I've Never Believed In Ghosts [Charlie]

[leandra]

Leandra had become fond of Serenity Park, it wasn't like the National Parks she was used to back home in Sydney, but it would do. Parks were the the best place relax and be with your thoughts. And Leandra had a lot of thoughts running through her head with everything that had happened these past few days. She has definitely been one very mixed up young woman. The whole unrequited thing with Sawyer was definitely the main thing worrying her. She had to get over him, but how? Getting over love was never easy, and getting over Sawyer has been down right difficult.

To do that she tried desperately to like Miles, but it hadn't worked. All she had succeeded in doing was making Miles think she was an easy target, and he terrified her now. Desmond was doing his best to protect her like he always would, but the thought of ever bumping into Miles again was scaring her. Because although she was terrified of him, she couldn't deny there was just something there. Now afraid of being left alone with him for fear she would let him take her again just so she could feel wanted. She needed a friend, a good friend to talk to about it all. Not Charlotte, as much as she liked the girl, she was too close to Miles, it wouldn't work.

For some reason her mind started to drift back to the Island and remembering the sweet romance between Charlie and Claire. How it had grown without either of them realising it, how could she not have someone like that? Someone who was so lovely, kind and caring. How could she not have the sweet romance that Claire and Charlie had? Thinking about Charlie however also brought back the other memory, the sad one. His death had rocked her.

[Charlie Pace]

"Yeah, Dad, I know. Of course I know what I'm doin' to myself, don't you think I--"

Charlie hadn't even wanted to pick up. The last thing he needed was a guilt trip from his ather, but as always his father delivered it in spades. "No, I don't think Mum would be proud of me right now. No, I think she'd wollop me upside the head. Yeah, I know you would too, that's why I'm in Los Angeles and you're back home."

Charlie kicked at a rock on the ground, wanting to tell his father about Liam. The stupid wanker had gone off and asked Charlie for drugs. He banished the thought from his head for fear of getting too upset. He had rushed out of the hotel room, telling Karen that he had needed a break, needed to collect his thoughts, and he had found himself in Serenity Park. Sure, it wasn't as pretty as some of the parks in London or Manchester, or hell, even England in general, but this was America, he thought silently. "Yeah, Li's fine. Him and Karen and Mae are staying with me until I go back to Sydney. Yeah, I'm gonna stay there for a little while. 'Course I'll tell him we need to make a stop in Manchester, I'd be a git to deny Mae a visit to her grandfather. No, I havn't got a girl yet, Dad. I can barely take care of myself right now, how could I take care of another person?"

Charlie shook his head slightly. "Look, Dad, I'll have Li call you later tonight, 'lright? Yeah. Yeah, you too. Yeah, bye. Bye." Charlie hung up his cellphone, stuffing it into his jacket pocket and he pulled the hoodie over his head to ward off the January air. He kicked a rock, and then his eyes widened as he saw it heading right towards a woman. "Oh no! No!" Worried that it had hit her, he held out his hands. "Oi! Sorry! Sorry, I um...shit. Sorry." he told her apologetically, but then realised that it had nearly hit her from a far distance. "But y'gotta admit that was a wicked shot. I shoulda been a footballer."

[leandra]

Suddenly something went whizzing by at a speed and pulled Leandra out of her memory lane thoughts. Then she heard a young man give out a lot of words with apologies. "That's alright, it didn't even hit me" she answered with a smile. Then he mentioned about how she had to admit it was a good shot. She thought she knew that voice.

She looked up to follow where the voice was coming from and almost fainted with shock. This couldn't be right, no it really couldn't be right. It couldn't be him. She knew he had a brother, but it wasn't a god damned twin he had. She was feeling sick, the nausea was coming over her in waves. She battled to keep her composure.

"What? You?" she stammered, "No!! No...no...no" she kept repeating over and over again. "This isn't happening, it can't be true" she kept muttering over and over. She put her hand up through her hair pulling at it and shaking her head. "It can't be, you.. you..." she kept stammering, shaking all over.

