Title: Banter
Original Post Date: 26th January 2006
Summary: Claire has a mini-freak out when she thinks Charlie might be signalling at a romantic relationship and decides to come right out and tell him how she feels. Takes place towards the end of season one.
Disclaimer: Not mine (…yet evil giggles)

Their banter was normally light and quick but tonight it seemed to be lagging, due in no part to a sudden change in Claire's manner. Charlie noticed of course and began to talk more and more until Claire was hardly saying anything and he was practically babbling to keep the conversation going.

'Charlie?' she said finally when she could no longer stand it. Charlie looked relieved.

'Yes love?'

'I need to talk to you about…something.'

Charlie gazed at her, waiting patiently.

Claire licked her lips and took one deep breath (and then another) before beginning.

'I've been noticing certain…things lately.' She glanced at Charlie who was still watching her carefully and looking thoroughly non-plussed.

'What sort of things exactly?'

'Just…little things,' Claire said lamely. She cringed inwardly. She'd never been good with this sort of thing and god knows how Charlie would react to it. 'I don't know I just…I've been noticing things about the way you act around me.'

Charlie stared at her and Claire pushed on.

'Look, Charlie I – I don't want to offend you in any way so if I'm wrong please don't be upset – and I mean, if I am right you don't have to say anything if you don't want me to know anyway…' she trailed off and gazed entreatingly at Charlie who was now beginning to look slightly worried. Claire bit her lip and began to speak, quickly but falteringly as Charlie nodded along with her.

'My last relationship was a bad one – really bad in fact…it really kind of rocked me about a bit – and the thing is that – and I don't know if I'm misreading you here or what – but you seem to be working your way towards that kind of a relationship sometimes and I think you should know – even if you haven't been thinking about it – I'm nowhere near ready for anything like that. Yet.'

Charlie blinked. He nodded. 'Okay.'

Claire practically collapsed with relief. 'You're okay with that?'

Charlie leant forward a little and touched a hand gently on hers. 'Claire, you're my friend – the best friend I've ever had – and I absolutely love you to bits…' Claire held her breath. '…I understand where you're coming from and I promise I would never consciously do anything to make you uncomfortable so if I have seemed like I was angling for, you know, something more, then I apologise because that's obviously not what you want.'

'So you haven't – I mean, you don't want to…?'

'You said I didn't have to tell you if I didn't want to,' Charlie reminded her, trying to suppress a cheeky grin. 'So I'm not going to. But if I ever do think about maybe going down that road with you, I'll check in with you first. Okay?'

'Okay,'

A relieved silence fell between the two of them but before long Claire felt her mouth twitching into a smile and she touched Charlie's hand gently. He glanced down at it in some surprise and then up at her.

'Thank you, Charlie,' Claire murmured when their eyes met.

Charlie looked bemused. 'What for?'

'For listening to me,' Claire explained. 'It's been a long time since anybody really listened to me.'

Charlie smiled. 'I'm always here if you need somebody to listen – that's what friends are for right?'

'Yeah,' Claire squeezed his hand and then let it go. 'Thanks.'

'In any case, I have a great amount of respect for you as a person,' Charlie continued easily. 'After all, you did give birth on an island in the middle of nowhere without an epidural. That's pretty impressive.'

Claire burst out laughing. 'Charlie!'

'What?' he said defensively. 'I think that's a pretty awesome achievement. It totally beats your previous record of surviving a plane crash at twelve months pregnant or whatever the hell you were…'

'Eight months,' Claire corrected him. 'Humans are only pregnant for nine months you daft man.'

Charlie considered this for a moment and then grinned sheepishly. 'Can you tell I didn't pay attention in Human Biology?'

Claire smiled.