Author's Note:

Ok I finished Love and Memories yesterday. So you will get an update every day. So by Tuesday you'll have the whole story! YAY! This is a BEN chapter.

This takes place right after the last Ben chapter and it will explain Charlie's history.

Thanks to anyone who has been reading and reviewing.

Chapter: 8 Bitter Goodbyes

BEN POV

I wake up to the smell of pancakes. Yesterday I told Alex I would do everything in my power to get Charlie off the island, see you do one nice thing and your daughter makes pancakes. I get dressed and brush my teeth before heading into the kitchen. Alex smiles a syrupy smile with her cheeks puffed out filled with her sweet breakfast. Juliet is standing in my kitchen, with an apron, pouring more batter for another batch. Well this is very unexpected.

As I've gotten older I found the little things life to be important, the tiny moments of bliss is what makes life worth living. This is one of those moments. My family is together again. Peaceful, quiet and happy. I'm smiling so much my face starts to hurt. Juliet says nothing but put a plate of food in front of me. I thank her and we eat in a comfortable silence.

I am about half way through my second helping when Danny storms in through the front door. "Ben the phone's ringing."

"So take a message."

Danny repeats with haste in his voice, "the phone is ringing." My legs work on autopilot as I stand and hurry out of the house.

The phone never rings. We have two ways of contacting the outside work. One is relatively new and that's this thing called the "internet". The other way is via the phone. I am the only person who can call out. But no one ever calls us. Whatever is happening has to be huge. In a very bad way.

Damn pancakes, they're slowing me down. My stomach cramps for a few minutes while I run to the office.

"What do you think THEY want?" Danny asks as we head into the main building.

"I don't know." Now I can hear the constant ringing of the phone. It hurts my ears with its loud and obnoxious sound. I push open the door and see Tom pacing back and forth staring at the phone, waiting for me.

"It stopped for a few minutes and started back up again." Tom says as I pick up the handle.

"Hello?" I'm completely out of breath and panting into the phone.

"Linus is that you?" I'm not sure whom I'm talking too but he seems to know me.

"Yes this is Benjamin Linus, is there a problem?"

The voice on the other end of the phone laughs, "Yes I would say there is huge problem. Apparently nearly six months ago a plane crashed on your little island and you have made no attempt to rescue those people."

"Well, sir…"

"This is no time for excuses, listen, an retired cruise ship will be at the water drop point in twelve hours. Give them the Elizabeth and make sure they arrive safely."

What? How does this guy know the name of Desmond's boat? I'm about to ask the question when the voice continues to speak. "Listen the following people MUST be on the ship, get a pen and paper." I do as instructed and I start to write the names he dictates to me. "Ben, your people can leave as well. Anyone who wants to can leave, any of the survivors of the plane crash who stay behind MUST be interrogated into you community."

I really don't like any of this, "What if I refuse?"

"I swear to God I am not screwing around here!" He screams, "If those people are not on the cruise ship in twelve hours, all of your funding from the Hanso Corporation will be cut. That means no more food or medical drops. You're people will be dead in three months." Suddenly a dial tone fills my ear. I hold my hand to my head for a few seconds as I let everything sink in.

"Ben, what is it?" Tom asks.

"Um, we have to get the people on this list and anyone else who wants to leave on a cruise ship in twelve hours or our funding with be cut."

"Anyone? Like us too?" Danny bites his nails.

"Apparently."

"Are they bluffing?"

"Is it worth the risk?" I spit back, and then I look back at the list in my hand. I stare at the first name and slowly like water filling a dam anger fills my body. "SON OF A BITCH!" I scream. "He played us from the beginning!"

I give Tom instructions to tell our people the news and I tell Danny to get the ship ready and that Sun and Jin could sail it if no one else knew how. When they ask me where I'm going I absently-minded mutter something about delivering the good news.

By the time I get to the beach, I'm so enraged all I can do to keep myself together is focus on my mission. My feet touch the sand, I become I laser beam sighted on my target. I am vaguely aware that Hurley says hello to me. I change my gate from a brisk walk to a sprint when I see Charlie. For a brief instant he sees smiles and me. That prick has the nerve to smile at me. I tackle him with all my force. He hit the ground with a thud.

"Ben, what are you doing?" He gasps out. Yeah like he doesn't know. I start punching him.

"So what is it, I destroyed your family, so your doing the same?" My fists make one more impact before arms yank me off of him. It could be Sayid and Jack. But I feel a barrel of a gun to my head.

