Archive of Our Own

Christmas Eve, 2024

It was Christmas Eve, and Xavier didn’t feel so merry. He flew back home to his father’s penthouse in New York City and spent the days leading up to Christmas Eve holed up in his at-home art studio venting out his frustrations through his work.

He missed his friends, he felt guilty about his conversation with his father, and he hated how he left things with Wednesday.

“Wednesday hates me and everyone would be better off without me,” he grumbled into his pillow. He leaned over and turned off his lamp and settled back into bed. He closed his eyes and let the sounds of the city lull him to sleep.

***

Xavier felt like he was being watched. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side and let out a blood curdling scream. There, in all of her glory, stood his therapist Dr. Gale King in Xavier’s bedroom. She smiled at him, seemingly unaware of the terror she had just stirred inside him.

“Hey there,” she said with a slight wave of her hand.

Xavier waited for his heart to stop thundering against his chest before taking in the full sight of his therapist in his bedroom. She looked like herself: thick glasses and strawberry blonde hair tied back into a neat bun, but her clothes were different. She wore a floor length white robe that was baggy and unflattering to her figure – not that Xavier ever noticed what her figure looked like – and plain sandals on her feet. Nothing about her clothing screamed winter weather appropriate or professional.

“Dr. King,” he said, his voice cracking, “what are you doing here?” He coughed several times and still could not get rid of the dull ache in his throat.

“Oh dear, let me help you,” Dr. King said and waved her hand over his face. He looked at her like she sprouted an extra head. “Try now.”

“What the fuck?” he asked again, smoother this time. His eyes widened in shock. “Wow, that is better. Thanks. But why are you here?”

“I’m your guardian angel,” she explained. “I took on the form of your therapist because she’s currently the only person you’re not upset with. Your godmother would have come instead, but she’s currently busy.”

“Doing what? The afterlife can’t be that exciting,” he said sarcastically. He must be dreaming.

“Your godmother and Grandmama Addams are busy haunting the living,” Dr. King said seriously.

“That tracks,” he said and leaned back on both hands. From his sitting position, he was almost eye level with Dr. King. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“You said Wednesday hates you and everyone would be better off without you, so I’m here to help you figure out if that’s true or not.”

“Look, as fun as that sounds, I’d rather not,” he said. He got up and opened the door for her to leave. “Now if you don’t mind, I have a big pity party planned for tomorrow, and I’ll need my full eight hours for that.”

“Come on kid,” Dr. King said impatiently. “I can’t do that. It’s my job to help the people I’m tasked with guarding, and you,” she pointed a perfectly manicured finger at his chest, “need a lot of help. So just humor me, all right? If it doesn’t work out and you’re still miserable at the end, we’ll just chalk it up to lesson learned and move on. What’s the harm?”

“Or what? You won’t get your wings?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes and pushed her glasses further up her nose. “You watch too many movies.”

He shoved his thumb in his mouth and nibbled on the nail as he looked his guardian angel up and down. He made a pro and cons list in his head and concluded that it wouldn’t hurt to try. “All right, fine. Lay it on me.”

“Excellent.” Dr. King smiled wide. “Let’s start at the beginning.”

The lights flickered on and off and suddenly Xavier was at his godmother’s funeral staring at the back of ten-year-old Xavier’s head. It was exactly how he remembered. His father was standing at the casket shaking hands with a line of people dressed in black with tissues pressed against their eyes. The smell of carnation flowers surrounding his godmother’s casket gave him a headache. He would forever associate the floral smell with death.

Ten-year-old Xavier wiggled on a cold metal chair and pulled at the restricting tie around his neck. He hated wearing ties until he was forced to wear one for school. Then he became indifferent. Bianca used to tell him all the time how hot he looked wearing a tie, and that felt good, but he still would rather hang himself with it.

Xavier leaned in closer to Dr. King and whispered, “Why are we here?”

“No one can hear you. You don’t have to whisper,” she said. “This is where it all started, remember?”

The doors to the funeral home opened dramatically and in stepped Morticia Addams followed by Gomez and the Addams children. The small crowd of mourners ceased their weeping and murmuring amongst themselves and stared as the Addamses made their way to the casket. They always knew how to make an entrance.

“This is when I met Wednesday, but how is this the beginning?” he asked.

“What if Pugsley never asked you to play?” Dr. King said.

They watched as ten-year-old Xavier got up from his seat and wandered off down the hallway in the opposite direction of the Addams Family.

“If Pugsley never asked you to play, you never would have suggested the game hide and seek,” she said. “Pugsley wouldn’t have attempted to get Wednesday involved, and you never would have hidden in your godmother’s casket. Ergo, Wednesday never saved you.”

