Chapter 9- It All Unfolds

Well, once again I'm back for a way overdue update. Truth is, school has got me swamped! Luckily, I'm done with volleyball, so I have more free time. Should I ask for a show of hands on who forgot me? To those of you reading my other stories, trust me, I will try my best to update both of them this weekend. I may even start a new one when I get an old one finished.

Claire let go of the plane wreckage that just a second ago her hand was clenched to for dear life. She straightened herself from the hunched position and let out a light sigh. The memories are getting stronger, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and went outside to the group of four huddled together.

"Hey." Charlie said with a smile as she walked outside of the tent. You seem to be doing better. How's the leg?"

"Better, I think I'm just so happy to be back that I'm numbed to the pain." She said returning his very contagious smile. "Thanks again for finding us." She said turning towards Jack and Kate.

"It's no big deal, trust me." Jack said crossing his arms while he broke into a smile.

"Always so modest." Kate said showing those child-like dimples.

The rain suddenly lightened up to a minor drizzle, refusing to cease completely. Locke turned his face up to the grey-blue sky, allowing his face to be washed of the sweat and dirt that rested there. After a few seconds of sulking in the pleasure, he looked back at the four people around him. "I have to go." He said walking away without an explanation, which left the group puzzled.

"What do you think that was about?" Charlie asked looking at Kate and Jack.

"I don't know, but I think I'm going to go investigate." Jack said leaving.

"I'll see you guys later." Kate said hurrying after him, giving Claire and Charlie a subtle wave as they grew farther apart in distance.

"Well, they sure left in a hurry." Claire said, still watching the three of them. "Do you ever get the feeling there's something they aren't telling us?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows and looking up at him.

"All the time…" He said turning around and heading into the tent. Claire followed, clearly bothered by the secrets. She always hated it when people kept things from her, but that's all her time on the island had been. It was always secret after secret, no one knew the person sitting beside them on the plane, and they still don't know them after spending over a month together on an island.

Darkness had come again, which meant the small glowing campfires along the beach did too. Charlie and Claire slept soundly in "their" tent, about three feet apart. Claire was closest to Aaron, since she slept right next to his handmade wooden cradle.

Everyone and Everything was silent, it was just a regular night like all the others over the past month. That is until the gunshot rang. People shot up from their makeshift beds, Aaron screamed the loudest a young baby could manage, Vincent barked and ran off away from the sound towards the opposite side of the woods, and the men grabbed their weapons.

Four guns, four men… Sayid, Jack, Locke, and Charlie. It wasn't planned that way, but it's the best they could come up with in this pandemonium. People were running back and forth along the beach, others huddled together like sheep waiting to be slaughtered, others stood in utter shock, frozen in fear of what they might see. Jack, Sayid, and Locke all headed toward the gun case, knowing they had to prepare for the worst case scenario. Charlie grabbed Aaron from his cradle and quickly put him in Claire's arms. He turned away from her and headed towards the gun case.

"Charlie!" Claire yelled after him. He stopped, turned, and stared into her deep blue eyes. For once he knew what was going on in that pretty head of hers. Claire was frightened. She was scared for herself, her baby, and him. He trudged towards her, laying a hand on her cheek. As he did so, she was silent, letting a tear cascade down that cheek onto his gentle hand.

"I won't let anything happen to you, alright?" Claire nodded and Charlie turned to leave again.

"Charlie…" Claire started.

"I'll be fine, but I need to get a gun to protect you and Aaron." He explained giving her a gentle peck on the cheek. He turned and left, running towards the gun case where Sayid met him with a gun extended towards him.

"I knew you'd come here." Sayid said smiling at Charlie. "I wouldn't be giving you this gun, but Sawyer's gone and we need someone with experience."

"I thought you said I was 'emotionally involved'."

"You are, but the fact remains that we need as many guns used as possible, especially if it's the others."

"What do you need me to do?" Charlie asked taking the gun.

"Follow us, but be careful."

"Where are we going?"

"Towards the gunshot."

"How lovely." Charlie said sarcastically, following close behind the group as the started moving into the jungle.

The moment was a blur; they couldn't quite fathom the sight before them. They had all scrambled towards the bloody body, gunshot wound to the abdomen, not from their guns.

