Disclaimer: if you've read from the beginning, I never use my disclaimer space as what its suppose to be used for. But, obviously, I don't own lost. Anyways, last night was Charlie's episode and I have a bunch of new ideas. This will be the first section of this story, as fare as I can remember, that involves some flash backs. I will use things from the actual episode, plus a bit of my own as well. Hope you like it!
To my beloved readers:
FoolforaTook: thank you for your review! Obviously, Charlie's my favorite too and I've been waiting for this episode for weeks!
A A Battery: thanks for the review and sorry for the delay. I've ben a busy little bugger, but I got it up as fast as I could.
Shannonlover: a special thanks to you because I notice you've been reading for a long time and I haven't really responded. But I really do appreciate the impute.
Lauren Williams: thanks for the reply! I'm glad you liked it and I'm sorry for the wait.
FATE
Drown
The night seemed to grow darker and darker as the survivors continued to manage living on the
beach. The fire burned brightly agenst the deep blue sky. Most of the group had gathered around
the fire, talking and attacking Locke's latest catch. Charlie sat Indian-style, guitar stretched across
his lap as he stugled to play with his bandaged fingers. He had regained his original attire and
seemed a thousand times more comfortable. Claire sat down beside him quietly and watched him
play. The light from the fire hit him at a strange angle, casting crazy shadows across his face. He
contentiously repositioned his fingers, trying to get the note right. His eyes fixed on the strings
before him. It took him a long time to realize Claire's company. He smiled at once he noticed she
was there. "Claire, I'd like you to meet Geni" he joked, indicating to the guitar. Claire giggled at
the name, witch had been engraved on the surface in cursive. He started up again, becoming
slightly annoyed with his clumsy hands. Finally, he set the guitar down across his legs and began
pulling at the white cloth taped around his fingers. Claire smiled and offered to help. She didn't a
much better job then he would have, carefully unwrapping them. The tiny cuts right above his
knuckles had pretty much healed. She examined his hand, noticering the black, crescent-shaped
marks that outlined his cuticles. "Is that nail polish?" she questioned, holding his hand closer to
her face to get a better look. "Yeah" he replied, some what embarrassed. "Wow. I've never met a
man who wheres finger polish before" she exclaimed with a laugh. "What can I say, I'm special"
he joked leaning back on the palm of his hands. She smiled and continued to hold his hand in hers.
The fire crackled before them as a small wind blew past. The weather on the island was truly
insane. One moment, it would be bright, sunny and hotter-than-hell, the next it was rainy, windy
cold and god knows what else. Tonight was cold and windy. as she tucked her hands into the
access cloth at the bottom of the oversized shirt in an attempt to keep warm. She secretly loved
this shirt. She didn't know exactly why. There wasn't anything particularly special about it. There
was just something about wearing a guys shirt that always seemed to make a girl feel good. Or
maybe it was because it was Charlie's. He glanced over at her and grinned before fixing back on
his guitar. No one seemed to be listening except her. But that was all the audience he needed.
After a moment of sitting, listening to him play an unfamiliar song, she leaned over, resting her
head on his shoulder. His smile widened as he continued to play, pretending as if he didn't notice.
