he couldn't mention the fact that he had now got Sanya pregnant by accident three times!?
"You're still in university!" Yes, that was a good reason for bursting out at him. "And you've barely been married six months-"

"Seven months and twelve days." Sanya murmured to herself.

"Ed, Sanya, you should know better- you're both smart, usually, but this was so foolish-"
Hell, and he had bet on this with the maddening minx Mina- he had said that there was no way that his brother and sister-in-law were having babies for at least two more years.
Mina had said that she had thought the same- but then she'd only laughed and said something in a mixture of French and Portuguese about irresponsibility and passion.
The accursed beauty would win- and he hadn't even any money to settle the bet!

Susan stayed silent. She would have been the one to say this, to speak words that both advertised caution and reprimanded judgementally. But her siblings had all but cast her away, and she didn't think it was her place to tell her baby brother anything anymore.

"Oh, sweetums, you can't scold them for that." Helen spoke with a laugh. "Why, I was pregnant twice within the first three years of my marriage- that was hardly smart, either."
She was a bit horrified that her baby boy was having a baby while he was still a teenager- but he was responsible and caring, while Sanya was protective and liked to stay at home. And at least they were married!
Not to mention, there would be a little baby to spoil and who'd call her 'Granny'! She quite loved babies.

"At least Dad had a job!" Her eldest son said, rolling his eyes. "Ed has homework!"

Edmund opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it.
Not because he had nothing to say- but because his brother was right.

This was very, very stupid, something both he and Sanya were usually not- and they absolutely should have known better.

But they kept on having the same accident.

Sanya had adopted Jem impulsively, and he had been impulsive in his decision to be his father, too, after his adorable "Happy Birthday, Daddy!"- Selene had been an accident, because they had both been drowsy and very much in a romantic mood, since Edmund had asked Sanya to renew their vows; Seraphina, too, had been an accident, because that very fateful Valentine's Day had made them forget all about using protection, even though they had decided to not have more children for a few more years- and then the third time Sanya had fallen pregnant had been an accident as well, because both of them were too enamoured with each other and having sex with each other, after having been exempt from it for so long.
And now the fourth time- well, fifth, counting Jemmy. Another unexpected pregnancy, another wholly unplanned child.

Maybe he should have a vasectomy.
Those were reversible, he had heard.

As Edmund contemplated the dangers of surgery, Sanya started to speak, "It's true this was stupid and reckless-" always so reckless, her parents would say, "but it's happened, and we already love whatever little person is growing in me."

"And you're married, so that's another worry taken care of." George said- he had not said a word since his daughter-in-law had announced that she was expecting, and he figured now was as good a time as any. "I, for one, am thrilled to be a very premature grandfather."

Having decided to ask Dr. Wright about the surgical matter later, his younger son grinned mischievously, "Fifty-year-olds become granddads all the time, Dad."

"I won't be fifty for four more years!"

"Rounding off, Dad."

"Who's even going to take care of the baby?" Susan suddenly asked, her arms crossed.

Edmund and Sanya looked at her, and then at each other, puzzled.
"Well- we will." They said together, and Helen repressed a shudder. "We're the parents, you know."

"Yes, I do know, but Edmund has university, and Sanya has her bookshop opening from next month. You won't have time for a baby."

"I'm not the only one working at the bookshop, Su, there are others."

One of them was a half-Indian girl, Naomi Shah, and they had spent most of the interview talking about how much they loved biryani.

Another was an Alexander Kent, who'd actually been chosen by Edmund- he had been there to help her in the interviewing- as soon as he had said that he loved chess.

Sanya didn't know if there was something called pre-manager or additional manager or assistant manager- she supposed she was manager- but if there was, they would get the job.

"And it's a baby-friendly shop. Dog-friendly, too." She was going to introduce the baby to the wonderful world of books as soon as the little thing could properly open their eyes. "And Edmund will schedule his classes from the next year in a way that he can come home as much as possible."
They'd live- hm, perhaps 'live' wasn't the right word, though, because a baby hardly left you with much of a life outside the house.
Alright- they'd exist well enough.