Time sped up and Xavier watched as the funeral played out without any interruptions or flame broiled children. Ten-year-old Xavier sat in the front row within his father’s sight and paid more attention to his tie than little Wednesday Addams wandering around the funeral with a look of inappropriate delight. In this version of events, Wednesday was able to enjoy the funeral in peace and Xavier didn’t notice her until the end when it was time to leave.

His father bid everyone a warm farewell with Xavier dutifully tucked at his side. “Smile politely,” Vincent whispered into his son’s ear. “You're not the only one who doesn't want to be here.”

When it was her turn, Morticia gracefully took Vincent’s hand and patted it once. “Our deepest condolences, Vincent. Gloria looked twice as beautiful dead than she did living,” she said in that elegantly macabre way of hers.  

Gomez roughly clapped Vincent on the back and shook his hand so hard Vincent’s hand couldn’t grip well for a week. “Excellent funeral, old man. Our little viper enjoyed the cremation.”

Ten-year-old Xavier stared wide eyed at the family in black and white. All attendants wore black, including Xavier, but this family looked like they lived in black and white. The little girl with the pigtails scowled at him, unimpressed by the shy pudgy little boy.

“Mother, Father, shall we be going?” the little girl asked. “Now that the main event has been completed, there is no reason for us to stay a minute longer.”

“Wednesday, darling, this is Vincent Thorpe and his son Xavier,” Morticia said kindly.

Xavier was too frightened to say hello. He opened his mouth and closed it with no success. Wednesday tapped her foot impatiently. “Well? Do you have anything to say?” she demanded. “Or did someone cut out your tongue?”

“Please excuse my son,” Vincent said and gently placed his hands on Xavier’s shoulders. “He’s painfully shy.”

“No matter,” Wednesday said and stuck her nose up in the air in disgust. “I doubt the boy has anything remarkable to say.”

And just like that, Wednesday Addams walked out of ten-year-old Xavier’s life without him leaving a lasting impression on her.

“So what?” Xavier said to Dr. King. “Wednesday and I got off to a rocky start. We always have. That won’t change anything.”

Dr. King only smiled as the lights flickered.

***

Xavier was now standing at the front of his freshman mathematics classroom. It was his first day of class at Nevermore Academy. The tie around his neck felt like a noose as he searched the room looking for the best place to sit.

“Do you remember which seat you took?” Dr. King asked.

Xavier pointed at the back right corner. “That one right there. Ajax sat right next to me.”

“Except you didn’t sit there,” Dr. King said.

The younger version of Xavier walked in the opposite direction and sat closer to the front. Ajax walked into the classroom and took the seat in the back. Shortly after, Rowan sat down in Xavier’s old seat. Rowan took a puff from his inhaler and used his telekinetic powers to put it back in his backpack when he thought no one was watching.

“Woah, that was so cool!” Ajax said. His snakes enthusiastically hissed under his beanie.

“You think that’s cool? Watch this,” Rowan said. He stretched his arm out and pointed his flat palm towards the teacher’s desk. His eyebrows scrunched together in concentration and seconds later a pen shot out of the pen holder and into his hand.

“Dude, that’s sick! Is that all you can do?”

“Kinda.”

“I wish I was that cool. All I can do is stone people, but people don’t really like that.”

The boys were hitting it off fantastically, just as Xavier and Ajax once did. Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Xavier sat alone in the front with only his sketchbook to keep him company. 

“All right, so Rowan and Ajax are best friends now,” Xavier said. “Big deal. It just confirms that everyone is better off without me.”

“The big deal is that everything is a domino effect,” Dr. King said. “Since you never played with Wednesday, you never gained the necessary confidence to make friends. Instead, you sat on the sidelines and watched everyone else live their lives.”

They flashed forward to Parents’ Weekend. This is where he was supposed to meet Bianca. Fifteen-year-old Xavier was standing on the second floor leaning over the balcony and watching all of the students and families reunite. He noticed Bianca walk up and do the same. She looked down on everyone with a familiar yearning Xavier knew all too well. He felt the urge to talk to her and ask if her parents were coming.

He was still building up the courage when Rowan came over and took the words right out of Xavier’s mouth. “Your parents aren’t coming either?”

“No.” Bianca sighed. “I don’t know my birth father, and I wouldn’t want my mother here anyway.”

“I feel that,” Rowan said, scooting closer to her. “My mom died a month ago, and my dad obviously hasn’t been too much fun to be around. Not that I blame the guy.”

“I’m sorry,” Bianca said. Her iridescent blue eyes gazed tenderly at Rowan, the way they were supposed to look at Xavier.

“It’s all right. Life happens,” he said with the same confidence Xavier had once displayed.

Present Xavier watched the events unfold in disbelief. “So, Rowan has my life now?” he asked.

“Your friendship with Ajax is what got you through your first semester. You two relied heavily on each other to make friends,” Dr. King explained. She gestured down the hall.

