A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait, but I'll try to get the next chapter up quicker. Please review if you enjoyed it and want to see another update!
Aaron screamed, and Claire desperately rocked the infant back and forth.
"You're alright," She whispered. "Just go back to sleep now." It had been an especially stressful day because Charlie had run off to do his interview. People were still talking about the plane crash as if it had just happened yesterday, when in fact it was just over six weeks ago that the plane had taken off. To be quite honest, Claire was getting a little sick of hearing about it. A day or two before, the wreckage had been recovered, which caused all news stations to scramble and try to be the first to break the story. Just as Aaron was beginning to quiet down, the phone rang, and he wailed louder then before.
"Hello?" Claire said into the phone, not hiding her irritation.
"Claire, you'll never believe what happened."
"What? Where are you? Coming home?"
"No, still at the news station. A record company got in touch with them when they heard the story- they want Driveshaft to do a come back tour across Europe and a greatest hits album!" Charlie was so excited, but Claire couldn't seem to match his enthusiasm.
"I thought Liam didn't want to do a reunion." Claire replied flatly.
"Oh, he'll come around. He always does."
"How long would this tour be?"
"I don't know yet, maybe three or four months? That's fine with you right?" Was it fine with her? Charlie had convinced her to keep her baby, insisting that he would help but there he goes, running off across the world. Just like Aunt Lindsay said he would. "Claire?"
"I'm not going to stop you. Just tell the fan girls to keep their panties on." Charlie was so wrapped up in this that he didn't even hear the dull sarcasm in her voice.
"I've got to get the rest of the band here, I'll be a few more hours alright?"
A few hours passed, Aaron finally fell asleep, and Claire had listened to both of Driveshaft's albums completely by the time Charlie came home. If anyone wanted her honest opinion, they weren't that great. But she would never tell Charlie that. "So how was it?" Claire asked when he finally walked in the door.
"It was brilliant. They're going to announce the tour tomorrow and tickets go on sale this week."
"So how long is this?"
"Right now three months. But who knows? We could go world wide, we were huge you know!"
"Yeah," Claire said under her breath, "Believe me, I know."
"What?" Charlie asked. "I know it seems to be a long time now, but it will go by so fast, it will be over before you know it."
"How can you even do a greatest hits record if you only have two records out? And only one song that people have even heard?" She was being mean now, and she knew it. She just didn't want to admit that Lindsay was right, he was leaving her just like Thomas did.
Charlie just frowned at her. This was not the reaction he was expecting. "Do you not want me to go?" His face fell a little. "I'll stay if you want me to. Tell Liam and them that it's off."
"No, just go. I don't care."
"Alright," Charlie said uneasily. "Only if you're sure."
"I'm sure."
- - - - - - - - - -
About a month had passed since the initial tour had been announced. There was somehow such overwhelming response that tickets had sold out almost immediately. Charlie had been hesitant to add more dates, but Claire knew that they probably would eventually. She still wasn't completely OK with him leaving, but the more he talked about it, the easier it became to accept. The difference with him and Thomas was that Charlie would be back, he promised her. Thomas was gone for good. She shifted the now five-week old Aaron to her other arm while they said goodbye.
"Aaron is going to miss you singing him lullaby's every night."
"You can sing to him, I've heard you." Charlie tickled the infants arm. There was a slightly awkward silence, which was broken by Aaron's coo. "I've got to leave for the airport now. This is your last chance to stop me." He said this with a smile and a laugh, but Claire guessed he was only half-joking.
"It's not just Aaron who will miss you, you know."
"Really?" Charlie asked in mock surprise. "Who else will?"
Claire tried to smile, but she couldn't. She would miss him so much. "I might," She told him softly.
Charlie grinned and pecked her on the cheek. He glanced down at his hands, and at the thick metal ring he always wore on his middle finger. "You know what?" He asked. "I think maybe you should hold onto this while I'm away." Charlie slid the ring off of his finger and held it out to her.
"I couldn't. That thing has been in your family for so long, what if I lost it? I'd feel terrible." Claire looked at the ring in his palm, and then at his face. It wasn't the first time that she'd wondered if it was possible to have only known him for barely three months.
"Aw, you won't lose it. If it makes you feel better, I'll give it to Aaron instead. He's the man of the house now, after all." He gently tucked the ring into the baby's blanket, making him stir in his sleep.
"Yeah, now I'll feel loads better if your family heirloom gets lost, because I can blame it on my baby."
"That's the spirit." Charlie glanced at his watch again. "I'm late now." He kissed her again, this time on the lips, very quickly. "I'll be back soon. Don't miss me too much."
"I'll try not to," She replied sarcastically, although her heart ached at the thought of him being gone. "I love you." She was still nervous saying this though they'd each said it before, so she spoke quietly and looked at the ground, then looked up to meet his eyes for only a second before looking down again.
"I love you too." He spoke so much more confidently then she had. "Bye Aaron. I'll call when we get to Manchester." All Claire could do was nod, because she didn't trust her voice. When the door finally shut behind him, she set her son in his cradle, and placed the ring on her thumb. It was too big. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and turned to glance back at the door. She wondered if it was too late to change her mind, and tell him that she didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to stay with her.