"There's a day-care in town, and we can hire a part-time nanny, if needed." Edmund carried on- he had had to unfortunately cave into the point about the nanny, when his wife had pointed out how helpful the army of nannies and child-nurses had been with their children in Narnia. "We've already talked about this. I know the situation isn't perfect, but we'll make the most of it."
Honestly, he was rather glad with the reactions. He had been worried that his parents would ask him to do Punnett squares to figure out if the baby would have brown skin or white.

"I can stay with you, too." Lucy offered happily- she had adored each of their children, and she knew this one would be no different. "After school ends, and before I start university-"

Anxiously, her father asked, "Have you heard from any yet?"

"No, not yet."

Georgie heaved a subtle sigh of relief. Lucy was their baby girl- and the day she left for university would be very hard indeed, and he knew he'd cry.
Also, her university expenses would make him cry, too.

Lucy continued, "I'd love to help."

"Basically, we'll manage." Edmund ended, sharing a small smile with his wife. "It's only one baby, and-"

"We've been through worse." Sanya said, her smile fading slightly.

A lot worse. Both of them had.

And babies only brought joy. Heavens knew they needed it.

But she didn't want to think about the philosophical and psychological aspects of having another child.
There would be another little dark-haired and chubby-cheeked baby in their arms soon, and that was what mattered.

That, and her hunger, because she was really hungry, and since she was pregnant, she ate even more than usual. Sarah had taken her appetite as a personal challenge.

She would honestly end up regaining all the weight she had lost in Neráida.

She leaned closer to her husband and whispered in his ear, "Can we eat now, please? I'm craving turkey, oddly and luckily enough."

He nodded quickly, and looked at his mother, "Mum, is it time for lunch yet?"

"It's been time for lunch for ages, everyone was just too preoccupied with the news of the impending baby." Peter snorted, before patting his brother's shoulder. "Come on, we'll set the table."

"What? No, I should-"

But Peter's blue eyes held a glint, the older-brother glint he knew too well, and Edmund acquiesced to his statement, but with very bad grace.

To be fair, the bad grace was justified, because Peter started admonishing him about his stupendous ability to keep getting Sanya pregnant without meaning to before they were even halfway down the stairs.

The moment "THIRD BLOODY TIME, EDMUND!" reached Sanya's ears, she looked to her in-laws and said very loudly, "It's Christmas! Time to eat."

Lucy nodded fervently in agreement- she, too, had heard the yell- taking Sanya's hand, and the two girls all but dashed out of the room.

"Don't run, Sanya!" Helen hurried after them. "It's not safe when you're expecting- be careful!"

In seconds, George and Susan stood alone, mutely looking at each other. Their blue eyes held similar sentiments of discomfort and a sense of defeat, as both remembered the argument from barely half an hour ago.

"Father." Susan said hesitantly.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment. I'm sorry I'm not the big girl Mother told me to be when you were gone. I'm sorry I'm like this, and I'm sorry that I like being like this.
"I made pudding for dessert."

"Oh." Pudding was his favourite, and he smiled a little. "A good way to end a Christmas lunch."

"I think we should head down before Peter, Edmund and Sanya finish the food on their own."

Her father nodded in agreement- and the two left the room and walked down in silence.

At least the atmosphere downstairs- with Helen laughing as she drank some sherry to 'take the edge off', and Lucy and Peter making faces at each other, something that had begun because she had shaken her head at him for scolding Edmund on Christmas, and he had stuck his tongue out at her; and Sanya saying that the turkey smell was so delicious it could possibly make the baby start kicking, with Edmund laying his hand on her stomach, even though there was hardly a baby bump yet, both grinning at each other- was far more effervescent and tranquil.
--

Jonathan was sniggering to himself about a caricature of Professor Marriott that he had drawn- instead of paying attention to class, as most of the other students were doing- and it was starting to drive Edmund mad.

He was all for having fun in class, but what the Professor was reading out now was important!

