Lostlorenzo: Hey. The whole not showing the chapters is weird. Maybe is potting against us? Hmm...Well, to answer your question, you'll be happy to know what in this chapter Charlie and Claire do indeed have some more contact, and more conversation. I don't know when Eaden will be out of the picture exactly. But it'll probably be in either the forth or fifth chapter. The fic as a whole is probably going to be pretty long, just so you know. So every thing is going to be taken very slow. Well, I've got to get back to writhing. Hope to hear more form you and your story soon!

Hekate-trivia: Hello, again. I think you may have actually been on the right track. It hasn't been brought up yet, but you'll find out more in this chapter about Liam that might make a little more since. I won't try to explain it now, cause it'll take to long. But it should help clear things up a little it. Sorry about the spelling still, I've been reading over things more, trying to find the errors but I'm dyslexic, so it all looks right to me. I know you mentioned being interested in being a bata, and I would gravely appreciate it. The ones I've had before just did it through e-mail. I'm not really sure how the system works, but I would really appreciate. So when you review after the chapter, please let me know!

Deja Vu

It was half past twelve when Charlie wondered out of the bed room, or at least, to the door. He stopped in the door way, resting his head on the frame as he stared across the room. Eaden was in the kitchen, dressed in nothing but one of his white T-shirts that were no bigger on him than they were on her. Her hair was pulled back into a nice, clean braid. Her make up was gone, her jewelry was gone. Her bruises had began to fade.

She looked natural. Beautiful. He hadn't thought that about her in a long time. He pushed himself off the wall and walked around the counter, warping his arms around her waist. "Morning" She turned her head slightly, a smile on her face. "Morning" He replied, kissing her shoulder. "I made you break fast. You still eat bacon, right?" She asked playfully, her voice sounding a lot softer than usual. There was something apologetic about it, and he didn't know why.

"Of course" He assured with a cheeky grin, giving her another peck on the cheek before letting her go so she could get back to the food. He leaned back against the counter, watching her in slight aw. He was begging to remember why he cared about her so much. It was a great feeling. "So, um...last night...what were you dreaming about?" She questioned curiously, giving him an acquired glance.

"Um...I don't remember. Why?" He explained, honestly unable to recall anything that happened the night before. "You were talking in you sleep. Not to mention shaking. I tried to wake you up, but it nothing worked" She explained, a hint of concern layered in her voice as she kept her attention on the pan in front of her.

"Oh...I'm sorry. It was probably just some nightmare" He assured, trying hard to remember what he had dreamt. She nodded and smiled, though it seemed forced. She was hiding something from him. "Well, uh...the food should be ready in about twenty minutes. And you've got to go to work in an hour-" She began to explain, glancing up at the clock. "So why don't you go shower, and when your done I'll have breakfast ready?" She suggested, sounding way too suspicious.

"Sounds great" He replied, leaning over to give her another kiss. He knew she was up to something, but he wasn't about to start an argument. It had been to long since he'd seen her like this to ruin over a silly suspicion. From now on, he was gonna start trusting her. He took his shower, just long enough to clean up, and hopped back out. He pulled on a pair of jeans and wondered out into the living room where dinner had been laid out for him on the table.

Eaden was leaning over the counter, reaching for a glass, showing off those long, beautiful legs that for once were not being blind sided by a pair of ridiculous heals. He flashed her a smile as he walked past and took a seat at the table. She finally managed to reach the glass and carried it over to the table, taking the seat beside him.

For a while, they both ate in silence. The whole room filled with a clean white ray, sunlight shining in through every window. "I miss this" He noted, after a while, glancing up from his plate. "Miss what?" She asked, mouth still warped around her fork. "This. Just the two of us" He explained, giving her a loving smile and reaching his hand out to hers. She smiled, and even blushed a little, nodding in agreement.

