Title: Are We Dancing?
Spoilers: season one
Original post date: 15th November 2005
Summary: "Tonight was different from all the other nights that the crash survivors had spent here in this place. Tonight everyone had agreed not to just sit about and wait to be rescued or attacked like they've done every other night. Tonight they were going to dance."
Disclaimer: I may not own Lost but I sure as hell own this fanfiction and all events portrayed herein so…nyah!
It had been a long time since Claire had had the time to make herself feel pretty. What with being pregnant and then surviving a plane crash and then trying to survive on an island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific and then giving birth on said island, she really hadn't had time to care what she looked like on a day to day basis.
But tonight was different from all the other nights that the crash survivors had spent here in this place. Tonight everyone had agreed not to just sit about and wait to be rescued or attacked like they've done every other night.
Tonight they were going to dance.
Nobody was really sure where the idea had come from, perhaps from Hurley trying to keep everyone entertained now that golf was losing popularity. Maybe it had been Charlie even, woeful at the shortage of music on the island. Claire secretly suspected that he had at least nudged the idea along hoping that he could play his guitar and receive some recognition.
As for Claire, she didn't care either way what was happening and hadn't even planned to dress up much, being too preoccupied with Aaron. But after Shannon and Sun found her late afternoon she couldn't really protest to their efforts to pretty her up.
'Who have I got to look pretty for?' she had argued but had immediately been barraged by Shannon on the importance of self image and how Claire was always looking after her son and never had time for herself anymore…
And so she had given in.
Claire didn't see Charlie all day and so he barely recognised her when she found him that night. He was taking a break from playing, having surrendered his beloved guitar grudgingly to one of the other castaways so he didn't injure his fingers in some way from playing all night.
Claire stood just in the shadows watching as he took a swig of water from a bottle feeling more than a little nervous. Not that she had any reason to be nervous – it was only Charlie after all – but she still felt her stomach flutter as she walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, biting her lip to keep from smiling.
Charlie turned swiftly to her. He too had tried to neaten himself up a bit and was looking a bit out of sorts in an obviously borrowed button down shirt over his customary jeans. The silicone bracelets were still apparent however, as was his rumpled hair, curling gently at the nape of his neck.
'Claire?' his eyes widened for a moment but then he grinned. 'Well look at you!' he gazed appreciatively at her and Claire felt her face grow warm as she grinned back at him. 'Wow.'
Not only had Sun and Shannon dressed her up, ransacking their respective suitcases for her, Shannon had also taken it upon herself to sacrifice some of her precious stockpile of make-up, brushing a light coat of mascara over her fair eyelashes and adding a touch of gloss to her lips. Sun had been just as enthusiastic, brushing Claire's long hair carefully into something that felt complicated when Claire reached back to touch it although it only seemed to be half-up half-down at first glance.
'Is that what you've been doing all day then?' Charlie asked, taking another mouthful from his water bottle, his eyes twinkling. 'Prettying yourself up for me?'
'Sun and Shannon did all of this actually,' Charlie chuckled but Claire wasn't finished speaking and she planted her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow at him before continuing. 'And who said I did it for you?'
Charlie drooped for a moment and Claire felt slightly guilty until he grinned slyly and she knew he was teasing her.
'Well who did you dress up for then? Hmmn?'
'That's for me to know,' Claire said primly and Charlie chuckled lightly, put his water bottle down and then surprised Claire by bowing, holding a hand out towards her in an unmistakable gesture.
'Care to dance m'lady?'
Claire hesitated for a moment. 'I should – I should probably go check up on Aaron,' she said quickly. 'He's asleep and Sun said she'd watch him for a little while but…'
'So we'll make it quick.' Charlie coaxed her with his eyes. 'Go on Claire – when's the last time you had some real fun? When's the last time you danced?'
Claire rolled her eyes at him and smiled as Charlie took her hand gently and pulled her out onto what was meant to be the dance floor, a large, flat section of sand surrounded by torches which was filled with people swaying about self consciously, many people had coupled off as a shadowy figure played a strange song on Charlie's guitar and somebody else improvised a drum solo on various pieces of wreckage.
Charlie however wasn't the sort of person to try and blend in with the crowd and Claire found herself being danced in and around all the other castaways at great speed, both she and Charlie grinning at each other and giggling like absolute fools. Everyone else moved out of their way and some even stopped to watch the two of them ploughing a wide path through everyone else.
But before too long however Charlie was hailed to come and play his guitar again, his replacement having gotten bored.
'I've got to go,' he said apologetically, holding her hand gently but Claire smiled understandingly.
'I'd better be going anyway,' she said. 'Sun will be wondering where I am.' She paused for a moment; distracted by the way his thumb was smoothing over the skin on the back of her hand. 'Thank you for the dance Charlie.'
'The pleasure was all mine love,' Charlie smiled impishly at her as he brought her hand to his lips for the briefest moment and murmured, 'you're beautiful.'
Claire watched him from the shadows for a little while longer as he played, feeling as though a warm glow had taken a hold of her. It had been a long time since anyone had complimented her like that. When she was pregnant she'd gotten the 'glowing' compliments but it had been a long time since anyone had said she was beautiful.
Almost as though he'd heard her thoughts, Charlie glanced up and nodded his head over-enthusiastically at her as he played. Claire laughed quietly to herself.
Maybe later she would go and ask him for another dance.