They left Rowan and Bianca and walked down the stairs through the corridor into the quad. It was now springtime, the first nice day of the year. Bianca sat on Rowan’s lap while they were trapped in an intense lip lock surrounded by their friends.

“While you sit in the corner of the quad with your nose buried in your sketches,” Dr. King pointed towards younger Xavier, “Rowan has picked up all of your opportunities. Him and Bianca have been dating since Christmas and all of your friends are now his.”

“Without me, Rowan has a chance to have a good life,” Xavier said ruefully.

“Not quite,” Dr. King said.

Rowan released Bianca’s lips and grinned at her. “You think I can copy your botany homework? If I fail Thornhill's class, my dad will kill me," he said.

Bianca scoffed and climbed off of his lap into her own seat. “Why didn’t you do your own homework?”

“I was busy playing games with Kent last night.”

“No. It’s not fair for me to have to work hard for my good grades while you goof off and rely on others to help you succeed.” She crossed her arms and turned away from him.

“Come on, Bee. Don’t be a bitch.”

Bianca’s jaw hit the floor and her eyes practically popped out of her head. Divina and Yoko gasped while Kent and Ajax sat off to the side away from danger.

“What the hell is he doing?” Xavier asked in disbelief. “Rowan was never like that!”

“The Rowan you knew was never like that. This Rowan let the popularity get to his head,” Dr. King said.

Bianca stood up and glared daggers at Rowan. “That’s it. I’ve put up with your arrogance for way too long. We’re through,” she said and stormed out of the quad.

Yoko and Divina quickly followed after her. From her seat at the furs table, Enid's fingers flew rapidly across her phone screen, typing away on her blog so she could be the first to share the news that Nevermore’s most iconic couple has now called it quits.

“Dude, what the hell?” Ajax said. “That was uncalled for.”

“She’ll get over it,” Rowan said and shrugged it off.

“No, she won’t,” Kent said. “That was really rude, and you should apologize.”

“She should apologize to me. I’m the reason she’s known as Nevermore royalty. She’s nothing without me,” Rowan said and stood up. “To hell with you guys. I’m out of here.”

Glad to be rid of him, Ajax breathed a sigh of relief.

“Dude, what’s been up with him lately?” Kent asked. “He's your best friend. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

Ajax shook his head. “Nah, man. He’s been getting on my nerves lately. I think after today I’m done with him too.”

“Good.” Kent nodded. “Me too.”

From across the quad Enid chattered away with her werewolf friends, completely oblivious the lovestruck look Ajax was giving her.

Kent followed the direction of Ajax’s gaze and smirked. “You and that werewolf girl?” he asked.

Ajax sighed and slumped his shoulders. “No. She doesn’t even know I exist.”

“Bummer.”

“Yeah.”

Xavier’s eyes narrowed and he felt the overwhelming urge to smack Ajax upside the head. “Why doesn’t he just go over and talk to her?” he asked.

“Because you convinced him to take the risk,” Dr. King said patiently. “Remember? He was too afraid to go up to her and introduce himself, but you talked him into it. That’s not all.”

Principal Weems approached the table younger Xavier was sitting at. She hesitated at first, then tapped him on the shoulder. Xavier lifted his head and gaped at his principal in wonder. “Hello, Mr. Thorpe,” Weems said politely. Her ruby red lips twisted into a detached smile.

“Principal Weems,” he sputtered. “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

“Oh, heaven’s no,” she said. She glanced down at his work and cocked her head to the side. He caught her looking at his drawing and quickly covered it with both hands. “I actually came here to speak with you about Outreach Day. As you know, it was previously postponed due to inclement weather in the fall. Well, this Friday we are going to have another go at it.”

“O-kay,” he said slowly, still not understanding how this had anything to do with him.

“I was wondering if you may be so kind as to paint a mural on the blank wall in Jericho. Your father boasts of your remarkable talent, and I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to show off your skills.”

Younger Xavier felt like he was going to puke. In fact, he did puke. Right in his mouth. He swallowed the vomit in his throat and began to panic. “Me? I..I can’t. It’s not i-it’s not that good.”

“That’s simply not true, Mr. Thorpe. You’re a wonderful artist.”

“No,” he said forcefully. Weems took a step back. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” He hung his head in shame, letting his long lifeless hair create a curtain around his face.

“I see,” Weems said and looked anywhere but at the despondent teen in front of her. “Well, if you change your mind…”

Weems left Xavier alone to sulk over his sketchbook. Poorly concealed whispers circled around the quad speculating over what the principal could possibly want with the “resident tortured artist.”

“Weems probably caught him drawing some weird psycho shit."

“I heard he got kicked out of his normie school for drawing naked girls.”

“I heard the same thing, but it was dicks instead of naked girls.”

“God, he’s such a freak!”

