Chapter Text
It was a cold, bleak day in December. December 24th, to be precise. Christmas Eve. All over the city of London, shops and businesses were closed, and families were huddled together in front of warm hearths, avoiding the bitter cold outside.
Unfortunately for most police officers, however, Scotland Yard did not close for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or any other holiday for that matter. After all, crimes often happened on these days. Most officers, however, had finished up their work early and hurried home.
That was not the case for Inspector Alfendi Layton. Alfendi was pouring over scraps of paper, two puzzle pieces, and other odd bits and pieces, running long, slender fingers through his short, crimson curls. His amber eyes nearly glowed in frustration as he compared notes on two separate pieces of paper, before finally, he slammed them down and rubbed his eyes.
“Merry Christmas!”
“Ooo, is your wife doing the ham again?”
“You have to bring it in!”
“When are we doing the office secret Santa?”
“I guess at the Christmas Party? When’s that again?”
“The 26th!”
Alfendi let out a low growl, moving from rubbing his eyes to rubbing his temples, attempting to drown out the cheery chatter of his co-workers. His desk was in the corner of the room, but distance did nothing to muffle their talk, or that infernal Christmas music!
“Alfendi,” a smooth voice said, and a hand with perfectly manicured nails landed on his shoulder.
“Get your bloody hand off of me before I cut off your fingers,” he snarled, dropping his hands to the desk, his fingers curled into fists.
“Oh, don’t be like that.” Despite the casual tone, and the words, the hand was still removed, and the owner stepped around to the side of Alfendi’s desk, revealing it to be Hilda. “I just came to wish you a Merr—”
“Don’t bother,” Al snapped, before looking down at the evidence on his desk. “Shouldn’t you be investigating this, too?” he demanded, holding up one of the puzzle pieces. Hilda pursed her plump, red painted lips together, blue eyes narrowing slightly.
“It’s Christmas Eve, Alfendi. I’m taking the night off,” she said, leaning her hip against the edge of his desk, crossing her arms. Alfendi huffed, annoyed eyes turning back to the evidence, placing the puzzle piece down next to the other.
“If only we were all the lucky,” he grumbled, picking up a page of notes. Hilda reached over and plucked the paper right out of his hands.
“Woman, I swear to god,” he growled, looking back up at her. She had her hands planted on the surface of the desk, her face mere centimeters away from his.
“Come on, Alfendi. You need a break to. I promise, all of this evidence will be here when we return. But you should be spending Christmas with loved ones.” She place a small kiss against his lips, and smiled coyly. “Like me.”
“Hilda, we’ve been together for a year and a half now. Did I enjoy Christmas last year?” Alfendi demanded hotly, trying to tug the notes out from under her hand without ripping the paper. Hilda sighed, lifting her hand and letting him take it.
“No.”
“Exactly. The last Christmas I remember enjoying was when I was still a child. Now.” He disappeared behind the papers. “If you’re leaving, might as well do it now, before you’re late for your little… gathering.”
“Fine, Alfendi. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow,” Hilda snapped, going to turn away, before stopping, placing a small, wrapped box on his desk. “Merry Christmas,” she whispered, before walking away. Alfendi took a deep breath, scowling at the box, before opening the top drawer in his desk and sweeping the wrapped box into it, closing the drawer again.
The office slowly emptied around him, with most everyone avoiding the bad tempered detective. For most of the year, they accepted his foul mood, and sometimes even poked fun at it, but it was well known that Christmas made him even meaner, and it was best to not rile him up.
Once the office was completely empty except for Alfendi, the Inspector stood and entered the break room, making himself coffee, before heading back to his desk, beginning the process of carefully noting and filing the evidence from both of his previous two cases. It was long work, and tedious, but very necessary.
Someone has tampered with my files again, he thought, scowling slightly. That was something else he was going to have to look into soon.
“ALFEEEEEEENDIIIIII!” The door slammed open, and with it, his name yelled in a sing-song voice. He let out a frustrated sigh, putting his head down on the desk for a moment, before looking up to where his two sisters, Flora and Katrielle, were making their way over to him. Kat was the one who had called his name, wearing a red dress with white, fur lining, and a matching Santa hat. Clutched to her chest was a gift, wrapped in shiny red paper, complete with a bow.
“Merry Christmas, Al!” Katrielle said, plopping the gift down on his desk. Alfendi hissed slightly as he quickly grabbed the two puzzle pieces that were about to be lost under the gift.
“Kat. Flora,” he said, glancing up at the older sister. Flora smiled slightly at him, but it was tense. Her usual curly hair was in a braided bun, and it looked like Katrielle had convinced her to wear a red and green dress today, complete with bells in her hair and tied to the ribbon around her waist.
“Hello, Alfendi,” Flora said. “How’s the case coming?”
“Could be better,” he grumbled, only for Katrielle to suddenly latch onto his arm.
“You’re coming for Christmas Dinner this year, right? Riiiiiight!?” she demanded, her voice getting louder with each word.
“I can’t,” Alfendi said shortly, turning back to the evidence on his desk.
“But… Flora said you would,” Kat mumbled. Alfendi lifted his eyes to meet his older sisters, not moving his head.
“She did?” he asked, speaking more to Flora than to Katrielle.
