Carrying on the Torch

Disclaimer: I don't own Good Luck Charlie

A/N: This is a continuation of my oneshot "Remembering Them". If you haven't read that, then I suggest you read it in order to get the gist of what this story's continuing from. If you have, excellent. Several requested this, and I've wanted to write this since the oneshot, so here it is. Enjoy!

Chapter 2 (Tears Rain Down)

"It's about time! What took you so long?" Dee asked as Charlotte walked over to her two friends. Regina stood next to her and smiled. "We only have like twenty minutes before class! I thought you were going to show us some of the video diaries that your sister made." She set the backpack down on the courtyard bench and opened it up. The girls gathered around her as she carefully removed the laptop.

"I am. I was just talking to Skyler a little bit." She knew Skyler would want her to bring the computer to her during classes so that she wasn't tempted to distract herself, nor would anyone try and steal the computer from her. "You know guys, I thought about that question you asked me the other day…" She sat where Regina had been sitting and glanced to the side, her friend's black inhaler was positioned neatly on the bench. Regina quickly grabbed it up and started shoving it into her leopard spotted purse. The girl chuckled nervously and shrugged, as if trying to blow off the fact that she left it out in the open. "You really don't want to forget that, Regina. I'm not sure you need it though, I mean, it's been a while since you had an asthma attack, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, but mom says it can come on at any time. She had a problem with it when she was my age." Regina's mom was well known around the town. Alice Wartheimer, she was the district manager for Reddie Mart, where the old manager Hugo was constantly being overworked and underpaid as a cashier. He'd recently been demoted when Alice took over. Nowadays she was thick skinned and hard-nosed, but still a very charming woman who loved seeing the girls hanging out. She had to be tough, as it was difficult raising up a daughter whose father wanted nothing to do with the kid. "So…our question? About whether or not Teddy was shooting videos on the trip?"

"Right, I know she was, PJ said she took her camera for that reason. However, I don't think I would want to see them if I had them. You have to understand the emotional impact of that…supposedly she was shooting a video on the very day of the crash." Dee and Regina gasped as Charlotte carefully opened up the laptop, treating it as if she were opening it for the very first time. "PJ said Mom called him up while they were in the air, they'd just taken off…Teddy was recording the clouds." Her voice caught on her sister's name and a stringent pain struck her chest. She couldn't bear the thought of Teddy shooting that video right as the plane started to crash.

"I'm sorry, Charlie…Charlotte…" She corrected herself, but Charlotte could hardly care at the moment if anyone called her that nickname.

"Yeah…" She wiped her eyes with the edge of her shirt sleeve and tried to shake the thought from her mind. It was killing her, the dreadful scream interrupting the shooting of a video, followed only by the sound of the plane crashing into the ground and erupting into flames. Would Teddy have been smiling in that video? Of all the videos, she'd never seen Teddy in real fear, so just imagining it made her heart want to jump out of her chest. "And it's…Sorry, I just…" She stammered to focus on the task at hand, it was still too soon to really talk about the crash.

"Don't worry about it," Dee said as she and Regina moved to hug their friend. "I know it's painful-"

"I never got to talk to them, really. I mean, sure I have these videos, but…" Her hand smacked the laptop keys and an image of Teddy popped up on the screen. The girls looked to the screen and rubbed Charlotte's arms.

"Look Charlotte, she looks just like you. She's beautiful!" Her lips curved upwards as her eyes settled onto her sister's glowing cheeks. This video was paused with Teddy's friend Ivy in the background standing next to two babies. "Hey, is that us?" She saw Dee's eyebrows raise and Regina laughed. She nodded her head and watched her friend's cheeks go red. In the image, Dee was wearing a pink floral dress with swirls and stripes, not much of a change in her current wardrobe. It was just without the swirls.

"Aw, Dee, you and Charlotte make such adorable babies! I didn't know you two knew each other back then!"

"Wow." The shock in her voice revealed that she didn't have a clue of it either. Charlotte had the same level of surprise when she first watched the video, so she definitely understood. The shock immediately turned to excitement as Dee sat next to her and took the laptop. "Let's watch! I want to see what the video is of! Do you think Regina's mom might be around? She knew Teddy."

"Who? Miss W?" Charlotte hung back as Regina slowly shook her head. Regina was just three years younger than Charlotte and Dee. They met at one of the Reddie Marts many years ago. Alice had gone to a party with Teddy and Ivy one night and met a cute guy, the first guy that showed an interest in her. So that interest led her to have sex for the first time, and Regina was the result. "I know there's a video here in these diaries where Regina's mom is pregnant…I can find it though." Regina's eyebrows rose and her lips curled upwards.

