Icarus

Seven

"They've been staring at you since they got here."

Ren glanced up at Cindy, who was looking at her expectantly.

"And?"

"Bernard already went to ask, his wife is alive and well.  Just go and find out about your sister."

"No."

Ren's answer was simple and should have left no room for question.  But Cindy had never been one for what should and should not happen.

"Why not?"

She tried to think of a good enough reason for why she shouldn't go over to their three guests and ask about her sister. In truth, though she'd been grieving Claire for weeks, the arrival of three men from the front of the plane had given her a sliver of hope. The hope gripping her until she could barely breathe. Her sister could be alive. And if she wasn't, Ren would have to grieve all over again.

But Cindy didn't know that.

Taking her silence for an answer, the woman began to drag her over to their three guests.

"Cindy, no!"  She hissed, rooting herself in place.

"Why not?"  Cindy countered, "It's killing you not knowing, even if she's not alive at least you'll-"

"What will I have, Cin?  In case it's escaped your notice, Claire is the only family that actually cares about me.  If she's gone, I have no family left."

Cindy was silent for a moment and the sounds of the other survivors conversing filled her ears.

"But what if she's not?  You said it earlier, she would have given birth by now.  You'll have a niece."

Steadying her shaking hands, Ren realized that Cindy had a point.  She certainly didn't feel like Claire was dead, and she'd know, wouldn't she?

"Okay."  Her voice gave away her fears.

The short walk across the bunker felt like miles and by the time she managed to make it to their three guests, they'd already seen her coming.  That meant she couldn't pretend she was just walking around and happened to pass them.

"Hi."  She greeted quietly, awkwardly.

"Howdy."  The blonde one, Sawyer, nodded.

The other two guests, Michael and Jin, nodded at her as well.  The only difference was that they didn't say anything.

"Is-"  She couldn't believe she was really about to find out the question that she'd wondered for 46 days, there was no going back now, "Do you know anyone named Claire where you come from?  She was pregnant."

The second that it took for Michael to answer was the longest and most terrifying of all her 19 years of life.

"Yeah, she's alive."  Michael confirmed.

She couldn't contain the bubbly laugh that fell from her lips.

"And the baby?"

"Healthy as can be on an island."  Sawyer confirmed, "His name's Aaron."

Before she can stop it, a strangled sob leaves her lips. Aaron. Claire had named her baby after her. Her joy that came with the knowledge of her sister and the baby's whereabouts was too strong for the knowledge that she'd lost the bet to ruin.

"Aaron?" She echoed, quickly attempting to compose herself.

"Yeah?"

"My name is Erin," She whispers, voice soft, "She really- after me?"

A look of understanding seems to fill the three mens faces. It's Michael who breaks the silence,

"She cried for days. She thinks you're dead."

"I did too." She confesses without thinking, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I hate to interrupt... whatever is going on here."  Libby called, getting their attention, "But Ren, Ana wants you.  We're having a meeting."

The emphasis on 'you' was not lost on any of them. The three men were not invited to this meeting.