Disclaimer: Glee and its characters belong to where it legally belongs, i.e. not me.
Chapter Three: The Babysitter
Four years ago:
Judy sighed in relief when she finally reached the front door. Nine p.m., right on time, she thought as her hand reached into her purse.
Working late is a non-issue for her, seeing that she has been doing it all her career. But since Russell is in another state for work and Quinn is away for a 'cheer-over' in a lake cabin, she hired a babysitter for Charlotte.
After a full minute of rummaging - her purse has a lot of knick-knacks that she dares not to throw away - her hand finally settled on the house keys. Blurting out a soft "Yes!", she immediately inserted the right key into the doorknob. With a few jiggling, she hurriedly opened the door and stepped inside.
"Rachel?" she called out as soon as the door closed behind her. She looked left and right, confused at the lack of hurried footsteps and incessant chatter that usually greet her.
"Rachel?" she called again as she strutted onwards, suspicious. It was quiet; the lack of Broadway musicals and enthusiastic singing as background noises is enough for Judy to worry. She padded towards the the living room, ears alert for any sound. But as she walked closer - her stilettos clicking with each step, hazel eyes widened at the scene.
The living room is a mess, the floor littered with unidentified parts from what she realized - in horror because it was expensive - as the collective parts of the entire entertainment system. Everything is butchered and is scattered on the floor: the speakers, the DVD player, and even the HD, 100-inch flat-screen television that Russell adores.
And right in the middle of the living floor is a twelve year-old Charlotte, her long, curly tresses collected in a messy bun. She has a pinched, determined expression as her hand busied themselves with unscrewing and unwiring some of the butchered parts.
"Charlie!" Judy screeched, her eyes still wide in shock. The girl in question jumped in surprise, dropping her screwdriver as her own light blues widened beneath the spectacles.
"You're home," the girl simply said with a sweet smile before turning her attention back to her work, her expression now pensive.
When the blonde didn't look up again, Judy decided to exercise her will-strengthening mantra - like what her therapist ordered years ago - and closed her eyes. Breath in, breath out... she thought, inhaling and exhaling in tune of her mantra. She always do this, especially when it's a stressful situation involving her youngest.
"Honey, what are you doing?" Judy finally inquired as calmly as she could, although her eye twitched when Charlotte nonchalantly threw a brass-like part on the floor.
The blonde girl looked up again. "I was bored and there's nothing to do," she replied casually - as if butchering appliances is a sensible cure for boredom - and Judy just sighed, her head suddenly aching.
The family knew of the young girl's unparalleled curiosity and propensity for taking apart things when left to her own devices. That's why she and Russell - like any responsible parent - hired a babysitter so that Charlie could be monitored.
Although they could've just asked - or bribed - their oldest to babysit, they couldn't. Leaving Quinn in charge of Charlotte when she and Russell are away is like dropping a boxful of mentol candy into a vat of Sprite: there will be messy explosions that'll end in a sticky, difficult situation.
"Are you planning on cleaning up this mess?"
The blonde girl nodded with a smile. "I can fix this all in one hour, Mom. I just need a little more time to observe the mechanism of each device that will allow me to recreate the system through cheap, easily accessible materials."
Judy just sighed and nodded, hoping that the TV will remain intact or Russell will incessantly whine to her. "Where's Rachel?" she remembered, looking around.
"Uhmm, she's asleep in my room."
The blonde woman arched an eyebrow at that. Rachel is the daughter of an old friend, Leroy. Although the brunette can be loud, bossy, and eccentric (one time, she talked Judy's ear off about musicals and proper breathing), she is a responsible girl. So responsible, in fact, that Judy didn't immediately jumped on board with Charlotte's explanation.
"Charlotte," she repeated with a firm voice, eyes narrowed in skepticism. "Is Rachel really sleeping?"
"Yes," the girl answered without looking up. Suspicious, Judy left her daughter to check on Rachel. Surprisingly, the brunette really is sleeping as soft snores filled the room.
Huh, she mused, observing the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. Maybe she's just tired, she concluded, although she still found it strange.
She walked back to the living room, intent on questioning Charlotte further when she caught a flicker of something in her expression: guilt. Judy groaned; she should've known that something is fishy. Those light blues - while calculative - can be as transparent as a flamboyant gay man pretending to be a straight, macho man.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly, mentally counting to ten per her therapist's suggestion - that woman really is a blessing to her sanity. "Charlie, fix this mess then go to bed. And if you don't tell me the real reason why Rachel is currently passed out, you'll be grounded for an entire month."
The blonde girl squealed in indignation, but one look from Judy is enough for her to realize that she's definitely in trouble. Panicked, she immediately confessed on how she used her new 'insta-nap' formula on Rachel without her consent. And without the brunette's usual distractions, she got bored and started tinkering with the appliances.
"The effect is just for a couple of hours," Charlotte reassured her mortified mother. "She'll wake up in," she glanced at her wristwatch, "approximately fifteen minutes, I promise."
