Title: An Unending Quiet
Author: Edith
Part: 4/? (I thought four but I was wrong so now who knows!)
Rating: R
Pairing: Charlie/Claire, with implied Shannon/Sawyer and Jack/Kate
Summary: Claire comes back broken and Charlie will do anything to keep her and the baby safe... even if it means leaving the island.
Spoilers: Up to "All The Best..." and then it's just speculation.
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. Otherwise, Lost would have a lot more sex. ;) Also borrowed the song "I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me" by The Masterless Men

Part Four: Meet Me Tonight In The Moonlight

When Charlie first awoke, he had the unpleasant sensation of not knowing exactly where he was. The ever present cackling of the fire was quieter, so he wasn't where he normally slept. The ground underneath him was cooler, even through the blanket he was laying on, and… was that? Yes, that definitely was somebody warm cocooned all around him, somebody who snored ever so softly and was holding his hand in a death grip.

Groggily, he blinked open his eyes and then started in pleasant surprise as the evening came flooding back to him with seductive clarity. Whispery sighs against his cheek, clenching hands, blonde waves cascading all around him, and one pretty pair of lips mouthing his name… Oh, Charlie remembered.

Carefully, so as not to wake to Claire, he reached down and tugged the blanket up farther, making sure to tuck it under her chin. A quick glance over his shoulder ensured that James was fine and was just coming awake with a gurgled "oooh". He smiled at Claire's son tenderly, while pulling her closer. She snuggled in accordingly and he shifted his gaze to her face.

She was so pretty when she slept, he thought. The newly forming lines around her mouth (frown lines, he realized with dismay) disappeared entirely and her lashes looked longer and lighter against her skin. The fact that she snored only endeared her to him further. Smiling stupidly to himself, he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her cheek.

James took that moment to wake up fully, gurgling to get somebody's attention. Before he could start to cry, Charlie was up, disentangling himself from Claire with a practiced ease. He scooped the baby up off of the ground and, shushing him, made his way out of the cave.

Nobody was guarding the entrance to Claire's nook and Charlie wasn't surprised. He was relieved, in all truth. While he'd tried his hardest to be quiet, he had never been very good at it and he couldn't blame whoever had decided to call it quits. Thinking on the night before, his smile grew and he affectionately tickled James's stomach, producing a sleepy giggle from the baby.

"He recognizes you," Kate said from her seat with Jack by the fire, causing Charlie to look up in surprise. When he saw who it was, he nodded and moved to sit beside them, bouncing James playfully against his knee.

"You think?" Charlie asked, skeptically, "I mean, there's so many bloody people here. I think the little fellow just likes to take a look around. See what's what, and all that."

Kate shook her head in a disagreement, leaning over to take James from Charlie. She gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, which made him blink at her happily, and then she looked to Jack for back up.

Jack was a willing participant in proving Charlie wrong. "Babies can recognize faces around a month and this little sucker is past that. And, face aside, he knows your voice."

Kate enthusiastically picked up the thread again. "You should see him, Charlie. Doesn't matter who he's with. As soon as he hears you his little neck is craning."

"Oh," said Charlie, blushing when it came out less off-handedly and more like an excited squeak. Trying to regain his cool, he added, "He just likes it when I sing to him. Don't you, James? You just like Uncle Charlie singing."

The fact that David Bowie's "Song For Bob Dylan" was rapidly becoming the baby's favourite lullaby only added to Charlie's pride. The line "give us back our unity; give us back our family" filtered through his head and such a huge feeling of rightness flooded him that he had to look away from his friends to stare at his feet, like the sod he was rapidly becoming.

"So, what are you plans for today?" Kate asked, shifting so that she could cuddle Claire's son to her breast. She missed the fond look Jack sent the both of them but Charlie did not. It made him grin and think of his girl, all snuggled up and sleeping.

"Reckoned on moving my stuff in with Claire's," he said casually, praying that his face didn't look as red as it felt. The goofy smile was back and he'd be damned if Kate and Jack couldn't figure out everything that had happened last night. "Thought it would save you lot the trouble of having to stand guard."

"How isClaire?" Jack asked, the concern in his voice genuine, "She was pretty worked up last night."

Sober now, Charlie rubbed at the scars on his neck and nodded. "She's better. She's still sleeping. Didn't have the heart to wake her."

