A/N I realize I'm a few years late with this. It starts a bit before the movie takes place. I don't own these characters other than my own. Told by the OC's point of view. I tried it with Forrest, but he's just too impassive, and I got bored, lol. Links to reference pictures for the OC's are on my profile if anyone is interested. A line break will signify a day or few days have passed. Three dots will signify a few hours have passed.

October 1929

I pat my bloody cheek with the cloth, flinching at the familiar feeling.

"Charlotte," Daddy screams at me.

"You're not getting the rest of that booze. It's all gone, you hear? Every last bottle. Now keep your voice down, you'll scare Lorelai." I hear several things fall to the ground and scatter about. I'm sure he's passed out again. You'd think by now he'd quit hiding the key to his shed in that stupid hollowed out book. He isn't fooling anyone. Maybe he thought I wouldn't remember. It has been 6 years since I've been home. Nothing's changed. Hell, as soon as I got off that train the men were already giving me looks like I was as easy as my older sister Elizabeth.

"What happened to your cheek?" Lorelai asks, staring at me in the mirror.

I pull the cloth down and give her a soft smile. "Hungry?"

She eagerly nods, licking her lips.

"Go get the eggs from the chickens," I tell her, steering her outback through the hall so she doesn't see him passed out in the kitchen. I make sure she's occupied with her task before I go tend to him on the floor. "Pathetic excuse for a man," I murmur, taking him by the wrist and dragging him into the living room. It isn't easy, but I manage to get him on the couch, then cover him up with a blanket. Just in time, too.

"Daddy still sick?"

"Let's let him rest. Come on now." I suppose it's a rather silly thing to keep her in the dark about his drinking. After all, she is going on 17, but Daddy is perfect in her eyes and I'm not going to take that from her. A knock at the door startles both of us. "Are you expecting anyone?"

Lorelai shakes her head no and walks over to answer the door. "Hi," she smiles at the guest.

I grab a few things in the icebox before I focus in my attention on the conversation.

"No, Daddy's not feelin' real well today."

I grab the doorknob and yank it open. "What do you want with Ray?" I narrow my eyes, looking the boy over.

He's as nervous as they come, stuttering over his words.

My eyes glance down at Lorelai then back at him. Seems Lorelai has caught this young man's attention. "Are you just going to stand there and gawk at my sister or tell me what it is you came here for?"

"Charlotte," Lorelai whines embarrassed.

He blinks hard and snaps out of it. "Uh, Ray's, I have his." He cuts his own self off and points to the truck he arrived in.

"Lorelai, go wash up for breakfast."

"But-"

"Now!"

"Nice to meet you," Lorelai smiles at the boy.

I step outside and slam the door.

It startles him. He swallows hard, taking a clumsy step back.

"You're a Bondurant, aren't you?"

He nods nervously.

"Yeah, I know your stench. You listen to me. If you ever come back here again and try to sell to Ray, I will kill you. Do you understand me? That goes for your stupid brothers, too. Don't let me find any one of you sniffing around here!"

"I, uh-"

"Invincible my ass," I snap, going inside and slamming the door shut.

"The funeral service was real nice," Lorelai comments.

I'm always deflecting conversation like this. "Check on Daddy, would you?"

There's a knock at the door.

"I got it!"

"No. You check on Daddy, and stay in the house."

"Oh, alright," Lorelai pouts, starting for the living room.

"May I help you?"

"Ray home?" a tall gentleman asks.

Bondurants. What nerve. I fold my arms.

"Howard," he introduces himself, "I don't think we-"

"I know who you are!" My scowl is as apparent as the disgust in my voice. I don't know how he's even able to stand with all that alcohol on his breath.

"Elizabeth inside?" he smirks.

"Police found her body outback Earl's general store few days ago."

"Sorry to hear that."

"I bet you are." Howard was one of my sisters 'customers' as she called them in her letters to me. I eye over the middle Bondurant Forrest.

"Run along now'n fetch Ray," Forrest mumbles, shifting his toothpick to the other side of his mouth.

