Author: hauntedd
Pairing: Shannon/Sayid
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Yeah, they're not mine... if they were Mana wouldn't exist and Abandoned would have ended differently.
Summary: Post-Abandoned, Claire and Sayid have a meaningful discussion. Based on the Lost fanfic generator prompt: Sayid, Claire and a Blanket.
Sayid frowned as he looked over at the crying girl but said nothing. She'd spent all day at her grave quietly crying, even after all the others had left. It was just the two of them now, and he wondered idly when she had become so close to Shannon. She had never mentioned Claire except in passing, but that was just her way, never reveal anything unless it was relevant. Now that he thought about it, they were together often on the beach, playing with Aaron and talking.
Claire turned toward him slowly, feeling his eyes on her and forced back another bout of tears. Shannon had been her best friend on the island, and now she was gone. The death hit her harder than Boone's had, because although she had been friendly with Boone, she never really had time to grieve with Aaron and all the drama that surrounded him. "I can't... I can't believe" she choked out, unsure of what to say to Sayid. She knew that another 'I'm sorry' to add to the growing list of 'I'm sorrys' would not be sufficient.
"I still remember the first time we really talked, after Boone" Claire began, hoping that she would be saying the right thing. "She just came over with a sad smile and a blue blanket and handed it to me, telling me that she thought Aaron needed it more than her. I asked her where she got it and she shrugged, then asked me what I named him. When I told her that I didn't have a name yet, she..." Claire paused to brush away a stray tear, and noticed Sayid's sad smile.
At least he wasn't angry with her, she thought to herself. She had a feeling that if she had been around Charlie today - he wouldn't take kindly to her tears, claiming that they were a bad influence on the baby. Biting hard on her bottom lip, she forced herself to stop thinking about Charlie, it wasn't proper to think of her boyfriend at Shannon's grave.
Sayid watched the girl force back tears and sighed sadly, unsure of what to do. The only woman he knew how to handle when they cried was Shannon, and now she was gone. The only thing he seemed sure of was that she seemed to like telling stories to deal with her grief. He understood this well, and he would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy this view into Shannon's life. "Please, continue" he whispered, giving her a slight smile to let her know that he genuinely appreciated the gesture.
"She was the only one who didn't judge. She didn't give me any look of disapproval or shock. She simply gave me a conspiratorial look and said, you'll come up with the right one when the time is right. Then she smiled at him and fluffed his hair and changed the subject. It's surprising, for as much as everyone judged her, she never seemed to pass judgement until she knew the person."
Sayid paused and contemplated what the petite blonde had said. He'd never really thought about it before, but she was right. For as many hateful things that people said about her, she never seemed to stereotype, instead choosing to ignore them and put up a front. In fact, if she had been one to stereotype, their relationship never would have come to fruition, given what many Americans thought about Muslims after the terrorist attacks in New York and the war in his own country. He smiled sadly as he remembered when she apologized for reporting his bag, blaming it on a dare from Boone. He'd forgiven her instantly, amazed that she was willing to admit something like that to him. In all honestly, he'd forgotten about it, but it was nice to hear the apology none the less.
"Before she..." he paused, refusing to say that she had died. She had been murdered, and no matter how many times people told him that it had been an accident, he refused to accept any other explanation. "I told her that I loved her. She did not have a chance to say anything, before" he trailed off, letting out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding as fresh tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.
Claire frowned and took Sayid's hand in hers, forcing the bitter taste in her mouth back. While she tried not to hate anyone, Ana Lucia was quickly becoming an exception to her rule. Not only had she murdered Shannon, but she had heard about what she had done to Sayid as well. In fact, ever since she had invaded their camp, it had been miserable. The only people who seemed happy were Sun and Rose - both delighted to be reunited with their significant others. Kate, however, seemed pained, as if she had already made her decision to move on with Jack, and Sawyer's return made her question it.
"You had to know that she loved you too" she whispered, staring into his dark eyes. Her heart broke when she found doubt shining through them. "You were all that she talked about. She had this way about her whenever you came up in conversation and you could just tell that she was in love with you." She paused, catching the look of surprise on his face and continued. "She told me once that you were the best thing that had ever happened to her."
Sayid opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. Silence settled over the two of them and he mulled over what Claire had said. Although he knew he had been silly to doubt Shannon's love, it still felt like a burden was lifted from his shoulders when Claire confirmed it. "Thank you" he said finally and gave her a sad smile. It was all that he could muster right now, but he wanted to show his gratitude.
"You're welcome" Claire replied somberly, and turned back toward her grave. "If you... if you ever need to... if you ever want to talk, Sayid, I'm here. I miss her too." With that, Claire got up from her spot on the wooden log, giving Sayid some time alone to grieve.