"I still wonder what They wanted with such a sweet kid," Kate said.

Charlie vowed, "I'll kill Them before They touch either one of them again."

For awhile, they sat in silence, each contemplating what none of them could answer. Then, Jack cleared his throat.

"It's something we're going to have to think about. We'd be naïve to think They won't come back. Whatever They wanted with James didn't just go away because we snatched him back. I think They were anticipating it, anyway." At Charlie's look of panic, he added, "Come on, Charlie. You have to admit it was pretty easy. We got her out of this compound and we only encountered Ethan? They'll be back."

"What are we supposed to do about it then?" Charlie questioned, the hatred in his voice apparent enough to make James fuss in Kate's arms.

"We thought we'd hold a meeting today. Posting a guard outside Claire's cave is a good start, but we've both fought Them. We need a plan of action. We need to make some decisions."

Charlie nodded, agreeing. "Sounds like a smart thing to do."

Jack and Kate exchanged a look and then Jack said, "We think it would be better if you didn't tell Claire until it was over. No need to get her upset when all we'll be doing is spitting out ideas, anyway. We'll fill her in afterwards. Give her a break."

"Not tell her?" he asked, gawking, "Are you out of your bloody minds? The fucking lunatics are after Claire and you think we should keep her in the dark? No way. I'm not doing it. She's the only one who's spent time with them. You'd be daft to exclude her!"

Kate sighed. "How is she supposed to tell us anything, Charlie? It would just upset her and that's the last thing she needs. Just… do this for Claire, okay?"

In that moment, despite the unfairness of it all, he found himself severely disliking the clean cut, take charge twosome. They had underestimated him if they seriously thought he'd keep this from Claire.

And yet… Images of her frown lines filtered through his mind. She looked so happy in sleep and was there really any point in scaring her further? If they decided to do something, he'd gladly fill her in but if all they were doing was shooting the shit… Well, Claire needed a chance to recover, not to dredge it all up again. The desperation in her eyes last night had overwhelmed him and he shuddered thinking about it.

Looking at James, Charlie made his decision.

Claire figured it was about three in the afternoon when Shannon and Walt entered her nook with a polite knock against the rock wall. She smiled in welcome at her friends and moved over so that they could sit beside her, taking her sleeping son with her as well.

"Hey Claire," Walt greeted, waving at her. His eyes fixated on the baby and he wasted no time in plopping himself down beside her, shifting the blanket a little so that he could better see James.

She waved back and smiled at him. Shannon noticed her grin and couldn't help but return the gesture. Something about her seemed interestingly different today – happier somehow. More at peace with her surroundings; more relaxed. That didn't make sense at all, she pondered, unless…

Eyes as wide as saucers, Shannon cleared her throat and said, "Walt, you wanna go see if there are any bananas left for us to eat while we're here?"

Walt obviously didn't want to go but he had always been slightly afraid of the biting blonde and so, with a very put out sigh, he said goodbye to James and scampered off.

As soon as he was out of hearing distance, Shannon sat down beside her friend and grabbed her arm. "Oh my God, you got laid!"

Claire didn't need to speak. The answer was written plainly across her very crimson face. Smiling good-naturedly, she covered up her baby's ears and brought a horrified finger to her lips.

Shannon giggled. "It took you long enough! I was actually starting to feel sorry for Charlie. I'm kind of surprised he doesn't have some kind of impairment because of you. He doesn't, does he?"

Claire shook her head vehemently and Shannon laughed.

"So did he live up to reputation? How big was it? I'm dying for real gossip! Details, Claire!"

Claire tried to look scandalized but failed entirely. All out grinning now, she held up her hand with an enthusiastic thumbs up. Then, she pretended to smoke a cigarette and raised an eyebrow at the other girl.

Shannon squeaked. "Have Sawyer and I? Pfft, yeah right! Like I'd let him touch me!" A pause, then a quietly secretive, "I think he likes Kate."

Claire snorted at this and shook her head, before laying her hand against Shannon's shoulder to indicate that this was not true. Shannon looked at her hand for awhile and was alarmed to find herself feeling… hopeful.

Shaking her head to rid herself of this, she stated grouchily, "Walt should hurry. We're supposed to be babysitting him."

Claire's eyebrow went up again, this time in confusion.

