Disclaimer: you know the drill. I don't own them, some names are spelled wrong, I tried to fix them but I probably missed a few so bare with me.
Fate:
The Missing
Claire awoke in the morning to the blazing heat. Her eyes squinted open slowly. She glanced down at the baby still sleeping beside her and smiled as she brushed her hand across his soft blond strands. She then notice the pare of cargos standing infront of her. She squinted up at him to see Sayid. "Where is Charlie?" he asked, sternly. She glanced over her shoulder, confused. "I don't know. I just woke up" she explained, squinting up at him. He sighed with aggravation and whipped a bead of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Hurly popped up beside him. "Did you find him?" he questioned, a look of worry on his face. "No, and she doesn't know were he is" Sayid explained, clearly upset. "I don't get it. What's going on?" she asked, shifting so she was sitting on her knees. "Come on, lets go tell jack" Hurly suggested, looking her straight in the eye but ignoring her before the two walked off. What the hell is going on? She gathered up the sleeping bundle and got to her feet. The two had headed back to the fuselodge. She stomped over there, baby in arms. Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurly and Locke were discussing something, but stopped when they noticed her standing before them. "Would some one like to tell me what's going on?" she asked, as sternly as she could without showing the worry she was truly feeling. "Claire-"Kate began to say, sympotheticly, but was cut off by the Sayid. "He's missing" he stated, still agitated. "we saw Sowyer run off into the woods last night, and he hasn't come back sense." Jack explained, keeping that factual, cold tone a doctor uses when he tells you some one you love just died. That made her panic even worse. "What dose that have to do with Charlie?" she asked. The group exchanges glances with each other, eyeing her sympathetically. "Well?!" she demanded. Her arms shook with fear, wakening the baby. He didn't cry, but began to stir and look around. "We found this, a few nights ago, in the shoe Charlie was wearing" Jack said after a long hesitation, holding out the tiny bag of brown powder. Her expression shifted from frustration to upset. "What's that?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Heroin."Kate explained, the most sympathetic of all. The baby began babbling as she put down her head. Her chin trembled. Eyes watering. "And now he's-"she began to ask. "Gone" Locke finished, plainly. "My guess is he's looking for more" Jack added.
"Why haven't you sent any one out to look for him?"she asked, to scared and worried to cry. "We weren't sure" said tried to explain. "But you know where his is now. Why aren't you looking for him?!" she demanded, raising her voice more then she meant to. "Last night, that creature came closer to the island. Its to dangerous" Jack explained, again, factual and cold. No emotion. She sniffed, shaking her head. Kate moved next to her, eyes wide and sad. She wanted to be camphorating. "He needs to figure this out on his own" she said, putting her arm around her. "No. He needs help. And if your not gonna do it, I will" Claire protested, now it was her voice that was cold. With that, she marched off. Jack came running up behind her. "I can't allow you to go out there alone" he said, catching up to her. "Then come with me" she suggested, without stopping or looking at him. "I can't do that either" he explained. "Why not. You can go off to find water or chase some hallucination but not when some ones life is at risk?" she argued. "Look, Claire. You have a child to take care of-"he began to lecture but stopped when he realized that she had already stopped as well.
"Excuse me" she said to Rose, completely ignoring him. "Yes, dear?" the women replied, sitting in one of the broken flight chairs. "Would you mind watching my son until I come back?" she asked. "Of corse the women agreed with a smile. "You can't do this" Jack protested, gabbing her arm to get her attention. "What makes you think you're the leader here, jack? Because you're the doctor? That may make you a hero but that doesn't mean you can tell people what to do!" she snapped. "Im not doing this for you, im' doing it for your son" he explained, firmly. "My son will be fine" she assured. "What if you don't come back? What if that thing gets you? You'll be dead, and so will he. And I'm sorry, but I'm not loseing any one else" he protested, stareing her dead in the eye. She wanted to fight back but knew he was right. She sighed, the tremble in her chin returned. she looked away from him as a tear ran down her cheek. He stood infront of her, not knowing what to do.
