Disclaimer: I don't own any of this stuff

“So Widmore? Any relation to Charles Widmore?” Daniel asked the woman who had rescued them as he joined her up on the deck.

“He’s my father actually, not that I’m on speaking terms with him at the moment.” she kept her eyes out to sea.

Daniel sat down, he had insisted Charlotte get some rest. He hadn’t really wanted to leave her, but thought he should come an be polite to the blonde lady who had welcomed them aboard her ship.

“How did you end up out at sea?” she asked.

“Um, we were on this island…”

“An Island?” interrupted Penny, “Do you know of a man named Desmond Hume?” she turned to face him.

Daniel nodded, “Scottish?”

“Yes! Is he alright?” Penny’s eyes flashed. “I’ve been searching for him.”

“I think so, a lot of things were happening before I left.” Daniel looked down.

Penny ingested his words and decided to change the subject, she needed to believe Desmond was okay.

“So how do you know my father?”

“He was my benefactor and he sent myself and Charlotte to the island.” Daniel fidgeted, he wondered if Widmore would be annoyed that he hadn’t really done any of the jobs he was supposed to do.

“Charlotte?”

“My…um the girl...” he made a motion towards the cabin.

“Oh yes, of course."

"You’re Daniel Faraday aren’t you?” she asked after a pause.

Daniel felt uncomfortable, perhaps she knew about what he had done. He gave a nod.

“Half the company is left to you in his will, my father doesn’t know that I know.”

“What? Why would he do that?” Daniel was confused.

“I have my theories, I’ve thought about seeking you out a few times actually, so I could ask you about it, but it seems you are as surprised as I was.” she mused.

Daniel felt a dawning realization, it all made sense now. Widmore had been so generous to him and he had never known, or even asked, about his father. He would remain silent on the matter until he was sure. Penny looked nothing like him, she had blonde hair and different eyes, maybe he was being ridiculous.

He leant back against the soft chair and felt fatigue ache though him. It had been days since he had last gotten any sleep. The time travel was taking its toll.

“Go and get some rest, you look awful if you don’t mind me saying” Penny gave a warm smile.

Daniel got up and dragged his tired feet to the room where he had put Charlotte.

She was lying on her stomach sleeping, he fell down beside her and passed out.

Daniel finally came round after being disturbed by the sound of many people having a loud conversation. He sat up and turned to Charlotte. She was wearing clean clothes, her hair was damp and tied back into a long plate. Colour had returned to her cheeks. He noticed she was holding a bundled blue blanket in her arms.

“Dan?” she called out to him to make sure he was really awake. She was sitting cross legged next to him.

“Hey, you look better.” he smiled. “What‘s that.”

“The girl from Locke’s groups baby.”

“Are the other survivors here, the ones that got away?” he sat up.

Charlotte nodded, “Yeah, Frank got them on the helicopter but it crashed.”

“Right, right, that must be what happened last time.”

Daniel sat back and listened to the argument outside. Sun was shouting at Jack and he was shouting back.

“I tried to tell Sun not to worry and that Jin was okay, but she just thrust this kid at me.” she explained.

“Is Desmond with them?” Dan rubbed his temples, he felt Sun's pain as he had almost lost Charlotte a few hours earlier.

“I don’t know who that is.”

“Sorry, sorry, you haven’t met him…um Scottish with messy hair and a beard.” he described him to her.

Charlotte nodded, “The blonde woman seemed overjoyed to see him.”

“I think that she might be my sister.” he confessed without even thinking about it.

“I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Neither did I.” he laughed.

Aaron wriggled and complained, Charlotte tried to soothe him, “God, what a time for them lot to start trusting me. I have no idea what to do with him.”

The baby started to scream and cry.

Jack burst in and took Aaron from Charlotte, he stopped and glanced at Daniel.

“Where’s Juliet?” he asked.

“On the Island, she’s with Sawyer and Miles and all the others.”

“You left them behind but somehow managed to save your girlfriend.” Jack snapped.

