On The Other Side
Part 1

Characters: Charlie, Sawyer, Jin, Michael, the Tailies, Walt, appearances from the Losties.

Rating: PG-13

Setting: S1, Born to Run.

Disclaimer:I own nothing. And PaceJunkie owns the plot bunny.

Summary: On a search to find purpose, Charlie ends up being the fifth member of the raft.

Note: Very special thanks to Pacejunkie for giving me the bunny! This story is very AU, so if you’re a purist when it comes to this stuff…sorry.

--

When the raft was destroyed, Charlie was one of the first to step up and ask to help rebuild it. He hadn’t been feeling very useful lately, and he had taken an interest in the raft the moment he heard about it’s construction. When Charlie first approached Michael with an offer to help, he had first been skeptical. He had gotten very protective - setting up people to keep guard at all hours.

Michael shook his head immediately. “No. I have all the help I need.”

Jin had been sitting on the wooden deck of the raft, which was basically just a bundle of thin tree trunks and some bamboo. Sawyer was up on the mast, tying on their sail. He looked down at Charlie with little interest and listened to their conversation. Jin set down the fishing nets he was constructing and jumped up off the deck and into the sand, grinning slightly.

“Charlie help?”

“No,” Michael snapped decisively. Jin’s face fell.

“Why?” he asked in his thick Korean accent.

“Because…” Michael said, turning back to the raft so he could continue working on it. He pulled a couple blue coolers onto the deck and moved to tighten the ropes. “I’m not trusting anyone that’s not already going.”

Jin stared at him blankly and Charlie shrugged, defeated. As he turned to go, Sawyer jumped down from the mast and spoke up.

“Hey, Chuck is harmless. And even if he did burn the raft, he would’ve had some teary confession by now. Besides, I need some help chopping wood.”

Michael frowned slightly and looked at Charlie a little disapprovingly. But before he could say anything, Jin walked over and patted Charlie on the back fondly.

“Charlie help.”

Michael ran a hand over his hair and shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Do whatever you have to do to get things done. But, uh…Charlie?”

Charlie smiled happily, glad to have a new purpose. “Yeah, mate?”

“This doesn’t mean you’re getting a place on the raft.”

“Oh, yeah!” Charlie said quickly. “I know. Just you, Walt, Jin and Sawyer. Got it.”

--

“So why do you wanna help so bad all of a sudden?”

Charlie glanced over at Sawyer as they walked through the jungle. They stopped at a clearing and Sawyer started to examine the thinner trees that circled it. He had his ax in one hand and his backpack thrown over one shoulder.

“…Why does everyone have to get all suspicious just because I want to help?” Charlie asked, kicking at the dirt with the toe of his shoe. “I’m not trying to set it on fire or steal anyone’s spot or something.”

“Because usually…” Sawyer began, positioning his axe and taking a swing at the trunk of one of the trees. Charlie cringed and stepped back slightly. “…you’re too busy stalking Claire or causing cave-ins.”

Charlie rolled his eyes slightly and tossed down his backpack. “I don’t stalk Claire. And, just so you’re aware, she just had a sodding baby. He’s a newborn. You know…there’s not really a place for me around them yet. Claire has to be his mum and do…mum things. So I just thought I’d help until things started falling into place with her, and-”

“Shut up,” Sawyer muttered.

Charlie blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I said ‘shut up,’” Sawyer repeated. “I asked for your help, not the prologue to your biography.”

“Well, you wanted to know!”

Sawyer groaned. “Please?” he asked sarcastically.

As Sawyer cut down the trees, it was Charlie’s job to tear off the branches, even out the trunk, and make sure the tree wasn’t rotting inside, or else it would be useless. They spoke to each other a little, but their conversations usually consisted of Sawyer barking an order out to Charlie and Charlie muttering something under his breath. By the end of the afternoon, they had everything they needed to complete the building of the raft.

Michael nodded approvingly as he watched Sawyer and Charlie haul in the palm tree logs. Sawyer tossed his axe aside and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Charlie sat down on one of the logs to catch his breath and grinned at Michael.

“Here you are. Told you I could help.”

Michael smiled back. “Good job. This is impressive, Charlie.”

Sawyer gaped at Michael.

Charlie just kept smiling to himself and started to help Jin move the logs.

--

Over the next few days, the construction of the raft was nearly complete. Michael was just doing some final touchups while Jin and Charlie packed a suitcase of salted fish. Sawyer had practically been walking around in circles, feeling a little dejected. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was finding himself jealous over Charlie’s sudden involvement.