"Everybody's having some kind of meeting," Shannon told her casually, "Trying to figure out what to do about… you know. So we are supposed to keep Walt out of the way. No need to scare him."

Claire's look of alarm said it all.

"Oh shit, you didn't know!" Shannon gasped, "I mean, nobody told you? Jack told me to take Walt over here. Just to watch him for a bit and… I'm sorry, Claire." And, she was.

Claire looked away from her friend and felt anger well up within her. This meeting obviously was about her and to not be allowed to be a part of it… To be kept in the dark was demeaning. They obviously thought of her as nothing more than a basket case, likely to fall apart at any moment, and how dare they make such big decisions without her?

Then the most hurtful part of the whole thing hit her dead on. Charlie had kept this from her! Suddenly it all made sense. He had seemed so guilty bringing in his clothes and other personal things but she had written it off as nerves.

Howdare he?

Sensing her mood, James chose that moment to act up. She was glad for the distraction; glad to focus on how let down she was. Rocking him a little in her arms, she focused all of her energy on her son and, when Walt returned with the bananas, even made a half hearted attempt to show Shannon and him her secret language. She even laughed in all the right places and the fact that she was seething on the inside really seemed irrelevant anyway.

Claire was so enraged that, once James was settled in, she was tempted to pack up Charlie's things and bring them right back out to the fire. The fact that he was obviously bothered by the decision only galled her more. It had been a good few hours since the covert meeting had ended and he hadn't had the nerve to come see her.

Well, she hoped he'd stay away.

As soon as she thought it, she took it back. Confusion made her head hurt and she leaned against the wall, eyes closed. She wanted to cry but in truth she was too tired. Everything kept coming at her and Charlie's… betrayal was the last thing she needed.

A noise by the entrance caught her attention and her eyes flew open. Charlie was before her, skulking or so it seemed by her "doorway." She frowned at him.

"Why the long face?" he asked, and was it her imagination or did he even sound guilty?

She glared at him for so long that he started to shift nervously. Looking about himself, he came in and sat across from her, attempting a beguiling smile.

Claire wasn't having it. With her hands, she said I don't like secrets, Charlie.

He looked surprised, taken aback even. Laughing nervously, he mumbled, "So you know about everything, I see."

Why didn't you tell me? Her eyes were accusing.

Charlie sucked in a breath and looked everywhere but at her. She caught his arm so he'd look at her; so he'd see how much this hurt. She was dismayed to find that she didn't seem to have the energy to hold onto her anger but in its place was pain. She sighed and asked, Why?

He took her hand tentatively and sighed himself. He was quiet for a long while, gazing at their interlocked fingers. With his spare hand, he rubbed at a healing scratch on her thumb and said, "I'm sorry, alright?"

Tell me, Charlie.

He looked at her then and she was surprised to see that his eyes were filled. She knew hers were as well.

Why wasn't I…

"I'm sorry!" he said again, "They told me it was best for you, alright? I didn't want to make you upset again. They didn't either. We were going to tell you afterwards if anything got decided and it… it wasn't my bloody idea. I wanted to tell you straight off! But I had to promise that I wouldn't. I did this for you and for James and I… I wanted …" A pause. "I fucked it up. I know I did. I'm really quite good at that, Claire, so this is probably going to happen a lot. I just didn't want you to have to worry about anything else."

He sounded so pitiful that even her hurt dissipated some. Gently, she said, It's my life, too. Mine and James's.

He nodded and took a shuddering breath. "It's just that I worry about you, is all. I don't want you to have to be here. I want us to be back home, in a nice big house with a whole menagerie of bleedin' animals and lots of kiddies for James to play with. I don't know how to handle this, Claire!"

With me!

With that, she put her arms around him and pulled him to her. He laid down and put his head in her lap, flicking distractedly at the locks of blonde hair that fell in his face.

On a deep breath, he said, "They're keeping the guard outside of here. Everybody seems to think this isn't over. They think it was too easy. They're talking about doing perimeter control too. Nothing too fancy, mind. Just somebody taking a stroll a few times a day. Sayid wants to take another gander around the island, this time maybe with Scott or Steve or both." Off Claire's pained look, he added, "Not just cause of you. Because of all of us. This island isn't safe, Claire, for anybody."