Xavier, who had always felt like an outcast at his normie schools, felt like an outcast among outcasts. His standoffish behavior, his sickly appearance, and greasy hair turned his peers off and labeled him a ‘freak’. No matter where he went, he could never escape the bullying. So, he did what he did best and kept his head down as he hastily exited towards the safety of his art shed, hiding in the middle of the woods away from all the ridicule and unkind eyes.

Present Xavier and Dr. King transported to Outreach Day. In front of them was the building Xavier would have painted the mural in the original timeline.

“Why are we here?” Xavier asked. “If I’m not painting the mural, that means Tyler won’t kick my ass, and that’s the only good thing to come out of all of this.”

“You’d think,” Dr. King said ominously.

Song: “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” Kate Bush

Ajax and Kent walked through Dr. King and Xavier and leaned against the blank wall.

"How long you think we can hide out here before Weems and Thornhill find us?” Kent asked.

“Probably like ten minutes,” Ajax replied.

Tyler and his cronies rounded the corner and stopped abruptly when they saw Kent and Ajax. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Tyler said. Carter and Jonas cackled beside him.

“Looks like a couple of freaks standing where they don’t belong,” Lucas said. He rubbed his hands together, anxious to turn them into fists and get to work.

“Look, we don’t want any trouble,” Kent said, taking a step in the opposite direction.

Ajax’s feet stayed rooted to the ground in fear.

“Should have thought of that before you came to our town,” Tyler said and grabbed Ajax by his uniform jacket. “Let’s teach them a lesson.”

“No!” Kent shouted and lunged to help his friend.

Carter and Jonas grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. Carter, the biggest of the group, sat on Kent’s back while Jonas angled Kent’s head up and forced him to watch as Lucas and Tyler beat the living snot out of Ajax.

Ajax let out a grunt as Tyler’s fist buried itself in his stomach. Lucas landed a punch into his jaw. Ajax cried and screamed, begging for them to stop. Tyler and Lucas laughed gleefully as they alternated between punching and kicking.

“NO!” Xavier screamed. He reached out to grab Tyler's fist, but his hand went right through his body. He tried again with Lucas and got the same result.

Ajax dropped to the ground and curled up in the fetal position with his hands covering his head. Tyler and Lucas kicked him over and over again, taking delight in Ajax’s cries for help.

“Why doesn’t he stone them?” Xavier screamed helplessly at Dr. King.

Dr. King looked at Xavier with apologetic eyes. “Ajax was always better at defending others, but not himself. Without you, Enid, or Wednesday, Ajax never gained the courage to fight back.”

Xavier dropped to the ground beside Ajax and tried to reach for him. He let out an anguished scream as tears ran down his face. “Is there nothing we can do to make them stop?” he sobbed. He felt his heart break when he saw the tears running down Ajax's face.

“Hey you boys!” a woman called from across the street. “Knock it off!”

Tyler and his friends scattered, leaving Kent on his stomach gasping for breath and Ajax clinging to consciousness. Xavier’s hand hovered over Ajax’s bloodied hand as Sheriff Galpin came running.

“What happened here?” Sheriff Galpin demanded.

“Your son…” Kent wheezed.

“I saw the whole thing!” the woman shrieked. “It was your son and his friends, Sheriff.”

Sheriff Galpin’s eyes narrowed. He cursed under his breath and helped Kent get back up on his feet. “I need an ambulance over at the vacant building by Uriah’s Heap,” Sheriff Galpin said into his radio.

Xavier watched helplessly as the paramedics scooped up Ajax’s unconscious body and carted him off to the hospital. He angrily swiveled around and glared at Dr. King through his tears.

“How is this supposed to help me? How is watching my best friend – my brother –“ his voice cracked, "get beaten into a bloody pulp supposed to fix anything?! You’re a terrible guardian angel and this whole thing fucking sucks! Take me back home!”

“We’re just getting started,” Dr. King said impassively.

Xavier furiously wiped at his tear-stained face as she waved her hand, and they were transported to the Jericho Courthouse. A bruised and battered Ajax sat next to his mothers at the prosecutions table and Tyler sat at the defendants table. Behind them, the court room sat divided. Behind Ajax was the entire outcast community. Behind Tyler was the normie community and his father.

The judge hadn’t entered the courtroom yet, and Tyler was feeling smug. His lawyer leaned over and whispered, “Wipe that smug smirk off your face. You’re being charged with battery.”

“My dad’s the sheriff,” Tyler whispered back. “I’m practically untouchable. It was just a freak anyway.”

“That may be true, but unfortunately those freaks still have rights in the eyes of the law,” his lawyer replied. “Even though they aren’t human.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “The judge will probably sentence me to some bootcamp for troubled teens and I’ll have to attend court ordered therapy. Then at eighteen, this whole thing will slide off my record and I’ll be free to live the rest of my life.”

