Charlie's 3.5 years
"Hey kid, how goes the Ivy league?" Lorelai asked over the phone.
"Very Ivy covered," she said as she looked up from her notes.
"What's up?" she asked.
"It's that time," she said with a smile.
"Hammertime?" Rory asked as she got up and headed to the mini fridge in the common room.
"No, Charlie is three and a half."
"Movie theatre!" Rory squealed.
"Exactly!" she said. "Can you come?"
"Wild horses couldn't stop me!" she said excitedly.
"Excellent," Lorelai said. "The hard choice is picking one. I mean, Black, White and Read is showing Star Trek Four and in Woodbridge, the Mega Plex is showing at least 6 that I wouldn't mind seeing."
"Nix the Star Trek," she said automatically. "Is Luke coming?"
"Why would Luke come?" Lorelai asked quickly. Things had been slightly awkward since that kiss in the diner a few weeks ago.
"Because. . . normally this is the kind of thing you'd invite Luke to."
"He's busy," she said quickly. "So, home town movie or Mega Plex?" she asked trying to redirect the conversation. Rory pulled the phone away from her ear and frowned at it before putting it back up to her ear.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Nothing, nothing is going on," Lorelai said.
"Liar," Rory insisted. "Are you and Luke fighting?"
"Rory," she drew out.
"Mom," Rory did the same.
"I don't want to talk about it, ok?" she said. "Back to the movie situation." Rory sighed as she considered pushing for a moment longer.
"Fine, tell me what's playing," she said with a sigh.
"Oh! The Incredibles!" Rory gushed when Lorelai read it off.
"The Incredibles it is," she said. "Meet us there at noon?"
"With bells on," Rory said.
"See ya then," Lorelai said as she signed off.
"See ya!" Rory said as she hung up and went back to her studying. Lorelai sighed a little as she hung up her cell phone and glanced around the partially finished Dragonfly. She had tried to bury the Luke incident, but it kept rearing it's ugly head.
"Hello?" Lorelai called as she wandered into the Gilmore mansion. "Where is everyone?"
"Over here, Lorelai," Emily called.
"Where's Charlie?" she asked.
"Mmmm?" Emily asked, not looking up from her book.
"Charlie, mom. Charlotte. About 3 feet tall, dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, has issues with the letter R?"
"I know my granddaughter, Lorelai," she said as she finished the page and put down her book. "She's in the yard."
"Where in the yard mom? CHARLIE!" she yelled out as she stalked out into the yard. "CHARLIE!" she called out again.
"Lorelai, relax. The yard is fenced, she's can't go far."
"She's a smart kid mom, she can unlatch a gate. CHARLOTTE ABIGAIL! RIGHT NOW!" she yelled again as she stood in the middle of the yard, starting to panic.
"CHARLIE!" she called as she dashed into the house.
"I'm here!" Charlie called as she ran down the stair case, her 'r' sounding more like a ''w'. "I had to pee," she said as she threw her arms around Lorelai. "Don't worry."
"I'm ok," she said as she picked Charlie up and held her tight. "I wasn't worried at all." Charlie giggled a little and hugged her mom.
"I'll leave a note next time."
"You can barely write your name," she said with a smile.
"Oh," she said with a giggle. "I forgot." Lorelai smiled and shook her head.
"Did you have a good time?" Emily asked.
"Yes," Charlie said with a smile. "Lots of fun with you and Grandpa," she said.
"Excellent, I look forward to having you again," Emily said with a smile. "Richard! Come say good bye!" Emily called as she grabbed Charlie's bag from the kitchen.
"Already?" Richard asked as he came out of his study. "Well, I hope you come again soon," he said.
"I will," Charlie assured him as she leaned out of her mothers arms and into his. Lorelai smiled a little as she watched this. She was glad that they were on good enough terms that Charlie could get to know her grandparents while she was young like this.
"Oh, before I forget," Richard said, heading into the study with Charlie. "I have something for you," he said.
"Oh boy!" Charlie said with a giggle.
"He really likes her," Lorelai commented as she accepted Charlie's still wet snow pants and mitts from the maid.
"He does," Emily said with a smile. "Her and Rory."
"Grandpa gave me a new book!" she said as she came tearing out of the study to show her mother.
"Winnie the Pooh, fantastic," Lorelai said. "Did you say thank you?" she whispered to Charlie.
"I did," she whispered back.