"Would you? I'd love to see what my mom looked like when she was younger! She doesn't really talk much about those days. You know her, all business, all the time. Things really changed for her after Teddy passed...she never got to share her successes with the one person that helped her gain confidence. Something like that." Charlotte frowned and felt a pang of guilt. She couldn't help but to feel partially responsible, but she never knew why.

"Yeah, yeah I can find that video. You know, Skyler somehow figured out I packed the computer." The girls chuckled as Charlotte started scrolling through a side menu on the left hand side of the screen. Some entries were titled and had dates next to them while some only had dates, so it was difficult to figure out which video Alice was in, but she was almost certain it was one of the final videos. "You know, it reminds me of the earlier video where Teddy talked about me being switched with another baby…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, she said if I ever tried to pull anything over on mom, it wouldn't end well. Somehow mothers always know when something's up…"

"It's true." Regina nodded her head and Dee laughed, both girls could vouch for the statement, only because they knew what it was like to do something stupid and have their mothers always be one step in front of them. "Skyler's not your mom, but she's still a mom."

"She and PJ practically raised me. So she's more my mom than anything. Adoptive wise, that is, she and PJ have custody over me. So, Dee, you want to see what you were like as a baby?"

"Sure Charlotte, play the video." She grinned and clicked the 'play' button. She watched Teddy laughing at the camera as Ivy complained about one of the babies beginning to smell.

"Teddy! I think Dee-Dee has a problem!"

"You act like you've never changed a diaper before. Here…take the camera." Teddy handed the camera to Ivy as she took Dee and carried her into another room. Ivy sighed and looked at the camera.

"What does she want me to do with this? Well I suppose I could a video of me with some of the Dooley's jewelry just for fun. I'll put it right back." She pointed the camera to Charlie, who laughed. "What do you think? Would I look good with the jewelry?"

Dee laughed and Charlotte smiled at the memory, if only she could actually remember these things as they happened and not just in video context. Regardless of what anyone said, there was a difference. "Hey Dee, does your mother still have all that expensive stuff?"

"Yes." Dee really wasn't a snooty rich kid, not like her mom was, in a way. She had an appreciation for things of high value, yes, but she was okay with more bargain items. For instance, while her mom purchased clothes from high priced supermarkets, Dee preferred buying clothing from thrift stores. To her, it wasn't about having money, it was about saving money, and that's why Charlotte enjoyed being her friend. "She won't let me touch any of her jewelry though."

"I can see why."

"Hah, hah, very funny."

Ivy brushed her hair back as the earrings dangled loosely from her ears and she began posing as if she were a rich girl. "One day, I want to marry a man with all the money in the world." She laughed and picked up the camera, filming the expansive bathroom. "Hey Charlie, look at all this! I bet you're impressed. Huh…what's this?" The camera turned to a stack of really old newspaper articles on the bathroom counter. On the top was an article about a plane crash that Mr. Dooley was supposed to have been on several years ago, but due to a crime investigation, he had to postpone the flight.

"Wow…God I hate planes." Ivy chuckled nervously and turned her eyes to the camera. "I've never been on a plane before and I'm not about to start, but enough about that, look at the earrings!" She lifted her hair, showing off the sparkling jewelry. "Let's see if Teddy's done changing your friend's diaper. If not, then this is going to be an embarrassing video for one of you two, assuming you know each other in the future. Who knows what's to come, nobody knows."

Charlotte took a deep breath as an ominous aura quieted the girls. This video was made a month or two before the Duncan's plane crash. She tried not to appear visibly shaken, but inside she was screaming. Poor Ivy. Where was Ivy now, though? Then, where was anyone from back then? Dee was the first to speak, but with some hesitation in her voice as Ivy turned the camera into a room where Teddy was changing the baby's diaper. "Yeah, it is just a little embarrassing, but at least I don't have to wear those things anymore, right?" Her nervous chuckle pulled Charlotte from an almost trancelike state of mind. She shook her head and looked up to Dee. She knew the girl was trying to lighten the gravity of that ominous situation, and of course, she did appreciate the effort.

"Isn't amazing, at least, that we knew each other at such a young age?"

"Please, you guys knew everyone, it seems."

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" As the video carried on, Charlotte's sad smile seemed to fade. It was fun watching Ivy and Teddy laughing together and watching herself playing with Dee. Even in the later part at the monkey store, it was fun, but difficult to stomach. After a while, she just didn't want to watch that video. "I think I know which video Mrs. W is in…want to see it, Regina?"

"Of course!"