They had tests next week- Edmund was pretty sure the university had chosen the week of Valentine's Day on purpose- and since they were the last tests before the Easter break from mid-March, he knew they would not be easy to ace.

Yes, it was possible to buy the book Professor Marriott was reading from, but the book- like every other book on the recommended reading list- was too expensive, and he wasn't shelling out many shillings just to copy down one page from the book.

As he continued to scribble down notes so fast that his handwriting was starting to look worse than his wife's, he started to muse.

Maybe he could ask Sanya to order copies of the books on the list for her bookshop- and she would do it, too, without question.
But it wasn't just for him- it could increase her revenue, because, surely, some of the many people who frequented it had to be interested in law? It was a university town, which meant it was full of scholars and people eager to learn.

Oh, who was he kidding? Not even Lucy would try to believe that rubbish. There were no other law students of Cambridge who lived in Great Shelford, and they were the only ones who would be even remotely interested in A Concise History of the Common Law by T. F. T. Plucknett, M.A.
He was pretty sure the professor had misspelt 'Plucknett' was the board- he had written it with one 't' instead of two.

The professor went on reciting, "And doctrines which have resulted from the new conditions emerging in the course of the present conflict. But, apart from the uncertainty as to the duration of the hostilities, the rapidly changing conditions of international relations have-"

There was a loud knock on the door of the lecture room, and the professor halted, calling out, "Come in!"

A boy walked in.
He wasn't in law, but Edmund had seen him around the law department before- he was some sort of delivery boy on campus, he was fairly sure. He and Jonathan had had a conversation about him once, and one of them- he couldn't remember whether it was his friend or he himself- had remarked that it was rather cute that he looked like he was still in school.
"Sorry, Professor." He apologised, trying to mask his nervousness at addressing a professor directly. Just because he did some jobs for them didn't mean he didn't fear them! "But, er, is there a Pevensie here? Edmund Pevensie?"

What?
Edmund raised his hand from his seat, and said, "Yes?"

Professor Harry Marriott didn't even look at him, continuing to purse his lips at the messenger. Oh, it was these students who had turned his hair grey!
"We're in the middle of class, young man-"

"Frankie Welton, sir."

He ignored him, "What do you mean by-"

"S-sorry, Professor, but it's an urgent call for him." He turned to Edmund, who had stood up at his desk, his brows furrowed. "Something to do with your family, mate. I think you better come quick."

Important tests or not, nothing was more important than family.
He was glad he had chosen a seat in the second row that day, as opposed to the topmost row- this particular lecture room had descending benches, which made him feel like this room was truly of a university- it was a chore to get down from there.
He gathered his things quickly, just in case he had to leave for home- and whispered to Jonathan, "Take notes for me."

His mouth fell open, "But I'm drawing-"
He paid attention in all the other classes- but Professor Marriott's, he just could not. The fellow was fine, but the course he taught was mind-numbingly boring.

Edmund bonked him on the head with his pen- shit, he hadn't put that in his pencil-box.
"Take notes." He said again, and walked down towards where the professor stood at his desk.
Although he had spoken to the man several times before, most of those times was when he was answering question- he had never spoken to him about anything non-academic.
But his concern for his family outweighed the nervousness.
"Professor, I'm sorry-"

"Go, go." He waved the page he had been reading from, frowning less than he had been. "I suppose it's not life-threatening to miss a few minutes of a lecture about the history of jurisprudence."

He smiled a very polite smile at the old man, unconsciously bowing his head slightly, before following after Frankie to where the telephone was.

Once the little room that housed the contraption was in sight- at the end of a long hallway off the lecture rooms- Frankie said casually, "The one who called you sounded rather panicked, so you should hurry."

He could have said that before! He would have run, then, not walked!
Edmund gave him a scowl, and then dashed towards the room, grabbing the black receiver and holding it to his ear the very moment he entered.
"Hello?"

