He didn't know for how long he walked. It wasn't his steps or direction through the jungle that occupied his mind, but rather the steps he'd taken that had lead his life in such a downward, sickening direction. "What's wrong with me?" Charlie wondered aloud, "I'm not like that anymore!" He took out a bag of the innocent-looking powder and stared at it. He balled his fist and made as if to throw it away, then hesitated.

"What would happen," Charlie asked himself, "if I kept this?" He leaned his forehead against the rough bark of a tree, his breath coming in ragged gasps. But he knew the consequences. He knew exactly what would happen if he opened the little bag and poured out the contents into his palm. It made his guts ache. Finally he growled in frustration and jammed the baggie back into the waistband of his jeans. He needed to find Claire. He'd promised to make a trip to the caves and get some water.

WEEKS EARLIER

"No, no, Liam! C'mon!" Charlie moaned into the phone, "Brother! Please!"

"I'm sorry, man, not until you're clean," replied Liam. Charlie slammed his forehead against the mirror, clutching the phone to his ear desperately. The glass splintered outward in rays from the point of impact. The cracks formed some sort of twisted halo around his head. Deep down Charlie knew that Liam was right. A drug addict didn't deserve to spend time with innocent, saintly little babies like Miri's Charlotte and Lynna. He feared he would dirty their souls, somehow condemn them to a life like his, by simply being near them. "Liam…" he tried one more time, "Please."

"Charlie, no," the finality in Liam's voice infuriated Charlie. His hands trembled as he hung up the phone. White spots danced in front of his eyes, and he swayed. Suddenly he realized through the haze clogging his thoughts that this was THE moment. This was the time when he would make the decision that would affect not only his life, but also his two beautiful nieces, which Miri had actually willed to him. He wiped a palmful of fine white powder off the vanity and made the wrong decision.

ON THE ISLAND

Charlie was faced with the same decision yet again as he trudged through the jungle. His shredded feet twinged with pain after every step. The sight of a small stream was enough to merit his little cry of delight. He soaked his aching, bleeding feet and took in his surroundings. Wondering just how far from the beach he was, Charlie gazed despondently at a particularly colorful bunch of flowers growing on the bank of the stream. Of course, he regretted ducking away from his problems on the beach by such a weak, cowardly thing as snorting heroin. What would Claire say? Would he impugn Aaron's innocence now just as he had feared he'd do to Charlotte's and Lynna's? He swore and pitched a rock into the water. Then something unusual caught Charlie's eye. Was that…a cable? Was there a cable sticking out from the bank? He waded through the water to the other side and dug with his hands in the mud, tugging at the thick cable. After a minute, he ascertained that it had no discernible beginning or end. Forgetting everything else, he turned and began to race in what he thought might be the way back to the beach.

"JACK!" he yelled hoarsely, running clumsily. He had to let the others know what he'd found. What if it was something important? Another remnant of the Dharma Project. A way to get his precious Aaron and Claire off the island.