Across Enemy Lines

by Dreamality

Disclaimer: Lost and all related characters, settings, plots, etc. belong to J.J. Abrams and ABC. I claim no ownership and make no money from this venture.
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Chapter Seven:

The sun basked Charlie in warmth as he stood beneath its glory with his face turned upwards. No longer did it feel abrasive or painful against his skin and his eyes didn't water when he opened them and exposed them to the daylight. A warm, peaceful feeling sat in the pit of his stomach and sent tingles to the end of his nerves. The smile on his face was natural, not strained or forced. No secrets remained guarded within his soul and for the first time in many years Charlie felt free to breath easy.

"Charlie!" He turned at the sound of his name. Locke was standing in the shade beneath the eaves of the caves, beckoning to him. Charlie walked forward as Locke said, "She's awake now and asking for you."

Charlie's steps quickened and he followed Locke into the darker cave. His eyes, now accustomed to the sunlight, could barely see anything of the interior, but his feet knew the path. He stepped around people and random objects lying on the floor until he found Claire, sitting upright with a baby cradled in her arms. Although she looked tired –and who wouldn't be, after giving birth without an epidural or any kind of painkiller? – her face bore an expression of absolute joy. When she glanced up and saw Charlie the smile only broadened, and she tilted the baby so he could see.

"Look, Charlie. I think he's got my eyes," Claire said.

"And your nose. See it?" Charlie traced the baby's nose with a soft finger as he knelt beside Claire, putting one arm around her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head and rested his cheek against her soft hair. "You feeling all right? Have you got some water or something to eat?"

"Jack just went to get me something. Where were you?" Claire inquired curiously.

"Just outside, enjoying the fresh air. When did Jack say you could get up again?" Charlie asked.

"Soon. I feel perfectly fine, Charlie, just a little tired. I could get up now, I think," Claire commented casually.

"But I won't let you try. You'll be no help to the baby if you get up too soon and end up hurting yourself. Stay put and let me baby you," Charlie said, giving her stomach a little tickle. She giggled, and the sound brought immeasurable gratification to Charlie's ears. "Speaking of which, have you chosen a name for the little one yet?"

Claire nodded, gazing at her child with love and tenderness in her eyes. "Geoffrey. It means 'gift of peace.' It's one of the names I thought about even before the island. Somehow I think it fits him…"

As Charlie looked down at little Geoffrey, so small and vulnerable and perfect, he couldn't help but agree. Jack came up to them and gave Claire water to drink and a little bit to eat. He took Geoffrey from her for a few minutes to check him over and returned to proclaim him a healthy baby boy, and other members of the camp came by periodically to admire the baby and check on the new mother. Throughout the day Charlie stayed by her side until she dozed, then went to stand in the sunlight, sometimes alone and sometimes with Geoffrey. The moment she awakened he was back by her side, ready to attend to any need she had. He was throwing himself into the role of stand-in father wholeheartedly, as if it were his job…

Or his destiny.

At dusk, Hurley came up to Charlie and Claire. Jack was with them, too, to talk to Claire about caring for Geoffrey. They were trying to figure out some sort of makeshift diaper but all they'd manage to do was get Geoffrey tangled up in t-shirts and sweatpants and laugh while he gurgled happily.

"Uh, dudes…" Hurley began uncertainly. Jack turned to him attentively, waiting to hear what he had to say. "There's like, ten people out here all asking to see Claire…"

"Why don't they just come in?" Jack asked in confusion.

"They're like, not exactly from around here. I mean, they're from the beach camp," Hurley answered. Jack glanced at Charlie and Claire, whose eyebrows were raised in surprise.

"Well, can't they come in?" Claire asked. Jack shrugged and nodded at Hurley, who hurried away to let them in. One by one the survivors who had, until only a few hours ago, hated everyone in the jungle camp came in to see Claire and the baby. Many of them thanked Jack and Charlie and asked if they could stay in the caves rather than on the beach, where the sun was inescapable and food was not as plentiful and water was far more tightly rationed. Jack, of course, agreed. They all seemed relieved, as if they were tired of being angry about some petty arguments and were ready to put it all behind them.

