Disclaimer: I don't own lost. Here is the next chapter of the story. It contains a little bit of what happened in the last episode. I won't be updating until I get some reviews, so do your work. Hope you like it.
FATE
Can't Argue With Fate
Thunder rumbled over head. The sky turned from black to grey in a matter of seconds, witch
seemed to them like ages. They huddled together, lining the woods with paranoid observation.
The skies opens and rain began to fall slowly, despite the over bearing heat. Rain mixed with
sweat as it rain down the terrified faces. Its seemed like hours since they had left, when in reality it
had only been minutes. But reality on the island was nonexistent. Charlie was knocked out of his
daze when he felt Claire's freezing hand grasp the front of his shirt. He looked over just to catch
her before she fell. The crowd turned as he slowly lowered her to the ground. "Claire" he
exclaimed, panicky, trying to call her back. She lay across his arms, unconchus. Oblivious to his
pled. "Theres no doctor. There's no doctor!" Shannon screamed helplessly, tears rolled down her
cheeks along with the rain. "Stay calm" Locke suggested soothingly. It was to late. She began
gasping heavily. Holding her hand to her chest as she frantically reached for air. She began to
cough as Locke kept her from falling. Charlie continued with Claire, shaking her shoulders in a
desperate attempt to wake her. "Lay off her man" Michael said, nudging him aside. She laid flat
on the sand, motionless. He breathed heavily, letting the panic get to him. Claire coughed as her
body gave a light shake. His heart jumped. Thank god, shes alive. Michael and him lifted her into a
sitting position as she coughed, holding her and to her mouth. Shannon continued to gasp like a
fish out of water. They lowered her to the ground, and tried to calmly keep her mind off it. But
with no doctor around and her brother off in the face of danger, there was little they could say to
camphorate her. Claire's hand dropped from her mouth, landing limply on Charlie's leg as he
continue to support her. A few drops of red stained the palm as it lay twitching on his lap. He
coughed it out of the corner of his eye, quickly turning away to assist her. Her body shook with
every gag. The sounded rough and dry, as if the inside of her thought was being torn with each
cough.
"Get her back to the tent" Locke shouted to the through the rain. Shannon was cradle beside him,
bare legs pulled up to his chest as she shivered and gasped. Michael and Charlie lifted her off the
ground and carried her across the damp sand inside the tent. They laid her down on the blankets
and covered her with another. Her skin was freezing. Although it was raining, the heat wave still
pounded, leaving the rest of them in a chilling sweat. But she was passed chilled. She was ice cold
and shivering like crazy. Her face twisted with pain as she lied flat on her back. "Charlie" she
sobbed softly, tears rolling down her colorless cheeks. He held her hand in his, and brushed the
strands off her face with the other. He smiled at her, trying his best to stay calm for her sake. She
choked out a sob, her eyes shut tight. She squeezed his hand with all her strength, holding her
stomach wit the other. She began coughing as she gasped for breath. "What is wrong with her?"
Michael yelled over the sound of poring rain beating down on the tarp. "I don't know!" Charlie
yelled back, distressed. Claire's eyes closed. The coughing slowed and fadded. "I don't know" he
repeated, sobbing. Michael stared at him symthaeticly, not knowing what to say or do. "Dad!" the
cry rang from out side. Michael jumped at the sound. "Dad! Where are you!" Walt called, along
with many others who were shouting back and forth to each other. Michael hoped up and ran out
without a word. A state of panic swept the island. Even the sea and the sky were hysteric.
The storm fadded and the sun rose, still no sign of Jack or the others. Shannon's asthma attack
calmed down, and Claire remained motionless through out the night. Most sleep out side their
tents, to alert to get comphortable. But Charlie stayed awake trough out the night, keeping a
strong watch over her. Ben kept him awake, as well. He had woken up from all the screaming.
Charlie rocked him for hours, trying to keep him calm. But how could you keep someone calm
when you are terrified yourself?
