Title: Raised By an Other
Rating: T
Summary: Charlie and Claire are taken by the Others where Juliet tries to convince Claire to leave Aaron with them. Angst/Suspense
Characters: Charlie/Claire, Jack/Juliet
Warnings: no spoilers, just some references to popular theories. Drug use.
Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with these creepy, nonsensical Others, I only work with what's given to me. I don't own Lost.
Chapter One
"Why did you bring me here Charlie?" she asked.
Claire had followed Charlie out to the small clearing in the woods. They were still very close to camp. She could see the beach and the waves of the ocean peeking through the thin line of trees, yet it was secluded enough that no one could see them in the darker foliage. From the look on Charlie's face when he had asked her that morning to wrap up Aaron and follow him, Claire knew she didn't really have to ask.
The beach was in a state of perpetual chaos after Eko's death and Jack's disappearance. Even the return of Kate and Sawyer did little to calm the fears of the camp or to reestablish any sense of leadership. With everything that had happened, she and Charlie had little time to connect anymore. When Charlie had returned from the hatch explosion, they had promised each other that they would commit to a relationship in a way that they hadn't up until then. They were still working in that direction, growing closer every day, when Charlie told Claire he wanted to show her something.
She bundled Aaron up in his blanket and followed him into the jungle. They knew enough not to go far, and Claire noticed that Charlie was staying close to the tree line for safety, never losing sight of their camp. She watched him from behind, looking left and right as he beat a path and she smiled. It was just like Charlie to always be concerned for their safety.
"Almost there," he said to her.
The motion had put Aaron to sleep in Claire's arms. Claire was careful to step high over twigs and leaves so she wouldn't stumble. A few more feet and Charlie stopped in an area where the grass was low and the trees more sparse.
"What do you think?" he asked her, bouncing on his feet like an excited puppy.
Claire waited for more, but when it became clear he was expecting a reaction, she looked around her and said, "It's uh……it's lovely."
"It's ours," he said proudly. "This could be our place to be alone, to talk……or anything. Whenever you want to come here Claire, just say the word. You can even use it just to be alone with Aaron."
It was times like these when Charlie's thoughtfulness reached deep inside her and touched her soul. The fact that he was eager for her approval just made the gesture sweeter. With one arm she reached around his neck and guided him down to a kiss. They were beyond pecks on the cheek.
"Thank you, Charlie. This was a wonderful idea."
He returned her affection and then whispered in her ear. "I'm not done yet."
Charlie pulled back and took the bag from his shoulder. Unzipping it, he removed a blanket and spread it out. They sat and Claire lay Aaron down next to her, where he slept soundly. Charlie pulled a water bottle out from his pack.
"This was all I could find. I tried to get a bottle of wine but I think that barmy Scot nicked it all. The git never stops drinking."
Claire laughed. "He's not that bad. I think you two just started off on the wrong foot."
"I can't help it. He gives me the creeps--the way he's always staring at you and the baby. There's something not right about him." Charlie opened the water bottle and handed it to her. Then he moved in closer and put a hand on her knee. "But I didn't come here to talk about Desmond."
"Oh?" she teased, "Why did we come here then?"
He leaned in with a grin and kissed her. Claire felt his warm, soft touch against the small of her back as he pulled her in for a tighter embrace. Without Aaron in her arms, she felt free to explore and she wanted to. Tangled together they kissed and groped until Aaron started to fuss. Claire sighed and pulled back, about to apologize.
"It's okay," said Charlie.
"He'll settle back down," she assured him and she turned to see the baby had kicked his blanket open. She went to wrap him back up again and quiet him down when she felt something whip by her head ending in a dull thud. She spun back around. Charlie was on the ground, unconscious, a large rock by his head.
"Charlie!" she said as she sat up and looked behind her. Before she could look back to check on Aaron there was a hand over her mouth. She clawed at the arm but it held on tight. Claire looked over at Charlie and saw a man standing with a gun at his head.
"Don't make a sound," said the voice, low and threatening. "Come with us or we'll kill him."
Claire tried to turn her head to see Aaron but suddenly she felt drowsy. She fought to stay awake, to try and remember as much detail as she could but the blackness overcame her.
Chapter Two
"Charlie, can you hear me?"