[Charlie Pace]

Charlie's brows narrowed instantly, and he looked at her behind his sunglasses, concerned. "Um," he started, unsure of what else to say. "I can safely say that yes, it is me." Charlie said slowly, but then was worried that he might had said the wrong thing. "Um, wait. Who is 'you'? Maybe if you tell me I can decide if I want to be this person."

She nearly looked like she was going to faint. Who fainted anymore, Charlie wondered silently, almost amused if the situation hadn't been so strange. Only old stuffy women and proper people from the Victorian Age fainted. 'Oh! Oh the vapors!' The thought made Charlie smirk at himself for a moment, before he frowned once more. "Love, y'look like you're gonna fall. Why don't you sit down a sec? Before you collapse and I start to freak out."

[leandra]

She needed to breathe, she needed to calm down, her heart was racing, her head was pounding. She couldn't believe that Charlie Pace was standing in front of her. Charlie, sweet Charlie who had died to help save them all. It couldn't be him. He had to be a ghost, but that was ridiculous, ghosts didn't exist. She started to laugh hysterically as well as crying a little. Something was seriously wrong here.

He asked who 'you' was, but she was struggling to keep herself steady as it was, and her mouth was starting to get very dry, words were a difficult thing to get out she realised. She coughed a little and tried to lubricate her mouth with some saliva so she could try and speak his name. It was easy saying it to herself, but trying to get the name out into live words was proving difficult. "You...Charlie..." she stammered, "Charlie Pace, but..but.." she continued, she was definitely struggling to come to terms with this.

She had to sort of laugh at his words of her freaking him out, he was bloody well freaking her out. She did as he suggested though and took a seat on the bench which was just behind her. She sat down slowly, the whole time looking at him in complete shock. Her head was still pounding. "Me freak you out?" she managed to say before getting hysterical again. "You're freaking me out" she stammered in hysterics, "I don't believe in ghosts" she finished. Shaking her head and pulling at her hair.

[Charlie Pace]

"Smashing, neither do I. Something we can agree on, then?" Charlie asked, his brows narrowing at the woman who sat on the bench. Her face had turned stark white, and he had to worry about the woman's health. If she did faint (which was looking more and more likely, and there wasn't a old lady in sight to join her, how unamusing, Charlie thought silently) Charlie would have had absolutely no idea on how to revive her besides tapping on her cheek.

"Please don't faint. 'Cause if you do, then I wouldn't how to wake you up and and that would not be good at all. I'm not a doctor or anythin'. I play bass." he explained with almost a slight smile. "Look, do you want me to call the medics for you? You look--well, you look bloody awful just now." Perhaps this was just her way of dealing with seeing a celeb? However, there was many a famous person walking around Los Angeles at any given time...and he hadn't seen any news articles about a woman freaking out on the street, so...

"Look, um...do you want me to call someone for you? 'Cause I will. Y'don't look well."

[leandra]

Leandra was getting more and more white in the face while her body seemed to be shaking uncontrollably. He just didn't get it. He didn't even know her that was pretty obvious. If he was a ghost she scoffed at her own stupidness, then as a ghost he would remember her. Why was he acting like he never knew her? It wasn't right and it damn well wasn't funny. He sounded like Charlie, he had his mannerisms, and he started speaking about being bass in a band. Not that she needed to know that, she already knew he played bass for DriveShaft.

He kept asking her questions about getting someone to help because she didn't look well, and that she wasn't to faint on him because he wouldn't know what to do. All his words were running through her head in a scrambled way. The very dead Charlie Pace was standing in front of her seemingly very alive. How could she react to this? She tried to compose herself, because obviously she was freaking him out, because he didn't know her and well from what he could tell looking at her, she was probably some mad woman. But could anybody blame her for acting the way she did when a dead man was standing in front of her?

Thinking back to his line about not believing in ghosts seemed to bring back her voice albeit in a very shaky tone. "I...I...I don't believe in ghosts because...because..." this was ridiculous she thought, "you're dead Charlie, you're dead. At least you are to me" she finished sadly. She knew he was going to think she was off her head now, because obviously he was standing there very much alive. "You're Charlie Pace and you play for DriveShaft and you were stranded on The Island along with the rest of us when Flight 815 crashed" she continued, still pulling at the hair in her head. None of it was making any sense to her, how the hell could Charlie Pace be talking to her.

