"Here it is" Charlie announced casually as he stepped into to the empty, one bed room apartment. Claire's bag in one hand, his guitar in the other.
"Its...roomy" Claire noted, looking around optimistically at the plain white walls and the bare wooden floors. "Don't worry. It'll look a lot smaller when we get furniture." Charlie noted, playfully, shutting the door behind them.
He sat down the items he'd been carrying on the floor beside the door, keeping his eyes on Claire as she wondered around the room.
He felt guilty. She'd been left alone at the air port. No one came for her. No friends, parents, not even the father of her own child. Then again, no one really expected him to show up, and Charlie was pretty happy that he hadn't.
When they were first rescued, Charlie didn't expect for anyone he knew to be there when he arrived. But when he stepped into the air port, Liam was there waiting for him.
Apparently when you die, the little arguments stop mattering. And even though his hatred for his own brother was still strong, he was grateful to have someone there for him. But Claire, she didn't have any body. And now she had to stay in an empty apartment with a baby and a guy she barely knew.
Claire wondered around with Aaron in her arms. The door to the bed room was open, and she couldn't help but glance inside, expecting it to be as bare as the rest of the house.
"Well, there is some furniture" Claire noted, optimistically. Charlie gave her a curious look and walked forward, looking in through the open door. He smiled at the sight of the bed, not able to remember the last time he'd had a good night sleep. But the thought didn't last long.
"Are you hungry? We could order out" He suggested, trying to make her feel a little more at home. "Yeah. That sounds great" Claire replied, brightening up at the suggestion of food.
Charlie smiled, and walked over to the phone. Claire walked into the bed room and sat Aaron down on the bed. He crawled around curiously, amazed by every little item he saw.
Claire kept an eye on him as she unzipped her bag, worried he might crawl to the edge and fall off. She could hear Charlie ordering in the other room and felt her stomach grumble at the sound of the word "pizza". She tried to ignore it and began unpacking her bag. After a moment, Charlie hung up the phone and wondered into the room.
"They'll be here in half an hour" He explained, taking a seat on the bed. Claire smiled, relieved.
"Would you mind holding Aaron for a bit? I don't want him to fall off" Claire explained, giving a worried look at how close the little guy was getting to the edge of the bed. "No problem" Charlie assured, and scooped Aaron onto his lap.
"I know. It's exciting isn't it?" he spoke playfully, brushing Aaron's fluffy blond strains out of his face. Aaron giggled in amusement.
Claire watched the two with a smile as she unpacked her cloths, carrying them back and forth in small piles over to the dresser.
"I left the top draw open for your stuff" She explained, placing the last pile into the second drawer and pushing it shut.
"Thanks, luv" Charlie replied, a little preoccupied with Aaron, who was using him as a jungle gym. Claire felt her cheeks warm at the sound of the word 'luv'.
She blushed every time he called her that. She knew that it was simply a British thing, and that he probably called everyone that. But still, a small, hopeful, school girl part of her mind still couldn't help but think he saved the name for her.
She kept her back to him, waiting until the pink faded from her cheeks. After a moment, she walked over to the bed and sat down with Charlie and Aaron.
"So, what did you think of my brother?" Charlie questioned, curiously, already supplied with a smile. "He...he looks nothing like you" Claire noted with a laugh. Charlie's smile turned to a grin.
"I know. I'm cuter" Charlie confirmed concededly. Claire laughed. "Although, in his defense, he looks much better without his old man glasses" Charlie added sarcastically.
Claire giggled once again. Aaron crawled around between the two of them, not quite sure what to do with himself. Claire smiled and run her hand over his duck-fluff hair admiringly.
"Poor little guy. All this city life crap must be driving him mad" Charlie noted, propping himself up on his elbows. "Yeah. Its a little scary" Claire noted, honestly.
"Its not as bad as TV makes it sound." Charlie assured, giving her one of his many comforting looks. "Besides, any where is better than that island" He added with a laugh.
"Good point" Claire agreed in amusement. Before she could even finish her sentence, a yawn interrupted. "Tired?" Charlie questioned, already knowing the answer.
"Mh, hm" Claire nodded, covering her mouth. "I don't blame you" He noted playfully.
"Who would think coming home would be so bloody exhausting" He sighed, laying back on the bed and running his hands through his wild hair. Even after being clean for a good eight months, his hair still looked as if it were on drugs.
But Claire had always thought it was cute. His long, dirty blond strands that had a mind of their own. Actually, they had two.
