Claire, who was running late as usual, climbed the stairs of the subway station and began her three-block walk as quickly as she could in designer flats that looked deceptively comfortable. She was on her way to meet her lovely husband for dinner to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary and had gotten tied up at work then stopped by to talk to a couple of her co-workers on the way out. Even though her husband often scolded her about her notorious tardiness, it was a nasty habit that she just couldn't seem to break. He had probably picked Aaron up from school, dropped him off at the sitter and been waiting patiently for her at the restaurant for the past half-hour.

As she wove her way through the crowded sidewalk, the sound of her shoes clicking against the pavement, she began to reflect on her marriage and the way her life had fallen into place.

After being rescued and readjusting to the real world and a small flat in Sydney, she and Desmond enrolled at the University of Sydney to finish their respective degrees—hers in art and his in literature. They used money from their part-time jobs and income from an investment account that Claire opened with the settlement she received from a class action suit against Oceanic Airlines. Her mother who had retired from her job as a librarian babysat Aaron whenever she was needed.

Claire, who went through a very mild custody battle with Thomas early on, tried to convince him to sign over his rights to Aaron. Even though she felt like Aaron deserved to know his biological father, she knew Thomas' motives weren't in Aaron's best interest. Desmond stood by her and supported her through the ordeal, but didn't pressure her one way or another. Once the judge assured Thomas that he would never be able to stake a claim to Claire's or Aaron's settlement money from the plane crash, Claire's doubts were confirmed when he gladly agreed to sign the papers terminating his parental rights. She finally felt like she was completely free from the demons of her past.

The day Claire and Desmond chose to finally exchange vows turned out to be perfect. The ceremony took place on a beach in Sydney and was a casual affair. Claire wore a simple, ivory dress with her long, golden waves loosely pinned back, allowing wisps of blonde to frame her face. Desmond never looked more handsome, wearing a light-colored, linen suit with his white shirt slightly unbuttoned to contrast perfectly with his bronze skin. Aaron, who was three at the time carried the wedding bands and proudly donned a miniature version of Desmond's attire.

Charlie attended the wedding and brought a lovely, sweet girl named Lucy as his date. During the reception, Claire and Charlie had a long conversation about the past and how things had worked out for a reason. Claire was shocked to hear about Charlie's past with Lucy, how he'd met her and that his drug addiction had ruined their relationship. Charlie told Claire that even though things hadn't worked out between them, she had helped give him the strength to overcome his past mistakes and ultimately the courage to approach Lucy again. Lucy had reluctantly accepted him back into her life and he was thinking of proposing.

Jin and Sun, who eventually settled in Los Angeles with their son and newborn twin daughters, were the only other survivors to attend the wedding. Sun was working as a freelance English-Korean translator and Jin was working in hotel management at the famous Beverly-Wilshire Hotel.

About a month after Claire and Desmond were married, Desmond adopted Aaron as his own. Aside from their wedding day, it was the happiest day Claire could remember.

Once Claire obtained her baccalaureate degree in art, she contemplated a career in graphic design but decided she preferred fashion design instead. She enrolled in the Whitehouse Institute of Design in Sydney while Desmond, who had since received a graduate degree in English Literature, decided to go forward and pursue his Ph.D.

After finishing design school, Claire was offered a promising position in New York's Garment District working with a top, up-and-coming designer that she was introduced to by her favorite instructor and mentor. After many long discussions and weighing the pros and cons of the opportunity, Claire, Desmond and Aaron got their U.S. visas and moved to the Big Apple.

The trio settled in a two bedroom flat in Morningside Heights, a thriving neighborhood on the Upper West Side near Columbia University where Desmond finished his Ph.D. and worked as a teaching assistant. Upon graduating with his Doctorate, he was offered an open position as a lecturer in the English department at Columbia and had since taken a position there as an Assistant Professor of English and Literature.

