Get Your Southern On Contest
Title: Southern Dreams
Fandom: Twilight
Pairing: Peter and Charlotte
Summary: A sixteen year old girl, alone in a foster home, finds that she is not as alone as she thought and that happiness exists in another time, another space. She fills her nights with Southern Dreams.
Rating: M
Word Count: 4938
Chapter One: The Decision
Life sucked. I was ignored by my parents, my grandparents on my dad's side wouldn't even acknowledge me and my parents spent more time fighting than doing anything else. So I learned at a young age how to take care of myself and then when it was possible I was getting the heck out of dodge.
I became quite handy with fixing and sewing and I had made some extra money babysitting and darning socks and even got some work at the local tailors. I lost my parents to a car accident when I was fifteen and became an orphan. It was terrible living in a foster home and I knew that I needed to get out soon.
There was a rumor around town about a family who lived about an hour away who could do strange things and one of them worked in the library. I didn't know if they could help or how but I had to try.
Approaching sweet Margaret under the guise of asking about a book, I waited until she was leading me to the stacks to help me search for it when I finally got up the courage to say "Margaret, I need help and you are the only one who can"
"Charlotte, what's wrong?" she said, her voice hushed and I could hear the worry
"I have to get out of here. I want to go someplace far away, somewhere where no one can find me. Margaret I want to have a new life. I don't belong here in Culpeper. You know I love the past; Margaret please where is your family? I need them to help me go someplace where I can be loved for me. I know your family can help, don't ask me how I know, I just do" I pleaded with her in desperation.
She stared at me for what seemed like ages, looking at me then at my palm. Muttering to herself she finally took my hand and dragged me to a store room. It was dank, dark and smelled musty. I sat in an old wooden chair and picked up the first paper I saw. It was a paper from back in the early nineteenth century and my eyes were drawn to an advertisement about men looking for companionship, mail order brides to be exact. They ranged from Baltimore to Texas where men were building cattle ranches and towns were springing up. I was fascinated and became so engrossed in the article I failed to see Margaret leaning over my shoulder reading it as well. It was in very good shape considering it was almost a hundred years old.
"Would you like to be a Bride like that Charlotte?" Margaret asked softly and I looked at her with a blank expression and then back to the paper. Could I? Did I?
I gulped, closed my eyes and then looked into hers "Yes if he was a kind man and loved me I would love to be one of these ladies".
Thinking about this she sat next to me and told me it was dangerous and I probably could never come back, that I would have to stay in that time. Can you do it Charlotte? Do you really think that you could pull of being from that time? Women were different back then; they wore different clothes, talked different, and acted different. Do you think you can deal with that?" she asked
"I know I can. Margaret I can hand sew anything and I can quilt, darn, bake bread, cook, clean. I know the history, what women did, what they acted like. All I need is some clothes and money from them and to come up with a story as close to my real one as I need. I need help" I begged again, while holding her hand and hoping to convey my desperation and then I waited to see what she would say next.
"Okay I'll help you. I'll take you home with me today and see what we can find. I live in my great grandmother's home right now and there are plenty of old trunks in the attic. I think if we look through them then we might just luck out. As for money, well there are lots of antique shops all over this area and I have a ton of junk in that house that I will never use or need. We'll make a day out of it and pick up a little here and there, you won't need too much" she stated and practically knocked her over when I hugged her.
I made sure to clear it with the foster home that I was staying at the library and then going to help Margaret at her place. Just after six that evening, we arrived at her old but lovely two story home. She showed me to the guest room and bath where I took a much needed break and then we climbed the attic steps entering into the most alluring room I had ever seen. It was clean and dust free and it was filled with trunks, furniture, hats everywhere and there was even a dress dummy and standing mirror. I started rifling through trunks while Margaret brought over a history book to look at the fashions from back then. We would hold a dress up to the picture and see how they measured up.
We found enough to get me by and then she explained that we would take some of the antiques and see what could be sold or traded so get some money.
