Something in the Air

Characters: Desmond, Sayid, Charlie and Claire.

Summary: Desmond rescues Claire when she is drowning in the ocean, but he fears that this is only the beginning of her troubles. Desmond narrates.

Author's Note: WARNING! This story is inspired by a promo for an episode that has not aired yet. As such it contains spoilers and speculation. My fic examines the new relationship forming between Desmond and Claire, but is most definitely NOT a Daire romance. The Desmond in my story is more of a guardian angel than a love rival. This one is for the Despennys and the PB&jellies.

Disclaimer: I don't write for Lost, but the Des fans think I should!

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When I first met Claire, the wee Aussie lass, I felt every one of my senses tingling. The first time we shook hands it felt like there was a current passing through me. My head began to fill with visions. A stream of frantic frightening visions all cobbled together. It was like a head rush…like this girl was psychically charged. I wasn't able to make sense of them all at once, but they have been haunting me ever since. And it's not just Claire. I feel the same shivers when I am close to her baby or the young Englishman who shares her tent. There is something crackling in the air around them…something oppressive and threatening.

I saw the lightning in a dream. I saw it strike the roof of their tent, ripping through the tarpaulin like a knife slicing through butter. A direct hit. It had taken all three of them at once…the little one wailing in its swaddling blankets and the young couple trying to shield him against the rain. I saw them fall forwards in the sand, their bodies twitching from the electricity that had surged through them. We had hurried over to them, shaking them, trying to revive them, but it was no good. I woke up in a panic. I knew that something had to be done to prevent it. So when I couldn't persuade them to move down the beach I erected the lightning rod. I didn't want to frighten them by telling them what I had seen. But still…I have a feeling the lightning was not the end of it. It seems the cosmic forces ruling this island have settled upon a new prey. I might be the only one who can save them…

It's happening again. I'm sure of it.

I am stood talking with Locke, Sayid, Hurley and Charlie, the five of us gathered a little way into the jungle, when the feeling comes upon me. There's no time.

"I've got to go..." I tell them.

I turn and dash towards the beach. Hurley yells after me, asking me what the hell I am doing. I can't afford to stop and explain why I am running from them like a startled rabbit. I wouldn't know what to say anyway. I just sense that there is someone in danger. Like Superman right? I never feels that way...

I keep running when I reach the sand, heading straight for the ocean. Almost without thinking I'm yanking off my shirt and my shoes. Away in the distance I can see a pair of arms floundering among the waves. By the time I have clambered onto the rocks I know who it is in the water. The young Aussie girl. I'm sure of it. I dive into the tide and swim as fast as I can towards her.

When I reach Claire she is floating an inch or so below the surface. I quickly grasp her beneath her arms and lift her head above the water. Her eyes are closed and her body is limp. But I think…I think she is going to be okay. I have to get her back to shore though. I can't leave it up to fate.

When we reach the shallows I lift Claire and carry her towards dry land. As I am wading in from the ocean I see Charlie running towards us, his face tensed up with fear. He tries to take Claire out of my arms, but I keep hold of her, worried he could drop her in his panic. The wee Englishman flusters around me, talking at a hundred miles an hour. I don't have the heart to tell him to back off.

"Claire! Claire! Can you hear me?" he babbles. "It's Charlie. Wake up, Claire. Is she breathing? Oh bugger, she's not breathing. Put her down for Godsake! We need to give her CPR. Don't worry, I remember how it goes. I've seen it on TV a thousand times. Tilt the head back, pinch her nose…no wait, is it the chest presses first? Oh Christ! Where's Jack when you need him! Hold on, Claire! Hold on…"

I lay her down in the sand and wipe the strands of wet hair away from her mouth. Then there is the difficult moment of deciding which one of us is going to attempt to resuscitate her. Given the state he is in, I don't trust Charlie to do it, but I don't think he trusts me either. In all honesty, I've not much breath to share. The swim has taken it out of me. I'm not as fit as I used to be. All that time on the boat, drinking myself stupid, has left me sluggish.

Luckily for us both, Sayid, the Iraqi feller, is suddenly on his knees beside us. He pushes Charlie out of the way and sets to work on Claire. He seems to know what he's doing (I hear he is ex-military like me) and Charlie seems far more willing to let this man take charge of Claire's treatment.

The rest of the camp have crowded around us, their faces solemn and foreboding as though they are expecting the worst. The Korean lady who holds the baby is already in tears. I'm wondering if this has happen before.

Charlie is sitting in the sand, quietly going to pieces the longer that Claire remains unconscious. His large eyes are gaping wide and he is whispering prayers under his breath. One look at his face and you can sense it. The boy is in love. I find myself imagining how I would feel if it were Penny lying before me – pale and unmoving. Just the thought of it is too much for me to bear.

I reach out and clasp hold of Charlie's arm.

