Author's Note: Again, I love and thank you all. I was kind of panicking because I wasn't feeling very inspired…but then the Golden Globes came on with Dom in a tux. fangirlluv Thanks for showing me those pictures, Jessi...and I also do not own Watership Down or the text from that book placed in this fictional story. I don't own Lost either.

"Charlie?"

Charlie turned around. He was collecting water from the caves in water bottles, to bring them to the beach. Ever since Kate died, and he realized that Claire was probably watching him, he felt he had to have more purpose in his life, so he was picking up more chores. He had ventured into the jungle on several occasions, but never far enough away so he couldn't hear people's voices. Sometimes, while he was collecting fruit, he would sit in his tree and just talk to Claire, just tell her what was going on.

"Michael got real pissed at Walt today," he said once. "Walt forgot to pick up his dog's crap, and Michael stepped in it. It was bloody hilarious…wish you could've been there." He picked something. "I…I miss you, Claire," he said. "I wish you would come back. We could protect you…Locke…he would protect you, he and his scary knives…and the Korean man…he seems pretty, y'know…scary too. He'd protect you…I'd protect you…

"I…burned my guitar," he admitted. "I don't know why…Sawyer thinks I killed her, Claire. I didn't tell him…I haven't told anyone that I saw you. They'd all think I'm crazy anyway…Jesus, I am crazy. I'm talking to myself in the middle of a jungle, to someone who probably can't even hear me…Claire, just come home. How's the baby? Is it okay? Did…did they take him? Claire…I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't believe you before. I'm just…I'm just sorry."

"Charlie?"

Charlie turned around. Sawyer was there with his hands behind his back, like he was holding something, like a bouquet. "Hello," Charlie said. Sawyer looked around hurriedly. Jack was watching them with a sour look on his face…Jack always knew that Kate had preferred Sawyer of him, after all, who wants the good guy?

"We don't have much time," Sawyer said. "Doctor man is lookin' over at us…" Charlie looked over at Jack, who smiled slightly at Charlie. These men had both loved and lost, and in that way, became friends. "Here…" Sawyer said, thrusting a small package under Charlie's nose. It was poorly wrapped in the pages from a book with small font… "...of the wood, where the ground became open and sloped down to an old fence and a brambly ditch beyond, only a few fading patches of pale yellow still showed among the dog's mercury and oak-tree roots. On the other side of the fence, the upper part of the field was full of rabbit holes…" "I ripped out the first chapter of my book…" Sawyer mumbles. "I'm almost through with the second part…it was too thick anyway…"

Charlie ripped open the tiny package and out slipped a melted piece of metal. Charlie couldn't tell what it was. He turned it over and over in his hands.

"I found it in the ashes," Sawyer said. "It's from you guitar…I think it's one of those things that make the music sound right."

"A tuning key?" Charlie asked. "My tuning key?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sawyer said. "I was makin' the fire last night in the same spot, and it just glinted up at me…it was all that was left from it…" Sawyer stopped. "Do you like it?"

Charlie was quiet. "Charlie?" Sawyer asked, touching him on the shoulder lightly. Charlie looked up, and Sawyer saw that tears were in his eyes. "I can't take this, man…" he said. "I have to go." He ran into the jungle.

"Charlie, wait!" Jack said. He ran after him, but Sawyer put a hand out to stop him. "My god Sawyer, did you give him drugs? He's just getting over them!" "Let him go," Sawyer said quietly, and Jack saw that he was serious.

Charlie ran until he couldn't hear voices. He chucked the tuning key as hard as he could. "Christ, Claire! Just come back!" He sat down and leaned against a tree, crying softly.

He had been sitting there for a long time, thinking and crying and missing Claire, when something hard hit his head. "Damn," he said, rubbing the sore spot. He looked around on the ground and picked up the tuning key. "What?"

He looked up and saw a small person sitting in the tree. He stood up and backed away to get a better look. It wasn't a small person; it was a petite one, an adult. And…she was a girl, with long blonde hair. "Claire?" he whispered.

Claire gasped slightly and jumped down from the tree. She began to run, again. Charlie was quicker this time, less held down from grief, and he caught up to her. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"Charlie," Claire gasped. "You've got to let me go."

"Claire…it's really you!"

"Charlie, listen. They'll hurt her! You have to let me go…let me go!" Claire pleaded with him.

"Who? Who will they hurt Claire? I've missed you! We all have! So much has happened since you've been taken…Shannon and Sayid have been hooking up like mad…Kate's dead…" Charlie stopped suddenly and stared at Claire like he didn't know her. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" He let go. Claire stood there like she'd been slapped. "Oh, just run. Just leave. That's all your good at, isn't it?" "Charlie…" Claire whispered. Charlie sat down on the ground. "Go on, leave. I won't even look. I won't even follow you."

Claire touched Charlie's arm gently and he flinched. "Charlie, not everything on this island is what it looks like." "Oh, like I haven't figured that one out already." "I'm so sorry, so very sorry…" "Stop talking and just go."

Claire looked around her, as if to see if no one was watching. She sat down next to Charlie and hugged him. Then she kissed his cheek. "I love you, Charlie," she said. "I love you very, very much." She stood up and started walking away.

"Why can't you come back?" Charlie asked. He was crying again and standing, like he wanted to follow her, but couldn't. "Why can't you get her and come back?"

"It's not that simple, Charlie," Claire murmured. "There are people where I am. People make me do things. They make me hurt people."

"Do they make you hurt me?" Charlie asked simply.

"If they told me to, I would never do that," Claire told him. She was crying too. She ran to Charlie and hugged him.

"We miss you," Charlie sobbed into her shoulder. "I miss you."

"I'll be watching you, Charlie," Claire told him. "I will always be watching you." She let go of him and smiled slightly, and began walking away. Charlie raised his arm and kept his eyes on her until he couldn't see her anymore.