This is a future fic where Rory's daughter is sixteen. It's sort of a sequel to Appreciation, but you don't need to read that to follow this. The chapters will be from Rory or Charlotte's perspective throughout. Hope you enjoy!
"Charlotte!"
Charlotte turns around. Tyler from her English class is standing there, grinning.
"Charlotte Gilmore, right?"
"Right," Charlotte says. "Charlotte Lorelai Gilmore."
"Cool."
"Yeah. My mom named me after herself. Well, Charlotte Brontë for the first part, but Lorelai's our family name, her real name is Lorelai and so's her mom's. She says her mom got on this whole feminist rant about how guys name themselves after each other all the time, so why couldn't women, and..." Charlotte trails off, aware that she's rambling. Her mother also adds that a lot of birth drugs went into that decision, but Tyler doesn't need to know that. Absently, she reaches up and runs her fingers across the locket around her neck. She's had it since she was a baby, and worn it almost as long. Charlotte finds herself touching it in uncertain moments.
"So, Charlotte Lorelai Gilmore," Tyler says, holding a notebook out. "You dropped this."
"Oh. Thanks."
Charlotte feels like she should add to that, say something more interesting, but her tongue's tied. Charlotte takes the notebook, trying to smile, and tucks it under her am. The sunshine bounces off the lockers, onto Tyler's dark hair and the freckles on Charlotte's arm that's holding the notebook. She wishes she could pull her shirt sleeve down over them, unless Tyler likes freckles. Charlotte suddenly feels uncomfortably hot. She's saved by her phone buzzing and blushes, skimming the text.
"Sorry. That's my mom."
"Your mom picks you up?"
"Yeah. It's on the way home from the middle school."
"Right, right," Tyler says, still smiling. "See you around."
"Okay," Charlotte says dumbly. "Thanks."
She watches as he retreats and then pounds down the school steps into the warm September sunshine. Thanks! Thanks?! That's not the kind of thing you say to a guy when he says see you around. Ugh.
Charlotte's broken from her thoughts as she sees her mother's car. There's a loud honk from it and, embarrassed, Charlotte hastens over and gets in the back.
"You didn't have to honk."
"Blame your brother," Rory tells her. He smirks, taking his hand off the horn, and Charlotte rolls her eyes. She and Richie take turns riding shotgun, and her brother always finds a way to be a pain with it. She buckles up beside her younger sister, who has so much junk laying around the backseat that she prefers being there anyway. Annie takes a large bite out of an orange slice, spilling juice onto her soccer shorts, and Charlotte winds down the window. The citrus smell already makes her feel sick.
"Good day?" Rory asks and Charlotte shrugs. "Is that a yes or a no?"
"It was fine," Charlotte says. She can tell her mother is raising her eyebrows without looking in the mirror. Fine is how she describes any day, good or bad, and Charlotte sits back in her seat.
"I had a great day," Annie says happily. "We painted in Art and Mrs Andrews liked my picture."
"That's great, sweets."
"She would have said that even if the painting was crappy," cuts in Richie and groans as his mother says sharply, "That's not nice."
Richie turns around, giving Charlotte a smirk, and they smile for a moment. Annie carries on talking and Charlotte looks out of the window for the rest of the way home. Annie is eight and perpetually cheerful, like she ate a bag of candy and has a constant sugar rush, and Richie is thirteen. Charlotte supposes she gets along with him better but most of the time both of her siblings give her a headache. Rory parks the car and Annie is already tugging at her seatbelt, impatient to get out. She and Richie push each other lightly as Rory finds her key and then both are tumbling inside, arguing over the last of the chocolate milk. Rory looks at Charlotte and gives her a tired grin, and Charlotte smiles back. She likes these moments, where her mother gets it, but then she's asking about homework and Charlotte silently sighs. She goes into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of orange juice and Rory puts on a pot of coffee. As it brews the key turns in the lock and they all look round in surprise as Jess comes in.
"Daddy!" Annie shrieks, launching herself at him and Jess laughs, saying she's too big to pick up but does so and gives her a kiss all the same. Annie starts chattering about her painting and goal in soccer and Jess nods in all the right places, running a hand through her curls. "Hey guys," he says to everyone else and Rory goes over, giving him a kiss.
"What are you doing here?" she asks and Jess laughs, making her blush. "I mean, why are you home early?"
"Finished early," Jess says simply. "A meeting got cancelled. Is that coffee?"
"You know it is."
"Bet it'll go great with this cake," Jess says, taking it out of his bag. It's chocolate and Charlotte's mouth waters, and Rory grins, saying she supposes they can have a slice before dinner. Jess cuts it up for everyone as Rory gets the drinks ready and soon they all sit around the table, Charlotte squashed in the middle.
"Good day at school?" Jess asks. "I've heard all about Annie's. What about yours, son?"
"It was okay," Richie says simply. "Drew let the gerbils out the cage."
"Why?" Jess asks and then groans. "There isn't a why, is there."
"It was a scientific experiment," Richie says, sipping his milk. "He wanted to say how many spelling tests could get chewed up."
"And?"
"And none. They just pooped."
"Lovely. How about you, Charlotte? Get lots of learning done?"
"I guess." Charlotte doesn't want to talk about the B on her math paper. "I'm glad it's Friday."
"Aren't we all," her mother says drily. She sounds annoyed, but Charlotte can't figure out why and doesn't want to ask. She concentrates on eating her cake and for a moment everyone does the same, until her father stretches.