Boone had stayed mostly out of the way during Claire's labor and delivery. He did what was asked of him, then sat by the fire and let the doctor do the rest. When the group from the beach came, he glanced up disinterestedly, not expecting to find Shannon. She wasn't among them. It was so like her, he thought, to completely disregard family bonds to follow a lust. It was obvious that she was attracted to Sawyer, never mind his total jackass personality, which is the only reason she stayed on the beach. That, and there was a better opportunity to get a tan out there rather than in the jungle.

Boone tried to tell himself that he was beyond caring, but he really wasn't. After all, she was his baby sister. His parents had told him on the day she was born that it was his job to love and protect her, no matter how big the differences between them may be. When they were young it had been easy. When they got older, however, it became obvious that they walked two different paths in life. Now, in a life-and-death situation, Boone had failed his parents, failed Shannon, and failed himself.

"So this is the place, huh?"

Boone glanced up sharply, though he hardly needed visual confirmation. The voice was unmistakable, the legs even more so, and her face only substantiated his thoughts. Shannon was there, standing in front of him with her sunglasses perched atop her head, her hair as straight and smooth as ever, and a disdainful expression on her face.

"Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. It's a bunch of rocks. So what?"

"It's a bunch of rocks that provide protection from the rain, from predators, from sunburn. It's a constant supply of water and we're surrounded by food. Even low-carb stuff, Shannon," Boone answered, smirking up at her. Shannon rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't think I'm here to stay. I just came to see Claire and bring the kid to his dad," she answered.

Speaking of the kid, Walt came up then and pulled on Shannon's hand. Michael was right behind him, holding Vincent's leash.

"Shannon, can we play tag again sometime? That was pretty fun," Walt said.

"Come on now, Walt, don't pester her. I'm sure she has better things to do than hang around a kid all day," Michael said. He glanced apologetically at Shannon. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to say thank you for watching him while I was gone."

"No problem," Shannon said, ignoring Boone's look of surprise. With a small, hesitant smile she reached out and put her hand on Walt's head. "Maybe later, okay, Walt?" Walt grinned and nodded before taking the leash from his dad's hand and running off to play with Vincent. Michael thanked Shannon again and walked off, leaving the brother and sister alone together by the firelight.

"Shannon, that was… shocking," Boone said, sounding half impressed and half disbelieving.

"What, you didn't think I was capable of being nice to anyone but myself?" Shannon asked sarcastically.

"All I can say, Shannon, is that I'm impressed." Shannon smirked at him and began to walk towards the entrance to the cave. She turned when Boone called to her and he added, "It's good to have you back, Shannon."

She started to roll her eyes, reconsidered, and instead offered Boon a small smile before turning away.

Shannon was not the only one to stay. Walt, who was convinced that Vincent liked the caves better and wanted to stay closer to Locke, convinced Michael to stay. Sayid, too, saw the logic in living there. After a brief conversation with Jack and Kate he agreed to stay there. Others came and found the valley to be a beautiful place with a surplus of natural resources. The old rivalry, the one that had once threatened the lives of Claire and Geoffrey, melted away in all but one person.

Twenty-eight started on the beach. Twenty-seven left the beach after Geoffrey was born. Sawyer was the only one who remained on the beach, stubbornly refusing to concede to Kate and Jack. When Sayid ventured out to the beach to attempt to reason with him, he came back with a bloodied lip. Apparently Sawyer did not forget the punch that had knocked him out for nearly an entire day, and although Sayid regretted that he had been forced to rely on violence, he did not regret his decision to turn away from Sawyer and help Claire.

Charlie and Claire were oblivious to any of the drama occurring outside of the caves. Their only thoughts were of Geoffrey, and the babe turned out healthy and normal despite the unconventional circumstances of his birth. Claire recovered her strength quickly and spent much of the day outside, taking walks with Charlie or sitting with the other women and talking about child raising. Charlie almost never left her side except to fetch things for her, which earned him the good-natured nickname "Puppy" from some members of the camp. Nothing could wipe the smile from Charlie's face, and for the first time in many, many years he actually felt happy.