“So!” Charlie said enthusiastically, standing up from his spot with Jin on the sand. “I’m thinking if we pack one more suitcase of fish and two more coolers of water, we should be set. Or…you guys should be set.”

Jin looked up at Charlie and started chatting away in Korean, making a few gestures wildly with his hands.

“Well, yeah mate. We’ll pack something other than fish, too.”

Jin nodded in agreement and rattled off a few more sentences.

“Guava!” Charlie nodded. “Good idea.”

Sawyer just rolled his eyes but Michael smiled slightly, interested.

“You understand him?”

Charlie blushed slightly and shrugged. “Well, it’s not that hard…I mean…he’s picking up on some English himself…”

“A lumberjack and now a linguist? Charlie just has it all together, doesn’t he?” Sawyer muttered bitterly. No one heard him.

Michael nodded. “Well, get onto packing up that second suitcase of fish.”

Sawyer glared over at Michael. “Ok, dumb question. But we’re sailing on an ocean, right?”

Charlie snorted and Sawyer threw him a glare over his shoulder. Michael raised an eyebrow at Sawyer questionably.

“What are you getting at?”

“Can’t we just catch the damn fish?” He gestured over at the case of fish that Jin and Charlie had been working on. “Aren’t they just wasting time and weighing us down?”

Jin caught on to what Sawyer had asked and shook his head vigorously, protesting in Korean.

Michael looked Sawyer up and down and frowned. “Do you know anything about surviving at sea?”

“Do you?” Sawyer countered.

“It doesn’t matter what I know - I built it!” Michael shook his head and went back to fastening down the piece of fuselage they were planning to use as shelter. “Maybe you’re the wrong guy to go on the raft.”

Jin frowned slightly and looked at Charlie as if he could offer some sort of explanation for the sudden tension. Charlie just shrugged and listened.

“You’re gonna vote me off?” Sawyer growled. “I bought my pass on here by giving you all the supplies you needed!”

“Yeah, well, that was the first raft.”

Sawyer stared at Michael in disbelief. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! Don’t get all specific with me, Mike. I’ve got a spot on the raft, and-”

“Charlie’s coming,” Michael said suddenly, not looking back at Sawyer.

Charlie’s eyes widened slightly and Sawyer jerked around, staring at him with blazing eyes.

“Charlie?!”Sawyer spat. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing! He got all weepy on me when he got a splinter from the trees! There’s no way in hell he’s going to make it on a raft in the middle of the ocean…”

Charlie shifted uncomfortably and Jin grinned over at him. “You come!”

“Charlie’s been doing what I ask without questioning it,” Michael said. “He’s been helping out much more than you have. He’s good at talking to Jin. He doesn’t get an attitude when I ask him-”

“Look,” Charlie cut in quickly. “I don’t want to cause any trouble or take anyone’s spot.”

“You’re not causing any trouble,” Michael said, glaring in Sawyer’s direction. “You should probably start packing, Charlie.”

Charlie looked at Sawyer nervously and then back at Michael. “Look! Sawyer’s right! I have no idea what I’m doing…I just…I just wanted to help. I didn’t want to go with you. Sorry if I sent out the wrong message…”

Michael was hardly listening as Charlie rambled. He was more intent on getting things done and getting the right number of people on the raft than having a debate about it. Charlie figured that Michael had just had enough with Sawyer and now just wanted Charlie as a filler. He didn’t have time to go out and interview candidates.

Sawyer stormed away and Charlie sighed. “Michael, I really don’t think I should go.”

Jin grinned and pointed off at Charlie’s tent. “You come on raft! Pack!”

Walt was walking up the beach, Vincent trotting at his side. Walt glanced back at Sawyer as he stormed past him and then looked back at his dad.

“What’s wrong with Sawyer?” Walt asked, concerned. He climbed onto the raft and sat down on the edge, dangling his legs.

“Sawyer’s not coming with us anymore,” Michael said, resting a moment and sitting next to his son. “Charlie is.”

Charlie shook his head slightly and Walt’s face lit up.

“Really?! Good. Because you didn’t invite anyone fun. Sawyer’s mean and Jin doesn’t speak English…”

Charlie laughed slightly. “Actually, I’m not-”

“Charlie, will you bring your guitar?!”