"Okay." Charlotte took a deep and moved her cursor to the very last video on the list. It was the only one in which Alice was seen with a significant baby bump. A heaviness descended upon her as her finger hovered over the mouse button. She actually only saw this video two times. Compared to all the other videos, that was almost nothing, since she'd seen the others a million times by now. The first time she saw it was when PJ gave her the laptop, the second was on her own when she attempted to watch it on her own. Seeing her brother and their friends parting with the family on that one final time destroyed her. Maybe it was better with friends, easier to deal with, but she'd have to find out.

She could feel her friends tense up when they realized it was the final video, but she didn't want to stop. "Hey, if it's difficult for you to watch it, you don't have to do it. I'll be fine without seeing my mom, it's not like I haven't before…" Charlotte shook her head and clicked the link, but just the action alone started to bring the tears to her eyes. The video started with PJ's best friend holding the camera and pointing to Teddy, Ivy, and Alice.

"Charlie, look," Teddy said as she pointed to Alice's small baby bump. Alice smiled at the camera and put her arms around Ivy and Teddy's shoulders. "This could be your future best friend growing inside! Alice Wartheimer, she's not married, but that's okay."

"I really don't think this is the appropriate time for this," Alice said with a nervous wheeze. "I mean, you're all going on vacation! Let's not talk about something depressing and focus on something happy shall we?"

"Yeah, she's got a point," Ivy remarked. "Besides Emmett and I have got to get going. We'll miss the movie." Alice scrunched her face up and watched Ivy walk out of the camera's shot.

"When did you two start dating?"

"Oh it isn't a date, we're uh, just, hanging out…" Emmett, the evident camera man, cleared his throat and turned the camera to Bob and Amy, who were busy loading the car. Amy was standing by the car as Bob carried heavy bags of luggage out.

"Hurry up! We'll be late for the flight!"

"I'm coming!" Bob groaned. He looked back at PJ, who was holding Charlie, then shook his head. "I'm telling you, PJ, you're really missing out. It's going to be a great trip." PJ shrugged his shoulder as Charlie babbled and waved goodbye.

"I know dad, but duty calls. You know, Charlie has to see the doctor and I have to take over for my coworker. Any other time, if not a crisis, I'd come along. Besides, I'm sure we'll get to go to Hawaii some other time!" Bob clicked his tongue and continued on to the car. Gabe walked outside, playing a handheld game console, he didn't look too happy to be going anywhere. "Hey Gabe, you have fun in Hawaii, got it?" Gabe muttered and looked up from his game.

"Yeah whatever, I just don't feel like I'm going to have any fun. I mean Jo and I have to postpone our first date for this trip!"

"I'm sure it'll be all right. You'll see her again."

"Yeah…Says the guy whose girlfriend moved to New York." PJ chuckled as Gabe climbed into the car. "I can't stand planes. Never been on one, never wanted to be on one."

"Oh I'm sure it'll be okay." Ivy whistled and moved over to Gabe, rubbing his hair. The irritation spread plainly on his face like a spread of butter on toast.

"I know how you feel, Gabe. I hate planes myself, but mom says they're the safest things you can fly. Not too sure I agree with that, but who am I kidding? She's ridden dozens of planes before!"

"Yeah, if you say so. I just can't shake the feeling in my gut…" Gabe's eyes moved downward and his eyes flipped over to Alice. "Hey Alice, when is your baby due again?" Alice paused as the timing of the question threw her off, it was possible Gabe was trying to change the subject.

"In a few months, she's really kicking."

"Cool. Also, can you guys tell Mrs. Dabney I'm sorry for ruining her flowerbed? Also that I'm sorry for some of the other stuff I've done before…" Bob raised an eyebrow and Amy pushed her fingertips against Gabe's head in a playful manner.

"What is going on with you today, Gabe?"

"Oh nothing…just a dream…"

At that moment, Teddy commented on needing to put the diary in her laptop real quickly, as she didn't want to take the computer on the trip. She was worried it might get lost. The screen shut off for the last time and the girls were each visibly shaken. Neither so much as Charlotte. Seeing just how fearful Gabe seemed, over a nightmare he'd had, which was what PJ said the first time she'd seen the video, really shook her up. The nightmare had been almost a premonition of the plane accident. Tears streaked her face as Dee and Regina tried to comfort her and rub her back.

Why did this video tear her heart out? Why was it so painful, when she was only so young? She had a family now, didn't she? Yes, and she was happy, but there was still that emptiness left over. "I'm sorry Charlotte, I shouldn't have asked to see that. I bet my mom has plenty of her pregnant pictures!" Regina's concerned voice was ridden with guilt, but without meaning to, it just pushed Charlotte even more over the edge. "Should I go get Mrs. Duncan?" Her tears stained her jeans and her body trembled with the force of a stampede.