Jack was the one to check her pulse, there was nothing. He checked her breathing, it was totally silent. Jack looked up at the three of them and shook his head. "She's got no pulse, her breathing has ceased… she's dead."

"I'd seen her before… on the beach. She asked me if I thought we were going to get rescued. I told her 'yes.' I lied to her." Sayid said feeling a bit of guilt wash over himself.

"No, you just gave her hope." Jack said staring at the woman's face. He was by her side on his knees, but he couldn't stand the sight of the horrid, vacant look in her eyes. He placed his hand over her eyelids, bringing them to a final close. The snapping of a twig could be heard just feet away, which made Jack propel to a standing position. All four of them cocked their guns, targeting the sound.

A woman emerged stopping dead in her tracks, as did the people she was with.

"Stop there." Sayid said in a very calm voice. "You come any closer and I'll shoot you."

"Who are you?" Locke asked the woman.

"I'm not telling you anything… not until I know who you are."

"Oh, seems like we're in check." Charlie added sarcastically.

"We have the guns, so you talk or I shoot you." Sayid said, refusing to back down.

"Checkmate." Charlie chimed in, even more sarcastic than the first remark.

"My name's Michael, this is Jin…"

"Michael?" Jack asked confused, trying to get a glimpse of the man.

"Jack? Thank God we found you!"

"What happened? How did you get back on the island?"

"It's a long story… Walt's gone and Sawyer was shot."

"By her?" Charlie asked pointing to Ana Lucia.

"No, by the others." Michael explained. "Jack, it's infected…"

"Okay, we need to get him back to camp."

"Wait a minute… I know you." Ana Lucia said looking closer at Jack. "Airport lobby… I tried to trade you seats."

"Yeah, I remember… why did you shoot that woman?"

"I thought she was one of them… the others."

"So you just shoot first ask questions later?" Jack asked, not taking such a simple reason to justify what she had done.

"She was in the jungle by herself."

"So if I go out in the jungle by myself, you'll shoot me too?"

"I only had one bullet." Ana Lucia said sarcastically.

"Never mind, I've got bigger things to worry about than putting you on a guilt trip, like saving Sawyer."

"So then we'll just save that guilt trip for a rainy day then?" Ana Lucia asked still sarcastic. Jack looked away from her and then at Sawyer. "He's in bad shape."

They returned to camp carrying Sawyer in his handmade stretcher. Ana Lucia talked with Echo and Libby, while Bernard, Michael, and Jin looked for Rose. That reunion would be well worth the long walk across the beach. Shannon and Claire sat side by side in the sand, Shannon lulling Aaron to sleep as Claire rocked him. When he finally fell asleep, Claire placed him in his crib that she moved to sit next to her in the sand. Sun was there to, looking out at the ocean, as was Rose who sat beside her. Kate was also there, completing the girl talk session. There wasn't really talking, just Shannon's pretty voice cascading amongst the silence, little did they know a reunion was about to take place for all of them.

HA! The happy reunions aren't 'till next time! Much fluff and angst in the next one! I'll do my best to update the other stories this weekend. Sorry that there wasn't a flashback, to tell you the truth… there's only one or two more coming into play. I'll probably save those for later chapters. OK, I'll be back some other time with a lovely update.

Thanks to these people for reviewing chapter 8:

Welling'sGirl

Wow, you guys sure are behind. I feel bad for you! I would go insane if someone got to see the eppys before me. Keep your head up, Lost is SO worth the wait, because CC rock! I'll try to update quicker for you, so you have something to read.

The Lady Luthien

Me 2! Charlie taking care of Claire will always play a part in my stories.

dude731

Aw… I'm glad you love this story, it makes me happy!

babes

They are definitely the cutest! Glad you enjoyed the chappy!

RenaissanceGrrl

Here's more, and I am doing 20 chapters.

CharlieandClaire

Well, I'm going with 20 chapters and a possible sequel. Hope that's good.

Lara Chubb of Deephollow

Hm… Ethan could be sitting out in the jungle somewhere or he could be dead in his grave still… Wherever I want to put him… OK, he's in the hatch baking "I'm sorry" cookies for Claire.

FluffLover

Here I am! Yes, it's really me! Do you need a DNA test or something? LOL! Sorry about the long wait… AGAIN! I'm terrible! 20 chapters got the popular vote! So 20 chapters it is!