"No rest for the wicked. I've got to go work in the study."
"Daddy, why do you get homework?" Annie asks. "I thought only kids got homework."
That makes Jess laugh. "Sadly, adults do in my profession, Annie-girl."
"Can I help?"
Charlotte almost rolls her eyes again. She knows it's just a ruse for Annie to talk to their father more, but Jess doesn't mind. He says she can help for a few minutes. Richie gets up to put his show on and Rory turns to Charlotte.
"How about you get a start on your homework?"
"It's Friday, Mom."
"Wouldn't it be nice to get it out of the way?"
"Maybe."
Like she has anything better to do this weekend, but Charlotte doesn't retort. She helps clean away the plates and shuts herself in her bedroom. For reasons she can't explain, her mother has been extra frustrating this year. It seems that the feeling is mutual. They always seem to be in each other's way. Charlotte pretends to be doing her homework simply to get some space and stretches herself out on the bed, closing her eyes. Her mother was an only child for most of her life and doesn't understand how lucky she is. Everyone acts the opposite, saying how happy Charlotte must to be to have a brother and sister. What a joke.
Charlotte was three when Richie was born. She has a vague memory of him being brought home, and another where she asked if he had a tail when he was being bathed. It still embarrasses Charlotte to think about that. Annie was unexpected. It was just her and Richie and then one day, when she was seven, her parents sat them down and said they had a surprise. That they were going to have a brother or sister and wasn't it great?
Her mother was due around Charlotte's birthday. Rory was scared she'd lose the baby and spent a lot of time on bedrest. Nana Lorelai came and helped out a lot, and asked if she and Richie wanted a brother or sister. Riche wanted a brother and Lorelai turned to Charlotte and asked if she wanted a sister. Charlotte said she guessed. She didn't say that she wasn't so crazy about a new baby at all, boy or girl, especially one that could steal her birthday. Why did her parents even need another baby? And how gross to think that they Did It. Charlotte wasn't getting to do anything fun with Rory either, as she could barely go out. What Charlotte remembers most from those months was watching a lot of movies, even for them. Rory got bigger and bigger and she and Jess looked anxious when Charlotte asked about her birthday party. Her father took her out for a milkshake and said gently that a party might be too stressful this year.
"But it's my birthday," Charlotte had said. Her throat felt hot and tight. "We won't bother Mommy."
"I know, angel, but the doctor said no stress and I think a party could do that even if you were quiet as mice. And that's not much fun, right? I was thinking I could take you all out to a movie, or the pool. How about that?"
Charlotte chose the pool. She was allowed to invite eight kids and her father and Lorelai were going to take them. She'd opened all her gifts, had a slice of birthday cake and was waiting for everyone to show up when her mother's contractions started. The party was cancelled. Charlotte had never really forgiven Annie, despite having her party a week later.
Her father had taken her mother to the hospital, saying over and over that it was going to be fine, more to himself than anyone else. Lorelai looked after Charlotte and Richie, constantly checking her phone, and in the early hours of the next morning Jess called to say they had a brand new baby sister and that she and their mom were fine. Lorelai hugged both of them, beaming, and said, "Another gorgeous girl. Just like you wanted, Charlotte! You guys have a sister!" Charlotte smiled, and couldn't tell the truth. She didn't want a sister at all.
Charlotte was a tiny bit excited when she saw Annie, but the happiness soon depleted. Her parents hadn't found out the sex before any of them were born, and Jess had said over and over that he didn't care what it was. It's a baby, he said, and that's the most important thing. But from the way he talked on and on about his new daughter made Charlotte have her doubts. He'd always called her his little girl, but upon Annie's arrival Charlotte became his big girl, and she didn't like it. Annie was his little girl now and nothing has changed since. When Charlotte got her period, Annie learned to read. When Charlotte got ready for high school, Annie graduated Kindergarten. She was always going to be the baby of the family and always adored.
Charlotte knows Annie couldn't help being born the day after her birthday, or being the youngest, but it still rankles a little. They all look alike, with brown hair and their mother's blue eyes, but Charlotte's father is different. His name is Logan and he lives in London, but they don't see each other very often. Her mother doesn't like talking about him and Charlotte doesn't like thinking about him too much either. She sees him a few times a year and he sends her killer gifts, but it's weird to think he's her father. Logan doesn't even look like her. Jess is her dad but he's not her father biologically. Charlotte knows it doesn't matter - Jess has been her real dad since before she was born. He's pretty cool and takes her out sometimes, and talks in an embarrassing way about how happy he is that he's her father, yet Charlotte is curious about this other side to her genes. It makes her feel guilty, so she pushes the curiosity back. She and her mother have the same surname too, while her brother and sister are Mariano. Her parents got married when Charlotte was two and she was a flower girl, but she doesn't remember it. When Charlotte was older Rory asked if she wanted to change her name, but Charlotte has always loved it. She likes that she and her mother share it, linked in that way, and is going to stay a Gilmore. Charlotte's great-grandmother disapproves of of the discrepancy, but Emily is almost ninety, and disapproves of most things that stray from tradition. Logan's last name is Huntzberger, which is so awful Charlotte could puke. She's grateful she didn't get saddled with that.
Bored, Charlotte rolls onto her front and grabs her backpack. She pulls out the notebook Tyler gave back to her and flicks through, hoping she didn't leave any embarrassing doodles anywhere. She lands on the front page, heart stopping. In place of a doodle is Tyler's number, and, next to his name, the words talk soon.