Chapter 3- Memories Consume

Ok, so I'm back with another chapter. Of course I have to tell you to check out my other story, Hearts Grow Fonder. I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it was a very nice one to write. I must say I am very proud of it. So here is chapter three…

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"Yeah… he's dead." Jack said looking up at Charlie.

"Here." Charlie said giving Jack the gun. He walked away showing no regret of shooting Ethan.

"Charlie." Kate said knowing he was blinded by his emotions. He turned around to look at her.

"I don't regret it. He deserved to die."

"Charlie I know he hung you, but he…" Jack said, pausing seeing the look on Charlie's face.

"I didn't do it for me." The group gave him a questioning look.

"I wasn't going to let him hurt her again… ever." Charlie said looking at Claire and walking away. Claire watched as he walked back to the caves. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Are you alright?" Sayid asked looking at her. She nodded and put on a fake smile.

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When they got back to the camp, they saw Charlie staring out into thin air. Claire looked at him and went to get her diary. She thought about the events that happened as she reached for her small blue diary. She couldn't forget the look on Charlie's face as he fired the gun. She read through each page of the diary, trying to remember any thing about what happened on the island.

She read through pages about Thomas and felt a tear roll down her cheek. She smiled at some of the pages, including her list of what to pack. She looked at the page beside. It read, "I realized I really like Charlie. There's just something about him that's so adorable and sweet. I'm in a scary place and he makes me feel safe." She smiled and turned the page. She read about the nightmares and the black rock. She read the whole thing. She couldn't get Charlie out of her head. When she came back, he was the one with the open arms… and the open heart. He took care of her and killed Ethan for her. She stood up… she had to talk to him.

Charlie was sitting alone and still just staring into thin air.

"Charlie…" Claire said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Charlie asked, breaking his stare at the open air.

"I read it…" Charlie looked at her confused. "My diary, I read it." She noticed he went back to staring. "We're friends." Charlie nodded as he looked at her.

"So we talked a lot?" Claire asked smiling.

"Of course, luv. We talked about all sorts of things."

"Like what?" Claire asked curiously.

"Peanut Butter, Jack, Locke, dreams… nightmares." Charlie said looking at her.

"Yeah, I read about those." Claire said looking at the ground.

"Do you remember them?"

"No… but I remember the peanut butter." Claire said smiling.

"Well, you should… I searched high and low for that imaginary peanut butter." Claire giggled. "That's why you moved here." Charlie said looking around the cave. "It was our deal."

"Thanks Charlie."

"For what?"

"Taking care of me, helping me remember, protecting me."

"Claire, you may not remember, but I made you a promise…"

"What kind of promise?"

"That I wouldn't leave you or let anything get to you." Claire looked at him. "I failed on both of those promises."

"No, Charlie, you didn't…"

"Claire… please, don't try to convince me otherwise."

"Charlie… I don't know what happened, but… I don't blame you. You have talked to me and protected me ever since I came back. I see the look in your eyes. You don't tell me, but I know you are hurt by the fact that I don't remember you."

"Claire…" Charlie said looking her in the eyes.

"I trust you." Claire said as Charlie smiled slightly. "I'm going to go to sleep… Good night, Charlie."

"Good night, Claire." He said watching her walk away. She laid down on her back, with her very rounded belly out in the open air. She kept both hands on her pregnant stomach, and fell asleep to her baby kicking. Charlie watched as she drifted off to sleep. Even though Ethan was dead, he felt like he needed to watch her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

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It had been a few hours, or at least it felt like it. He was still watching her sleep, but was replaying the memories of killing Ethan over and over in his head. He could still hear the gunshots and the feeling of the cold metal in his hands. He noticed Claire looked like she wasn't having a good dream. She was sweating and fidgeting. He noticed a tear roll down her cheek. He got up and stood watching her.

"No!" Claire screamed as she woke up. She began to cry. Charlie rushed over to her.