Meanwhile, Sawyer remained alone on the beach with no one to help him gather food or water or hunt or fish. He stayed in his tent trying not to think of the valley with the full supply of food and constant supply of water, but it was hard to block it completely from his thoughts. His days were filled with nothing but walking through the jungle looking for food or water, and it was really very tedious. Yet still his pride would not let him concede and go to the caves.

Although Jack was not overly fond of Sawyer by any means, his doctor's soul made him care. It was dangerous to live alone, especially in a place as remote as a deserted island. If Sawyer ever got hurt, no one would know. He could die out there and no one would find out for days or even weeks, since no one seemed very keen on returning to the beach camp except to get their things.

When Jack knew that there was a group going out to fish, he asked to join them. They ended up at a spot on the beach that wasn't altogether too far from the original beach camp. Jack made up an excuse and walked down the shore towards the camp, almost afraid of what he may or may not find. Sawyer had been living alone for four days.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sawyer lying on the beach, propping himself up with his elbows. His head turned and his gaze locked with Jack's. His expression was unreadable as Jack approached and he said nothing

"Sawyer," Jack said.

"Well, well, well. If it ain't the good doctor come returned to his roots. What brings you to this neck of the woods, Jacky?" Sawyer asked, sitting up so he could get a better look at Jack's face.

"I just came to check on you," Jack answered, then winced inwardly when he realized how lame that sounded.

"Thanks for your concern, Doc, but I'm just fine. Not that you care. Now tell me, Jacky boy, what did you really come here for?" Sawyer asked.

"You don't have to live here, Sawyer. I came to ask you to come back with me and live in the caves," Jack answered.

"I'm sorry, Jack. Call me an old-fashioned girl, but I like to get to know a guy better before I start moving into caves with him," Sawyer sneered. "Besides, won't Kate be a little jealous?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Sawyer. It's stupid to live here by yourself. It's dangerous. Besides, you can't tell me that it's easy. Hunting by yourself, fishing by yourself, getting water by yourself… doesn't it get old?"

"Not really. I thank you for your noble concern, but I'm having a good time here in my bachelor pad. Feel free to drop by any time, but don't expect me to be paying you any visits," Sawyer answered.

Jack sighed. "Sawyer, it doesn't have to be like this. I'm willing to forgive and forget. We can agree to disagree. Just don't do this to yourself. It's suicide."

"Is that the time?" Sawyer exclaimed in mock surprise at he glanced at his wrist, where there was no watch. "I've got a pot roast in the oven I need to take out, so if you'll excuse me, Jack…"

Sawyer got up and walked away from Jack. The doctor watched him go for a moment, then turned around and went back down the beach. He helped the others fish, went back to the caves, checked on Claire, and helped Locke start cooking their dinner. His mind was occupied with thoughts of Sawyer, and even though he should not feel pity for such an ungrateful person, he couldn't help but worry. Jack distracted himself by looking after Claire, who really was his first responsibility even though Charlie had pretty much all bases covered.

Kate approached him as night fell and guided him gently away from the main camp to a more secluded, private area so they could talk without fear of being overheard. "Boone told me you went to the beach camp today."

Jack nodded. He wasn't going to lie to Kate about it. "I wanted to ask Sawyer to come here."

"But why? Sawyer obviously hates us. He was stealing from us!" Kate pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that, Kate, but so did Sayid and Michael and we still let them stay here," Jack answered calmly.

"They were sorry, and besides, Michael has a son. Walt doesn't deserve to suffer because Sawyer's such an idiot," Kate replied.

"Sawyer is still human, Kate. He was still on the plane, the same as any of us. Doesn't he deserve the same chance as the rest of us?" Jack asked.

Kate sighed and ran a hand through her wavy brown hair. "I want to say no, because he's such a jerk, but I suppose you're right. What did he say, though? Why isn't he here now?"

"He refused. He's too proud to come here, I think. Maybe he'll come around. Otherwise I can't see him lasting much longer out there," Jack answered dourly.