The bailiff entered the court room. “All rise!” he ordered.

Everyone rose to their feet as the judge walked in and took his rightful place on the bench. Xavier tuned out the formalities and only paid attention when he heard the judge get ready to read off Tyler’s sentence.

“Tyler Galpin, as the son of our town’s sheriff, I expected better from you,” Judge Schroeder chastised. Tyler played along and put his head down. “That is why I will be throwing the book at you. It’s time you take real accountability for your actions.” Tyler’s head snapped up and a quiet gasp escaped his lips. “I am sentencing you to two years in a juvenile detention center. You will also be ordered to pay Mr. Petropolus’s medical bills of $5,000.” The judge slammed his wooden gavel down and dismissed the court.

Handcuffs were placed around Tyler’s wrists as two guards shuffled him out of the courtroom. “Dad!” Tyler called over his shoulder. “Do something!”

Sheriff Galpin stood teary eyed as he watched his son leave. “There’s nothing I can do. I told you this would happen,” he said.

“Good,” Xavier said. “Finally, some real justice.”

Dr. King waved her hand. They were now standing in Jericho’s cemetery.

“Why are we here?” Xavier asked.

“Look at the headstone.”

Xavier crouched down and read out loud, “Tyler James Galpin – loving son and friend gone too soon. January 18th, 2006 to May 9th, 2021.” He looked up at Dr. King. “Wait, Tyler’s dead? What happened?”

“The Hyde happened,” Dr. King said simply. “The Hyde can be unlocked through hypnosis, chemical inducement, or traumatic experiences. His first night in juvie didn’t go so well for him. You see, no one likes cops, and they definitely don’t like kids of cops. He was backed into a corner and the Hyde was unlocked as a way of self-preservation. The guards had no choice but to shoot him. He ended his sentence in a body bag. When the Sheriff got the news, he put his gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.”

“Shit, even Tyler’s timeline is screwed up without me in it,” Xavier said.

“Bingo.”

“So what now? Without the Hyde, Laurel Gates doesn’t happen either?”

“Not exactly.”

***

Song: “Jealous” Eyedress

The spring air changed to fall. It was the day before the Rave’N dance. There were no Hyde attacks, Rowan was never killed at the festival, Wednesday never met Tyler, and Xavier never saved Wednesday. Without a mystery to unfold or a ride to the train station, Wednesday Addams looked for any opportunity to wreak havoc around Nevermore. Her playful shenanigans were now diabolical schemes planned to get her expelled. Not even Enid Sinclair could handle Wednesday. Without the mystery forcing Wednesday to play nice with the people around her, there was no reason for Enid and Wednesday to formulate a friendship. The only person in the entire school Wednesday did not bother with her schemes was Eugene Ottinger.

Xavier and Dr. King sat at an empty table in the quad across from where Wednesday and Eugene were sitting. They were talking animatedly about their plans to expand the beehive when Rowan sauntered over and dumped his entire milk carton over Eugene’s head.

“Shit!” Xavier exclaimed. “Does he have a death wish?”

“Rowan is the only one who does not take Wednesday seriously,” Dr. King explained. “His arrogance turned him into a monster.”

Eugene wiped his glasses with his napkin and bit back the tears.

"It must be a real drag to wake up and be you, bee boy,” Rowan taunted.

"That’s your last strike, Rowan,” Wednesday said. The air was cold, but Wednesday’s voice was colder.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, goth girl?” Rowan sneered.

Wednesday said nothing. She yanked Eugene to his feet and pulled him behind her out of the quad. On her way out, she paused at sixteen-year-old Xavier’s table. He stared back at her with the primal urge to run away and hide.

“Don’t go to your room tonight,” she warned. This was the first time she had ever acknowledged him. They had classes together, but she hadn’t so much as looked in his direction since she started at Nevermore.

Fearing for his life, he nodded his head vigorously and averted his gaze. This must have been the response she was looking for because she left without another word.

***

Sixteen-year-old Xavier took her advice and slept in his shed that night. When he returned to his room the next day, the door was wide open. He stepped through the entryway and experienced the shock of his life.

The room was a disaster. Both beds were overturned, everything on Xavier and Rowan’s desks were scattered across the floor. Blood was smeared on the walls. It looked like there had been a struggle.

Confused, Xavier closed the door and walked down the hall to find his dorm father. His eyes were always glued to his shoes, so he didn’t see Ajax walking directly into him. Their shoulders bumped followed by a string of apologies from Ajax.

“Dude, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there,” Ajax said.

Xavier instinctively recoiled. No one had ever addressed him directly except for Weems and his teachers, and now Wednesday and Ajax. If this was going to be a new reoccurring thing, he was going to have to start taking extra precautions to avoid everyone. “My fault,” he said.

