I won't leave you.
Charlie stood nervously tugging at the collar of his rental tux. It was warm outside on a lovely spring day. The sun was too bright for Charlie's tired eyes making him squint. He wished he had gotten more sleep the previous night, but with all the excitement who could sleep?
But even the brightness of the sun couldn't dampen Charlie's spirits. He scanned the crowd sitting before him with a permanent smile plastered to his face. Everyone was had made it to the occasion and their smiles were as bright as Charlie's.
'When did I get so luck?' He sighed in happiness spying the bored look of his son, Charles Dominic Pace Jr. His son's blond hair was wildly, his shirt wasn't neatly tucked in and he was fidgeting where he stood. Charlie had to laugh, it seemed that his son didn't care too much for the importance of the celebration or the hair care products for that mater. 'Can't really expect a six year old to stay still can I? I'm surprised he's lasted this long.' Charlie chuckled under his breath.
Music started to play and broke Charlie from his thoughts. Walking down the aisle in a pink frilly dress holding a little basket of flowers was his four year old daughter Roselyn looking very proud of herself. Someone bent down and whispered to Roselyn as she went by and she started throwing a fit.
"These are my flowers!" Roselyn yelled. "I'm keeping them!" She screamed running to her daddy with tears in her eyes and flowers falling in her wake.
Charlie roared with laughter as did the rest of the crowd. He scoped up his little daughter in his arms and placed a kiss on her head while she buried her face into his shoulder. "Come now Rosie stop with the tears. Mommy's coming." He said pointing.
Roselyn looked down the aisle with teary eyes as her mother walked towards them dressed in a beautiful white grown encrusted with small pearls. Her blond hair flowed freely around her shoulders and wisped in the slight breeze.
Roselyn had to grin. "Mommy's so pretty!"
"Yeah she's a real angel on earth. Now Rosie why don't you go stand with your brother and be good okay?" Charlie set his daughter down and watched her join Charles Jr.
"What was that all about?"
Charlie turned his attentions back to his bride to be. "Little Rosie didn't want to give up her flowers." He said giggling. "But she dropped all of them in her little fit."
"May I begin?" The priest asked impatiently.
"Oh sorry." Charlie apologized blushing in embarrassment.
I won't leave you.
The wedding by in a blur and Charlie didn't hear anything around him. He was too focused on his love's face. If it weren't for Hurley nudging him, Charlie wouldn't have done his parts in the wedding at all. His fiancé didn't mind, she laughed along with the others.
"You my now kiss the bride."
Charlie heard that one and kiss the bride he did. His original intentions were to quickly kiss her on the lips like people at most weddings do. But as soon as his lips crashed down on hers he was lost to all thought and reason. The kiss was deep and so long that the guys in the audience started cheering.
When Charlie finally let go he was blushing bright red. "Opps got a little carried away love." He apologized.
"I don't care." She smiled at him. "I love you Mr. Pace."
"I love you too Mrs. Pace." He grinned kissing her on the forehead.
Charlie picked up his twin son and daughter and kissed them both on the head. "Liam, Kaitlyn you don't want Mommy to go either do you?" He cooed to them both holding them up close to his face and made puppy dog eyes at his wife.
She laughed in response. "Oh no, the cute act isn't going to get me to stay. I'm going to have a night out with the girls." She tossed her hair to the side laughing. "Even pregnant women need to go out sometimes."
"Why go out when you could stay in?" Charlie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
She laughed again her bright blue eyes dusted with mirth. "Suggestions like that are the reason why I'm pregnant with your fifth child."
"And maybe sixth."
"Twins! Again?! Don't you dare suggest that!" She playfully swatted his arm. "My god Charlie just how many do you want to have?!" She laughed.
"As many as you're willing to give birth to."
"And when I'm not?"
"Then we adopt!" He grinned wider showing more of his pearly white teeth.
"You are adorable." She kissed him on the nose. "And so are you two." She kissed both the twin's foreheads. "Are you going to be alright alone with the two of them?"
"Me? Bah! I'll be fine. Heck I could take care of all four of them if my brother wasn't so insistent on kidnapping Rosie and Charlie J for the weekend. But we'll manage."
"Good. I'll see you later Charlie." She kissed his lightly on the lips. "Bye sweeties." She fluffed their hair.
"Wave goodbye to Mommy!" Charlie coaxed the twins.
The twins being too young to understand just took to drooling on Charlie's shoulder (Liam) and grabbing at Charlie's hair (Kaitlyn).
"I think it's time you two take a nap." Charlie turned to go back to the front door when he heard a loud screech, a short lived scream and a sickening thud. He snapped his head around to see what he never wanted to see, his wife laying lifeless in a pool of blood.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!! CLAIRE!!!" He ran to her.
I won't leave you.
"Claire…" Charlie moaned in pain as he slept. He was caked in sweat making his hair flat and plastered to his face and neck. He yelled waking up with a scream drying on his lips. At first he was disoriented and confused unsure of what was going on. But the feel of the dirt rock floor and darkness of the caves brought him back to reality. He had been dreaming. That one thought should have washed him with relief but instead left a sickening pain at the pit of his stomach. He rolled up into a ball trying to be quiet through the tears to try and not wake the others sleeping feet away from him.
I won't leave you. The memory of his promise to Claire haunted him, just like her face. 'Can't do anything right can you Charlie? You let everyone down. You let Claire down.' He cursed himself closing his eyes tightly. Despite how his nightmare had shaken him up sleep still had its claws in him threatening to pull him back.
Jack watched Charlie frowning.
Hurley rolled over and rubbed on of his sleepy eyes. "Dude did he have another one, again?" He more observed then asked.
Jack nodded. "He needs to sleep. If these nightmares don't stop he's going to make himself sick."
Hurley sigh. "Yeah."
Charlie couldn't hear them. He was too consumed dreaming of a woman he may never see again.