This is a very short one shot that takes place after the season finalie. Charlie picks up his drug habbit once againe, and the cast aways quicly catch on. He tries to run away from it all, but some how find himself running to the arms of someone he love's instead. One shot. Charlie / Claire.

RUSH

t was a rush like no other. He hadn't realized how much he'd wanted it untill now. he laid his head back agenst a tree, unconchious of the dazed grin across his face. His hands fell liply between his crossed legs, dangling the baggie from witch he had just inheald. He closed his eyes, letting the high settle in. He could fill it tingling through his vaines, slowly polseing through him. How he'd managed to go for weeks without this feeling, he didn't know. Not that he really had an option, of course.

The snapping of a near by twig sint him into an instant panick. His eyes snapped open, instinctivly folding the baggy into his fist, witch he then shoved into his back pocket as he stumbled to his feet, all the while keeping his eyes on the figure before him. At first, it was to dark to tell. But the lights from the cave gave shape to the shadow, witch he quickly reconized as Claire's by the baby she held in her arms.

"Hey.." He spoke, a bit unsteadily, leaning back agenst the tree. He tried his best to sound casual, but wasn't doing such a great job. "Hey...what are you doing out here all by yourself?" She questioned, eyeing him curiously. "um...nothing, just...sitting. Thinkning" He explained in a slightly frantic bable that ended with an off set sniff.

"Well you better come back to the caves. Jack and some of the others just got back" She explained, still looking at him with slight concern. "oh" He nodded, and sniffed again, pushing himself off the tree. "what did they find" he asked, holding the back of his hand to his nose as they began to walk.

"I don't know. I came to look for you soon as they got back" She answered, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine" He nodded in assurence, smiling in an attempt to prove it. "You sure?" She questioned, still a bit skeptical. "Positive" He confrimed with a nod. "...Ok" She smiled after a moment, easily beleiving him. After all, why wouldn't she? She trusted him with the life of her son, and her own. Though, the last time she did he ended up getting her kidnapped and getting himself hung. Not exactly the most reliable way to protect someone.

They made it back to the caves where every one was gathering their bags and putting out the fires. Some had already started to leave. "Woo, whats going on?" Claire asked in confusion, rocking Aron as she looked around. "Where is every one going.." Charlie echoed her bewilderment as he watched the fellow cast aways move past him. "Hurly-" he stopped the big man who carried two bags of his own.

"Yeah dude?" Hurly turned to him, looking a bit startled. "Whats going on?" Charlie questioned bluntly, cutting stright to the point. "Were leaving, dude. Just fallow Jack" Hurly explained distantly, before turning back onto the trail. "But-" Charlie went to ask, still not satisfied, but Hurly had already begun to walk away.

He turned to Claire and shrugged. "Guess we're going that way"

"I guess so" Claire replied with a sigh. She headed over to where her bags laid by one of the rocks, and began to gather up her things. "Hey, i'll be right back, ok? I just gotta go get my bag" Charlie explained, rembering that he had left it out by the tree. Claire stood up with aren and nodded. "Ok, I'll wait for you" She assured, shifting one of her bags onto her shoulder. Charlie smiled before turning and quickly makeing his way back into the jungle.

It was nearly pitch black, makeing it hard for him to tell where he was going. Luckily, it wasn't to far from the caves, so it wouldn't be to hard to find his way around. He spotted his bag on the ground and knelt down infront of it, looking from side to side in a paranoid fasion before pulling the flap open, makeing sure the figure of the virgin marry was still there. It was, he was good to go. He closed it back up and pulled it over his shoulder before hopping to his feet. He turned, and was nearly knocked back to the ground when he ran into Locke, who had been standing behind him the whole time.

He stumbled backwards into the tree, manageing to catch him self before stumbling any further. He grabbed onto the thin trunk of the palm tree to keep his balence as he strugled to catch his breath. "You need to learn how to be more aware of your suroundings. Its dangerous out here" Lock noted in a fatherly manor, calm as always.

"Yeah, sure. I'll remeber that" Charlie nodded sarcasticly, pushing himself off the tree. "What are you doing out here any ways?" Locke questioned, curiuosly, watching as Charlie lifted his hand to his forhead and sqeeezed his eyes shut. "I was getting my bag" He explained, trying to releive the sudden pain in his head. He opened his eyes, sniffed, and blinked a few times and it was gone.