"Good. We should go then," she said as she took Charlie's bag from Emily. They said their good byes as Lorelai got Charlie dressed in her winter coat and hat and headed to the jeep as Charlie spilled out all her adventures to Lorelai. "Do you know what tomorrow is?" Lorelai asked as they drove along.
"December first?" Charlie asked.
"Exactly! Your half birthday. That means your first official trip to a movie theatre."
"I've been to Black, White and Read," she said after a moment, not really understanding her mothers enthusiasm.
"No, the Mega Plex in Woodbridge," she said with a smile as she glanced back at Charlie while they were stopped at a red light.
"Wow!" Charlie said excitedly. "We can't talk in there, can we?"
"Of course we can, we just can't be as loud as we usually are," she reasoned as she started to drive again.
"Is Rory comin'?"
"Of course she is! Wild horses couldn't keep her away babe."
"What are we gonna see?"
"It's a surprise," Lorelai said with a grin as she pulled out her cell phone and dialled Rory's number. "Here," she said as she held her phone out behind her to Charlie. "See what Rory is up to." Charlie grabbed the phone and kicked her feet a little as she waited for Rory to pick up.
"Hello?"
"RORY!" Charlie squealed.
"Hey sister of mine!" Rory said as she put down her pen. "What's up?" Charlie frowned for a moment.
"Why am I calling mom?"
"What's Rory up to?" she asked. The conversation carried on like this for some time with Charlie acting as nothing more than a go between for Rory and Lorelai.
"Does Rory want visitors?" Lorelai asked.
"Do you want visitors?" Charlie relayed.
"Sure, come on down," Rory said. Charlie related the message to Lorelai and she quickly headed in the direction of New Haven. Charlie grinned as she chatted with Rory a little longer before she hung up and enjoyed the rest of the ride.
"Rory! Rory! Rory!" Charlie called out as she ran a head of Lorelai towards Rory's dorm room. Lorelai quickly jogged off after Charlie, reigning her in.
"There are kids trying to study, you have to keep it down," she reminded Charlie as she got a hold of her hand.
"Sorry," Charlie replied as she slowed to a walk.
"Was I summoned?" Rory asked, poking her head out of her door.
"Rory!" Charlie exclaimed as she launched herself at her big sister. "Missed you."
"I missed you too," she said as she hugged her before releasing her to hug Lorelai. "Welcome to Yale stranger," she said to Lorelai.
"Is everyone here?" she asked as she headed in.
"Oh yeah, get ready," she said as she opened the door to let them in.
"Wow," Lorelai said when she saw what they had walked into. Janet and Paris were battling it out in the middle of the room while Tanna divided her attention between C-span and the fight in front of her. Charlie walked a little further into the room, pushing past her mother to get a better look at the battle in the middle of the room.
"Who's winning?" Rory asked Tanna.
"What? Oh. Stalemate. Again," she replied, turning her attention back to the fight. Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Come on," she said as she led her mother and her sister to the room she and Paris shared as she headed over to her desk. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a white board. She quickly made another mark on it. "Round 237," Rory clarified before putting the white board back in the drawer.
The three Gilmore's hung around in Rory's room until the common room fell silent and Paris stormed into the room. She caught a glance of the Gilmore's and then launched into a long winded, semi G rated rant about Janet and her boyfriend.
"Paris!" Rory finally called to her. "I don't want to hear this, my mother doesn't want to hear it and my sister probably shouldn't hear it." Paris stopped mid rant to look at who exactly she was complaining to.
"Oh, right," she said as she headed to her desk to start working.
"We should probably go," Rory said. "Dinner?"
"My treat," Lorelai said with a smile as she grabbed Charlie's hand and they headed out to the big wide world.
"Today was good," Rory said quickly as they drove back to Yale, Charlie asleep in the back seat.
"It was. She really misses you, I really miss you," Lorelai said.
"Only a few more months," Rory said, patting Lorelai on the knee as they came to a stop in front of Rory's dorm.
"See you tomorrow?"
"See ya tomorrow," she said. "Kiss Charlie good night for me," she added as she jumped out and ran into the dorm.
"Happy half birthday little girl," Lorelai muttered as she pulled Charlie closer to her. After a nightmare, Charlie had crawled in with Lorelai around midnight and now that it was 2:07, Lorelai was awake.
"Mom?"
"Happy half birthday," she whispered again as she kissed Charlie.
