Claire gets off the helicopter and is surrounded by flashing cameras, Oceanic pilots, and many odd people. Claire holds Aaron close to her chest and attempts to push her way through the reporters and paparazzi. She fails and Aaron begins to cry. Her eyes water and she begins to cry in the middle of everyone. A few people step back, but the photographers begin snapping more photos. Claire hugs Aaron tighter before elbowing her way through everyone. She heads into the nearest bathroom and slides down the length of the wall, crying hysterically. A few other women leave the restroom. One young girl, about sixteen, stops. She offers Claire a hand. Claire takes it, letting the girl help her up.
"Thank you," Claire mutters with embarrassment.
"Nah, it's alright," the girl smiles. Then, the girl cocks her head, asking, "You were on that plane, huh?"
Claire nods, pulling paper towels from the dispensor. She wipes her eyes, saying, "Yeah, that's me. I'm Claire Littl...Pace. Claire Pace."
The girl nods, smiling briefly. "You and Charlie got married on the island?"
"Sort of," Claire says, stifling a sob at the sound of his name.
"Where is he? I LOVE his band." the girl gushes.
Claire looks down at Aaron. "He...Charlie didn't make it." Claire weeps, rushing out of the bathroom.
Police led her out of the airport. They help her into the back of a black car and helped get her two bags into it. She lays Aaron in her lap before gazing out the window at Sydney, Australia. She wipes a tear from her eyes. Soon, the car stops and the driver lets her out. Claire gazes in awe at the large, expensive-looking apartment in front of her. The driver gives her a warm smile befoe handing her a set of keys.
"Oceanic paid for the apartment., ma'am. Paid for it for a whole year." the driver informs her.
"Thank you," Claire mutters, taking the keys from him.
Claire turns and walks into the building, letting the driver hand her bags to the bag-boy.
Claire stays in her apartment room for two days, only leaving to buy groceries. Then, the third day, an idea hits Claire. She grabs a phone book and flips through the pages. Finally, she finds the name she is searching for. Liam Pace. She rips out the page and shoves it in her purse. Then, Claire heads down to the edge of the road and calls a taxi. She sits in it, holding Aaron close. She tells the driver the address and he drives her through uptown Sydney and into a residential area. Claire watches the houses pass the window before the driver comes to a stop in front of an off-white home with a large, green lawn. Claire rifles through her purse and digs out twenty dollars. She pays the driver before heading up the stars and stands on the porch. She hugs Aaron close and watches the taxi pull away from the house. She turns to face the door and hesitantly reaches up and rings the doorbell. She waits a few seconds before the door is jerked open.
"Hello," a tall man addresses Claire. He looks so much like Charlie, Claire almost cries. "Have we met?" the man asks.
"I don't think so," Claire mutters. "I'm...I'm Claire Littleton."
"Hello, Claire," the British accent causes Claire's eyes to pool with hot tears. "What's a'matter?" Liam asks.
"I was on Oceanic Flight eight-fifteen," Claire falters, "I need to tell you something...about your brother."
"Come in," Liam says, waving her in.
Claire follows Liam into the living room. She steps over a Barbie doll and sits on the couch. Liam sits beside her, smiling. He chatters a little about DriveSHAFT before remembering that she had new to tell him. He turns all his attention to her.
"What about my baby brother?" Liam asks happily.
"Charlie was...We were close on the island." Claire begins, rocking Aaron. "He was the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Really?" Liam asks with shock.
Claire nods silently, a tear slips down her cheek.
"So, what are you here to tell me?" Liam worriedly asks.
"Charlie...To get me saved, he swam down into an underwater station...and...and drowned." Claire sobs.
Liam looks as though he was punched in the stomach. "What?" Liam whispers. "He...Charlie died for-for you?"
Claire nods. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Claire weeps.
"Wait a minute," Liam says. "Who's baby is this?"
"Uh, I-I had an old boyfriend..." Claire explains.
"When did you get pregnant?" Liam asks.
"What? Why do you need to know?"
"When?" Liam repeats.
"Er, about a year ago." Claire mutters.
"Have you ever been to a DriveSHAFT concert?" Liam asks in a faraway voice.
"I think so," Claire replies. "I was a bit drunk, so it's a little foggy."
"How long ago did you go?" Liam asks.
"Er... about a year." Claire states.
Liam stares at her a minute before murmuring, "I remember you."
"W-What?" Claire mutters.
"I remember you...You were with Charlie." Liam mutters.
