prompt me (um...five of you, that is)

[cynthia_arrow]

Sick of my in-progress fic but feeling creative tonight. Would like to be nudged, to see what comes out.

First five people to respond to this post with a character or pairing + prompt (please do keep it suggestive and simple) get 200 words. ETA: Got 'em. Can't promise it'll be an honest-to-goodness story ('cause, Jesus, that's hard to do in a

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[cynthia_arrow]

[set very vaguely during the mass exodus to the radio tower in 3.22; and, um, ignoring Karl's existence…unless this is more of a gen thing than a pairing thing. it could be read as either.]

They camp in the jungle on the way back. Claire hates it, still has nightmares about being taken; but the whole island is a nightmare-except for Alex, the one good thing that ever came to them out of the jungle.

"Are you freaking out?" Claire says. Alex has her head in her lap, for once submitting to having her hair stroked, the back of her neck rubbed until the tension falls out of her shoulders. Claire thinks it's because of her mother, both the reason she's tense and the reason she's letting Claire take care of her.

"Are you?" Alex says. "I know my mother-"

"Shh," Claire says. "I'm not freaking out."

She's surprised to find that she's not. Maybe it's because of my mother, how she can somehow separate that from Danielle, the crazy Frenchwoman who stole her baby. Now, she can understand why.

She looks up reflexively and sees Aaron in Rose's arms, as safe and secure as is possible on this island. But that's not much. She's come to feel like every second the ground will open up beneath them or the earth with slide out from under their feet. It makes her hold tighter to things, even to this girl she doesn't know, really, but feels she understands.

"But are you?" Claire asks her. Her hand stops, threaded up into Alex's hair, her fingers just making swirls at the nape of her neck.

"A little. I don't know her, you know?"

"But you want to?"

"Yeah. Of course. If she wants…"

"Oh," Claire says, her breath catching in her throat. "She does."

[bachlava]

OMG, this is perfect. It really could fit into canon that way... and it's a perfect take on Claire, who canon so often gives a short shrift. You are awesome - so, so, so many thanks!

[cynthia_arrow]

Glad you liked it, and that I wasn't straying too far from canon. I want to like Claire, but sometimes I can't, not the way she is on screen. Thank goodness for the restorative, exploratory powers of fanfic, right?

Thanks for the prompt. :)