Carrying on the Torch
Disclaimer: I don't own Good Luck Charlie
A/N:
Chapter 7 (Thanksgiving Preparation)
Charlotte sat on the middle couch cushion between Harry and Tyler while Mason talked to Ivy and Emmett at the other side of the living room. PJ remained in the kitchen to ensure all the cooking least it died down in the twenty minutes that everyone arrived. Tyler looked from was done, and Skyler was sitting in the brown recliner near the couch, rocking Teddy in her arms. Tensions were still felt, but at Charlotte to Skyler and smiled as his feet beat against the bottom of the couch. "So Miss Charlotte, is Skyler your mommy?"
"I'm curious about that myself," Henry stated. Charlotte pressed her lips together and raised an eyebrow. She was a bit confused by Henry's question, shouldn't he know that Amy was her mother? She gave him a confused look and Henry quickly waved his hand at his chest. "Sorry, I mean, I know who your parents are. What I mean is when your family had that accident, wasn't your brother working a minimum wage job?" True. She nodded her head and saw Skyler glance up from Teddy. She was probably considering joining in, but Charlotte had this one.
"Actually Mr. Wentz, it was below minimum wage, for a little while. PJ just didn't have the resources to take care of me, along with himself, so Skyler's parents made a deal with the courts. Skyler is legally my adoptive mother. It was allowed as long as her parents were helping out, and so they did." Henry's eyebrows lifted up and he gave her a quick nod. "They moved back to Denver, because Skyler wasn't leaving PJ behind, and so we moved in with them. Skyler legally adopts me, PJ goes into college, he and Skyler get married in their Senior year, and here we are."
"Well then, bless your grandparents. Ivy and Mary Lou were distraught when your family passed away. Tell me, if you don't mind, your brother is a homicide detective, correct?" She nodded and lifted her legs up to rest on the coffee table. It was a very absent-minded gesture, but she forgot that Skyler and PJ didn't like anyone putting their feet there. When Skyler cleared her throat, Charlotte instantly brought her feet back to the ground. "Surely his job requires him to travel. How does he manage that?" She shrugged and looked over to Skyler for assistance. She always wondered about that herself, because she knew PJ had flown before, even Skyler had done so. It would be very hard for PJ to do his job if he didn't travel.
"It's not easy," Skyler replied. Teddy babbled and Skyler started to gently bounce her. She turned her eyes to the baby's and smiled at her. Teddy was wrapped up in a peach colored blanket, one which her tiny fingers were tangled up in. Skyler gently swept some of the light brown hair from the baby's forehead. "If his job calls for him to travel, either to extradite or to work a case, he'll usually have someone or something to distract him. Sometimes he calls us and talks to us for a while."
They heard Emmett scoff and looked over at him curiously. "Typical PJ, always needs someone to comfort him."
"Emmett," Ivy scolded. She put her hand on his shoulder and he shrugged it off. He walked towards the group, his hands in his pockets. Ivy quickly moved over to him. "Emmett, watch your tongue." His eyes went skyward for a brief second before continuing.
"Relax Ivy. I'm just wondering, why was I shut out of his life? He didn't so much as talk to me when the accident happened…You too Ivy. You remember that?" Ivy's eyes drifted down for a split second. Teddy started to whimper and Skyler quickly looked to her. She gently blew into her face and started rocking her. "I'm not blaming anyone, but it's irritating to know that your best friend, someone that has always come to you in tragedy, would shut you out of their lives-" Ivy huffed and hurried in front of him, snapping her fingers in his face.
"Now is not the time, Emmett! Be civilized." Charlotte turned her head down and felt an insatiable guilt eating away at her. She couldn't imagine the pain those two went through, she wished she could fix it, to make things better. No one should ever have to go through something this painful, and everyone seemed to have endured it alone. "Now we're here to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner with old friends-"
"Who left us behind twelve years ago, need I remind you? Who was it that comforted you when you learned you'd never see Teddy again? PJ wouldn't even let Skyler come see you."
"Emmett!" Ivy growled and put her hands to her hips. The baby started crying and Skyler sighed in frustration. Ivy gasped and looked over as Skyler stood from the couch and started patting Teddy's back. "Now look what you did, you've upset the baby with all your yelling."
"Sure honey, I upset the baby…" Emmet rubbed his forehead as Ivy rushed over to help Skyler with Teddy. Skyler smiled sadly as Ivy started leading her out of the room. She stopped and glared at her husband.
"Now you play nice out here, and quit acting like you're on the warpath! Everyone's going through enough stress as it is, let's just enjoy today! If I have to, I will lock you up in a room by yourself." Emmett chuckled and brought his hand to the back of his head. Ivy gave Skyler and Charlotte an apologetic look and clasped her hands together at her chest. "I'm sorry for him. He's working with some dancers at the community theater and they just aren't getting the steps down very well-"
"Ivy…"
"It's been a very stressful week for everyone."