“I told her I would try to convince you this year,” Flora clarified. Alfendi hummed slightly, looking back at the papers on his desk.
“Please, Alfendi? Please, please, PLEASE!?”
“No.” Alfendi snapped, shutting the younger girl up immediately. Katrielle’s breath caught in her throat, her large blue eyes glazing with tears. Alfendi watched her impassively.
“But, why?” she whispered.
“Simple. I hate Christmas. It’s a horrible holiday,” Alfendi said, venom in his voice. Katrielle was silent, but tears rolled down her face.
Flora took a deep breath, wrapping an arm around the younger girl.
“Hey, Kat? Why don’t you go wait in the hallway. I want to speak to Al in private for a moment,” she said. Katrielle nodded, before pushing the gift further onto her desk.
“Merry Christmas, Alfendi,” she whispered, before darting out of the office. Flora waited until the door closed, before slamming her hands down on Alfendi’s desk. Al, who had been expecting it, simply looked up.
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” Flora snapped, glaring hotly at her brother. Alfendi’s eyes narrowed, but he let her say her piece before speaking up. “All Katrielle wants to do is spend Christmas with her brother, and you can’t even be bothered to do that!? I get it, your work is important, but so is you’re family. You, of all people, should understand that!”
“That’s just it,” Alfendi snarled, standing up and leaning over his desk. Flora’s eyes widened slightly, and she leaned back. “I am tired of the three of us getting together for holidays to talk about Dad and Luke. I am tired of pretending to be happy when all of us know something is missing. All Christmas is is a reason to talk about him, but he left us, Flora. Him and Luke both, just like they’ve always left you when they go on some adventure. The holidays are a bloody JOKE!” His voice rose with each word, until he was yelling. With the last word, his hand lashed out, knocking Katrielle’s gift for him off of the desk, and into the waste bin that sat next to it. Flora’s eyes widened, tears starting to fill them.
“I see,” she said, her voice soft, but sounding loud in the silent aftermath of Alfendi’s outburst. “If that is truly how you feel, fine.” She turned on her heel and stormed out of the office. Alfendi dropped back into his chair with a sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. Through his fingers, he could see a picture of Professor Hershel Layton, standing behind him, Flora, and Luke. Snuggled in Alfendi’s arms was a two-year-old Katrielle.
Anger clamped down on Alfendi’s chest, and he grabbed the photo, slamming it into the wastebasket alongside the unopened gift, before he turned back to his work.
The office was dark and quiet. Thick, white flakes of snow drifted down past the window, reflecting the street lamps.
A woman, bathed in an unearthly, soft golden glow, stepped into the office. Her long, brown hair was braided down her back, and she wore a white dress that swirled in a non-existent breeze. Her amber eyes swept the office, until she spotted it’s one other occupant. Drifting over to him, she leaned over the desk and brushed his scarlet curls out of his face, smiling warmly at how his face burrowed more into his arms as he slept at his desk.
She glanced sideways, down at his wastebasket, where the gift and the family photo still sat, and sighed softly, before turning her attention back to the sleeping inspector.
“Alfendi, my dear. Wake up,” she said, her voice soft. Alfendi frowned in his sleep, turning slightly towards the voice. “Come on, dear, wake up.” She stroked his hair gently, until his own amber eyes opened slightly. He blinked up at her for a moment, before lurching up and away, nearly falling over his chair.
“M-Mother!?” he gasped, staring at her with wide eyes. “But… but you’re…”
“Dead?” the woman, Alfendi’s mother, said with a sad smile. “Yes, I am.”
Alfendi’s eyes narrowed slightly, the thoughts in his brain finally catching up with the emotions in his heart.
“It’s not possible. I watched Aislinn Smith die. You… you can’t be here,” he snapped, though the angry tone didn’t quite hide the quiver in his voice.
“It is possible, because I am a ghost,” Aislinn said. Alfendi ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly with a frown.
“A ghost,” he said skeptically.
“Yes. I’ve come with a message for you, Alfendi, my dear.”
“No. Don’t call me that,” the man snarled, his heart twisting at the ‘my dear’ part. Aislinn smiled sadly at him, but nodded. “What’s this message then?”
“You have given up on the most important things in life, Alfendi. Happiness, hope, goodwill. The love of your family. Because of this, you will be visited by three spirits tonight,” she explained, looking down at her hands, which were clasped together in front of her chest. “They will talk to you, and show you things. I implore you, listen to them, or else your happiness will be gone forever.”
“Three spirits. Counting you?” he demanded. Aislinn smiled sadly.
“No. Three spirits other than myself.” She looked up at the young man, her amber eyes sad. “Please, listen to them. I want you to be happy, and full of hope. I know you see darkness in your every day life. That’s why this is doubly important for you,” she said. Alfendi shook his head, thinking about the murders he’s been working recently. They were violent, and random. His psychological training into the inner workings of a serial killer was not helping him here, due to the randomness of the kills, but beyond that, they were violent, nasty ways to die.
“Mother, I…” he started, only to look up, and find her gone.
Listen to them… her voice seemed to echo around him as he once more sat at his desk. He ignored the way his hand shook slightly as he reached for his coffee, which had gone cold hours ago.