"You might want to hurry. Most of the groups already left-" Lock began to explaine, glanceing over his shoulder, but he trailed off when he looked back. "I know" Charlie nodded, and began to walk "Claire's waiting for me-" Lock extended his hand out to stop him. Charlie looked up at him in confusion, silently asking for an explination. Locke simply stared at him hard, the way a parent would when they wanted you to admit to doing something witch they already knew you'd done.

"Let me see your bag" Locke instructed firmly. "What? Why?" Charlie asked inosently, as if he had no idea what the man was talking about. "Charlie. Let me see your bag" Locke insisted, keeping his tone cold and serious. Charlie stared back, but said nothing, and made no attempt to hand over the bag. "Danmit, Charlie. Why? Why would you do this to yourself?" Locke questioned after a moment, breaking the whole fatherly act and turning to a more disapointed apeal.

"I don't know what your talking about" Charlie explaind softly as he cut aorund him and head back for the caves. "You can lie to me if you want, but you can't lie to yourself!" Locke called out after him. Charlie tried to ignore him, and kept walking. "You can't just walk away from this, Charlie" Locke contenuied, moveing at a slow pace to catch up with him.

Charlie had already stepped into the caves when he stopped and turned around. "This is none of your buisness, alright? So back off" Charlie demanded fimrly, oblivous to the fact that all those in the cave who hadn't left were listoning. "It is my buisness, Charlie. I helped you quit once, remeber? Its my job to do it againe" Locke reminded, reaching for the bag at Charlie side.

"You didn't do shit-" Charlie scoffed in reply, hoping back out of his reach. "You can fight this Charlie. You might not want to right now, but you have a choice-" Locke insisted, trying once again to grab hold of the bag. "You don't know what your talking about" Charlie insited, trying to pull it out of his grip.

Locke managed to pull it off his shoulders and kept a firm grip on it in his hand. "I know exactly what I'm talking about Charlie. I'm not going to let you do this to yourself" he assured, takeing a few steps back . "Your insane" Charlie muttered, eyeing him angrily as he pulled open the bag. "You'll thank me for this" He pulled the bag open, and lifted the statue out of it. Charlie eyes widened as he watched it fall to the ground with a crash.

For a split second, he lost controll of himself. He jumped forward, reached out for the bags that laid on the ground between the shdreds of shattered glass. Locke grabbed hold of him and pusshed him back. "Let go, get the hell off of me!" He contenuied to yell, but Locke paid absolutly no attention. Some where in the mix, Jack had joined in. The two managed to hold him back untill he cought hold of himself againe. Finaly, his eyes left the baggies that laid on the ground, and instead cought a site that nearly broke his heart. Along with the others who stood around, watching as if it were a sceen in a movie, stood Claire, holding little Aron, a look of shock on her face.

He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. What was there to explaine? The two stared at each other for a moment, both at a complete loss for words. He watched as she fought back the tears that were already forming, and stormed away. He pulled his arms away, freeing himself from Locke and Jacks hold. He turned to them, eyes cold, angrey, and spoke in a low, heated growl. "Are you happy now?"

After a while, the group got back on task, and fallowed the rest of the cast away's trail. Charlie fallowed as well, keeping some distance from him and the rest of the group. He wanted to be alone. He didn't want to have to look at any of their faces ever againe. No one trusted him any more, no one. Exspecialy not Claire. He kept invisioning her watching as the two held him back from a god danm baggie, watching as he completly lost it. Seeing the hurt in her eyes when she stared back at him. He could feel pain in his chest, and didn't know if it was hers or his own. Shed trusted him and he'd let her down once again.

He couldn't show his face amongst them any longer, exspecialy infront of Claire. She'd already had enough pain involving men and their stupidity, he wan't about to stand around and make things worse. After a moment, he just stopped. Stood still, closed his eyes, waited untill he could no longer here the foot steps of those infront of him. Then he took a deep breath, opened his eyes and ran. He had no clue where he was going, he just ran. Past the trees, the leaves, the bugs, just ran untill the air hit his lungs so hard it hurt. Ran untill he was out of breath, ran untill he hit the ground, literaly.

