Haytham Kenway

Haytham didn't even know he was a father until his son was five years old. That was when he walked into his usual grocery store, and came face to face with the last woman in the world he wanted to see.

"Ziio," he said, too startled to pretend he hadn't seen her.

Her mouth did a funny thing that looked like she was trying to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. "Haytham."

"I didn't think I would see you again."

"Well. I didn't either."

"What... what are you doing here?"

"Buying groceries."

His face had to be red as a tomato. He could feel it heating up, and knew from experience that nothing he did would keep his embarrassment from showing. Haytham had never met anyone other than Ziio that could make him stutter and stumble like she did, but apparently she hadn't lost the ability since high school.

They'd been friends then. Just friends. Maybe, if Haytham had been a little braver, or a little less concerned about what his friends would say about him dating one of the weirdest girls in school, he and Ziio could have ended up a couple. She'd certainly seemed like she liked him at the time, but somehow they never managed to make that next step.

And then, about six years ago, they'd met up by chance in a bar, gotten blind drunk, and woken up together in the back of Ziio's ancient pickup truck. Haytham had made everything one hundred percent more awkward by panicking and running away before she even woke up.

He'd left his pants behind, and spent the morning throwing up and fighting a hangover the likes of which he'd never had before. Since then, he'd ignored her every attempt to get in contact with him, done his best to block out the entire memory of that night (and the rest of the week, just to be absolutely safe), and buried himself in his work instead.

"Of course." Haytham's forced smile didn't look any more convincing than Ziio's. "Groceries. In a grocery store. That makes sense."

"Momma, momma!"

Ziio looked down as a dark kid with his hair hanging into his face came running down the aisle. "Ratonhnhaké:ton," she scolded. "I told you not to wander away like that again."

"Sorry." He held up something Haytham couldn't see. "But can we get this?"

"Not this time."

"But momma..!"

Haytham didn't really hear any of the rest of the conversation. He was staring like an idiot at the little boy, trying to figure out how old he looked. Ziio sent the boy running back the way he'd come, with strict orders to put whatever he was holding back and return right away. Then she looked up at Haytham.

"Who…" he didn't want to ask who the father was. Except it had been six years since he'd woken up in the back of a truck next to Ziio, and the kid looked maybe five. "How old?"

Ziio looked at him. Her voice and her face were as unreadable as ever. "Yes," she said.

"Yes… what?"

"Yes, he is your son."

And that was how Haytham officially became a father. That was how everything in the world shifted in an instant, how he suddenly became only the second most important person in his own life. "How?" he asked, and then when her stare became somehow more expressionless, he hurried to add, "I know how, I mean I understand the biology. But you didn't say anything to me about it."

"You did a very good job of ignoring me," Ziio said. "Eventually I had to choose between giving up, and getting the courts involved. I thought it would be easier for both of us if I just let things go."

"But I should- it's not right-"

He was still fumbling for the right words when the boy… what had Ziio called him? Ratten… something- he came back, moving more slowly now and holding something different, something in a bright colored box perfectly designed to catch the eye of a toddler. He held it up almost sheepishly, like he expected the answer was going to be no but had to try anyway.

"Momma," he said, looking up at her with big, pleading eyes. "How aboutis one?"

Ziio looked down at him, then up at Haytham. Her expression was stone but her eyes were conflicted, and there was a long moment of hesitation before she leaned over and put her hands on their son's shoulders. She gently turned him around, so that he was looking directly at Haytham for the first time. "Why don't you ask your daddy if he'll buy it for you?"

The boy shuffled his feet, looking suddenly shy. Then he turned back to his mother and tugged on her sleeve until she leaned down enough for him to whisper in her ear. "What's a daddy?" he hissed, and that was the moment when Haytham realized that this wasn't going to be easy, at all.

-/-

A year after that, Ziio finally agreed to leave Ratonhnhaké:ton alone with Haytham for the day. It had been twelve long months of gradually less uncomfortable meetings, of trying to win back a trust Haytham wasn't sure he had ever actually had. But until then, Ziio had never been willing to let their son out of her sight while Haytham was around. He wasn't sure whether to view this as good parenting, or as a lack of faith in him.

