Title: Believe In Me
Rating: PG/K+
Pairing: Charlie/Claire
Summary: Claire takes a leap of faith and learns to believe in Charlie. Unabashed fluff with a good old fashioned haunting.
Disclaimer: There's not one little bit of Lost that belongs to me.
A/N: I'm tired of finding babysitters for Aaron, so in this universe, he doesn't exist. Oh, and this is for cylune who requested a C/C story where Claire believes in Charlie. Thanks for being my muse!
He said he was seeing ghosts.
It had taken an entire day until Charlie would admit it to her, but Claire knew he had been acting strangely ever since he had stumbled back onto the beach from the hatch. That night by the campfire his words were a jumbled mess. The next morning she watched secretly as Charlie paced and twitched, staring off into space at nothing. When he caught her looking he would stop, but he was still a bit jumpy, and was refusing to make eye contact with her. He shrugged off her inquiries, saying only that his head was hurting him from yesterday's explosion. By late afternoon, when Charlie had slipped off alone into the jungle, she followed him.
A part of her was afraid he was still using drugs, so she had followed him just to be sure, but to her relief there were no drugs to be found. Heading deep into the jungle, far from the noises of their beach society, Charlie seemed to be searching for sanctuary, a place to escape whatever was going on in his head. She had watched from behind the trees as he came to an abrupt stop, sank to the ground onto his knees and buried his head in his hands. Claire had wondered if he was in pain, although his suffering seemed to be coming from somewhere deeper.
Then he began to rock back and forth and moan softly, repeating over and over, "Stop. Please, just go away."
Claire had backed away, leaving him alone just as he began to weep. She needed to know what was happening to him, but she didn't want him to know she had been spying on him like this.
She went back to the beach and busied herself until he emerged, still shaken, struggling to keep his composure. Claire approached, anxious for an explanation and hoping he would offer her one. "Charlie, is everything alright?"
To her surprise, he didn't try and put on an act. Charlie appeared to be as anxious for answers as she was. He reached out and lightly held her shoulders. "Claire, when that thing happened, with the light and the noise, did you see anything? Like shapes, or……people?"
Claire stared back in surprise. "People? No. Why, are you seeing people?"
Charlie nodded. "Please don't think I'm crazy, but since I left the hatch they've been……following me."
Claire nodded. She took his hands from her shoulders and held them. "What else are they doing?"
Charlie swallowed. He tried to pull his hands back but Claire held firm. "They're talking, but all at once. I don't understand them, but it's loud in my head. I don't know what they want but they won't leave me alone. I can't make them stop."
Charlie slumped forward slightly and Claire opened her arms and took him in. Claire had once had dreams that she was being attacked in her sleep. Charlie had been the only one who believed her. Despite her efforts to push him away he had refused to leave her side. Claire remembered what it had felt like being treated like she was a hysterical pregnant woman by Jack. If she could do nothing else for him, Claire knew it was important to be believed.
She spoke to him softly, "Charlie, it's alright, I believe you. I want to help."
Over her shoulder, buried in her hair, his muffled response was barely heard. "Thank you."
They sat up late that night talking. Charlie tried to describe what he had seen as best as he could. There were men and women, young and old, in strange, unfamiliar forms of dress. They would gather around him in a circle like a mob, desperate to speak to him but he couldn't understand what they were saying.
Claire listened, perplexed. "If we only knew what they wanted we could help them and they might go away."
"I know" said Charlie. He now appeared much calmer as the hauntings had momentarily ceased. "I think we might have released something with that hatch explosion. Maybe it has something to do with the button not getting pushed. Like spirits of the island."
Claire sighed. "As if this place isn't scary enough, right?"
Charlie smiled and looked at Claire with an expression she had rarely seen. He seemed open to her, less guarded somehow. "It helps having someone to talk to, someone who doesn't think I belong in a padded room."
Claire put her hand to Charlie's cheek. "I remember a time when I was afraid and you were the only one who believed me. I haven't always returned that faith but I want to now."
Charlie responded by initiating their second kiss in as many days. The first time it had been tentative, mutually experimental. This time, Claire relaxed in Charlie's warmth and took him in without hesitation.
She was being shaken awake by Charlie, although her eyes told her it was still the dead of night.
"Claire! Wake up," he was whispering, excited like a child on Christmas morning.
She sat up and yawned. "Charlie, what is it?"
"I know what they want now. I had this dream. They said they're leaving, but they need witnesses. C'mon, we have to hurry."
"Witnesses?" said Claire as Charlie grabbed her hand and began leading her towards the jungle, "witnesses for what?"
Charlie's words were now tumbling out of his mouth at a rate of speed that matched his feet. As he pulled her along, carrying a flaming torch to light their way, he was attempting to explain. "They're the dead souls of the island. When that pulse thing happened it released them into the air, and now they want to leave, but they can't. Not without witnesses. We have to be there to watch them go or they'll be trapped here and they'll haunt me forever."
They continued on until they came to a place surrounded by trees with a cluster of rocks at the center. It reminded Claire of some kind of pagan altar. She imagined candles, chants and sacrifices. She shivered from the cold. "Why are we here?" she asked.
Charlie must have noticed her shiver because he shrugged off his sweatshirt and put it around her shoulders. Claire put her arms inside. It felt warm and soft, and it smelled like Charlie. She looked up and saw him glance around, expectantly.
"This is where they told me to go," he said. "They're coming, I can feel it."
Claire looked around. In the dim light of the torch she was unable to see more than a few feet in front of her, but she suddenly felt it too. A presence, like something of substance was taking up space around her, and closing in. Her heart thumped in her chest. She reached out blindly and grabbed for Charlie's hand. Then she saw something.
The air shifted before her eyes, undulating like water. Something was moving through the air. Then she noticed another, and another. She turned to look at Charlie as she felt his grip tighten. He was transfixed. Whatever it was she was sure he could see it clearly, but this time he didn't seem tortured, he seemed mesmerized by something beautiful.
"They're leaving," he said quietly. "They're thanking us for helping them find their way home."
The two stood, bearing witness until the last spirit had left. Claire felt the change in the air when it was over. She also felt the change in Charlie. He breathed deeply. The tension was gone from his face. His torment was over.
Claire put her arm around him as they slowly headed back to camp. "It looks like even the spirits needed someone to believe in them" she said.