"Claire, what's wrong? What was it about?"

"You were hanging… Charlie did that really happen?"

"Yeah." Charlie said nodding his head gently. "The last time you saw me… you thought I was dead…" Charlie said brushing a tear off her cheek with his thumb. Claire sat there… she didn't know what to say.

"I was really lonely here... People wanted me to talk to them, but I only wanted to talk to you. But… you were gone." Charlie said looking at her.

"Thanks Charlie… I like when you tell me things. No one else really talks to me."

"Well, you see luv…We are loners. We don't need the others… we can talk, be friends, and eat imaginary peanut butter." Claire giggled. "Are you ready to go back to sleep?" Charlie said laying a hand on her back and rubbing it softly.

"Yeah." She said quietly.

"If you want, I will stay with you."

"As long as you promise to get some sleep." She said smiling.

"Alright." He said as she laid down. He leaned his back against the wall and fell asleep.

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Charlie opened his eyes to see Claire was gone. Charlie got up and looked around. She wasn't there. He thought for a moment and headed to the beach.

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When he arrived at the sandy beach, he saw Claire standing, looking out at the water.

"Standing in the sun… and you are over nine months pregnant." Charlie said walking up to her. "Your feet are probably killing you."

"They aren't too bad."

"Anyways, you must need water or shade."

"Shade would be good."

"Then you can come sit with me." Charlie said smiling at her.

"Alright." She said following him over to a shaded area.

"Here we go." He said helping her sit down. She looked tired. He sat down beside her. "How did you sleep?"

"Not too bad." She said nodding her head.

"Good." Charlie looked over at her. "Do you remember any thing else?"

"No." She said looking at the ground.

"Don't worry luv. You'll remember sooner or later." He said smiling at her.

"Can you tell me about things we did? It might trigger something in my memory."

"Claire, you don't want to force yourself to remember."

"Please?" She asked quietly.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" He asked smiling at her.

"How did we meet?"

"You were dragging your suitcase along the beach. I came up to you and put it on a wheel chair I was using to carry my stuff. And then we talked.

"About?"

"I asked if your husband was on the flight. You told me you weren't married and how modern it was of you." Charlie said with a small laugh. A smile spread across Claire's face.

"Thanks Charlie." Claire said looking over at him.

"Any thing to help you remember, luv."

"I just wish it had helped."

"Well, you have to give it time."

"I know." Claire said smiling at Charlie. He smiled back at her. "Oh." Claire said laying her hands protectively over her very pregnant belly.

"You alright?" Charlie asked worried.

"Yeah… he just kicked." Claire said taking Charlie's hand in hers and laying it on her belly. Charlie smiled at Claire.

"You know, this is the second time I have felt him kick." Charlie said keeping his hand on her belly. "You let me feel him kicking, just before…" Charlie stopped and removed his hand from her belly.

"Just before what?" Claire asked, noticing he was upset.

"Just before Ethan took us." Charlie said looking her in the eyes.

"Why were we out in the jungle by ourselves?" Claire asked confused.

"Jack thought your pregnancy was causing you to see things that weren't happening. Like when you said you were attacked…" He looked at her angelic face, and then down at the ground. "He tried to give you a sedative and you got upset. When I came in the cave, you stormed out. I followed you… you went into a false labor and when you were better… we headed back to the caves, and you felt the baby kick. You let me fell and then… Ethan came… and he took us."

"I remember something… I remember asking you why you came after me." She looked at him. "You told me it was because you liked me and I thought you just wanted to rescue me." He looked at her. "I see now that I was wrong." She said smiling slightly. Charlie looked away.

"I like you too, Charlie." Claire said as Charlie turned to look at her again.

"Claire, don't feel like you owe me anything."

"Charlie… I know how I feel… I like you." Charlie looked up at her. "You make me feel safe." She said smiling.

"And you make me feel alive." He told her, taking her hand in his.

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Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review… if you want… LOL!