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The eyes never stopped boring the hole in the back of her neck. They were always there, as she filled up all the water bottles, as she waved good bye to Locke as he went off into the jungle the eyes were on her. She felt them looking at her.

As she screwed the cap on the last water bottle and put it in her pack, she sighed, now was the time. She had to confront him or else Shannon… oh, she had to stop using Shannon as an excuse. She did want to talk to him, she did want things to be better. She just wanted it to be easy.

She turned around and there he was, he was leaning against a tree, glaring at her. Why was he glaring? She had come to make things better! She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she could do this. He didn't say a thing when she stopped in front of him. Claire tried to make eye contact, "Charlie, Charlie!"

He looked up, Claire let out a little breath of relief, until she looked him in the eye. She could see all his emotions, and felt horrible. She didn't think that this would ever happen, that someone would fall for her, and she didn't think she was ready either. "Charlie, can we talk?"

He just kept looking at her, now she wished he would just look away. She felt so bad, "Charlie. I miss you, Aaron misses you, it's not the same without you."

Charile's gaze softened, he had no idea that Claire felt that way, last he had heard from her was that she might not want their 'relationship' to go 'anywhere'. As much as he wanted to just throw caution to the wind and kiss her, he tried to tell himself not to read too much into what she said. He had once and he had been hurt.

"Claire," he sighed, "you hurt me, I mean, you couldn't even let me down easily. You didn't even have the heart to give the standard 'I think we should just be friends' line, you just… gave me an excuse, a sad excuse, and I want to know now, where do you want this to go? Where do you want this," he made a motion between the two of them, "to go? 'Friendship' or maybe, 'something else'? Hmm? Let me know now Claire. Because I don't want to be hurt again."

Wow. That sounded a bit harsher than he intended, and she looked like she was about to cry. Oh no, oh no, oh no. He didn't mean to make her cry. He wanted to gather he up in her arms and tell her he didn't care, but he did care.

When he first said it, she was shocked, 'You gave me an excuse, a sad excuse..' Then she realized he was right. He was one hundred percent right with everything he said. And truth was that she didn't know where she wanted it to go. She wanted to be friends again. But then again he is a man and she is a woman, and if she slips up and kisses him again, or starts something else, then they get in another argument she couldn't handle it.

She wanted to run, run into the jungle and be eaten by the monster. Taken by Ethan and never returned. Anywhere but here. Claire felt something wet sliding down her cheek and wiped it away with the back of her hand. She realized she was crying.

She had to tell him the truth. "Charlie, I don't know where I want this to go," he gave her a steely gaze and started to walk away, she grabbed him by the arm, "I don't- lets start off as friends, and, and, take it from there. Be true to our emotions."

Charlie looked at her, really looked at her. Past the fair skinned, blond haired exterior and realized that she was telling the truth. She didn't know. She had been hurt in the past, much like she had hurt him, and then he understood. He rubbed the back of his neck out of nervous habit, "Okay, but Claire, I- I just want you to know that I do really like you… so when you want to move it to the next level, I'll be okay with it. But now, now, it will be good to be friends again."

Claire couldn't believe her ears, she had her Charlie back! She let out a little scream and jumped into his arms, giving him a huge hug.

That was when he asked if she was going to move back to the caves. And she froze.

"I dunno Charlie," she said, looking at the ground, "I mean, Sawyer is at the beach," with this Charlie's eyes got a little bulgy, "and so is Shannon," Charlies looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head, "and it's sorta nice to be back at the beach. Ya know, being there when somebody comes."

Charlie took a deep breath, "Sawyer? Shannon? Rescue? Claire we've been on this island for bloody forever and you think someone is going to come and save us?"

"Well Charlie, yes, its always nice to have hope, escpecially when that's all you have on a 'bloody' island! And Sawyer, Sawyer watches Aaron, and lets me be when I didn't want to talk. And on the same token Shannon was always there when I did want to talk, and even when I didn't want to, she made me. Without her I wouldn't even be here at the caves today! So, yes, Charlie, I'm staying at the beach."

Charlie noticed that this couldn't be heading in a good direction, "Okay, okay, that's okay. Hey, we'll still see each other."

Claire nodded, "Yeah, you're right, well, I better go Charlie. See you around."

"Bye.." he hesitated, he really wanted to see her again, soon, "we should go golfing sometime."

Claire laughed, "I don't golf, not my thing. But don't worry Charlie, I'll come back soon."

And with that she turned around and took the paths back to the beach. Trying to convince herself not to move back the caves to be around Charlie, or make a fool out of herself by trying to golf.

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