"hows she doing?" Michael asked, moving beside Charlie on his place agenst the pain wreckage.
"Its hard to tell" He replied lifelessly. Michael nodded, crossing his arms. "How's he?" Charlie
questioned, giving and indicating nod to Walt, who say a few feet away, reading a comic book.
"Hes good. Atleast, as good as the rest of us" Michael replied, stareing back at Walt.. "You get
any sleep?" he added, turning to him once again. Charlie shook his head and Shifted Ben in his
arms. "You should get some rest man. I'll watch the kid" Michael suggested. "No, I wouldn't be
able to. Thanks any ways" he replied, looking down at his shoes. "I understand" Michael replied.
Ben squirmed In his arms, kicking his feet restlessly. Charlie kneeled down, letting Ben have a little
crawl. He made his clumsy way over to Walt with a huge grin. "Hi" Walt said, surprised to see a
chubby little baby at his side. Ben plopped back into a sitting positioned and giggled. Then
continued to pick up his foot with both hands, role onto his back and look around. "What's he
doing?" Walt asked, with a raised eye brow. "Chilling" Charlie shrugged, watching as he then
rolled back onto his stomach and pushed himself up in crawling position. He was off again.
"Wheres he going?" Walk questioned, still giving him a strange look. He bumbled across the sand
in Shannon's direction. She was sitting by her tent a couple yards away, legs pulled up to her chest.
"Man, he's fast" Michael noted, watching as he reached Her. She looked down and grinned,
brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She picked him up and plopped him in her lap, saying
something to him that the others could not here. Charlie began to walk over when he noticed
something moving inside their tent. He quickly changed his path. Claire was sitting on the ground
with a look of shock as she dug through Ben's crib. "Claire" Charlie uttered from the door way,
stareing in confusion. "Where is he?" she cried, turning to him suddenly. "Ben? He's with
Shannon" Charlie answered, eyeing her unitedly. "Is he alright?" she demanded, looking up at him
with fearful eyes. "Of corse, he's fine" Charlie confirmed, kneeling down beside her. She sniffed and buried her head in his shoulder. He pulled his arms around her, trying to comfort her. She whipped
her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up at him. "I think...I think some ones trying to hurt
Ben" she choked out. Charlie gave her a questioning look. "I know it sounds crazy. But I keep
having these dreams-" she tried to explain. "I don't know what exactly, but something bad is going
to happen." she spoke with grave certainty that sent a chill down his spine. Not only that she was
hysteric to the point of believing it, but without prophecy, he had felt the same thing.
Two nights passed. Claire fell in and out of her restless state of unconchusness. Now holding
herself captive inside the hallowed tent. A dark ring had formed around her eyes. Her skin began to
developed a yellow-green tent, at times almost grey, the color of a corps. When awake, she didn't
speak. She laid still as the dead and simply stared at nothing until her bruised eyes fell close. For
two whole days, she had said nothing. Charlie had tried to spark a sentence out of her when ever
she woke, but she just rolled her head to the side and fixed her eyes on some invisible illusion that
had her hypnotized. With Jack still missing along with all the rest who had ventured out into the
jungle, there was not telling what was wrong with her. Charlie leaned back agenst the plastic wall,
Ben sprawled across his lap. It was almost morning, and he had dozed off after watching Claire
sleep through most of the night. Before it was her smile, the sound of her voice that got him
through the day. But all that had fadded, and life on the island had become bleak and unbearable.
