Etching Memories of Claire (open)

[tom]

'I can't do this' Thomas replayed the scene in his mind again, 'I can't do this, Claire.' It seemed like years ago, but in reality it was only months. Not even an entire year yet. The baby... his baby was still only barely past the "alive stage", in Thomas's opinion. And now here he was, sitting in Serenity Park in L.A. trying to find the mother of his child, the child he was too much of a coward to claim as his own.

Thomas sat in the park and painted with some oil paints he'd laid out on the grass. He remembered every curve of Claire's face. Well, it helped that her face had been splashed all over the news, but it still didn't mean he'd forgotten it. He'd had a few flings back in Brisbane, trying to forget Claire and move on, trying to prove that he wasn't the type of guy who was ready to be a father. After all his trying, all he'd been left with was a great big feeling of regret and a gaping hole in his heart.

That gaping hole reminded him that he loved Claire, as much as he loved Queensland to win all three games of State of Origin (or the Bronc's as the yearly title), or as much as he loved to get in good with Mr Widmore's associates and make a name for himself in the art world. He filled in the outline of her face carefully, and checked his cell phone again. He'd left three messages for her to tell her that he was in town, and it was apparent that she didn't want to get back to him and talk things over.

He gazed over the busy L.A. park, it wasn't anything like the botanical gardens back home where he used to get his muse. There were too many people, not so much wildlife. He saw birds here, but missed the lizards crawling up trees back home and he was almost certain that they didn't have possums that would come out at night here.

"Claire" he murmered softly before he did a few more strokes around her face, painted so angelically, just the way he remembered her... before he broke her heart.

[leandra]

When Leandra left Dan after having an awkward but cute conversation with him, she had every intention of going home. Instead however, she wandered through the park some more, taking it in. It wasn't a spectacular park at all, but it was a park, and it was good for walking through and releasing your tension, and recently tension was something Leandra had been suffering a lot.

The unfortunate meeting with Sawyer last week when he was so drunk he kicked and screamed outside her room door wondering why his room card key wasn't working. Oh how unrequited love was a horrible thing. Lying next time, so wanting to be loved by him, and having to just lie there while he snored himself through sleep after she had massaged him.

Then there was Miles. Now that really was messed up. Miles, the guy everybody hated on the Island was the same Miles she was now trying to fool herself she liked to get over her unrequited love on Sawyer. Then the fact that she hadn't had a man for three years was killing her high sex drive. If it was offered to her no matter who from she may have just gone ahead and taken it. But would that make her an easy target she thought to herself.

That was the the main thought running through Leah's head every day now, was she going to be an easy target? Why couldn't a nice man come along and just be nice to her and maybe just maybe she could find love. So busy lost in her own thoughts, she never even noticed when she stumbled that she had fell over a young man painting on the grass. Face glowing a mighty shade of red, she suddenly felt like she was walking in the summer, she stumbled her way through an apology.

"Oh dear god, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry" she stammered. "Please forgive me" she said with a small smile, as her blush continued to glow furiously.

[tom]

Thomas didn't even see the woman coming as she toppled over his paints and the small canvas he'd held on his hands, the picture of Claire now ruined.

Ironic he snorted and tried to gather up his oil paints before anything got to be more of a mess. "It's OK, mate. Really." He stuttered in a thick Australian accent while he picked up his paints and started screwing on the caps of them without looking up. When he finally did look up he was surprised to see a semi-familiar face.

It was someone he'd gotten brief glimpses of while he was trying desperately to get those brief glimpses of Claire. The woman was another survivor! Thomas couldn't believe his luck! Maybe she'd seen Claire. Maybe they'd spoken. Maybe she knew about his child or why Claire hadn't seemed to be answering her phone when he called her.

"You... you're from flight 815" he couldn't hide the surprise in his voice, eager for answers from her about Claire's whereabouts.

[leandra]

What made Leandra even more embarrassed was the fact she had ruined the lovely painting he had just done. Being an artist herself, she knew how upsetting a piece of work being ruined can do to you. She then noticed when he spoke he was Australian. How much of a co-incidence was that?

"You're Australian too?" she asked, although her own accent not quite as thick as his was, but noticeable enough to know she was definitely Australian. Now that she had got over her blushing, she elaborated on her apology. "I'm really sorry again, I'm an artist myself in my spare time, I don't do it for a living or anything, but I do know how annoying it can be when anything you've created gets ruined" she looked again at the piece of work she had just wasted with her stumble and thought she recognised the face he had painted.

