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 4 (Rules Are Rules)

Charlotte made her way to Skyler's office after her last class let out, she was still in a daze from earlier. She wasn't positive whether to say yes or no, she wanted to say yes, but what would PJ and Skyler say? They didn't know Mason, so it wasn't like they wouldn't be hesitant. Skyler might know him a bit, but that didn't mean she'd be all that accepting of the idea. However, she'd likely be more accepting than PJ, and therefore, could prove beneficial in convincing him to let her go out on a date. She couldn't just spring it on Skyler, though. No matter how excited she was, she needed to ease into it.

When she entered the office, she saw Skyler at her desk, writing up a report in a student's file. Skyler lifted her eyes up and smiled. "Hey Charlotte, let me finish up some paperwork and we'll get going." She nodded and moved over to one of the chairs. She watched Skyler closely and smiled at the lady hunched over the folder. "How was your final?" She grinned and reached into her backpack, pulling out the test results. It was one of the better test scores that she'd received thus far. Sure, it wasn't the best, but she didn't mind, as long as she passed with at least an eighty. She wanted to be an A/B student.

"I got an eighty-six." Skyler brushed her hair back and looked over to Charlotte with pride reflecting in her eyes. She knew Charlotte had been studying as hard as she could. "I probably could have done better if I focused more on my studies and less on those videos." One hundred questions meant one point per question, so she only missed fourteen. She still felt like she could have focused a bit more, considering all the daydreaming she'd been doing. She wondered what the other Duncan's would say if they were still alive.

"Eighty-six isn't a bad score at all, dear. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks mo-" Her body tensed and her face flushed with embarrassment. Skyler raised an eyebrow as Charlotte quickly came back. "Thanks Skyler…" She used to call Skyler 'mom' when she was younger, but for the most part, it was accidental. When she was much younger, she had to remember that no matter how motherly Skyler was, she was still PJ's wife. "Sorry, I was thinking about-"

"It's okay. So where's Regina and Dee?" She lifted her head back and clicked her tongue. She saw them after class, Dee made a ninety on her final while Regina made a seventy-nine. After exchanging their grades, she told them about Mason asking her out, and the three of them went crazy with cheering. The trio were going to hang out after school, but Dee's mother started having a panic attack with the loss of a favorite piece of jewelry. Regina also had to run for an interview at a Reddie Mart.

"Mrs. Dooley lost her favorite necklace somewhere in the house and started freaking out." Skyler's eyes widened briefly and her hand quickly cupped over her mouth to cover up a snicker. Charlotte raised an eyebrow and her lips tugged into a smile. "Regina had a job interview to go to at the Reddie Mart down the street. I think her mom wants her to follow in her footsteps."

"Not too surprised to hear that."

"Right? Did you know that Spencer Walsh is a coach over at North High?" Skyler's lips flattened and her eyes narrowed as she quickly turned back to her paperwork. Charlotte knew the look, it worried her. Why would Skyler still be pissed at him? "What's wrong? Something I said?"

"No hon, I just don't care much for Coach Walsh. Neither does your brother."

"Why? You guys haven't seen him since before the accident, have you?" She stood and slowly walked over to Skyler. Skyler lifted her head and sighed. She closed her eyes and moved her head from side to side.

"He used to coach here, he was transferred over to North High a few years back." Charlotte's head bounced back as her eyebrows lifteed up in a stunned silence. "He decided to try and hit on the school nurse. I'll give you a lucky guess who that was." She gasped and brought her hands to her mouth as Skyler returned to her papers. "Anyway, your brother got so pissed about it that he brought it up with Spencer's boss, who immediately had him transferred. Honestly? I thought he was going to find Spencer and tear his head off." She imagined PJ doing just that and visibly cringed. Was it bad that she could actually picture PJ getting pissed enough to do something like that?

"Sorry I brought it up."

"It's fine." Skyler closed the folder and put it into the file cabinet beside her desk. Her brow furrowed and her foot tapped lightly on the ground. "I believe that's all I have." She turned around in her blue swivel chair and rested her hands on her legs, smiling brightly. "So, are you ready to start heading home?"

"Yeah, but I have an idea." She always saw that Kwikki Chikki restaurant while coming and going from school, but she'd never been there before. She knew PJ worked there as a teenager, so it always interested her. "You know that one place? Kwikki Chikki?" Skyler's lips fell and her eyebrow arched up. "Well, maybe we could pick something up from there? I've never had any of the chicken there."