One was this wild, untamable mess. But the other was something similar to that of a little boy. Cute, fluffy, blond, innocent. Both descriptions could fit Charlie's personality as well. She wished he had a physical trait that could explain her personality.
The door bell rang and Charlie sat up quickly. "Be right back" He explained, flashing her a smile before hopping off the bed and hurrying out of the room, desperate for normal food.
Claire felt her stomach twisting in anticipation. She was starving. She could almost taste it. She listened as the door open, and Charlie made the exchange of the few dollars in his pocket for the pizza, rambling nervously to the delivery man.
Moments later he walked back into the bed room, carrying the box of pizza. He sat it and himself down on the bed and opened up the box, watching the way Claire's face lit up at the sight of a decent meal.
The two dug in with their bare hands. For a good five minutes, it was silent. The two too busy savoring the taste of the food to talk. After finishing off two pieces, Charlie was full. Though he defiantly wanted more. He laid back on the bed at let out a satisfied sigh, breathing for the fist time since he took a bite.
"You ok?" Claire questioned teasingly, raising an eye brow as she held a piece of crust in hand. "Just recovering" Charlie explained, a little breathlessly. He and Claire both laughed.
Aaron continued to crawl around the bed, attempting to make his way over Charlie's stomach to the pizza box to investigate but giving in half way and laying on his chest instead.
"Lazy" Charlie noted sarcastically, looking down at the little blonde sprawled across his torso. Aaron giggled in amusement, having no idea what he was saying.
Claire had finished off her crust and now sat watching the two adoringly, another yawn making its escape. "Wow, you really are tired" Charlie noted, playfully.
"Yeah, I don't know why. I don't feel tired. I just can't stop yawning" She explained in mild confusion. "Maybe I'm boring you" Charlie suggested sarcastically. The two both laughed.
"No, its not that. I don't know what it is" She confirmed simply. Charlie smiled, understanding, and sat up. He lifted Aaron off his chest and closed the box between them.
"Where are you going?" Claire questioned, watching curiously as Charlie rose to his feet, brining the box up with him. "I'm going to put the rest of this in the fridge and take a shower so you can get some sleep" Charlie explained simply.
"Alright" Claire nodded, pulling Aaron onto her lap. She watched Charlie walk out into the kitchen for a moment before getting up.
Charlie had already brought the crib up from the cab before she'd gotten up to the apartment. She carried Aaron out into the empty room with her to get it, stopping in front of it at where it laid on the hard wood floor, wondering how she was going to transport it with a baby in her arms.
"I've got it" Charlie assured, coming from the kitchen to assist her. It was amazing. She never had to ask for anything. He just...knew.
He lifted the cradle with one hand, (it was made from sticks so it wasn't all that heavy) and carried into the room for her. "Thank you" Claire replied appreciatively, kneeling down beside him to put Aaron in.
"No problem" Charlie assured, giving her a sweet smile. He kept his eyes on her, watching admiringly as she lowered her son into the cradle and tucked him in. Softly removing the hair from his face until his little eyes fell shut.
Claire knew he was staring at her. Usually, she hated it when people stared. It made her feel like they were conspiring against her. Or they knew something she didn't. Or even worse, they were judging her.
But Charlie's stare was different. The look in his eyes was soft, friendly, loving. He wasn't conspiring or judging or keeping secrets. He was simply looking.
She couldn't help but blush. "Night luv" Charlie murmured in a soft, husky voice, leaning forward slightly to kiss her temple.
This caught Claire off guard. She'd kissed him before. On the cheek, on the forehead. Usually just in little signs of gratitude. Or at least, that was her excuse. But he'd never kissed her.
By the time she came back to planet earth, Charlie had already left the room. She heard the door to the bath room open and close, and knew he was off to take his shower.
She pushed herself off her knees and walked over to the bed. It looked so unbelievably comfortable.
She unzipped her jeans and pulled them off before climbing under the thick, soft, fluffy comforter, curling up in its warmth. It had been forever since she laid in a bed, especially one as comfortable as this.
She laid her head back against the pillow, closeting her eyes and listening to the sounds of the shower running in the near by bath room.
A smile crossed her face and her cheeks reddened as she pictured Charlie in the shower before quickly pushing the thought from her mind. She didn't want to think of him that way. The more she fantasized about him, the more she would want him. And that was to risky.
Her and Charlie were friends. Best friends at that. Sure, he'd always shown signs of wanting to be more. At times, Claire was almost certain.
But he never asked. And because of this, she couldn't be sure. So she kept those un wanted thoughts from her mind, or at least, she tried.
She kept her attention on the ceiling until Charlie walked back in. She tried not to look, but her eyes moved at their own will.
