Who: Charlie Andrews and Hiro Nakamura (future) What: Losing Charlie. Again. Where: Hyperion When: Shortly after Xander's death Rating: PG; CHARACTER DEATH Status: log ; complete (unless others want to jump in)
The days had crawled by in a mixture of sleep, and fuzzy wakeful periods when she had been completely unsure about the world she was inhabiting. Her dreams had felt more real, sharper, but the dreams always ended badly. One way that she knew the difference between the clarity of dreams and the haziness of waking was the presence by her side when those hazy moments came.
Hiro. Ever-present, ever-comforting Hiro. Not once had she opened her eyes without seeing him beside her, without feeling his hand on hers, even when she found herself too weak to hold his back.
This time was different. Charlie wasn't sure how she knew, but she knew. She wondered if her parents had felt this way all those years ago, moments after the car accident that had taken their lives. She remembered that they were calm. They were brave. She could do that, too.
Her eyes opened, and there he was again. "Hiro," she whispered, her voice soft. It was an effort to move her hand, but she did, calling upon what reserves were left in her to squeeze his hand.
Hiro had been vigilant. He had been keeping track of Charlie's condition as best as he could without any sort of medical knowledge or extra sensory perception that allowed him to know. He had kept his eyes and ears open, for each breath, for any sounds of distress or discomfort that she might have made. He had reacted based upon these signs, working to alleviate them however was possible. She had woken sporadically, enough that he could look at her eyes and smile before she drifted back into a restless slumber, but this time was different. As he heard his name, his attention was pulled full force to her, hand tightening back around hers.
"Charlie?" The name was bittersweet on his tongue, fear gripping him as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
Her smile was soft. Her eyes were calm. Gone was the faint panic that had lingered every time she woke. "Hi, my love." Her Japanese was, as always, flawless. "Did you miss me?"
Lord, was she tired. But she just needed a few minutes. Just a few minutes. Then she would rest.
"Always," Hiro replied without so much as a hint of hesitation. Something was different, but the calm was good, wasn't it? Maybe Peter had been wrong. Maybe she was going to be all right in the end. "Always, love. It is good to see you."
She smiled at him again. "You're strong, Hiro. You do so much good in the world. The world needs you." She had to pause, to catch her breath. "I'm so happy. So happy I could love you."
She had helped give him that strength, to show him exactly what he was fighting for, what he had strived to restore for those long dark five years that he had struggled to piece together the events that lead up to the bomb. She had been one of those thoughts in the back of his mind the whole time that told him that not everything in the world was so horrible, and that the strength of human kindness could conquer so much more than most people gave it credit for.
"You helped me become what I am, Charlie," Hiro said quietly. "You are the good in this world." He had done so much for her and the people like her. "I am happy that you could love me."
Her eyes shut for a moment as she smiled, letting the words wash over her. Her breath had slowed, and for a moment, it was difficult to open her eyes. No. Not yet. She forced them open, and gripped Hiro's hand with a newfound strength. "You take care of everyone. You save the world. You save it like you saved me." Her eyes flickered to the other bed. "And tell Sarah... thank her. For being my friend."
Tell Sarah? Tell Sarah?! No. No. No! Hiro's grip tightened, desperation flashing in his eyes as he cradled her cheek, shaking his head slowly as tears started to build despite the fact that he was attempting not to become hysterical. "Tell her yourself," Hiro choked out. "You can tell her yourself, once all this is over and everything is back to normal."
Charlie shook her head. Tears sparkled in her eyes, but her gaze was still calm. Peaceful. "No time. Tell her for me." The tears slipped away, down her cheeks and fading into her hair. "I love you, Hiro. Just kiss me. No goodbye. Nothing you love ever goes away."
He was losing her again. He'd lost her before he'd even found her, and here he was, losing her again. There was no fighting it this time, no going back and trying to rewind the clock, and trying to freeze this moment was a selfish thought, and he pushed it aside the moment that it wormed into his head.
Tears had already battled their way past his defenses, sliding liberally down his cheeks as he leaned forward, his lips meeting hers as all of the emotions that were conflicting in his chest spilled into the action, love, loss, and sadness mingling into one as he lingered, whispering against her lips, "I love you, Charlie, and I always will. Forever."
Her eyes slipped shut again when his lips met hers. Tears flowed, but she didn't pay attention to them, just to the press of his lips on hers. She kissed him back, calling on the last reserves her body could give her. And she felt the warmth of his breath as he spoke. "Aishitemau, Hiro. Thank you for saving me."
Carried by his love, she floated into the dark. Her breath ceased. Her heart beat once, twice... and then was still.
The silence of the room was deafening, Sarah's breathing the only sound that was meeting his ears as he peered down at Charlie's body. There was no blood this time, no trauma, no obvious signs that she was gone unless one stared intently at her chest and noted the lack of the rise and fall that would come with breathing. And that was exactly what Hiro was doing, eyes fixated and unmoving at the reality settled firmly on his shoulders.
The dull weak sob of a man whose soul had been broken into a hundred tiny pieces shattered at the silence as he slumped forward, his head leaning against her chest as he cried heavily and openingly for the first time in years.