The smiled at each other a while longer before lapsing back into silence. "So, are you gonna stay home while I'm at practice?" He questioned, playing with his fork on the plate. Um, no actually, I just go my check in this morning so I thought I might go shopping." She explained, a little grin of excitement. Her only other addiction, shopping. He didn't know witch was worse.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to stop by Victoria Secrets" She added suggestively. He simply smiled in reply. "All right, well if your gonna go out then I'm gonna drop off our laundry on the way to work. Its been a while" He explained, glancing back at the pile that laid over a chair, and another that covered the floor.

Later...

Claire walked into the landromat, a tired look across her face. Aron had kept her up all night. Aparently she wasn't the only one haveing weird dreams. She walked around the counter and took her seat, glanceing over at the boquet of flowers. Aparently Jin was feeling pretty bad about what ever he had done to make Sun so angry.

Of course, neither one of them were in. She was pretty much running the place herself, witch wasn't difficult at all. Barly anyone ever came in, and if they did, there all she had to do was make sure they didn't steal a washingmachine. What she would do if anyone ever tried to steal a washing machine, she didn't know. But, she'd wait untill that day came to think about it.

She sank back into her little swivil chaire behind the counter and sat her bag on the table, pulling the little black diary out of one of the pockets along with a pin. She turned to the next clean page and pressed the heel of the pin to her lower lip, comtenplateing on what to wright. She sighed and spun her chair half way, faceing the wall and stareing ahead.

Her mind was blank. Well, actualy, it was full. But it was filled with nothing but her weird unexplaineable dreams that just kept getting worse. The one she had had last night was extrodinary.

It was the first time where Aron's crying had woken her up and she actualy felt disapointed. Not because she knew she would never get back to sleep, but because she knew she'd never get to finish the dream. Her hear began to flutter beneath her chest just thinking about it, and she felt her skin turn hot.

The last thing she wanted to write about was her own insanity. Exspecialy when it involved sextual dreams. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else, anything else. Unable to properly orginize her thoughts into anything createive, she simply mad a list of the current events.

Sun and Jin may have made up. Aron's been crying alot. Mum says might be teathing. Boone stopped by yesterday to yell at Shannon about her new boy friend. Some guy in a band she meet at a club the other night. I'm supose to go help her pick out something to wear after work for her date with him tonight...

"Excuse me?"

Her pin dropped out of her hand instantly, startled by the voice. She hadn't heard any one come in. She took in a few breaths and tried to level out her breathing before responding.

"Yes?" She answered, standing up from her chair and quickly closeing the diary. She fulbled with it in her hands for a moment and ended up dropping it, her nerves going insaine for some reason. She sighed and knelt down to pick it up, waiting for the stranger to answer. She rose back to her feet, finaly catching a glimps of the man who had spoken.

Her jaw dropped. Instantly, she felt heat pricking at her skin. Her heart rate speeding up involentarily as the images from her dreams began to flood back into her mind. He had a look of suprise on his face as well, and for a moment she wondered if he reconized her. Perhaps they had some sort of connection? No, that didn't make since. He was probly just stareing at her becuase she looked insain.

"Uh, just thought I'd let you know, one of the machines is broken" He explained, a little awkwardly, looking down at his bag of cloths and avoiding eye contact. Claire quickly snapped out of her state of shock and pulled herself together. If she was going to figure this thing out, she would need to controll herself. No matter what kind of thought were raceing through her.

"Oh...um, witch one?" She asked with a gulp, trying to hide her nerves but failing miserably. She felt her hands shakeing and quickly lowered them behind the counter where he couldn't see them. He pointed in the gerneral direction to a machine to his left, witch still remained open. "alright" She nodded, flinching at the studder in her voice. "Thanks"

"No problem" He nodded, giving a sideways smile. She then new the meaning of having butterflies in your stomach. She turned away once again and covered her mouth, makeing sure one of them didn't fly out. She closed her eyes and tried to think. What could she say to him? What could she say that wouldn't make her seem like some crazed lunitic. Luckily for her, he spoke up once again.

