Disclaimer: I make no profit from this. Ben and all of the other Lost characters do not belong to me. Also, all song lyrics belong to their respective companies. Lyrics are italicized.

Lyrics: Feathers by Coheed and Cambria

Chapter 21-Feathers

"Historys made its mark in anger

As everybody knows it's what we do

It's nothing new"

M'Lynn followed Amelia into one of the small yellow houses across the courtyard.

"Sit down dear." Amelia said as she motioned towards the overstuffed couch in the living room.

Amelia went into the kitchen and pulled down a small cup, "I'm going to make you some tea dear. You look like you've been through quite an ordeal."

M'Lynn stared in awe as she watched Amelia putter around the kitchen. She seemed completely at home in the cozy house. M'Lynn found it all very strange seeing as Amelia was one of the island natives who had taught her and her friends how to survive in the jungle after the purge.

"The next chords struck are fault and failure

And we both know the finger points on cue

Theres blame for two"

"Here you go." Amelia smiled as she handed M'Lynn a warm cup.

"Thank you." M'Lynn said as Amelia sat down across from her.

"M'Lynn where did you go? Ben would never tell us why you left the island."

M'Lynn looked away from Amelia's searching eyes and took a long swallow from her tea before answering. "I just needed to get away."

Amelia didn't look convinced, "Then why did you come back?"

"Because I'm in love with him." M'Lynn sighed, taking another sip of her tea.

"Ben?" Amelia asked.

M'Lynn smiled, "Who else?"

"Do you really want him coming Newo?

Do you really think its coming back to you?

Hold as the world stop spinning with that writing on the wall."

"How did you get hurt?"

M'Lynn felt herself growing tired, "Richard did it." She answered without realizing it.

"Richard? Where is he now?" Amelia asked sharply.

"Tied up. Why?"

The old woman looked agitated, "Drink your tea M'Lynn."

M'Lynn looked down at the cup in her hands as her vision grew hazy. "Amelia, did you put something in my tea?"

"Lay down dear and close your eyes." Amelia said as she stood and went to a nearby drawer. M'Lynn watched her pull out a handgun.

"What are you doing?" M'Lynn asked as the tea cup fell from her hands. It seemed like it took a lifetime for it to reach the floor where it spilled the rest of its contents onto the carpet.

Amelia stood over her, "Where is Richard?" she asked dangerously.

M'Lynn was confused and couldn't think straight. She felt her eyes closing against her will, "Why?" she whispered.

Amelia saw the key to the padlock tied around M'Lynn's throat and ripped it from her neck.

"You'd better hope my son is still alive." Amelia spat as M'Lynn fell into darkness.

"Right now, hide your feathers on the back porch, baby.

Hes coming home, for you've been such a liar.

Hide your feathers near your back porch maybe to open up to cry your sorry eyes out."

M'Lynn opened her eyes slowly and squinted at the bright light coming in through the window. She looked around and found she was still on the couch but Amelia was no where in sight. Remembering that Amelia had drugged her M'Lynn jumped up from the couch and reached to the back of her waistband.

"Thank God." She whispered when she found her gun was still there.

M'Lynn knew Amelia wasn't foolish enough to let her keep her gun. She guessed she had been too worried about her son to retrieve it.

As M'Lynn crept to the front door she replayed four words in her mind, "Richard is her son?" ran over and over, the more she thought about it the stranger it sounded. But if she really though about it, why not? Amelia and Richard had lived with their people in the jungle for years; it was more than likely they were related.

M'Lynn pulled open the door and peeked out into the courtyard. She didn't see anyone. She stepped onto the front porch and stole down the stairs. She had made it to the center of the courtyard when she heard a door open. She glanced towards Ben's house and saw Richard exit followed closely by his mother.

"Shit." She breathed when she saw the anger on Richard's face.

"M'Lynn!" he yelled as he charged towards her.

"Hear me scream outside your window.

I'm only here to make my peace with you.

There's something new.