"Oh," she said as she rolled over and pressed her face into Lorelai's neck.
"Go back to sleep," Lorelai muttered as she stroked Charlie's hair while watching the snow fall outside the window.
"Snow," Charlie muttered as she pressed her nose up against the window in Lorelai's bedroom. Lorelai snickered as she watched Charlie try to force herself through the glass.
"Come back to bed," Lorelai said. "We need to plan," she said. Charlie took one last look outside and quickly ran back over and jumped in the bed, snuggling under the covers.
"So," Lorelai said. "I say we have a breakfast of Pop Tarts, marshmallows and Cream Soda before we head out to play in the snow."
"Good," Charlie said with a nod.
"And then I think that once we are all cold and wet, we should head to Luke's for hot chocolate, cheese burgers and doughnuts."
"Yum!" she said again.
"By then, we should have time to head home and change and head to the inn for a while, make sure Michel has everything under control. Home to change again, for tonight, and then off to Woodbridge, Rory will meet us there."
"You're the best mom ever," Charlie said with a large smile, snuggling in tighter against Lorelai.
"As much as I love this mommy and me time, if we hang around here much longer, we're going to have to revise our schedule." Charlie quickly jumped out of bed, pulling Lorelai along with her in her attempt to start the day as soon as possible.
"You're both soaked," Luke said with a frown when Lorelai and Charlie came into the diner that afternoon. Charlie spilled out the events of the day so far as Lorelai started to peel layers off of her and toss them on to an empty chair. "I have a dryer in the back room," he pointed out.
"Oh, excellent," she said as he bundled up all of Charlie's things and headed to the back while she climbed onto a chair and ordered for them.
"2 Cheese burgers, 2 hot chocolates, 2 fries, 4 doughnuts and one coffee," she said with a smile.
"Death on a plate," Luke said as he jotted everything down.
"It's my half birthday," Charlie said with a smile.
"Happy half birthday," Luke whispered to her as he leaned close. "No more comments on the food," he said as he headed to the back.
"Half birthdays are great," she said to herself as Luke brought over the hot chocolates.
"Wow," Charlie said, hanging on tightly to her soda as she looked up at all the rows of seats in the theatre. Lorelai pointed to a row of seats and followed Charlie up, Rory trailing behind. After they had sat down, all the pop corn, red vines and other candy was distributed between them as they waited for the movie to start. About halfway through, Charlie crawled onto Lorelai's lap and was asleep 10 minutes before the end of the movie.
"You didn't make it through your first movie either," Lorelai told Rory as they bundled up and headed out of the theatre.
"It takes years to build up stamina," Rory said with a shrug. "It's perfectly acceptable to fall asleep before the end of your first semi-late movie theatre experience."
"Well, now that we have your approval," Lorelai joked as they headed out to their separate cars.
"I'll see you on Friday," Rory said as she hugged Lorelai.
"See you on Friday," she said.
"Mom?" Charlie muttered as Lorelai strapped her into the booster seat.
"Yeah kiddo?"
"This was a good birthday."
"Really good," she said as she slipped out of the back seat and got into the drivers seat.
Ok. Ky dared me to use the phrase "I'm as single as a Jew in Utah". And make Charlie say it. She's about 3
She had heard her mother say it about a week ago and it had been rattling around inside her pretty little head ever since. She shouldn't have heard it, she wasn't even supposed to be up, but she couldn't sleep and Rory was away at college so she did what she always did when she couldn't sleep, she cracked her bedroom door open and sat beside it, listening to her mother talk on the phone.
"And invite who, exactly to go with me Rory? I'm as single as a Jew in Utah," Lorelai had said, rather frustrated that her eldest didn't sympathise with her. Emily had it in her head that Lorelai needed to bring a date to this dinner she was hosting and she was as single as single could be right now.
"Mom!" Rory had admonished after hearing that little gem.
"Well it's true!" Lorelai shot back as she giggled a little at the image. It turned into an all out laughter hewn Rory started to giggle as well.
"Single as a Jew in Utah," Lorelai muttered to herself with a shake of her head when they had hung up. She'd have to remember that.
The evening had started out well enough, Friday night diner had been canceled. Richard was out of town and Emily had insisted on having diner in Stars Hollow this time. As the four of them, Lorelai, Rory, Emily and Charlie sat around a table in Luke's, conversation fell to the romantic lives, or lack there of, of the Gilmore Girls. Valentine's day was approaching and Emily just HAD to know if any of the girls had plans.