"No…"

"Are you sure? What can we do for you?"

"Just…" She sniffed and wiped her eyes, she had to be resilient here. It was just one video. Just one video that threatened to destroy her. "I-I have one more thing that I was hoping to show you guys." The laptop suddenly closed shut, startling her for a minute. She looked up and saw Dee shaking her head. The girl was crying.

"No, no more videos for now. I hate seeing you like this, Charlotte." She reached up as Dee took the laptop from her lap, but all she managed to grasp was air. "You've been watching these nonstop, it's all you talk about, and while it's doing you some good to know your family, which I'm happy about, it's hurting you! I'm taking this to Mrs. Duncan." It wasn't good to argue with Dee, especially when she was right, and she was. Being the eldest, Dee always looked after Charlotte and Regina, trying to protect them in the best way that she could. If she saw a problem, she would either try to fix or remove that problem.

"But…"

"I mean it, I think you need a break. Come on." Without too much question, she rose up and followed Dee to the nurse's office. Regina pat her shoulder and she bowed her head. A pit formed in her stomach and her fingers locked at her waist. When they entered, they saw Skyler thumbing through the medical supplies. "Nurse Duncan…"

"Yes?" Skyler looked up and immediately spotted Charlotte. She gasped and rose up. "Oh, Charlotte, what's the matter?" The girl flushed with embarrassment as Skyler hurried over to her. She always felt embarrassed whenever she was around her friends and Skyler acted motherly. Dee walked over and handed the laptop to the woman.

"I think Charlotte needs a break from those videos for a while. They're making her cry too much." Charlotte crossed her arms over and walked past her friend, not saying anything out of annoyance. Skyler sighed and gave Dee a smile.

"Thank you, I'll take it from here girls." The girls said goodbye to Charlotte and hurried off to class. Charlotte glanced over to see Skyler watching her, after a minute, Skyler set down the computer and sat next to her. "Which video was it?"

"The last one…"

"I see. Come here, dear…" She felt the woman's arms pull her close and began to cry. "I know it hurts, sweetie. Let it out…" She felt like letting out her tears more now, without her friends being around to see her cry, than before. She moved her arms around Skyler's waist and sobbed harder.

"Why? Why did they have to go? Why does it hurt so much? I was two, I shouldn't even care…shouldn't I?" Skyler rested her chin on Charlotte's head and kissed the top of her head gently. Her shoulders rose and fell with each sob. Her frequent tears seemed to end when she felt two drops of water land on her head. "Skyler?"

"Even though you were only two, there is nothing harder than losing your entire family. So many things were broken back then, so many things happened that you don't even know…but the relationship I had with the Duncan's…they were very good people, Charlotte. Your mom, dad, Teddy, Gabe, there was nothing about them that could ever be bad. Even for me, their crash was the most traumatic thing I've ever experienced. Even harder, seeing your brother go through the pain, then separating from his best friends…There's not a day that goes by that I don't think, what would have happened if they didn't leave you and PJ behind? You're here for a reason, and that's to carry on your family's memory. To so many people, you and PJ are the very holders of that torch. Why does it hurt you? Because it doesn't matter how old you were, who you were, losing your entire family and never getting to know them…it's hard. And yes, it's going to hurt, it's going to hurt more than anything, but we're a family, and we're going to help each other through that."

"You think so? I mean…" She sniffed and looked up at Skyler. The woman had a streak coming from either eye. It was odd, since she never seemed to cry.

"Every person your family met were left with something, a memory, a piece of their souls that they'll never forget. At their funeral…even the cold Mrs. Dabney cried."

"Why would she cry?"

"Because she missed them." Skyler moved to her desk and grabbed the box of Kleenex. She walked back over and started wiping Charlotte's eyes. "I can't promise you that it's going to be easier, I can't promise you that it won't get harder, but I can promise you that we'll always be together…Hang in there, everything will be all right."

"One step at a time?"

"One step at a time." Charlotte closed her eyes and rested her head on Skyler's shoulders. It was times like this, she was truly grateful to have Skyler around. She could never picture life without this woman in her life. Her hand closed onto Skyler's uniform and a stray tear dropped from her face.

"Don't ever leave me….please…" Skyler nodded and moved her hand up to the top of Charlotte's head, rubbing her fingers in her hair. A very soothing gesture. She could never explain why, but it just always comforted her.

"I won't, baby. I'm not going anywhere."

Tender moment at the end there, nice to see Charlie has some protective friends as well. I know I said I'd have Mason in this chapter, but as you can see, something different happened. We will see Mason in the next. As for this chapter, hopefully you enjoyed it.