"She better be, or I'll ground you for a year," the older woman threatened, remembering Leroy's stories about Hiram's overprotectiveness. He won't be thrilled that her daughter was used as an experimental subject without consent. "Clean up now."
"Mom..."
"Now, Charlotte. I'll just go change," she said, gesturing at her scrub suit; she hasn't had the time to change earlier. Charlotte just grudgingly nodded and Judy saw the disappointed expression before the older blonde turned around and walked away.
She padded towards the master bedroom, thinking of what to explain to Leroy if Rachel decided to share her experience.
She sighed tiredly, hoping that the Berry men can be dissuaded with her award-winning pies.
"We're here." Charlie looked up from her gadget - a homemade tracking device - when the car finally stopped in front of a large house - larger than the Fabrays, in fact. She squinted her light blues as she surveyed the door, expectant.
Jacob nudged the blonde beside him. "Go and get her."
The blonde nudged back. "She's got working legs, Jake."
The boy chuckled. "Aren't you the romantic type..."
"Shut up," Charlie grumbled as she refocused her attention to her gizmo. She busied herself with checking and re-checking the modified operating system that she installed, unaware of the tall, leggy girl currently sauntering their way.
"Hey, Char," Alexis greeted with a smile as soon as she opened the door to the blonde's side. Seeing that the other girl is busy, the raven-haired girl rolled her eyes before capturing the blonde's face and giving her a kiss. Tanned hands held the blonde in place as the kiss deepened, Alexis' firm grip softening as she started caressing the blonde's cheeks.
As usual, Charlie was surprised - no matter how regularly this happens - at Alexis' action, and yet the blonde's lips will always yield when the Latina's lips coaxed her into a deeper kiss.
"C'mon, girls. We'll be late," Jake reminded them with a huff, not bothered by the display. With a loud, wet smack, Alexis finally let go, but not without giving a sweet, final kiss before climbing into the back of the car.
"What happened to the mission?" the tanned girl asked as she carefully placed her purse beside her, elegantly crossing her legs in the process.
Charlie grinned, looking at the other girl through the rear-view mirror. "It was a success."
The tanned girl chuckled. "So she'll be walking in school later with a cotton candy hair?"
The blonde girl nodded with a smile before launching in an explanation about the chemical properties of the special hair dye. Alexis just cocked her head and listened patiently, her dark eyes observing the other girl as she prattled on about the impossibility of getting rid of the dye.
"How's Rachel, though?" the Latina inquired after a few seconds.
Charlie sighed. "She's okay now, I guess. Mr. Lee said that she'll be back tomorrow."
"Did you visit her again?"
A crease formed between her eyebrows as the blonde thought back. "Not since the last time. Why?"
Alexis shrugged. "No reason," she simply said, lying through her teeth as she crossed her arms on her chest.
But Charlie - as dense as she could be sometimes when it comes to social cues - sighed, aware of what the tanned girl is not voicing out. "You know it's not like that."
The tanned girl just shrugged again. "It's not like I have a say."
The blonde girl groaned. "You're such a-" she paused and groaned again, closing her eyes in frustration. This conversation has been too repetitive for her liking. Beside her, Jacob just looked straight ahead, aware that he shouldn't interfere. "You know I don't like Rachel that way."
"Do I?" Alexis retorted, her dark eyebrow raising in question. "As much as I'm supportive of your... hobbies, I'm still confused on why you're doing all of these for her."
"She's a friend, you know that."
"Like me?"
Charlie scoffed. "Of course not."
"Then why are you doing all these for her?"
The blonde girl sighed, pursing her lips. She has her reasons, although she's unsure whether or not she divulge what she knows. But still, it wasn't her secret to tell in the first place. "Just trust me, okay? I'll explain when the time comes."
Alexis narrowed her eyes at the blonde. Moments later, the dark, hardened orbs softened at the Charlie's puppy expression before the tanned girl sighed; no matter how hard she tried, she could never get mad at the other girl.
"Fine," the tanned girl conceded before scooting forward on the leather seat. Tanned hand reached for the blonde's neck and gently pulled as she leaned forward, capturing the Charlie's lips for a quick kiss.
"I just hate sharing you..." Alexis mumbled, her eyes slowly opening as her hand combed through the blonde tresses.
Charlie grinned, her light blue eyes twinkling and the tanned girl's heart skipped a beat at the familiar, lovely smile. "You know you don't have any competition, Alex."
The raven-haired girl huffed but didn't say a word. If only you knew... she thought, remembering how many girls and boys will undoubtedly grab the opportunity of being with the blonde genius if they could.
Charlie is oblivious to her own charm, and Alexis is somehow thankful for that. But only the fear of Lopez name - or Santana's reputation for being overly aggressive, rather - kept the suitors away, and Alexis made sure to use it to her full advantage.
But then there's Rachel Berry, someone who has spent years with Charlie even before Alexis knew the blonde girl existed. It was unnerving how close they are; the Latina is jealous and threatened, especially when she doesn't even know where she stands with Charlie.
I won't lose you, she thought, staring longingly at the blonde who started sharing about the government subsidy for her new invention.
To be continued...
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