"And what about you Charlie? Any one special?" Emily had asked with a smile.
"Oh Grandma," she had giggled. "I'm as single as a Jew in Utah." Charlie watched as Rory buried her head in her hands, Lorelai tried not to laugh and Emily just looked horrified.
"You!" Emily had said, immediately turning behind her to point a finger at Luke. Luke stopped laughing as he realised he was about to be pegged the responsible party for Charlie's comment.
"Now wait just a minute!" Luke said as he came out form behind the counter to defend himself.
"Mom, it wasn't him," Lorelai said, quickly getting a hold of her self.
"I told you something like this was going to happen eventually!" Rory called to her mother as she too jumped to Luke's defence. Charlie sighed and rested her elbows on the table. She was going to get in trouble for this and she might as well just sit quietly and stay out of the way while the adults duked it out.
"MOM!" Lorelai finally yelled and Charlie jumped a little. It had been a long time since she'd heard her mother yell. "Charlie must have heard me say it. I said it to Rory the other night." Emily paused, finger still in mid air, pointing at Luke who was standing with his palms pressed flat against the counter.
"Lorelai! Why on earth would you say something like that around a 3 year old?"
"I didn't realise she was listening! She had been in bed for an hour and I was on the phone with Rory. . ."
"You said that to Rory?!?"
"She's 19, she's a big girl now mom," Lorelai said again. Emily floundered for something to say for a moment before she offered Luke a brief apology and left the diner. Charlie tried to disappear into her chair as the adults in the room turned their attention to her.
"Oops?" was all Charlie offered. She began to chew on her bottom lip when she saw Luke turn away from her. "Hey!" she eventually said when she realised that Luke had started to chuckle about it again.
"You really said that?" he asked Lorelai. She grinned and laughed as she admitted to it and Rory couldn't help but join in.
"Does this mean I'm not gonna be in trouble when we get home?" Charlie called out from her seat. When she got no response from the adults, she went back to sulking.
A little what-if scene that demanded to be written. Charlie's a few weeks old.
Luke crept into the house quietly, easing the door shut behind him. He leaned against the wall as he slipped his shoes off, putting them neatly by the door as opposed to scattered haphazardly like Rory and Lorelai did when they got in. He crept into the living room and grinned a little when he saw the TV still on, volume muted. He was a little surprised when he peaked over the back of the couch and there was no one asleep there. He turned off the TV and headed towards Rory room. He caught a glance of the time, 11:04, later than he had meant to come home, but such is the life of a business owner.
"Hey," he said quietly when he saw Rory, still sitting at her desk, working on something.
"Hey," she said with a bit of a smile.
"It's late," he said, leaning against the door frame.
"I'm almost done," she said with a yawn. "I have 2 more pages to read." Luke looked at her for a long moment. The 16 year old never had just 2 more pages to read. "Really," she said. "Go, let me finish," she said as she turned back to her work. He shook his head and turned out the light in the kitchen as he headed upstairs, taking off his flannel shirt as he did. He tossed it over the back of a chair in the master bedroom before he grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He glanced at Lorelai who was dead to the world and peaked in at Charlie. At a few weeks old, the baby was nearly always dead to the world as far as he could tell.
As he headed to the bath room and turned on the shower, he considered how quickly things could change in a few months. Lorelai had come crying to him about the mess she had gotten herself into with Christopher a few days after she had found out she was pregnant and, somewhere along the way, they had become inseparable. Both she and Rory had been unable to get a hold of him and Luke had stepped up in his place. He wasn't sure why he had done it, but he had, They had official become an item shortly before Christopher had shown up, unannounced, in town and when Christopher caught wind of this, well, it hadn't been pretty. Luke shook his head as he climbed into the shower, going through the motions quickly, wanting nothing more than to fall into bed next to Lorelai for a few hours before Charlie woke and demanded attention.
He stepped out soon after, shivering a little as the water on his body began to cool off. He towelled quickly and just after pulling his pants on, he heard the tell tale sound of Charlie beginning to stir.
"Hey, hey," he said quietly to her as he rushed over to the crib, scooping her up before she really woke up. He handled the new born gently, still slightly in awe of the fact that he could hold her whole body in just his two hands. "Give your mom a few more minutes," he said as he cradled the baby against his bare chest. He held her for a moment, rubbing her back as he willed her back to sleep before he grabbed a blanket out of the crib and settled himself in the rocking chair that had replaced the chair in the corner of the room.
