Charlie walks into traffic, tells Desmond about vision of Claire

Desmond arrives at the court house in a silver car with the license plate 2SBI653. As he approaches the door, it seems like he looks at his own reflection again, this time in the door. Charlie and a lawyer emerge from the building. Charlie takes his person items including his DS ring, watch and wallet, then darts out into traffic, narrowly avoiding numerous vehicles. He enters a bar called Jax across the street from the courthouse and Desmond follows him.

Inside, Desmond and Charlie start talking, and Charlie asks Desmond if he's happy and if he's been in love. Desmond gives a flippant response saying he is happy and he's been in love thousands of times, but Charlie's not buying it. Charlie then asks if he's experienced "conscious-altering love." An interesting question for one whose consciousness jumps through time and timelines.

Charlie proceeds to tell Desmond about the incident on the plane and that he made a break for the bathroom because the marshall, Edward Mars, knew he had drugs. When he was choking on the bag of heroin and was "slipping into the abyss," he had a vision of Claire. He says that he and Claire are together, in love and always have been. Just as he's "being engulfed," he opens his eyes to see Jack crouched over him on the plane. Charlie says that in that moment where he saw Claire, was "something real" and "the truth."

Desmond then gives Charlie the option of coming with him and having a luxurious afternoon or exterminating his musical career. Charlie says that doesn't seem much like a choice, but in a Jacob-esque moment, Desmond says "There's always a choice, brother."

It's interesting that Charlie seems to think, and possibly rightly so, that the original timeline where he saw Claire was the real truth. It's also interesting that Desmond still calls Charlie "brother," considering that is something he picked up at the monastery. Did he still spend time there or is that a bit of his original timeline seeping through.