A Ketchmas Carol

Stave Five: The End of It

The bed was his own, and the room was his own. Ketch breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the clock: it was 6:00 am. "What day is it?" he muttered. "It must be Christmas Day... that's how the story works."

He jumped from the bed and began to search for his phone, or for some way to tell for sure what date it was. He couldn't find anything.

He exited the bedroom, into the chilly hallway, and ran down to the end bedroom. There was no sign of the Christmas festivities Mick had left there.

Heading for the stairs he went straight to the study, and found his phone still lying on the table beside the pile of books he'd been studying. It read December 25th, 2018. He collapsed into the chair, head in his hands, trying to wrap his mind around everything that he'd seen and heard.

"What am I supposed to do now? Call out to some boy in the street to go buy an enormous goose? Buy out a toy store? Go Christmas caroling? Join the Salvation Army?" he asked, to no one in particular.

"I'm sorry, Sir?"

He whirled around to see Anna standing in the doorway of the study. "I thought you were taking today off," he said, far more harshly than he'd intended.

Used to his bad attitude, Anna didn't even flinch. "I thought I should perhaps come and make absolutely certain that you didn't need anything," she told him.

"I'm fine," he said, then: "what about you? Is there anything you need, Anna?"

This time, Anna did flinch. "Me, Sir?"

He shifted uneasily in his chair. The feeling of extending kindness to anyone did not come naturally to him. "You, or your family... is there anything you need... to have a happy Christmas?"

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Ketch," she replied. "I believe we have just about everything we need, though. In fact, if you don't need anything, I'll be getting back to them."

"I'm sure your grandchildren will be eager to open their presents, will they not?" Ketch asked.

Anna's jaw dropped momentarily, but she gathered herself together quickly. "I didn't know you knew about them," she replied, "but yes, they'll be quite eager, I'm sure." She paused, then: "I'll be going, then?"

Ketch stood up and walked over to the window, looking outside. "Of course, Anna," he told her. "But..."

"What is it, Sir?"

He continued to stare outside at the quiet street for a moment. "Would it be all right if I stopped by, to wish everyone a Merry Christmas? Perhaps drop some things off? I'd very much like to meet... everyone."

"Of course, Sir," she replied. "You're always welcome."

It felt awkward to smile at her, and he was certain his face must look twisted into a grimace, rather than in an actual smile, but he did it anyway. "I'll see you shortly, Anna. I'm especially looking forward to meeting Alexander."

She let out a quiet gasp, and quickly made her escape.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a blur. He bribed a store owner to open and let him choose piles of toys and games as gifts, then took them back to the house and had to teach himself how to wrap them, which was even more frustrating than learning Enochian. Then he piled them all on a wheelbarrow he found in the garden shed and wheeled them to Anna's cottage (along the way, finding the pistol that Toni's ghost had dropped into the garden, and putting it into his coat; after all, Christmas spirit or not, he needed to be careful.)

Despite his already stated intention to come by, Anna still looked shocked to see him, and she was far more shocked when she saw the gifts he had with him. His heart sank when he saw Alexander looking so thin and pale, but he spent hours with him, talking and getting to know him, and the more they talked, the more the boy began to perk up. It was the first time in many, many years that Ketch had felt as if he was truly in the presence of family, and he felt ashamed for all the time he had missed with his son.

At the end of the day, after he joined them for their wonderful Christmas dinner, he asked to speak to Anna alone. "I know what Lady Bevell told you," he said, "and I know how much you care for Alexander, but I want to be with my son. I promise you, I will put his welfare above anything else in my life. I've made many mistakes, but the biggest one I ever made was not being part of his life from the very beginning. Do you understand?"

She did not answer at first, then nodded cautiously. She had witnessed the interactions between father and son – even though the son still did not know who the kind stranger was – and she believed him when he made his vow. He seemed different, though she didn't know why, and she knew keeping them apart would not be in anyone's best interest. "Then perhaps you should introduce yourself to your son," she said finally.

This time he smiled, and no one could have mistaken it for anything else but genuine joy.

* * *

Alexander's entire face lit up as he began to understand what he was being told. Plans were made to move him back to the main house the very next day, with frequent visits from Kate's children, who had become like siblings to him. Ketch stayed that night to tuck in his son for the very first time, and once the boy was asleep, he joyfully went back to the house that would soon be a true home. He knew, with access to so many healers and so much magic, that he could solve any physical ailment wrong with the boy, and he knew, with time and love, that he would mend ailments of the soul, as well.

When he arrived back at the house, Ketch went straight to the study. He had one last thing he knew he needed to do. He carefully built a fire in the fireplace and paced for a few minutes while the room warmed up. Then he sat down, away from the desk, in a comfortable armchair by the fire, and pulled out his phone.

Impatiently, he waited for the recipient to pick up his call. "Hello? Is everything all right, Ketch?" asked a woman's voice.

"It is now, Mary," he told her. "I just wanted to call and wish you a Merry Christmas."