That after noon she tried her best to relax. She had wondered off to the place she had slept the night before, to be away from the rest of the island. The baby had dosed off in her arms, and she set now on the sand, thinking. Thinking about what might have happened to Charlie. He was either out doing drugs of getting killed. Thinking about how he'd deceived her. Lied to her. Lead her on. Then again, she'd never asked if he did drugs, or anything about his past. Perhaps he was to scared of what she would think of him if he had told her. And here she was, judging him. Accusing him without knowing his cause. Maybe when he came back he would talk to her. If he did come back. He probably knew the heat was on. Drugs do make people paranoid, or so she'd herd. He probably planed to hide some where, if he was in fact alive. She choked at the thought. Sudenyl she heard a rustling in the leaves a few feet away. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a figure standing behind them. The man turned away, back into the leaves as soon as she hand spotted him. Charlie? With that she stood and made her way to where Kate sat buy the water, stareing out into the waves. "Kate, would you mine watching him for a bit?" Clair asked, standing over her. A look of worry wondered onto Kate's expression. "Where are you going?" she asked, trying not to accuse her. "Call of nature" Claire replied, "kind of hard to go when your juggling a baby". "alright, sure" Kate agreed, smiling. Clair handed her the baby and her bag. "I'll be back in a flash" she assured. Kate nodded in response and she headed off. She crept through the woods, checking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure no one was fallowing her. Whispering Charlie's name. Something mover past one of the trees, a figure. "Charlie?" she asked, out loud, peering past it. A hand touched her shoulder. she jumped at the touch and turned to face him. "Looking for something, sweat heart?" Sowyer questioned smugly, some how impressed that he had startled her. Scaring a mother who's alone in a dark woods full of monsters, congratulations. "Yeah, have you sceen Charlie?" she asked, not showing her disappointment. He smirked. "What, did doctor hero let you go? No, of corse not. Let me guess, he doesn't know" he said, whispering sarchasticly. She was in no mode for sarcasm. "No. He doesn't, witch is why I have to find Charlie before he finds me. So can you help me or not?" she said, ignoring his stupid remarks. "Well, well, well. And here I was thinking you were the sweat on one this island" he joked once again. Agrivateed, she nudged past him. "Wait" he replied, putting an arm across her to stop her. "I saw him, about an hour or so ago" he admitted, the smile whipped of his face. He was being serious. "Where?" she asked, sternly. "Looked pretty bad, think something might have nicked him." he continued, ignoring her. "Where was he?" she repeated, about half ready to give up. "Woo, calm down sweat heart. I'll tell you where your man is...for a price" he attempted to negotiate. She shook her head and tried once again to nudge past him. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You'll never find him without me" he explained, getting some great pleasure out of the power he had over her situation. "I won't find him with you either" she replied, again trying to move forward. He kept a firm grip. "Get off me" she said, not angrily, more sheepishly. "Make me" he whispered, leaning very close to her face. She clained her head back, trying to struggle away from him. Suddenly she heard a cough come from behind a rock a few yards away, fallowed by some choking. "Charlie" she stated, succeeding this time to walk past him. He was laying on his back, eyes closed, the blood dried to the rim of his nostrils, gagging helplessly. A look of fear fell over her expression. She brushed his matted hair away from his face, trying to calm him. The gaging slowed into easy pants and his eyes eased open. "Claire?" he managed to mummer before entering another coughing faze. He turned his head away from her as he chocked on air. "What did you give him?" she demanded, shooting Soyer an angry glare as she continued to camphorate Charlie. "What?" he asked, now standing right infront of the rock. "The drugs, what did you give him?" she clarified. "I didn't give him any drugs. What made you think that?" he replied, defensively. "Never mind" she said softly, turning her attention back to Charlie. She brushed his hair back again, letting her hand run down to the side of his cheek. He wrapped his hand around hers as the coughing eased. He peered up at her with misty eyes. For a moment, his body was entirely still except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. He then broke in a short sob, sitting up half way and resting his for head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed the back of his head. "Jesus H Christ" Sowyer sighed, looking away from them in disgust. "Help me get him back to the camp" she suggested, her voice weak. "No way, sweat heart, your own your own" he replied, putting his hands up as if surrendering. "Please" she choked, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What's in it for me?" he questioned, selfishly. She stared up at him blankly. The light shining in through the trees slowly began to disappear.