"Uh, sorry to bother you again but um...I think we live in the same building" He explained, his voice once again startling her. She turned to him, not knowing quite how to respond. "I know, that sounds weird. But I was on my balcony the other night and-"

"Yeah" The word flew out, cutting him off without realizing. She could tell he was uncomfortable. Nervous, just like her. Why he was so juttery, she didn't know. Might as well make things a little easier on him. "Yeah, that was me" She assured, a slight smile comeing across her face as she let out a breath of releif. It was getting a little easier to face him. She was making progress. This was good.

A bit of releif shown on his face as well, and it came through with an almsot dorky grin that just seemed so adorable she couldn't help but blush. His apareance was slightly difforent than in her dream.

He didn't have that same smoldering, captivating stare, or the strong, protective apeal she had seen in him before. The attraction was still there, no doubt about it. But it was more endearing than it was sextual. He seemed now more like the kind of guy who was more likely to make her laugh then to make her swoon. Either way she felt something. Something she couldn't begin to explain.

"Oh, good. For a minute there I thought I was sounding like a mad man" He noted basfully, an unsteady laugh escapeing from the back of his throat. "Nope. Perfectly saine" She assured with a smile. For a moment it was quiet again. She walked around to one of the shelfs, pretending to be bussy as she watched him unload his bag of cloths, one item at a time.

She saw him starting to look in her direction and turned, grabbing a binder from the shelf to make it look like she was doing something. "So um, that night...on the balcony...you looked...you looked kind of upset" He sounded generaly interested. Why he was even speaking to her was a mustery, but she would give any thing to hear him say more. She glanced up, folding the binder in her arms and looking at him for a moment. Trying to figure out how to handle the question.

"Sorry, none of my buisness" He apologized quickly, looking down in defeat though he tried hard to make it sound casual. "No, not at all. I just, I didn't quite know how to answer..." She assured, feeling strangly bad about the small little thing. She didn't want to lose the contact they had, and she defenetly didn't want him to think she was shunning him.

He looked up, intriged, waiting for her to contenuie. "My baby...my son, Aron, he was crying. He's been haveing trouble sleeping. I was just tired, needed some fresh air" She explained, feeling as if she were talking to someone she'd know for a very long time. It confused her, but in no way shocked her. She'd felt it since he first stepped into her mind.

"Oh" He nodded, thinking for a moment, "You have a son?"

"Mh,hm." She nodded awkwardly. "Funny, I've never heard him crying" He noted honestly, a hint of wonder in his voice. "Well, he only cries at night. Any other time he's a perfect angle" She explained with a little laugh. "Oh, well that makes since" He nodded, understanding. "I'm usualy not home at night...I'm in a band" He told absent mindedly, glanceing down at the t-shirt in his hand before tossing it in.

"Realy?" She questioned, raising an eye brow. "Yeah" He nodded, modestly. Not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "What did you say his name was?" He asked, trying to remeber. She was distracted momentarily as he pulled a rather interesting article of clothing out from his bag. A pair of small lacy pink underwear. Claire raised an eye brow questioningly, watching a little blushed smile cross his face.

"They'er my gril friend's, I swear"

The words girl friend bothered her. It was no suprise that a guy like him wouldn't be single, if he was, it would mean there was something realy wrong with him. But none the less, she hadn't exspected it, and it sent a rush of jelously through her.

"Oh" She nodded, hiding it well. "That makes more since than what I was thinking"

"What were you thinking?" He questioned playfully, the sideway's smile comeing back. "You don't want to know" She assured with a laugh. He laughed as well, and for a moment, the aqkwardness between them was gone. Thats when Sun walked in.

"Morning Claire..." She began to great, but her voice trailed off when she saw the boquet of flowers on the counter. She looked down at them for a moment, then back up at Claire. "Who are they for?" She asked, suprised, though she already knew the answer. "Well, either I have a secret adimirer who writes in Korean, or they'er for you" Claire explaine playfully.

Sun smiled and picked them up, her cheeks growing red as she read the note. Claire smiled as she watched her, and looked over to where the guy had ben, but he was gone. The machine was full and closed, and he had disapeared. She hadn't even heard him leave. Claire sighed in disapointment, shoving the bider back onto the shelf.