"Don't worry about it," Charlotte replied. She had a quiet tone and wasn't sure what to say. She really wasn't expecting to feel so bad today. Her stomach was in knots, her heart was racing, and her hands were starting to sweat. If something didn't happen soon, she was bound to have a heart attack. She could see the headlines now! Fourteenyearoldgirldiesfromheartfailure. Perhaps she was just panicking more than she needed to. She felt Henry put his hand on her shoulder and flinched at the touch. Her eyes shot over to him and her lip curled up for a split second.
"You'll have to forgive my son-in-law. Ivy and I will set him straight if he acts up. We're your guests today and some people need to remember that." Henry shot a look at Emmett, who simply turned his gaze away, an apologetic expression grew on his face. Charlotte slowly stood from the couch and dusted herself off, she wanted to get a breath of fresh air.
"I'll be back, I'm just going to step outside for a minute." She hastened to the door, not hesitating to get out of the house. When she made it outside, she took a deep breath and stared up at the sky. Her fingertips clung to the walls of her house and her back slid an inch downward. "What would you do, Teddy? A situation like this…what would anyone do?"
"Well, I'd try to enjoy the day." Mason's voice nearly caused her to jump out of her skin. She threw her eyes at him and watched him stand next to her, leaning against the wall. "Honestly, Uncle Emmett and your brother will either deal with the circumstances as they are, or they won't, but that doesn't mean that we need to get all worked up about it."
"Yeah, but I worry about everything, it's just who I am." She pressed her lips together and turned her eyes to the ground. She felt Mason's hand on her shoulder and moved towards him out of reflex. "I just want everyone to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving meal…that's not too much to ask for is it?"
"No, but you know something? So what if Uncle Emmett has a grudge that keeps him from being happy today? So what if your brother might get a little pissy with him around?" Charlotte's eyes widened briefly before she shut them and looked away. Her heart throbbed inside her chest as she tried to fathom such a scenario. "The world isn't going to end just because one person brings down the morale. If everyone let's the morale drop, then it's on their shoulders. I know you've got a lot on your plate right now, so I'm just saying, if you can let it go and try to enjoy everyone's company, do so. I know it doesn't seem like that's going to be possible, but trust me, my Uncle will come around. Maybe he and PJ shouldn't be in the same room together for a little while, but he'll come around." Mason chuckled and glanced up at the sky. Charlotte followed his gaze and smiled as a cloud started to roll by. She pointed up at the cloud and leaned her head onto Mason's shoulder, not fully aware of her action.
"Looks like a bunny. Adorable, isn't it?" Mason turned his gaze to Charlotte and smiled through his reddened cheeks. His soft, calm expression could have melted her heart away in that moment.
"Yeah. It is…"
Her cheeks started glowing and her eyes shifted to the side, she was becoming more aware of where her head was located. She didn't want to move, though, she was far too comfortable. That all changed when her eyes landed on the silver, two door, Nissan car turning the corner. Her head shot up and all the pressures around her started to fade away as she watched the car pull to a stop at the curb. "Grandma and Grandpa Boca are here!" She tore herself from Mason with the speed of a cheetah and rushed to the side of the car as her grandmother got out.
"Well look who it is!" Amanda said as Charlotte wrapped her arms around her grandmother. Amanda was mildly thin, had a very cheery, olive shaped face, and gentle blue eyes. Her light red hair was like cotton candy, soft and yet firm. Her hug always warmed Charlotte deep inside.
She looked over to her grandfather, walking around the car. He had white hair that almost made him look like a mad scientist whenever she saw him. It framed his head, making his bald top look just like a shower cap over his hair. He had stunning blue eyes and a constantly cheerful expression. Charlotte could not recall the last time she saw her grandfather with a frown on his face for any length of time longer than a single minute. "Well, there's our beautiful granddaughter. Happy Thanksgiving!" David hugged her from behind and tickled her sides, causing her to laugh uncontrollably.
"Grandpa, cut it out, I don't want Mason to know I'm ticklish."
"Oh Mason?" David stood and looked over at Mason with a subtle smirk. "Am I going to have to call my 'friend' anytime soon?" She thought for a minute and laughed as she realized who David was talking about. Amanda rolled her eyes and playfully smacked David on the shoulder. He rubbed his shoulder and Mason watched with a nervous gaze.
"Well, he didask me out on a date, but I don't think you'll have to hire the scare guy. Is he still around?"
"There are some things you will never know, my dearest granddaughter." David smirked teasingly and poked her in the stomach. She laughed and rubbed her stomach. "Now, I hope we're not too late for dinner."
"You're not. PJ finished cooking and I think the table should be set any minute. Mason's uncle and aunt are here, you remember Emmett and Ivy?" David's eyebrows lifted and a smile graced Amanda's face. They remembered those two well. Although it was a curious subject, how were they getting along with PJ and Skyler? "Anyway, come inside. I think Skyler and Ivy are trying to console the baby. Mason's uncle has a loud voice." She poked Mason's side and smirked. He laughed mockingly and started to walk inside, holding the door open for the others.