He walked around the room casually, as if fully dressed, though in reality he was covered by nothing but a plain white towel and a layer of water droplets that clung and slid down his skin. Claire felt her breath catch in her throat, and tried hard not to show it.
She watched as Charlie picked up his bag and unzipped it, pulling out a pair of tattered jeans she remembered him wearing all the time on the island.
With they way they were torn and fit to his shape, she could tell they'd belonged to him long before the crash. He stood up once again, unfolding them casually, not realizing she was awake, or watching him for that matter.
Claire closed her eyes, trying to hide the fact that she was awake. The last thing she wanted was to be caught staring at him as he got dressed, but it took every bit of strength in her to keep her eyes closed.
She heard the towel drop to the floor, and shifted so that her head was under the blanket. Now she could open her eyes without him knowing, and without having the guilt or the pleaser of seeing him nude.
But she could hear everything. Each little rustle of fabric as he pulled them on, shifted against his skin. Then the zip. The sound made her bite her lip at the image in her mind of what it was covering.
After that it was silent. She didn't hear him moving any more. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing. After a while, the curiosity got to her, and she had to look up.
She spotted Charlie, sitting in a chair, staring back at her. "Hey, luv. Thought you were asleep" He explained in a friendly tone. Claire blushed.
"I was" She lied, faking exhaustion, thought at this point, she was wide awake. "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you" He explained apologetically, guilt literally showing in his eyes.
"No, its alright. I'm not really that tired" She assured, watching as the emotion faded quickly and was replaces with relief, witch made her smile as well.
"What are you doing over there?" She questioned curiously, tilting her head to the side. "Just...sitting" Charlie explained simply, not sounding to sure himself.
"You weren't planning on sitting there all night, were you?" She questioned playfully, surprised at Charlie's lack of reaction.
Claire's smile faded slightly, a some-what motherly look coming across her face. "Come here" She instructed, patting the empty space on the mattress beside her. Charlie looked up in surprise.
"No, that's alright, luv. You should get some sleep" he assured, casually denying her suggestion.
"I can't very well sleep knowing your going to be sitting in that chair all night. So if you want me to get some rest, get over here" Claire insisted, not backing down. There was a sweet, concerned smile on her face as she stared at him, waiting for him to comply.
He did. He pushed himself off the chair and walked over to the bed, slowly sliding under the blankets, making sure he kept his distance from her body.
Claire could feel the heat waving off of him onto her skin, and it gave her chills. She smiled contently as she watched him slowly settle down, the smell of his shampoo filling the air between them.
When she let her eyes flutter open again, she was surprised to catch Charlie staring at her. His usually dark blue eyes almost glowing as he studied her, an admiring look across his face.
He didn't stop once Claire became aware of this. He simply smiled shyly. Claire's cheeks grew warm at the sight of this, as did the rest of her skin.
"Good night, luv" He whispered softly, giving her the remnant of a smile before closing his eyes. Claire closed her's as well, shifting just slightly, the air growing warmer with the closeness between them.
It still seemed to far. She wanted to touch him. She wanted it more than she could believe. Just to lay against his chest, put her arms around him, feel his skin against hers.
It was to much of an opportunity to pass up. God knows when she'd be this close to him again. Besides, she was asleep. What ever movements she made could not be held against her.
With this in mind, Claire shifted closer to him again, until the front of her body touch his just slightly. She felt him tense up and suck in a breath, taking a little gulp before letting it out again and relaxing against her touch.
Claire let her hand slide against his arm, feeling the muscles that most people wouldn't think he had. She was surprised when she felt his arm pull around her, making the body press hard against his.
She gasped at the sudden feel of his warm skin against hers, giving her self away. She opened her eyes, knowing she'd have to explain. This would be hard, because at the moment, she didn't think she could speak.
But Charlie's eyes meet hers in a captivating stare. There was not the slightest hint of suspicion in them. As usual, he knew exactly what she wanted and he was gladly going to give it to her.
Claire felt her whole body go warm and cold at the same time, a chill running all the way down to her toes as his lips just barely brushed against hers. It lasted for a second before he pulled back, less then an inch, just enough so that he could look her over, make sure she wasn't shivering in panic.
Once he was sure she was fine with the idea of him kissing her, he did so again. Pressing harder, pushing his lips against hers in a passionate hold. Gently and firmly all at once.
Her hands moved over his arms, down the curve of his shoulder, cupping his neck and raking through his hair. He pulled her tighter, hands gripping flat against her back, feeling the silky material of her shirt against his palms.
