Back To Life

by spikessweetgirl

Desmond saved Charlie from the looking glass. What happens afterwards, especially after the survivors are rescued? Spoilers for Through The Looking Glass. The story goes AU from there.

1. Chapter 1

Back To Life: A Charlie Lives PB&J fic

1

It hadn't been an easy time down in the hatch. Charlie had almost drowned after unarming the signal and somehow getting in touch with his Penny. That bloody eye patch man…Mikhail had detonated the grenade and in a bid to save Desmond, Charlie had closed the door and locked himself in. Desmond could do nothing but watch as Charlie delivered one last message to him: Not Penny's Boat. Touched by the young man's bravery, Desmond had pressed a hand to the window, right where Charlie's own hand was and watched as Charlie's lungs gave out and he was pushed back into the room, where he appeared to have drowned.

Desmond had fought angry tears then. Angry, frustrated tears. Why? Why was he having these visions and why were they all about Charlie? What had Charlie done that was so terrible that the universe wanted to kill him? Why couldn't it just let the young man be? Why was it so determined to win? It wasn't fair. It just wasn't. Too many bad men in this world lived long, healthy, evil lives…but Charlie…Charlie was young. He was good. He had a family that depended on him. He didn't deserve this…neither did the young mother and her child that loved him. No. No fate wasn't going to win this one. He wasn't going to let it…

Quickly slipping on the scuba gear, Desmond dived back into the moon pool. He didn't know if the plan that had formed in his head would work, but he had to try. He couldn't give up on Charlie just yet. Even if it meant no rescue…even if it meant the return of the bloody visions. He couldn't let Charlie die. Not without a fight. Fate wasn't going to win this one. He wouldn't let it.

Thankful for the scuba gear, Desmond swam down and out of the looking glass and back up to the broken port hole. He looked around, but there was no sign of that one eyed bastard that had detonated the bloody grenade. Reaching through the porthole, he got hold of Charlie and somehow pulled him out. Gripping the unconscious body in his arms, Desmond began to swim, up and up, ignoring his own aching muscles. He had only one goal. Get Charlie to the surface and somehow revive him. He hoped to whatever God was available that he remembered the CPR training he had taken. He hoped that it would be enough. The young mother would be all on her own if anything was to happen to the brave young man in his arms. She would have no one to look after her…at least not in the way Charlie Pace would.

Desmond burst through to the surface, frantically looking for the boat. There was no time to waste if he was to get Charlie back to Claire. Dragging the unconscious man into the boat, Desmond began his efforts to save Charlie's life. He had learned CPR a while back and could only hope that he remembered everything. Tilting Charlie's head back, Desmond went through the motions of pumping below the ribcage and breathing into Charlie's mouth until water erupted from Charlie's lungs and the young musician began coughing. Relief filled Desmond as he tilted Charlie onto his side and let the water spill out of his mouth, clearing his airways. Happy, Desmond laughed, but the laughter faded as he realized that even though Charlie was now breathing, that his eyes had yet to open.

"Charlie? Wake up, brotha. You're alive. Open your eyes. It's time to go back to Claire and Aaron…"

Desmond sat and waited for a response…something other than the rise and fall of Charlie's chest, but none came. Fuck! It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to have revived Charlie and Charlie was supposed to wake up and be gratified that he was still alive. He wasn't supposed to be like this…in some kind of coma…which is what it looked like to Desmond. Bloody hell, what was he going to do now? Of course, there was only one thing to do. The doctor. He had to get Charlie back to Jack, and not only that. He had to give Jack Charlie's final message. Not Penny's boat. Wiping water out of his eyes, and making sure that Charlie was as comfortable as he possibly could be, Desmond started to paddle for the shore, feeling as if he was one of the officer's fresh off the Titanic, rowing to the Carpathia with a single, frozen, survivor.

The tower group had just returned to the beach, talking and patting each other on the back, excited over the prospect of being rescued at last and getting off the island. Getting back to the lives that they once had. Everyone that is, except Claire. She was much too anxious to pay much attention to the excited chatter of her fellow survivors. All she could think about was Charlie. She had radioed Hurley one last time, just to see if there was any sign of him. Unfortunately Hurley's answer was a negative, and he sounded more than worried, which had only upset her even more.