"Yeah, I'll do just that," I tell him, going back inside. I pull the shot gun from the mantle and get Daddy's six shooter as well. This house has no shortage of guns and I'm not playing games with these boys.

"You fuckin' kiddin' me?" Howard shouts.

"Why don't you try something and find out?"

"Calm down now. It ain't gotta be like this," Forrest referees.

I press the shot gun against his stomach.

It knocks his ragged hat out of his hand. "Look, Ray and I go back a ways. Now our brother here took it upon himself to come here yesterday-"

"I will pull this trigger if you don't get off my porch."

Forrest puts his hands out, kneeling down some to pick up his hat.

I stomp on the hat, dragging it across the porch to me. "That's mine now."

The front door opens and Lorelai pokes her head out.

"Get back in the house," I yell at her.

Howard uses my distraction to his advantage and takes a step forward. Foolish choice.

I fire the small six shooter in my other hand right near his feet. "You think this is a joke?"

Forrest stops him from doing anything crazy, or being killed, and they start back for their truck.

"Some nerve," I mumble, bringing the hat back inside with me, setting everything on the kitchen table.

"I want to go to town," Lorelai whines. You'd think she was a child acting like this.

"How much money will you need?"

"Fifty-five cents."

"That's an awful lot for a picture."

"I wanted to get snacks!"

I know it reminds her of New York before we were forced to come back here. "I have a dollar in my purse. Be back before sundown."

"Thanks, Charlotte," she giggles.

That and it gets her away from Daddy. Too drunk to even go to his oldest daughter's funeral.

"Charlotte," he slurs from the living room.

"Hold on," I snap, watching Lorelai go down the road. I can't wait to leave this place. As soon as Elizabeth's affairs are taken care of, we're gone. I'm sure she's going to wipe me clean with the debts she owes around town. "Ow," I cry when I'm slammed into the doorframe.

"First my whisky, now my guns!"

I shove him off me. "I wouldn't have to take either if you'd be a man!"

He shakes Forrest's hat at me. "You screwing up my business, or just screwing him?"

"How dare you treat me like I'm Elizabeth."

"You ain't taking Lorelai back with you this time. She's all I've got now!"

"Try and stop me."

He presses the six shooter to my throat, spitting in my face. "You leave this house with her, and I'll kill you. Or maybe I'll just kill you-" He turns his attention out the door when several trucks pull up in the driveway. "Shit," he yells, running for the living room, only to be close lined by a man that's managed to sneak into our house.

My eyes shift over to the shotgun on the kitchen table as I slowly inch over to it while the men start to scuffle.

"Move towards that gun, you're dead."

I ease my hand back down to my side. I'm forced into our living room and sat down in our recliner.

The men from the truck start to fill the house.

I count eleven.

They waste no time delivering a brutal beating to Daddy.

I've never seen him beg until that day.

He's shot five times in the face.

The sound of the gun startles me more than his sudden death. Good riddance.

"How do you know, Ray?" he asks, cleaning the blood from his shoes.

"He's my... father."

"Good. Save me the trouble of finding you in New York."

H- How does he know that?

"You Lorelai?"

"No, I'm Charlotte."

"Bring the other girl in here."

My eyes widen as I watch them force Lorelai in by her hair. "No," I beg.

He points the gun at me.

My eyes well up from her screams. No, god, no!

Lorelai is shoved into me. "Daddy," she sobs.

I pull Lorelai in my arms, covering her eyes.

"My name is William Mason. Your father owes me seven hundred dollars. I want my money, and you're going to get it."

"I only have ninety dollars." It's our money to get back home. "In my purse."

His men are already ahead of me. "Ninety-six." One of the men hands Mr. Mason the money.

He shakes the money at me. "I'm going to take this for the trouble to come out here. Seven hundred dollars. You get me my money, I'll even be the nice one and pay for your train ride back home. But if you try anything like running back to New York." He puts another bullet in Daddy.

Lorelai starts to sob against my hand.

"Please be quiet," I beg her. "I'll get you the money, I just need some time."

"Boys," he tells them.