He dropped somewhere in the middle of no where, witch could have realy been anywhere on the island. It happened to be a little clearing, filled with thin blades of tall grass. he laid on the ground, chest pounding, heart raceing, shreds of breaths unsteadily escapeing through his mouth and nose. You can't keep runninng from this...Locke's words echoed in his head.

He closed his eyes for a moment as the words repeated themselevs over and over againe, along with all the apropriate images when you've hit rock bottom. He saw Claire's face near tears once againe, Locke carrying her back to the caves uncocncous, his arm moveing around her as they stared at a suspichous eathan, himself hanging...

a ran drop hit his forhead. His eyes opened as a few more drops meet the surface of his skin. He pushed himself off the ground that had already gone damp and rose to a clap of thunder. The rain began beating down hard with in seconds, and he felt the chill go through him. He couldn't see much. Just rolling clouds over head, and a sea of grass and mud around him. He stared up at the sky, letting the ran beat down on him, squinting to keep the heavy droplets out of his eyes.

After watching a bolt of lightining shoot down somewhere in the mountins, he decided to start walking once again. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and started to walk away.

Claire held aron closer to her to shelter him from the rain as she squinted up at the blanket of leaves witch streached up towards the rolling sky. She had already began to shake from the cold, as had the baby in her arms, who was starting to fuss. The tiny muffled whimpers soon turnned to miserable whales. "shhh..." Claire coed, trying to comfort him. She rocked him up and down and moved her hand back and forth over the blanket to keep him warm. The attempt didn't do much.

The screaces contenuied to grow louder with another crack of thunder, makeing Claire feel all the more helpless. The other survivors paid no mind to her. They simply walked by. Most of them wouldn't even look at her, let alone try to help. She thought of Charlie. He had always helped her. Always. She didn't even know him, and yet when her baby was stolen, she turned to him for help. And a few hours later, he was back in her arms. When she was attacked by Eathen, it was Charlie who pulled the trigger. She owed her childs life to him, and her own.

She looked up, stoping herself just in time before running into Locke, Hurly, who had stopped to tie his shoe. "Woo, careful" He warned in a friendly kind of way, his eyes imidiately dropping the the baby. "Wow, he sound upset"

Claire nodded, the rain rolling down her face as she looked down at the baby in her arms. He seemed to generaly want to help, but didn't really know where to start. "Uh...where's Charlie?" He questioned, hopeing that the guy name might better offer some assistance. "What?" He eyes snapped back up to meet his. Aparently, he hadn't heard...

"Charlie, you know. Short, british, grungy guy? The one who fallows you arould like a lost little puppy?" Hurly gave a rather good discription, trying to bring a smile to her face. But it only made her feel worse. "I...I don't know" She replied softly, her voice trembling from the cold. His face twisted to a look of confusion. She didn't feel much like explaineing, so she just walked past.

"Shhh, please, shhh" She contenuied to try to calm the baby as she walked, but his screams only got lounder. She didn't know what to do. She was shakeing inside out and so was he. What if he got sick? What if he was to cold? What if he got hypothirmia? She couldn't take it any longer.

"Jack!" She called, quickly makeing her way to the head of the line. "Jack-" She cought up to him and stopped behind him abruptly. "Claire?" He turned, looking her over in concern. "Jack, he won't stop crying. Its, its to cold. What should I do?" She asked, her lower lip trimbling. "He nees something to keep him warm. Do you have any blankets in there?" Jack questioned, glanceing down at her bags.

"No" She shook her head, a hint of regret in her voice, "The blankets were in Charlie's bag"

Jack sighed. "I...I could get them for you" Jack offord, a hint of sympathy in his voice. "No" She shook her head, "I'll go"

"Plaease, let me. You, just stay here and try to keep warm, alright? Kate, see what you can find for her" Jack insisted, not giving her much of a choice as he headed back in the direction where every one was comeing from. He walked quickly, past cast away after cast away, each holding a dreary look on the face as the hurded past him like cattle. The soles of his shoes slipped through the mud, he held tree after tree to keep from slipping. He reached the back of the line, where the last few survivors walked.

