Note: CLAIRE'S BACK! And we have to wait a whole THREE WEEKS for the next episode? I hate ABC…but, as usual, I don't own it or Lost. I'd like to give a shout-out to Mel, whose rants inspired me for the Paranoid Charlie rant.

Charlie stumbled his way through the trees, still reeling from what he saw. Claire…it was really Claire. The Claire he knew, and the Claire the he loved. And she cared for him, too. She had kissed his cheek. He reached his hand up to touch the spot where the kiss had landed. It felt like Claire.

In his other hand, he still held the melted tuning key Sawyer had given him in a rare act of generosity that had probably only been seen by the late Kate. He had been squeezing it when he told Claire to leave, and it left a red imprint in his palm that hurt. Among other things that hurt, his eye was starting to bother him again. It had swollen a lot in the past few days.

All this time, Charlie was wandering aimlessly through the jungle, not really caring where he was because she was watching him. She was always watching him, remember that? Of course I do, you stupid fool, Charlie said to himself. My God, you're talking to yourself again! Pull yourself together!

Charlie looked around him. The area looked vaguely familiar, like a dream. No, not like a dream, like a memory. A repressed memory, that was now refusing his repressment and caving in on him.

Claire…her stomach started hurting. The baby started hurting, so he ran to find Jack, but found Ethan…instead of Jack, the helper, he found Ethan, the anti-Jack. How stupid could he possibly be? To tell a man he barely even knew…Charlie shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. At least he knew where he was now. He glanced towards the cave and towards the beach, and turned towards the beach.

Sawyer greeted him when he came out of the jungle. "Where ya been, man?" he asked nonchalantly. "I was…Jack was worried about you."

"Sawyer," Charlie said quickly. "I found her."

"Who?"

"I found her…" Charlie muttered breathlessly. "I found Claire."

Sawyer shook his head and began walking down the beach. "Charlie, a lot of crap comes outta your mouth."

"I'm serious!" Charlie said, half-trotting to keep up with his long strides. "I was in the jungle after you gave me the key…"

"…Uh-huh…"

"…and I chucked it into the trees and sat under a tree for a bit…"

"Sobbing your heart out?" Sawyer chuckled.

"Yeah, but that's not important right now," Charlie said crossly.

"Well, continue then!"

"Ok. Well," he continued. "I was sitting under the tree when the tuning key was dropped on my head."

Sawyer stopped and turned to face him. His face said it all, but as usual, his mouth couldn't stop itself. "What are you on?"

"Claire dropped it on my head! And I found her! Well, more like she found me, but still! She kept talking about how they'd hurt her and Claire didn't even tell me who she is! And Claire kissed my cheek and…"

"Woah…" Sawyer smiled and clapped a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Imaginary action, Charlie?"

"I'm serious!" Charlie exclaimed, shaking off his shoulder. "Can't you be serious?"

"I can be very serious," Sawyer said, with a very serious look on his face.

"Well, good," Charlie said, a bit confused with the fact that someone was listening to him for once. "You do realize, we have to save her."

"Charlie," Sawyer exasperated. "You didn't see Claire."

"Yes I DID!" proclaimed Charlie indignantly.

"No, you didn't," Sawyer said thoughtfully. "You're hurt, and the jungle makes you see things."

"I did see her!"

"I've seen Kate in the jungle a couple of times," Sawyer confessed sadly. "Just because you see them don't mean our girls are coming home, kid."

"I'm sick of everyone treating me like I'm a baby!" Charlie blew up. "Do you KNOW how people look at me? I see it! They wonder, 'Why didn't that poor bloke save her!' YOU think it! I CAN SEE IT. I tried so bloody hard to save her! You don't think I tried, do you? You think I cowered at his feet? You think I didn't punch him, even as he beat me? You think I didn't bite his leg when I couldn't move mine? You think that I forget Claire's screams every night? I hear them! I hear her screams! And now, I'm trying to quiet them, and YOU won't believe me!"

"Charlie…" Sawyer said quietly. He was causing quite a scene, and people on the beach were beginning to stare.

"No, don't 'Charlie' me! It's always 'Charlie this' and 'Charlie that.' And ever since Kate died, I've been treated like an untouchable terminal patient or something! No one consoled me after she left! I am the freaking drowning man and no one wants to…save me or something! Yeah, no one wants to dive in and save me! No one wants to get their stupid clothes wet! Well, I'll tell you something, Sawyer, I want to get my clothes wet!" he finished loudly, waving his finger in Sawyer's face.

People on the beach were definitely staring now.

Sawyer was trying (unsuccessfully) to suppress a smile. Angry short men always made him laugh.

"STOP LAUGHING," Charlie said angrily.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Sawyer said. "I'll try to be very serious." Sawyer exploded and laughter filled the afternoon air.

"You're just mocking me," Charlie said, disgusted. "Fine. I'll just go back to the caves." He picked up his bag and began walking away. "Jack will help me find her."

Sawyer stopped laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Fine," he said. "I'll help you."

"Seriously?"

"Very seriously," Sawyer responded, nodding his head.

"Good," Charlie said. He and Sawyer sat down on the sand. "There's one thing you should know, though."

"What?"

"Claire killed Kate."