But before he knew it, his cheeks turned red and his grin would not fade. "Are you cold?" he
asked suddenly, turning to face her. "Yes, very" she admitted, honestly. "Here" he offered, pulling
off his jacket. "Oh no, that's alright. I don't want you to be cold" she replied sincerely. "Im' not
cold. I'm quite warm, actually." he replied, matter-of-fact-ly. "Wait, let me get this straight. This
morning, you were sitting in the smoldering heat with a jacket on and now your not cold?" she
questioned dramatically. "Yeah. Go on, take it" he insisted, pulling the coat around her. "Ok" she
agreed sarcastically, pulling her arms into the sleeves. Her body warmed instantly as the soft,
good-smelling fabric of the jacket wrapped around her. "Wow, I'm wearing two items of your
cloths now" she noted, as she tucked her hands inside the deep pockets. "How bout I take of the
pants and make it a complete deal?" he joked, before realizing what he was saying. "Sorry" he
added quickly, loseing eye contact. She laughed, completely unoffended. "So your really not
cold?" she questioned again, still not believing him. "Not at all" he replied confidently, the smile
gladly reclaiming its place. She shook her head with wonder. He leaned back on his elbows and
glanced over at the dark ocean. Suddenly his smile fadded. "What's wrong?" Claire asked, as he
clumsily pushed the guitar off his lap and stumbling to his feet. "Theres somebody out there" he
announced, running towards the water. Claire looked out as hard as she could, but saw nothing but
the black waves. He jolted full speed into the water, throwing his jacket off as he ran. He dove
under the dark water and swam hard into the deep. "What's he doing?" Kate asked, running up
beside Claire. "He says there's some one out there" Claire explained, worriedly. "I don't see any
one" she replied, squinting at the thick black sea. The only sign of life in the entire horizon was
Charlie, who was disappearing and reappearing through the waves. "What's going on?" Jack
demanded, popping up between them. "Charlie's gone insane!" Kate exclaimed before Claire could
explain. "What's he doing" Jack questioned, comely. "He says theres some one out there" Kate
answered, hands on hips. "Dude, theres no one out there" Hurly confirmed. "I'm going after him"
Jack announced, removing his shoes. Kate began to protest but then quickly closed her mouth. It
was no use trying to stop him. "Get me a flash light!" he demanded. Before he could remove his
other shoe Michael stood, ready with a small mag light in hand. Jack twisted it on and bit onto it,
holding it in his mouth so he could use both hands. He hit the waves and began swimming out after
Charlie. In his panic, Charlie had forgotten he couldn't swim. he was now strugling through the
heavy rolling waves, trying despretly to keep himself above water. With every swell his mouth was
filled with a salted splash. His body began to shake as he weakly chanced the phantom drowner. His
heart pounded at it became harder and harder to breath. His lungs felt heavy and empty at the same
time. His vision fadded with the pounding of the waves and the throbbing of his head. He felt
weightless. He could hear his name being called faintly in the distance. Almost inaudible at first, but
grew louder. "Charlie!" a voice rang out from behind him. He turned to see a familiar face
running down the hall. She stopped short before him, and smiled. "Hey" she greeted cheerfully.
"Hey yourself" he replied, closing his locker. She blushed, shyly. "Come on, lets get you to class"
he the suggested, wrapping his arm across her shoulder. They passed through the various faces in
the hall, smiling only for each other. He hadn't removed his arm from her shoulders until they
reached the door, where he then turned to face her. "Later, luv" he said, placing his forehead
agenst hers and giving it a small peck. "Cheers" the girl replied, blushing once again. He began
to walk off, but then turned and planted one on her. A authority in a suit walked past, gave a
double take and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up suddenly, half dazed ,then gulped. The
man simply jabbed his thumb in the opposite direction down the hall, indicating for him to get to
class. He nodded and passively made his way down the hall. But turned one last time to see the
smiling, though extremely flushed face smile back at him and wave.
He was just about to go under when, Finally, Jack reached him. He one arm around Charlie's waist
and used the other arm to guide himself through the waves. It was extremely difficult keeping the
two of them both above water, but he managed. He reached the shore, dragging Charlie but the
sleeves of his shirt onto the sand. The others gathered around and kneeled beside his unconchus
body. "Every body, stand back" jack ordered, needing room to operate sufficiently. The others
moved back quickly, but still kept the circle about him. Taking slow, heavy breaths, Jack began
pumping his folded hands agenst his check in an attempt to force his breath. The group stood in aw,
panicking in silence. Waiting despretly to see him finally gasp for air as jack continued the CPR
treatment. But he did not move.