Ajax stared curiously at Xavier as if he knew him. “Hey, you’re Rowan’s roommate, right?” Xavier bowed his head. “Guess you’re glad to have a single now, huh?”

“What?” Xavier asked. “What does that mean?”

“You don’t know?” Ajax cocked his head to the side and scratched the skin on his neck below his beanie. Xavier shook his head. “Someone put a snake in Rowan’s room last night. The snake bit him and he had to get rushed to the ER to have the venom extracted. He barely survived. I heard his dad is pulling him out of school. My guess is that it was Wednesday Addams that put the snake in your room.”

“What?” Xavier repeated. He heard Ajax’s voice but couldn’t comprehend his words. It was all so bizarre.

“Yeah, that girl has some serious issues,” Ajax said cluelessly. “Can’t say Rowan didn’t deserve it though. Dude is a real piece of work. Well, see you later…?”

“Xavier,” he said.

“Right.” Ajax smiled. “Later Xavier.”

Xavier didn’t understand. Why did Wednesday warn him from going back to his room? Why not let him get attacked too? Why did she care at all?

Present Xavier had the same questions. “In this timeline, why would Wednesday give a shit? She doesn’t even know me,” he said.

“Just watch,” Dr. King said.

***

Song: “Perfect Girl” Mareux

Day turned to night and the Rave’N dance was in full swing. While his peers danced the night away, sixteen-year-old Xavier was in his shed working diligently to finish his latest piece. Without his dreams of ravens or the Hyde, his paintings consisted mostly of mountains and trees. He always appreciated the beauty of nature and tried to encapsulate it as best he could.

The door behind him creaked. Startled, he jumped off of his stool and landed on the floor. He cursed, annoyed, and stood up ready to lash out at whoever dared invade his personal space. They could make fun of him and treat him like an outcast among outcasts, but he would not allow anyone to tarnish the sanctity of his art shed.

Wednesday Addams, the girl Xavier couldn’t stop thinking about, stood before him in all of her terrifying glory. She was wearing black jeans and a black and white striped sweater. Her oversized black hoodie dwarfed her in a way Xavier thought was cute, but would never say out loud for fear of losing his life.

“I expected you to be here,” she said.

Like a punctured balloon, the annoyance escaped his body and was replaced with trepidation. “It’s my shed,” he croaked. He felt like he had touched a live wire. The adrenaline coursing through his veins made him feel like he was going to pass out.

She paid him no mind as she stalked around the shed with curiosity in her eyes. She circled around his work like an apex predator. “This is my last night at Nevermore,” she said casually. “Tomorrow I will be on a train back to New Jersey.”

“Why did you warn me?” he asked.

Wednesday’s dead eyes peered up at him as she circled him. Xavier felt like he was swimming in shark infested waters. This was the first girl who had ever given him a crumb of attention, and with what luck it was also the girl who had a homicidal streak.

“I’m curious about you,” she said. She was standing so close she had to crane her neck to look him in the eyes. “You’re the resident tortured artist. I would be remiss if I left before unlocking your secrets. Tell me, Xavier, what tortures the artist?”

Xavier gulped down the anxiety rising in his throat. His palms felt sweaty, and his knobby knees quaked. “I wouldn’t call myself a tortured artist. I’m just an average guy.”

“Pity,” she said. “Torture is my favorite hobby, and I’m always looking for a new torture subject.”

“I’d say you’re doing a good job of torturing me right now.”

“Excellent,” she said flirtatiously. “I’ll be honest with you, Xavier. I find your brooding, gaunt, corpse like appearance quite appealing.”

“I didn’t think you knew I existed,” he said. His breathing was embarrassingly loud and heavy, yet Wednesday didn’t seem to mind.

“Oh, I knew you existed, Xavier,” she said. “I also know you’ve been watching me from afar. Why is that?”

“I, uh, I,” he stammered, “I think you’re pretty.”

Wednesday’s smile looked like that of a creepy doll’s. Xavier found it unnervingly beautiful. “Would you like to kiss me, Xavier?”

She loved watching him squirm every time she said his name.

She didn’t wait for his response; she already knew it was a yes. She lifted herself onto her tip toes and kissed him. At first, Xavier stood there frozen in shock. Gradually, he applied pressure and moved his mouth clumsily with hers. She seemed pleased by this and didn’t push him away. She gave him one more chaste kiss before sinking her teeth into his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

Xavier jerked away and pressed his fingertips to his lip. Wednesday sank down to her feet and looked annoyed by his actions.

“Why did you do that?” she demanded.

“Me? You’re the one who bit me!”

“Being a tortured artist implies you like pain,” she explained like she was speaking with a child.

“I told you I’m not a tortured artist. That’s just something everyone made up to single me out and make me feel like shit.” He reached for a clean towel nearby and held it to his mouth, his blood staining the white towel.

