Lost: "Lonely No More" (Claire, Boone) CHAPTER 2
Title: Lonely No More
Chapter: Two
Fandom: Lost
Characters/Pairings: Boone/Claire, Boone Carlyle, Claire Littleton, Jack/Boone, Jack Shepard, Thomas
Rating: PG
Narrative: Third person
Genre: General, Romance
Length: 4 chapters so far, unfinished.
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost or the characters
Author's Note: This is very AU, they did not crash on the island. Part 2.
Summary: Life is hard in the city. Sometimes you just need a friend. Claire is struggling through pregnancy alone, while Boone is also struggling with gay life in the same city. When the two meet, will they be able to help each other? Part 2.
CHAPTER TWO: Comfort
Claire couldn’t believe this was happening to her. It was all so fast, but yet so wonderful. It felt like a dream. For the first time since she left home, Claire was feeling secure. She had no money worries, and she had someone to talk to. She focused as she flipped some pancakes into the air and ran around in circles to catch them. She sighed with relief every time she caught one.
She smiled as she heard Boone enter the kitchen clumsily. He stopped in surprise when he saw the pancakes.
“What’s going on?” He asked croakily.
“Making pancakes.” She answered simply. She laughed slightly at his expression. “Sit down!” She placed the finished pancakes onto a plate and handed it to him. He stared at them, and made no move to touch them. Claire giggled. “They’re not going to eat themselves, you know.” He looked up at her.
“No one’s made me pancakes in years!” They smiled at each other, before Boone grabbed his knife and fork and began devouring the pancakes. Claire was relieved and started to wash the wine glasses from the previous night.
When Boone finished, he licked his lips and leaned back in his chair.
“That was delicious.” He muttered. Claire smiled as she placed the clean wine glasses in the cupboard and started to wash Boone’s dishes.
Claire jumped as the phone started to ring. Boone leaped out of his chair and picked it up quickly. Claire watched his face out of the corner of her eye. Boone was smiling as he spoke to the person on the other end. He was still grinning as he slipped the phone back into the receiver.
“That was Jack.” Boone said, as if reading Claire’s mind.
“Boyfriend?” She asked, hoping she didn’t sound too curious.
“Yeah. We’re going out this afternoon, if that’s ok with you.” Boone looked very excited.
“Yeah that’s fine. I’ll just make myself at home while you’re gone.” Claire laughed at Boone’s excitement. He was acting like a small child on Christmas morning, waiting to open their presents. Boone flopped back down on his chair, still with a huge (and lovesick, Claire thought) grin on his face. After a moment of silence, Boone spoke up.
“We’re going to pick your stuff up today, right?” Boone asked. Claire nodded. Then it would be official. Claire was almost as excited at properly moving in as Boone was about his date with Jack. She managed to contain it though, otherwise she would probably break something.
After an hour, Boone and Claire clambered into his car, and with Claire directing, they headed towards her old apartment. Boone grimaced when he saw it, it was nothing like his clean and fairly modern apartment building, it was dirty and falling apart. Claire noticed Boone’s reaction.
“Disgusting, huh?” Claire mumbled. Boone turned to look at her.
“No, it’s…lovely.” He strained. They both laughed a little, and headed to her apartment.
She fumbled around in her pockets for a moment as she struggled to find her key. The door creaked as she opened it.
“Don’t worry.” She muttered. “It always makes that noise.” Boone was still trying to place the weird smell that kept floating up his nose. Apparently, Claire hadn’t noticed it as her face remained indifferent.
As they entered, Boone shuffled uneasily into the apartment, while Claire strode past him, and into what Boone guessed was her bedroom. As she was walking, she was calling back to him,
“Don’t worry, I’ll just bring my-” Boone heard her gasp in horror. “What the hell are you doing here?” She shouted. Boone raced into her ‘room’ and stopped to see a man, a little older than himself, sitting on Claire’s bed and gazing pathetically up at her.
“Claire-” he began.
“You have no right to be here.” She said sternly.
“Claire-” he tried again.
“Get out.” She said angrily. She stared up at her. “GET OUT!” She screamed. He stood up and approached her.