She stood back and watched as Sun and Rose ran into their husbands' arms, kissing them long and hard, happy to be together again. She couldn't help the jealousy the sight brought on. That should be her and Charlie. Charlie should have been with Jin and Bernard, probably playing on his guitar or reciting another adventure when he was on tour with his band. He should be getting to his feet, an excited smiled on his face as she and Aaron came into sight. It should have been his arms that she flew into with a hello kiss that said so much more than hello…a kiss that promised love and forever…

But she had none of that. Charlie wasn't here. He was off with Desmond. The task of turning off Ben's signal was over, and both men were still missing in action. She couldn't help but fear the worse.

Cradling Aaron in her arms, she went to lay him down in his bed when she spotted the ring, sitting in a field of white, begging to be noticed. Picking it up, she just stared, her mind blank. She couldn't think…she didn't want to think. To think would be to know why the ring was in Aaron's crib and not on Charlie's finger and she didn't want to know that. She never wanted to know. She lived in the land of denial and she was very happy there.

"Claire?" Hurley asked, coming up behind her. He didn't want to disturb the young mother, but didn't really have a choice. People were now packing up, getting ready to leave. From the looks of it, Claire had made no move to get her things together. "Need a hand taking down the tent?"

"What?" She looked at him as if he was a stranger.

"The tent. Do you need help taking it down? Naomi's boat will be here soon and…we have to go. It's what he'd want, you know…"

"How do you know what he'd want? And stop that…stop talking like he's dead or never coming back," Claire reprimanded, getting up to put Aaron in his bed at last. "Charlie's coming back…"

Hurley sighed, his own grief swirling inside him. "Claire…I don't want to believe that he's dead either…but…"

"Well then don't. Don't give up on Charlie, Hurley. He's coming back to us. Just wait and see."

"I hope you're right, Claire," Hurley sighed, picking up Charlie's broken guitar. "I hope you're right for all of our sakes. At least let's give him a hand and get his things ready. Don't want the guy to have to rush and leave everything behind just when we're finally getting rescued."

Claire just forced a smile and watched as Hurley stuffed the guitar back into it's case. She looked at the ring again and wondered where Charlie was now. Was he hurt? Was he warm? Was Desmond still with him? Why did he have to go on that mission? Why couldn't someone else have done it? Why did it have to be Charlie? She needed him…Aaron needed him. He was all they had on this island.

"Jack! Where's Jack!" A familiar Scottish brogue cried out, causing Claire to rush to her feet and out of her tent. Desmond! Desmond was back and sounding panicked. Like there was some great emergency. The only emergency she could think of could be…oh god, no. Please, not Charlie…let him be alright…let him be alive…

Claire pushed through the crowd, trying to get to the front so she could see. A horrible sense of foreboding was building in her chest. When she had heard that they were going to be rescued, she had thought that maybe, just maybe all of their troubles would be over. They'd be going home. But now…she had this terrible sense that it was only just beginning.

She finally gasped when she saw Desmond, carrying Charlie's slender frame over his shoulder, his face full of urgency. "Charlie!" She cried out, running up to the hurried Scot. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"Jack? Where's Jack? I need the doctor right now!" Desmond ignored her question, his eyes frantically searching for the one person that could help Charlie now.

"Jack!" Hurley yelled, pushing a pathway through the crowd and beckoning for Desmond to follow. "Jack! Help!"

Jack came out of the tent he used for an office, alarmed at the urgent calls he was receiving. "What? What is it? If someone's sick, write their name down so we can tell the doctor on the boat…"

"It's Charlie, Jack!" Claire interrupted, knowing that Jack most likely wouldn't listen to Desmond as quickly as he would her. After all, Desmond was still somewhat a stranger to Jack, even though for her and Charlie, it seemed like they had known him forever.

"Charlie?" Jack frowned. "Isn't he back from the underwater station yet?"

"He drowned, brotha," Desmond explained, depositing Charlie gently on Jack's cot. "He was nearly murdered by the man with an eye patch. I got him out of the flooded chamber, got him back to the boat, got him breathing again, but the lad has yet to wake."

Claire bit her lip and twisted the ring she had found around her finger, nervously. What did that mean? Charlie was dead? Then Desmond brought him back, but Charlie hasn't opened his eyes? She was so confused. The confusion grew as she noticed something written on Charlie's right hand. Frowning, she picked the hand up and read. "Not Penny's boat…what does that mean? Not Penny's boat?"