The wind had picked up saverly and the sky was a pale gray. A storm was defonetly coming. Kate stood at the edge of the water in the wet sand, rocking the screaming baby. She kept glancing at the woods continuously, waiting for Claire to emerge and stop him from crying. "Kate?" Jack huffed, popping up behind her. She turned to him, slightly startled. He eyed the bundle in her arms, confused. " Wheres Claire?" he asked, rasing an eye brow. "She said she was going to the bath room. That, was about twenty minutes ago" she complained sarchasticly. He glanced at the woods, then back at her. It hit him. "Oh god. She's gone to look for him" he announced. Thunder rolled over head. "You better go find her before that storm rolls in" Kate suggested. "I think it already has" he replied before turning to head of to the woods. The rain began to pore as he ran through the sand, headed towards the woods. He was only a few yards from the opening when he saw Claire and Sowyer emerge, Charlie's arms flung over the shoulders. He was gaging heavily, his body convulsing. He dropped to his knees as soon as they hit the sand and doubled over, throwing up. Jack bolted the rest of the way, Kate now scurrying to cath up. Claire knelt down beside him while Sowyer backed away. Saide, Hurly, Boone and Shannon all gathered around. Jack knelt infront of him, trying to lift his head up. He gave a heavy sigh, his eyes rolled shut. His body seemed to go limp. "Oh my god. Is he ok?" Shannon questioned, aboserveing in shock. "I don't think so" Boone replied, sarchasticly. "Charlie, look at me" Jack instructed, holding his face in the palm of his hands. The lids of his eyes looked bruised, as if some one hand given him two black eyes. "Charlie!" he yelled, trying to get his attention. It was know use, he was out. "Help me get him up" he ordered. Bone, Saide and Hurly rushed to lift him. They carried him into one of the tents and laid him down on a plie of blankets and lugadge. His body shook and his eye lids twitched, but that was the only sign of life. "Some one get me some water" Jack instructed.
Boone ran out of the opening to find some. Jack pulled at the caller of his shirt. His neck was covered in red streaks from him clawing at the skin. He then continued to lift one of his hands. The skin was cold and clammy, the tips of his fingers the caller of ash. His nails looked like they'd half ben ripped off. "Come here" he instructed, indicating Shannon. "Put your fingers here and press down" he ordered, taking her middle and index figure and placing it firmly on his wrist."count every time the vain moves" he added, moving back to his neck. She began counting silently, nodding with each beat and mouthing the number. "Hold on, dose any one have a watch?" he asked. "Yeah" hurly replied. "Ok, set it to one minute" he instructed. Hurly fumbled with the watch for a few seconds. "Ok" he replied. "Alright, now go" he told Shannon. She began counting once again. "Is there anything I can do?"Saide asked, standing behind Jack. "Yeah. Find me a rag or a piece of cloths, run it under the rain. We need to cool him off." Jack explained. Said walked out just as Boone returned with two water bottles in his hands. Jack took one of the bottles, twisted off the cap and held it to his lips. Unable to swallow, he gagged. "That's one minute" Hurly announced, holding his watch. "Ninety-seven beats" Shannon added. Jack nodded in response. Kate and Claire watched from the opening in the tent. "Here" Kate said softly, handing her the screaming baby. Claire held him agenst her chest. His cries faded slowly in her arms. He was calm and content once again. She stared of into Charlie's browned eyelids. Rocking the child rythmicly, instinctively in her arms. If only she could heal Charlie the way she healed him. Sayid rushes back in and placed the drenched white scrap of cloth across Charlie's fore head. The room fell silent except for the sounds of gagging and the heavily falling rain. Jack studied every inch of his body, hopelessly. Looking for some unnamed sign that would help him know what to do. Sowyer watched from the corner, arms crossed with a grin. "What are you smiling about?" Sayid asked, standing beside him, arms crossed as well. "I think hes over reacting" Sowyer replied with a snicker. "Its not funny. He's dieng because of you" Kate threatened softly. "Me? What did I do?" he questioned, offended. "What ever you gave him, its killing him" she confirmed, her voice shaky. "how many times do I have to tell you people? I didn't give him any drugs!" he yelled, wavering his hands angrily. "What?" she asked, confused. "do I look like a god damn drug dealer to you?" responded quizitivly. She eyed him for a moment, silently. "You didn't give him anything? At all?" she tried to confirm. "No" he repeated, annoyed. "Then what the hells wrong with him?" Hurly asked. "Its not an overdoes. Its withdraws" Jack concluded, not knowing what else to do. He sighed and stood to his feet, brushing his hands. "You all should probably leave, let him rest. Theres not much more we can do for him." Jack suggested. Soyer was the first to go, Sayid fallowing close behind. Shannon, Boone and Hurly headed out the other way. Jack began to pin up the opening behind them. "You should probably stay here with him, incase he wakes up" Jack suggested, turning back to Claire. She nodded, agreeing with him. He handed her a blanket and walked out, Kate fallowed behind him. Claire kneeled down beside him, pulling the blanket around her self. His body was still now. Not coughing, not shaking, just still. She scooted as close as she could to him, running her fingers trough his hair. She stayed awake for most of the night. But eventually, sleep took over and she drifted off beside him.