Claire gasped against his lips, her lower body started to pulse as she pushed her hips against his. Charlie breathed hard in response, pressing his forehead to hers as he guided his fingers down the curves of her back, over her ass and pulling tight against her thigh, pulling her as close to him as he could get with cloths on.
Claire moaned vocally, not knowing what do next. Charlie kissed her again. His tongue gently coaxing her lips until she opened her mouth and let him in.
No one had ever kissed her like that. It was usually sloppy, demanding and want-full. Charlie's kiss was defiantly want full, but not demanding. He took his time. Starting slow, the passion growing in time though he remained mind-blowingly gentle.
His hand griped her thigh tightly, and Claire could feel the bulge in his jeans press hard against her. She gasped again, removing her hands from his tangled hair to explore his chest. He moaned low in his throat, shriving every time her palms ran over the curves of his torso.
He let his mouth break away from hers, but only to travel down to her bare neck, burying his face into the curve between her neck and her shoulder and letting his mouth wander.
Claire couldn't take it any more. She turned onto her back, letting him slide no top of her. He continued to kiss and nip at her collar bone as his hands ravished her entire body. Slowly, they slipped under her silky white tank top and moved slowly over her rib cage.
Claire slammed her head back against the pillow, once again raking her fingers through his tousled hair that was looking its wildest.
He stopped abruptly, propping himself over her on one elbow, taking slowly, heavy breaths as he looked down at her, his hungry blue eyes staring down at her with need through a ring of black eye liner.
She kept her eyes on his in a trance as he let his free hand slide over the curve of her hips, gliding over the strap of her panties and up her stomach, once again traveling under the him of her shirt.
He lifted the material with a flick of his wrist, dragging it up with his hand as it grazed up her stomach, over her breast, the top of her chest, then up her arms, over her head, and off.
His eyes made their way down her body, admiring her every curve as his hand fallowed its trail backwards, gliding down her skin until it fell onto the V of her panties, slowly sliding down into the small gap between her thighs.
Claire shivered and whimpered at the touch, her head pressing hard against the pillow and eyes squeezing shut. She felt the muscles in her thighs grow tense, flexing with the movement of his fingers as he let them slide up her legs until they meet the back of her knee, then made their way back down.
She let out a gasp, not knowing what to do with herself as his hand trailed back up her stomach once again to cup her breast over her plain white bra.
He buried his head into her chest, kissing over the top of her breast, the only part not covered by her bra. Clair gasped heavily, her hands pressing the back of his head, holding him there.
His hands slid over the cup of her bra, making her nipples press hard against the restrictive material. Claire arched her back instinctively, allowing his hands to slide beneath her and unsnap the bra from behind.
He managed to do it in one try, obviously having a good deal of experience at the task. Claire let her self fall back against the mattress and lifted her arms up so that he could pull the material off, leaving her almost completely bare.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his hips, watching as he looked her over, breathing heavily. He only stared for a moment before lowering his head, pressing his mouth hard against the skin between her breast.
Claire shivered against him, moaning loudly at the feel of his warm, gentle lips. Slowly, he began to move down, trailing kisses down her stomach.
Claire gasped with every kiss, both hands cupping his shoulders as he lowered himself down her body, grazing his lips over her naval, her hips, the him of her panties.
His hands glided over her hips, gathering the material of her underwear on either side, and slowly pulling them down.
Claire whimpered at the sudden coolness there as he pulled her panties down her legs and off before gliding his hands from her ankles, all the way back to her hips, feeling her tremble and quake in response.
His lips fallowed, trailing kisses all they way up her inner thigh until they reached the space in between. She moaned loudly, hands gripping at his shoulder, pressing him into her.
His hands ravaged her thighs as he put his mouth to work, making her yelp and moan with every little movement his lips made.
Her thighs were trembling, her stomach rising and falling visibly with the heavy shards of breath she was letting out. Even her hands began to shake as they slid over his neck and tangled themselves in his hair.
Slowly, his hand slipped down her thigh, and for a moment, she feels his lips move away to her stomach, leaving her tense and wanting more.
"We should stop" He murmured, his breath shattering against her thigh. Claire's eyes open abruptly. "Why?" Claire choked, her voice shaking. She didn't want him to stop. She never wanted him to slop.
"Aaron's sleeping. I don't want to wake him" Charlie explained, his voice shaking a bit as well. Just hearing his voice made her shiver.
"He'll be fine" She assured, willing to say almost anything just to make him continue. "You sure?" He questioned, looking up at her with sparkling eyes. Claire nodded hurriedly, and she could tell he was smiling even though her eyes were closed.