“Claire, I-” She slapped him as he tried to touch her hand. She glared at him. Boone spoke up after a short moment of silence.
“I think you should leave.” The man turned to look at Boone, with surprise, as if he was only just noticing him.
“This is none of your business.” He sneered at Boone. Claire seemed even more enraged by this, and made to charge at the man, before Boone grabbed her arm to restrain her. The last thing Boone thought Claire needed was getting into a fight.
“Don’t you dare talk to him!” She screamed. The man seemed unfazed.
“Who the heck are you?” He glared at Boone, as if accusing him of a crime.
“I said,” Claire slapped him again, this time on the other cheek. “Don’t talk to him.” He stared in shock at Claire. She turned to Boone.
“This is guy who left me,” She spun round to face the man “with his baby.” Boone nodded. Now it all made sense. The more Boone looked at him, the angrier he got. How could he do that to Claire? How could anyone do that? Boone clenched his fists. The man advanced towards Claire again.
“Please, Claire.” She retreated away from him.
“Thomas, I said get out!” When he just stood and stared at her, Claire screamed. “GET OUT!” Thomas showed no sign that he was going anywhere.
Boone approached him. “I think it’s time you left, don’t you?” He seized Thomas’ arm and attempted to move him. As soon as Boone touched his arm, Thomas swung round and punched Boone on the nose. Claire screamed and Boone tumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding nose. Thomas stared at his fist, and seemed terrified of what he had just done. He looked at the two of them, and ran out of the apartment.
As soon as Thomas left, Claire dashed to Boone’s side. It was bleeding quite hard.
“I’m so sorry.” She mumbled repeatedly. Boone tried to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault, but when he opened his mouth, some blood ran in. She seized a cloth and gently, although her hand was shaking, placed it on the source of the bleeding.
After a few minutes, Claire was still shaking. They were both sitting on the floor.
“We need to get you to a hospital.” She said uneasily. Boone finally felt he was able to talk, with difficulty.
“I’ll be alright.” The bleeding had already slowed down a lot. “Luckily for me, he isn’t very strong.” Claire laughed, but it seemed forced. Boone turned to face her, and he saw she was crying. He shuffled towards her, and attempted to put an arm around her. Claire helped him by snuggling down into his chest. He could feel her tears dropping onto his chest.
They sat there for half an hour, not saying anything and not moving, apart from Claire shaking against him. Boone took an arm away from her and removed the cloth from his nose. The bleeding had stopped. The movement of Boone’s arm seemed to have made Claire aware of what was happening, and she sat herself up, but still keeping her eyes on Boone. He turned to look at her. Her eyes were guilt-ridden as she looked at his nose.
“Claire, it wasn’t your fault.” He said soothingly as he shuffled towards her again. She shook her head solemnly.
“If I had handled him differently-” Boone interrupted her.
“You were bound to react the way you did.” He slipped his hand into hers and she smiled.
“Thanks.” She paused. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Boone was taken aback by the question. He hesitated.
“I like you.” He paused for a second. “We’re friends aren’t we? That’s what friends do.” Boone hoped this was the answer she was looking for. He smiled with relief when she squeezed his hand. Well, it definitely seemed to satisfy her.
A few hours later, Boone was loading Claire’s belongings into his car. She stood awkwardly by the car and watched him. He had insisted that he did all the packing.
“We should probably get your nose checked out, just in case.” She said.
“Don’t worry.” He closed the car doors and opened Claire’s for her. “Jack’s a doctor.” Claire smiled and climbed into the passenger seat. As Boone made his way round to the other side of the car and got in.
As he started the ignition, he stopped and looked at his watch. He was supposed to meet Jack three hours ago. He wondered if he should drop Claire off at the apartment and hurry off to meet Jack. He decided against it.
“He’ll understand. Claire needs me now.”
“Boone? Is something wrong?” Claire asked. Boone turned to her.
“Everything’s fine.” He smiled as he pulled out onto the main road. Claire took one last glimpse at her old apartment, and then never looked back. Thomas didn’t know she was moving. She was safe. She was leaving that life behind her…forever.