A commotion coming from near the fire attracted their attention then, cutting short their conversation. Charlie had actually left Claire's side for once, which was the first thing Jack noticed. Secondly he saw that Charlie was shouting at someone, and if it weren't for Sayid's hold on him Jack thought Charlie would be on top of whoever it was, pummeling him out. He had never seen Charlie so angry.

"What the hell?" Kate muttered. She and Jack ran over to the fire just as Sawyer emerged from the shadows of the jungle. Both of them stopped short and a hush fell over the camp as everyone stared at him. Geoffrey, cradled in Claire's arms, began to cry.

The sound seemed to bring Charlie around. The tension left him and even though he was still scowling darkly, he motioned to Sayid that it would be all right to release him. Sayid was hesitant but let go all the same. Charlie walked over to where Claire sat with Geoffrey and put his arm around her waist, his other hand rubbing Geoffrey's back.

"Charlie, are you all right?" Claire asked worriedly.

Charlie looked down in shame. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm so sorry, Claire. I shouldn't have acted that way. Now I've upset you and I've upset Geoffrey." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack and Sayid talking to Sawyer, who was making angry gestures in Charlie's direction. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Claire's shoulder. "Will I ever do anything right?"

When Charlie had glimpsed Sawyer walking towards the camp, all he could remember was the last time he had seen Sawyer. The man had tried to keep Claire from going to Jack, and in Charlie's mind that was akin to attempted murder. Had Claire stayed on the beach, no one would have known what to do. How to stop the bleeding, how to properly cut the umbilical cord, how to bring Claire's fever down after the birth, what position she needed to be in, when to ask her to push… so many things could have gone wrong. Sawyer had stepped in the way. Sawyer had nearly killed Claire. Charlie had been ready to kill him.

"Don't beat yourself up, Charlie," Claire whispered, stroking his hair gently. Geoffrey was quieting; whatever discomforts that had prompted him to cry having disappeared.

"Claire, if I hadn't come that night, would you have woken anyone up?" Charlie asked.

"I suppose my screaming would have woken them up. It kept everyone around here awake all night," Claire answered.

"Sawyer wouldn't have brought you here. Claire, you could have died," Charlie said, his voice sounding choked. Claire lifted his chin with a finger so she could look at him.

"Shh, Charlie. Don't think about that. You came, didn't you? You brought me here, didn't you? You saved my life and Geoffrey's life. Who cares about Sawyer as long as we're here?" Claire grinned at him, and he had to return the gesture. Geoffrey was beginning to close his eyes, ready for a nap. Charlie took him from Claire's arms and rocked him back and forth, humming an old lullaby his mum had sung to him when he was a lad. Claire stroked his hair softly as she gazed lovingly at her son.

Charlie's humming was abruptly cut short when someone approached the couple and cleared his throat. Charlie scowled up at Sawyer's face, passing Geoffrey to Claire and motioning for her to walk away. Claire went to sit beside Shannon, who happily picked up the baby and tickled his tummy, making him giggle. Claire watched Charlie and Sawyer worriedly.

"What you doing here, Sawyer?" Charlie asked.

Sawyer sighed. "Well, here's the thing, sport. Living alone ain't as grand as it seems. Basically it sucks, and even though I'm not Jack's number one fan, I think I can tolerate living under his roof as long as he doesn't start stepping on any of my toes. Thing is, Jack won't let me in till I apologize to you. So here I am."

"You're apologizing?" Charlie asked skeptically. Sawyer nodded and ran a hand through his sun-bleached hair, darkened only slightly by sweat and dirt.

"That's what I said, ain't it?"

"Are you apologizing sincerely or just because you're hungry and want to be able to raid our supplies without being tackled?" Charlie asked with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Sawyer's shoulders drooped and he looked down at the floor. His foot kicked at the dirt as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets. When he looked up again, Charlie was astonished to find honest emotion in his eyes. He looked sad, if it was possible for someone like Sawyer to feel that way, and lines appeared on his forehead that suggested his rough exterior had not been built without reason. "Look, Charlie. I'm addressing you man-to-man. I've never been a saint. I've never been a perfect model citizen. My life took a few unexpected twists along the way, twists I'd much rather forget now that it looks like I'm not going to have to face them anytime soon. Something tells me you can relate. I'm asking you now, give me a chance to start over. You've already done that, from what I've seen. I'm not gonna be your best friend, and I know that. Just… let me try."