"Why the change?" Haytham asked in the morning, when Ziio came by his house with Ratonhnhaké:ton in tow.

"It's nothing important," she said, and Haytham almost believed her. "It's just that there's this ceremony today, it's traditional." She spoke reluctantly, as she always had when the subject of her tribe came up. In high school, it had given her an air of mystery that Haytham had been very attracted to at sixteen. Now, the secrecy worried him. "But I think Ratonhnhaké:ton is too young to be involved. So I'm leaving him with you. As long as you still want to take him."

"I do," Haytham said at once. "What time will you be back?"

"Late," Ziio said. "I'm sorry I can't be any more specific than that."

"It's alright."

"Just put him to bed at around eight," she said. "Make sure he eats something healthy for dinner."

"I will," Haytham promised, and Ziio turned to pull Ratonhnhaké:ton out of the car seat in the back of her car. Not a truck, anymore, Haytham couldn't help noticing. Probably a good thing, as he didn't want their son riding around in the car where he'd been conceived for the first few years of his life.

It was half past six, and the boy didn't look fully awake yet. His eyes were almost glued shut, and he wrapped himself around his mother while she lifted him up, his head leaning against her shoulder. The thumb of one hand was in his mouth, and the other hand clutched at a stuffed wolf that looked like it had seen better days. He made a tiny noise of complaint as he was transferred from one parent to the other, but did not otherwise react.

He was heavier against Haytham's side than he had expected.

"I'll take care of him," Haytham promised.

"I know you will," Ziio said. She leaned down to give Ratonhnhaké:ton a kiss on his forehead, then hesitated, and gave Haytham a swift peck on the cheek as well. And then, she was gone.

Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't wake up until half past ten. It was a Thursday, but Haytham had taken the day off work, and so he was still sitting on the couch in a pair of old shorts and a slightly ratty T-shirt, reading a book, when Ratonhnhaké:ton shuffled into the room.

He was yawning and rubbing at his eyes when he suddenly saw Haytham and froze. For a second he just stared, and then very slowly he lifted up the stuffed wolf so that he was hugging it in front of his chest like a shield. "Where's momma?" he asked.

"She had to go," Haytham said, purposefully keeping his voice bright. Ratonhnhaké:ton's mouth dropped open into an expression of absolute panic, and Haytham went on quickly, "She's coming back, though."

"When?"

"Tonight," Haytham said. "So tomorrow you'll wake up safe and sound at home with your mother, okay? Not that you won't be safe here, I mean-" He stopped, because his rush of words only seemed to be making things worse.

"But that's not fair!" Ratonhnhaké:ton whined, stomping one foot against the carpet. "I'm supposed to be old enough this year!"

"Old enough for what?" Haytham asked, thinking of the ceremony Ziio had mentioned before leaving. Alright, so maybe a part of him was just as curious about Ziio's people as he had been back in high school.

"For-" He stopped and shook his head. "I'm not supposed to tell. It's a secret."

"Ratonhnhaké:ton-"

"And stop calling me that!" Ratonhnhaké:ton whined. Either he was very upset about his mother leaving, or he was still waking up. Either way, Haytham had been around his son for long enough to know this was going to turn unpleasant if the boy didn't cheer up soon.

"But it's your name," Haytham pointed out.

"No it isn't!" he sat down against the wall next to the door frame and frowned over the top of the wolf. "You're saying it wrong. You always say it wrong."

"Well, no one told me," Haytham said.

"Momma said it would be rude to tell you," Ratonhnhaké:ton muttered, staring up at Haytham like a challenge.

"Well, I'll try to be better," Haytham said. He thought of Ziio, and how hard it had been for him to pronounce her full name before she shortened it for him. "Do you have a nickname?"

"No," he mumbled.

"Okay then," Haytham said. "How about- how about I give you a name I can use with you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I can't say the name your mom gave you," Haytham said. "But I'm your dad, so I can give you a name too. And it will be our secret, okay?" Because he doubted Ziio would like him renaming their son without her permission. "Just between you and me."

"Okay," Ratonhnhaké:ton whispered, after a little bit of consideration. He scooted forward on his butt until he was sitting in front of the couch and craning his head to look up at Haytham. "What name?"