"Hello? Ed-"

"Wha- Sanya?" He had thought it was his mother- Lucy was at school, Peter was on this very campus, his father was at work, Sanya detested phone calls, and Susan barely spoke to anyone in the family.
But the deep, husky voice belonged to his lovely wife, and his heart crept into his throat- he was already going out of his mind with worry.
"Sanya, what's wrong, are you alright- are you hurt- the ba-"
What if she had got into an accident- or had another miscarriage- or burnt the kitchen down and harmed herself-

Her voice came quickly, because she could understand the panic in her husband's tone. She herself had been rather panicked, if she was being honest.
"We're alright, we're alright!"

He genuinely couldn't remember the last time he had felt this relieved.
He inhaled, resting his forehead against the cool wood of the wall for a moment, before speaking again, "Darling, as glad as I am to hear that, I'm in class, why are you calling?"

Hopefully it wasn't because Maude had changed her opinions about the baby.

The old lady had been very shocked when Sanya and Edmund had told her- but, very soon, she'd been overjoyed at the news, 'ill-timed' and 'premature' and 'immature' as it was.
She now referred to him by clearing her throat, instead of saying 'that boy'.

"Oh, I had to call, this is important-" unintentionally, her eyes went to her watch- seven minutes past three-thirty, "oh, wait."

Sanya broke off for a moment, setting the receiver down on the table to walk towards the living room.

Yes, it was still walk. Her baby bump wasn't big enough to call it a waddle.

"Bonnie," She said, and her best friend looked up from the album of wedding photographs, "your tea's ready."

Bonnie had a three-day weekend off- Monday being the third- and so she was staying the weekend with them.
She would have gone to her parents, but her parents were under the impression that she spent all her free time studying, and she didn't want anything to tarnish that idea.
Who said only teenagers concealed things from their parents?
And staying with Susan had also been an idea, but the lock on her bedroom was broken, and the two girls did not want to risk being caught in the middle of amorous activities by one of the girls' parents.

(Yes, they were having sex, and they liked it so much it was impossible to go without it for three entire nights that they were spending together!)

Hence, Clematis Cottage it was.
She had met up with Sanya on her way back from the other Dr. Wright's clinic, while she had been walking from the train station to their cottage.

She looked dubious, "Are you sure it's been enough time?"

She had made the tea herself, as she had not wanted her pregnant best friend to struggle in the kitchen- though, all Sanya did in the kitchen on the few occasions she entered it, was struggle- but she had asked her to keep an eye on the clock.

Sanya gave her a look, "Drink it, or I'll give it to the cat Ed feeds every morning."

Bonnie looked interested, "Speaking of animals, weren't you saying you wanted a dog as soon as possible? What happened to that?"
She liked coming to Sanya and Edmund's house, but she would like it a lot better if there was a dog here. Maybe the dog could get Susan and the Pevensies to reconcile, and bury the currently less-than-cordial relationship between them.

She poked her baby bump gently.
"This happened. Ed said that a puppy was his original birthday gift for me, before we found out I'm pregnant- but plans change." Her puppy plushie was a perfectly acceptable alternative for the time being. "We decided he could give me one for my twentieth birthday instead."

"What if I got you a puppy for your wedding anniversary?"
Babies liked puppies, and puppies liked babies, and she liked both. They would have a ball of a time, though part of her was still very much astonished that her best friend- who was younger to her by two and a half years- was married and pregnant!

Her eyes got bright with excitement for a moment- puppy, puppy, puppy!- but reality kicked in, and she had to pour water all over her own excitement. She hated being an 'adult'.
"If you can come over and look after everything, then sure. I'll be on bedrest then, and Edmund will likely have exams- oh, fuck, Ed!"
As she rushed back to the telephone, she was forced to accept that her movement was closer to a waddle than a walk. Though she wasn't very far along yet, her stomach had rounded enough to have an effect on her walk.
But it was not completely a waddle, and that was the important part!
"Sorry, sorry!" Sanya said, and bit her lip as she heard Edmund click his tongue in disapproval- it was the only thing he did with his tongue that she disliked. "Bonnie's here, and-"

"Already? I thought she was coming after her classes got over-"

"Yeah, the last two got cancelled, so-"

"Oh, alright." Edmund said, nodding on his side of the telephone call. "Now, what happened?"

