"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."- Desmond Tutu

This couldn't be happening!, not here, not now, she wasn't ready!, she wasn't even at a hospital, that's where people generally tend to have babies, not backstage at a concert!. She looked sideways, there was a man stood there holding a guitar, he was looking at her like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and seemed to shocked to do anything worthwhile, how about you get help! she thought. She heard footsteps and suddenly Kate was stood beside her, Kate, the woman who had held her at gunpoint only a few days ago was the only person who was here at what could be the birth of her child, she couldn't help but feel lonely but the feeling soon passed thanks to the small matter of the impending likely hood of childbirth.

"Small world…" she heard Kate mutter and she couldn't help but agree, off all the people to run into, although, perhaps she would get her credit card back, what processed her to give it her in the first place she had no idea. She found Kate directing her to the nearby sofa, it was the only place where she could possibly sit

"Just breathe okay" Kate said, obviously panicking and she couldn't blame her, it wasn't likely that she had ever delivered a baby before, and as that thought crossed her mind she couldn't help but be annoyed at herself, she had only made herself panic more now

"It's happening like - like right now!" she said, she couldn't do this, it wasn't surpassed to be this way, she was surpassed to give it to loving parents who could take care of it, she couldn't take care of a baby!.

"Right, I need you to get comfortable and relax" Kate spoke, clearly taking control of the situation, she was glad someone was because she surely couldn't "I want you to relax and breathe, okay, just relax and breathe" and it was then that she noticed they had been joined by a third person, a man, who appeared in his twenties, she couldn't shake of the feeling that she knew him from somewhere, but she really didn't care right now, she just wanted to get through this, but still - she wasn't really comfortable a total stranger being here unless they had too.

"Who are you?" she asked

"I'm with the band" he replied, not taking his eyes of her, she could only imagine what he must be feeling at walking into such a scene, she bet he wished he had carried on walking, Kate suddenly stood up and turned to him "Listen, can you get me some water and blankets?, please" she asked him and he repeated what she had said before nodding his head and rushing off to find the objects, Kate quickly returned to her side, she didn't want to do this, she couldn't, they'd manage to stop the labour once, couldn't they do it again, she wasn't ready!.

"All right, this is the time you start pushing" Kate said, tying her hair up out her face, she couldn't do this, she just couldn't, she couldn't be mother, she'd be a terrible mother she just knew it and the baby would resent her forever. She was shaking her head and Kate seemed to have noticed

"I'm not ready!" she cried "I'm really scared"

"I'm scared too" Kate responded "really scared, but I can't do this without you, and I need you too start pushing on three. One. Two Three"

Claire began to push, and it hurt, she could hear Kate telling her to push and she couldn't do anything but push, she just wanted it too be over, she wanted the child to be born already. She glanced at Kate who had the strangest expression on her face, if Claire didn't know better she seemed to be staring wide eyed at her - um, well her womanly parts, great she thought, now I can add freaked out to my list of emotions.

She watched as Kate lifted the child in her arms, Claire could only stare at her son, her beautiful son who seemed perfectly healthy, her perfectly healthy Aaron. Her mind stumbled, Aaron?, where did that come from, and Kate held out the baby Claire couldn't wait to hold him, to love him, and the moment she held him in her arms, it hit her.

Heartbreak off Thomas leaving, the awful plane crash, the British stranger - except he was no stranger, he was Charlie. Peanut Butter from empty jars, giving birth on the island, Her, Charlie and Aaron, Charlie kissing her one final time, Charlie dying, three lonely years alone, leaving the island, her mother, Aaron growing up, her peacefully death. She saw it all in a matter of a second.

"It's Aaron" she sobbed, holding him tightly, her beautiful baby boy, her perfect son. She heard footsteps and looked past Kate and she froze, she couldn't believe what she was seeing, standing in front of her was Charlie Pace. His hair was shorter but she could never mistake that face, all her life she had remembered it, for what he did, who he was, and what he meant to her - she even bought a t-shirt with his picture on it (which she only wore at night and didn't really tell anyone about). Kate stood up, looking at Charlie with a similar expression that she herself must be wearing right now

"I brought a blanket" he said weakly and Kate smiled brightly "thank you" she replied through her tears, and she, unlike Charlie knew that he was not getting thanked for getting blankets, but for what he did, and what he sacrificed for them all.

"It's just a blanket" he replied weakly, and Kate just looked past him and looked directly at her "go ahead and bring it too her" she smiled and Charlie seemed confused for a second and she couldn't help but smile, that adorable confused look that she hadn't seen in so many years, Charlie turned and knelt beside her, he was so close to her now, she couldn't stop staring at him, apart from the hair he was exactly like she remembered him too be.

"Couldn't bring you any water" he smiled softly and a small amount of pain hit her at the mention of water, the very thing that had taken him away from her, but he wasn't away, he was right in front of her, all he had to do was remember who he was, who she was, and who Aaron was, and how they had all once loved each other. She wanted him to remember so much, and she slowly moved her hand closer to his, and hoping for the best, she grasped his hand and heard his breathe intake as he started to remember.

"Charlie" she cried tears of joys as she knew he was remembered, she clutched Aaron tightly as she couldn't believe this was real, they could actually be a family again, a proper family like she had once envisioned before fate had played its cruel hand and pulled them apart. Her eyes suddenly meet his and she knew he remembered, she could see it in his blue eyes

"Claire" he whispered, as if he was unwillingly to believe it was real, as if it was too good to be true, he quickly placed his hand on her check as if needing to feel her and she returned the favour, even off the island he still didn't seemed to have mastered the art of shaving.

And then they kissed.

She never wanted it too end and it broke all too soon as he rested his forehead against hers, tears running down his checks, as Aaron let out a sudden cry, apparently tired of being ignored it seemed, and Charlie's eyes lit up as he turned towards him, the one thing she loved more than anything about Charlie was how he was with Aaron, who this whole seemed to centre around him, just like hers did.

"Hi Aaron" he smiled brightly as he soothed the baby, Claire wrapped her arms around them both, holding them both close to her and she cried.

A/N - Hope you all enjoyed it, there's going to be one more chapter which is Claire's POV of the church scene, which includes her reaction when she learns Charlie crashed Desmond's car and almost drowned…again.