Charlie pursed his lips as he surveyed Sawyer. The man's words hit very close to home to Charlie, and indeed he could relate. His own life had taken many, many twists, and the island had given him reason to start over. With people like Locke and Claire he had been able to overcome his past. Was Sawyer willing to do the same? It was hard to say, but something within Charlie was moved. He stood up and looked Sawyer in the eye, his expression neither cold nor friendly. He stuck out a hand, which Sawyer took.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you, Sawyer, and I've no doubt that Jack will be too. I hope you don't give me reason to regret this," Charlie said.

"Thank you. Listen, man, I am sorry about getting in your way. I just didn't realize…"

Charlie nodded. "Fresh start, Sawyer. Use it well."

"Thanks." Sawyer walked away and Charlie went to sit beside Claire.

"What was that about? Is Sawyer staying here?" Claire asked.

"Yeah. He apologized," Charlie answered, his voice emotionless.

"Do you think he's serious?" Kate asked, coming to sit on Charlie's other side. Shannon passed a sleeping Geoffrey to Claire and walked away as Jack came and put some more wood on the fire. Sayid sat on the floor near them and Jack took Shannon's now occupied seat. Hurley, who had been sitting near enough to overhear, spoke up.

"That dude is hopeless. No offense, Jack, but you're crazy for letting him stay here," he said.

"I don't know, Hurley. Nobody's perfect. I was a pretty hopeless guy myself before I came here," Charlie said.

"We all have our mistakes. This place gives us the chance to bury them," Kate said. Charlie glanced at her, and when their eyes met he saw that she had as many secrets as he to bury. They all did, of course. It was as Locke had been telling him since that day Charlie had first come to the caves, the day he put the little bag of heroin into Locke's grasp. The island was giving all of them a precious gift. A new life, a chance to improve on whatever life they had lived before the island. Charlie put his arm around Claire and felt her lean into him. He looked over her shoulder at the baby in her arms. Geoffrey was the most precious gift of all, and his perfect, untouched, complete innocence served as a daily reminder to Charlie of where he came from, and where he might one day end up.

"Sing us a lullaby, Charlie," Claire said teasingly as she snuggled her head in the crook of his neck. His hand stroked her silky blonde hair as he smiled down at Geoffrey's sleeping form.

"Yeah, go on, Puppy," Hurley said with a smile. The guitar case containing Charlie's beloved guitar was stowed in the shadows near Hurley. He pulled it towards himself and handed it to Charlie.

"Afraid I'm not so familiar with the lullabies," Charlie said with a grin even as he unlatched the case and pulled out his guitar. He ran his hand lovingly along the neck and strummed the strings once with his thumb.

"What, Drive Shaft never crooned any babies to sleep?" Claire asked with a grin.

"Plenty of babes, but not too many babies," Charlie said. His smile faded for a moment until Claire rested her hand on his thigh and smiled encouragingly at him. He chuckled and picked up the guitar, placing his fingers on notes so well-known to him he could play them in his sleep.

The chorus of "You All Everybody" came to him easily. He kept it soft so as not to disturb Geoffrey and sang the words that had caused too many fights with one he loved than he cared to recall. When his voice died out and the last note faded away, Charlie sent a silent goodbye to Drive Shaft and the life he had lost as the plane went down. It was over. That chapter, that era was done. Charlie turned to Claire and brushed his lips across hers briefly before resting his head on hers.

"Hello, love," he murmured into her hair. He felt a tiny hand curl around his pointer finger as Claire's hand stroked the back of his neck. This was his new era, the new part of his life, and he was ready for it. The island had prepared him for it and he was ready.

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The End. Once again, thank you to all my readers for your love and support as I wrote this story. I will post personal replies soon.

-But wait! The end is never truly the en for med. Keep an eye out for a very special Alternate Ending coming soon.-