The next morning after I forced myself to eat, we took her car to the nearest antique shops to see what we could find. It took time but soon we had around twenty dollars in coins and even a few bills. I found a nice coin purse from the same era to put it in as well. At the sixth shop we searched Margaret found the best item of all, a circular for Mr. Patterson's Mail Order Brides going west to Texas with the address of the company sponsoring them in Baltimore. Now I knew where to go and who to ask for and a date to use as my "guide" for arrival in the proper time frame.
We dropped everything off to her place and then she ran me home. I still needed to get back to the foster home to keep up appearances, just in case someone actually gave a damn. The day after tomorrow was the beginning of school vacation and then I could "run".
We made plans to meet then and she would have everything in her car and have made all the arrangements to go and meet her family, who she was sure would help me with my quest. I would meet her several miles from here so she would not be involved at all with my disappearance. She always went to see relatives on Fridays and everybody knew it.
When the house was asleep, I tiptoed out the back door with my backpack from school filled with a change of clothes just in case and my meager savings. I hiked through the woods following the road but just out of sight. I had left a note on my bed that I was heading out west (wasn't a lie) to start a new life asking them to let me go. I said I was hitching a ride and would be long gone by morning. That should have them looking the wrong way for a while.
Reaching our meeting place, an old abandoned gas station off the main road, I sat and read a little of my newest paperback about a girl who travels west to become a bride herself. Figured I could use the plot as part of my story and it seemed fitting.
Margaret pulled up and we were soon driving off the roads unto small private lanes deeper and deeper into the woods and hills.
When we ran out of road, we both grabbed the bags and walked the rest of the way. As we came out of the deep woods I saw a very old cabin like house. You could see the original colonial stone first floor with the later added wooden second floor. It was covered in vines and climbing roses and it was like something from a gothic Fairytale. I stared in awe and almost didn't notice that the door had opened. We were approached by an older looking women stepped out with a smile on her face and said in greeting "Margaret, sweetheart, I thought I felt you coming" she hugged Margaret and then looked at me.
"This must be the Charlotte you were telling me about?" the older woman said and her eyes were shining with some sort of emotion that I couldn't place. There was just something so familiar about them. I always felt close to Margaret and now I felt some sort of connection to this other woman who I just met.
"Yes ma, this is her and she has the gene, she's Lorelei's daughter ma"
Wait what? I stood there shocked, my mother's name was Lorelei but she was always referred to as Lori. She told me all her family was dead. This couldn't be happening, there was just no way.
"That's my mom's name, or was my mom's name. What's going on?" I asked, confused yet too scared to voice what I was thinking.
"Lorelei was my sister dear, she ran away many years ago but we always kept watch. I have kept an eye on you since you were a mere babe Charlotte" Margaret said. "And this wonderful woman is your grandmother" she explained while I picked my jaw up off the floor.
"Yo, you, you're my aunt, Margaret?" I stammered still not believing it.
"Yes child and keeping that from you has always bothered me" she said sadly and I took her hand. All this time I thought I had no family and here it was all along.
I looked at the older lady and saw it. I saw my mother in her face, I saw her in Margaret's eyes. It was so clear now. Finally I just put down my bag and hugged her tight.
"Child, I have wished to see you for years but your father wouldn't let us have anything to do with you or your mom. He forbade her from using her talents or skills. He was cruel and hated us. Without her powers you mother withered away. I was hoping to have you join us when you were eighteen but you're here now and I couldn't be happier" the older woman said as she patted my cheek.
After she led me into the house and showed me where to put my bag, we sat down to some tea "Now, what do you need my child?" grandmother asked me
"I don't belong here. I have always felt out of place and well I was just wondering if you could help me?" I asked as I showed her the circular and we explained why I wanted to go and where. How we had prepared and now all I needed was to know if it was possible.
She looked at me for a long time then she sat and closed her eyes. "She's getting a vision" Margaret whispered and I nodded, not really getting it but understanding it all the same.