"Oh, right." She said sheepishly. "I just came home from the doctor's."

"What?" That couldn't have been right- he had checked the planner on the dining table before leaving, the appointment had been at five-thirty! "But the appointment was in the evening- I was supposed to go with you-"

"Yes, I know, but he couldn't do it then, so he rung me to ask me if I could come in earlier. I'm sorry, husband, but I was so bored-" she had had a list of pregnancy-safe chores to do, but she hadn't wanted to do them, "and I wasn't doing anything, so I went, and-"

"What?" He asked again- he wasn't usually impatient, but if there was something big that had happened, he needed to know! This was not a mystery novel, where he could calmly- somewhat- stay on the edge of his seat for two hundred pages. "Are you planning on killing me with suspense, Moonshine? What happened with the baby-"

"Babies."

"What?"
He was aware that this was the third time he had uttered the word.

"Babies." Her voice was breathless, excited.
Her fingers curled tight around the telephone receiver- she could not hold Edmund's hand, or hug him at this moment, but at least she could hold the thing his voice came out of.
"When the doctor was poking around my bump-" which had shown up on the morning after her nineteenth birthday, as some peculiar belated birthday gift, "with his sthetoscope- stetho- oh, you know what I mean. Anyway, he heard two heartbeats. I thought he meant mine and the baby's- but- both heartbeats came from the womb. Now, he says it's impossible to be a hundred percent sure, but-"

Blankly, Edmund said, "We're having twins?"

Sanya nodded shakily, "We're having twins."

"I- I-"
There were no words. He wasn't even capable of saying 'no' this time. There were no words!

"Do you have any twins in your family?" Questions would distract him. Questions could make him forget how much more difficult and worrying it was to have two babies to take care of. Sanya really wanted her husband to be happy about this- but she would settle for him not having a breakdown. "The doctor said that twins are generally genetic."

Oh, his wife was asking questions. He had to answer them, like he always did.
But he was not always this stunned. He wasn't always shocked- and even rarer than that was the shock being a happy one.

He was happy. It came slowly- but it was true.
Two babies- two darling little part-Sanya sweetlings to care for.
Although the caring would make their financial situation worse, and two babies would exhaust them to the brink and then some more- he couldn't bring himself to care.
They were having twins!
"Er- not as far as I know. This is miraculous- I'm-" Edmund laughed, and he heard a quiet sound of surprise from his wife- she must have been very nervous, "feeling so unbelievably happy, it's astounding that fifteen minutes ago I was getting pissed off about this common law that allowed husbands immunity from-" oh, this was not a topic Sanya would enjoy, "never mind, it's boring stuff. Back to the baby- babies! How do you feel about it?"

She leaned against the wall- the support felt so good against her aching back, she almost slid down onto the floor. The telephone had to be moved somewhere where there was a place to sit- currently, it was in the foyer, on the table that held keys and a tray for letters and two umbrellas.
She wondered if anyone she knew would know any masseurs- she would die and kill for one.
"I'm- I'm very scared of pushing them out of my body, and I'm already lamenting our lack of sleep- but I am so happy it doesn't even feel real."

He chuckled, a soft sound of wonder and joy. He felt exactly that, too- minus the 'pushing them out of body' part.
"Gosh, Moonshine, I'm-"

Her tone was hopeful, "Over the Moon?"

"Yes. Always am, when I'm with you, my love." He paused a moment, already planning. "We'll need to shift the nursery to another room- the one we've picked out is too small for twins- the nursery can be in my office, I'll take another room-"

"Ed, Ed." Sanya laughed, too, dearly wishing she could have interrupted him with a kiss. "I'm only five months pregnant," probably, "we have time, alright? We have time. W-we can be just happy for a while, I think."

