Fate: Growing Pains

"Dad!" Gabby hopped into her dads lap, holding a peice of paper. "I got an A" She explained happily, waveing the paper infront of him. "Oh, so thats what that red blur is. Hold it still" Charlie sugested playfully. Gabby just giggled and handed it to him. "Wow. Congradulations. What about you Geni?" He questioned, glanceing over at the slightly less excited toddler.

"I didn't take it" She explained simply, plopping into the chair. Charlie glanced up at Claire in confusion. "She was sick that day. Of course, she fail to mention that she had a test" Claire noted, acusingly. Geni just shrugged. "Thats my girl. Stick it to the man" Charlie noted with a grin. "Charlie" Claire scolded, giving him a playfull smack.

Both girls giggled in amusement. "Hey, your the one teaching our girls violence. I'm just teaching politics" Charlie noted defensivly. "your teaching them to fail" Claire corrected. Charlie opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of an argument. At that moment the door bell rang. "Saved by the bell" He noted, hopping up to get it.

He pulled open the door to find Shannon and Sun on the other side. "who is it?" Claire questioned from the kitchen. "Oh...no one" Charlie noted sarcasticly, grinning at Shannon. "Shove it, blondie" She replied with an equealy sarcastic smile, and shoved him out of her way. "Good morning, Charlie" Sun added, politely, fallowing her in. Charlie nodded. "Morning"

"Hey guys" Claire walked out of the kitchen, holding dina in her arms. "Why do you insist on carrying that thing around. She's fat enough as she is" Charlie noted playfully. "Because, she likes to feel tall" Claire confrimed in defense of the cat, who shot him an evil look. "Dose she like feeling heavy too?"

"Oh, be quiet before she scraches you. Again" Claire scolded playfully, and plopped down on the couch, where Gabby was busy braiding Shannon's hair. "Well if your looking for something to carry around, theres something alot less furry, and alot less scrachy. They'er called babbies. We need another one" Charlie noted playfully, leaning down to tie his shoe.

"No we don't" Claire corrected firmly. "What? Why not?" Charlie questioned, standing up once again. "Well for starters, i don't want to be pregnet again" Claire noted simply. "Well...we could addopt" Charlie sugested with a shrug. "Charlie, three is enough" Claire confirmed insistently. "But-"

"No more kids" Claire stated firmly. Charlie frowned in defete. "Fine, i gotta go to work." He explained, giving each of the girls a kiss on the head before heading to the door. "We'll talk about this later" He insisted with a smile before walking about the door. "No we won't!" Claire confirmed, knowing that he couldn't hear her.

Both Shannon and Sun stared at her awqwardly. "What? I don't want another kid. I've already got a litter" Claire explained in her defence. "Yeah, Claire, but your kids are perfect . I mean, just look at my hair" Shannon exclaimed, gesturing at the perfect brade that Gabby had made. "Come on, Geni. You wanna try?"

"Hell no" Geni confirmed, giving her the famous you-must-be-kidding- look. "Geni. Stop saying that" Claire scolded. "Dad says it" Geni defended smartly. "Yeah, well...your dads a bad influence" Claire confirmed, unable to think of a better argument. She turned to Shannon. "And you call them perfect"

"Well...maybe you should just get rid of Charlie" Sun noted playfully. Shannon burst into laughter. Claire just shook her head.

Back stage:

"So, Michelle tells me you want more kids" Liam noted, sitting down next to his baby brother, who was playing his guitar. "Yeah" Charlie replied with a nod. "Claire too?"

"Uhhh, not so much" Charlie replied with a laugh. "Well, i can't blame her. I mean, we can want kids all we want, but there the ones who have to do the labor" Liam reminded, before takeing a sip of his bear. "Well, yeah, i know. Thats why i was thinking about adopting" Charlie explained.

"Hmmm. Adoption" Liam considered with a nod, "Sounds resonable"

"I hope" Charlie replied, not sounding to confident. "Look, man. Just keep reminding her of how much fun it was to have a baby around" Liam sugested. "What? Like wakeing up at three in the morning to brest feed?" Charlie questioned sarcasticly. "No. Like getting to name the babby, and play with them, and how cute they are. First word, first step, that kind of junk" Liam explained, waveing his bear bottle around as he talked.

