Thanks for the feedback!

Rory sits at the kitchen table, taking bites of a poptart punctuated with gulps of coffee. Jess is still at work, Richie and Annie are in their rooms and Charlotte is at Ivy's house. Rory has just finished some editing she hasn't been able to get round to and is enjoying a moment of calm. The poptart makes it taste even better. This week has been a tentative improvement to before. Charlotte hasn't been in such a foul mood as the last couple of weeks. Rory noticed that she's taken off her locket, which sends a pang right to her heart, but hasn't asked Charlotte why. She's afraid that if she does, Charlotte will clam up even more and any chance of her putting it back on will be nixed. Despite this hurt, however, Charlotte's snapped at Rory less and even watched a movie with her. Rory is daring to hope that maybe they're getting to a point where they can start working on things, but right now she's still holding her breath. Rory knows it's a delicate time.

Rory's phone goes off, making her jump. Swallowing her poptart, she says, "Hello?"

"Rory Gilmore?"

"This is she."

"This is the school office. We're calling about Charlotte's absences."

"Charlotte's absences?" Rory echoes. "What absences?"

"She's missed several classes the past week, and two the week before that. I understand she had a dentist appointment but -"

"Wait," Rory interrupts. "Charlotte hasn't had - I've dropped her off at school every single morning."

"She's not going to school."

The penny hits Rory like an anvil. Fumbling for what to say, she comes out with, "I understand. I'll figure out what's going on."

"We'd appreciate it," the person from the office says testily, and with a click they hang up. Rory stares at the phone in her hand and then jumps again as the door opens and Jess comes in, grinning.

"I come bearing bags of takeout!"

Rory doesn't smile and Jess's grin drops. "What is it?" he asks, putting the bags down. "What's wrong?"

"Charlotte's not going to school. I just got a call from the school office."

"What?" Jess exclaims. "But - oh man," he groans. "Of course she's not."

"And I bet she's not with Ivy either," Rory says grimly. "How could we not figure this out? I pulled the exact same thing with Grandma! I'd tell her I was staying over with Paris when I really I was -" Rory's voice trails off, not wanting to finish her thought and Jess sighs.

"When's she getting back?"

"After dinner. But I want her home now."

"Maybe it's better that we wait," Jess suggests. "Give us some time to think of what to say."

"I don't know what I'm going to say!" Rory cries. "I'm mad at her, I'm mad at us and things are so bad right now anyway -"

"Hey," Jess says, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Let's take a breath."

"I can't take a breath!" Rory exclaims. "Charlotte's not going to school, she's probably not hanging out with her friend, and she's not home!"

"Give her a chance to explain."

"Explain what? I highly doubt she's been working at Walmart like you did."

"Won an award and everything," Jess admits, but he's serious as he says, "I'm freaking out too. But I think it'll be better if we cool down a little before she comes home, maybe eat some takeout."

"Maybe," Rory says grudgingly. "I'll check to see if Charlotte's actually at Ivy's. It's early for dinner though."

"When is it ever too early for takeout?"

"Okay, you have a point."

Jess gives her a kiss and starts unloading the bags. In the meantime Rory calls Ivy's mom. It turns out Charlotte is at the house, and Ivy's mom seems confused as to why Rory called. "Um, I thought maybe she'd forgotten her jacket," Rory flails. "But I see it now."

"Okay...do you want me to tell Charlotte you called?"

"No, but thanks." Rory is about to make an embarrassed goodbye when Ivy's mom adds, "It's fun having her here. She hasn't been over for a couple of weeks. Charlotte can stay over if she wants."

"Not tonight," Rory manages to say. "But thank you." She hangs up and takes a deep breath, trying to stop her thoughts going into overdrive.

"She's at Ivy's," Rory says, going into the kitchen. "But her mom said Charlotte hasn't been there for a couple of weeks."

"No prizes guessing where she has been," Jess says tightly. "I swear -"

"We're idiots," Rory says, shaking her head, and Jess says, "We're raising a teenager."

"We were teenagers. I thought I remembered better. Still, I did have to ask Mom where a sixteen-year-old would go when I lost the kid I was mentoring at Yale."

Jess laughs a little and comments, "Let's just eat for now. At least we know she's with Ivy."

"For now she is," Rory remarks. She doesn't want to think about the other times. Half an hour later they are sitting around the table, letting Annie and Richie do the talking. Every so often Jess and Rory catch each other's eye and Rory tries not to stare at the clock on the opposite wall.

"Mom, I can't find them."

"Huh?" Rory blinks and Annie says impatiently, "My markers."

"Oh. Well, when did you last have them?"

"I can't remember!" Annie exclaims. "That's why I can't find them!"

"Okay, okay," Jess says soothingly. "You were using them a couple of nights ago, right?"

"I used some of Charlotte's," Annie says and Rory asks knowingly, "Have you put them back?"

"She got mad at me when I went in her room to borrow them," Annie says sulkily. "She's the worst sister ever."

