Isobella
By Meldewen Ilce
Rating: PG ( violence )
Summary: What happened in the moments before Jack and Kate found Charlie?
Spoilers: Season 1's "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" – Episode 11
Disclaimers: I don't own "Lost" or its characters – no money has been made off of this story I expected not to be sued over it!
Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at a "Lost" fic so don't be too hard on me!
How could one person keep two people captive and ever moving forward?
That was what Charlie wondered as Ethan kept them going forward, ever on towards what he didn't know, and frankly did care about. All he cared about at the moment was trying to keep this lunatic from hurting either one of them, especially Claire. It was bad enough she was about to have a baby on an island in the middle of nowhere without this wacko doing something to her.
When Claire fell from exhaustion as well as getting her foot tangled in a vine, and finally Charlie had to speak up, "She needs to rest!"
Ethan moved to forcefully yank her up, "Get up!"
"I can't!" Claire replied, overwrought and nearly in tears, 'In case you haven't noticed, I'm pregnant and it's not easy staggering through a jungle when I need to rest!"
Ethan was about to forcefully drag her up anyways, and then thought better of it when he spotted a wall of vines nearby. Instead he grabbed a hold one of Charlie's hands, noticing the missing tape, 'You've been leaving them a trail to follow, haven't you?" He pointed towards the vines, "Get over there now."
"Why should I?" Charlie asked.
"Because if you don't I'll kill you both now instead of just one of you," was the response.
"What?" Claire asked, fear in her voice.
"I said I am going to kill one of you now," Ethan repeated, "And I am going to let you choose which one of you dies."
"Me," Charlie spoke without any hesitation, surprising himself as well as Claire.
"No!" Claire said trying to get up. "Don't kill him."
"One of you is going to die," said Ethan, "It make no difference to me. You have until the count of 3 to decide who."
Charlie looked at Claire, "Don't say anything. You have your baby to think of."
"Charlie, I-"
"Three, time's up," said Ethan pushing Charlie towards the vines, "Oh did I mentioned it was a silent count to 3?" Once over at the vines, he reached up, pulling one down that was firmly attached, and giving it to Charlie he ordered, "Tie this around your neck."
"What?"
"I said tie it around your neck," Ethan repeated, "Or she dies too."
Charlie gulped, not liking where this was going, but he tied the vine around his neck. After he was finished Ethan made sure it was tight, and then taking out a gray cloth he tied it around Charlie's eyes. "Now climb the wall." Charlie moved to take the blindfold off and Ethan stopped him, "Leave it. Feel your way up there. Now."
Charlie turned around, and felt for the wall, the vine around his neck feeling tighter and tighter as he did what Ethan said. Finally, Ethan told him to stop, "Now release the wall."
Moments went by and Charlie held on for dear life, knowing what would happen if he let it go. Ethan roughly brought Claire to her feet and she screamed in spite of herself when he brought a knife to her throat. "Do it now or I will slit her throat!"
"All right, just don't hurt her," Charlie said, and took a deep breath before releasing the vines he was precariously grasping as it was. He briefly fell before the vine became tight and immediately when he couldn't breath anymore he began to kick around in the air.
He heard Claire call out his name but then Ethan's voice over powered hers as he said, 'Just so you know, we have who we came for. I never would hurt the girl until she's served her purpose!"
The last thing Charlie heard before he passed out and into death was Claire tearfully calling his name one last time…
The story's title Isobella comes from a song by Enya of the same title…
Also, I admit I have a problem with the scene where they found Charlie hanging as I am not entirely sure how Ethan actually hung him like that. I hope that this fic wasn't too far-fetched, certainly no more far-fetched that what we last saw on Lost…