“Look, things got very…complicated…I don’t think that now is the best time to try to explain it.” Daniel spoke calmly.

“Oh I think it is, start talking now!” Jack steadied the baby.

Charlotte flopped back on to the soft covers and shook her head, “He’s never going to believe us.”

Daniel glanced at Charlotte and held her gaze, she was probably right. She shrugged as if to say he could try it if he wanted.

“Right now, Charlotte and I are both on the island and right here. Except that’s now our past.” Daniel begun.

Frank had joined them.

Jack stared at them and turned his head, he seemed annoyed and angrier than before.

“When the island disappeared, you must have seen it from the helicopter, well it went on a time travelling trip.” Charlotte chipped in lazily stating the facts as if they were an everyday occurrence.

A silence fell between them.

“I thought you were a goner for sure, how are you doing?” Frank directed to Charlotte.

She looked up at him, “Alright I suppose.”

Daniel stood up and led Jack towards the door, so he could speak to him in private.

“I know you don’t understand, but I’m telling you the truth. But right now I want you to take a look at Charlotte, she lost a lot of blood and suffered an aneurism.” Daniel took a deep breath.

Jack glanced back at Charlotte, “She looks fine.”

“Jack, please.”

The doctor sighed and relented, he handed Aaron to Daniel and went to check Charlotte.

He took the baby out on to the deck. Desmond and Penny were sitting away from the others.

He gratefully handed Aaron to Hurley. Sun was silent and completely oblivious to everything going on around her. Sayid sat next to a sleeping Kate.

Jack joined him after a while.

“Is she alright?” Daniel asked.

“She is weaker than she is letting on, but rest will sort that out, she also seems confused and disorientated. Just keep an eye on her.” Jack pushed past him so he could join Kate, who was now waking.

When Daniel returned to the cabin he found Charlotte scrubbing her teeth in the small bathroom.

“I’ve finally gotten the taste of blood out of my mouth.” she said as she stepped back and took a look at herself in the mirror.

Daniel sat back down on the bed. Charlotte came through and bolted the door shut.

He looked at her with his soft brown eyes, she smiled and sat down next to him.

“You know when the freighter blew up my first thought was whether you were okay. All those people on board didn’t even cross my mind.” she kept her eyes turned down. “maybe everything that happened to me was a punishment for being so selfish.”

“I don’t believe that, and I don’t think you are selfish. You have been by my side through every dangerous mission…” Daniel spoke softly. “You didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to you today, it wasn‘t right or fair.”

“It’s what happened to you that wasn’t fair, I saw how frightened you were and I wanted to make it better, but I couldn’t.” Charlotte shook her head, “I’m not used to losing control.”

“You are safe now, and that makes everything okay.”

“Dan... I can’t remember what my middle name is, or what my mums phone number is, or…or how to speak Korean.” this time she met his eyes, “How did you cope with memory loss?”

“I didn’t, I hid away. That was until I met you. Charlotte you helped me so much, because you didn’t treat me like…like I was broken.” he brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. “I’ll help you, and things will get better.”

“I was worried that you only said that you loved me because you thought I was going to die. But when I look at you I feel like I want to believe, no need to believe, that that wasn’t the case.” Charlotte wasn’t sure why she was admitting these things, she just felt safe that he wouldn’t judge her.

“I never…ever…thought that you would die. I couldn’t, Charlotte, I just…” He knew he was crying again but he was not ashamed. “I do love you.”

“Could we just stay together now? I mean when we get off the boat, we just stay together?” the vulnerability in her voice was shocking to Charlotte. The world was locked outside and no one would ever hear her speak so openly, so desperately, except for Daniel and that made it okay somehow.

“Yeah, I don’t want to loose you, not you Charlotte, not now or ever.”

“That settles it.” she sat up straight and smiled, her reserve and strength restored. He admired her incredible strength immensely. “So you going to kiss me then or what?”

Daniel let out a laugh and dried his eyes, the tension relieved as he moved in towards her.

A/N: Reviews are always so loved X