Wednesday took several steps back. “How disappointing. I had such high hopes for you. Now seeing it for myself, I realize how undeserving you are of the title ‘tortured artist’. Your inner self does not match your outward appearance, and you have wasted my time.”

She turned to leave, and against Xavier’s better judgement, he grabbed her wrist and stopped her from walking away. She tore her wrist free and scowled menacingly at him.

“Touch me again and I will remove your fingers and shove them down your throat,” she threatened.

“I’m sorry. Wednesday, I’ve had a crush on you since we were ten.” His eyes were pleading for her to understand and give him a second chance.

“Explain,” she said and crossed her arms.

“We met at my godmother’s funeral. My dad forced me to say goodbye to everyone. Your family was the last to leave. Your parents introduced you to me, and I was too scared to say anything. Then I saw you on your first day when Enid was giving you the tour, and again, I was too afraid to approach you. But I’ve always liked you. Wednesday, I think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.” At the end of his confession, he felt out of breath and lightheaded. This was the most he had ever said to anyone.

Wednesday was silent for a moment, and Xavier thought maybe his speech got through to her. Then his world came crashing down.

“You are nothing more than an uninteresting feeble minded individual. You are spineless and without a doubt the biggest waste of my valuable time. Had I known you were the child from the funeral, I wouldn’t have squandered my first kiss on you. Not even your art which lacks vision and voice can make up for your lack of personality. In fact, your only personality trait is self-deprecation. To think, had you developed a spine between the time we first met and now, I would have considered you worthy of me.”

She left without another word.

Her words cut deeply into both versions of Xavier. Sixteen-year-old Xavier wept on the floor of his art shed and wished for his life to be different while present Xavier let out a frustrated yell and tugged at his hair.

“This literally can’t get any worse!”

In the blink of an eye, he was standing by the refreshments table in the Nevermore ballroom. Kent, Divina, and Weems lay lifelessly on the floor with foam dripping from their mouths. Frightened and confused, Yoko poured the punch she had made into a cup and sniffed it. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the bitter stench that didn’t belong in her fruity concoction.

Marilyn Thornhill – otherwise known as Laurel Gates – came undone. She shrieked with laughter that floated high above the loud music. “Deadly nightshade!” she cried when she made eye contact with Yoko.

Laurel Gates was swiftly arrested, and some say she laughed all the way to Willowhill Psychiatric Hospital.

***

Song: “1AM FREESTYLE” Joji

Having shown him everything she needed to show him, Dr. King brought Xavier back to his New York City bedroom. Xavier slumped down on his bed and put his head in his hands, feeling overwhelming defeat. “My friends are miserable and half of them are dead, and even in an alternate timeline Wednesday still doesn’t want me,” he murmured.

“Seriously? That’s what you got out of this?” Dr. King said incredulously. Xavier gave her a dirty look. “Are you anything like that version of yourself?”

“No," he said and dropped his hands to his sides. 

“Then what does that tell you? Wednesday said, and I quote, ‘To think, had you developed a spine between the time we first met and now, I would have considered you worthy of me’. But you do have a spine! That means she likes you. Y-O-U! You!” Dr. King shouted with her hands raised in the air.

“She sure does have a funny way of showing it,” Xavier griped.

Dr. King huffed and put her hands on her hips. “All right, we’ve seen what your past would look like. Let’s take a look at your future.”

***

It was Xavier’s wedding day.

It was a beach wedding and twenty-year-old Xavier was wearing a perfectly tailored all white tuxedo. He stood at the end of the aisle waiting for his bride. Present Xavier didn’t recognize anyone in the crowd except for his father. The wedding processional started and a woman in a stunning gown emerged. Her face was covered by a veil, and she held tightly in her hands a bouquet of pink carnations.

“Who the hell is that?” Xavier asked in disgust. The woman was too tall to be Wednesday, and the overall theme and vibe definitely wasn’t Wednesday’s.

“Your new bride,” Dr. King said.

When the woman reached twenty-year-old Xavier, his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He lifted the veil to reveal Katie’s overly tanned face staring back at him.

“Oh God, I’m gonna be sick,” Xavier said, holding his stomach. “How the hell did that happen?”

“When your father came to your graduation, your classmates finally made the connection between your last name and Vincent’s celebrity status. Katie saw an opportunity and pursued you like a lion chasing its prey. She’s controlling and manipulative, and you’re miserable, but it’s better than being alone.”

He cringed. “I would rather scoop out my eyeballs with a spoon.”

“Your future self wouldn’t,” Dr. King reminded him. “She promised to have sex with you on your wedding night, and that’s really all that’s getting you through the ceremony right now. Don’t worry though, you won’t be married for long.”

“Let me guess,” Xavier said, rolling his eyes at how predictable this all was. “She persuaded me not to sign a prenup. She’ll divorce me, run off with my dad’s money, and marry the pool boy that she’s been cheating on me with.”