"You have a way with words" Charlie noted, sarcasticly, trying to dodge the moveing bottle. "I know" Liam grinned, "I'm a poet and i didn't even realize it." A look of confusion crossed his face for a moment, then he shrugged it off and downed the last half of a bottle. "Well, thanks. Its always nice to get adivce from a drunk" Charlie noted, teasingly.

"Yep. Now i'm off to get even more drunk" Liam declared and hopped up with his seat. "Wanna come?"

"Uh, no thanks. I have to try to talk my wife into babbies. I think i should be sober" Charlie assured, sarcasticly. Liam shrugged. "Suit yourself"

At the house:

"Charlie, Gabby's in my bed" Geni complained, crossing her arms in the middle of her room. "Gabby, i thought i told you to go to bed" Charlie noted tiredly. "You didn't say witch bed" Gabby noted with a grin. "Go to your bed" Charlie corrected, lifting her off of Geni's bed and into her own. "But i'm not tired" Gabby protested with a pout.

"Well I am" Charlie noted, "So go to sleep"

"You got to sleep" Gabby shot back smartly. " I plan to" Charlie confirmed. "You to Geni-" He turned to see his other doughter already in bed. "Right. Good night girls"

"Good night" the girls replied, as he flicked off the light and closed the door behind him before walking to his room and plopping down on the bed. "Have some trouble?" Claire questioned, glanceing over at him with a smile. "Nope" Charlie lied, trying not to mention anything anti-babby. Claire rolled her eyes skepticly.

"So, about that baby" Charlie began, insistently, interupted by a overly loud sigh. "Charlie, we've been over this" Claire noted, tiredly. "No we haven't. not really. I mean, can't we atleast talk about it?" Charlie questioned. "There's nothing to talk about. I don't want another kid" Claire confirmed, trying her hardest not to sound agrivated.

"Right" Charlie nodded, looking a bit offended. He laid his head back agenst the pillow. "You know, if you wanted something i'd atleast consider it"

"Charlie" Claire sighed, feeling bad for snapping at him. "We can talk about it if you want, but i don't think there's anything you can say to change my mind about this. The kids are hard to handle, i mean, i love them, but i don't think i could handle haveing another one" Claire explained sympatheticly.

Charlie nodded, understanding. "Alright. I'll let it go" He gave in with a sigh. "Thank you, Charlie" she smiled, leaning over to kiss him. The two settled into bed and turned out the lights.

Next morning:

It was seven o'clock in the morning when Claire climed out of bed. Charlie was still dead asleep, and made no sign of wakeing up. Claire flicked on the light and wondered out into the hall. She was woken up by the sound of someone banging on the front door from downstairs, and got up to see who it was.

As she hurried downstairs, the banging got louder. "Hold on" She called, makeing her way to the front door in confusion. She pulled it open to find Kate standing in the door way, looking quite paniced. "Kate?" Claire questioned in suprise, noteing the fact that she held a very small baby in her arms. "Can i come in?" Kate questioned softly, paying little attention to the screaming baby.

Claire nodded and stepped aside, closeing the door behind her. "Kate, what are you doing here? And, when did you have another baby?" Claire questioned, in confusion, fallowing Kate to the couch. "I left Jack" Kate explained, trying to calm the infant. "What?" Claire exclaimed in suprise. "Why?"

"Sawyer" Kate explained simply. "We had been fighting alot. And then Sawyer showed up, and one thing lead to another. Jack found out-"

Cliare watched her talk in amazement. "But it was to late. I want to go back to him, but i couldn't. I was already pregnet. So me and Sawyer left.

I thought it would be better for him. For me to leave before I hurt him, like I've done to every one else" Kate explained, miserably looking down at the crying baby in her arms. "Shhh, its ok" She lifted him up and began rocking him. The attempt didn't seem to be working.

"Ok, well then, where's Sawyer?" Claire asked, in confusion, paceing back and forth infront of the couch. "He's at a hotel where were staying untill we can find a place-"

"This dosen't make since. I just saw him a couple months ago. He has a son!" Claire exclaimed, in bewilderment. Kate looked down at her lap. "Its not his son" She explained softly. "Wait...your telling me the boy that got into a fight with Ben is your son?" Claire asked in astonishment. Kate nodded, refuseing to make i contact.

"So you left Jack and took his son?"

