Author's note for Perfect Pitch: There have been a few times in the series, when there have been references to how having a daughter (or sister) would have been helpful. If you've seen my Outsiders stories, you know I like playing with sister fics. I did not want to create a Mary Sue but I did think it would be interesting to explore how the family dynamics might have changed if there had been a little girl with Alan and Margaret's two little boys. My intent is to begin where Charlie first exhibited his gift, then skip ahead to high school, taking the family through the kids' teenage and young adult years, through Margaret's illness and death, and what might have happened afterward.
I put her between Don and Charlie, since, with five years between them, that made the most sense to me.
What I have gleaned from the canon is that Don is the way he is – protective, independent, strong -- because he was alone a lot of the time, with the focus on Charlie and his education. Would that make him close to a sister near his age? Would he have been responsible for her? How protective would he be of her, she of Charlie? How would it have affected her to have Don, Charlie, and Margaret all leave home at the same time? Would they really be a little 'softer' if there had been a daughter? Don was the athlete, Charlie the genius – what would the middle child be?
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Lydia Eppes.