Disclaimer: So, they still aren't mine. That's okay though because I like having electricity. It's an integral part of my life. Probably because I'm a night owl and I get up early too. Naps are a good thing. Right, so the disclaimer: They are not mine and I make no money from them.
A/N: So here's the third in the What series. I should probably come up with a better name but I've always liked that comedy act. You know the one. "Who's on First?" Cracks me up every time.
What Charlie Discovered
Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson plucked the envelope form Aaron's fingers with a frown. "My mother wrote this?" She asked. "When?"
Aaron coughed uncomfortably. "Before she, uh…went away, apparently, Charlie. Your Dad said to give it to you when the time was right. He gave me a whole bunch of letters to deliver. He'd never delivered any of them and she left a lot."
"He asked you to deliver all of them?" Her blue eyes were confused. "Why did he ask you?"
Aaron sighed again and held his hands closer to the small fire. "I don't know, Charlie. I'm not…I don't know why. I've never understood Ben, Charlie. He was my friend and I never understood him."
Charlie nodded and gazed down at the envelope. "Did he tell you anything about what she wrote to me?"
"Just open it, Charlie," Maggie suddenly piped up with. "I'm sure it's nothing bad. Probably just one of those just in case letters."
"Just in case letters?" Charlie asked and fingered the seal of the envelope. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what her mother felt important enough to enclose in a letter before she left for a supply trip that had led to her death.
"You know," Maggie rolled her eyes as she often did when someone didn't understand one of her references from before the Blackout. "A letter written to someone for the 'just in case I don't make it back' times. Like a soldier or a cop would do."
"Oh," Charlie nodded to herself and leaned a little closer to the fire. She ran her fingers over her own name written in her mother's hand. Charlie had never been a coward. She wouldn't start now. Before she could agonize over it any longer she flipped the envelope over and ripped open the seal. Fingers trembling she withdrew the sheet of paper and held it to the light of the fire to read.
Dear Charlotte,
I know that you are probably hurting right now. I'm not sure when your father will give you this but I'm sure that he's given it to you at the appropriate time.
There are a few things you need to know. Hopefully you're old enough to understand the things I've done and the lies I've told. I hope you can forgive me for the secrets I've kept.
About a year before you were born your father and I were having some problems. Lord, this is so difficult to write. I made a mistake with someone close to your father and well, the long and the short of it is that I fell pregnant with his baby, you.
I never told him that you were his. I never told Ben that you weren't his daughter. I won't tell you who it is. I left a letter for your father, Ben, and he knows. If he chooses to tell you now that is up to him. I never loved your biological father, Charlie, but that doesn't mean that I didn't love you. I did. I couldn't quite understand you most times but that happens with all parents and their children.
No matter what Ben does with the information and no matter how angry you are with me I need you to watch after Danny. He is your brother. Take care of him and of your father. They're both precious to me and so are you.
I love you, Charlie.
Your mother,
Rachel Matheson
Charlie crumpled the letter in her fist and nearly tossed it in the fire. She couldn't stop herself from balling it up into a tiny ball though. "How dare she," she hissed in an undertone.
"Charlie," Maggie called and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Charlie what's wrong?"
Charlie shook her off and glared at her with wild blue eyes. "Did you know?" She shouted. "Did you know about my father?"
Maggie stared back confused. "Know what about Ben, Charlie?" She asked.
"Not Dad!" Charlie growled. "My real father. The one Mom had an affair with and then had me."
The popping of the fire was the only sound in the small clearing and then Maggie shook her head. "What?" She drew in a breath. "What did Rachel say in that letter, Charlie? Ben was your father."
"I had wondered sometimes," Aaron said immediately after Maggie's declaration. "Sometimes when you were little, Rachel would look at you with this…I don't know. Maybe resentment. Confusion. Something like that anyway. I just never thought about it. Ben loved you to pieces."
Charlie looked up at him, tears swimming in blue eyes. "It's not you, is it, Aaron?" Her voice sounded half hopeful and half despairing.
Aaron gave her a half smile. "Would that be so bad?" He shook his head. "No. You met me the same time Ben and Rachel did."
"No, Aaron, it wouldn't have been so bad," Charlie drew in a deep breath. "Dad knew." She turned her head at Maggie's startled breath. "C'mon Maggie. Dad always knew stuff that no one else did. He knew. And he didn't care. He called me his with his last breath. He knew."
"You were his," Maggie assured her. "Even if he did know. She doesn't give you any hints as to who your biological father is?"
Charlie smoothed the letter out again. "Only that he was someone close to my…Dad," she whispered the last part with her gaze trained on nothing. "Close," she whispered. "Uncle Miles or Uncle Bass," she continued in a dreamy tone. "One of them. Miles." She blinked. "It has to be Uncle Miles." Charlie turned her head to look at Maggie. "I have Dad's eyes. It has to be Uncle Miles that's my father."
"Are we going to tell him when we find him?" Maggie asked her quietly. "Do you want him to know? Or does he already know?"
"There's a letter here for him, too," Aaron interrupted. "Two actually and one of them looks like your dad's handwriting."
Charlie let her face crease in a bitter smile. "Guess it doesn't matter then. But when did Mom ever care about what I wanted? Miles doesn't know. Mom never told him. Guess she thought we could all forgive her if she was dead when we found out."
"Charlie," Maggie started, appalled at the bitterness.
Charlie abruptly stood up. "No. I'm going to bed and tomorrow we'll head for Chicago and then we'll see what we see."
Aaron and Maggie watched helplessly as the young woman stomped over to her bed roll and lay down. Once they reached Chicago maybe Miles would be able to put her mind and heart to rest though they both seriously doubted it.