Summary: A missing scene from Fire + Water.
Pairing: slight Claire/Locke
Warning: spoilers from Fire + Water.
Disclaimer: I do not own Claire, Locke or anyone/thing else featured in this story. JJ and Damon and Carlton and ABC do.
Feedback: Is loved like a new episode of Lost is. Greatly!
Claire watched the fire, a curious expression on her face. She could hear Sayid's shouted orders and could see the people running to and from the camp with blankets and buckets of sand and water. She shuddered, and wondered who would do such a terrible thing.
A faint rustling snapped her out of her reverie, and then she heard Aaron cry. It didn't sound right, it was too far away. Claire spun around and literally felt her heart stop when she spotted Charlie creeping away with her baby in his arms.
"Charlie! What are you doing!" she shouted, breaking into a run after him. He hurried his pace, pulling Aaron in closer to his chest so not to drop him.
"I'm doing what I have to do," he insisted, sprinting towards the water, Aaron clutched to him. Goosebumps rose on Claire's arms and her throat went dry with fear. She shouted and screamed for him to stop, for someone to help, and as Charlie hit the ocean, she felt her panic rise swiftly.
"C'mon Charlie, please," she pleaded, tears springing in her eyes as she watched her baby reach helplessly for her.
"I just want to save him!" Charlie begged, his lips white and his eyes crazed, glancing around wildly. Claire caught movement out of the corner of her eye and a wash of relief ran through her as she caught sight of Locke, hurrying towards them.
"Charlie!" Locke yelled out, and Claire clutched her stomach frantically, wishing she could stop Charlie from hurting them any more. "Give me the baby," the older man demanded, and Charlie glanced around desperately as people started to rush towards them.
"Eko! Tell them! Tell them Eko! Tell them what you told me! That the baby has to be baptised!" Charlie hollered across the din of curious watchers. Claire's stomach lurched in realisation of exactly what Charlie wanted to do to her son, and she felt bile rise to her mouth, but she swallowed it down in disgust. She faintly heard Eko reply to Charlie, but she felt herself start to black out and feel faint.
"Charlie, c'mon give him to me." Locke motioned at Charlie to hand over Aaron, but Charlie's crazed expression seemed to morph into rage.
"Who the hell are you John? Aaron is not your responsibility! Where were you when he was born? Where we you when he was taken? You're not his father! You're not his family!" Charlie bawled.
Anger started to rise from the pit of Claire's stomach, and she wanted so badly to scream and shout and hit this man in front of her. How dare he talk as if he were Aaron's family, her son's father! Aaron's father was a scumbag, plain and simple. She wondered briefly what she did to make Charlie feel as if he were Aaron's father, but then she remembered the crazed glint in his eye, and resolved that this wasn't her fault, it was the heroin making him talk like this.
"Neither are you Charlie," Locke pointed out. When Charlie turned back to look at her, her need to hit and scream at him rose again, but she felt suddenly paralysed with fear. She shook her head, in disappointment and disgust.
"I have to do this, I...I need to!" Charlie wept, his fingers visibly tightening around Aaron. "Claire, I'm not gonna hurt him."
Claire shuddered again, "you're hurting me Charlie." And then Locke was approaching Charlie and taking him from the drug addict, and Claire sighed with relief as she took her son from the older man. Kate wrapped her arms protectively around the blonde mother and started to lead her away.
"Claire, I'm sor-"
Then Claire heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh and she turned back just in time to see Locke beating Charlie into the sandy water. Claire glared reproachfully at the man she'd once considered her friend, as he laid despairingly in the icy water.
"Come on," Locke whispered as he and Kate helped her back to her tent.
Claire sniffled weakly as she placed Aaron gently in his cradle and squatted beside it to watch her son drift slowly back to sleep. She could hear Kate and Locke conversing softly outside her tent, and after several long minutes, Kate ducked back in.
"It's alright Claire, you're safe now," she insisted, stroking Claire's hair and murmuring reassuring words before saying she was going to go find Jack and leaving Claire in her thoughts.
When Locke entered her tent moments after Kate left, Claire wasn't surprised. She even managed to crack a small smile for the man, who smiled slightly back.
"I'm sorry for loosing my temper on Charlie down at the beach; you shouldn't have had to see that," Locke said after sitting beside her. Claire nodded in understanding.
"It's alright John, I understand why you hit him. I should probably be thanking you," Claire replied. Locke shrugged and silence fell over them.
Aaron stirred and Claire stiffened, but he simply stuck his tiny thumb in his mouth and let out a soft coo.
"Claire, you should get some rest," Locke insisted. Claire shot him a glance and sighed heavily.
"I can't, there's no way I can sleep knowing Charlie's out there and wants to hurt my baby," Claire whispered, stroking Aaron's face tenderly. Locke shifted beside her, causing her to fully turn to him.
"I don't imagine Charlie will be stupid enough to come back tonight. Besides, I'll be here, I promise. I'm not going anywhere Claire," Locke urged, causing Claire's smile to increase ever-so-slightly.
"But-"
"Hush. Just get some sleep so you'll feel a bit better for tomorrow," Locke said, moving to the other side of Aaron's cradle so Claire could lay down.
As she drifted off to sleep, she mumbled her thanks to the older man. Locke smiled down at her and brushed a stray strand of blonde hair from her face.
"You're welcome," he murmured back, and in her sleep, Claire smiled.