"Sayid-" He stopped infront of them, walking backwards to keep up. Sayid looked up, one arm around Shannon and the other carying her bag. Shannon looked up as well, a very moddy look upon her face. Her eye make up had smeared, making her look much like an iritated racoon. " What's wrong?" Sayid questioned, instantly concerned by the urgancy in Jacks face.

"Where's Charlie?" Jack questioned, slightly confused. "I haven't sceen him" Sayid explained honeslty. "Yeah, not since that little episode back at the caves" Shannon added smartly. Jack looked past them at the darkened path behind them, takeing in deep breaths. He pulled out his flash light and twisted it on before contenuing back into the darkness. The two looked back at him in confusion. "What is he doing?" Shannon asked bluntly.

"I don't know" Sayid replied, stareing as Jack disapeared into the darkness. "You should go after him" She sugested out of no where. Sayid turned to her in confusion. "Its dangerous. You should go, make sure he dosen't get hurt" She explained, holding her bags infront of her and slipping out from under his arm.

"Then who will take care of you?" Sayid questioned, a smile across his face. "I'm sure the rest of the heard can handle me for a little while" She replied jokenly, laughing a little. "Alirght." He nodded, "Take care"

And off he went to chase the doctor into the darkness. "Charlie!" Jack called, running through the rain. His flash light darting from side to side in search of him. "Charlie!" He called, but got no response. He was running out of breath. "Jack!" Sayid slid up behind him, manageing to catch up rather fast. "He's gone" Jack explained breathlessly, leaning agenst one of the trees.

"What?" Sayid eyed him over in confusion. "Charlie. He's gone" Jack explained in shreads of breaths, leaning his head agenst the bark. "Where has he gone?" Sayid asked curiously, not quite fallowing. "I... dont...know" Jack replied, takeing in depp breaths of air, trying desperately to lower the race of his heart.

"Jack-"

The two looked over to see Claire standing a few feet away, just within the reach of jack's flash light. "Claire, I told you to stay with Kate-" Jack began, finding it harder to speak in his breathless condition. "Where is he?" She asked, intupting him. Jack took in a deep, regretfull breath and answered. "He's gone"

He had no clue where he was now, not that he could really see much any ways. But he just kept walking. The farther he went, the less chance they had of finding him. Thats the way he wanted it. He could feel the tips of his fingers tingling inside his pockets, and knew he needed another hit. Funny, the thing his body wanted more than anything was the one thing that managed to screw it all up. Funny.

He dropped once again, this time in some kind of puddle. He hadn't realized how exausted he was untill he'd hit the ground a second time. He tried to lift himself but couldn't. his body just wouldn't let him. Locke was right, he couldn't keep runninng. If he did he'd probly pass out. So he just laid flat on his back in the water and felt around in his pocket for that little plastic bag.

Still there, perfectly in tact. He could use some right now if he wanted. But he was to tired to care. He closed his eyes and wondered if he could sleep. Just pass out right there in the water. He was defenetly tired enough. But his strength quickly returned when her heard a far to firmiliar scream ring out in the distence.

His eyes flew open instantly, and he was on his feet in seconds. "Claire!" He called, circling him self in the darkness. He had no idea where the scream had came from. He heard her shreak once again, and began running full speed in the direction the sound came from. He was moving so fast that he could no longer feel the ground beneat his feet. "Claire!" He shouted desperatly through the darkness. But he could no longer hear her.

"Claire!" He stopped, grabbing onto one of the tree's to keep from falling. He didn't know if he was crying, or if it was just the rain rolling down his cheeks. His heart pounded and his body shook, but not from running or from the cold. It was from fear. Some strange unbareable fear that he couldn't controll. God, don't let me lose her. Don't let anything happen to her. Aron needs her...I need her.

Another scream. It was close this time, so close he could hear foot steeps along with it. She was running from something. With in seconds she was in sight. He could see here moving through the tall grass in the near distance, her soaked hair swinging about her as she moved. "Claire, what is it?" He questioned, stopping her with his arms.

There was streaks of mud on her face and her close. She looked as if she had fallen a few times. She was shakeing and dripping wet. Her hands gripped at the material of his shirt, nothing but sobs escapeing her lips. "Its out there, Charlie...Its after me" She exclaimed, finding her voice after a moment. Her head was burried in his chest.

