Come Back In

Prompt: Storm

Setting: Sometime after ‘Fire + Water.’ On the island.

-LOST-

Looking up at the sky, Charlie could tell that it was going to rain.

He remembered, as a child, he and Liam always played in the rain. They danced, and laughed, and shoved each other in puddles and mud. Then they would go inside, soaking with dirty, wet faces. Mum would gasp, warn them about the flu and viruses, and make them sit by the fire.

That was one of the few things that got by in the Pace family.

After almost three months on the island, the survivors had learned to tell when a storm was coming if they paid attention to the sky, wind, and water.

Charlie stood up from his place by the surf. He was still sore from the encounter with Locke two nights before, and his face was extremely swollen. Three punches and one slap in less than two days.

Impressive.

The first time Claire hit him, he had been shocked, but not necessarily surprised. But Locke…the outburst was different and not like him. It was like if Jack had attacked him – unnatural.

The rain started pouring down, merciless. He pulled his hood up over his already soaked hair and ran up the beach to the campsite that had once been his home. Since the fight, he had been an outcast. No one told him ‘go live down the beach by your self,’ but that was easiest for him.

Down there, he got no company but a few visits from Jack to check on his wounds and have a brief conversation with him to make sure he was all right. Kate had heard that he was by himself with no shelter, and nothing to sleep with, and brought him blankets and pillows, but other than those visits, he was alone.

He dove under an empty tarp shelter and took his hood off, wiping rain drops off his forehead and sighing. He saw Hurley start to come in, but when he saw Charlie’s face through the rain, he turned around and went in search for another shelter.

He had no one’s trust anymore.

Charlie sat down and watched everyone scurry around the beach. He wondered if Claire and Aaron were safe and out of the rain.

Probably with Locke. After all, he kept them safe.

Looking out through the rain, Charlie’s heart stopped when he saw Claire running toward his tarp shelter. Her soaked clothes were hanging off her body and her blonde hair was matted. In her arms she had Aaron.

Claire ducked under the tarp and froze when she saw him. Charlie didn’t meet her eyes, but stared out at the falling rain.

“I…” Claire started, as if she had to explain. “My tent blew over.”

Charlie nodded slightly, still refusing to look at her.

But he could tell she as nervous as she tried to comfort her crying baby, perhaps to the point of tears herself.

Charlie finally looked at her, and she at him. They shared a long, sad look. Charlie wanted to tell her everything as it was. How he was just concerned. How he just wanted to help…he didn’t mean to lie. He didn’t mean a lot of things he did.

If he could just tell her that…

Whether she believed him or not.

“I’ll…go somewhere else,” Charlie offered, standing up and pulling the wet hood over his head. He walked out into the rain in the middle of the camp, crossing his arms to keep himself warm as he looked for an empty place where there were none.

He liked crying in the rain. Because then no one could distinguish his tears from rain drops.

He looked back over to Claire’s tent, surprised to see her walking toward him – her head bowed and hugging herself.

When she reached him, she looked up slowly, squinting against the rain.

“Come back in.”

And maybe she was crying too.

Review, please. :-)