I lock the door after they leave as if it's going to stop them.

"Daddy, wake up," Lorelai sobs into his shirt.

I shake my head looking at his body on the floor. "You bastard," I whisper.

Elizabeth's debts will have to wait. We bury Daddy on a Tuesday. No one came, not that I expected anyone to. All I can think about is where I can come up with that much money. It will take me a lifetime to earn. If it were just me, I'd run, but I can't do that with Lorelai. I'll need to find work. Set aside as much money as I can. Luckily the house is paid for. About the only good thing he ever did. I can stretch our grocery money pretty far. It's going to be alright. I have to think like that.

"Did you find a job today?"

No, and it's been almost a week. "Don't worry about things like that. Sit down and eat your supper." I look out the kitchen window, staring into the woods. I'm always paranoid that one of Mr. Mason's men is coming for us.

"The Bondurant's need someone to tend to the station."

I narrow my eyes. "Who told you that?"

"No one, just gossip."

"Tomorrow we'll go into town and check a few places. Now finish your supper. I'm not going to tell you again."

"Hello, I was wondering if I could-"

"Slaughter girls ain't welcome here."

I push my eyebrows together. I'm completely speechless.

"Go on now or I'll call someone to take you and that little-"

"Thank you for your time," I talk over her, going outside.

"No luck?"

"They weren't needing any help. Listen to me, you stay out of that store, okay?"

Lorelai nods her head and thankfully doesn't ask why.

I reach into my bag and hand her a nickel. "Go get some ice cream, then wait for me in the truck."

"Thanks, Charlotte," she smiles, heading down the street.

I press my hand to my brow, checking out a few of the stores in the distance. The clothing store is hiring.

The lady turns her nose up at my ragged boots, pointing at the door.

"Please," I beg, "I'll work holidays, weekends–"

"Perhaps you'd be more comfortable elsewhere. There's no work for women like you here." She dismisses me with a flick of her wrist.

I lower my eyes and leave the store. "Damn you, Elizabeth," I curse, walking back to the truck.

"You didn't get it, did you?"

"I have to check back in a week or so. Why didn't you get ice cream?"

"I knew you liked chocolate bars better."

I break off a small piece and let out a sigh. "They wouldn't serve you at the ice cream shop, would they?"

"No, and they called me a nasty name in front of some of the other girls. Everyone had a real good laugh."

"Come here," I stretch out my arms as she scoots over, "you pay no mind to them, you hear?"

"Why is everyone so mean to us? If they just got to know us–"

"They don't want to know us, Lorelai but it isn't anything you've done."

Lorelai starts to sob. "I hate Elizabeth!"

I hold Lorelai close and run my fingers through her blonde hair.

"Let's leave. Tonight!"

"You let me worry about money. Have I ever let us down?"

She sits up and wipes her face. "No."

I start the truck and steal another piece of her chocolate, but she just stares blankly out the window. However, I have a trick up my sleeve to make her smile. "Once I lived the life of a millionaire, spending my money, I didn't care," I sing. She continues to ignore me, so I sing even louder. "I carried my friends out for a good time, buying bootleg liquor, champagne, and wine."

"Charlotte, stop."

"Then I began to fall so low, I didn't have a friend and no place to go."

Lorelai's lip curls upward.

I knew she couldn't hold out for long. Especially singing some Bessie Smith. "So if I ever get my hand on a dollar again."

She starts to laugh. "I'm gonna hold on to it till them eagle's grin."

I laugh with her as we both finish the song, trying to overpower each other. Neither of us had a singing bone in our bodies.

"I love you, Charlotte."

"I love you, too, Lorelai."

We're down to ten cents. Ten. If I don't do something, Mr. Mason won't need to because we're going to starve to death. I pawn Daddy's six shooter. It's a measly fifteen dollars, but that will get us by at least for another month. I went to the bank today to see if I could sell our house. Don't really know why I didn't think of it sooner, not like it's worth much though. The house is in Daddy's name, therefore I can't, and if I tell them he's passed, they'll take the house. Same story with the car. I was able to sell some things in the house, but Lorelai got sick last week and I had to take her to the Doctor. No matter what I do, it's two steps back. I'm beginning to think that running isn't such a bad idea after all. Either wait here to die, or die out there. "Come on, Lorelai. Let's go for a ride."