"She's going to be okay, brother!" I promise him.

I mean that sincerely. I believe that Claire will be okay…for now. I have no clear picture of Claire's future, but I at least feel certain that Claire is in the future. Charlie stares back at me. I get the feeling that he wants to believe me, but I still don't think he trusts me. Pretty soon, he'll have to...

Suddenly Sayid pulls back and rolls Claire over onto her side. She is coughing up water onto the sand. A sigh of relief sweeps the crowd. The next moment, Claire is wheezing for breath and attempting to rise.

"Charlie…" she croaks. "Charlie…"

Sayid makes room, so that Charlie can move closer and cradle her in his arms. There are tears of relief in his eyes as he tenderly strokes her hair. The two of them cling to each other, looking like children who have woken up from a nightmare and are now reassuring one another that it's okay…it's over.

"I'm here, Claire," he whispers. "I've got you."

"Aaron?" she murmurs. "Where's Aaron?"

"Aaron's here too. Look! Sun's got him. You had us both worried for a moment. Come on, let's get you back to the tent. We need to get you into some dry clothes. Then you had best have a lie down..."

Charlie's eyes dart across to Sayid. I see him mouthing the words 'Thank you' with such sincerity that you might have imagined Sayid had just saved his life. Briefly he turns to me and gives a nod. A little acknowledgement of my contribution. Charlie then raises his eyes to the sky and I wonder if there's someone up there he'd like to thank too? He begins to lift Claire in his arms.

"Charlie, I can walk!" she objects.

"Well, I'm not having it," he tells her. "You'll end up wandering into the sea again, knowing you. Bloody liability!"

Claire laughs, hugging Charlie's neck and allowing him to carry her. As soon as Charlie has Claire safely in his arms, all his nervousness is gone and he is marching confidently towards her tent. I had wanted to ask Claire what she had been doing out in the water, but I don't want to spoil their moment. Whatever happened it does not seem to matter to them now. All that matters is that she is okay. I know that feeling alright. Christ, I miss it so much…

The crowd of bystanders is now dispersing. Sayid rises to his feet, dusting the sand from his clothes. He offers me his hand.

"Good work, brother." I commend him.

"You were very impressive yourself," he says courteously. "Though I'm curious to learn how you knew the girl was in danger. Either you have a remarkable set of ears or you have something of a sixth sense?"

I look to the ground. "Aye…one of those."

We begin walking along the beach side by side. Sayid is watching my face closely. He drops his voice to a conspiratorial tone.

"Would you care to tell me more about it?" he begins.

I laugh, uncomfortably. "I didn't think an intelligent man such as yourself would believe in all that hocus pocus."

"I believe what I see," he answers, simply. "And what I've just witnessed was nothing short of extraordinary. Please explain to me."

I halt and gaze across the beach, my eyes coming to rest at Claire's tent. The baby is back in its crib and wailing its head off. Claire is lying on her bed, shivering a little, a towel draped around her. Charlie is kneeling right beside her, one hand rubbing her shoulder and the other rocking the cradle.

"They make a sweet couple, don't they?" I say, absently.

Sayid follows my glance and smiles.

"I've always thought so," he answers.

I chew my lip nervously. I always begin to feel this way when I see the three of them together like this. There's something in the air around them.

"What's wrong, Desmond? You seem worried."

"I don't know yet," I mutter. "Sometimes I only find out at the last minute. Will you help me to keep an eye on them, brother?"

Sayid looks once again at our young friends and the squealing baby. He turns his head back to me, his face gravely serious.

"Of course," he says. "Truth be told, I've been watching over them for a while now. Not long after we crashed here, Claire and Charlie were the first people to be taken by the group that we now call the Others. They were both rescued, but it has long been lingering in my mind that perhaps one day those same people might come back for them. Is that what you think is coming, Desmond?"

I hiss in frustration and shake my head. "Something is coming! I don't know what it is yet. But when it comes, we have to be ready, brother…"

Perhaps I could talk to Claire. She looks like such a fragile wee thing, but any woman who can give birth to a child in a place like this must surely be made of sterner stuff. I get the sense that she might even believe me. I have noticed a few things about Claire. The girl is into her horoscopes. It seems like she may have some faith in the mystical. Maybe she has had experience with psychics and wouldn't think me mad if I were to tell her of these visions she has put in my head.

The pictures are getting clearer now. I think it is something to do with the baby. This baby must not be taken from Claire. She has to hold onto him. I think that Charlie will help her. I don't know much about Charlie yet, but I feel certain he'll do anything to protect them. And in a place like this, that is worth a heck of a lot. One day I should like to sit down with Claire and tell her what Penny told me through her letter that reached me in my darkest hour – that all we need to survive is one person who truly loves us. If Claire holds onto that I believe there is hope for her. The same hope that has seen me through all these years…