His next words made her smile but shocked her a little also. How could he have known she was from Flight 815. Then again, how would he not, there was enough about the survivors in the papers he had probably read about her or seen her photo in the paper. "Yes, I was on Flight 815" she began slowly with a smile, "do you know somebody who was on it?" she finished. She thought about her question, he was Australian, from her memory the only other Australian or at least Australian accented person on that flight was Claire Littleton. She wondered if it was Claire he knew.

[tom]

He brushed off his pants and gave a wry smile. "It's OK, this thing was never going to get sold anyway."
He indicated to the canvas which still had the feignt outline of Claire Littleton on it.

He was glad to come across another Aussie, never would have guessed it by the way she looked. She looked more like a supermodel then a down to earth girl from back home.

"Yeah, I've been trying to get in contact with Claire Littleton" He shrugged and looked up at her, sheilding his face from the afternoon sun. "You know her?"

[leandra]

"Well I'm glad to hear it, but I'm still sorry, I should have been watching where I was going. Too busy lost in my thoughts" she replied with a faint smile.

Too busy trying to think of ways to fix up her messy love life, a bit ironic she should fall over a guy when it was guys she was thinking about when she stumbled over him. She let out a little sigh, and followed it with another smile.

She looked at him closely, there was something nice about him she thought, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she thought he may look a little younger than her too. Then she shook her head and stopped herself from thinking. It was seriously damaging her mind she realised.

She smiled when he spoke again, he was asking about Claire. So, she had been right in thinking it may have been Claire he knew after all. Well of course she knew Claire, they had been stranded on the Island together. But she honestly hadn't seen much of her since being back in Los Angeles.

"Well I do know Claire of course, but I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen her since we came off the Island" she began with a sad smile. "A great girl is Claire, and little Aaron is simply adorable" she continued with a grin. Mentioning the baby's name took her back to their days on the Island and how much Claire and Charlie had bonded. It was heart breaking when Charlie died. It brought a tear to her eye just thinking about it.

[tom]

Thomas' face hardened when she mentioned Aaron. Aaron, he repeated in his mind, that's what she called him. He felt miserable that he didn't get a say in the name, but then again leaving her to have the child by herself, he really didn't deserve to get a say in the name.

"So the boy... it's healthy right?" He asked hurridly, "Like, everything is in the right place and everything?" What was even more disgusting to him right now was that he was actually looking for confirmation that the baby was normal before finding Claire and "it". He guessed it was a "he" but he wasn't quite ready to call it that yet.

He wondered how this woman knew Claire, if they spoke often, if Claire ever mentioned of the father of the baby without using a word like "wanker" to describe him.

[leandra]

Leandra was confused at the look on the young man's face when she mentioned Aaron. And why was he asking so many questions about Aaron as well. He was also speaking in hurried tones she noticed. Like he couldn't get the questions out about Aaron fast enough.

She smiled at the young man with a little confusion. "Yes, Aaron is healthy" she began, wondering why he was referring the baby boy to it instead of he. "At least he was healthy the last time I saw him with Claire anyway, and yes everything was in the right place" she replied with a confused look on her face.

Why was he asking after Claire and the baby? Was he a reporter? She certainly wasn't going to say too much if that was the case. Claire had been in the newspapers enough already. So making sure she wasn't speaking to some sneaky reporter she had to ask, "You aren't a journalist in disguise are you?"

[tom]

[ooc: hey, wouldn't it be so cool in the show if Thomas was really Widmore's abandoned son. Think about it... Widmore mysteriously has his paintings when he's a no name Aussie artist and Thomas was clearly abandoned by his father with all his issues with being a dad... that would be too cool a twist! So Aaron would be the lovechild of a Widmore and a Shephard. Hmmm... OK, just a theory.]

Confusion bore across Thomas' face in an instant. "Journalist?" he asked, as they were getting completely mixed signals, "I just want to find out about my kid!" He cried in an unexpected outburst. It took him long enough to admit he even had a kid and now he did and he didn't know what he was going to do about it - if he'd even be able to see the boy, or if he could even step up to the task he'd run away from so long ago, of being a father.

"My kid" he repeated softly and dug his hands into the grass. "Claire doesn't want to see me" he muttered, feeling sorry for himself, "and I don't blame her. But the kid needs a father, you know?"

[leandra]

[ooc: I get your theory, and yeah I agree it would deffo be kinda cool - that would make Widmore Aaron's grandfather - we already know Jack is Aaron's uncle and of course Penny would be Aaron's auntie and well Desmond marries Penny then Desmond would be his uncle lol]

Leandra blanched when the young lad had his little outburst, because it reminded her of Miles a little and she was surprised that she moved away from him a little for fear or being hit or something else. But rather than just ignore his shout, she apologised for upsetting him.

