These are all just random "Charlie" scenes. Various ages, various scenes that were all demanding to be written, but will most likely never fit into Da Capo Al Fine at any point.
"You're here again?" Christopher asked when he saw Luke ducking out of the Crap Shack.
"You're MIA again?" he shot back as he closed the door and headed down the stairs. The two men stared at each other for a moment.
"They knew I was coming," Christopher supplied.
"They thought you'd be here yesterday." Luke held the smug grin off of his face when he saw a slight flush on Chris' face.
"I got held up," he said, not saying anything more.
"And I held them up," Luke countered. They stared at each other again before Chris tried to move past Luke. He shot an arm out to stop Chris, giving him a slight shove backwards. "They don't want to see you."
"They don't even know I'm here."
"So you think it's a coincidence that I just happened to step out when you got here?"
"LOR!" Chris called, realizing that he wasn't going to get past the man in front of him.
"Just go," Luke said as he tried to usher Chris back to his car. "They'll call tomorrow."
"Get off me Diner Man," he said, shrugging Luke's hands away. "Charlie!" he called, switching tactics.
"I said go," Luke said again as he grabbed him more firmly and ushered him towards the car.
"They're my kids, you can't stop me from seeing them."
"Then why am I the one raising them?" Luke asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why the hell am I the one teaching them to ride bikes and to fish and making the mashed potatoes and soup in a cup with a straw because they're sick and refuse to eat anything else? Why am I the one who has to sit through horrible plays and presentations and graduations and dance recitals?" Luke demanded.
"You can't make up for missing your kids life by raising some one else's kids!" Chris shot back.
"You can't make up for not raising your kids by trying again with another woman!" Luke shot back.
"Fuck you," Christopher said as he got right up in Luke's face.
"You're not my type," he replied, dead calm. They stared at each other for a moment longer before Chris finally started to back away. Luke turned for the house when he heard the car door open but just before he got to the stairs, he heard him coming and turned around just in time for a sucker punch to the face. Luke pulled himself up off the ground as fast as he could and met Chris half way, landing a few good shots of his own. The commotion out side was enough to tear Lorelai away from the book she was reading to Charlie.
"Go find Rory," she told the 4 year old as she marked their place in the book. "Go tell her to finish reading to you," she said as she brought the girl down stairs before stepping out to check on the commotion.
"Chris! No!" she yelled when she finally saw what was going on. While she briefly toyed with the idea of getting between them, she changed her mind and darted around the corner of the house to grab the hose. A little November Connecticut hose water would definitely cool them off. She turned in on full and aimed at the pair, still calling to them to stop, which they did one they were both soaked through. The pair stood a few feet apart, breathing heavily and starting to shiver as Lorelai turned the hose off.
"What the hell?" she demanded of them as she came to stand between them. The men looked at hear, but neither said anything. "I think you better go," she said to Chris, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Lor," he started.
"I said go, Chris," she said again, not budging. "You're not seeing her today."
"Her? So I can see one of them? I want to see Charlie then."
"No," she said. "You will not see her. She doesn't want to see you. You promised her you'd be there for this recital, swore that you and Gigi would be there no matter what. And then you don't show up. You didn't even call. Jesus Chris, she was so upset that she spent the next 2 hours crying over it instead of dancing, she's heart broken! She's never asked you to come to ANYTHING until now and you didn't show up!"
"I'm not a psychic Lore! I couldn't guess that Gigi would start projectile vomiting an hour before we were supposed to leave!"
"Remember that conversation we once had about this GREAT invention called a phone?"
"Have you ever tried to make a phone call while your kid is puking her guts up?"
"Lots of times Chris. Lots of times with Rory and lots with Charlie. I've called work and sitters and Sookie and Luke and a half dozen other people that I had made commitments to that I had to break because my kid was sick."
"What ever," he said as he stalked off towards the car. "I'll call them tonight."
"They won't answer," she threw at him, both she and Luke watching to make sure that he really drove away with time. "And you? A fist fight? What the hell Luke?"
"He jumped me from behind, sucker punched me," he defended himself. "Do you honestly think I'd fight Christopher in your front yard for kicks?" She stared at him long and hard for a moment before sighing in defeat and heading to the house.
"Are you coming? You can't be feeling very toasty right now," she said calmly.
"I'm sorry," he said as he followed her to the house. "Did Charlie. . "
"I sent her to read with Rory in her room. Just go change, shower, get warm," she said as she headed to Rory's room to check on the girls while he did just that. Just as she was about to knock on Rory's door, her Sidekick went off.
