I Will Remember You

a/n: This takes place at the beginning of "Homecoming" – bows to Sarah McLachlan for her song that inspired me. – M2BL

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

"So…we're friends?"

"Yeah, yeah we're friends."

Such a simple conversation, yet Charlie felt it was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Here was Claire, back from whatever hell she had been taken. She was scared. She was confused. And she didn't remember him.

Remember the good times we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I saw you smiling in the sun
I want to feel your warmth upon me, I want to be the one

He watched her as she sat staring into the fire. She wasn't going to sleep and neither was he. He looked for something – some flicker of hope – some little remembrance. But there was nothing. She didn't know him, didn't know where she was and that fact was almost too much for him to bear. He remembered her smile when he had brought her water on the beach. He remembered her giggle when he tried to convince her that he had peanut butter in an empty jar. He remembered how she let him feel her baby kick. But that was before – before they were taken; before Ethan. The fire of hate burned behind his eyes as he thought of what that animal may have done to her – his Claire. His hands clenched into fists at the thought.

I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standing on the edge of something so deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard

He wanted to put his arm around her and say that it would be okay. But he knew it wouldn't – it would never be okay. He had let her down. He was supposed to take care of her – not because she was pregnant as she accused him of – but because she was his salvation. She was the light in the darkness of his hateful life – a life he had almost thrown away. She had brought him back from the edge and filled his empty soul with warmth and – love.

I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was darkness, deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light

He vowed to himself that he would do better – be better. Someone would pay for this – for doing this to his Claire. But for now all he wanted her to know was that he was there for her. Even if she didn't remember him, he knew all about her. Even in this scary place, Charlie makes me feel safe. That is what she had written in her diary. As he read the small journal, the girl that was Claire revealed herself to him – all her fears, her disappointments, her joys. Yes, he now knew her. The crumbling bits were starting to put themselves back together and he was becoming whole. She was back and that's all that mattered. He would find a way to make her remember him. He had to – how could he start over?

And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass by
Weep not for the memories

He watched as her eyes fought to stay open. She shook herself from the embrace of sleep, but it was a losing battle. Her body involuntarily leaned into him and eventually her head was on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and lay his head upon hers. Her breathing became more even and he knew she had finally fallen asleep. He would stay up, watching over her, protecting her from the monsters. That was his job and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass by
Weep not for the memories