Charlie paused and then smiled slightly. They all wanted him to go with them. And Walt even called him ‘fun.’ This was what it felt like to have a purpose. It was a feeling he hadn’t had in a long time. He was so used to wandering around the beach, looking for something worthy to do and usually just getting pushed aside for it. He had almost been cast out when he asked to help build the raft, and now, a few days later, he was offered a spot.

“Actually,” Charlie said to Walt. “My guitar’s a little too big.” He smiled. “But we can bring Backgammon.”

--

Charlie emptied out his suitcase and started filling it with essentials, which was basically just clean clothes, considering Michael had gathered all the supplies they needed. The flare gun, first aid kit, food and water.

Walt had brought up Charlie’s guitar, and now he actually considered bringing it. He wondered if anyone would remember to grab it for him when rescue came. A strange feeling consumed him when he realized that if they did indeed succeed in contacting rescuers, this could be his last day on the Island. He might not even see some of these people again.

He frowned and touched the fingerboard of his guitar thoughtfully.

“Charlie?”

He turned around and saw Claire standing at the doorway of his tent, her baby in her arms. Charlie stood up to meet her, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“So, you’re going on the raft?” she blew a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes and looked at him curiously.

Charlie nodded. “How do you know?”

“It’s kind of hard notto know when Sawyer’s stomping around the beach complaining about it.” She smiled slightly. “You…uh…you’ll be safe?”

Charlie blushed and smiled, nodding. “Yeah. But, um, when we find help and we all get back home…I’ll look you up, ok?”

Claire’s face lit up and she nodded, rocking the baby to keep him from crying. “Yeah. And I’ll keep all your stuff with me until then.”

Charlie nodded and stepped a little closer to her, looking down at the child and tickling his chest lightly. “And I expect him to have a name the next time I see him.” He looked back up at Claire and grinned. “Because you don’t seem to favor ‘Turniphead.’”

Claire rolled her eyes slightly and Charlie laughed, squeezing the child’s little hand before turning back to packing.

Claire smiled and watched him. “See you when you guys take off?”

Charlie glanced back over at her and nodded. “Yeah. See you then.”

Claire left and Charlie finished his packing. He was about to go load it up on the raft when Sawyer came bounding into his tent, fists clenched and his face tense.

Charlie cringed and took a step back, dropping his luggage and holding his hands up defensively. “Whoa, whoa mate…hang on-”

Sawyer grabbed his upper arm and jerked him forward, glaring down at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I-I-I’m packing…”

Sawyer snorted and let go of his arm, pushing him back roughly. Charlie stumbled slightly and picked up his bags again.

“I…I didn’t mean to take your spot, Sawyer.”

He was shocked to see all the tension Sawyer was holding released. He looked at Charlie - almost nicely - and nodded slightly.

Charlie gave him a half smile and headed for the exit of his tent. He felt guilty, considering he hadn’t had the desire to go on the raft in the first place and Sawyer had been set on it. In a way, he did want to go now, though. These people wanted him to. He wasn’t entirely sure what they saw in him - maybe they didn’t see anything much. But Michael seemed impressed with him. Jin appeared overjoyed. And Walt was looking forward to his company. This was the feeling he had been searching for all along. Yes - Claire made him feel useful on occasion. But having a group of people suddenly taking an interest in him was something he hadn’t experienced since his touring days.

Thinking about what the raft meant to him suddenly made him wonder why it meant so much to Sawyer. He turned back around to look at him.

“So, why do you want on so bad?”

Sawyer looked up, his eyes looking a little darker. For a moment, Charlie thought he wasn’t going to answer him. But then he did.

“Because I don’t have anything here.”

Charlie blinked, surprised. “But…Kate…?”

“Don’t talk about stuff you don’t know,” Sawyer said quietly. He moved to go past Charlie, but Charlie grabbed his shoulder. Sawyer jerked around and glared at him, the slight kindness that had once been there gone.

“Maybe…” Charlie began. “Maybe we can change Michael’s mind.”

--

“The raft is full, Charlie.”

Charlie looked at Sawyer and shrugged. He turned back to Michael. “I think we could fit in one more…”

“Look, Chief,” Sawyer said, not really appreciating being defended by Charlie. “The mast - built it. Sail - hung it. I cut down all the damn palm trees to build the deck. If I don’t deserve a place on here, I don’t know who does.”