"No, Its not like that. We have a custady deal. Jack has him now" Kate explained, still trying to calm her baby. "I didn't want him to live in a hotel"

"Well, what about the one your holding?" Claire questioned, trying her best to stay calm. "I have no choice Claire!" Kate snapped emotionaly, sinding the new born into another wave of tears. "Shh...calm down. God, i don't know whats wrong with him" She sobbed helplessly.

"Do you think he's hungrey?" Cliare questioned, trying to be helpfull. "I don't know." Kate replied franticly. "Well when's the last time you fed him?" Claire asked, insistantly. "I...i don't know. I can't remeber"

"What do you mean you can't remeber?" Claire exclaimed. "Would you stop yelling at me!" Kate replied defensivly. "I'm not yelling. Look, my kids are asleep, ok? I don't want them to wake up" Claire explained, calming herself down. "Well I'm doing the best I can, Claire" Kate explained with a sob, unstedly rocking the baby.

"I've got some formula in my bag" She added after a moment. Claire nodded and unzipped the bag, pulling out the bottle of formular. "I'll go heat it up" Claire explained, and walked into the kitchen. As she waited for the bottle to heat, she leanded her hand agenst the counter and sighed. This is not what she needed at seven in the morning. This was insane. She could still hear the baby screaming in the living room, and wondered how any one could stay asleep. The moctowave dinnged and she pulled out the bottle, holding it in one hand as she headed into the living room.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized Kate was not in the room. The baby laid, screaming on the couch, and the front door remianed open. "Kate" Claire called, running to the door. Kate's car was gone. Claire stood in the door way in shock, looking out into the still-dark street for any sign of her. Nothing.

"Claire?"

She turned to see Charlie standing on the stair case, stareing at her in confusion. "Whats going on?"

Shannon's apartment:

Shannon wondered over to the front door, dressed in a tank top and her underwear. For some reson, this didn't stop Shannon from opening the door. Michale stood infront of her, a sorry look across his face. Shannon sighed tirdly and stepped aside, alowing him to walk in. Michale steped inside hesitently, stopping when Sun emerged from her room.

He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of any thing to say. Sun walked forward, takeing slow steps. For a moment she stoped, as if she was considerering how far she would go for him. After pauseing momentarily, she finished the gap and wraped her arms around him. At first he was suprised, but then hugged her back, holding her tighter in his arms.

Shannon watched from the door way, a look of anoyance on her face. She pushed herself off the walk and wondered back to her room, not in the mood to stick around and watch them hug. She meet Sayid, who stood in the door way of there room. "He came back" Sayid noted, not sounding shocked or suprised. "Yep" Shannon replied, arms crossed over her chest. "its about time" Sayid noted simply, and turned into the bed room. "No kidding" Shannon agreed, and fallowed him in.

Both Michale and Sun were oblivious to their coments. They were lost in each other's arms. "I knew you would come back" Sun noted, her head rested agnest his chest, hearing his hear pound. "I never should have left" he replied guiltfully, pulling his arms tighter around her. "All that matter's is that your back" She assured, looking up at him sympatheticly. He nodded for a moment, at aw of her understanding. He was exspecting and argument, to here her yell, or cry, or throw things. But she was completly calm, witch made him feel ten times worse.

She truly trusted him, Knowing it was only a matter of time. He leaned down and kissed her, holding her as close as he posibly could. It was all he could do to keep from crying.

A few minutes later:

"So she just left him?" Michelle questioned, sitting on the kitchen table. "Mh,hm" Claire nodded, holding Kate's baby in her arms. "How could she do that? You can't just leave a baby!" Charlie exclaimed in a panic.

"Well, aparently you can" Liam noted sarcasticly. "Shut up, Liam" The room snapped in unisin. "Well did she say where she was staying?" Charlie questioned, fallowing Claire as she paced around the room, rocking the still-crying baby in her arms. "She said they were in a hotel" Claire explained, franticly.

"They'er probly gone by now" Liam noted, this time actualy trying to be serious. "You think we should call the police?" Claire questioned, stopping to turn to Charlie, almost cousing a collision. "No" He replied firmly, catching Claire by suprise. "Why not?" Claire questioned, stareing at him in confusion. "What if they can't find her? I mean, Kate's pretty good at getting away" Charlie reminded, doing his best to stay calm.

" We can't just keep him here!" Claire exclaimed in agrivation. "What should we do? hand him over to the police so he can go live in a foster home?" Charlie questioned, not sounding to confident in the idea. "Well we have to do something, Charlie!" Claire insisted, not doing to good a job at staying calm.

