[fic] Princess
Princess
Fandom: Sex and the City
Rating: PG
Summary: Five years after the end of the series, Charlotte and her adopted daughter, Lily, bump into Bunny MacDougal. Approx. 650 words.
The moment they leave the theater, Lily starts twirling. Worried that she'll crash into someone, Charlotte steers her gently away from the crowd, toward the fountain, which is lit gold, pink, and green, like something out of Candyland. She sits on the fountain's edge and enjoys the cool spray on the back of her neck while Lily twirls, scraping the soles of her new Mary Janes.
"Are you Nikiya?" Charlotte asks.
"Nikeeeeeya!" Lily sings.
"You're going to get dizzy."
"Am not."
But then she comes to an abrupt stop and sways uncertainly. "Whoa."
Charlotte beckons. "Sweetie, come here."
Lily stumbles to the fountain and heaves a little sigh of relief when she's able to sag against her mother's leg. Charlotte strokes the silky black hair. "I guess you enjoyed the ballet."
Lily nods.
"Still feel like tiramisu at Fiorello's?"
Shrug.
"Maybe in a few minutes," Charlotte suggests.
They watch Broadway in companionable silence. People in everything from mink stoles to ripped jeans get into and out of taxis, restaurants, and the big Barnes and Noble across the street. It's almost completely dark now, but the air doesn't seem to have cooled at all; it smells of hot pretzels and car exhaust, melted rubber and perfume, coffee and Lily's strawberry shampoo. Lincoln Center curves around them like a seashell full of gold light.
Charlotte hears the click of heels, but pays no attention until a familiar voice says loudly, "Well, Charlotte York. Or is it Rosenblatt? Or York-Rosenblatt? I see you got your little Chinese baby after all."
"Bunny." Charlotte forces herself to smile as she turns to face her former mother-in-law. Her tone is frosty, but if Bunny notices, she gives no sign.
"I suppose we all got what we wanted in the end." Bunny pats the big tartan bow that holds back a portion of her hair. "Trey got married again, as I'm sure you've heard. Elaine's a lovely girl, comes from a wonderful family. And no one's said anything yet, but, unless I'm mistaken, I'm going to be a grandmother - finally."
Charlotte's jaw is starting to ache. I guess poor Elaine is stuck with you, then, she wants to say, but she is aware of Lily watching her, dark eyes wide with confusion. Harry would say something anyway, she thinks. Something good and stinging. So would Carrie, Miranda, or Samantha.
But Charlotte is different. She's always avoided from confrontation. She's not shy; she'd just rather let things go smoothly, appear serene while others lose their cool.
"I suppose I should congratulate you," Bunny goes on, "though you haven't congratulated me. I wonder if I could have - well, it hardly matters now. At any rate, you appear happy and, as they say, one woman's discard is another woman's treasure."
"Bunny, fuck off," snaps Charlotte.
Bunny turns and struts away, heels clicking, bow bobbing behind her like an oddly placed tail.
"You said a dirty word," Lily whispers, sounding awed.
Charlotte hugs her daughter. "Yeah, well. Don't repeat it. And don't tell your daddy, okay?" Actually, if she omits Bunny's last attempt at wit, the whole thing might amuse Harry.
"Okay," Lily says.
Charlotte pulls away, but only so she can study her at arm's length. It's been five years since she and Harry went to China to adopt an orphaned baby girl, and in all that time, not once has Charlotte wished that Lily resembled her more closely. It's occurred to her now and then that Lily might sometimes wish it.
"That was a mean, crabby old woman," Charlotte says firmly. "Don't pay any attention to what she said. When you're older, maybe I'll tell you more about her. All you need to know right now is that she was never good enough to be your grandma."
"I know." Lily's tone is lofty.
Charlotte pulls her close again and kisses her forehead. "You're definitely my daughter."
5.13.07
Fandom: Sex and the City
Rating: PG
Summary: Five years after the end of the series, Charlotte and her adopted daughter, Lily, bump into Bunny MacDougal. Approx. 650 words.
The moment they leave the theater, Lily starts twirling. Worried that she'll crash into someone, Charlotte steers her gently away from the crowd, toward the fountain, which is lit gold, pink, and green, like something out of Candyland. She sits on the fountain's edge and enjoys the cool spray on the back of her neck while Lily twirls, scraping the soles of her new Mary Janes.
"Are you Nikiya?" Charlotte asks.
"Nikeeeeeya!" Lily sings.
"You're going to get dizzy."
"Am not."
But then she comes to an abrupt stop and sways uncertainly. "Whoa."
Charlotte beckons. "Sweetie, come here."
Lily stumbles to the fountain and heaves a little sigh of relief when she's able to sag against her mother's leg. Charlotte strokes the silky black hair. "I guess you enjoyed the ballet."
Lily nods.
"Still feel like tiramisu at Fiorello's?"
Shrug.
"Maybe in a few minutes," Charlotte suggests.
They watch Broadway in companionable silence. People in everything from mink stoles to ripped jeans get into and out of taxis, restaurants, and the big Barnes and Noble across the street. It's almost completely dark now, but the air doesn't seem to have cooled at all; it smells of hot pretzels and car exhaust, melted rubber and perfume, coffee and Lily's strawberry shampoo. Lincoln Center curves around them like a seashell full of gold light.
Charlotte hears the click of heels, but pays no attention until a familiar voice says loudly, "Well, Charlotte York. Or is it Rosenblatt? Or York-Rosenblatt? I see you got your little Chinese baby after all."
"Bunny." Charlotte forces herself to smile as she turns to face her former mother-in-law. Her tone is frosty, but if Bunny notices, she gives no sign.
"I suppose we all got what we wanted in the end." Bunny pats the big tartan bow that holds back a portion of her hair. "Trey got married again, as I'm sure you've heard. Elaine's a lovely girl, comes from a wonderful family. And no one's said anything yet, but, unless I'm mistaken, I'm going to be a grandmother - finally."
Charlotte's jaw is starting to ache. I guess poor Elaine is stuck with you, then, she wants to say, but she is aware of Lily watching her, dark eyes wide with confusion. Harry would say something anyway, she thinks. Something good and stinging. So would Carrie, Miranda, or Samantha.
But Charlotte is different. She's always avoided from confrontation. She's not shy; she'd just rather let things go smoothly, appear serene while others lose their cool.
"I suppose I should congratulate you," Bunny goes on, "though you haven't congratulated me. I wonder if I could have - well, it hardly matters now. At any rate, you appear happy and, as they say, one woman's discard is another woman's treasure."
"Bunny, fuck off," snaps Charlotte.
Bunny turns and struts away, heels clicking, bow bobbing behind her like an oddly placed tail.
"You said a dirty word," Lily whispers, sounding awed.
Charlotte hugs her daughter. "Yeah, well. Don't repeat it. And don't tell your daddy, okay?" Actually, if she omits Bunny's last attempt at wit, the whole thing might amuse Harry.
"Okay," Lily says.
Charlotte pulls away, but only so she can study her at arm's length. It's been five years since she and Harry went to China to adopt an orphaned baby girl, and in all that time, not once has Charlotte wished that Lily resembled her more closely. It's occurred to her now and then that Lily might sometimes wish it.
"That was a mean, crabby old woman," Charlotte says firmly. "Don't pay any attention to what she said. When you're older, maybe I'll tell you more about her. All you need to know right now is that she was never good enough to be your grandma."
"I know." Lily's tone is lofty.
Charlotte pulls her close again and kisses her forehead. "You're definitely my daughter."
5.13.07