1Disclaimer: I don't own Lost or the characters or anything... sadly. besides, there's not another new episode until January 5th. So I would go insane without fics. Would you rather have me write about something that isn't mine or be insane? Definitely not the latter, trust me.

A/N:

How Blue

ChapterTwo:

One might think that on an island it would be an easy thing to sneak a night together... Pick a spot, any spot and have a date. One might also assume that if a group of people had crashed on this island they might be a little more into themselves and not in a gossipy or observant mood. Both of these assumptions, however, would be very wrong.

Every look shared by Charlie and Claire was noticed and acknowledged sooner or later.

Charlie was thinking about this as he poked at a fire. He had been staring strait into the depth of the leaping orange flame, seeing how long it was before he had to blink. The color of the fire was intense, but all he could notice was the tiny blue edges that snuck in occasionally. They reminded him of the color of Claire's eyes... Her beautiful eyes... His own eyes were watering and hot when he looked up to see Hurley standing beside him.

"Hey dude..."

"Hey Hurley." Charlie blinked away the sting.

"So.. Uh.. I was thinking.. And I just wanted to ask you, what's going on with you and Claire?"

Charlie was a bit surprised at the outright bluntness of this inquiry, but then again it was Hurley.

"What? Me and Claire? Oh, nothing. Nothings going on. Why?"

"Ok, whatever man, but.. It's kinda obvious, you know what I mean?" Hurley clapped his shoulder and laughed, turning away.

"What's obvious?" Charlie asked. He got up and called back to him.

"Hurley! What's obvious?!"

"That you got the hots for Claire, that's all." Came a familiar accent. Charlie spun back around to find Sawyer poking at the fire with the same stick he had been.

"Sawyer, I didn't see you coming-"

'No, you wouldn't would you.. You were too busy chasing Hurley around... Even he noticed how you've been acting lately." Sawyer laughed.

"Acting like what?" Charlie asked, frustrated.

"You and the pregnant girl. Claire. You obviously are into her that's what." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Well don't act all shocked," Sawyer continued. " you're the one who's been chasing her around and getting her drinks for weeks."

"And why would I mind that Sawyer?" Claire asked from behind him. Charlie looked up and saw her sit down on a log situated near the fire.

"Claire I don't think we need to have this conversation with him..." Charlie protested, feeling the awkwardness of this arrangement.

"No, Charlie, I asked him something." She answered, looking at Charlie and then back to Sawyer.

"Alright Peaches," Sawyer grinned his usual cocky smirk."You know you've got a good man when he digs you when your pregnant...I mean, you know he likes you for you and not what you have to offer, if you know what I mean...Because honey, no offense but at the moment your not exactly the best catch." He indicated to her pregnant stomach and then left.

"Claire, look I'm really sorry about him." Charlie rubbed his temples. The night was warm. He didn't know why he was sitting by a fire.

Claire laughed. "No, he's right."

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Well one of the things that so great about you is that you obviously want to know who I am... Not "what I can offer you"."

Charlie smiled. This was true.

"Claire, in case you didn't know not just Sawyer who noticed... you know..."

"Oh, yea I know, everyone's gossiping about you and me. We're quite the talk."

"Doesn't that make you mad?" Charlie asked.

"No. Not really. What else do they have to do here than sit and run their mouths about anything they find remotely interesting?" She looked up at the stars. Charlie looked over at her, intending to follow her gaze, only he was caught up when he looked at her. She gasped and pointed to the heavens. Charlie looked up quickly and found his eyes following a shooting star before it faded into the inky sky. She giggled in delight and scooted over to Charlie, who raised his eyebrows in surprise as she came almost into his lap, still staring upward. Gingerly he put his arms around her and was suddenly afraid she would get up to leave.

"Did you make a wish?" He asked.

"Of course I did! You did too right?"

"Definitely. Me and Liam would lay on our backs for hours in the backyard looking for shooting stars. That was when we were little, I must have been five. I would wish for everything, from a four-leaf clover to a four-wheeler." He laughed at the memory.

It was a strange thing, to be holding Claire in his arms and all he could think about was that maybe someone would unexpectedly walk past them. Claire obviously didn't care. This was a demonstration of her contentment. So why did he? Maybe it was because he felt that he wasn't good enough for Claire, and though she seemed not to see it, the others did? Especially the ones who knew about his drug addiction, the issues he had with his family, and the various other glitches in his life. After some thought he was sure this wasn't the root of his unease.

Maybe he felt so nervous about being with Claire was because he loved her. He was afraid to lose her, so very afraid. Subconsciously he wondered if he wasn't just a temporary source of comfort for Claire and that once a rescue ship dotted the horizon, she would tear away from him and run back to her old life, happy and like nothing had ever happened on the island, that the name Charlie didn't even ring a bell.

Charlie couldn't stand the thought. If this was so, and when it was all said and done, what would be have to go back to? His band? Not by the looks of it. His family? Ha! Yeah, right. The only thing he would have if Claire left him would be his guitar. He imagined being alone in a darkening apartment at five o'clock on a weekday evening, sitting in a chair and playing slow, sad chords to the high-pitched buzzing noise that filled his head. Once his fingers hurt to much to play anymore, he would walk over to the window and stare out at city streets, and look up to see smudged stars dotting a smog-filled sky. While looking and just breathing, he would remember what it was like to feel the warmth of Claire in his arms and the night sounds of the island as he looked up at the same night sky, only to clearer, brilliant stars.

Would that ever happen? Charlie wondered , as he tightened his grip around her. Maybe he would ask. Not like him, but it was an important subject.

"Claire?"

"Mm?"

"When you think of getting off this island, what do you think of?"

'What do you mean, Charlie?"

"Like, what will you do? Who will you go see, what will you do differently?"

"Well that all depends on if this little guy is born yet.. But wether he is or not, I'll still be alone." Her voice was sad. Was she fishing for an answer from him?

"What makes you think that? What about me?" He could almost feel the surprise course through her body.

"What, do you plan on coming home with me?" She laughed but somehow Charlie detected the seriousness of her voice.

"Well of course! Unless you don't want me to."

"I didn't think you liked me that well." She said.

"Claire..." Finding the right words were hard, and he was afraid to say the wrong thing..

"I think I love you."

Claire turned to face him, and in the firelight Charlie could see her widened eyes. How blue could they get, he wondered as he stared back, waiting for her reply.

" Charlie! Claire!" Came a yell as Sayid ran forward.

"Sayid, what is it?" Claire asked, seeing panic in the man's face.

"It's Jack. He's gone."

"Jack is gone? Where? Is he alright?" Charlie asked, his voice raised in concern.

"He's missing. Just vanished. Locke and I wanted to get everyone accounted for. Come with me!" The three of them ran back to the caves.

TBC

A/N: Sorry for the short chappy everyone! I've been busy lately and it's been a stretch even to accomplish this! Please leave me a review and I'll get strait to work on the (hopefully intriguing) next chapter!