That Happy Story

By:

LiL Pippin Padfoot

Disclaimer: "Wow, I wonder what it would be like to have a difficult life?" - Harry Potter

Chapter 10

Forever

"Aaron is such a pretty name." commented Sun "What does it mean?"

Claire shrugged. She had heard the name a long time ago, and thought it to be a wonderful name, and truthfully Claire had been afraid of naming her baby. She had thought, naming something gets you attached to it, if she just called it 'Baby' it stayed just that. A baby, not her son. But then Charlie started to call it Turnip Head, and unless she wanted the poor boy to go around with that forever, she had to name him. No one but Claire knew Aaron's full name was Aaron Charles. She hadn't even told Charlie yet. If Charlie ever returned with Aaron. "I don't know what it means." said Claire

"Oh." said Sun. Just then, Shannon came, dropping her bags on the ground, Sun noticed that almost half were Boone's things. Shannon collapsed on the natural stone step, next to Claire.

Claire was hugging her knees, something she hadn't been able to do for months, and she was staring striaght into the jungle, night had fallen, and the fire was blazing, and it seemed as if no warmth had reached Claire, as if she was living in her own world of darkness, coldness, a world where almost no light filtered. Come back Charlie, bring back Aaron. When ever she thought of Aaron or Charlie, she felt almost happy, thinking about Charlie trying to sing to Aaron, about the song Charlie had written about her. About the night she had Aaron, and how Charlie had been there, quietly waiting if Claire needed him. And she realized she did. She couldn't do this on her own. Charlie helped her more than he'd ever think. Without Charlie, Claire would've broke down long before Aaron was born. Bring back Aaron Charlie. Claire thought desperatly. Both of you come back.

Charlie's head hurt like a son-of-gun, but that didn't matter. He'd had hangovers this bad, and this still didn't beat his withdrawl. He was following Sayid, who had sped up, but at a much slower pace. Night was falling, and they could see the smoke, and Charlie could smell the smoke. It had a familiar smell, something he had smelled before, but he couldn't place it.

Sayid stopped abrupty. "The beach is just ahead," Sayid derw his gun, and Charlie did likewise. "Don't make it personal." Sayid repeated.

They stepped out of the jungle, and there was a giant torch-like structure, with a tire burning in it. That was the smell, it was the smell of burning rubber.

"Danielle!" yelled Sayid. "We know you are here! The baby needs its mother!" The jungle was quiet.

"Aaron!" Charlie called, knowing that it was just a baby, but hoping..hoping..

There was a wail. "Danielle!" called Sayid. "We can hear the baby, come out!"

Danielle slowly walked from the jungle, holding Aaron in his blanket. He was crying, and she was rocking him gently. Charlie noticed she was crying, but pity didn't stir easily in Charlie.

"Give me the baby." Sayid said gently to Danielle.

"I thought-," she started, choking on her tears. "I thought if I brought the baby, they'd give me back my Alex. They said they were coming for the boy, the child. But they weren't here!"

"Shhh. Give me the baby, Danielle." and with a sob, she handed the crying Aaron to Sayid. Charlie put his gun away, and Sayid gently gave Aaron to Charlie, and right away he quit crying.

"You're sick." said Charlie, looking at Danielle. "You don't deserve to live." and Charlie and Sayid walked away, leaving Danielle sobbing alone on the beach. They quickly made their way back through the jungle to the caves. As soon as they saw the fire burning, Charlie's already large grin, widened as he saw Claire sitting there.

People stopped and stared as Charlie, with his forehead cut open, and Sayid with his arm around Charlie's shoulders, and Charlie smiling down at Aaron aproached the caves.

"Claire." said Sun. "Look." Claire turned, and she thought her heart would burst. There was Charlie holding Aaron, walking toward her. She ran to Charlie, wrapping her arms around his neck, then taking Aaron from him.

"Aaron." she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I thought I'd lost you." Sayid walked around to the water fountain, and splashed cool water on his face. It had been a long day.

He looked over and Shannon was running toward him, her eyes filled with tears. She ran into his arms, and was crying. "I didn't know if you would come back." she sobbed. "Claire was acting so...I don't know, it was like you had already been killed."

"I wasn't killed." said Sayid. "Neither was Charlie or Aaron."

"Aaron?"

"Claire's baby." Shannon pulled away from Sayid, trying to mantain some composure.

"Well, it's about time she called it something besides Turnip Head." Sayid smiled.

Claire never wanted to put Aaron down, but he was getting sleepy, so she put him in his cradle, and he fell fast asleep. And for the first time she got to look at Charlie. "How did that happen?" she asked, touching his forehead. "Ah, it was nothing." he said. "You know me, fending off polar bears, evil women, and saving the day. It's nothing." Claire smiled. "I'll be right back, Charlie." she said.

"Sun?"

"Yes, Claire?"

"Do you know something I put on Charlie's forehead?" Sun nodded, and picked up some herbs she had dried.

"Put these in some water, and just gently clean his wound." she said also giving Claire a cloth, and Claire nodded.

"Sun?" Sun looked at Claire. "Thank you. For, for everything." Sun just smiled. "You're welcome."

Claire went back to Charlie, and taking the cloth, and started to wipe at Charlie's wound.

"Ah!" he said. "What is that? Peroxide?" he asked, wincing.

"No, but after making me worry so much, I wish I had some." said Claire teasingly.

"You shouldn't of worried." said Charlie seriously.

"Sun made me realize that." said Claire.

"What did Sun say?" asked Charlie, wincing again as Claire gently cleaned his wound.

"She told me," Claire blushed. "She told me that you promised me you would bring Aaron back, and that I should know you would because you..." Claire trailed off

"Because I what?" asked Charlie, smiling, and Claire looked into his eyes, and she realized that Sun was right, Charlie's eyes were looking at her, and they were filled with love.

"That you love me." she said quietly.

Charlie was quiet. "That Sun..." he said, and Claire instantly blushed again, thinking that she had been right earlier, Charlie didn't love her.

"...Last time I confide in someone I don't think speaks the same language."

"Oh, Charlie!" said Claire, and she playfully hit him.

"What?" he asked. "You aren't going to scream at me too?"

Claire laughed. "Sorry about that. I was just so,so, worried."

"I know." said Charlie. "I was too."

"The mighty warrior Charlie, worried?"

"Believe it or not." said Charlie. "I was worried that I wouldn't get Turni- Aaron, back, and that you'd never look at me agian. And that would've killed me just as much as losing Aaron would've."

Claire realized something that she supposed her heart had realized but her brain hadn't recieved the memo. Charlie loved Aaron as if it wasn't just Claire's baby... he loved Aaron as much as Thomas should've loved Aaron.

"You know, Charlie," she said. "I'm starting to think that maybe when this plane crashed it wasn't a bad thing."

"Why is that?" asked Charlie.

"I would've never met you." she said. "And now that I do, if we ever get rescued, I don't think I could ever let you go, because that would kill me just as fast as if I had lost Aaron."

"Then I guess I'll stick around for awhile." said Charlie

"Promise you'll stick around forever." said Claire.

"I promise." said Charlie. And Charlie couldn't break a promise to Claire.