CCLover4ever: Lol. Glad to see someone so enthused about my wrighting. Got this chapter up soon as i could. Hope it was worth the wait.

Hekate-Trivia: Yes, just to clear things up, Eaden was with someone else. I wasn't sure if i made that clear enough, so i'm glad you got it. This chapter will explaine what happened a little bit better, atleast, i hope it will. Sorry about errors once again. I can't wait until my e-mail starts working again. It seems like every time I get an opertunity to have someone bata for me, something messes it up. Oh well, i'll get it all figured out soon. Untill then, I apologize for the errors, and for makeing the story so confuseing. I think now i'm makeing it more difficult to fallow on perpous. I'm a sucker for psychologicle thrillers that keep you confused out of your mind untill the very end, witch is i guess what i'm going for here. but thank you very much for bearing with me through the confushion and the bad spelling. I hope in the end it'll all be worth it.

LostLorenzo: Hey, I was wondering where you've been. But you guessed right, Eaden was with someone else. And I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that there is a good deal of Charlie and Cliare interaction in this chapter, plus a little extra twist. I had planned to take their relationship very slow in this chapter, but I've been so desperate for some Charlie and Claire action, I decided to speed things up. Also, I was gonna wait a little while to get this chapter up, but since your leaving I'll be nice and find a way to get it up. After all, thats what friends are for, right? Wow, that was cheasy...alright, well i'm gonna cut it short because I've got to read it over and make an atempt at fixing spelling before I put it up tommarow.

Deja Vu

He was walking away. Away from the happy suburban yard where the sweet little girl played in her sand box, and his brother wanted nothing but to make things right. The kind life he should have. He could hear Liam's voice calling his name, telling him to wait. But he was to angry to listen. To many times had he depended on Liam and been let down. If he was going to do this, he'd have to do it alone.

"Charlie, wait! Please, come back. Let me help you. Let me make it up to you"

Then, for some reason, he stopped. Not because he wanted to, but because something made him. He couldn't will himself to walk. His feet stuck in one position in the ridiculously green suburban grass, unable to move. He felt the sudden weight of his brothers hand being laid on his shoulder and turned, facing him in defeat, completely unaware that he hadn't stopped at his own will. Or perhaps he noticed, but just didn't care.

"Charlie, please. I want to help you" Liam plead, a warm, sincere smile across his face. Charlie lifted his head, meeting his eyes through the shade of his sunglasses. He nodded in agreement, too overwhelmed to speak. Liam seemed to understand, for he simply pulled his arm around his shoulder and lead him towards the house. As they walled, Charlie felt something grab hold of his pant leg. He looked down to see his little niece, Megan, tugging on the materiel of his jeans in an attempt to grab his attention.

"Uncle Charlie, come play with me" She insisted, hopping up and down in desperation. He flashed his brother a smile, who gave him one in return, and headed over to the little sand box.

Charlie laid on the couch, early the next morning. He hadn't slept one bit. Didn't even try. He'd been laying on that couch, starring up at the ceiling for the past two hours. His mind racing. His head still pounding to point of no relief. A product of both a hang over and being hit in the head buy a well aimed spiked heal. Typical. He caught her cheating on him in his very own bed, and she still had the nerve to turn it around and make it his fault. The part that hurt the most is that a part of him believed her.

It hadn't really come as a surprise. He'd suspected that she'd been screwing around for a while. He just hadn't expected to walk in on it in his own house. In his own bed. The thought made him cringe. He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the mental image he had just created for himself. He knew one thing, the man she was with, was not his brother. It was a man he'd never seen. at least only one person in his life had betrayed him this time.

He sighed and rolled over, turning his face to the back of the couch to block the sunlight from eyes. His room would have been nice and dark what with all the black curtains made precisely to keep the sun out, but wouldn't dare go in there. He didn't want to know exactly what had happened in that bed, and he wasn't going to take any chances in finding out.

Later...

Claire paced back and forth down the hall, holding little Aaron in her arms. He wasn't screaming like usual. Just soft, miserable little fusses. A part of Claire wished that he was wailing. She wanted Shannon to be awake so she could have someone to talk to. Someone to tell that last night she saw the man of her dreams cry and it nearly killed her inside.

Claire shook the memory out of her mind and went back to comforting her baby. "Shhh, its ok, sweet heart. Don't cry" Claire cooed, brushing her hand over the little duck fluff on his head. It was so hard to encourage someone not to cry when you felt like balling on the floor yourself. But somehow, Claire managed to stay strong for the little guy.