[Charlie Pace]

Why the bloody HELL did everyone say he was dead? Perhaps she was just someone that had gotten confused? He had read the papers, read the story that said that he had officially died and had to be brought b ack to life at Saint Sebastian's, however...shit. This was getting just stupid.

"Look, um, yeah. Okay, yeah I did die, but only for like...two minutes? So...so maybe for two minutes, yeah, I guess I was like, a ghost or whatever. But...but I assure you, I'm very much alone. Here, see?" he asked, holding out his hand to her. "And I wasn't on an Island or anything...I've been in Los Angeles for six--well, actually six months minus like, a week and a half."

Maybe she was one of those people that had seriously gotten affected by the crash? Didn't they always say stuff about post-traumatic stress disorder or something? "Maybe you've gotten me confused with someone else or something. But I'm alive, I'm pretty sure about that. So, you know...yay for me for not being dead." But no yay for the woman's current situation. "Just...just breathe. You're going to pop something if you keep freaking out."

[leandra]

She listened to him explain about having been dead for like two minutes, she was desperately trying to take everything in, but she still couldn't get over the fact she was talking to Charlie Pace. What was so upsetting apart from anything else was the simple fact he didn't even know her. She wondered if Claire had seen him yet, because if Claire had seen him, then she'd know she wasn't going bloody crazy.

There wasn't any point in going over it all again was there? He obviously didn't think he had ever been on any Island, that he'd been in Los Angeles for almost six months, she must have him confused with someone else. But she didn't. She knew this was the Charlie Pace she watched with interest as he and Claire fell in love. The Charlie Pace she watched take care of Aaron like he was his own. She shook her head. Had she been on a drinking binge last night and gone into some sort of weird nightmare? She pinched herself just to make sure, and it hurt. She winced at the pain she caused herself. So definitely not in a weird nightmare.

She touched the hand he held out for her, she couldn't deny it was warm and as real as a hand should be. Maybe she was crazy, maybe she needed to see a doctor right enough. She needed to see Jack. She tried taking in some deep breaths to calm herself down, because she wasn't doing herself any favours and she didn't seem to be doing him any favours either. "I'm pretty certain I don't have you confused with someone else, but if I don't stop acting like this, you're going to think I'm crazy, right?" she asked him in soft tones.

Listening to him carry on about not being dead and that she should calm herself down before her freaking makes her pop something, caused her to laugh a little, it was simply a Charlie thing to say. Sweet Charlie was alive and even if he didn't know her, she was thankful that he was alive. Maybe she should just introduce herself and try and get over the freakishness of the whole situation. She held out her hand with a small smile, "I'm Leandra Mason, sorry for freaking you out over this but..." she trailed off, "It doesn't matter"

[Charlie Pace]

"They say my best friend is completely stark-raving mad and yet she's pretty normal. So..." Charlie held out his hand, wobbling it up and down slightly in the universal sign for 'so-so'. "The jury's still out. But if you are truely crazy, that'd be smashing, at least from an outsiders point of view. It makes life more interesting. As long as, you know, you don't go crazy on me. Then we'll be fine." Charlie said with a slight shrug. As she shook his hand, Charlie nodded slightly. "Charlie Pace. Are you sure you don't want me to call anyone? I have a mobile. I can call the medics for you? Get you checked out? Make sure you don't have a heart attack or anything?"

[leandra]

She smiled to herself, he was definitely the same sweet Charlie Pace she'd grown to love on the Island, and given half a chance she'd be able to grow to love him again, if he would be willing to be a friend that is. She looked at Charlie like a younger brother in a way, and well just because he didn't know her now, and the whole "ghost" thing freaked her out, she still regarded him as a younger brother.

He was asking if she was sure about not calling any medics, she was sure. It wasn't that she was feeling ill or anything, just seeing him alive had completely shocked her. The best thing for shock was a nice hot drink, coffee. Maybe she could suggest going somewhere for a nice cup of coffee.

