For the record, I actually have no idea how someone becomes a godparent. I winged it.
NOT THE FAIRY GODMOTHER.
God, Caroline doesn't want to be part of this family.
But, they want her to. Their hearts will break if she cut herself off entirely from them. Caroline admits, she's a slightly selfish woman. She does have a conscience. The hot, cascading tears of bewilderment that would follow disowning herself are just–too agonizing to think about. Her mother, Marie, is admirable. She's overweight, but fights it, vehemently. Her dad, Pete, doesn't want her to. Fuck him. He's an idiot, anyway. A real lady should do whatever it takes to be beautiful. If Mom ends up in rehab, again, well, that's just a side-effect. She'll get over it.
Maybe that's part of why Caroline hates her sister-in-law? Madeline O'Dwyer. What a bitch. Doesn't even put effort into looking pretty. How does she stay thin, when Caroline has to take diet after diet? Maddie doesn't know what it feels like to be stuck in a family of crazies. Madeline is the recently wedded wife of Caroline's younger brother, Jack. She doesn't like Caroline. So, what, Jack busted out crying last time Caroline yelled at him? He's an ugly, fat, unsociable slob. He's fixated on an insane concept Caroline won't even deign to name. One of his best friends almost died because of him, less than two years ago! Caroline might have liked Maddie, otherwise, if she hadn't apparently lost her mind and married–Jack.
What does she see in that jackass?
Caroline's already married, anyway. Cristian Loeb is a better man than any of the men in her family. He'll take good care of her, and their children.
They've had four divorce scares.
Caroline is collapsing in relief that it hasn't ended badly–Cris just went out to a hotel, this time–and their son and daughter, Paige and Joey, are at school. The ruckus has died down. She checks the mail.
It's a document, from her brother, and Maddie. They want permission to make Caroline their newborn son's legal godmother. Obviously, this is Jack's idea, and Maddie went along with it to console him.
She snorts.
Then, feels guilty.
It's Danny's tenth birthday. He's super-excited to meet his aunt for the first time! What's a godmother?
Oh, sweetie, that just means that if something bad ever happens to your father and I, she'll be the one who takes care of you. Maddie's smile is tight as she says this. Danny's eyes go very wide. They're blue, not grayish like Jack's, but a bright sky blue. Caroline's strikingly reminded of Pete.
"But, I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"
"No, of course not, sweetheart, that's not what I meant."
It's what she meant. Maddie hasn't made eye-contact with Carol her entire visit.
Jazz shudders, observing the body language of her aunt. She is perturbed, because she can see a distinct parallel. She might feel a little resentful of her dad's flaws, sometimes, but at least she still loves him. She doesn't let her desire for normalcy get in the way of her own happiness, nor her loved ones'. She vows never to become like her aunt Carol.