After a while, once Aaron had finally giving up and dozed off, Claire softly knocked on Shannon's door, trying her best not to wake the baby who was still asleep in her arms. No answer. "Shannon?" She whispered, carefully knocking again. She waited a moment, still receiving no answer.
"I'm coming in" She declared, gently turning the knob and peeking inside. The bed was empty. No Shannon to be found. Claire frowned in disappointment, and carried Aaron back to his crib, laying him down and tucking him in. She stared down at him with a smile for a few moments, happy once again to see him when he wasn't crying.

Once he was nice and comfortable, Claire slipped out into the living room and picked up the phone, punching in the numbers to Shannon's cell. It rang about twelve times before Claire finally gave in and hung up. She sighed and laid back against the couch, closing her eyes for just a moment, before hearing the sound of a baby cry once again.

three days later...

His train of thought was violently cut of by the sudden slamming against his door. He hopped up, startled, and turned in the direction of the front door where the banging still continued. He sighed, and rose to his feet. He didn't want to see any one. Not his brother, not Eaden, if god him self on the was on the other side of that door he would have slammed it right in his face. he took in another deep breath before slowly lifting his hand to knob.

"Claire?"

A look of surprise and confusion rushed across his features.

"Oh, Charlie. Thank god your home. I can't get a hold of Shannon, and her brother's on vacation. Apparently there's some emergency at work, and I really need someone to watch Aaron. Would you mind giving me Liam's number so I can get a hold of her?" Claire asked, rambling nervously. He could since her desperation as he listened to her voice, trying to gather the information as fast as she was spilling it. He hated seeing her this stressed, though he wasn't sure why.
"Oh, well uh...if you want, I could watch him" He offered out of no where, surprised to hear the words come out of his own mouth. He had just gotten out of a two year relationship, and was still recovering from a massive hang over, and yet he offered to watch someone's baby? He'd defiantly lost his mind. But the smile that crossed her face made it all clear.

"Really?" She questioned, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. "Yeah, sure" He shrugged casually, a smile crossing his face as well. He held out his hands, and they carefully made the exchange. He shifted the little guy around until he was comfortable, and stared down into his big blue eyes that matched his mothers perfectly.

"Thank you, Charlie" She exclaimed in gratitude, giving him a small hug and placing a kiss on his cheek. The gesture surprised him, and he had to blink once or twice to be sure it really happened. She had already turned and headed down the hall, leaving him in his door way, still feeling the warmth where her lips had been, even though it only lasted a split second. A goofy smile slowly crept onto his face as he turned into the apartment and closed the door.

He looked down once again at the baby in his arms. He looked so much like his mother. "What was your name again? Aaron, right?" He questioned, talking to the five month old as if he were an adult. The baby simply giggled in reply. "you don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?"

More giggles, and an additional high pitched squeal. "Didn't think so" Charlie confirmed with a laugh, pacing back and forth around his apartment. He sat down on the couch, carefully adjusting the little one into his lap. He'd never held a baby before. Not even his niece. Liz had said he wasn't clean enough. He remembered the sarcasm in her voice and knew exactly what she was hinting. Even after just giving birth to a human being, Liz was ready to put him down. Never mind the fact that her own husband was high at the time of her child's birth. Of course, that was blamed on him as well.

Charlie sighed, letting the thought float away with the air that escaped his lips. "Your a lucky one, you know that? You've got a great mum. That's something not a lot of people have. Believe me, I know. " He began once again, rambling to the little baby, who hung on his every word. His big blue eyes watched him with interest as he smoke, studying every movement. Taking it all in.

It was becoming clear to Charlie quite fast why people were so obsessed with babies. But this one was special. This one, well...this one was Claire's. And for a moment, just a single split second, Aaron was his as well.

Later...

Charlie had remained in his living room, talking to Aaron mindlessly for about four hours. He'd told the poor kid his whole life story. Well, at least a sugar-coded version of it. He'd been so caught up in the little guy, he hadn't realized how much time had passed until once again a knock came at his door.

"I bet that's your mum" He noted, looking up from the bundle in his arms to head for the door. He lifted himself and Aaron off the couch and carried him to the door, fumbling to unlock it with one hand. "Hey" He greeted Claire with a grin, bouncing the baby in his arms. "Hey, sorry I took so long-" She began in a fast-passed apologetic tone, but trailed off as she began to look over the site in front of her. Slowly, a smile grew across her face.

"Oh, don't worry about it. We had a great time, right Aaron?" He questioned, pulling his head back to look at the him. Aaron looked up tiredly, then looked around, smiling when he spotted Claire in the door way. "Ma!" He muttered, in a demanding little voice, holding out his chubby little arms.