Charlie walked up the curb, hands in pockets. He knew he was in for it. This was the third time he
was late picking Amy up, and was full ready to have his head bitten off. She sat on the benches
before the opening door, looking straight ahead until she noticed him. "Sorry, I'm late" he
apologized weekly. His voice tired and strained. "Sit" she instructed, firmly. Looking up at him with
vague tentativeness. "Can't we just go home-"he began to protest, but then saw the seriousness in
her eyes and sat down beside her. "Charlie, what's wrong with you?" she questioned, shifting to face
him. "I said I was sorry" he replied, defensively. "I don't care that your late, Charlie. Its why
your late" she explained, not looking at him. He looked down, unable to think of anything to say. "I
can't stand to see you like this. You need to do something-"she began to lecture. Her voice quiet
but forceful. "What do you want me to do? I sorry I have responisbilties, but the band...its my life"
he protested, getting very excited. "No, Charlie. It's a dream life. Your getting sucked into
something way to powerful. You need to pull yourself out before its to late" she insisted, trying to
hold back a sob. It nearly crushed him to see her so upset. And he knew she was right. He lowered
his head and removed his sun glasses. "Your right." he agreed. This caught her by surprise. "Your
completely right. I'll stop" he nodded, his voice rasp and low. She smiled faintly and
put her had over his. "You're a good man, Charlie" she joked before leaning in to kiss him.
Jack hurriedly began to push on his chest. Ben cried loudly, sensing every body else's fear. Claire
could not move. Finally, Charlie's mouth opened with a gasp, and he began to caught. She found he
breath and took a deep on before kneeling down beside him. He lifted himself onto his elbows and held the back of his head. He looked around, confused, until his eyes meet Claire's. Before either one of
them could speak, Jack began lecturing. "What the hell were you doing out there?!" he yelled, grabbing
him by the shoulders to catch his attention. He looked over, delayed, eyes wide. "There was someone
out there" he explained hurriedly. His body was shacking. "Charlie, no one was out there" Jack
explained forcefully, stareing him deep in the eye. "There was someone out there. I swear, I saw
someone" Charlie babbled in his defense as tears rolled down his eyes. He broke into a sob held his
hand to his mouth. The group now stared in quiet confusion. Jack sighed and patted him machanicly on
the shoulder. "Get him some blankets" he instructed, looking up at Kate. Her and Hurly turned and
headed towards one of the tents. Jack continued to pat him uncomfortably as his eyes trailed back out
to the ocean. "Come on, lets get him inside" Jack suggested, helping to his feet. He berried his arms
around his waist. The crowd watched as he walked past as if he were a man on trial who had just been
convicted. For some, this was the first time they had sceen of Charlie's drug-related insanity. For others,
it was simply another screw up on his part. Kate and Hurly scurried to the tent carrying piles of blankets.
"Alright good. Ok, Hurly go find some water" Jack commanded once they entered the tent. He had
begun his high-passed calm that only a doctor could manage, holding his head as he passed back and
forth. Claire had fallowed them into the tent and now was trying hopelessly to comfort both Charlie and
Benjy. "Water? He's covered in it" Hurly questioned, trying to bring some humor to the situation. "Just
do it" Jack ordered. Hurly rushed off to find water. "Here" Kate offered, taking Benjy in her arms and
began rocking him up and down. "Kate, come with me. Claire, can you stay with him?" Jack questioned,
half way out the door. Claire nodded in repose as she rubbed Charlie's back. They disappeared and
Charlie fell silent. His body shook, but he made no sound. "Get up" Claire instructed, standing to her
feet. He glanced up at her, his eyes glistening. He stood, letting the blankets fall of his shoulders. She
pulled at the him of his soaking-wet shirt in an attempt to remove it. "What are you doing?" he asked, softly as he operated my lifting his arms. "You can't stay in those close or you'll freeze" she explained,
pulling the blanket back around his shoulders. He nodded, understanding. She then pulled her arms
around his waist beneath the blanket, pushing herself agenst him. "Now, what are you doing?" he asked,
his voice shanking. "If we let the blood go to your arms and your legs to fast, your heart will fail" she
replied. "Since when are you the doctor?" he joked, though his voice still trembled along with the rest of
his body. "I learned that in ninth grade" she confessed, smiling. His skin was freezing as his arms hung
limply around her. But slowly he began to warm up. They stood, holding each other for a long moment
before Hurly found his way back in. He stopped dead in his tracks and the two both glanced over. "Uh,
here's your water" Hurly explained, uncomfortable, jiggling the little plastic bottle in his hand. "Thanks"
Charlie replied, embarrassed, as he reached for the bottle. Hurly nodded and wondered off again. Charlie
took a seat on the make-shift table and fumbled with the bottle cap. His hands were still to shaky to open
it. Claire sighed awkwardly, and brushed a fraid strand of hair back behind his ear. Finally he managed to
open the bottle and chugged it down. "Your relax, I'm gonna go see if I can find you some cloths" Claire
suggested, folding his shirt over her arm and ducking out of the tent. He closed the top once again and let
the bottle dangle in his hand. His body still shook, his lower lip quivered and went numb. His hair was
dripping water all down his face, makeing it difficult for him to see. His skin began to tingle and itch in
random places. His eyes burned and his nose felt raw. He sniffed and rubbed his hands agenst his face,
letting the bottle drop to the ground. He could here muffled voices outside, but couldn't under stand them.