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ONE YEAR AGO
Claire sighs adjusting the strap on her black high-heels. She glances up at her friend Whitney. Whitney parks her car by the curb before scrambling out. Claire climbes out of the car next and follows Whitney. Whitney shoots Claire an enthusiastic smile with a giggle. Claire smiles back. She was excited, too, but didn't really know who this DriveSHAFT band was. She digs through her purse and pulls out her ticket. She and Whitney push their way into the mob who were as eager as they were to see the concert. Claire hands her ticket to the usher. He grabs it and stuffs it into his bag. Claire is pushed into the building. She checks quickly to check that her backstage pass is still around her neck-it was. She waits for Whitney at the door. They enter the concert and push thei way to the front. The band is tuning their instruments and Claire's eyes are immediately set on the bass player. Whitney follows her friend's gaze and elbows her with raised eyebrows. Claire blushes before watching the bassist as he strode up to the microphone. He put it to his lips, saying, "Checking one, two, three...Can anyone hear me?" Several loud cheers errupt from fan's mouths--including Claire's. Whitney laughs loudly.
"That one's Charlie," Whitney tells Claire.
"He's sexy," Claire giggles.
"What about Thomas?" Whitney pretends to gasp.
"Hey, he's not in a band." Claire exclaims giddily.
Ten minutes later, Claire was jumping up and down and cheering her head off. She was tranfixed on the bassist still. She was very turned on when he sings into the microphone and as sweat drips from his brow. Claire cheered, singing the words to "You All Everybody" after hearing the chorus the first time. She pulled off her black jacket, exposing her low-cut, lacey shirt. Whitney raises her eyebrows at her friend before continuing to bounce up and down to the music. Claire was soon perspiring a bit herself. She wipes her brow with her jacket before continuing to cheer. Claire stares at Charlie and soon, he glances her way. Her blue eyes meet his greay eyes. He winks before continuing. Claire and Whitney squeal with excitement.
Soon, the concert ends. Claire and Whitney glimmer with sweat as the wait in a line to get backstage. They smile at each other before showing the usher their passes. He waves them in uninterestedly before folding his large arms. Claire and Whitney are handed alcohol as soon as they arrive in the backstage area. Claire drinks hers slowly and daintily. Whitney gulps hers down. Claire laughs, picking up another glass of beer and guzzling it down just as Whitney had done. Whitney claps with a laugh before she grabs herself a cup of water.. Claire laughs at her friend and scoops up another beer. Whitney rolls her eyes, guzzling down her water.
Five minutes later, Charlie walks by. "Claire!" Whitney exclaims, touching her friend's shoulder. "There's Charlie! You should SO go and talk to him!"
Claire looks at Charlie's back (and his backside), before slurring, "I dunno, what'd I say?"
"C'mon! He's cute, you're cute. You TOTALLY have a shot!"
"Alright..." Claire droned as she took a few nervous steps towards Charlie.
He suddenly turned around, beer in hand, and met her gaze. "Hey! I know you! Row two, yeah?" he asks with a sexy smile slipping onto his lips.
"Uh...yeah..." Claire replies dreamily.
"I'm Charlie, but you already know that. What's your name?" Charlie asks, twirling a blonde hair of hers around his finger.
"Umm..." Claire mutters breathlessly as she watches him. "Claire. I'm Claire."
"Claire," Charlie repeats, letting her hair go. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."
Claire blushes, looking at her feet. "Thank you," she stammers.
"Eh, no problem," Charlie shrugs.
Both their gazes meet. They smile at each other. Claire feels important as Charlie looks at her.
"Well, Claire," Charlie whispers in her ear.
Claire shivers.
"Would you like to join me tonight in my room?" he whispers erotically.
Claire raises her eyes to look into Charlie's. She slowly nods. "I'd like that a lot," she replies, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.
Charlie nods, lifting his bottle to his lips. He drinks a few sips of beer before whispering, "Meet me by the bar at around eleven,"
"See you then," Claire mutters.
Then, Charlie is gone in the mobs of people. Claire turns around, looking for Whitney. Her friend waves her arm to tell Claire where she is. Claire walks up to her friend confidently. Whitney raises her eyebrows.
"Omigod! I totally saw him flirting! What did he say?" Whitney gushes.
Claire smiles. "He said I was pretty...I won't be needing that ride home." she hints.
"CLAIRE!" Whitney exclaims loudly. "You're gonna have sex with him?!?"
"Yes," Claire states. "Hopefully he's better than Thomas, 'cuz he SUCKS."
Whitney laughs loudly before responding, "Don't you think that it's a little...risky; having sex with him, I mean?"
"What's life without risk?" Claire scoffs.
Whitney rolls her eyes, mumbling, "Whatever,"
Claire grabs herself another beer, takes a drink, and says, "Yeah, whatever,"
At ten fifty, Claire stands by the bar anxiously awaiting Charlie's arrival. She pulls up her lacey shirt and pulls down her black skirt. She lets her hair down and lets the curls drape over her shoulders. She twirls her rubber band around her fingers when she sees Charlie heading her way. She feels her heart skip a beat, then, pound heavily in her chest. Charlie reaches her side in a matter of seconds.