"You old softy," he heard a quiet voice mutter from the bed. He turned slightly to see Lorelai awake, kind of, rubbing sleepily at an eye as she took in the scene before her.
"Go back to sleep," he muttered.
"Can't," she said. "I'm hard wired to her schedule now." He sighed and eventually got up from the chair and padded over to the bed. He handed her the baby before he headed back in to the bathroom to grab his shirt. He threw it over his head as he walked back in and climbed into bed next to her.
"What a difference a year makes, huh?" he asked as he rested a hand on the baby's head and kissed Lorelai on the forehead, indulging in the quiet moment they were all having.
"But a good difference," she said with a smile as Charlie began to nurse contentedly. He nodded and put an arm around her shoulder as she shifted her body against his, finding a more comfortable position.
Charlie is most definitely 2. There is a HIGH possibility that this will make it into season 3 or 4 of Da Capo Al Fine
"What the hell is going on over there?" Luke called into the phone.
"That would be Charlie reminding us all that yes, she is two years old," Lorelai said. "Can I order?"
"Why aren't you doing something about it?" he asked, ignoring her request to order. Lorelai rolled her eyes.
"Because I am out of ideas. She has been at this for the last hour and shows no signs of stopping. Want to hear the fun part? She's upstairs. In her crib, in my room, with the door closed. Us Gilmore Girls, we have good lungs. Can I PLEASE order?"
"Are you sure she's okay? She' s not hurt?"
"Luke, she's fine. She's having the mother of all tantrums, but she's fine. I would imagine that she's over tired and frustrated because she can't get across to me what she wants." The pair fell into silence.
"Well, " he said, breaking the silence. "Are you going to order?" Lorelai shook her head before she did just that. "I'll bring it over in about 10 minutes," he said before they hung up. Lorelai sighed as she listened to Charlie screaming bloody murder upstairs. She trudged her way up and opened the door. Charlie calmed slightly when she saw her.
"Are you done yet?" Lorelai asked, standing in the door way. Charlie sniffled a few times but didn't answer. "If you want out, you have to be done. Are you done?"
"NO!" Charlie hollered back. "NO, NO NO NO NO!"
"See ya later then," she said as Charlie began screaming again and she closed the door and headed down stairs. She stood in the living room for a moment before she grabbed the phone and headed out to sit on the front porch. She left the door open just in case as she waited for Luke to show up.
"She's still at it?" Luke asked when he arrived in her yard, a couple of bags in his hands.
"Of course. We are nothing, if not dedicated," she said with an eye roll as she accepted the food from him. "Go check on her if it will make you feel better," she said when she saw him eyeing the door. They both headed inside, Lorelai going to the kitchen as Luke headed up the stairs.
"Hey," he said gruffly when he opened the bedroom door. Charlie stopped mid screech when she saw him in the doorway. "Why are you so angry, huh?" he asked her as he came into the room slowly. He picked up a receiving blanket from the floor, obviously one Charlie had pitched out of the crib during her tantrum. "What's wrong?" he asked her again as he used the blanket to wipe her nose and dry the tears. Charlie sniffled and pouted, her bottom lip jutting way out as she simply stared at him. "Are you done?"
"No," she said, her breath hitching a few times.
"Mostly done?"
"Yes." He picked her up out of the crib and held the toddler for a moment. They stared at each other, Charlie still pouting, as he reached into the crib and found her blankie and a pacifier that she hadn't pitched across the room.
"Here," he said as he handed her the pacifier and tossed the blankie over his shoulder. "I think you should have a rest," he said as he put some gentle pressure on the back of her head, to make her relax against him.
"No," she replied around the pacifier, though she did do what he wanted her to.
"Okay, don't then," he said quietly as he picked a few more items up off the floor as he headed for the door.
"You are one complicated man, Luke Danes," Lorelai said with a shake of her head when she saw Luke come into the kitchen, Charlie asleep on his shoulder. "Ever going to tell me your secret?"
"Not a chance," he said as he took a seat at the table with her, pulling out a sandwich he had packed for himself. After hearing Charlie over the phone, he had a feeling he'd be sticking around for a while.
"And to think, I used to be worried about being a single parent again," she remarked casually. He smiled a little as they fell into an easy conversation over lunch.