'What the hell?' was the message from Rory.
'Your father decided to pay a visit and Do Not Enter Luke was in his way.' Lorelai replied.
'And the hose?'
'To break up the prize fighters.'
'Speechless.' Rory concluded as she signed off.
"The alarm is set, we will be there on time," Lorelai assured Charlie as she tucked her in. "Your bag is all packed with your new shoes on top and a snack. I know for a fact that there is no meeting at the school at 6 am, so don't bother."
"Why would I want to be there at 6 am? School doesn't start until 8," Charlie pointed out, looking up at her mother.
"Oh thank God," she said with a sigh before filling Charlie in on Rory's first day of school. While shocked that her mother had fallen for the story, she wasn't shocked that Rory had spun it.
"Is Luke coming?"
"Your dad said he might even show up," Lorelai said, ignoring the Luke question. She and Luke were. . . . on the outs, to put it mildly. Between Emily and Christopher both sticking their noses where they didn't belong, their relationship was strained and that was putting it politely.
"What about Luke?" she asked again. Her dad had never really been there for anything special, but Luke had been around for nearly everything.
"Probably not, he has to run the diner."
"Can we have breakfast there first?"
"Sookie invited us over tomorrow morning, remember? All your favourites!"
"Oh yeah," she said with a smile. Her mother was side stepping the whole Luke question and she knew it. "Okay. Breakfast at Sookie's house," she said with a nod.
"Excited?"
"No. I don't really want to go," she said, sinking under her covers.
"You are going to have so much fun, babe," Lorelai said. "Lots of kids your age, games, and toys we don't have at home, new books, crafts and you've met your teacher, you like Miss Lana, she wears those funny hats."
"I know," she said. "But. . . but what if you get lonely?" she said seriously.
"Then I shall have to do my best to endure," she said dramatically in a bad accent. "Bed. Sleep. Good," she said as she kissed Charlie good night once more. "Everything will be fine,"
she assured the little girl again as she got up and turned the main light in the room off, the room Rory and Charlie shared, before closing the door almost all the way and heading to the living room to watch some TV before bed.
Charlie sighed as she laid in bed, wishing that Rory was here so she could crawl in with her and be reassured some more but Rory had left for Yale last week and she was almost a whole hour away now. She decided that she didn't care and after throwing off her covers she grabbed her blankie and crawled between the sheets of Rory's bed and snuggled into her pillows, closing her eyes and imagining all the things her sister would have said to make her feel better.
"Okay, so, in order for me to do the whole 'dropping you off at school' thing, you have to let go," she whispered to Charlie who was still clinging to her hand for dear life. Charlie shook her head quickly, her brown curls flying around as she took in all the kids running wild in the room. Lorelai didn't really get the whole shy routine. Charlie was never shy, she was gregarious when it came to other kids her age. She was always the loudest at birthday parties, the one Patty was ALWAYS telling to be quiet and listen and no, it's not time to use that right now come and sit down! "What's wrong?" Lorelai asked her.
"Don't go," Charlie pleaded.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Don't go," she said again quietly, playing with some buttons on Lorelai's blouse.
"I have to go to work," she said. "I have to go help Sookie and Michel at the Dragonfly, I can't stay Charlie," she explained again. And she really did have to go, she was meeting with the first couple who wanted to get married at the inn. "I will be back here, promptly at noon to pick you up. I will not forget you and if I can't make it, Luke already told you he'd be here and he never forgets anything."
"Charlie! There you are!" Miss Lana said cheerfully as she saw the 4 year old and her mother out side of the room. "Are you going to come and join us?"
"No," Charlie said quickly.
"Yes," Lorelai replied at the same time. "Wait, why not?"
"I changed my mind," she said in a rush, the tears starting to come. "I don't want to do this any more. I want to stay at home and be stupid and learn everything I need to know about life from Jerry Springer!" she quoted her mothers reasons for going to school back to her.
"We're gonna be a few minutes," Lorelai said to the teacher with a tight smile. She nodded as she returned to the room. "Charlie, baby, honey, fruit of my loins I need you to go to school today. You HAVE to go to school today or my world will come to an end. I need you to go into that room and show that teacher how smart you are. I need you to draw me a picture for my office and another one for the fridge at home and Rory wants one and so does Grandma and Sookie and Dad."
"And Luke?"
"What is with you and Luke today? Yes, one for Luke too," she said. She'd agree to Charlie getting a tattoo at this point if it meant she could leave.
"And you won't forget me?"