Desmond looked beyond wretched as he looked from Claire, to Jack, back to Claire, then back to Jack. He was probably trying to come up with a suitable explanation. "He had gotten in contact with someone I was close to in the real world….my fiancée…Penny. I'm sorry brotha, but according to Charlie, that's not Penny's boat out there. I don't know who it is, or who that Naomi is or how she knew me…but…that's not my Penny's boat out there."

Jack's face seemed to have gone ten shades of pale. "W-what do you mean by not Penny's boat? That whoever is on their way here now…"

"I don't know who they are, brotha. I haven't a clue. It can be the original Dharma people for all I know."

"Fuck!" Jack cursed, sending a fist down on a nearby table. "Great. Just great. We sent Charlie down to switch off a single, just for him to end up in a fucking coma and now we have people, who we don't even know coming. Thought they were rescue, now we don't even know. This just keeps getting better."

Claire frowned and looked down at Charlie, keeping his hand in hers. The frown deepened when she noticed the cuts and bruises on his face. "Desmond…what happened down there? Where did all these bruises and cuts come from? You were supposed to be protecting him…" Her anger and confusion was building by the minute. The last time she had seen Charlie, his skin had been…not particularly flawless, but all these cuts and bruises had not been there. He had not been in some mysterious coma. He had been fine. She looked at Desmond, a sneaking suspicion rising up in her. "Have you been having anymore visions lately? Like one of Charlie swimming down to that hatch?"

"Visions?" Jack asked, now more than suspicious of the Scot. Ever since his return, Desmond and Charlie had stuck together like glue. Where one was, the other would follow. Jack had been bothered by this. When he had left, the two men were hardly on speaking terms and now they were best buddies. True, at first he was jealous. After all, Charlie had been his first close friend. After all, you don't get stuck in a cave-in together and come out acquaintances. He had believed in Charlie when the whole baby thing took place and that maniac Locke had punched the tiny brit. To find that he had been replaced so quickly…it wasn't something he was happy about, but he had come to live with it. His and Charlie's friendship just wasn't the same and now Desmond was the one he was close to. Now, he was hearing of visions and Charlie had something to do with it…"What in the hell is going on here, Desmond. Tell me the truth and don't give me that we don't trust you brotha crap. That may have worked on Charlie and the others, concerning Naomi, but it won't work on me."

Desmond looked as if he would like nothing more than to avoid rehashing the whole vision ordeal, but he had no choice. Jack and Claire both deserved to know the truth and who knows. Maybe this would help Jack help Charlie somehow…before whoever was on that boat arrived.

"It all started after the explosion of the hatch. I started having these visions of the future…all of them concerning Charlie. In each and every one…Charlie would die. The first time was lightening striking Claire's tent and electrocuting the lad. I managed to avoid disaster by building a lightening pole…then there was the vision of Charlie jumping in the ocean and drowning in an attempt to save Claire. I jumped in so he didn't have to. Again, stopping disaster. There were other times…each one I stopped and saved the boy's life. Then…the last one I had…was of the looking glass. Charlie drowned turning off Ben's signal…"

"And he went through with it?" Claire interrupted, confused. Ever since she had found out about the visions, Charlie and Desmond had been trying to avoid them from happening. Why would he do this anyway, knowing that Desmond saw his death? It didn't make sense to her. "Why?"

Desmond sighed and looked away from the girl. She wasn't going to like this, but what choice did he have? The doctor wouldn't allow him not to tell her. "It was because after I saw him drown…I saw you and Aaron get on a helicopter to leave the island. Charlie went to his death in order to save you. To save all of you. He was a hero…"

Claire blinked back tears, not knowing how to react to this recent development. She thought back to Charlie telling her not to worry about him…the kiss that had obviously been goodbye…he had known. All this time he had known that he would most likely die down there in that hatch and he had gone anyway. To save her and her baby… "That doesn't explain all of these bruises and cuts…"

Desmond took another deep breath. "I offered to go in Charlie's place. After all, he's a young man with a girl and child on this island. I had no one…but he wouldn't hear of it. He knocked me out and made the dive anyway. When I woke up…that man…Mikhail…he was on the beach shooting at me…forcing me to dive to the hatch as well. When I surfaced into the moon pool…Charlie was tied up and being tortured by two women. The hatch wasn't flooded and it wasn't abandoned. Charlie had me hide. I watched helplessly as those women questioned and beat him. He told them how Ben was lying to the others. How he was jamming the signal so no one could leave the island. They of course didn't believe him. They were going for their hook gun when he arrived."