Oh, it was our time, feeding out lines.

If I could do things different, what would I choose?

Oh, don't you cry, Mama.

Please, don't cry Mama.

Oh, don't you cry, no, no."

M'Lynn turned and ran in the direction she remembered to lead out of camp. She didn't stop to look back and gave a cry of joy when she saw the security fence. She was almost to it when she was stopped from behind.

Richard grabbed a huge handful of her hair and pulled back with all of his strength causing M'Lynn to scream and fall backwards. Richard threw her to the ground and circled her.

"You made a mistake when you tied me up M'Lynn. Now I am really going to kill you."

"Was I supposed to just let you take advantage of me? Don't lie Richard, you were going to kill me anyway." She glared up at him.

Richard thought for a moment, "You're right. Why waste any more time?"

M'Lynn looked down and saw that her gun had fallen from her waistband. Richard followed her eyes. He kicked the gun out of reach before she could even move closer.

"I want you to tell me why." M'Lynn said as she slowly rose.

"Why what?"

"You had me off of the island, that could have been the end of it. Why did you frame me?"

"You mean you didn't like being in prison?" Richard laughed.

"You must really have Ben fooled for him to still trust you and not see you for the bastard you are." A frightening thought came to M'Lynn, "You told Ben to kill me didn't you?"

"Oh no, that was Jacob, but he may have been swayed when I told him how much time you spent together. How Ben was beginning to think of you first instead of the island. You see M'Lynn, Ben does what he is told. We've always had him fooled."

"To what purpose?" M'Lynn asked.

"He was needed to play his part and he will continue to do so, just like your part is to die. You never should have come back here."

"Like I had a choice." M'Lynn muttered.

Richard smirked as he withdrew a knife from his belt and lunged at her.

M'Lynn prepared to jump out of the way when she heard a gun shot. Richard froze, his eyes locked with hers, as blood flowered from a wound in his chest.

Wide-eyed, M'Lynn turned slowly to see Ben holding her gun. Ben sat in a wheelchair a number of people surrounded him, including Jack and a woman who looked remarkably like her.

"No other, could wait for a lover.

To erase, boy, when there's no more room for love, you sail her off to the shores.

No other, could wait for a lover.

To erase, boy, when there's no more room for love, you sail her off to the shores."

M'Lynn walked up to Ben who hadn't taken his eyes off Richard. She knew it must have been very hard for him to kill the man who had been his mentor. M'Lynn gently took the gun from his hand and pointed it at the ground. Everyone stood in silence not quite sure what to do next.

M'Lynn watched as the ground around Richard's body was slowly stained with blood, marveling that only hours ago she had been his prisoner.

Suddenly they all heard a cry of anguish. They looked up to see Amelia running in their direction. She collapsed in front of Richard, tears pouring down her face. M'Lynn thought she was strangely silent as she looked at her son. With a shaky hand Amelia reached down and closed Richard's eyes.

"You bitch." Amelia whispered as she stared at M'Lynn. She produced a gun and aimed it at M'Lynn's heart.

M'Lynn instinctively raised her own gun at Amelia. She didn't want to shoot the old woman but she would do what she needed to do to protect herself and Ben.

Without warning Amelia switched her aim. She placed the barrel of the gun at her temple and pulled the trigger.

M'Lynn watched with tears in her eyes as Amelia's body fell to the ground next to her son's.

M'Lynn dropped her gun to the ground her whole body beginning to shake. She couldn't believe what they had all just witnessed. "Oh my God." She whispered.

"What is going on?" a female voice asked coming out of the jungle.

M'Lynn turned instinctively towards the familiar tone. The woman spotted her and her eyes grew wide.

"M'Lynn?" she asked in disbelief.

M'Lynn looked back at her old friend, "Isabel." She said calmly before she felt her knees buckle and her vision go hazy. The last thing she saw was Jack lunging to catch her as she fainted.

"Oh don't you cry, Mama.

Oh don't you cry, no, no."