The walk on the path seemed longer than usual. Charlie led Claire back to the spot where Ethan had appeared. They looked around to find any sigh of him anywhere.
Charlie: "Well, this is the place. He was standing right there."
Claire: "Where?"
Charlie moved to where Ethan had stood.
Charlie: "Here. Right here. He was standing here."
Claire: "Alright. Alright. Well, there aren't any tracks leading anywhere."
Charlie: "You don't believe me."
Claire: "It's really hard to tell sometimes."
After a moment, Claire said something that Charlie didn't see coming.
Claire: "Charlie, are you using again?"
Charlie: "What? No, Claire. The heroin is all gone. I threw it in the ocean. Locke saw me. When he gets back you can ask him."
Claire believed him.
Claire: "Well, we can't find any sign of anyone else being here. Let's just go back to camp."
Claire's trust was something Charlie had worked for all these months on the Island and had lost several times. To lose it again, this time with a threat he truly believed to be real was not something he was willing to accept.
Charlie: "Yeah, alright."
Claire: "Come on. I don't think Hurley knows how to change a diaper."
They both managed to laugh at the thought as they walked back.