"Dude, you look awful," Hurley said as he sat down on the sand beside Charlie. Charlie glanced at him for a second, eyes narrowed, before returning to his watch on the shelters that littered the shoreline ahead of him, empty fingers twitching restlessly.

"Thanks a lot for stating the bloody obvious Hurley, I'll make sure I turn to you the next time I need a consultation with my own talking mirror," he snapped.

"Sorry man, I'll leave you to…. whatever it is that you're doing here."

Hurley made as if to get up, but his curiosity got the better of him, and so he remained sitting, watching Charlie intently.

"I thought you said you were going," Charlie said gruffly, continuing to stare ahead of him. Hurley shifted uncomfortably, part of him still wondering whether he should just leave. But his friend's odd behaviour kept him rooted to the spot, and a few moments later he finally plucked up the courage to obey the demands of his curiosity.

"Dude, what exactly are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

"Keeping watch on them," he stated simply, pointing vaguely to the spot some metres away where a young blonde woman was sat cradling a small baby, rocking him gently in her arms as he began to cry. "Someone has to. He's not exactly doing the bloody brilliant job he promised is he? I mean, he's off at the sodding hatch half the bloody day, and she's left there all alone. What happens if they come back and try and take her again? Her precious Locke certainly won't be there. She needs me."

It wasn't just his fingers that now twitched in his agitated state; first his feet then his legs began to move, and before Hurley was even sure Charlie was finished talking, he had got to his feet and begun walking away from him, in the direction of Claire and her baby.

"I don't think that's such a good idea man," Hurley called after him. "I mean, I don't think she's quite over the fact you tried to drown the little dude, I reckon she would think you've totally lost it if you go striding over there claiming she needs to be saved from something no one can even see."

Charlie stopped dead in his tracks and turned, struggling to keep his voice even as he spoke, quietly but menacingly nonetheless, eyes flashing with anger.

"Firstly, I don't need to be able to see them every second of the bloody day to know the Others are still out there. They hung me from a tree Hurley, and they took her and did God knows what to her and got away with it. But they're still out there, still watching. People seem to forget that, like it's nothing, but it bloody well is alright?"

Hurley was allowed a brief, frightened nod before Charlie continued.

"Secondly, I wasn't trying to drown him; I was trying to save him. Why can't anyone see that? Doesn't she understand that she needs me, to save them both? She needs to understand!"

He made as if to keep on walking, but Hurley cut across his path and planted himself firmly in front of him, blocking his way. Charlie tried to push past him, but Hurley grasped him firmly by the shoulders, and despite Charlie's struggles, refused to let him go.

"Hurley, get off me!" he snarled.

"No dude, I'm not letting you do this. It's not going to help your case if you go up to her shouting like that, all crazy and wild-eyed and stuff, it's just going to scare her, and I know you don't want that."

His words slowly began to sink in and after a few seconds Charlie stopped struggling and went limp in Hurley's grasp, staring up at him as though really seeing him for the first time that morning. His voiced softened as he spoke; it was quiet, full of weary resignation.

"You're right mate, I'm sorry; I just need some sleep I think. I haven't managed to get much kip these past couple of days……. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Alright, take it easy okay?"

Charlie nodded and was quickly gone from Hurley's sight. He smiled to himself.

"Super Hurley does it again! Problem dealt with everyone, no need to worry!" he shouted, attracting odd looks from some of his fellow islanders gathering fruit nearby from some of the trees on the outskirts of the jungle. He shrugged; he was used to those. If only he had known that the problem was only just beginning……

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A/N: short first chapter I know, but please let me know what you think. Any comments, questions or suggestions, let me know and I will get back to you. Sorry if this chapter was slow but it is going somewhere, I promise, so if you like it stick with it!

Until next time…….

SmileyHalo