She saw the pained desperation in his eyes and knew it was mirrored in her own. Guilt at being a burden welled up inside of her. She thought again of the other day, when she had felt watched on the path. It wasn't over, she realized that. It made her tighten her grip on Charlie; made her cling to his idea of a home far away from here. With her free hand, she reached over to her baby in order to feel for herself that he was safe.

He followed her hand with his gaze. "I won't let anything happen to you again, Claire."

She nodded. I love you, Charlie.

"And I love you too, ducks," he returned, " Both of you. But enough of this, eh? All this gloom and doom is giving me a headache. I can think of something much more… fulfilling to do with our time, can't you?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her so suggestively that she had to laugh, swatting playfully at him. Chuckling, he pulled on her arm until she laid down beside him. When his lips found hers, she gave herself over to him entirely, all too willing to concentrate on something entirely more pleasurable.

Claire knew immediately upon leaving her nook the next morning that something wasn't right. She couldn't place it exactly; couldn't explain it past a horrible feeling that seemed to leak through her whole being. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she felt…

Watched.

Anxiously, she looked around the camp, trying to place where it was coming from. People were up and about, as she had known they would be, but none of them were paying special attention to her. Jack and Kate were poking at the fire, oblivious, and Sayid was talking to Rose. She couldn't see Shannon or Sawyer but she found Charlie, piling wood on the outskirts of the clearing with Hurley.

Intuition aflame, she hugged James closer to her breast and tried to shush him when he picked up on her distress. Again, she searched the trees and again she saw nothing.

Her gaze returned to Charlie and she frowned. It was coming from over there, she realized. Whatever it was was lurking somewhere in the foliage just beyond the two men. Instinct propelling her forward, she began to walk towards them. Her heart was pounding and it was wrong. She knew with the whole of her being that Charlie had to move.

Had to move now.

Movement behind him caught her eye and caused her step to falter. She wasn't sure how it was possible; couldn't even start to explain how it had happened without catching anybody else's attention, but he was there, suddenly materializing before her.

For one horrible second, she stilled, gaping in disbelief. He was dead! They had told her. Sayid had pistol whipped him and he hadn't had a pulse! It was impossible and it couldn't be happening but it was.

There, before her and behind Charlie, stood Ethan Rom, posture erect and wearing that awful serene look that haunted her dreams. Warring instincts flared up inside of her. She had to run, she knew that, had to get James as far away from this monster as possible, had to tell Jack and Sayid and-

Slowly, he raised his finger mockingly to his lips and shushed her, smiling evilly around it. Her breath hitched and then started again, rapid and unnatural. Then he was looking at Charlie and she knew this time he wouldn't let Charlie live.

Turn around, she screamed mentally, just turn around and look! Wildly, she whipped her head in the direction of Jack and Sayid and urged them to see, to hear what she couldn't say, before it was too late. She sensed without reason that this time Ethan wasn't alone. She could feel Them staring at her from all angles; staring at her son.

Staring at Charlie.

She knew, too, that there was no way she could reach him in time to save him. Ethan was already reaching behind him, grasping at something, and-oh God- it was a blade! He meant to slit Charlie's throat and he knew she couldn't speak and-

She opened her mouth, taking a few steps forward and then one back when she remembered the precious being she held in her arms. She tried to speak, whooshing air up through her lungs. Tears sprang to her eyes and why couldn't anybody else see him? Why were they all too involved in their meaningless nothings to stop this? His arm was moving now and Charlie was talking to Hurley and if she couldn't manage to-

The scream that ripped from her throat garnered the attention of everybody. It seemed the whole entire camp turned to face her but that wasn't what she wanted.

"Charlie!" she shouted, her voice hysterical and rusty, "Charlie, behind you!"

And then the frenzy began. From everywhere, it seemed, They emerged from the bushes, swarming them. Somebody grabbed her- was it Locke?- and propelled her towards her nook. She almost lost her footing but that didn't matter because she couldn't see Charlie, but still Locke was pulling at her and Boone had joined him. She felt the wooden end of a blade being shoved in her hand, heard somebody tell her to move, but she fought them, trying her hardest to find Charlie.

It was James's crying that caught her attention in the end; that made her weaken her resistance as Boone pushed her back away from Them, shouting all the while for her to hide.

She came to her senses all at once and, hugging her son tightly, darted into her nook. Locke was behind her and so was Boone. And Charlie…

Crying, Claire clenched her eyes shut and prayed for them all.