Carrying on the Torch

Disclaimer: I don't own Good Luck Charlie

A/N:

Chapter 38 (Contemplation)

Tuesday, after the martial arts class and homework, Charlotte decided to just kick back and relax. There wasn't much she wanted to do today, aside from visiting Mason on his birthday, but sadly Emmett wasn't about to allow it. So, she and the others had their own 'party' with him during school. It wasn't much, just a little celebration at lunch with Dee, Kevin, and Regina. Brittany had even swung by to say happy birthday, but Charlotte ignored her, Mason didn't have much to say to her either.

She still wasn't believing much of Brittany's story, but did keep it in the back of her mind at the risk of it being true. She was mentally preparing herself, should something ever happen. She'd not asked him personally, and in truth, a part of her was afraid to ask. She hadn't talked to Brittany since Monday either, and the girl made no attempt to communicate to her. Hell, things were just too damn awkward around Brittany, much too awkward.

Back home, she was comfortable and safe from all the drama. She didn't have to think about Mason, Brittany, or anything else surrounding her life. She could just relax, enjoy supper, read a book, play a game, or just simply sleep. She'd spoken to Dee and Regina about Mason, keeping it on the private level, and they gave her solid advice to stay with him no matter what. If Brittany's little tale was true, then it would be true, if it was false, then there was nothing to worry about. Either way, she couldn't and shouldn't let the story define her relationship with him. And of course, they were right, she should never let that risk affect how she thought of him.

She kicked back on the couch, staring aimlessly at some cartoon on the television. Nana was out with David and Amanda. PJ and Skyler were moving all over the house, cleaning it up and whatnot. Teddy was asleep in her crib, apparently she'd been extremely tired out. Everything sort of rolled off Charlotte today. Even yesterday she told Skyler and PJ what Brittany said, both of them didn't really seem to believe it, but at the same time, they asked what Brittany had to gain by lying like that if she didn't really care for a relationship with Mason.

When she thought about it, she thought maybe Brittany still cared for him and wanted to scare Charlotte away in order to gain his affections, but was she so shallow to do that? Hell, was she so shallow that she'd let Brittany scare her away from Mason with tales of aneurysm? It was so close to Skyler's experience at the hospital that she'd already been fazed enough as it was.

She felt herself being lifted from the arm of the couch and glanced up as Skyler sat down. Her head rested upon Skyler's leg and her eyes gazed up at her mother figure, who was gingerly sweeping her blonde curls from her face. "Hey sweetie, what are you thinking about?" Skyler asked with a loving smile. "You've been very quiet since coming home."

"Sorry. I'm just not interested in talking right now." Skyler nodded and turned her gaze to the television. Charlotte looked over just as Wile E. Coyote had a giant anvil land on his head. It was amazing that the networks still showed the Looney Toons of old, but who didn't appreciate those cartoons? She chuckled softly and pointed at the screen just as Roadrunner shot past. "The crazy coyote, doesn't he realize he'll never catch the Roadrunner?"

"That's the point honey. I used to wonder about that when I was younger, but after a while I started to realize it…" She looked up to Skyler, who was twirling her blonde locks with her finger. Skyler's eyes were glued to the television, the screen reflecting in her eyes. "If we keep trying, pushing and pushing without giving up, we may eventually reach our goal. I can't say for sure whether that Coyote manages to catch the Roadrunner, I'm pretty sure if he did, he'd let him go."

"Yeah…" To that respect, it always seemed like when the cartoon characters caught their targets, they let them go due to a change of heart. "Almost like catching fish for sport, right?" Charlotte pushed herself up onto Skyler's legs and crossed her arms over, thinking long and hard about the cartoon character's plight. "Still it seems weird that they'd go through all the trouble of hunting and catching, only to have a change of heart in the end and let go. I mean, what would be the point of it?" Skyler's shoulders lifted and her eyes turned down into Charlotte's.

"Maybe to imply no one is all good and no one is all evil. Everyone has a heart, and everyone has their skeletons." She couldn't deny that, but who knew cartoons could seriously give lessons in real life? She moved her eyes to her feet on the other end of the couch and she drew in a deep breath. When she thought about it, how easily Mr. Heglin's parents sounded like they might consider going back to their son after all these years, or how Spencer was so willing to change his ways for Regina and Alice, everything going on really was making her think about life currently.

"You think Brittany might not really have some ulterior motive?"