He was woken by the sound of a scream, disforest from the one three nights ago, but just as
terrified. He jumped at the sound, jerking himself awake. Moving Ben, who too had fallen asleep to
his bed, he rushed out to see what was happening. He saw Sun, hysteric, being pulled away from
the edge of the woods by Jin. The others slowly gathered around, stareing up at some unseen
object. She wailed with fear, falling to the ground as tears poured down her eyes. Slowly, Charlie moved closer to the rest of the group, curious at what had caused such a panic. As he drew closer,
it became clear to him. One of the survivors, who's name he did not know and who's face he barely
recognized, hand some how managed to throw a rope over a branch atleast fifteen feet of the
ground and hung himself over night. He stared in aw, along with the rest of the group until finally
they decided to try and find a way to get him down. After an hour or more of failed attempts, the
rope was cut and his body dropped to the floor. Because most of the skeptics had disappeared into
the woods, it was a general agreement that some sort of funeral should be healed. In Jacks honor,
the body was cremated. A shallow hole dug in the ground, where the body lied. Sticks and any
source of fire wood stacked over top of it and lit on fire. The smell alone kept every one a good ten
yards away. It became aware, after the group had gathered and no one seemed to have any
comments to say about the mysterious man that Charlie was not the only one who had neglected to
recognize him. Finly, Locke stepped up. "The apocalypse is in the eye of the beholder" he began,
with that confident, some what mysterious voice of wisdom. "Some say it lies in decease" he
continued, giving a slight Glance at Charlie, who stood uncomfortable in-between two complete
strangers. "Others in war. Some even believe we will all be destroyed by some strange phenomena.
Monsters, aliens, giant commits falling from the sky. Global warming, atomic booms, what have you.
Others believe that the end of the world is when man kind simply gives up. What ever the cause, the
world was made for a purpose, just as we are on this island for a purpose. Which is why we can't
give up. Not until we have found, this purpose. You can't argue with fate." With that he was silent,
and walked back to his tent. The crowd was silent for a moment, reflecting on his words. Slowly they
scattered, makeing there way back home.
Charlie dropped to the floor soon as he entered the tent. He felt exhausted. "What happened?" an
unfamiliar voice questioned. He looked up, surprised to see Claire awake. It had without a doubt been her who spoke, but her voice had changed entirely. Low, strained and raspy, with no expression of
emotion. Her eyes were just barley opened, and she lay flat on her back, facing the ceiling. He blinked
at the question, to distracted to recall what she had asked. "One of the people killed themselves" he
answered distantly after remembering. "Who was he?" she questioned, in that same haunting tone. "I
don't know" Charlie replied as if guilty. Her eyes fell back close. She shifted slightly, and for a
moment he assumed she was going back to sleep. "Charlie" she spoke up once again after a moment.
Her voice began to return. He looked up, waiting for her to continue. "What do you miss?"
Charlie blinked, not quite understanding. "About your home" she elaborated, turning to face him.
"Well," he began thoughtfully, "well, running water, in door pluming." Claire laughed slightly.
"Anything outside the bathroom?" he smiled and tried to think. "I don't really think I miss anything. I
mean, life back in LA was fine, sure. But I'd rather be stranded here with nothing then back there in a
mansion." He answered. "Why?" she asked, sitting up. "Because here I have you" he replied with full
honesty. "Aw, how sweet" Claire laughed with a hint of sarcasms, tilting her head to the side. "What
do you miss?" he questioned in return. "Hmm.." she began, biting her lip slightly as she thought. " I
miss...my friends" she answered with a small smile of accomplishment. "Especially Megan, my room
mate. Just to be able to talk to another female would be nice" she added, smiling. It was the first time
he'd sceen her face lite up in weeks. "What, the females on this island aren't good enough for you?" he
teased. "No" she replied as if it were obvious. He tried not to laugh. " their nice enough I guess, but
they're just not my type. I mean, Kate's opinionated and whinny, Shannon is a spoiled brat, Rose is
alright but I'm half her age and Sun doesn't even speak English" she continued, obtaining a humerus