Claire laughed and lifted him into her arms, flashing Charlie a brilliant smile. He felt his cheeks go warm at the sight, and lowered his head, trying to hide it. He ran his hand through his hair, seemingly to smooth it down, but in reality it only made it more messy that before. Claire watched this endearingly, trying to place where she'd seen it before. "Well...uh, I guess I better get going" She muttered, quickly snapping herself out of the daze she'd fallen into. She began to turn, but stopped when she heard his voice.

"Um, why don't you come in for a little while, since no one's home. I could keep you company...if you like" He offered nervously, trying to keep a smile in order to hide it. Claire considered this for a moment. "Um...sure. I guess that would be all right" She agreed, letting her emotions get the best of her. It seemed whenever she was around Charlie, the impact of her emotions was ten times stronger, and no matter how she tried to stay rational, they always won control.

She stepped over the barrier between the hall way and his home and wondered inside, looking around curiously just as her son had done hours ago. She turned at the sound of the door slamming, slightly startled by the noise. "Sorry" Charlie muttered apologetically, jumping at the sudden boom himself. "Its all right" Claire assured with a laugh, feeling a little more comfortable with the situation, even if they were on the verge of an awkward silence.

"You have a nice place" She noted, for once taking up the opportunity to start the conversation. It wasn't because of confidence, but determination. She had felt something the few nights ago, when she'd witnessed him cry. The image had stuck with her ever since then. It was there every time she closed her eyes. And every time, she could barley stop her own tears from falling. A feeling that powerful had to have a damn good reason. And Claire was determined to find out exactly what that reason was.

Charlie gave a little neutral shrug, showing he didn't quite agree. "Do you live alone?" That question, how ever, caught his attention a little harder. At first, his eyes widened, surprised at the words. Then slowly, he lowered his head. Claire felt an instant pinch of regret in the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah" He confirmed, his voice a lot softer than before. "I do now..." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. The type that only comes when something is so painful, the only way to hide it is by laughing it off. She knew the feeling all too well. But seeing it in him, knowing what it meant, made the questions all the more harder to ask.

"Now?" She questioned, raising a curious eye brow. "Um...yeah. I...me and my girl friend... we, we kind of...split...I guess" He mumbled quietly, trying to explain the situation. She felt bad for bringing it up. For being so selfish in her own curiosity to make him relieve what ever it was that was hurting him so much.

"Oh, I'm sorry" she apologized, her voice lowering as well. The look in his eyes gave her chills. It wasn't anger, or sadness, or even regret. He just seemed...empty. "Don't be. It wasn't something anyone could stop. That's the way fate works, you know?" He shrugged casually, the look fading slightly. Apparently, he had a much stronger control over his emotions then Claire had over hers.

Then again, he was male, and control normally came with the territory. Though Charlie didn't at all seem like the controlling type. In fact, Charlie seemed like the perfect type. Why any girl would ever break up with him was far beyond her. At that point, Claire once again felt the nagging prick of curiosity in the back of her mind.

"I'm still sorry. I mean, I'm sure you don't want to talk about it-" She spoke out loud, talking to herself more than she was to him. For a while, the inevitably lapsed into silence. Aaron's fussing breaking the wall, and making it a little more bearable. "Oh no.." Claire muttered, looking as if she'd seen it coming. A look of concern crossed Charlie's face.

"Oh, nothing to worry about. He fusses all the time. He's probably just hungry" She assured, watching as his features loosened slightly. "Meaning I should probably go get him some food-" she added, heading towards the door. He nodded, understandingly, though he looked a little disappointed. Claire had already stepped into the hall way before she stopped, and turned to face him.

"Well...are you coming?"

Charlie looked surprised, and even more confused. "You said you'd keep me company, right?" She questioned, teasingly. "Yeah. Of course" he nodded, finally catching on. "Good" She confirmed with a smile, and headed to her door.

Later...

Charlie and Claire both sat on the floor across from one another. Aaron covered the space between them, rolling around on his back and talking in what was mostly gibberish. Occasionally, he'd hear one of them mention a word he knew and then repeat it, but for the most part, he was just gabbering for his own amusement.

Charlie couldn't believe how strange he felt. How drawn he was to her. Even in his dreams, the feeling was there. And he could have sworn the earth moved when he first set eyes on her. But seeing her like this, was a feeling he couldn't explain.

The two were distracted immediately by the sound of the door being unlocked from the other side. Soon after turning their attention in the direction of the door, it swung open, and Shannon marched her way inside, stopping dead in her tracks after a few feet and starring at the group on the floor in surprise.

"Hi..." She managed to choke out after a moment, and overly friendly smile drifting onto her face. "Hey" Claire replied, mocking the expression "where have you been...for the last three days?" She asked, keeping up the sarcastic smile as she rose to her feet. "Oh, just...hanging out with Liam" Shannon explained with an innocent shrug, plopping down on the couch.