"Good." Charlotte's eyebrows meshed inwards, forming a sullen crease on her forehead as Skyler stood up and grabbed her bag from the ground. "In no way am I allowing you to go there."

"Aw, but why not?" Skyler stared into Charlotte's eyes with a wry smile.

"Do you know what's in that food? I can guarantee you, it isn't chicken." Charlotte leaned her head back and felt a nauseous pit forming in her belly. "Do you know how many students I get in my office on an average day, that have just eaten at that place? No way am I letting you eat there…"

"What do you mean it isn't chicken?"

"Just ask your brother." She hummed to herself and folded her arms over, perhaps she could try it on her own sometime. It couldn't be that bad. If the place made people that sick, then why was it still around? Though, she trusted Skyler, and it wasn't that often that she went against what the woman said. "So what else is on your mind?" Skyler pointed to Charlotte's hands, which were anxiously patting her thighs. "You end up doing that, you've got something you want to talk about."

"Yeah…" It wasn't surprising that Skyler knew most, if not all, of her quirks. After all, she was closer to Skyler than she was to anyone else, even PJ. She smiled happily and lifted her hands up. "Okay, you're not going to believe this, but I got asked on a date!"

"Oh you did? Who was it?"

"Mason!" Skyler paused and inhaled slowly, much to Charlotte's surprise. She'd talked about her crush on Mason plenty of times before, and Skyler never said anything bad about it. "Is there something wrong? We were outside and he asked me on a date, so I wanted to know what you thought about it."

"I'm happy for you." She smiled as Skyler hugged her for a moment. "You know my policy, the same as PJ's, if we don't know the boy, then there's no chance of anything happening. I know him, since he's been in my office, but PJ's going to want to meet him, I think." Charlotte froze and a deep nervousness rose up inside. "I have no problem with you dating him, I just think it may be a little difficult…"

"Why?"

"Well…maybe not, we'll have to see what PJ thinks. Now, I'm going to make a quick phone call."

"Okay." She frowned as Skyler pulled her cell phone from her pocket and flipped it on. The woman dialed a number and started talking. Charlotte exhaled and began sending Mason a text message.

"Mason, Skyler doesn't appear too sure about the date, we'll have to see what PJ thinks. I think PJ might want to meet you first, not sure." Her stomach twisted. She leaned back against the wall and sighed as she stared ahead at a poster about drugs. It was the typical poster of the woman with the horribly disfigured face due to drugs. A disturbing photo, it actually gave her nightmares when she was younger.

Her mind spun away for a moment as she turned her gaze to the phone. She would never ask someone to meet her family before the first date. Usually it was something reserved for a later date. She arched her eyebrow as a new message popped up on her screen. A fast response from Mason. "I know…I think Nurse Duncan's talking to my aunt." Her eyebrows rose and her eyes drifted over to Skyler. She knew Mason's aunt? Skyler was talking to the woman in a concerned tone, but also sounded as though she were trying to come up with some sort of plan for something.

"I'm surprised she knows your aunt…" She clicked the send button and pushed the phone back into her pocket. After a minute, Skyler hung up and turned back to Charlotte, who was eyeing her skeptically. "Do you know Mason's aunt?" Skyler pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Yes, but we don't talk much. It's better that way for Mason's uncle. I've known her since high school, really. She was the one who introduced me, sort of, to Teddy." Charlotte's lips curled up as Skyler turned off the light and walked out of the office. She quickly followed her and started imagining things about Mason's aunt. What was the woman like? Who was she? How did she know Teddy? There were many questions forming in her mind.

"So, how often do you two talk?" She leaned forward against the car while Skyler unlocked the doors. Skyler smiled slightly and entered without saying anything. Charlotte opened her door and quickly sat down in the passenger's seat. "Well?"

"It depends. Things have been testy lately. I guess we just call each other up whenever we think to…there isn't really any systematic way of going about it." She sighed and leaned against the car door, her excitement was actually starting to die down. She just hoped PJ would be okay with her and Mason going out. Skyler seemed okay with it

After they made it home, Charlotte immediately hurried to the nursery, passing PJ in the hallway. "Good to see you too, Charlotte," PJ said with a slight chuckle. She found baby Teddy's wooden crib and slowly rested her fingers on the edge, gazing in with a smile. The baby opened her eyes and gazed up, cooing when she spotted Charlotte.