...

I let out a sigh, looking down at Forrest's hat in my hand.

"Are you gonna get out?" Lorelai asks.

"Yeah," I murmur, opening the door of the truck, "stay here."

Forrest is sitting on the porch, smoking a cigar. He stands up slowly, looking at me like he's seen a ghost.

I gesture the hat at him.

He points to the railing on the porch.

"I wanted a moment of your time," I say, setting the hat on the railing.

"I recall wantin' a moment of your time couple weeks ago. Only it went somethin' like this." He pulls out a gun, pointing it at me.

I put my hands out as if I expect to deflect the bullets.

"No, don't hurt my sister," Lorelai begs, wrapping her arms around me.

Forrest quickly lowers his gun.

"I told you to wait in the truck," I scold Lorelai, moving her behind me.

Lorelai moves her head out from behind me. "Please, let her work for you!"

"In the truck, now," I snap under my breath.

"I was just tryin' to help," she pouts, stomping back.

I wait until she closes the door before I turn back around.

"So you come around here lookin' for work?"

"That's right."

"Howard's been pacin' the floor, waitin' for his turn to get back at you for the disrespect you showed us at your house. I can't help you. Go on now before he hears you out here."

"Please, Mr. Bondurant, I-"

"I said go on now or your sister will have to drive herself home."

"You think I'm scared of you? Tell your stupid brother he knows where to find me if he really wanted to get even."

"Mmhm," he grunts.

"I knew I was wasting my time," I mumble, heading back to the truck.

"What'd he say?"

I don't respond to her and start back for our house.

She asks again but I pay her no mind. "What're you mad at me for?"

I come to a screeching halt. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the truck? Lorelai, when I tell you something, you listen to me!"

"You don't have to yell! You're such a grouch. If you hadn't of been so rude to them in the first place, they might of hired you," she yells, getting out of the truck and running off into the woods.

If Elizabeth hadn't gone and shamed our name, I could have got a job. If Daddy would have been a man, I wouldn't need one to fix his debt. I learned long ago, feeling sorry for yourself don't change a thing. I run my hands down my face and let out a deep breath. "Dammit." I pull the truck over on the side of the road and get out to go look for her.

...

Six exhausting hours later and I still haven't found her. I decide to head back to the house, hoping she got a ride back. "Lorelai," I yell, running in the house. "Oh gosh," I frown, rubbing my brow. Lights from a truck brighten the kitchen. I open the door, going outside.

The truck door opens and Lorelai appears.

I let out a sigh of relief and run over to her, pulling her into my arms. "I was so worried!"

"I'm alright."

Someone else gets out of the truck.

I become enraged. "How dare you show your face around here," I yell at the youngest Bondurant.

"Charlotte, stop! You're embarrassing me! Jack brought me home."

"You stay the hell away from my sister," I threaten, and then I realize Jack isn't driving.

The driver side door opens as my eyes shift over to it. "Jack, get'n the truck," Forrest demands.

I know I ran my mouth but I'm a little relieved that it isn't Howard.

"Goodnight, Jack," Lorelai smiles.

Jack tips his hat. "Night, Miss Slaughter."

A Bondurant with manners? What a surprise. "Go wash up for supper," I tell Lorelai, keeping my eyes locked on Forrest.

Jack yells at Forrest to hurry up before he shuts his door.

"Thank you for bringing her home, let me give you some money for the trouble."

Forrest shakes his head no, taking a long puff on his cigar before taking it from his mouth. "I suggest you be at the station before sun up."

"What changed your mind?"

"You ain't got the job yet. Let's see how well you follow these here instructions first."

"Alright then."

"Mmhm," he grunts, heading back to the truck, "before sunup, or don't bother comin' at all."

I suppose I could have thanked him but don't understand why he changed his mind. Guess it doesn't really matter. I have a job.