"Right" Claire nodded skeptically, shooting her friend a teasing glance. "Well, um. I guess I should probably be getting home" Charlie spoke up, the nerves once again making their comeback. "Oh...all right" Claire nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. "Thanks again" She added, blushing once again as she walked him to the door.

"Any time" He assured, flashing her a smile before letting himself out. Claire closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, closing her eyes and waiting for the fuzzy, tingling feeling to fade. The sound of Shannon's voice helped the process along a bit.

"So...why was he hear?" She questioned, a hint of disapproval in her voice. "I had to go to work, but no one was here to watch Aaron, so.." Claire explained, trying to sound casual about the situation. "You let him watch Aaron?" Shannon questioned, butting in. Claire looked up in surprise at the sternness in Shannon's voice. "Yeah...why?" Claire asked innocently, having no clue as to what she was talking about.

"Claire...Think about this for a sec. He's a young, British guy, in a band, in L.A." Shannon tried to explain, but had no such luck. Claire simply stared back at her blankly. Clueless. Shannon sighed. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to be blunt. He's a junkie."

The jungle, just the two of them. Alone. She was doubled over, screaming in pain. Her hands holding the mound of her stomach. Charlie stood beside her in an utter state of panic, trying his best to comfort her. She lowered herself to the ground, ignoring his frantic rambling. "Charlie, go get help" She suggested, knowing very well she could not give birth to this child out here in the jungle with only Charlie to assist.

"No, its all right. If I can kick drugs I can deliver a baby-"

Claire opened her eyes, shocked and breathless. "Claire? Are you all right?" Shannon questioned, starring in concern. Slowly, Claire managed to catch her breath, and lifted her head, looking at Shannon in disbelief. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe that the man who starred up such powerful emotions in her with such ease was no more then a junkie.

"Claire?" Shannon repeated, taking a few steps for her. Finally, Claire managed to snap out of it. "I'm fine" She assured quickly, lying through her teeth. She wasn't fine. She was no where near fine, and Shannon could tell. "Claire, your shaking, whets wrong?" She demanded, taking a few more steps forward. She laid her hand on Claire's shoulder.

"I used to have a stomach...once" Claire noted sarcastically, starring over at the attractive young blonde who was tanning a few feet away. She wore a little red bikini, her skin already well tanned. Perfect model figure, especially compared to her own swollen belly. She lifted her head, giving her attention.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Claire questioned, squinting from the sun. She was indicating to a handsome young brunette who had just walked away. An amused, but slightly disgusted look crossed the pretty young blondes face. "My brother" She corrected, shifting onto her back.

This time the vision sent a sharp pain through Claire's head. She fell back against the door, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her. But she didn't take her eyes of Shannon. "What the-" She began, a look of utter bewilderment on her face.

"You were there" Claire interrupted, her words coming out way to fast for Shannon to fallow. "Claire...I don't know what your talking about" Shannon explained, eyeing her friend in concern. "No, you were there. You were on the island with us" Claire insisted, knowing she sounded completely insane.

"What island?" Shannon asked in bewilderment. "There was a plain that crashed. I was on it, Charlie was on it, you and Boone, we were all on it Shannon-"

"You've lost your mind" Shannon confirmed, taking a few steps back. "I'm not crazy, Shannon. It happened. I remember it-" the pain in her head was to much to bare. It sounded like a thousand little voices both whispering and shouting at the same time, accompanied by the unbearable electronic buzzing all around her. She lost control of her legs, and tumbled forward, nearly taking Shannon down with her.

"Oh my god, Claire-" She gasped, rolling her over by her shoulder. He eyes grew wide in surprise as she shook her friend, trying hard to wake her. She felt a rush of panic flood over her and quickly tried to figure out a way to handle the situation.

She scrambled to her feet and rushed to the phone, quickly dialing 911. She could hear Aaron's cries from the floor as she held the phone, and went over to pick him up. She held him with one arm and waited for someone to answer. "Shhh, its all right" She comforted, rocking him up and down. It was no use.

"Nine one one, do you have an emergency?" A women's voice finally picked up. "Yes," Shannon answered desperately, keeping her eyes on Claire's motionless body all the while. It didn't make any since. Claire was perfectly healthy.

"All right, ma'am. What's the address?" The women questioned, remaining completely calm.

Even if she was acting strange, what would make her black out for no apparent reason? then a thought came to her. Shannon gave the women the address and all the additional information, then hung up the phone and walked out into the hall, slamming on violently on the door right beside theirs.

To be continued...

Sorry, couldn't help it. Chapter was getting long, and I wanted to get it posted. Hope you enjoyed!