"Yeah." His smile spread, almost from ear to ear. "I guess we'll have two two-legged-"

"Oi, Pevensie!" It was Frankie, standing at the threshold of the room, and looking very cross. "I didn't go to speak with Marriott and risk my academic career for you to chat shit! Go get back to class!"

He had a point. Edmund could probably catch the last few minutes of the lecture- he did not trust Jonathan to copy notes.
"Moon-"

"I heard, don't worry." She giggled. She would have giggled at anything. "I have to entertain Bon, and then I have to head into the shop, anyways- we'll celebrate when you come home. Have a good rest of the day, husband. I love you."

"I love you, too, my Moonshine- yes, Frankie, I'm going!"

As he walked back into the lecture room, he was glad to see that the professor was still there.
He'd apparently given the class some sort of fill in the blanks on the board, and he now sat at his desk, peering at the day's newspaper.

But, as Edmund came in, he looked up.

"Oh, Mr. Pevensie." He had not expected him to return- most students took advantage of situations like these, and ran off to somewhere they didn't have to take down notes. "Who was that? Has something serious happened?"

"Oh, it was just- er-" Professor Marriott didn't know he was married, and very few of his classmates did- but he was far too happy to hide his absurdly early marriage, "it was my wife, sir."

His grey brows rose, "Your wife?"

Edmund stood near his desk, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Yes, sir."

"What in the world- how old are you?" To think he had just been telling his own wife that nothing surprised him anymore! "When did you get married?"

"We're both nineteen, Professor, and we got married last May."

"I hope it wasn't one of those half-cocked relationships formed of the euphoria of the war ending." He said severely. "I did not expect you to be married, boy."

He shrugged- he had no wish to provide justification, for their marriage did not need it- and so he simply said, "Well, when you're in love."
He really wished the class would focus on their work instead of the conversation- but he knew that would not happen.
"And, no, sir. We've been together for years- feels like forever, to be honest." He tried to conceal the little smile on his face- it just always came up whenever he spoke of Sanya. "I always knew I'd marry her- she's the one."

A very audible, simpering "how romantic!", came from one of the other students. It might have been more than just one.

"Pipe down, pipe down." The Professor looked at the young student again. "Which university is she in?"

"Oh, she's not, sir." Edmund said evenly- Marriott had better not say anything rude about that. University was the best way to make a future, but it was not the only way- and everyone should have the privilege to choose whatever path they wanted to follow. "She didn't want to pursue higher education."

"What? So she's content being a mere housewife? Good Lord."

"Heavens, no, sir, Sanya would die rather than be the typical homemaker." She would probably die while trying to do something a typical homemaker did, he had to admit. "She's actually started a bookshop- it's called True's Tales, and is in Great Shelford. And being a housewife is really the most difficult job, wouldn't you say?"

He hmph'ed, "Bookshop, eh? She likes books?"

"She loves them more than she loves me." He wasn't even lying. And probably not exaggerating, either. "She can finish a six-hundred-page book in two hours, easy. She reads so fast she spends more time worrying about the fictional characters than actually reading about them."

He was impressed in spite of himself.
"Sounds- like quite a personality. Why did- Sonia, was it?- why did she call you? At university, of all places?" It was Cambridge. Nineteen year old students did not get calls from their wives, or from anyone, for that matter, in the middle of a Cambridge class. "Something wrong at home?"

"No, er- she- Sanya-" Edmund emphasised the name, though he doubted the old professor would realise his mispronunciation, "was just calling to let me know that- that we're having twins."

"Oi, that's great, mate!" Jonathan whooped loudly.
He had been paying far more attention to this than to the lecture.
"I can't even tell my siblings apart when I'm tipsy, and here you are having twin babies."

"Alright, hush, Scott, I don't need to hear about your drunken exploits." He looked at the young man once more- he wasn't frowning anymore. "Congratulations, Mr. Pevensie. A baby is quite a miracle, and two is twice of it."

Was he- was he starting to smile? He didn't think he'd ever seen him smile.
Edmund cocked his head, "I thought lawyers weren't supposed to believe in miracles."
He had said that during the very first class. Edmund couldn't agree- so much of his life had been affected and changed because of miracles. But it was true that miracles were rarely found in this world, and especially in a courtroom.