Someone was touching his face. Where his head made contact with the surface there was a swollen bump but when he reached back to touch it he felt numb. He couldn't understand why he wasn't in pain. He opened his eyes to see Claire looking down on him. He remembered being with Claire, but they were no longer in the jungle. Instead of soft earth the ground felt cold and hard as stone.
He let his eyes drift open. Claire seemed to float in front of his vision, blurring at the edges, looking more angelic than ever, but the worry in her eyes spoiled the illusion. He was on a bench in some empty room.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
He pushed himself up to sit, testing the waters. He felt heavy, but not bad necessarily. It felt like he was humming, like a struck tuning fork, wrapped in pleasant, soothing warmth. When he tried to speak, his tongue felt thick.
"Where's Aaron?" he asked.
That was when her tears let loose, running down her cheeks. Claire shook her head. "I don't know. I woke up here with you and he's gone. I don't know where we are."
Charlie took a deep breath and looked around the room in slow motion. It had three cinderblock walls and the fourth wall was glass. Through the glass was another room with what looked like a soundboard and a camera mounted on the wall. The flashing red light told Charlie that they were likely being watched.
He rose to investigate the adjacent room when the room in which he stood began to spin. Claire grabbed his left arm and was guiding him back down to sit. Catching his breath he looked down at his lap and that was when he noticed the crimson pinprick on the inside of his right arm. It was then that he realized why the sensations felt so familiar. Bloody hell. It felt like a fix.
Claire was following Charlie's slack jawed stare to the mark on his arm. "What is it?" she asked.
"It feels like heroin" he muttered, avoiding her eyes.
"What?" said Claire, alarmed. "Why would they do that?"
"I don't know," he said as he tried for a second time to stand. He found his feet and staggered to the glass wall. Looking into the camera, he tried the best he could to overcome his sluggishness and approximate a shout, "Oi! Who's out there? Somebody come in here and talk to us!"
He kicked the glass in frustration and turned back when he heard Claire's sobs. He went back over and sat next to her on the bench and put an arm around her. Claire's head sank into his shoulder.
"It's okay, don't be scared. We'll figure something out," he told her. There was nothing left to do but wait.
Chapter Three
They were left alone for what had to be several hours, by which time the most profound effects of the drug seemed to have worn off and Charlie was behaving normally. It frightened Claire that they would do that to Charlie. The Others seemed to know so much about them that it had to be intentional. They had to know Charlie was a recovering heroin addict. She couldn't imagine how anyone could be so cruel.
They slept, they talked, they waited. Claire's worries about Aaron grew intense. She needed to know he was being cared for and that they weren't hurting him. In the time they waited they inspected their cell. Apart from the glass wall there was a locked metal door and a non-functioning intercom. They still didn't know why they were being held captive.
"When we don't show up back at the beach, they'll come looking for us," Charlie assured her, as they sat back down on the floor.
She appreciated his attempt but she didn't share his confidence. "Who?" she asked.
"Locke and Sayid," he explained. "Kate and Sawyer know how to get here. This must be where they were being held. They'll find us."
"And Aaron?" she asked.
"Don't worry, Claire," he said. "We won't leave without him."
A short while later the metal latch swung open on the door and two men entered. Claire recognized one of them as the one who had a gun to Charlie's head. Locking the door behind them, the men went straight for Charlie. One of them held a syringe and a piece of rubber tubing.
"Time for your meds, Charlie," he mocked as he approached.
Charlie sprang up from the floor and headed to the far corner. "Get away from me!"
Claire watched in horror, helpless as the men converged on him. He swung at the first one to come within range but the man ducked the punch and responded with a fist to Charlie's stomach. Claire screamed. Two more punches to the face and Charlie was brought easily down to the floor. Still he kicked and fought, doing all he could to avoid the needle.
"Leave me alone! I don't want it!" he screamed.
Claire wanted to look away but she couldn't. One man was on top, pinning Charlie's arms and legs down while the other wrapped the rubber tube around his upper arm. Charlie's face was red from struggling. He cried out in pain and clenched his teeth when the man with the syringe finally put his knee down on Charlie's hand to keep his arm still. A second later, he was injecting the drug.