"Yes dear, we'll definitely get you out of here. I fear that if we don't then you'll be taken away and your spirit will be broken like your poor mother's was" she wailed
We all sat there on the couch and just hugged each other. It was a shame that I finally found family and yet I was destined to leave them. It was such a short time but I felt connected to them. I had to know who this woman was, who my grandmother was, or at least her name before I left. So I asked her and she laughed saying "Of course dear, I'm Julia Hill and we've lived in Virginia since the sixteenth century. Our family has always been different, we can see things and do things that most people can't do. It is very strong in you my child, far stronger than your mother or aunt and is almost as strong as mine; in fact it will only grow as you do. I had three daughters, Alice, Margaret, and Lorelei. Alice died years ago as a child, you know your mother's fate and Margaret has been watching over you and can now come home here to be with me. My son Robert lives nearby and has two children your age both girls who also have the gene but not like yours. Yes I think you will flourish in your chosen time. As much as I would love to have you here with me I see you must leave here and live your life away from us. But never forget we will always love you and wish only the best for you wherever you are"
I sat back in my chair taking all this in, Margaret cleared her throat and took my hands, "Charlotte, you will not be alone there, my daughter also wanted to go back in time and she is living where these women or brides travelled too" she held up the circular, "Her name is Alice after my sister, and she is married to a rancher there. When you go to see her tell her Rose Cottage is blooming and grandmother sends her love"
"I have a cousin there, family?" I was so happy I thought I would explode.
They went on to explain how they had to change their appearance to be close to me and how Alice really looked.
"My Alice looks just Margaret so you shouldn't have any trouble finding her; she lives on a ranch with a man named Jasper Whitlock and his brother Peter. Or at least that was the last vision I had" my grandmother explained and then after some time of silence we all retired for the night.
The next day I woke to the lovely smell of coffee and breakfast and joined my aunt and grandmother in the kitchen. My grandmother gave me a smile and then poured me some coffee while she explained how it would all work.
I found it strange that I felt so connected to these women is such a short time and I wondered what my life would have been like if I had known them before. I didn't want to leave them now that I found them but I couldn't stay here either but before I left I had to know why, why they were made to stay away.
"Grandma, why did my father keep you away?" I asked softly. My grandmother sighed heavily and then sat down after pouring us all some coffee and then she went on to explain that my parents met at a school party. My mother was there as a guest of a girl she knew from town. My mother took one look and she was hooked. My grandmother and my aunt told her that he was not meant for her but apparently she ran to him.
They lost her for a little while but when she came back, she had me and was married to my dad. She wanted them to meet her new husband so my mother brought them to this little her store that my father had owned. That was news to me. Once they arrived my father demanded that my aunt and grandmother "help" his family who had lost almost everything in the stock market. My father's family was well known and wanted to be back on top again before there was a scandal.
"We refused of course, you never use your own power for gain, or it can backfire on you. They tried to find us to force us to comply, even threatened using you. Your mother finally made me block her magic so they couldn't use you against her and when they found out everything went downhill. She was terrified to leave him; he threatened to expose us and to send you away. I am sorry you had to grow up in that horrid house but it was the only way to keep you safe and our family safe" my grandmother finished and I just hugged her, not really knowing what to say.
It was later that afternoon that my grandmother decided that we should get it over with. I made sure I was packed and with a few homemade jams and cures, we left the house to go to the back garden.
I stood on a round stone set in the ground while my aunt Margaret walked behind me chanting something and tossing flower petals towards me and on the ground in a circle around me. Grandmother stood in front of an outdoor table with an ancient book open and was reading it while she added herbs and who knows what else to a wooden bowl. At last she seemed satisfied and told me to pick up a bag in each hand, then she came to stand in front of me and Margaret stood behind me.
I heard a small gasp and then out walked a nice looking man looking so much like my mother that I knew he must be her brother. The three of them formed a circle about me and began to chant and the air became hazy and heavy and just when I thought I could bear it no longer it became clear and I was in an alley off a busy street. Looking about I saw no cars or street lights just horses, buggies and people in old fashioned clothes walking the street. Could it be? Had I travelled back in time?