Professor Marriott grinned, "Love, young man, can overthrow even a lawyer's sensible ideals."

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-✧･: °*✧*°:･✧-
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Colin Firth as Professor Edward Marriott

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Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Frankie Welton

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(These babies are having babiesss {again!} 🥺)
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(The 1950s shit part is not actually happening, it's sort of a dream/nightmare scenario thing. Not actually going to happen. Edmund and Sanya will stay in the lavender haze, as they deserve to. THEIR song in this book is 'Me and My Husband' by Mitski, but this also fits really well for them in parts of this book. Honestly, some of the lyrics are literally written for them.
Taylor...are you reading this series?)
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WORM CONVERSATION. EDMUND LOVES SANYA SO MUCH HE WOULD MAKE A LITTLE WORM-HOME-OASIS FOR HER.
AND HE GOT HER PLUSHIES???
What a man. No wonder Sanya keeps getting pregnant.

Oh, and I almost forgot that he asks Sanya if she wants to move to India- the most Rihaaya-like place in this world. He truly is ready to do everything for her. Add the fact that he wants their unborn children to know her culture- AWH. Schmidt-Cece vibes 🥺

And Sanya saying that she hasn't got faith in anything except in their love? How utterly adorable is that? It's devotional. It's just...true.

Edmund and Sanya just shamelessly eavesdropping on Susan's very terrible conversation with Helen and George has got to be hilarious. At least Edmund had a somewhat noble reason to listen to it. Meanwhile, Sanya? Just for shits and giggles.

Ngl, I'm kind of on Susan's side here. I, too, do not feel like doing anything in this world/reality 🤷‍♀️

And, yes, of course Lucy had to be the first of the family to know!! She's the one who first wanted Edmanya kids, way back before she even MET Sanya- it's only right that she is the first to know about their again-baby. Babies.

Oh, yeah, they're having twins. No ultrasounds back then, but the double heartbeats coming from Sanya's stomach make it kinda certain. Lol, as if one unexpected baby wasn't terrifying enough.

Sanya's genuinely very bad at telling people news. Either she just impulsively says it, like when she told Edmund she's pregnant with Selene, or she beats around the bush and avoids it enough to make the other person crazy, like here.

And, NO, they are not going to have another miscarriage. Their mini-conversation about it prior to the Worm Talk was just to show how honest Sanya is with Edmund now, and how it really will be them against everything from now on, no matter what.

Peter is so fed up. His brother just keeps on getting his wife pregnant! It shouldn't even be biologically possible for it to happen so many times.
Honestly, doesn't Ed have any self-control??? And HE'S supposed to be the impulsive one!
I don't think I've mentioned his reaction when he finds out it's twins, but I imagine it would be funny as FUCK.
And if he found out that Edmund got Sanya pregnant while in school, too- lol. Lmao. Rofl. Edmund best HOPE he's in India if/when that happens.

Also, Helen fussing after pregnant-Sanya- Edmund definitely got the worrywart gene from her.

How unfortunate that the pregnancy news stopped Sanya from finally getting a dog. That sucks. Hopefully Bonnie comes through on the promise to get them a dog- not on their anniversary, maybe, but after the kids are at least a year or so old. Children should have a dog, and yes, I know Sanya and Edmund are kind of children, too.

Yeah, Colin Firth as Edmund's Professor. Why not? It fits, and he would do the role really well.

Edmund being so focused on his law studies, and then Sanya telephones him, and he just forgets completely that something called Cambridge even exists.

Noticed the Naomi Shah and Alexander Kent names? 👀 They're mentioned as Sanya's employees at the bookshop.
Are they perhaps references to honour the faceclaims of Sanya (Naomi Scott) and Edmund (Alexander 'Skandar' Keynes)?

(Spoiler: they are.)

And, as always- I humbly and unashamedly ask you to vote on the chapters, and perhaps comment, too :)