Title: Midnight Comfort
Chapter: 1/?
Fandom: LOST
Pairing: Desmond and Claire
Word Count: 707
Rating: G
Summary: Desmond and Claire
Author's Notes: No spoilers, unless I've unearthed some master plan for future episodes, but I doubt it. ;-)

The hallway was empty and almost silent. A clock somewhere ticked loudly through the cold, midnight air. Desmond walked the short distance to the vending area at the end of the hall on the balls of his feet, careful not to make enough noise to wake anyone.

Oceanic had put a good portion of the survivors up in the hotel until they could sort out where they needed to go. Some, like him, were simply waiting for connecting flights home. Others, like Claire, weren't as lucky. He heard her telling Sun on the rescue boat that she had little family to return to.

Desmond reached the vending machines and stopped to assess the selection. If nothing appealed, there was a bar on the ground floor practically calling his name. He couldn't sleep, and a few drinks might have been just what he needed. He had decided to try a snack before returning to his old habits.

Deep in concentration over the fare of the machine, he didn't notice when Claire, holding Aaron, entered the small niche the machines were in. He jumped when she brushed against his elbow reaching towards the soda machine.

"Sorry, just…" She gestured towards the dispenser and nodded, a small awkward smile on her pink lips.

"It's quite alright, sistah, you just gave me a start," Desmond smiled widely and stepped back, giving her more room to reach the machine.

"Thanks," she smiled again as she selected a canned ice tea. Desmond returned his gaze to the rows of candy and pretzels. Claire shifted Aaron to one hip, took her can, and watched him for a moment before speaking.

"So, you can't sleep, either?" She must have seen the bags under his eyes or the slight droop in his stance.

"No, but I guess I'm not alone." He smiled at her, "Looks like he's havin' no trouble." Desmond nodded towards the baby, sleeping soundly in his mother's arms.

"No, I guess he's not." Claire looked down at Aaron, and smiled at him, before turning back to Desmond. "I think I'm still in survival mode. If I fall asleep, I feel like he'll be alone and in danger. It's gonna take some getting used to, I guess, having a door that actually shuts, and not running from the others or monsters or polar bears." They both laughed lightly. It sounded like a joke now, all the perils they faced on the far away island. It felt absurd that these dangers had once been their day-to-day lives. But everything they'd seen had left its mark on them. Desmond had been wakened by every noise in his hotel room, sitting straight up in bed, prepared to defend the camp that didn't exist for them anymore.

"You look like you need a good night's rest. Maybe if you weren't alone, you could sleep a bit, and feel better in the morning," Desmond suggested. He looked closer at her, and saw that her normally shimmering hair was flat, and her eyes were just as puffy and red as his must have been.

"Oh, that's alright, I don't want you to go out of your way for me, it's fine, really." She put one hand on his arm, and spoke in a tone that tried to dismiss him on the surface, but something underneath was begging for him to fight her on it.

"Really, it's no trouble. You need the sleep more than I do. I don't have a little one that depends on me," he nodded to the baby again. "I'm fine Claire, let me help you."

Claire searched his face. She saw nothing but sympathy and concern behind his chocolate brown eyes.

"If you really don't mind, it might help." She began the sentence with some hesitation, but something in her was reassuring her as she spoke that it was the right thing to say and that she needed and wanted his help.

"Alright," Desmond gave her a reassuring smile.

"My room's this way," she pointed down the hall, and smiled back at him before starting off towards the room. He followed close behind her left elbow. She could feel him walking behind her, and felt safer. His presence had already begun to put her at ease.