Slowly the sound fadded into a fadded drown and his bruised eyes slowly fell shut. The sound of buzzing
flooded into his head, soft at first then growing louder and louder.
His eyes opened to a small alarm clock stareing back at him from a hotel night stand. The red numbers
blinking to the aggravating beat of the never-ending buzz. Weakly he reached out a hand from under to
covers and slammed it down on the clock, silencing it instantly. He rolled onto his back and rolled his eyes shut, sighing tiredly. He glanced back at the clock and hopped up suddenly, realizing the time. He was late
once again. His head throbbed as he threw off the heavy comforter and rushed to the open draw across the
room in nothing but his boxers. Quickly, he dug through the draws in search of a decent shirt and pants. He
pulled on the tattered pair of jeans and fumbled with his zipper as he walked about the room in search of his
shoes. He pulled on the rugged pair of black chucks, grabbed his sun glasses and car keys and pulled the
fadded grey T-shirt over his head as he walked out the door.
Claire once again found herself digging through the mound of unclaimed cloths witch had be come a daily
routine. She had just begun when her attention was caught by something else. Michael approached Jack,
who appeared to be walking in her direction. "Hey, hows the kid doing?" Michael asked, walking beside
him. "He's ok" Jack said, reassuringly. "Good. Uh, what exactly was he doing?" he questioned, curiously.
"He was trying to save someone who he thought was drowning" Jack replied, stopping to face him. "So
who was drowning?" Michael continued. "No one" Jack answered with a sigh. "So he was sing junk?"
Michael asked, trying to understand. "Basically, yes" Jack replied, hands on his hips as he dropped his
head.
"Is he sick?"
"Very"
"What's wrong with him?"
"Withdraws"
"Withdraws? From what?"
"As far as we know, heroine. God know's what else."
Claire listened from her post, knee deep in clothing. She brushed a strained back from her face as she watched the two converse. "So let me get this straight. I'm stuck on an island with some druggie who's
done nothing but start fights and now he's trying to get himself killed?!" Michael questioned angrily. "Calm
down" Jack suggested, trying to keep the peace. "No, I'm not gonna come down. I don't want my son to
be stuck on some island with someone like him!" Michael yelled, frustrated. "I don't want to be stuck on
this island at all, but theres not much we can do about that" Jack replied, showing the lightest hint of
emotion in his voice. Something he didn't do often. Michael mouth closed for a moment, and he was
speechless. "He's just going through some troubles, give him a chance" Locke chimed in from the table
beside Claire. He had been standing their, listening along side her the whole time, fiddling with his knife and
she hadn't noticed him until now. "Give him a chance? I'll be dammed if I'm gonna let my kid hang around
some Burt out crack head trying to give him a bad influence!" Michael protested harshly. "Bad influence?
He's just a kid!" Locke replied, defensively. "Bull shit!" Michael shot back. "Stop!" Claire yelled, the
whole island fell silence. The three turned to her. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She hadn't
expected them to liston to her. Finally, she spoke. "What is wrong with you all? Incase you haven't noticed,
he's not 'just a kind'. Hes a grown man, just like the rest of you. So he has some issues and secrets, who
where doesn't? But hes in there right now trying to face them and your out here arguing like a bunch of
children! What gives you the right to judge him?" the three stood, speechless. Claire brushed past them and
headed towards the tent.
the tiny bridge had ben blocked off. The ambulance and atleast five police cars crisis-crossed agenst the
road as a tun of men gathered around the edge of the bridge. Charlie stopped and climbed out of his car.