Charlie nodded at Michael encouragingly. “Give him a chance…”

Sawyer rolled his eyes at Charlie and glanced back at Michael. “Besides, Charlie and Walt can team up as one person and we still got four.”

Walt frowned and looked at Sawyer, puzzled. Charlie glared at Sawyer, but a smile inched its way on his lips.

Michael actually laughed and looked at Charlie and Sawyer, nodding slightly. “Yeah. Yeah, ok. Sawyer, you’re back on. But only because you helped.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to start thinking you liked me or something…”

Michael turned back around to test the sail. Charlie turned, grinning at Sawyer, who slapped his shoulder lightly and turned away to go pack.

Charlie smiled and turned to Walt, who was peeling back some of the bark from one of the logs on the deck.

“You excited to go home?”

Walt smiled slightly. “You think it’s gonna work?”

“Of course it is!” Charlie exclaimed. “You guys didn’t build a raft - this is a sodding boat! We’re going to get rescued.”

Walt just smiled and looked down at his feet. Charlie studied him, a little confused.

Walt, out of all of us, should have the most hope. He thought. He’s just a kid.

Walt frowned now and jumped off the raft, walking over to the shore. Charlie shrugged and sat in his place. He watched Michael for a moment, and then spotted an old glass bottle sitting on one of their coolers.

He grinned and grabbed it.

--

“Message in a bottle. That’s sweet.” Locke squeezed his shoulder and walked away. Charlie shrugged slightly and spotted Hurley sitting down in the sand, finishing up his own letter. Charlie grinned and ran over to him.

“Hey! You ready?”

Hurley nodded as Charlie sat next to him. He signed his name and rolled up his letter, handing it to Charlie. “Don’t look at it.”

Charlie glanced up at Hurley and then down at the letter. He started to unroll it.

“Dude!” Hurley shoved Charlie’s shoulder and Charlie flinched. “Don’t look at it!”

Charlie rolled it back up and slid it inside the bottle, standing up. “See you back in the real world, mate.”

Hurley nodded and then stood up with Charlie, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Dude…” he sighed. “About the raft…”

“What about it?”

“Ok, so, sharks are attracted to blood….”

“Hurley…”

“So don’t get shot and bleed all over the place or you’re gonna get eaten.”

“Hurley, there aren’t going to be any sharks.”

Hurley shrugged. “Just be safe and don’t bleed.”

Charlie grinned and hugged him. “You got it. See you soon.”

Claire saw them down the beach and walked up to them, rocking the baby and smiling. Charlie smiled and walked up to her, giving her a brief hug from the side and grabbing the child’s foot, tugging on it gently.

“I’ll be seeing you two in LA,” Charlie grinned. Claire smiled and touched Charlie’s shoulder as she stepped forward and brushed her lips against his cheek. Charlie blushed slightly and touched the spot she had kissed with his fingertips.

“Be careful.”

Charlie nodded and squeezed her hand. He threw a smile over his shoulder at her as he walked back to the raft where the group was gathered to push it off into the sea.

--

Their start was smooth. The water was calm and agreeable and it didn’t seem like anything could disturb it.

Sayid gave them a radar that they had mounted on the mast that would show any ship that was within twenty-five miles of them. However, they could only turn it on every hour or so. If they kept it on the entire time, it would only run out of energy.

“How does a place this big not get discovered?”

Charlie just tilted his head back to look up at Michael, who was standing on the edge of the raft as he watched the Island getting further and further away from them. Charlie was lying on his back, enjoying the sun beating down on his face and the smell of the sea salt in the air. He listened as Sawyer made a joke about building a beach resort and he smiled slightly. Even if people did end up wanting to go back to the Island and civilize it, he didn’t think he’d go back with them.

“Emancipate ourselves from mental slavery - none but ourselves can free our minds. Have no fear for atomic energy ‘cause none of them can stop the time. How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look? Some say it’s just a part of it. We’ve got to fulfill the book. Won’t you help to sing these songs of freedom? ‘Cause all I ever had…”

“Are you singing Bob Marley?”

Charlie opened his eyes to see Sawyer peering down at him. He nodded slightly.

Sawyer turned away and crossed to the other side of the raft. Charlie sat up now and watched him. “What? You don’t like Bob Marley?”

Sawyer smiled slightly and glanced over at Charlie. He opened up a water bottle and sipped, careful to conserve whatever he didn’t need. “Ilove Bob Marley.”

Charlie grinned and lied back down, dipping his hand in the water.

-LOST-