I gathered my wits about me and stood up as tall as I could. Glancing at the circular in my hand I saw it was just across the street. Waiting for the safest time to cross I headed to their door. Going in I joined a line of about ten young and older ladies of all shapes and sizes, all were signing on for this trip. We had to fill out papers, I gave my address in Culpeper, they would never know, leaving out the zip just the house and city. Then I gave them Alice's ranch as my destination.
Our train left that evening and I managed to make friends with another woman and our chatter made the trip go quicker and as the train pulled into the station in Dallas, I felt a shiver over take me and with a smile I knew I would be happy here.
Since I had left Alice's name as my sponsor, she was contacted and waiting for me at the station. It was no trouble to tell it was here, she looked just like my mother and aunt.
"Oh Charlotte, it's so nice to finally meet you" She then introduced me to the men behind her, her husband Jasper and a younger gentleman by the name of Alex.
"Alex please get my cousins' luggage, we'll say goodbye here and meet you at the buggy" smiling he picked up the ones I pointed out and headed out the doors. "Grandmother sends her love and your mother said to tell all is well at Rose Cottage" I added softly as I climbed up into the buggy besides Alice.
Alice who was looking at me thoughtfully smiled "I saw you were coming weeks ago so the telegram wasn't too much of a shocker for me. Jasper knows I see things but not what time we come from, not yet anyway. I'm happy here and I hope you will be too. Peter is looking for a bride and I just know you will fit the bill" She said excitedly
"Oh Alice, I hope so. I so want to be with my family. I have never really had one before" she took my hand and we sat there. Soon I was looking at everything, it was so different from Virginia but lovely in its own way.
"How long is the trip" I asked wondering if we had to go for days again.
"Oh another hour to reach our land and another hour after that to reach the homestead. We have a good sized ranch Charlotte, and I for one will welcome your help. What can you do?" she asked
Smiling I took her other hand and told her all about the skills that I had. She laughed when I wrinkled my nose at the mention of milking cows.
"Don't worry about it dear, I'll teach you" she smiled
We spent the rest of the drive with her telling me all about the property and some of the other people that worked on the ranch.
"Home at last" Alice smiled at me as we pulled up to the front of a huge log style ranch and Alex helped us down. He fetched my bags and placed them inside the front door and nodded to us and took the buggy around to the barns. I followed Alice inside and my jaw dropped. Everything was so open and I thought about my romance novels and this is exactly how I pictured everything.
She led me into the kitchen and we spent several hours making dinner for the boys and some of the other ranch hands.
"Mmmm, good golly it smells good in here" someone bellowed and I looked up and saw a handsome blonde haired man that was straight out of a cowboy movie smiling at me.
"Charlotte I'd like for you to meet my brother Peter" Jasper said as he waltzed into the room. I smiled back at him and he took my hand and then gave it a quick kiss and my breath grew short. Good lord he was handsome.
We all sat to eat and I couldn't help but blush when Peter held out a chair for me and like a true southern gent, he helped me sit down, pushed my chair in and even put my napkin on my lap for me. Swoon!
The whole while during dinner and even through the evening I would catch Peter sneaking glances at me and my heart would pound whenever he would smile at me. He was just so handsome and I just couldn't help but blush and hide my face whenever he would look at me. I fell asleep that night dreaming of him and where my new life would take me.
The next day I got to show off my new skills, we cooked breakfast for the boys, I helped Alice mend a few curtains and I patted myself on the back when I was able to successfully milk a cow. She was impressed with my bread and feeling confident, I kicked her out of the kitchen and made some homemade burgers and fries using some of the spices I brought with me.
"Charlotte this is just perfect" muffled Peter as he ate his third burger while everyone else hummed in approval. I even impressed the cook Carmen who made note of the recipe and agreed to let me help her out more often.
That night Peter took me for a walk around the ranch, it was still light enough to see things but cool enough you didn't feel like fainting.
We walked side by side and I could tell he was nervous about something, he kept muttering something under his breath and I could see his fingers twitching.
"Miss Charlotte, may I have a moment?" he asked as he stopped us near a tree and I nodded for him to continue.