From behind, Claire could see Charlie's face. The dark colour drained and the tension left. He inhaled sharply and held it. It was as if he was trying not to enjoy it but his body couldn't resist. His eyes rolled back and he had the trace of a smile. When he let out the breath, his body went limp and the men released him and stood.
The one with the needle laughed. "There now, that wasn't so bad was it?" He chuckled as they left, ignoring Claire who sat against the far wall trembling.
When the door closed she crawled over to where Charlie lay. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and deep. He looked peaceful, despite a purple bruise that was appearing below his eye. She lifted his shoulders and lay his head in her lap, stroking the hair on his forehead. A trail of blood dripped from his arm to the floor from the sloppy injection.
His eyes fluttered slightly. He appeared to be looking up at her but not quite focusing. "I'm sorry," he drawled in a breathy whisper, "I told them I didn't want it."
"I know," she said.
(Later)
Claire felt a hand on her shoulder and realized she had dozed off. Charlie had slid off her lap at some point and was curled up into a tight ball on the floor next to her. She looked up and saw a woman with light brown hair and a warm smile.
"Claire," she spoke softly, "I'm Juliet. Will you come with me please?"
"What about Charlie?" she asked.
"He'll be alright," she assured her, gesturing to the glass wall. "We're just going in the other room to talk."
Claire rose and followed the woman out, hoping to at least get some answers about her son and why they were there.
As soon as they entered the next room, Claire felt her anger returning. Fists clenched, she turned on the taller woman.
"Where's my son?" she demanded.
Juliet didn't flinch, but simply looked at Claire with sympathy, as if she wasn't responsible for all that had happened to them.
"He's fine, Claire. He's being very well taken care of."
"I want to see him," said Claire.
"I can't do that right now."
Claire paced the room and looked back through the glass wall at Charlie, still asleep on the floor.
"Why are you doing this to us? What do you want?" Claire asked.
Juliet took a seat at the table where a thick file lay in front of her. She placed her hands on the file and began, "I brought you here because I want you to know exactly what it is you're getting into with Charlie. You may be making a terrible mistake at the expense of your child."
Claire was stunned at her presumptiveness. "What do you know about it? You don't know Charlie!"
Nothing could disturb this woman's calm. Juliet returned every enraged look with a patronizing smile. "I'm afraid we do, Claire. We know he's been a heroin addict for years and that during those years he lied and stole from friends continually to support his habit. We also know he's lied to you."
"That was in the past," Claire replied.
"Is it? I know you're trying to work things out with him, but you need to go into this with your eyes wide open. Before he got on your flight, he was offered a chance by his brother to go into rehab. He refused. The only reason he quit on the island was because he ran out of drugs."
Claire turned away. "I'm not listening to this. I want my son."
"This is about your son," said Juliet.
Claire turned back. "Charlie quit because he wanted to be with me and Aaron."
Juliet sighed. "Claire, what do you think would happen if you ever get back to the real world? How long do you think Charlie would stay clean with easy access to drugs again? I'm a doctor, Claire. I know that heroin addicts rarely conquer their addiction for good. It's a lifelong struggle of on again off again. Is that the kind of father you want for your child? Can you risk that?"
Claire grew quiet. She and Charlie were only just starting to explore a relationship. She honestly never considered beyond their lives on the island.
"He didn't want to take the heroin," she said. "You're forcing it on him."
"The next time will be his choice," she said, "and maybe that will be enough to convince you."
When Claire didn't respond Juliet continued, "You've been raising Aaron around a heroin addict for months. You live out on the beach, exposed to the elements, to the dangers of the jungle. You can barely keep the rain off your heads. You simply don't have the means to provide for him. Here we have a school, a community of families with children. Aaron could be raised in a real home with loving parents. I know you considered this option once. I'm asking you to consider it again."
"Then why can't I stay here with him?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, but that's just not possible," said Juliet. "If you really love Aaron, Claire, you should let him go."
Chapter Four
Charlie woke to the dull ache from the swollen bruise on his cheekbone. He assumed hours must have passed or the heroin would still be numbing the pain. He hated to admit it to himself but the rush was incredible. He had forgotten how much more intense it can be with a needle, he so rarely had ever taken it that way. Snorting had a delayed reaction and the rush was duller, but it was faster and easier to administer and he always feared the hepatitis and worse that came from dirty needles.