Dr. King smiled. “You are psychic.”

“What about my dad?” Xavier asked.

Vincent sat in the front row with little interest in the ceremony. He looked older than his age, like he was worn down and tired from watching Xavier throw away his life and inheritance.

“You and your dad never made up,” Dr. King said. She waved her hand, and they were back in Xavier’s bedroom. “You see, without your friends’ influence, you never became the man you are today. It all started with Wednesday. When you were a kid, you tried to imitate Wednesday’s confidence. Fake it till you make it as they say. Then when you met Ajax, you weren’t faking it anymore. You found your own confidence and forged your own path.”

Xavier furrowed his brow in frustration. “I get that, but I still don’t understand the point of all this. What’s the moral of the story?”

“The moral of the story is simple: no one is better off without you. You may think so because you feel left out or you feel guilty for the things you wish you could take back, but everything happens for a reason. Your friends need you as much as you need them.” Dr. King paused, letting her words sink in. “As far as your feelings for Wednesday, this experience should have shown you how she really feels about you. Stop waiting for the right time and just tell her how you feel. If you don’t, you’re going to miss out on the love of your life.”

Dr. King slowly began to fade away, leaving Xavier alone in his bedroom. He stared at his hands in his lap. A sudden wave of drowsiness washed over him, and soon enough he was fast asleep.

***

Christmas Day 2024

The light filtering into his room through the window woke Xavier from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and stretched his stiff muscles. It took him a minute of staring at his ceiling before he remembered the events of last night. He looked around his room and wondered if his guardian angel really did come to him or if it had all been just a dream.

He unplugged the charging cable from his phone and unlocked it. He sat up straight in his bed, shocked at how many text messages he’d received from all his friends.

He opened Eugene’s message first. It was sent to the Nightshades group chat.

Merry Christmas everyone! Bee safe today… haha get it? bee safe. 🐝🐝

Xavier smiled and shook his head in amusement. “Eugene and his bee puns.”

Next, he opened Bianca’s text.

Merry Christmas X. Hope you’re not alone today.

He quickly typed out a response and hit send. Pugsley sent him a picture of his new dynamite caps with Thing in the background holding up a peace sign. From Divina, Kent, and Yoko he received snapchat selfies wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Divina sent him a personal text thanking him for his advice, letting him know Yoko was spending Christmas with Divina’s family all because of Xavier’s kindness. As he was responding to Divina, a text from his father popped up at the top of his screen.

Snowstorm passed us. Will be home sooner than I thought. Can’t wait to come home. Miss you

“It wasn’t a dream,” Xavier gasped, dropping his phone.

A snowstorm miraculously passed the morning after his guardian angel came to visit him? It couldn't be a coincidence. Not when it all felt so real. Xavier didn’t believe in miracles, but this had been the closest to one he’d ever seen.

His phone rang, dismissing his wonder and jerked him back to reality. Ajax’s name flashed on the caller ID. Xavier answered the call and put the phone up to his ear.

"Dude, hang on. Enid and I want to do a three-way call,” Ajax said. He put Xavier on hold and connected the call with Enid. “All right,” he said coming back. “You guys there?”

“Merry Christmas!” Enid shouted into the phone.

“Merry Christmas guys,” Xavier said. “What’s up?”

“Dude we just wanted to apologize for not being as present lately,” Ajax said.

“Yeah, we were talking about it last night and realized we haven’t spent a lot of time together as a group,” Enid said.

Xavier’s heart swelled with both love and gratitude towards the two people who meant most to him. “Don't worry about it. I love you guys.”

“Awe we love you too!” Enid gushed. Ajax made gagging noises, but the love was still there. “Lucas is throwing a New Years Eve party this year. We should all go as a group and hang out like we used to, Wednesday included.”

“I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that can convince Wednesday to go to a high school party,” Ajax said.

Xavier chuckled saying, “I agree with Ajax. You’re good, Enid, but you’re not that good.”

“I’ll show you,” Enid said. Xavier could feel Enid’s determination from across the country. “As God as my witness, Wednesday Addams will be attending Lucas’s party.”

Xavier and Ajax laughed, and they spent a couple more minutes talking before eventually they all hung up with the promise to continue texting over the break. Xavier sighed, feeling content with his life. The last few years sucked, but it had all been worth it in the end as long as he had his friends by his side.

Except there was still one thing missing.

He pulled up Wednesday’s contact info – not like he needed it as he had already memorized her number – and hit the call button. By the third ring, Xavier worried she wouldn’t pick up. He had all but lost hope when her smooth monotone voice spoke into his ear.

“What do you want?” she asked harshly.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He waited for her to hang up and was surprised again when she didn’t.

“Go on,” she prompted.

Xavier smiled.

Maybe there wouldn’t be anything missing after all.