"I'm going to go put these in water" Sun explained, still glowing as she lifted them up and carried them into the back room. Claire smiled and shook her head, sitting back at her seat. Danmit, Claire. How could you let him get away? You didn't get any information, and you may very well never see him again...

That was silly. She lived right beside him. And, he had to come back in and get his cloths. The chances of them bumping into each other were defenetly in her favor. She sighed, and pulled out her diary and once again tried to think of something to wright.

later...

"Charlie" Liam stopped him in the hall, placeing his hands on his shoulders to grab his attention. It worked. Charlie was so surpries he nearly dropped his guitar. "You've got to do me a favor" Laim insisted, a huge, almost crazed grin on his face. "Whats that?" Charlie questioned, eyeing him in concern.

"You've got to watch Megen for me tonight" Liam insisted, contenuing to hold onto his shoulders like a mad man. "Why?" He asked in reply, even more confused. "The girl, the one I told you about! Were going on a date, tonight! Please, Charlie. I really need this" Liam begged, a pleading look on his face that told Charlie he wasn't takeing no for an answer.

"Alright" Charlie nodded, assuringly, hoping to god if he agreed the man would let go. " Thank you!" Liam exclaimed, hugging him instead. "Your welcom" Charlie replied, "now get off of me."

"Right" Liam nodded and moved away, an over-joyed grin on his face. "Did you get her name?" Charlie questioned, teasingly, raising an eye brow. "Mh, hm. The most beutifull name in the world" Liam asured. "Yeah? What's that?" Charlie asked in amusement.

"Shannon"

Later...

"Still not picking up?" Liam questioned, buttoning his shirt as he walked into the living room. "Nope" Charlie replied, paceing back and forth around the couch with a cell phone to his ear, ringing repeatedly. He sighed and hung up, folding it shut and shoving it back into his pocket.

"No worries. I'll get a hold of her...eventualy" Charlie assured optomisticly, a smile on his face. "Great. how do I look?" Liam questioned, turning to face him with an excited, but nervous grin. Charlie hadn't seen him this siked about a girl since he first meet Aron, his ex-wife.

"You missed a button" Charlie noted, takeing a seat on the counter. Liam looked down and quickly readjusted. "Ok, how about now?"

"Sexy" Charlie assure playfully. "Great" Liam grinned and granbed his coat. The door bell rang. "Thats her!" He declaired, nervously, fizing his coller in the mirror. "Where are my shoes?"

"They'er in the bath room" Charlie explained, hopping off the couch. "Why are they...never mind" Liam sighed franticly and went into the bath room to get his shoes. Charlie walked over to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open with a smile. "Hi. I'm here for Liam" The pretty blonde on the other side said with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Charlie. I'm his brother" Charlie explined, stepping aside so that she could come in. "He'll be ready in a minute. Kind of annle when it comes to looks" He explained, playfully. Watching as she wondered around the room, takeing it all in.

"Wow. You look amazing" Liam's voice came from the bath room door way. "Thanks..." Shannon replied, flattered, but trying not to show it. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, ma'am" He assured with a grin, and walked with her to the door. "Have fun" Charlie called, receiveing nothing but the slam of the door in response. He slumped down onto the couch and ran his fingers through his hair before looking around. Liam's apartment was the same as always. Cloths piled every where. Dim lights. Smell of smoke. Bottles laying around every where. No place to rase a kid.

Funny, his dughter was getting dropped off for the week and he didn't even bother to clean up. Charlie shook his head and hopped back to his feet and began gathering the bottles. He carried them into the kitchen, dummped out any little bit that was left, and threw them away. He began picking up the cloths next, not really knowing what to do with them.

He decided his best bet would be to just toss them in Liam's room. It didn't really make the place any more clean, but atleast the mess would be out of sight. He felt a way escape his mouth as he tossed the first arm full onto the floor of Liams bed room. Eyes growing more and more heavy. He stopped momentarily and rubbed them, trying to make him self a little less tired. Then went back to cleaning.