"Hello baby, I'm home from school." She turned her head to the door, expecting PJ and Skyler to enter at any second. As they walked in, she hurried over to PJ and gave him a hug, she didn't want to make him feel left out. "I had a good day at school, you'll never guess what happened!" Skyler brought her index finger to rest beneath her lower lip and turned her gaze to PJ. PJ's eyebrows lifted as Charlotte took a step back to the crib and lifted Teddy out. "First, you wouldn't deny anything to this adorable baby, would you?"

"That depends." PJ walked over and took Teddy into his arms. He eyed Charlotte with a challenging smirk and tilted his head to the right. "Did the baby pass or fail an exam today?" Charlotte paused and cleared her throat. She knew there was probably no way she'd be able to use the baby to convince him of anything, but at the same time, she wasn't too entirely sure anymore that PJ would say yes to her dating Mason. During the car trip, Skyler had informed her of who Mason's uncle was. So, the fear pumping through her veins was primarily due to her nerves regarding the possible forbiddance of her relationship with Mason.

"Actually, I passed my exam with an eighty six."

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that." She smiled with pride and moved over, patting PJ's arm and hugging him again. She heard him clear his throat again and moved her smiling gaze to his.

"How was work, PJ?"

"It was slow, mostly paperwork." He put Teddy back in her crib and turned to Charlotte, folding his arms over and closing his eyes. "What do you need, Charlotte?"

"Okay…well…" Maybe it would be best if she didn't tell him who Mason's family was. Just the name, 'Mason', should be fine. He wouldn't be able to associate Mason with the same nephew of Emmett, it had been way too long ago for that. "This really cute guy that I have had this crush on since…forever…finally asked me out!" She jumped and curled her legs in with excitement. Skyler smiled and PJ watched her skeptically.

"Do I know this guy? You know my policy. If I don't know them, then you're not dating them. There are a lot of criminals out there."

"Mason is not a criminal! He's our football team's running back."

"I see." He turned his gaze to Skyler, who remained perfectly quiet. Skyler stepped next to Charlotte and gave PJ the most subtle smirk she could muster. A sigh of defeat escaped his throat and his eyes went upwards. "Okay, but before you're allowed to date him, I must meet him, and his family." Her blood ran cold and her heart started to thump against her ribs. He wanted to meet Mason's family? That might not end well. Sweat started to run down her neck as her hands trembled slightly. She heard Teddy giggle and was pulled back into reality.

"Y-You want to meet his family? So soon?"

"I have to know what the boy's family is like before I let him around my daughter." She moaned and smacked her forehead. Her stomach was twisting into knots and she was starting to feel very faint. She felt Skyler's hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her rising nerves. "Invite them over for Thanksgiving dinner." She turned her gaze to Skyler, praying that she would say something. Skyler shook her head hopelessly and lowered her arm.

"I'm sorry Charlotte, there's nothing I can do here."

"But Sky…" Her shoulders slumped and her eyes moved to the side. Curse PJ's overly protective personality. Once he realized who Mason's uncle was, there was no way in hell he'd allow them to date! Skyler's hands were tied as well, when it came to rules like that, she wasn't one to stand against PJ. Giving in, she exhaled, avoiding PJ's gaze. She wasn't going to argue now, otherwise she'd appear suspicious. "All right, fine…but for the record, I'm meeting them for the first time too."

"I'm sure he's a good kid, looks like we'll find out in a couple days." He pat Charlotte's shoulder and smiled at her once more. "I really am proud of you."

"Thanks PJ." The two adults hugged her one last time and left the room. She turned her gaze to Teddy, who had an adorable grin plastered on her face. "Well, I guess it's time for one of the video diaries…You know, your aunt told me in one of her videos to never, ever bring a guy home. I have a feeling I'm about to regret bringing Mason and his family over. What do you think?" She paused and glanced upwards as a horrible, rancid stench hit her nose. Resisting the urge to faint, she waved her hand in her nose and glared at Teddy with disgust. "Great…looks like I'm changing your diaper first."

Heh, I thought the ending was a nice way to end the chapter. Instead of a literal "crap", it's a physical "crap". Hope you enjoyed the chapter, Skyler and PJ seem okay with her dating Mason, but, still have to meet him first. Wonder how that'll go over.