"Hey," Jess admonishes but Richie cuts in, "She's being kind of a jerk."

"Look, she's got some stuff on her mind," Jess says. "We'll talk to her."

"Has she got her period?" Annie asks seriously, making Rory cough on a mouthful. "No, honey," she says, drinking some water. "It's not that."

Charlotte gets back around eight. Wordlessly she goes into the kitchen to make some coffee and as she comes out Rory stops her in the hall.

"We need to talk to you."

Charlotte looks over her shoulder to see Jess in the living room and says suspiciously, "Okay."

She follows her mother into the room, sipping her coffee, and splutters it slightly as Rory says, "I got a call from your school today. They said you've been skipping class."

Charlotte puts her cup down and doesn't say anything when Jess asks, "What's been going on?"

They wait but Charlotte simply folds her arms, and finally Rory says, "What have you been doing if you're not going to school? Where you have you been going?"

Charlotte stays silent, her face reddening, and Rory says, "I spoke to Ivy's mom earlier. She said you haven't been over in a couple of weeks."

"You've been checking on me?" Charlotte says furiously and Rory exclaims, "You haven't been going there either! Tell us what's going on!"

Charlotte is mute but when Rory prompts, "Charlotte?" her daughter looks up and says, "I haven't been doing anything you haven't done."

"What does that mean?" Rory demands but Charlotte doesn't answer. There's an expression on her face which is a peculiar mix of Logan's, Lorelai's and Charlotte's own. Rory can feel herself begin to freak out again, losing the mild composure she was keeping. Jess seems the same way as he goes over to her and asks, "What have you been doing? When I missed school I got a job in Walmart but something tells me you're not doing that."

"Have you been seeing Tyler instead of going to school?" Rory asks. "If you have -"

"So what if I have?" Charlotte shouts, making them jump. "Like you've got a right to be mad at me for that! You both dropped out and you're making out you were so perfect! Like neither of you screwed up!"

"Charlotte, you need to stop with this line" Jess says angrily. "You're mad at us so you're going to mess up your life? Grow up a little! You're hurting yourself with all this crap!"

"It's not crap!"

"Skipping school for some guy is a really stupid thing to do," Rory says and Charlotte retorts, "You'd know about that, right?"

"That's enough," Jess says before Rory can react. "You've got to stop with this. You can't throw back every thing we did wrong whenever you make a mistake. And this is a big mistake."

Charlotte glares at him and Jess takes a deep breath. "Okay. We're going to figure this out."

"I don't want to figure things out," Charlotte snaps. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Rory says. "None of us are. You're mad at us, you're lying to us and missing school. That's not fine."

"I don't care."

"I care," Rory says and Charlotte ignores her. Jess puts his hand on her arm and says, "This has been going on way too long and we're going to fix it."

"No," Charlotte says and Jess says, "Yes, we are."

"Charlotte -" Rory starts to say and her daughter yells, "It's none of your business! Both of you just leave me alone!"

"It is my business," Jess shouts back. "You're my daughter!"

"I have a whole other father!"

There's a stunned silence. Jess drops his hand from Charlotte's arm, stepping back. Charlotte looks at him and Rory, wordlessly goes out the room and runs up the stairs. Rory says, "Jess -" but her husband walks out into the hall. Following him, Rory sees him grab his jacket and say, "I'm going for a walk." Rory has never seen such hurt in his eyes.

"Can I come?" she asks quietly and Jess says equally quietly, "If you want."

They go halfway down the street before Rory says, "Jess, she didn't mean it."

Jess doesn't say anything and Rory goes on, "She's mad and just said it without thinking."

"I know," Jess says, stopping and looking at her. "I know why she said it. She's sixteen and angry and wanted to hurt me. I know that, Rory. But I need a moment."

His voice is aching. Rory nods and silently falls back into step with him. They walk without a word, all the way to the park and back, and as they approach their house Jess stops.

"She's right," he says. "She does have a whole other father."

"Jess -"

"I'd think that, when I was mad at Luke. I get why she said it."

"There's a difference between a father and a dad," Rory says gently. "You're her dad. Charlotte knows that."

"Yeah," Jess says heavily. "I know."

"Charlotte loves you."

"I know that too."

Jess gets out his key to open the door and they walk in silently. They decide to watch some television, giving everyone time to cool down. It doesn't do much to help with relaxing and finally Rory says, "I'm going to try and talk to Charlotte on her own. She might not listen but maybe if it's just me she'll feel less ganged up on."

Rory doesn't have a lot of faith in this but it feels better than doing nothing. She makes two large cups of coffee, goes upstairs and decides not to intervene in Richie and Annie's fight over who was first in line for the bathroom. Rory carefully puts the cup in her other hand and knocks on her daughter's door.

"Charlotte? Can I come in?"

There's silence. Rory waits and then opens the door, careful not to spill. Rory looks into the room and then drops both cups. Charlotte has gone.