A knock came at the door. Quickly, he tossed the last pile into Liam's room and kicked the door. He un locked the front door and pulled it open, feeling the tolder instantly wrap her arms around his calf. "Charlie!" She exclaimed happily, hugging the only part of him she could reach. "Hey, sweat heart" He grinned, kneeling down and lifting her up in to his arms.

"Where's Liam?" Liz questioned, looking at him in disaproval. Liz, had never liked Charlie. Exspecialy when he came to live with them. Charlie had always asumed that was why she had left. Liam had assured him other wise, but deep down, he couldn't help but feel it was atleast parcialy his fault.

"He's out. Asked me to stay here and watch her" Charlie explained, glanceing away from his neice momentarily to explain. He watched as Liz rolled her eyes in a typical manor. "Well, where is he?" she asked, clearly annoyed. "He's on a date. I'm not sure where" Charlie explained, takeing in a nervous gulp. The women was angry, and intimidateing, not to mention she held a huge grudge against him for reasons unknown.

"Well whenever he gets back, tell him to call me, alright?" She instructed, talking to him as if he were a four year old who had done something terilbly wrong. "Yeah, sure" He nodded, trying to act as if he weren't the least bit offended by her tone. With that settled, she turned and walked away without another word.

"Bitch..." He muttered, pushing the door shut. He could hear Megan giggle from beside him. "You didn't hear that" he told playfully. "hear what?" she asked in reply. "exactly" He confirmed with a smiel and let her down. A few hours past. He fixed his neice dinner and sent her off to bed, eventualy doseing off himself on the sunken old couch. Dreams once againe haunting his sleep.

He was on a beach with the girl. Face to face, sitting indian style in the sand. She was pregenet, and laughing. He was eating from an emtry jar and saying it was peanutbutter. They both seemed so over whelmingly happy. Then it changed. The beach changed into a lush green jungle, the two standing side by side. They both looked suprised, stareing back at a tall, dangerous man. The man he had shot. Protectivly, his arm moved around her. Then, it all went black.

When he woke up, he was in the kitchen, on his feet. The sink near by had flooded over. He looked around in confusion for a while, trying to remeber how he'd gotten there. After a moment, he reached over and turned off the sink and unplugged it, grabbing a paper towell to clean up the mess.

"Charlie?"

Liam stood at the edge of counter, stareing at him in confusion. Charlie turned in suprise, startled by the voice. "What happened?" Liam asked, stareing in confusion, though he was too tired to care. "I...I don't know" Charlie explained with a nervous gulp. "You don't know? What do you mean you don't know? Did Megen do it?" Liam asked, trying hard to figure the situation out.

"No" Charlie assured quickly, "Atleast, I don't think so." He added after a moment, unable to be completly postivie about anything. "Charlie, are you alright?" Liam asked, takeing a few steps forward as he eyed him in concern. "Yeah. Yeah, i'm fine" Charlie assued tirdly, turning his back to him to avoid the fact that he was lieing. A moment later he felt a hand on his shoulder.

A secon later, it was around his neck. He looked forward at the man before him in shock, feeling his feet dangling above the ground as he was slammed agenst a tree. "I want her back, Charlie" The man demanded. He couldn't speak. Couldn't breath. All he could feel was the singly strong hand, pressing agenst the un-healed rope-burn scars around his neck.

He blinked the image away and stared back at his brother, panting heavily. "Charlie. What is wrong?" Liam demanded firmly, looking him dead in the eye. Charlie looked down, strugling to find his breath. He closed his eyes, ready to confuess. Ready to tell his brother every single thing.
After a moment, after finding the will to speak, he looked up, once again meeting Liams eyes. Slowly, he opened his mouth, and did just that...

:ok, well thats all for now. I know, it just keeps getting weirder! But hey, Charlie and Claire made contact, that means were getting closer! Oh, and who liked my little Shannon and Liam twist? I know I did! Please reveiw! P.S. Sorry it took so long! I thought I already posted it a couple days ago, but aparently it didn't happen...weird...