He looked over her shoulder, seeing nothing but the rain ahead. "Shh...Its ok" He assured, wraping his arms around her. "Its gone, its ok. Nothing's going to hurt you" He spoke softly, close to her ear. For a moment, he wasn't aweare that he was hugging her. He wasn't thinking about how it made him feel, or rather or not it was a bad idea. He simply heald her. He wanted to take care of her, and for once in his miserable life, he wasn't thinking about himself.

"No" She gasped, lifting her head after a moment. "Its still out there. We have to run, Charlie-" She muttered, backing away from him and shakeing her head. He took hold of her shoulders and turned her around so that she faced the direction she had just came. "Look, Claire. There's nothing there. Its gone" He insisted, keeping a hold on her shoulders as he stood behind her.

Slowly she lifted her head, forceing herself to look up. The rain had died down. She looked out into the empty grey grass land for a long time before falling back agenst him. The suprise caused him to stumbled back wards as he tried to keep her from falling. He staggared back into a tree and held his arms around her waist to keep her up. "Claire?" He questioned worriedly, looking her over to make sure she wasn't hurt. Slwoly, he lowered her and himself to the ground.

She was out cold, head turned gently agenst his chest. She must have been exausted. The rain stopped all together, nothing but the left over drops from the tree's remained. Slowly, the sky above turned white. Her body still shivered in his lap. Carefully, he unzipped his hoodie and pulled it off, wraping it around her shoulders along with his arms to keep her warm. Her head laid on his shoulder, hands cradled between their bodies. Eye lasshes lightly fallen agenst her cheeks. He stared at her untill he could no longer keep his eyes open.

Thats how they found them, Jack and Sayid. The rolled up after the sun, makeing their way through the thick of the grass lands to find the two together in each others arms. Asleep agenst a tree. "This is your emergency?" Sayid question, rasiing an eye brow in Jack's direction. "She could have been in trouble" Jack defended sarcasticly, smiling down at the two.

"Not with him around" Sayid corrected, a lesser, but general smile on his face as well. Charlie's head lifted and his eyes opened half way, confused at first. "You scared the hell out of us" Jack noted with a laugh as Charlie slowly began to come aware of where he was. Claire lighted her head and looked up over her shoulder tiredly. "Both of you" Sayid added accuseingly.

"Sorry" Charlie muttered as he used the tree behind him to push himsefl up before reaching out a hand to help Claire up as well. "Come on. We've got alot of catching up to do" Jack explained, readjusting his back pack before turning back. Both Claire and Charlie nodded, and began fallowing them back.

Word had gotten out about Michale, Jin, and Sawyer. Aparently somthing happened with the raft. Charlie didn't catch all the details. All he knew was that the whole big gang was now back at the beach helping with the wounded men and trying to calm the histaric Michale. He had offered his assestance, but it had ben denied. Jack said he needed to rest and he didn't give much of an argument. So now he sat on the edge of the beach, shelred by a few palm trees, a little ways off from every one else. He leaned back agenst one of the trees, eyes lightly closed, neither asleep or awake. A small fire crackling beside him.

Slowly, he became aware of someone elses presence and opened his eyes to see a pair of small bare feet standing before them. It was Claire. She stood directly infront of him, holding his hoodie in her arms. A reletivly blank expression on her face. "Here, I thought you might need this" She explained, dropping it infront of him. He could tell from the way she spoke that she'd found what was in the pocket. He leamed forward amd picked it up, reaching in to pull out the little baggie.

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly in suprise as he tossed it over his shoulder into the fire and rose to his feet, standing only inches away. He spoke softly, more emotion in his voice than she had ever heard in her whole life. Tears, pain, hatred, fear, love, want, need, truth, all roled up into one little sintence. "I need you, Claire"

His lips moved agenst hers gently, his arms slowly moving around her. She was a little suprised at firtst, but as the kiss deepened, and his arms moved tighter around her, she knew this was where she was supose to be. It didn't matter if he was a junkie or a murder. He loved her, and her son, and was the only person he could help her. All she could do was let him.