Then:
Ellie, being the part timelord that she is, gave Charlie the chance to see her parents one last time. The one and only rule is that she wasn't allowed to tell them who she really was. Charlie promised it quickly, jumping at the opportunity to try to at least slightly right the worst wrong she had ever made.
Now:
Charlie stepped back into the 90s. August 27, 1997 to be exact. A little more specifically: The day that Charlie's parents died. "Don't forget Back To The Future, Middleton. Don't Marty McFly yourself." She spoke to herself as she walked the familiar path to her childhood home in Chicago.
The day was brighter than she remembered it. It wasn't raining yet. It was actually just a normal day in Illinois. Her memory had been clouded by the fact that she lost her parents. To her, the whole world collapsed that night. For years, the sun wouldn't shine nearly as bright as it did for her this morning. The smell of the flowers that her mom kept in the front yard brought a smile to her face. She walked up the pathway to the front door. With a deep breath, she knocked.
She was shaking. She couldn't stop it. Her nerves were getting the best of her. She didn't even have a plan of what to say or anything. This was a bad idea. Charlie turned around and started walk back down the path towards the street.
The house door opened with a voice that Charlie hadn't heard since she was 12 years old. "Can I help you ma'am?" Charlie looked around to look at her mother for the first time in 16 years. She was just as beautiful as she remembered. Her long red hair, the lack of make up, the total mom jeans and the flannel over shirt with the sleeves rolled up... It was her mom. "Well?"
She worked up the courage to walk back up to her. With an extended hand, she introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Charlie Bradbury. I want to talk to you about your daughter." Her mother's face looked concerned with the mention of her only child. "Gertrude Middleton. Nice to meet you Ms. Bradbury." Gertrude gestured inside the house and invited Charlie in.
They sat down in facing chairs. Charlie had to move a book from her seat before she sat down and Gertrude lunged for it. "Sorry, it's just that.. that's my daughter's favorite book. She'd be devastated if something were to happen to that." The recognition flitted across Charlie's face. That was the copy of The Hobbit that she would read to her mother in the hospital every other week. "Anyway, why did you need to speak to me about her?"
"She wrote a story about you in school last year and I was wondering if she ever told you about it?" Charlie lied. Her mother shook her head no as she took a drink of her sweet tea. She continued, "It was about how much she loved you and wanted to grow up and be exactly like you... I can't get it out of my head." The lie was getting easier for Charlie to believe as she kept going. "The story just made me wish to eventually become the kind of mother that you are."
"Why are you telling me this, Ms. Bradbury? I mean, it's not like I appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but what made this so important that you had to tell me now?"
"I'm.. uh.. leaving. Very soon. I needed to let you know exactly how much she loves you and how much of an impression that you made on me."
"Believe me, I know that my daughter loves me. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get back to what I was doing." Gertrude got up to show Charlie the door. Once she opened the door for her guest, she continued, "It was nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you again."
Charlie fought the overwhelming urge to hug her mother as she walked out. "Thank you. Goodbye Mrs. Middleton. It was nice to see you..." The door shut behind her as she walked away. "...I love you mom. Always will." The tears started to stream down her face once she got out of sight. At least she got to say goodbye, after all of these years. She finally felt at peace.