The following month passed slowly for Charlie, who was finding out that spying was a lot harder than he had first anticipated. At first he tried watching Michael from a distance but that only served to make the other shoree's, as his new friends called them, suspicious of his actions. His next attempt at watching the black man didn't wok either. So he gave up his idea of twenty-four hour surveillance and settled for just casual observance, which seemed to work.

Every three days he headed out into the jungle to report his findings to Jax and/or Rio. At first there really wasn't anything to report. Michael had been calmed by Jack and Locke. But as the days wore on, Michael's patience, and it would appear sanity, slipped away. And today, he finally snapped. So Charlie waited to deliver this news with a learned patience.

"What news do you bring, Charo?" Jax questioned Charlie when he arrived, using a name that had been given to the younger man by his new friends.

He didn't even flinch at the sudden appearance of the other man. He was used to their quiet movements. "The father is no longer with the shorees. He took a weapon and left. Several shorees went after him."

"Who else has left the shore?" Jax inquired.

"Jack, Locke and Sawyer left shortly after Michael did. Kate followed a short time later." He stated.

"Hm, I will relay this news to Rio so he can alert one of our hunting parties to be on watch for them. You have done us a service, Charo." Jax quietly praised the younger man, knowing how he needed it.

"You will not kill them, will you?" He asked after he took the time to absorb the praise.

"That is not for me to say. The island...only she can decide their fate." Jax dropped a crudely made sack onto the jungle floor between them.

He reached down and picked the sack up, slinging it over his shoulder. "Fate..." He trailed off. "The island will spare their lives." He stated as he turned away from Jax and started back down a trail that only he knew about.

Jax pondered his words for a moment then called out to Charlie. "The island has given you a reward for your help, Charo. Do not ignore it for if you do...you do her great disservice." And with that said he disappeared into the jungle.

He didn't even slow his pace when he heard Jax's parting words. His job was done for now and wouldn't continue until Michael returned. He was going to enjoy his free time as best as he could being stuck in an area with people who either ignored him or didn't even care enough to do that; they just pretended he didn't exist. And as painful as it was for him to think about, Claire fell into that last category.

Authors Notes

Well, there is chapter two. It's short, I know. But I couldn't think of anything else to write there. I tried to follow close to the timeline of the show but I had to tweak it just a bit by saying a month passed instead of only a day. It makes it sound better. Anyways, it's up to you to decide if I continue from here. I have a vague idea where I would head if I were to write more.