Charlie looks confused, hurt and upset all at once as he his eyes burn into mine. Then he looks slightly above me. "Sawyer don't!"

"Charlie he just beat the hell out of you for no reason." The southern twang bellows in my ears.

Desmond helps Charlie to his feet and quickly asks, "Are you ok, brother?"

He nods and wipes the blood off of his mouth, "Ben, what the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

I scoff, "What the hell do you care, you're leaving this island. All of you." I scream. "Pack you stuff and get off my island. A boat will be here in an hour and half, everyone who wants to, get on the boat now, it's your only chance to leave."

Kate's voice calls out, "Did Michael finally rescue us?"

I growl, "No, Claire!"

Sawyer pulls the gun off my head, "Really? Claire? Isn't she, you know, stupid?"

Charlie yells at Sawyer but it doesn't mean the southern man isn't right. I don't know how she did it. After this minor distraction, I go back to my attack, my mission. "You lied to me, Charlie." That's my problem, he lied to me. He was supposed to me friend. He was my first friend in years. The son of a bitch lied to me and used me.

He shakes his head, "No, I didn't."

"Tell the god damn truth for one, why the hell did you stay back? Was it to get sympathy? Was it your desperate need to be liked? Are you that pathetic you would sacrifice Claire so you could get attention?"

He stares at me, his eyes fiery blaze, "You prat, how dare you!" He screams, "If I had left on the boat with Claire, they would have killed you." He waves his hands in the air.

"Really? I'm supposed to believe that a drug addict is that selfless." I spit venom at him. I feel the arms that have been holding me back loosen for a moment. I push off of them and turn away from Charlie.

Sayid is in my face, his voice steady and even, "Charlie's right, we would have assumed you killed Charlie, Claire and you would have taken Aaron for your own reasons. We would have found our way back to your island and massacred you and your people."

Jake glares at me, "He saved your life." Great he has his lackies lying for him too.

"Well he's the reason you're finally getting your wish." I growl.

Charlie's voice starts out quiet but slowly gets louder, "Get Alex and Juliet and come with us. There's no reason for you to stay. You could come with us."

"With you animals? Never. Now get the hell off my island." I push pass everyone, I never look back. I never want to see that man again.

By the time I got home many members of my family have packed up and are ready to leave. I slam my front door and once again I come home to a sobbing Alex. I hold her to calm her, to soothe her. Her whole has changed in the matter of minutes. She weeps because she is confused. She weeps because she's scared. Mostly she weeps because she has to say goodbye to her family.

Danny knocks at the door, he tells me he's leaving, there's nothing left for him here. Fine go. Imagine making a life decision, packing up and saying goodbye in the matter of an hour. I want nothing to do with any of the people who are leaving. I don't need them, I don't need Danny.

I don't watch any of them leave. I just slam my bedroom door and feeling like a fool. I liked Charlie. He was my friend. But he played me. He used me. My bitterness is now my only company.

It's been nearly a month since I got the phone call that took my friends away. My bitterness hasn't softened. I've kept myself busy with little nip picky things I haven't gotten around to in a few years. I am knee deep in paperwork when Tom knocks on the door.

He takes the seat across from me, but I don't look up at him until he speaks. "So Ben you wanna hear a story?"

"Not really but your going to tell me anyway."

"Once upon a time…" He starts off.

"So this is going to be a long story huh?" I lean back in my chair, clearly annoyed at the interruption.

He ignores me, "There was once a girl named Megan who was born into an upper class family in London. She lived in a fairytale life complete with her prince Marcus the son of a businessman. All was well until their young loved faded and real life started to become a factor. Marcus' father wanted him to grow up and become a businessman. Megan was left behind while Marcus headed towards his bright future of womanizing and world travel. Megan, broken hearted left the fast paced world of London and moved to the quieter comfort of Manchester where she met a young man named Duncan. He was gruff but kind, and the complete opposite of her former love. The wooing process was slow, sweet and real. After two years Megan went to her family and told them she was in love and getting married. Her family disapproved and refused to acknowledge her and disowned her. She lost her inheritance and her bank account. But she gained a husband and shortly after a son. Their lives were simple, happy and content until Duncan lost his job. That's when they started to fight about money.

"Her only confident was her best friend from her former life Penelope. Penelope had stayed beside Megan when her family abandoned her. In fact Penelope had found many similarities between Megan's lives hers. Megan started to miss the life she left behind and contacted her former love. Her affair was brief but intense. There would have been no evidence of the affair had she not missed her period."