Although complementary of one another, she and Desmond couldn't have been more different. She laughed to herself as she remembered the day when Desmond came home to find her unpacking boxes when they first moved to New York, a Smashing Pumpkins CD from her goth days blasting from the stereo. He teasingly told her that she was corrupting their son by subjecting him to such noise. She playfully responded that at least he wouldn't turn into a sappy, boring dolt like his father.

The ability to joke about their differences was one of things that kept the fire in their relationship. Even though Claire often gave Desmond a hard time, she couldn't have been more proud of him. In her eyes, he was the perfect man.

In addition to being complete opposites, Claire and Desmond moved in two totally different social circles. Claire would oblige Desmond by putting on bland pant suits and accompanying him to dull dinner parties with the academic-types that he associated with. On the contrary, she would often drag him along to eclectic hangouts with the colorful group of friends she had met working in the fashion industry. Desmond would let Claire dress him in stylish clothes that she got as a perk to working for a fashion designer and even though it was a refreshing change from his usual tweed blazers and plain, button-up dress shirts, he still managed to stick out like a sore thumb when they went to trendy spots with her friends. Despite being on opposite sides of the spectrum, one thing neither group tired of hearing was stories of how the couple had first met.

Claire loved their life in New York. She loved the hustle and bustle of the city and the energy in the air. She and Desmond were both happy in their careers and Aaron, who was in third grade, was an intelligent, outgoing child who loved school and had lots of friends. He even had a "girlfriend" that was in his class and lived in the building across the street.

The downside to living in New York was only getting to see their respective families twice a year. One year they would visit Claire's family in Australia and Desmond's family would come to New York from Scotland and the next year, vice versa. Although not ideal, the arrangement worked out well for everyone involved. They had also maintained contact with some of their fellow survivors over the years.

DriveShaft had reunited and, after moving to New York, Claire and Desmond attended a show complete with backstage access. Before the show, Charlie teased Desmond by inviting him onstage as a "special guest" to sing Even Flow and telling him if he put on a flannel shirt and Doc Martens, the crowd would never know the difference. Desmond just looked confused but Claire laughed so hard she nearly snorted. After the show, Claire, Desmond, Charlie and Lucy, who had since became Charlie's wife, went out for a lovely, late-night dinner.

As often as she could, Claire visited Rose and Bernard who, after living a couple more years in the Bronx, moved to upstate New York. Rose let her know that their door was always open for Claire if she ever felt like she needed to get away and she had taken her up on the offer a couple of times. It was nice to know she had someone like Rose fairly close by since her own family was on the other side of the world.

Hurley, Locke and Jack had all returned to the Los Angeles area. Claire was updated on the happenings in Hurley's life whenever she talked to Charlie and she and Desmond had lunch with Locke while visiting Jin and Sun in Los Angeles one summer.

She didn't know what became of Sawyer but she heard through the grapevine that Kate was given a light sentence for cooperating with the feds in the investigation of "the Others" and was currently scheduled to be released from prison somewhere in the Midwest. Although Claire had not taken any steps to find Kate, she hoped to eventually track her down.

About a year before, Claire thought she'd seen Sayid walking near Central Park hand in hand with a striking woman that appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part because the couple disappeared into the masses before Claire could get across the street. It had been a bittersweet moment for her as she vividly remembered the talk she'd had with Sayid the day they were rescued. She sincerely hoped that he had found happiness.

As Claire approached the outdoor café that was her and Desmond's favorite place to eat in the city, she caught sight of him sipping a glass of wine and looking handsome as usual. For their anniversary, she was planning to surprise him with news that she was pregnant. Since becoming settled in their careers, they finally decided to start trying for a baby and she knew Desmond would be ecstatic. For her own sanity, she hoped this pregnancy was less eventful than her first.

When Desmond saw her approaching he stood up from the table and glanced at his watch. She looked at him with a doe-eyed, sweet expression she knew he couldn't resist. "Am I late?"

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek as he pulled her chair out. "Right on time, sweetheart."