disposition all the while. This was a side of Claire he had never sceen. She rarely spoke of the others,
and when she did it was always positive. " I think I'm becoming a bad influence" Charlie exclaimed,
still laughing. At that moment, Ben decided to join the part. He plopped up into a sitting position, poking his head out from the cradle. Eyes wide with interest, blond strands defying gravity, and a huge
grin revealing his lack of teeth. Claire noticed him first and couldn't help but laugh. "Hey!" Charlie
greeted once his eyes followed hers. He lifted him out of his crib and plopped him down on the floor
between them. He stared at Claire with his mouth stretched wide open in a triangular grin. "Hi" she
said enthusiastically, smiling back at him. "Hi" he muttered in a small, mocking voice. The two looked
up with the surprise and exchanged glances. "Did he just say hi?" Claire asked, in shock. "I think so"
Charlie replied, smiling like an idiot, "do it again." Claire lifted him onto her lap and repeated the
word. "Hi" Ben replied in the same tone as before. The two laughed. Charlie laid on his stomach so,
supporting himself on his elbo so that him and Ben were about the same level. "Hi" he tried, with a
smile. Ben repeated him with a giggle, clinging on to his face with an open palm. He began chanting
the word, bouncing excitedly. "can he say anything else?" Charlie questioned, looking up at Claire. "I
don't know," she shrugged, "Can you say anything else?" Ben stopped for a moment, eyes sparkling,
then began singing the hi song once again. "I guess not" Charlie joked, watching him with amusement.
"Here, lets try," he suggested, "can you say...Claire?"
"No, I'm mum" Claire insisted, before Ben could respond. "Alright, say mum" Charlie instructed
agreeably. "Mum" Ben copied, switching position so his back was rested against Claire's torso, facing
Charlie. Claire beamed, slightly embarrassed, once again returning to her beautiful self. "So what dose
that make me?" Charlie asked, looking up at her. "I guess that makes you dad" she replied. Rather
biological or not, the title fit. Charlie grinned stupidly. "Can you say dad?" he questioned hopeful,
catching Bens attention. Ben blinked at him for a moment, then exclaimed "hi".
"Close enough" Charlie shrugged with a laugh. They sat there for a while trying out various words that
might be appealing. Oblivious to every one else until they over heard the commotion witch had sprung
up outside. They both looked up to the sound of hurried foot steps moving quickly past their tent. Charlie helped her up, and with Ben in her arms, the three headed out side to investigate. At the edge of
the woods, to no surprise, was the direction they crowd was moving. Jack was the first to bee sceen. A
small ounce of hope flickered in Claire's eyes as they watched Kate, Sayid, Boone and sowyer emerged
behind him. The four seemed to be carrying something. As they moved closer they relived it was a
women, entirely unfamiliar to all of them. She was unconscious, laid out on a make-shaft stretcher,
blood every where. Her close were torn, skin a pale grayish color. They lowered her to the ground at the
very edge of the woods. Shannon latched onto Boone as soon as he stepped away, nearly knocking him
to the ground. Whispers spread across the crowd, curious of this strange women. "What's going on?"
some one called from the depths of the mob, who had nearly swarmed them. "All right, every one calm
down" Jack instructed, taking charge as usual. "This is Danielle, she is the only survivor of a previous
crash on this island, witch happened sixteen years ago" he explained, some what out of breath. His voice
echoed across the island. Claire looked at Charlie, confused. "We found her like this in the woods, about
eight miles from here. She told us something had attack her, and dragged her all the way there for miles.
What ever it was herd ran off, and left her there for dead. She went unconscious after that and remained
that way for the last couple days" he continued, his fatigue showing more and more as he went on.
Voices rose up and scattered amongst them. Sounds of worry and confusion. "Theres more" Jack
interrupted wearily. The group fell silent. "She told us
about what happened to the people she was with. She said they all got sick, they went insane. She told
us that she's been living on the other side of the island for sixteen years alone. They're all dead now" he
spoke as if he had known them, and it was the first time they had even sceen him truly show emotion. A
wave of shock flooded over them. "Just before she passed out, she told us something else. She said
something bad is coming"