Desmond grimaced at the thought of Mikhail…how the man had heartlessly attempted to murder Charlie. The look of evil glee as he detonated the grenade. He couldn't even say how the bastard survived and he was more than confident that the monster was still out there, laying in wait. He didn't know who that boat belonged to, but he prayed that it was indeed rescue. They all needed to get off this island as soon as possible.

"What happened next," Jack crossed his arms, growing impatient.

"Mikhail showed up and on Ben's orders….shot the two women. I shot him with the hookgun…thought I had killed him and I was going to kill her…but Charlie stopped me. We needed her alive for the code. Charlie convinced her to give us the code. She was too weak to give us the numbers, so she said the code was set to this song…that it had been programmed by a musician…"

"Which is why he was the only one who could disarm the signal," Claire whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief. It really did seem like the mission had been especially made for Charlie.

Desmond just nodded. "I had gone to get scuba gear when I heard Charlie calling me. It turned out he had not only disarmed the signal…but had gotten in touch with my Penny as well. I went running as fast as I could, just for Charlie to suddenly shut the door on me and lock me out. I didn't know why until I looked through that porthole and saw Mikhail….holding a grenade….I watched as that bastard detonated the grenade and made all that water start filling the room…with Charlie locked inside. I tried to get in…I banged on that door…tried to smash the outer window in with my air tank…but…nothing worked. The water quickly filled that room and Charlie was submerged, but not before writing that message on his hand. I watched him drown...and decided I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let fate win. Charlie was too good to die. He was a hero and heroes deserved happy endings. So I swam through the moon pool, over to the side and got his body out through the open porthole. I then got him up to the surface and got him breathing again…but he never woke up. I'm sorry Claire….Jack. I tried…I don't know what else I can do but pray for the lad…"

Claire looked away, her heart breaking. Charlie had sacrificed it all to save her and Aaron. He had faced torture and a madman willing to kill him on another madman's orders…yet he had gone through it anyway, without a moment's thought. Not only had he saved her…but Desmond too and was in the right mind enough to give that one last message about the boat.

"My poor Charlie…," Claire sighed, pushing some of Charlie's hair out of his face.

Jack didn't have time to agree. He was too busy punching Desmond in the jaw, making the man fall backwards onto the ground. "You son of a bitch! You caused Charlie to risk his life for a boat that may not even mean rescue!"

"He did it for the girl, brotha. For his family…"

"I don't care why he did it! What matters is that he did it because of what you said! What you made him believe!" Jack yelled his face red with rage.

"Jack…" Claire tried to intervene as people began to gather around the tent to watch.

"I ought to kick you out of the camp Desmond! I ought to! But Charlie wouldn't want that. So I tell you what. You stay away from him and stay away from anyone else you have visions about! We have too many things to worry about than who will be next to fall victim to this damn place!"

Claire blinked, thinking that Jack was too harsh, but then again, the man had sent Charlie to what could be his death. She looked away from the scene, and just concentrated on Charlie's peaceful face. He looked like he was only sleeping. Not in some mysterious coma.

"Dude, don't you think that was a little harsh," Hurley asked.

"Not now Hurley. Help Claire get Charlie to her tent. I'll be over there in a second. Then tell Sayid to come see me. We have to prepare for that boat."

Claire got up to help Hurley lift Charlie when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Desmond. What did he want? She gasped when he held out a folded piece of notebook paper out to her. "What's that?"

"This was Charlie's. He wanted me to give it to you. His greatest hits. Memories," Desmond explained, before turning around to walk down to the beach, probably to help keep an eye out for the rescue boat. She looked after him with a mixture of sadness and relief. She felt sorry for him. Charlie had been his only friend here. Now he was forbidden to even see Charlie and if Charlie died…no. No she wouldn't think about that and she would hope that Desmond had no more visions. Not about Charlie anyway.

"Come on, Claire. Let's get Charlie to your tent and comfortable," Hurley said, lifting Charlie's legs. Smiling, she got Charlie's feet and awkwardly moved towards her tent. She didn't know what the future held for them. She just hoped that Charlie was in that future and that they would be safe and happy at last.