"Sir, your going to have to turn around" an Officer explained as he approached him. "What's going on?"
Charlie questioned, giving no regard to the officer's request. "There was an accident. Two cars were
headed towards each other, one tried to swerve around and drove straight off the bridge" the officer
explained casually. Charlie's eyes wondered to the same direction as everyone else. To the edge of the
bridge. He walked over and peered over the side. The car was still sticking half-way out of the water. His
heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach as he recognized the tiny listens plate. "Oh god" he muttered, in
shock as he backed away from the edge. "What's wrong, sir?" the officer asked, concerned. "I know the
people in that car" he explained, panicky. Trying despretly to breath. "Alright sir, calm down" the officer
suggested, holding his shoulder. His head was spinning, he felt as if he were about to pass out. The Car
belonged to a girl named Kim, a good friend of Amy's who often gave her a ride home whenever he was
late. "Why isn't any body down there?" he questioned suddenly, throwing the officer off guard. "Its to
dangerous-" he began to explain, but it was to late. Charlie throw off his jacket and walked over to the
edge. Without a second though he leaped off and dove in. He hit the icy water hard and began to swim
awkwardly. Every thing below the water went numb. The world around him was grey and foggy, but he
could see nothing but water. He reached the back of the car, patting his hands across the surface as he tried
to pull himself towards the edge. He found the window beneath the water and ducked under. The light
dimmed as he pulled himself beneath the surface, squinting hard to see inside. He noticed the window on
the other side had been busted open. No sign of life inside. He pulled himself back to the surface with a
gasp for air, turning his head bout in search of any movement. It had began to rain, and at first all he saw
was gentle movement. Then, far out in the distance he noticed something. Some one moving, strugling to
stay above water. He swam towards them full speed, pounding agenst the tiny black waves. His entire body
felt like it weighed a tun. He could feel something warm pulling in the back of his eye as his quacking arms
moved beneath the water. He passed out from the cold before he could reach her.
She found Charlie passed out across the table, the moistened airline blanket flung
over less than half of his body. One arm lay across his bare stomach, the other dangled off the edge of the
table, about a foot above the discarded water bottle. His hair still dripped as his head twitched slightly for a
moment, then fell still. Claire sat down beside him and pulled off the DRIVE-SHAFT T-shirt she had
borrowed and laid it across him, pulling the rest of the blankets up. She moved her fingers trough his hair
gently, trying to sooth him though he was already asleep. Sawyer barged in and stopped when he saw her.
He grinned and dropped a small black suit-case down before him. "This is his. Though he might want it
back" he explained, eyeing her skeptically. She didn't speak, instead she turned her attention away from him.
After a moment he gave her a wink and a smirk, then turned back out. She fumbled with Charlie's mattered
hair for anther moment before the suitcase caught her eye. Curiously, she left his side and kneeled down
before the beckoning black bag. She unzipped it slowly and began rummaging through it. A pair of head
phones, a full case of CDs and atleast seven note books. One of the books fell open as she moved it aside,
and a picture that had ben taped onto the cover-back caught her eye. It was a photo of Charlie, although he
was much younger. His hair was shorter and lighter, and his eyes were covered by a pair of dark sunglasses.
His arm was around a very pretty young girl. Beneath It stood another photo of the same girl by herself. It
looked like a school portraits. Claire smiled lightly as she lifted the book onto her lap. She was suddenly
startled by the sound of rustling blankets as Charlie began to come out of his sleep. She looked over his
shoulder and saw him sit up. "How do you feel?" she asked, moving over and sitting beside him. "Better" he
said softly, holding his head. His eyes were only half-open. They trailed across the room and stopped on the
note book, witch still laid open on the ground. He lowered his head and let his hand slide to the back of his
neck. "Is she your girl friend?" Claire asked, softly. "At one time, yes" he replied, showing small sign of
detachment. "What happened?" she asked, studding the side of his face. "She died, in a car accident about
five years ago" he explained, unable to look at her. This caught her off guard. She didn't know what to say,
although she now understood him a tiny bit better. They sat in silence for a while. He stared off into the
distance.