Little Women: The Extra March

Chapter 6: The Wedding

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asks laughing at Amy's silly behavior.

"I'm making a mold of my small feet to remind Laurie I have nice feet." Amy said as Charlotte and Beth laugh.

"Mr. Brook writes that Father is still very weak, but improving. Mr. Brooke also says mother is the best nurse a man could have..." Meg said reading off what Marmee wrote to the girls.

"I wish all the letters were from Mother, and not Mr. Brooke." Jo said under her breath.

"I'm grateful for any letters." Charlotte says as Jo sighs.

"I think the deep purple is very fitting for Mr. Lawrence, do you agree Amy?" Beth asked as Amy glanced over.

"Quite. And the design is very cunning."

"I had to thank him somehow for allowing me to play the piano at his house all the time." Beth said smiling.

"I'll go to town for groceries Jo, can you go look into getting more firewood." Meg said as Charlotte quickly got up and went upstairs to her room to grab her sketchbook. All the sudden Charlotte heard Amy scream.

"My foot is stuck! I can't get it out!" Amy yelled as Charlotte giggled and rushed back downstairs to help her sister.

"She's resting." The doctor says coming out of Beth's room.

"How is she? Is there anything I can do?" Mr. Lawrence asked as the doctor shook his head.

"No, it's scarlet fever." The doctor said before whispering something to Mr. Lawrence. |Have you all had it before?"

"Everyone but Charlotte and Amy. They'll have to stay with Aunt March." Jo said as the two girls groaned.

"But we hate Aunt March." Charlotte said as Hannah sighed.

"It's for your own good, child." Hannah said as they both nodded.

"Should we send for mother?" Jo asked as Hannah shook her head.

"No we shouldn't worry her. I've never wished for money more than now." Meg said.

"We'll nurse her and she'll get better. You'll see. She will. She must." Jo said as everyone nodded.

"Hello Aunt March!" Charlotte said sitting across from her aunt.

"That Lawrence boy was just here." March said as Charlotte looked at her.

"He was?"

"What a disappointment he's turned out to be. It must be the Italian in him." Aunt March said.

"When will he be back?" Charlotte asked.

"He's gone to London. Why? What do you need to discuss with him?" Aunt March asks as Charlotte takes a deep breath and remembers just a few hours ago. To where Charlotte and Fred were walking, when he suddenly drops to one knee and offers Charlotte his hand, but Charlotte covers her mouth and runs away.

"I've just told Fred Vaughn that I wouldn't marry him, because I'm already engaged." She said holding out her left hand to show the nice small diamond Laurie had gotten her.

"I can't believe today is my wedding day!" Meg said as I smiled and helped her put up her hair.

"Me either." Jo mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked Jo.

"Nothing," Jo says as Meg kneels in front of her, "we can leave. We can leave right now!" Jo says as everyone looks at her in confusion.

"What?" Meg asks.

"I can make money: I'll sell stories, I'll do anything - cook, clean, work in a factory. I can make a life for us," Jo pleaded as Meg sighed, "and you, you should be an actress and have a life on the stage. Let's run away together." Jo said as Meg caught her attention.

"I want to get married." Meg said.

"Why?"

"I love him."

"You will be bored of him in two years and we will be interesting forever." Jo angrily says sitting back in her chair.

"Just because my dreams are not the same as your doesn't mean they're unimportant. I want a family and a home and I'm not scared of working and struggling, but I want to do it with John." Meg said cupping Jo's cheek.

"I just hate that you're leaving me." Jo said tearing up as Meg sighed.

"Oh, Jo, I'm not leaving you. Besides, one day it will be your turn." Meg said as Jo smiled and wiped a tear away.

"I'd rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe. I can't believe my childhood is over." Jo said Meg smiled.

"It was going to end one way or another. And what a happy end." Charlotte said as all the girls laughed.

"Laurie, come dance with me!" Charlotte said grabbing his hand and dragging him down to the dance floor as the music started up. "Can you get me a cup of that?" Charlotte asks as Laurie nods and goes over to grab one, once he comes back he gives it to Charlotte who takes a sip but decides it's not her style. "I'm going to go talk to Aunt March." She said to Laurie as he nodded and let her go.

"Thank goodness, here's the only sane member of this family. I really can't take any more of this." Aunt March says taking Charlotte's arm.

"Marmee! Marmee! Aunt March is going to Europe and..." Charlotte says but Jo interrupts her.

"Wants me to go with her! How wonderful! Now I know why I spent all those borning hours reading to her!" She says throwing her arms around Charlotte.

"Um no, she wanted me to come. As her companion." Charlotte said as JO pulled away with a look of shock.

"Europe? With you?"

"She wants me to work on my singing, and my french of course." Charlotte says as Jo smiles and congratulates her, before disappearing into the forest with Laurie, but she was to excited about Paris to really care.