He also suspected by the effects that they were giving him particularly large doses. When he had first arrived on the island and knew his supply was limited, he had taken the smallest amounts possible just to stay even, wanted only to stretch his stash and avoid getting sick. He hadn't fixed like this in a long time, not since he used to party with his band mates and it seemed like they would never run out. He remembered Liam telling him one time that the best high could be had from taking the largest dose possible without overdosing. Knowing where that line was, that was another matter. This was what that felt like.
He blinked a few times and sat up. That was when he noticed Claire sitting against the opposite wall, hugging her knees to her chest. She was staring at him, blankly, her earlier concern replaced by something else. Charlie felt like a stranger.
"What happened?" he asked her.
"A woman called Juliet came to talk to me," she said. "She said I was a horrible mother for raising Aaron on the beach and that if I cared about what was best for him I'd give him up."
Charlie stared in surprise. "Claire. You don't honestly believe that do you? They're playing mind games with you! And they're torturing me!"
"Are they?" she asked.
Charlie was stunned. Didn't she see how hard he resisted? "Yes. I told you I didn't want it and I meant it. What else did they tell you about me?"
Claire looked away, "It doesn't matter."
"Well, they're lying," said Charlie. "This is all just a ploy to get Aaron. We'll get him back and we'll get back home. I promise."
They sat in silence in their corners. Charlie was wounded from Claire's veiled accusations and her body language told him he should not attempt to approach her. A short while later the door's hinges squealed. Charlie looked up with a Pavlovian reflex of fear, expecting the drug pushers again, but this time he was relieved. It was Jack.
Other than Kate and Sawyer's assurances that he was alive, no one had known what had become of him or where he was being held. Charlie was surprised to see him waltz into their cell more like a captor than a prisoner.
They both sat up. "Jack!" said Charlie, using the bench behind him to pull up to stand.
Jack came closer and gave Charlie a quick embrace. Claire stayed in her place on the floor, looking defeated and lifeless. The doctor turned Charlie's head and checked his bruises.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked.
"Are we okay?" Charlie repeated. "What are we doing here? Where's Aaron?"
He considered telling Jack about the heroin and then chose not to. Judging by the amount of freedom Jack had it was likely he already knew and if he didn't, Charlie was too ashamed to tell him.
Jack looked down at Claire with a face full of concern. "I'm sorry for what's happened to you. I came to ask you to seriously consider Juliet's suggestion. Leaving Aaron here would be a way to give him a better life. I promise you'll both be safe and if you agree to leave Aaron with us I'll take you back to the beach myself."
As Charlie just stared incredulous, Jack stepped closer to Claire and knelt down to where she sat. "Claire," he said gently, "this is me. You can trust me. I promise you Aaron will be well looked after. You don't have to worry."
Claire said nothing and Jack rose again. "Just think about it."
Before Charlie could say anything Jack turned and left.
Chapter Five
They had been alone again for a few more hours. Sleeping off and on, they had lost all track of time and had no way of knowing whether it was day or night. Claire had hardly moved from her place in the corner. She felt catatonic, numb, like nothing else mattered anymore. She stared at a speck of dirt on the floor and took no notice of Charlie until he began to pace the room.
He was clenching his fists and shaking them out, sitting and standing, like he couldn't decide what to do with himself. Claire assumed he was just beginning to feel pent up after so many hours in captivity. He chose the farthest point in the room from her to start fidgeting. He yanked on his hair, pulled on his ring, and adjusted his shirt. She heard his breathing become short.
When she couldn't stand it any longer she finally asked in a slightly irritated tone, "Are you alright?"
"Fine," he snapped.
"You don't seem fine," she muttered.
"Well I am," he said, and returned to pacing in front of the glass. Claire returned to watching him and noticed how badly his hands were shaking. He looked like he was trying to jump out of his skin.
"It's the drugs, isn't it?" she said. "It's been hours."
Charlie ignored her. After another minute he addressed the camera. "I need to see someone! Right now! NOW!"
When he was done shouting he retreated to the far end of the bench and sat, drawing his knees up tight and rocking back and forth. Claire closed her eyes. She couldn't look anymore.
