A/N This is my first Dan/Charlotte story, so I hope it's all right. I don't think Dan is as in character as he could be, but I hope you like it anyway.
Summary: Dan teaches Charlotte about friction
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.
Daniel Faraday stood on the beach, just out of reach of the waves that lapped the shore. A particularly large wave crashed onto the sand, soaking Dan's feet and bringing with it a smooth, flat stone. Dan scooped it up, and, bouncing it in his hand, went across the beach and into the tent he and Charlotte were sharing while on the island.
Charlotte was bent over a notebook, scribbling rapidly. She looked up when Dan entered. "Daniel. You're back." She closed the notebook and tucked her wavy red hair behind an ear. "What's that you've got?" she asked, nodding to the stone in his hand.
"Huh? Oh, that - it's just a, um, rock I found on the beach - the waves washed it up..." He rummaged in his backpack for his own notebook.
"What's so interesting about that rock?" Charlotte asked, a small laugh in her voice.
Dan finally found his journal and yanked it out of the bag, spilling papers everywhere. For a moment he hesitated, as if deciding whether he wanted to pick them up or not, then decided against it and flipped the journal open to a blank page and began writing furiously.
"Dan? Daniel, did you hear me?" Charlotte tried to peer into his face.
"What?" Dan's head snapped up as he came back to reality. "Sorry, Charlotte, um - " He scooted closer to her and held the rock in his hands. "This rock, it's just shaped strangely, I mean - I haven't seen one with an edge like this - " He ran his finger along one edge that was rougher than the others. "It's like - the whole rock got smoothed down by the motion of the waves, the friction, but this side didn't..." He turned and bent over the notebook once again.
Charlotte was silent for a moment or two. Then, "Daniel?"
"What, Charlotte?" Dan didn't look up, continuing to scribble away.
"Explain friction to me."
Dan lifted his head, surprised. "Friction?"
"Yes, friction, Daniel."
Dan looked bemused. "How is it - possible - that you don't know what friction is?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, I understand the basic concept," Charlotte assured him. "But I'm an anthropologist, Dan, I don't deal much with that sort of thing." She gave a small smile. "I must have dozed off in a science class when I was eight or so and missed the teacher telling us about friction."
Dan resumed his writing. "Rub your hands together."
"Rub my - ?"
"Yeah, rub your hands together," Dan instructed.
Looking unsure of herself, Charlotte lifted her hands and rubbed them together for a moment. "I don't understand."
"You don't feel it?" Dan asked, looking up from his notes for the third time.
Charlotte smiled, feeling a little silly. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling, Daniel."
Dan sighed, despairing that his student hadn't grasped her lesson yet. "Give me your hand," he said, setting his notebook aside for the moment and holding out his left hand, palm facing up.
Charlotte met his eyes for a brief moment, then tentatively slid her hand onto his palm.
Dan covered her hand with his right, so her hand was sandwiched in between both of his. He looked up at her and their eyes met again for the briefest of moments before Dan looked away, feeling his ears turning red and praying that it wouldn't spread to his face. He rubbed her hand with both of his; not too hard, but enough. "Feel it?"
"What am I supposed to be feeling?" Charlotte asked again, looking at his hands.
"Your hand - it should be getting warmer where I'm rubbing it," Dan explained. "Unless this island changes the way friction acts, along with the light scattering, and the time change - "
"No, I feel it," Charlotte quickly interrupted. "It's warm."
"Good!" Dan let go of her hand and gave her a quick smile. "That's friction." He turned, picked up his journal and resumed his note-taking.
Charlotte watched him, feeling a rare grin spread across her face.
So this is what friction felt like.
A/N Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!