A/N: I'm kind of at a crossroads with this story now, and I have two ways to end it. One way is pretty dark, and the other is happy and fluffy lol. I haven't decided yet which way to go, but whatever I choose the last two or three chapters should be up soon. Enjoy :-)

Claire felt like she was always waiting for Charlie to come home lately. He had been back from the tour for a week, and nearly every day since then he'd run off some place, half the time not even bothering to tell her where he was going or when he would be back. She normally wouldn't wait up for him, but it was today that she realized that she had never given him back his ring. He never noticed or asked about it, which Claire was sure he would have. It wasn't just the ring though, something was going on with Charlie, and today Claire wanted some answers. Charlie walked in after a few minutes and Claire stood up.

"Claire? It's late, what are you still doing up?" Charlie asked, setting down his guitar case and coming into the room.

"That's funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere. At Liam's." Claire rolled her eyes.

"I still have your ring. I thought you might like it back," She told him flatly. Charlie paused. His ring. How had he forgotten? He reached out for it, then drew his arm back. He and Liam always said that they would pass the ring onto their first born. While Aaron wasn't technically his, Claire had called him his father last week, and if Charlie really was going to die soon Aaron would be the one who he would want to have it.

"You keep it."

"What? Why? I thought it was your most prized possession, the only heirloom in your family."

"Yeah. You can have it, give it to Aaron when he gets older."

"What the bloody hell is going on Charlie?" Claire asked. She was sick of how he was acting lately.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do, don't play dumb. You've been on a whole other planet since you've been back and I want to know what's wrong." She was raising he voice now, and getting angry.

"Shh," Charlie said soothingly, "You'll wake the baby."

"Don't shush me. You know, Aaron's not really your responsibility, and we've gotten along just fine without you. If you don't like me anymore you can leave, you don't have to stay here."

"Is that what you really think? That I don't like you?"

"That's what it seems like." Charlie drew in a long breath. He would have to tell her now, about the psychic. He hadn't wanted to worry her, but if she was starting to doubt his feelings for her and Aaron he had to say something.

"Don't ever think that Claire," Charlie said softly, and stepped toward her. "I love you."

"Then tell me what's wrong."

"OK," Charlie eased her down on the couch and sat beside her. "It was before I left, there was this psychic..."

When the story had been told, Claire just looked at him. "That's ridiculous," she finally decided.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want anything to happen to you." Claire shook her head.

"Richard is crazy. So here, take your ring, you'll be fine." She drew the thick metal band from her pocket and pressed it into her palm. "You aren't going to die Charlie. I need you."

Charlie slid the ring back onto his finger where it belonged, it was too big for Claire anyway.

Claire rolled over and looked at the clock. Sunlight was streaming in all around her, and outside she could hear Charlie singing to Aaron. One month had passed since their little episode when Charlie confessed about the psychic, and things had been better then ever. They were like a little family. She finally rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. Aaron was laughing as Charlie cut up a banana and made funny faces at him.

"Good morning, sunshine." Charlie called as he saw her enter.

"Good morning yourself." She walked over to the high chair and kissed her son's forehead, then gave Charlie a peck on the cheek as well.

"Hey, I had an idea. What if we let Karen and Liam watch him for the day and you and I go to the park for a little walk?"

"I'd say that sounds great. Maybe we could pack a picnic?"

"Excellent. I'll make a basket."

Two hours later they were strolling through the pretty much empty park on a warm April morning, hand in hand, and just by looking you would never be able to guess what they had been through. For once, they were practically normal. But the normal didn't last long.

"You want to sit and eat soon?" Charlie asked and Claire nodded.

"There's a good spot underneath those trees up there." As they walked to the space Claire wanted to sit, she noticed someone walking their way on the path in front of them. It could have been anyone, except it wasn't. And call it intuition, but Claire knew it wasn't just some random stranger.