"I don't know about that girl, to be honest. Her mother was a bit off the deep end I'm sure, but you know…just like Amy and her mom were able to put their rivalry aside at some time, you and Brittany weren't always enemies. You never know if she does have some sort of concern for you…I'd hate to think of what you might be going through if something horrible and unexpected were to happen to Mason. He is your first love…"

"Love?" She didn't know if she could say she loved him, but she really did care about him. It came close, deathly close. She cared the world about him and if he passed away so suddenly, without there being any expectation, her heart would truly be broken. "Sis had her heart broken, didn't she? I mean it wasn't by death, but at the very least…" What advice could her big sister have here? Surely there wasn't anything she could say to something like this. "My heart isn't breaking, I'm just confused…I mean, it isn't every day someone who hates you tells you something about someone you care about."

"No, I suppose that doesn't happen every day, but…you know, what you're going through right now…maybe it's not the last time you're suffering something like this, but keep in mind, it always does get better." She smiled up at Skyler and felt her eyes beginning to water. She seemed to remember one of her sister's video diaries, after what happened with Spencer, Amy was the one to give some advice. She said after heartbreak, it would always get better after a while. Here she was, acting like Mason had already died, it was stupid.

She sniffed and swiped her eye with her finger. "Why am I acting so disheartened over this? I don't even know if what Brittany said is true."

"I know baby." Skyler hugged her and gently kissed her forehead. "Do you think she's right? Maybe if there's a part of you that thinks so, that's where this feeling is coming from." She pressed her lips together and gazed up at the ceiling. Could there truly be something there, making her believe Brittany? Her heart was breaking, her stomach had butterflies dancing around, and bile was rising up her throat. Whatever it was making her feel this way, she wanted to get to the bottom of. Would she call Brittany a liar? She couldn't remember Brittany lying before, but surely the girl had done it.

"Is there a line that separates someone with an overly competitive edge and a compulsive liar? They both have to be one in the same, right? I mean, even Dee and Regina said not to necessarily discount her claim…what if she's right?"

"Then you'll handle the situation appropriately. I trust you to do the right thing, everyone does." She smiled pleasantly and moved her fingers along the bottom of her shirt, sighing quietly as she studied her fingertips. "You know that PJ, Nana, and I will be here for you no matter what. So will your grandparents, so will your best friends…tragedy does have a way of bringing people closer…and you know already what happens when you push people away."

"Yeah, things like the Heglin family happen." She threw her arms up with exhaustion and Skyler chuckled her response. "The plane accident distanced everyone. I mean, I'm honestly surprised we managed to stay close to the people that we did stay close to."'

"Well, that was a little difficult, dear. Remember PJ wasn't accustomed to half of everyone still around. I remained friends with Alice and Mrs. Dooley, but he didn't. He didn't really start coming around to them until five or six years ago. Ivy, I've maintained some semi-secret contact with, PJ's never been close to her since the accident. Mostly because he claims she was Teddy's friend, not his, and she served as a constant, but painful reminder of the accident."

"I bet if he at least talked to Mrs. Heglin, he'd see thing were different. She went through crap too."

"Everyone did, and your brother's slowly realizing that. When I say slowly, I mean very slowly. I've had to pretty much grind that into him that he isn't the only one suffering…Ivy was practically in Hawaii during the family vacation." Charlotte scrunched her face and raised her eyebrows.

"I don't understand. Mrs. Heglin was there?"

"No, no, I mean she and your sister were communicating constantly. They even used that Evaer program for Skype to automatically record and save video chats. Ivy told me that much." She slowly sat up and gave Skyler a perplexed look, she didn't see any saved chats on Teddy's laptop.

"There aren't any saved chats on the laptop we have…"

"There shouldn't be, she didn't take her laptop with the video diaries with her." That was obvious, otherwise they wouldn't even have those diaries with them. So, whose laptop did she use? "When she made that fiftieth video diary, she'd accidently ruined PJ's laptop without thinking, so he had to get a new one. Well, on their vacation, she grabbed his laptop instead…"

"So…"

"Any video diaries she made in Hawaii were lost, dear. I think Ivy said there were one or two things, aside from the Skype chats she still had saved, that she still had from Hawaii." Well this was news, and she was instantly intrigued. Too bad Mrs. Heglin probably wouldn't hand any of that stuff over. Before she had a chance to say anything, they were interrupted by PJ.

"Supper's ready!" Curiosity fled and her stomach growled with hunger, she hadn't eaten all day! She hopped off the couch with a slight cheer and rushed towards the kitchen.

Hope you liked that chapter. The next one's going to be big, a bit different, and in the perspective of one person you likely wouldn't expect.