'This is a pretty graphic, where did you get your information?" I ask.

"I'm getting to that, but it wasn't easy. Anyway can I get back to the story? Great. When Marcus finds out about the pregnancy he wants her to runaway with him and start a new life in America. But Megan wasn't about to leave neither her son nor her husband. She declined his offer. Now it is unclear wither she told her husband right away about affair. But when the child was born he was named Joseph Mittlewerk.

"Why do I know that name?"

"You shouldn't, Joseph Mittlewerk was adopted by Duncan and was raised as his son and never told about his scandalous conception or about the small fortune he was owed. After this biological father passed away, others might call it murder, Marcus' father, Thomas absorbed his sons account and even went as far as to sent up a trust fund for his grandson. But never made any attempts to be involved with his grandson's life. In fact the only person who was involved in the child's life and knew of his past was Megan's dear friend and Joseph God Mother, Penelope.

"Joseph knew almost nothing about his life until his mother told him the truth on her deathbed. Once Joseph discovered about a small portion of the money he was owned, he collected it and bought a house in California, after all it seemed appropriate because that was where his mother and biological father were going to run off. He was in Sydney when he learned his grandfather had passed away, therefore making him a solo heir to a fortune. His life was about to turn around when he boarded Oceanic flight 815."

"Wait a Joseph Mittlewerk wasn't on the plane."

"Yes he was. See before he was adopted, Duncan insisted the child's name be changed."

"To what?"

"Charles Pace." Tom whispered.

"How do you know all this?" I ask, seemingly unfazed by the information.

"I spent all my time focused on Claire, I didn't keep my eye on Aaron."

"What?"

"According to Aaron Littleton-Pace's birth certificate his father is a Joseph Mittlewerk and therefore he is the new heir to fortune."

"Did she have an affair on Thomas?"

"No she lied on certificate, it was the only way to get Charlie off the island."

"How does making Aaron Charlie's child get him off the island."

Tom wiggled his finger in my face. "Because the company Joseph and Charlie own stock in was the Hanso Cooperation. When Thomas Mittlewerk died, all his shares went to Joseph. But his shares alone weren't enough. No, there was another character in that little story that played equal importance. Ms Penelope Wedmore."

"Wedmore?"

"She had always been sympatric to Megan's plight since she too had fallen in love with a man of a lower class then she. However Penelope's father did not disown her, instead he tried to pay the man off. The young man refused the money and instead tried to sail around the world in order to gain Mr. Wedmore's respect. However four years ago his boat crashed on an island and he spent his time entering a code into a computer in one of the hatches."

My eyes grow wide, "Desmond?"

"Now Mr. Wedmore died and left all his money to his daughter Penny as well as his seat on the board of directors. She owns 25 of the Hanso Corporation. She was also the person who kept Joseph's Mittlewerk's identity a secret. Between his father's, grandfather's, his own and Charlie's stock, Joseph Mittlewerk owns 35 of the company. Together Penny and Joseph control 60 of the Hanso Corporation and all the companies and projects owned by the parent company. Charlie and Penny control one of the most powerful companies in the world."

I sit back in my chair and let the information soak in. "Wait, I don't get it, if Charlie is Joseph Mittlewerk and he knew when he got onto the plane that he was the heir to a fortune why didn't he get off the island with Claire when he had the chance? Couldn't he just send a rescue boat like Claire did?"

Tom sighs and leans back in his chair now. "See I thought about that too. The only reason I could come up with was Charlie never lied to us. He had to return to the beach because if he didn't Jack, Sayid, Sawyer and even Locke might have come here and killed you." He points to me for a dramatic effect I guess. "You are our leader and therefore you are the only person who can operate the phone. If you died, no one would have been able to answer the phone and therefore be able to rescue the other survivors."

I rub my temples, trying to soothe the growing headache and the feeling that I've made a horrible mistake. "So Charlie sacrificed three months of his life away from Claire in order to save his friends' lives and mine too."

"I think towards the end he concerned you to be one of his friends." Tom whispers.

Great, just great, I tried to kill the one person who is in charge of our budget. He hates me now. I've single handedly killed my people. Fantastic. Oh and I just cost myself a friend.

My head lobs back on the chair as I spin around watching the room twist and turn until I get dizzy.

Then the phone rings.

I stop.

Tom looks at me.

I look at him, "did you plan that?"

"No but it won't it be cool if I did?" Tom smirks.

I pick up the phone and I hear a very familiar voice.