"What if she comes back?" Charlie questioned. "She's not comeing back" Claire confriemed skepticaly. "God, he won't stop crying" she whimpered, sinking into a near buy chair. "Here, let me see him" Charlie offered, lifting the wailing bundle out of her arms. Claire burried her head in her hands, no longer able to hold herself together. Charlie rocked the baby helplessly to no end as Michelle knelt down beside Claire, trying to comfort her. Unable to help, he wondered out into the living room.

The farther he got from the un ending noise, the quieter the baby got. He decided to step out side. Maybe if he got the kid away from all that emotion he would calm down. Surly enough, once he'd closed the front door behind him the screaming stopped. Charlie sat down on the front steps and stared down at the now contempt little baby, who stared back up at him with wide brown eyes.

He couldn't understand how any one could just leave their child. Exspecialy one that was so bloody adorable, although, I'm sure after listoning to him cry for hours on end made the magic fade a bit. The baby manuvered his little arm out of the blanket and reached it out, trying to grab up at him. Charlie smiled and gave him his finger, watchind adoreingly as the tiny fist wraped around it, a smile crossing his chubby face witch was still red from crying.

He was so intranced by the little guy, he didn't notice Shannon walk up intill she stopped infront of him. "Care to explaine?" She questioned, raiseing an eye brow. "Kate show'd up with him last night and left him here" Charlie explained, casualy, barely glanceing up for a second. "Wait, What?" Shannon asked in confusion, sitting on the steps beside him.

"Shhh" Charlie scolded, watching as the baby's eyes slowly closed. "What?" Shannon repeated in a wisper, still demanding her answer. Charlie didn't reply. He simply smiled down at the baby, who was now asleep.

Later that day:

"Charlie sat on the couch, still holding the baby in his arms. Claire came over and sat down beside him. "Here" she said, handing him the bottle witch Kate had also left, along with the bag of baby things. Charlie took the bottle and began feeding the little guy. "how did you get him to stop crying?" She questioned, leaning over to watch tiredly. Charlie shrugged. "Just needed to get away" He explained simply, trying to keep himself from smileing.

If Claire knew how great this felt, holding a baby once again. Takeing care of him, she'd think his reson for not wanting to call the cops was about his new found child obsession. Witch was partly true. He still wanted a baby, badly. And holding this one only made the feeling worse. But it was more than that. He'd lived in a foster home, him and Liam both. He wasn't going to let this little guy go through that. Its bad enough his sodding mother left him.

Claire seemed to be reading his mind, for she placed her hand over his, as it held the bottle steady. Charlie looked over at her in suprise. Claire hesitated to speak at first, but finaly opened her mouth. "Do you think...do you think we should keep him?" She questioned hesitently, noteing the look of suprise across his face.

Charlie didn't know how to respond. "I think we should" Claire explained, trying to make it easyer for him. She could tell by the way his eyes sparked when she mentioned it that he wanted the baby. Claire didn't want to admit it, but she wanted one too. And he'd just so carelessly fell into their laps. It was the motherly instint. The urge to take care a child, even if it wasn't yours.

Slowly, a smile crossed Charlie's face, and hers as well. He leaned over to kiss her then rested his head on her shoulder, stareing down at the baby in his arms as he contenuied to gently hold the bottle. "Did Kate say what his name was?" He questioned, curiously, without takeing his eyes off the baby.

"nope" Claire answered simply, pulling her arms around his waist. He didn't say anything else, or make any sign that he had even heard her reply. He was distreacted by the baby, who had bugan to fuss, indicateing that he was done. Charlie moved the bottle away and sat it down on the coffee table, before readjusting the baby in his arms. The little guy's eyes fell shut softly, a light smile on his face. Charlie kissed him on the forhead before resting him on his lap. The room fell silent and the lights seem to fade.

After a moment Charlie lifted his head, and looked up at Claire. "Thank you, for this" he spoke softly, not realy knowing what he was saying or why he was saying it. Claire nodded,smileing, understanding, and said nothing more.

The End

Alright kids, thats the end. I know it was alot shorter then the other to, but I felt it needed to end. I tried to close up all the lose ends, so sorry if i left any out. I would have liked to keep the story going, but i've got to many other things i'm trying to work on. I will be posting alot of other storys soon, but i wanted to wait untill i finished this one first. Hope you enjoyed it as much as i have and i hope to hear from you soon.