A short while later the latch lifted and the door opened a crack. No one entered but something small and round was tossed inside. Then the door quickly closed again. They both knew just what it was. It was identical to the bags that were hidden in the Virgin Mary statue.
As soon as the door closed and the baggie lay in view Charlie lunged for it. Then he glanced over at Claire with a guilty expression as if he had only just remembered she was there. Claire just watched him.
"Claire," said Charlie as he clutched the bag in one trembling hand. He was starting to sweat and his eyes looked glassy. "I just need a little to get right, so we can concentrate on getting Aaron back and getting out of here. This is no place for withdrawal. I can deal with that when we get back home. I promise I will."
He was asking for her permission but she couldn't give it. Of course what he was saying made sense but it also involved a huge rationalization. They both knew his body was craving it, and he would say anything to get another fix. Claire began to wonder whether Juliet had been right after all, and that Charlie would always choose his drugs over her in the end. He was waiting for her response, but the sight of him in this condition was too much for her. She broke down in tears.
Charlie finally turned away from her in shame and faced the far corner. Claire could tell what he was doing as easily as if he were made of glass. She could picture him opening the bag, pouring some into his hand and inhaling it. She saw him lean forward, heard the sound and she knew. When he was finished he put a hand out against the wall to support himself and a minute later he slid to the floor in a torrent of sobs.
Claire rose with a grunt, her legs stiff and tingly, and approached the camera. "Juliet!" she called, "I need to see you!"
Chapter Six
He may have gotten right but he hated himself for it. Charlie stayed in the corner where he had slumped, refusing to talk to Claire. The shakes were gone, and he was relaxed again but he had never felt like such a useless junkie. How could he do that to Claire?
He didn't know why he did it except that he had to. After the two large doses he was given, his body was screaming for it. He didn't have the strength to deny himself and it was that realization that made him feel weakest of all. He let Claire down.
Maybe Juliet was right and Claire and Aaron would be better off without him. Charlie wondered if he promised to stay away from Claire whether they would give Aaron back to her. Claire shouldn't lose Aaron on account of him; Charlie knew he would leave them if that was what it took. It hardly mattered anyway; Claire would never want him back now.
After Claire called for Juliet she retreated to her corner and that was where they sat still, as far apart from one another as possible. Finally, Juliet entered the cell and Charlie stood, prepared to make his proposition and put an end to this limbo once and for all.
"I have to talk to you," he started.
"I have something to say to you first," said Juliet. "You were brought here on my order. I wanted to see the man that killed my husband."
Charlie was thrown. "Your husband?"
Juliet nodded. "Ethan was my husband and a doctor like me. He brought Claire to the medical station to take care of her baby and conduct important research."
"And he hung me from a sodding tree!" Charlie challenged.
It was as if his words had failed to register. "He was a good person who didn't deserve to die," said Juliet.
Charlie was so surprised to be discussing Ethan that he forgot about their initial predicament. He began to wonder whether everything that had happened was just a pretense to get him here, with revenge the true motivation.
"Why did you make me take the heroin?" he asked her.
Juliet's expression grew cold. "Because Charlie, I wanted to see you brought down low, to lose everything you ever cared about. I wanted you to know what that felt like, before I killed you." With her final words Juliet produced a gun from her waistband and pointed it at Charlie.
He should have felt fear. His survival instinct should have kicked in, but he felt nothing. He had no reaction to the sight of a gun pointed at his chest. After all they had been through, Charlie didn't care anymore.
What surprised him even more was the sound of Claire's voice, begging for his life.
"Juliet, no! Please!" she cried.
She still cares. The realization put some fight back into him. Charlie didn't know how it was possible that Claire still cared enough to do anything for him, but she did.
Chapter Seven
Claire was up on her knees still pleading when she saw Jack slip quietly in through the door. Taking out another gun he pointed it at Juliet's head.
"Put the gun down, Juliet," he said.
"No, Jack," she replied. "This is justice. Charlie killed Ethan."
"I was there when it happened," said Jack. "He was protecting Claire. I don't think you're aware of what Ethan did. He abducted Charlie and Claire, hung Charlie from a tree by his neck, killed an innocent person from our camp after threatening to kill someone every day unless Claire was returned. He was terrorizing us and there was no other way to stop him."