"Well I was wondering if I might be so bold as to ask if you are, you know, umm promised to anyone?" he asked nervously and I smiled brightly as I shook my head no.
"Would you, I mean do you think, oh for goodness sake. Miss Charlotte, would you do me the extraordinary honor of letting me court you?" he asked and I wanted to jump him but that would not be ladylike, not in this era anyways.
"Why Mr. Whitlock, I would be honored to have you court me" I blushed as I gave a slight curtsy and he bowed back.
We walked back to the house and sat on the porch swing and talked about my trip here, I was careful not to say anything about my life previously, just what we came up with. He asked me if I believed in love at first sight and I looked deeply into his eyes and said "I do now" he leaned in and gave me a quick but gentle kiss on my cheek and I was left breathless.
"Well I'm gonna head to bed, Miss Charlotte, I bid you good night and I'll see ya in the morning darling" he smiled as he gave my hand another kiss and left me on the porch. As soon as he was out of sight I jumped up and fist pumped the air.
The next several weeks were spent getting use to the routine here and fixing things. I also spent a lot of time getting to know Peter. We were always with Jasper or Alice and I was extremely happy when mention of the annual ball came up and Peter asked me if I would be on his arm.
That set Alice off and she immediately dragged me upstairs where we spent a few days looking for gowns and then fixing them up.
We were fixing the hem on a dress when I heard laughing "Well the dance should be interesting "Alice giggled and I asked her what she meant.
"Charlotte, you're a beautiful girl, any man would love to have you on their arm and while I know you are being courted by my dear Peter, it still won't stop the men from wanting to dance with you" she smiled and I gasped and thought "Yeah right"
The dance was fun and although I did not know the dances I learned quickly and no one seemed to mind my ignorance about them. Peter watched me like a hawk and a few men flirted with me and asked me to dance but I declined. Peter finally took pity on me and we walked outside in the cool evening air with several other couples.
He was being awfully quiet and it sort of un-nerved me, he was always so happy and talkative but now he seemed upset.
"Are you okay Peter?" I asked him as I laced my arm through his and he let out a harsh breath.
"Yes, it's just those men in there, they all know that I am courting you, they are a shameful lot. You don't flirt with a woman who is otherwise engaged" he scowled
"Are we?" I asked
"Are we what" he said "You know engaged. Maybe you should think about that. To some men, courting is not the same as engaged" I smirked and then I kissed his cheek and turned to go back in.
I was being cheeky but I gasped when he grabbed me from behind and hugged me to him so my back was to his front "MINE" he growled, then he pulled away leaving me quivering inside. All I could do was nod and smile at him my voice was gone.
We spent the rest of the night dancing and Peter made sure to make it obvious that were in fact a couple and I swore that he actually snarled at one man who came to ask me to dance. Alice and Jasper were beside themselves laughing and Alice told me that she had never seen Peter act like this. She said Jasper was the same way when they were courting and I blushed again.
I was picking out quilt patterns, mending curtains and dresses were getting boring and I needed a challenge. As I was picking out colors Peter walked up behind bent over the dining room table laying them out for an idea. "I love the colors Charlotte, is that for our bed?" I blushed red and asking "Would you like that Peter?"
"It's all I think about" he said breathlessly
"You think about me making a quilt Peter?" I teased and he scowled
"Then what do you dream about Peter?" I said softly
"You, darlin" he whispered as he stared at me, then he pulled my body towards his and kissed me hard and deep. My head was swimming and it was incredible.
"Marry me" he whispered as he pulled away and put his forehead to mine.
"Yes" I whispered back as he kissed me again and then I felt something cold on my finger and I gasped as he slipped a stunning gold ring onto my finger.
I heard a squeal and looked up to see Alice and Jasper standing there. They came over and hugged us while Jasper smacking his brother on the back and said "Bout time Brother"
That evening, we sat out on the porch swing again, the stars were out and the moon was high and I sighed in contentment as Peter wrapped his arm around me and pushed us back and forth with his foot and I couldn't help but think how all my dreams were coming true. My Southern Dreams.