She smiled softly again, now that she had managed to compose herself somewhat. "I promise not to go crazy on you" she replied. "I'm fine, but I tell you what I could do with?" she said questioningly, "A nice cup of coffee, do you fancy coming to a cafe with me?" she asked nicely, hoping that he might. Maybe it would be a good way of building up the nice friendship they had on the Island before...before...well before he was alive again.

[Charlie Pace]

"I um, I don't really drink coffee much," Charlie said honestly. "But uh, some tea would be wonderful. And hey, if you do go crazy, it wouldn't be the first time I've had it happen. I just...really wouldn't know what to do. So...yeah." Charlie said, moving to walk with her. "So, Leandra, that's a--"

Charlie's phone rang, and he frowned, holding up a finger. "Sorry." he told Leandra before answering the phone. "Hiya, lovely! Oh, of course! Of course I'll be there. Yeah. Mmm-hmm. What time do you get off again? Okay. Hey, wait! Wait, I had an idea. Let's go to the beach! Yeah! That place we went before. Smashing! Alright, I'll see you then. Yep, bye, bye then.

Charlie clicked the phone shut. "Sorry," he told Leandra. "She's calling on her break; we hadn't made plans tonight." he told her, and then nodded. "So! Tea! Lovely."

[leandra]

She smiled at his response. "Tea is fine, well for you, I'll stick to my coffee" she replied. She should have known he'd be a tea drinker being English. The English were more likely to drink tea than coffee. Ah how could she go crazy on Charlie? "It's alright, you don't have to worry about me going crazy, I wont" she smiled kindly.

He was about to say something to her, when his cell phone rang. She smiled as he lifted his finger so he could answer it. Her heart plummeted when she realised he was speaking to his girlfriend. Poor Claire she thought. But then why wouldn't he have a girlfriend, after all he didn't know her, so he wouldn't know Claire either, would he?

"It's alright" she said softly in response to his apology. "It's very sweet, I hope you have a nice time" she said with regards to the plans he had obviously just made with his girlfriend. "Yes, tea" she said with a smile as they walked on. It wouldn't take them long to get to the cafe, as there was one just to the right of the park, and they were almost out of the park now. "You were going to say something before your phone call" she prompted him, as she was curious as to what he was going to say to her.

[Charlie Pace]

"Yeah, she uh," Charlie said, moving to tuck his hands under the sleeves of his hoodie. "She's wonderful, there's no doubt about that. I don't think I would be alive if it wasn't for her. I think she's one of the best things that have ever happened to me." Were people in dreams consitered enough to say that they were the best thing that ever happened to you? Even if it was just a small feeling of happiness and warmth? However, Libby was real.

He knew that if he hadn't had Libby, he would have used and probably ODed a long time ago now. Charlie flipped up the hoodie over his head, and looked over at Lea as she spoke. He narrowed his brows when she said he was going to say something before his phone call. "Um..." Shit! What was he saying? Charlie let out a slight laugh. "Honestly love, I uh...I don't remember. Sometimes I start to say things and then I'll just trail off...sorry."

[leandra]

Leah was in awe of Charlie as he spoke about his love for his girlfriend, and how he wouldn't be alive if it weren't for her. It was so sweet. Her heart was melting listening to him talk about his girlfriend and at the same time her heart was aching, because she knew that Claire still loved Charlie dearly. No doubt if she had seen him it would be tearing the girl apart. She should try and get in contact with her.

"Well I think that's great Charlie, I'm very pleased for you" she replied with a smile. This was definitely strange. Here she was talking to Charlie like she'd known him for months, and he didn't know who the hell she was. The fact was she had known him for months, that's what was making this whole thing seem so ridiculous. She must be dreaming.

"It's alright" she replied when he said he couldn't remember what he was talking about. "That happens to me too sometimes" she continued with a smile. "So what do you do for a living?" she asked him with much interest and a smile, "You look like you could be a musician" she finished with a grin. Well of course she knew this, because she'd heard him speak of his days in Drive Shaft back on the Island.