"I will be here with bells on kid," she said. Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief as Charlie heaved a sigh, squared her shoulders and marched into the class room announcing that she needed to draw pictures. She also heard the teacher quickly move in and start introducing her to the other kids while showing her where she should put her things and where to sit in the circle. Lorelai hung around for a moment longer, just to make sure that Charlie was going to stay before she hurried out. If she sped, just a little, she could make it to the inn and only be 5 minutes late for the meeting
This was Lorelai's favourite time to be in Luke's, just before he closed. There was no one in here except for her, Charlie and Luke after another thrilling Friday night dinner. Rory had gone straight home to finish up some homework, At least that was the rumour but Lorelai had a feeling that the homework was probably make out 101 with Jess.
"So, really that bad?" Luke asked as he side stepped the toddler who was shuffling around the diner, clinging to chairs and tables as she babbled away to herself.
"My mother was in full form tonight," she said, accepting the coffee mug from Luke while keeping half an eye on her youngest. "She would not stop dragging up the fact that Rory was just a little older than Charlie when I took off and could they expect that to happen again? And when she got tired of that, she started nit picking. I should cut her hair, it's in her eyes. That dress is too long on her, the colour doesn't really suit her now that her hair is starting to darken. . . And it just went on and on. My father read the paper, Rory tried valiantly to change the subject and Charlie just wanted out of the high chair," she said with a sigh.
"Hey!" he called to Charlie before she went behind the counter. She stopped and looked at him to see if he really meant it. Her bottom lip quivered for a moment but she turned around and headed slowly back towards them when she realized Luke wasn't going to relent and let her explore back there. "Well, it's over now for another week," he said as he put a couple of donuts on the table and took a seat himself.
"Mmmmm." Charlie said as she finally made back to the table, patting Lorelai's leg as she pointed to the donut in her hand.
"Please, please don't give her that," Luke pleaded half heartedly.
"Fine," she said. She reached and broke off part of the white donut instead of the chocolate one she was eating. "Have at it babe," she said as she handed it to Charlie. Charlie stared at it for a moment. She knew she wasn't really getting what she wanted but decided that it was close enough and eventually reached out and took it.
"She still on that apple juice kick?" Luke asked.
"Of course. I blame you for that," she said as he got up and headed to the kitchen. When he was out of site, Lorelai gave Charlie a piece of the chocolate donut as well. The baby giggled as she accepted it.
"Mmmmm," Charlie said as she pointed towards the kitchen, looking for Luke. Lorelai smiled a little, everything was 'mmmm' these days.
"He went that way," she said, pointing towards the kitchen. Charlie stayed put for a moment longer as she ate the donuts. She had not hands to hang on to anything and crawling was so last week. Charlie let out a little squeal of delight as she saw Luke re-emerge from the kitchen and having finished most of the treat, she clapped a little. Luke chuckled and stopped at the counter for a moment.
"Go get him," Lorelai coaxed her, giving her a little tap on the back. Charlie turned to look at her for a moment before turning back to Luke and starting out.
"Uh, Lorelai," he called, his eyes still fixed on the toddler.
She turned to him but quickly turned her attention to her baby who was taking slow, shaky steps towards the diner man.
"Go baby," she whispered with a smile as she watched her wobble along towards Luke. He slowly stepped a little closer and crouched down to her level as she got closer. Arms flung out, she stumbled a few steps away from him and landed in his arms with a big laugh. Lorelai clapped as Luke swept her up in his arms and carried her back to the table Charlie giggled as she clapped to, leaning towards her mother when they got back to the table.
"When did you get so big and smart?" she asked Charlie as she hugged her. The toddler babbled a little as she reached for the necklace her mother was wearing.
"I think that warrants a celebration," Luke said, leaving the glass of apple juice and a straw on the table. "First steps gets their own donut," he reasoned as he brought over one with lots of icing and sprinkles just for Charlie. Her eyes got wide and her mouth formed a perfect little 'o' when she saw him put it on the table in front of her. She quickly sat herself down on Lorelai's lap and reached for the sweet as Lorelai tried to get her sleeves pulled up before they were covered in donut and icing.
"I guess this is Charlie's potting shed," she said with a smile as she brushed the hair off of Charlie's forehead. Luke chuckled and agreed. Charlie seemed to be hitting all the major milestones in his diner. Sitting up by herself, crawling, standing and now walking.
"Well, I'm honoured," he said as he sat back in his chair and watched the little girl have a fantastic time with the food in front of her before demanding to be put down so she could work on this whole upright mobility thing