"No," said Juliet, fighting hard to resist the tears. "That can't be true. Ethan would never have done those things."
Jack lowered his gun and placed a hand on Juliet's shoulder. Speaking softly, he said, "They've been through enough. Let them go now."
Slowly, Juliet dropped the gun.
When the crisis of the moment had ended, Charlie spoke. "What about Aaron?"
Everyone looked up at surprise at Claire's voice. "It's okay," she said, "he can stay here."
Charlie stared at her. "What? Claire you can't mean that! You're going to leave your baby with someone who just had a gun on me?"
"It's my decision and I've made it," she said. "If Aaron is with Jack, I'll allow him to stay."
Charlie took Claire by the arms and pulled her aside. He looked deep into her eyes as he spoke in an undertone. "Claire, why are you doing this? This isn't because of me is it? I'll stay away from you before I let you give up Aaron."
Claire looked up at him, her eyes sore and weary. What Charlie had done was more than just a betrayal of trust; it had caused her to lose faith in herself. What kind of mother was she when she couldn't judge a person's character or know when someone was a potential danger to her child?
At that realization Claire knew she was no longer angry at Charlie for being who he was. She had learned something about herself and it saddened her. So when she answered him, she knew she was speaking the truth. "It's not because of you it's because of me. I'm convinced this is what's best for him now."
There was nothing more Charlie could say. Claire watched as Charlie turned to Jack as they had always done when he was their leader, back when he could always fix things.
Jack said, "Come with me. I'll take you back to the beach."
Chapter Eight
Claire dozed off in the small boat on the way back to the beach. Charlie was so torn up about what had happened that in the end he decided to tell Jack everything.
"It's my own bloody fault," Charlie told him. "If I just hadn't taken the heroin Claire would still have faith in me and she would have fought harder to keep Aaron."
"You can't know that," said Jack. "Claire just wants what's best for him."
"What's best for Aaron is to be with his mother," said Charlie.
Jack gave Charlie a long look and said only, "Trust me, it will be okay."
He and Claire had barely spoken since they left the cell. Charlie wished he knew what was going through Claire's mind, and what, if anything, he could do for her. He was convinced it was over between them, that this was something she could never forgive him for.
Claire stirred just before the boat came in to the jetty of rock that functioned as a docking area. Their camp was a quarter of a mile up the beach. Jack had told Charlie that he didn't want to sail right up to camp and be faced with explaining why their doctor was choosing not to stay. Charlie agreed to keep their meeting a secret from the others for now.
Claire got up wordlessly and climbed out onto the rock. Charlie gave her sufficient space and then went to follow when Jack stopped him.
"Wait," he said.
Claire and Charlie both turned back.
At the front of the boat was a small cabinet under the steering controls. Jack knelt down and opened it. Inside was a sleeping Aaron, still wrapped in his blanket. Carefully, he lifted the baby and handed him to Claire.
Claire's face lit up as she jumped back down into the boat and accepted her child, bursting into tears at the sight of him. Then she reached over and hugged Jack.
"Thank you," she said.
Charlie stood off to the side watching the scene, trying to make sense of it all. He looked at Jack. "What about all those things you said about Aaron being better off with you?" he asked.
Jack looked at Charlie and smiled as he answered, "The best thing for Aaron is to be with his mother."
Claire left the boat, this time with Aaron, while Charlie stayed to bid his last farewell to Jack. They shook hands, and when that clearly wasn't enough, they embraced. "Jack, I don't know how to thank you."
"Are you going to be okay?" Jack asked, and Charlie knew what he was talking about. "It will probably only be another few hours before……"
"I know," said Charlie. "Another flu."
"I'm sorry," said Jack, "I wish I could be there to help you, but I have to go back."
"Why?" Charlie asked him.
Jack thought for a moment, searching for the words. "It's just where I need to be right now. Juliet needs me."
Charlie climbed out of the boat and Jack waved goodbye. They stood on the shore and watched as it shrank into the horizon. Once again, it was just the three of them.
Charlie expected Claire to walk off with Aaron and leave him behind. There was an uncomfortable pause as he waited but instead she took his hand and said, "Come on Charlie, let's go home."
THE END