"Hey I'm sorry, but you gotta understand we've had our fill of reporters, I didn't realise you were Aaron's father" she finished with a faint smile on her face. So this was the young man who had abandoned Claire and his unborn son. She shook her head slightly, but of course would not judge him, because he likely had his reasons.

However, the tone which came from him next, obviously stated that he was sorry that he had done what he did. "Look do you wanna walk over to that bench?" she asked him kindly, because sitting on the grass was becoming more and more uncomfortable for her.

"I'm sorry that Claire doesn't want to see you, maybe if you try and explain what happened?" she tried reasoning with him, but she knew that Claire had lost her heart to Charlie on the Island, and whether she would have any feelings left for this young man, she didn't know. But it wasn't up to her to figure that out or to tell him about Charlie.

"I do know what you mean about Aaron needing a father though" she said in melancholy tones. That was what Charlie was doing before he died. "Maybe Claire will at least let you see him" she said softly and put her hand on his arm in a caring gesture.

[tom]

[ooc: what a wacky family reunion that would be, but at least they have a place to hold it... the place Aaron was born. ]

"Yeah sure" Thomas nodded to her, as she suggested going over to the bench. He smiled when she agreed with him about Aaron needing a father figure. She hadn't seemed to be judging him yet. He half expected a 'you're that wanker that left that poor girl to raise a child alone? Well you can bugger off then' but it didn't come.

He picked up his paint supplies and stuck what he could of them in his backpack before getting up and smiling before walking over to the bench. Sitting with a sigh, Thomas rubbed his eyes. "I screwed up" he said bitterly, "but I just need a second chance. She can give me that much can't she?"

He realized he was talking too much about his own problems for a moment there, "anyway... sorry... it's not your problem" he leaned back on the back railing, "so where abouts in Oz are you from?"

[leandra]

[ooc: yeah a totally crazy family reunion on the Island - that would be so cool ]

She was thankful when he had agreed to sit on the bench with her, it would be more comfortable, because it looked like they might be having quite a good chat, and sitting on the grass for a long period of time can get very sore when you aren't properly dressed for it.

Sitting back on the bench, she smiled and listened to him some more with much interest. She nodded in agreement to what he said with a soft smile. "Well I have to agree, you definitely screwed up but most people can give a second chance, maybe Claire will, but you know there's only one way to find out for sure" she explained to him, not that she needed to explain this, because he must have been smart enough to know that the only way to find out was to get in touch with Claire and just ask her.

"It's alright, no need for apologies, we all need to talk sometimes, I'm a good listener, although I do have problems of my own, its why I never noticed you sat on the grass before" she said softly. "If you want to speak some more, I don't mind" she continued.

He then started to ask where she was from, she smiled at this. She loved her home country, but she just had to get away from it, she had to get away from her. "I'm from Sydney" she said softly, "How about yourself?" she returned his own question back to him.

[tom]

"I'm from Brisbane. You from the north or south of Sydney?" Thomas asked interestedly. "It's a big place" he joked since it wasn't quite as big as L.A. was. He'd grown up on the South side of Brisbane, that's where his mother lived.

"My problems are just Claire. I've been trying to call but understandably she doesn't want to hear from me." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I just got a big contract. I can support the kid now."

He kept looking straight ahead, "so what were your problems? Journalists?" He asked, smiling at the way she'd mistaken him for one so suspiciously.

[leandra]

"I'm from the city" she replied when he asked if she was from the north or south of Sydney. "I love Australia to be honest, but I just had to get away from her" she said with a frown on her face. Thinking about her mother and what she made her do made her sick.

"Well even if it's only Claire, a problem is a problem, and always better shared" she said gently with a smile, and patted his arm with her hand again. When he said about winning a big contract and be able to support 'the kid' she winced slightly. "Aaron" she prompted softly. "Like I say, I'm sure Claire will let you see him" she continued just as softly. Leah had adored that little boy when she was on the Island, she felt like a surrogate aunt to him in a way.

She laughed a little nervously when he asked if her problems were journalists. "They're a royal pain in the bum" she said with a scowl, "but no, my problems are very complicated and nothing to do with journalists" of course, she could feel herself getting upset again. The last thing she had wanted to do was cry. "I'm sorry, never mind me, I'm just being a wuss"

[tom]

"Yeah, Australia's great" he repeated with another wry smile, missing back home already.

He laughed lightly when she told him that she was being a 'wuss'. "Quite alright" he grinned, "guess we can't all be like Claire, having a child on the island alone and all..."
He put on a fake smile. It was hard to get used to, how strong she'd been and how she was indignant on keeping the child even without him in the picture.

"I guess all the media attention can't be helping much" he further commented, "along with any of those problems you're having..."