Inside, Teddy was standing in herBrightStartsBounceBounceBaby. It was a trampoline like toy with a triangular bounce pad in between three arc shaped legs that led up to a green ring decorated with dinosaur cushioning. It kept the baby from falling over. The white outer ring had an array of butterflies and dinosaurs that hovered in the air and wiggled whenever touched, it was a fun machine that held the baby's attention. The Baby Bounce was directly in front of the couch where Henry and Emmett were sitting, watching with a smile. Tyler was kneeling next to it and was currently moving one of the butterflies from side to side, laughing joyfully as Teddy tried to grab the butterfly.
Tyler looked up at Charlotte and her grandparents and smiled. "Your little sister is fun!" Charlotte smiled back and felt her cheeks go red. She wanted to correct him and say that Teddy was her niece, but she didn't really worry too much about that.
"I'm glad you think so." She walked over and knelt beside him. "Would you like to meet my grandparents?"
"Yeah!"
"Well…" David and Amanda moved over and she introduced them, pointing respectively. "That's Grandpa Bosca and Grandma Bosca, they're amazing people and helped Skyler and PJ raise me for the last twelve years."
"Cool!" The elders smiled cheerfully. Teddy turned to her grandparents and lifted her arms, babbling at them. Amanda laughed and bent over, reaching for her granddaughter.
"Aw, did you miss your grandma?" She lifted Teddy from the Baby Bounce and cuddled her close. David rubbed Teddy's back and glanced over at the kitchen. Skyler stepped into the living room and walked over to her grandparents.
"Hey Mom, Dad, I hope traffic wasn't bad."
"Oh no, it was all right dear. I'd hug you, but I just can't bring myself to put down the baby." Amanda and Skyler laughed.
"Outdone by my own daughter. At least I still have dad, right?" She smiled at David, who immediately greeted her with a hug. Charlotte breathed in and sighed contently, the whole family was here. Close enough. There was still the matter of Grandma Blankenhooper, who lived in Palm Springs still. Then Aunt Diane, the rich aunt that lived somewhere in Chicago. Of course, everyone on Amy Duncan's side of the family was rich. It was Bob's side that wasn't, but no one even knew where his family was. Mel was the only other relative and he died several years ago, but he did have some children. How nice it would be to reunite with them all, how nice it would have been if any of them ever bothered to help PJ when the plane crash happened. Their absence was the reason Skyler's family quickly stole her heart.
"Skyler, is the table set?" Charlotte asked. Skyler took a step back and looked to the kitchen with a nod.
"Yeah, PJ and Ivy are putting the food down."
"Cool." The smells were taunting her nose, so she had to see the food in all its glory. She made her way to the kitchen and looked at the oval table, there was an extra table piece that was usually stored away in the attic, it was always reattached when the holidays came. The table had several placemats with empty plates on each. Just enough to fit everyone, including Teddy's high chair. In the middle of a table, all in a neat line, was the food. The turkey was the beautifully sliced centerpiece. It inspired the drool that was leaving her mouth. She quickly wiped the drool away and cleared her throat. "PJ, grandma and grandpa are here."
PJ and Ivy were standing at opposite ends of the table, both silent, clearly neither had sad a word to each other this entire time. PJ looked up from the right end of the table and gave Charlotte a pleasant smile. "Great." He hurried to the living room to greet the newly arrived guests. Hopefully dinner would be underway soon, for Charlotte's stomach was growling up a storm. She looked to Ivy, who was mustering up a pleasant smile.
"Hey Charlotte, how are you?"
"I'm all right Mrs. Heglin, you?" Ivy put her hand to the top of one of the chairs. Her cheekbones rose and her eyes drifted to the food.
"Well I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. It really is good to see all of you, regardless of how Emmett is acting."
"It's okay I guess, we can still have a good meal and maybe reminisce."
"Yeah, hopefully." Ivy's face fell, her tone was unconvincing. Not much of a surprise to Charlotte. She walked over to Ivy and leaned slightly against one of the chairs.
"Mrs. Heglin, I'm sorry PJ and Skyler stopped talking to you after the plane crash, I know you must have been devastated. I don't know what happened or what was said, but, maybe we can put that past away for today at least?" She watched a tear roll along the side of the woman's face, it was hard to imagine the pain that she must have gone through.
"I know, and I think that would be a very good thing. You know, they would be proud of you, your family would." Her eyes brightened and a warm feeling washed over her. She would love to know that her family was proud of her, just feeling them smiling down on her would make her day. "Skyler kept in touch. We have no problem with you and Mason dating."
"Really?"
"Of course, you two seem happy around each other." She was speechless. Ivy gave her a friendly hug and her heart shot up to her throat. Acceptance truly was amazing, but it wasn't enough. All that was left was getting Emmett and PJ to allow them to date. That might prove difficult if the two men couldn't put their grudge behind them. Why was it dads had to be so hard?
Aw to Ivy, and what an interesting chapter, looks like everyone gets to try and eat, hope it all goes well