"Alright, then" He whispered in agreement, his voice going right through her as he slowly slid up her body. Claire was confused for a moment, wondering why he'd moved.
His hand dipped down between her thighs and slowly worked his fingers inside of her. Claire gasped loudly, hands feeling around until they meet with his warm flesh, gripping tightly at his back as he kissed the taunt skin just beneath of her breast.
He let the two fingers sink in slowly, feeling her muscles tighten around them and hearing Claire whimper when he wiggled them inside her. He couldn't help but smile, amused by the way she reacted to his touch.
He looked up at her face, lips still gently laid against her bare breast, watching her lips trembled and pout, lashes shut lightly against her pink cheeks. He took a gulp and twisted his wrist slightly, guiding his thumb over her clit.
Clair moaned aloud, biting her lip to mufled the sound. "Shhh" He sooth softly, his breath tickling her skin as he grazed his lips against her chest. Claire moaned in response, feeling her whole body began to tingly and shake with his touch.
She wanted him to start pumping his hand, to start moving inside of her. But instead, he continued to torment her. Rubbing fast against her clit until she whimpered and shook and had to stop biting her lip because it was about to start bleeding. Charlie took note to this and moved himself up, not letting his hand lose its place or its rhythm as he did so.
He laid his arm over the pillow, elbow resting at the curve where her shoulder meet her neck, and stared down at her for a moment, admiring the way she pouted and moaned softy at the movement of his fingers.
He stopped the movement of his thumb, but only for a second, before he began pumping his hand inside her. Claire was going to scream, she knew it. But then, just as the thought crossed her mind, her mouth was covered by his, capturing any sounds that came out.
She kissed him back, trying hard to concentrate on the motion of her lips but failing miserably when distracted by the movement of his hand between her thighs.
She moaned into his mouth, feeling him shiver against her each time she did so. She felt his pace quicken, his fingers thrusting in and out of her rhythmically as his thumb continued to toy with her, driving her into a frenzy.
He had to break his lips away from hers so that he wouldn't pass out from lack of air before he finished, wanting nothing more then to see the look on her beautiful face.
Claire turned her head to the side, pressing the back of her knuckles against her lips to muffle the sounds of her heavy moaning.
Charlie watched with wide, glazed blue eyes. Staring admiringly as her back arched in pleasure, pressing her stomach to his as she whimpered against her knuckles.
Charlie slid his free arm under the arch of her back, supporting her as he readjusted his hand, twisting his fingers inside of her and hearing her moan loudly in response.
"Please, Charlie.." She whimpered softly, not knowing how much longer she could take it.
"Shh" Charlie coed, still worried they might wake the baby. He kissed her cheeks softly, gentling nipping at the warm, flush skin.
He pushed his fingers with one quick movement, pressing his thumb hard against her clit. To Claire's surprise, she let out a loud scream, that was quickly muffled by Charlie's lips as her body convalesced uncontrollably beneath him.
It took her a long while to come back down from the high he had given her, her head rolling to the side to check the crib, worried that her cries may have woken the baby.
Luckily for them both, the crib remained silent and the child undisturbed. With a sigh of relief, she turned her head back so that she was face to face with Charlie, a sleepy smile across her face.
He beamed back down at her, practically glowing as he shifted so that he was no longer crushing on top of her, giving her some time to breath and cool down.
Claire felt a bit strange without the warmth of his body pressing down on her, and quickly pulled herself against him one he'd settled in the bed beside her.
She took his arms and wrapped them around herself, wanting to be as close to him as she possibly could. Charlie shifted closer and tightened his embrace, inhaling the sweet sent of her hair as he cradled her in his arms.
Claire nuzzled her nose against his chest, the exhaustion she'd felt earlier when they 'ed first gotten home beginning to take its tole.
"Sleepy?" Charlie questioned, his voice soft as he tilted his head down to look at her. Claire nodded reluctantly, regretting not taking a nap on the plane.
She didn't want to be tired. She waited for the moment for a very long time and she wanted to take it. But because she could barely lift her head, she doubted she would be able to enjoy it as much as she'd liked.
The fact that his heart beat was so soothing, his skin soft and warm, and his body fitting perfectly with hers didn't help much. All she wanted to do was curl up in his arms and fall asleep.
She lifted her head, giving him an apologetic look, knowing she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes open much longer.
"Get some rest" He insisted softly, running his fingers gently against her cheek. Claire smiled, glad to know that he wasn't upset, and snuggled back against his chest, letting the slow rhythm of his heart lull her to sleep.