Charlie bends over and asks, "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Claire replies.
Charlie wraps his arm around her and leads her out the door. Claire's hair is whipped around as the wind blows. She looks up at Charlie and he is digging in his pockets for his cars keys. He finally finds them and pulls them out and points them at his car--a black, convertable top mustang. Claire smiles and climbs into the passenger seat as Charlie sits in the driver's seat. Claire buckles herself in before Charlie steps on the gas and tears out of the parking lot. Her hair flies behind her and she laughs excitedly. Charlie laughs a little, too. Claire likes his laugh. Charlie drives her up to a large, fancy-looking hotel. She climbs out after Charlie. She watches as Charlie tosses his keys to a large man, saying, "Be careful, yeah?" Then, Charlie leads Claire in and to an elevator. Charlie pushes the button to the twenty-seventh floor before looking back to Claire.
"So," he begins, "tell me something about yourself."
"Uh, my name's Claire...I live in Sydney." Claire replies.
"I'm Charlie and I lived in Manchester." Charlie says.
Claire nods and Charlie pins her against the wall. She smiles, tilting her head back as Charlie carresses her cheek. Then, he covers his mouth with his and passionately kisses her. Claire opens the warm cavern of her mouth and allows Charlie to slip his tongue in. Her tongue explores Charlie's mouth and she runs it over his smooth teeth. Charlie sighs as the elevator lurches, then, comes to a stop. Charlie leads Claire down the hall. Claire watches as Charlie breathes heavily, feeling quite proud of herself. Charlie takes out a card and slips it in his door. Claire giggles as she heads into the room. Charlie's hands shake as he closes the door. He heads into the bathroom, muttering, "One minute," before closing the door. Claire sits on the edge of the hotel bed and waits a few minutes before Charlie comes out. He sets his checkered shoes aside before approaching Claire.
He presses his lips against hers. Claire takes fistfuls of his hair in her hands and pulls him closer to her. Charlie lays her down before placing his hands on either side of her so he was hovering above her; their bodies were inches apart. Charlie moves his lips to her neck and kisses it passionately. Claire moans with pleasure and runs her fingers through his hair. Charlie lays atop her and his hand creep up her shirt. Claire unbuttons Charlie's pants, then, unzips them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, God," Claire mutters, looking down at Aaron as he gurgles loudly.
"What?" Liam asks.
"This is...Well...This is Charlie's baby." Claire mutters, meeting Liam's gaze.
His eyes are as wide as hers. "So, I'm an uncle?"
Claire began to cry again. She rocked Aaron as he whimpered. Liam looks up as the door opens. Karen walks in with a bag full of groceries. She looks at Claire. Then, she looks at Liam.
"Honey, is Megan in bed?" Karen asks, heading into the kitchen.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah," Liam stammers, quickly standing.
Karen walks out of the kitchen, still staring at Claire. Claire wipes her eyes, trying to compose herself. She rocks Aaron and he quietens.
"Liam, who's this?" Karen asks, pointing to Claire.
"This is Claire and Aaron..." Liam quietly replies.
Karen nods, sitting beside Claire. "Hello, Claire," she smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Claire manages to utter, "Hi,"
"What's wrong? What did you do to this poor girl, Liam?" Karen accuses, glaring up at her spouse.
Liam's jaw drops. "ME?! Why is it always my fault?!" he whines.
Claire barely smiles. "It's not his fault," she tells Karen. "It's Charlie's fault."
"Oh, God..." Karen exhales. "The plane crash. You're the girl from the crash." Karen's eyes water. "What's happened to Charlie?"
Tears trail down Claire's cheeks as she blubbers out, "He..died..for-for me. To-to...save me and Aaron."
Karen hugs Claire tightly as she begins to cry, too.
Liam steps towards them and says, "Aaron's his, Karen."
"What?" Karen stammers, looking at the infant.
"Aaron's Charlie's baby..." Liam mutters, looking at Claire and her child.
Karen touches Aaron's fuzzy head and the baby stares up at her. "Well," she smiles with a sniffle, "at least we'll get to see Charlie's eyes every day."
"Yeah," Liam mutters, touching Claire's shoulder.
Claire looks up at them, then, back at her child. Claire feels a smile as it tickles her lips. "He'll have Charlie's name, too," she mutters.
Karen and Liam look at Claire warmly.
Claire tickles Aaron's foot. "Your name is Aaron Charles Pace...Just like your daddy." Claire tells her son, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She looks up at Karen and Liam for approval.
"That's a beautiful name, dear," Karen compliments.
Liam's eyes are teary as he responds, "Like my baby brother."
Claire looks down at Aaron. Her blue eyes meet his grey eyes. She lets a final tear fall. For Charlie's baby, because he, like his mother, would never have a dad.