Title: Answers 3/3
Summary: She's found the answers she wanted…or has she? And what is Charlie going to say when she finally returns to him? A possible development of Claire's story in season two
Spoilers: Post season one, pre season two
Original post date: 5th September 2005
Disclaimer: Still don't own Lost. Sigh.

Claire moved swiftly through the jungle, the safety catch back in place on the gun and her shoes slipping over the wet ground.

'Never wear Chuck Taylor's when it's been raining,' Claire grumbled to herself as she dodged a tree branch and pushed another aside. 'I must remember that.'

She took a step forward, stumbled on the toe of her shoe and quite suddenly she was blinded. She drew her breath in sharply as she felt the sensation of being pulled along. Someone was breathing foully in her ear. She tried to raise the hand with the gun in it but found she couldn't move either of her hands. It almost felt like someone had tied her wrists together…

'Whoa,'

Reality returned with a jolt and Claire took a moment to gather her wits. She glanced around sharply, seeing nothing but trees and took a tentative step forwards. Nothing happened and so she continued.

She was over halfway to the caves now; she could see the bit of path up ahead where there was a low flat rock she had rested at on her way to and from the caves when she had been pregnant. She didn't stop there now however, she pressed on, almost running now, although she didn't quite know why she was so desperate to get back.

Maybe it was what she had just learned from Rousseau, maybe she was being paranoid or maybe her instinct had just kicked in, hard. Maybe it was all three. She began to run just as the whispers began.

I think about you…Claire…I think about you…I won't leave you…I like you…I love you…Claire…I promise…I promise…without anyone…in this place…I won't leave you…Claire…Claire…your baby is special Claire…I think about you…

Claire cried as she ran, tripping over roots, slamming into trees, trying to ignore the whispers as a stitch began to slice into her side. And then quite suddenly she was in darkness again but this time she knew where she was.

'Claire?'

She heard Sun's voice, saw her standing there but didn't stop to acknowledge her. She heard other people call her name but ignored them as well. Gasping for air she stumbled further into the caves.

'Charlie!'

She became increasingly hysterical as she searched, her voice softening from a piercing yell to a terrified whisper of 'Charlie…Charlie…' and she found herself praying frantically that he hadn't gone out to find her.

'Claire?'

'Charlie?' but it wasn't Charlie, Sun had been following her frenzied progress about the caves and now she stepped forward and held Claire's arm firmly as she spoke.

'He's over there,' Claire turned and ran.

And sure enough he was, silent and brooding, leaning over Aaron's crib like a dark guardian angel, one hand gently stroking the rail. He heard her footfalls just before she ploughed into the side of him. 'Claire!' He gave a small noise of relief as he pulled her towards him, crushing her in his arms for a brief moment before pushing her out to arms length.

'Where've you been eh?' his voice was as angry as the grip he had on her shoulders, so tight Claire was worried he might bruise her. 'Do you know how worried I've been? I got your note and then I went to tell Sayid and he told me he'd actually given you a bloody gun and…'

'I didn't shoot anyone,' Claire said somewhat defensively and Charlie paused mid sentence. 'I just had to…to sort some things out. That's all.'

'Sort some things out?' Charlie repeated incredulously. 'In the jungle? In the middle of a bloody monsoon?'

Put that way it did sound foolish. And Claire felt like a fool admitting to it. 'Yes,'

Charlie looked like he was about to reprimand her but sighed at the look on her face and folded her back into his arms; aggrieved at the way his eyes were stinging. 'What if you hadn't come back Claire?' he murmured. 'What would we have done? What would Aaron have done?' Claire's eyes strayed against her will to the small bundle asleep in the crib.

She held Charlie even tighter.

'Claire?' Charlie repeated her name over and over, exasperated. 'I need some answers from you…' Charlie tried to pull away but Claire's grip was too tight. He gave up and, sighing, continued to hold her to him, leaning his forehead down until it touched her shoulder. 'Please, Claire?' his voice was muffled in her hair. 'What happened? Where did you go?'

Claire pressed her face as hard as she could into the worn material of his shirt and tried to speak, but she didn't possess the words or the want to articulate what it was she wanted to say to him. What she needed to say to him.

What she remembered about him.

And so she held him.