"How about-"

"No, no!" Ratonhnhaké:ton hissed his protest up at Haytham, shaking his head vigorously. "It's a secret, remember? You have to be quiet!"

"Right," Haytham said. "You're right, of course, sorry." He lowered himself off the couch, sitting cross legged next to his son. Then he leaned over and whispered. "Connor," he said, and leaned back to watch his son mouth the name with obvious consideration.

"It sounds boring," he said, but he didn't sound as whiny anymore. "It's short and boring like your name. Does it mean anything?"

"Wolf lover," Haytham said, ignoring the boring comment. His son looked surprised for a second, then looked down at his stuffed animal and smiled.

"Okay," he allowed. "That makes sense."

"You like it?"

"Well… I do like wolves," Ratonhnhaké:ton allowed. Connor. Connor allowed. "I can get used to the name."

"That's very big of you," Haytham said seriously, and Connor smiled at him. That smile was worth more than actually being able to pronounce his son's name- normally, Connor was much more reserved around him, as stony at five years old as his fully grown mother. Maybe it was a genetic thing. "Does your wolf have a name?" he asked, and Connor patted his stuffed animal's head.

"Yea," he said. "His name is Puppy."

"So it's a baby wolf?" Haytham asked.

"Well, yea," Connor said. "A grown up wolf would be mean." He hesitated, still patting the wolf's head. "I want to be a wolf someday."

"But you're a person."

But Connor smiled, and started whispering again. "Can I tell you another secret?" he asked.

"Sure."

"That's what they're doing at home today," Connor said. "They make a magic tea and drink it, and then they can turn into animals."

"Why would they do that?" Haytham asked. He'd never heard of a potion that allowed people to change into animals, but it wasn't the strangest potion he'd ever heard of. The fact that he'd never heard of it just meant Ziio's people were doing a very good job of keeping it a secret.

"It's tradition," Connor explained. "Momma said they've been doing it for hundreds of years."

"Long time."

"Yea," Connor said. "And I'm a big kid now, so I was supposed to do it this year. All my friends get to, but momma says it's too dangerous."

He looked like he was about to get mopey again, so Haytham nudged him in the side with his foot. "Hey," he said. "Do you want ice cream?"

"For breakfast?" Connor demanded, immediately distracted.

"Sure," Haytham said. "Why not?"

Connor giggled and jumped to his feet, running for the kitchen. "My momma's gonna kill you!"

-/-

Haytham had expected Ziio to be back late, after what she'd said when she dropped Connor off. So when Connor dozed off on the couch while watching TV, Haytham covered him with a blanket, tucked Puppy into the boy's arms, and didn't think anything was wrong. But then he dozed off as well, and when he woke it was 1:30 in the morning, and Ziio still wasn't there.

Haytham got off the couch, moving gently in case he woke Connor, and checked his cell phone. No missed calls, texts, or emails. That was when he started to think that something was wrong.

He tried contacting Ziio every way he could think of, and then started to think about calling the police. He was still contemplating this when someone knocked on the door, and when Haytham looked out the window he saw flashing blue and red lights. That was when he knew that something was wrong.

He went out to the front yard to talk to the two policemen waiting there. The quiet suburban street, lit by the strobing police lights on top of the car, looked surreal. Haytham felt almost disconnected from his own body, like he was watching the conversation from far away.

He heard the officers ask for his ID, and watched himself offer a driver's license. He listened from somewhere outside himself as the officers told him that there had been an accident. They said it was wild animals, that Ziio and the people around her had been attacked in the early evening and that most of them had been killed.

Wild animals, Haytham thought. Or maybe not. Maybe it was the potion Connor had talked about. Maybe, taking Connor here instead of keeping him with her had been the best thing Ziio could possibly have done.

But he said nothing, not until the police started talking about taking Connor to social services and figuring out what to do with him later. That was when he tersely informed the man that he was the father, and that he had no intention of letting anyone take his son away, and that he would do whatever was required to make sure that happened.

The man tried to argue, but never stood a chance. When he and his partner left at around five in the morning, Connor was still sprawled out on the couch inside, safely asleep and completely unaware that anything was wrong.

At least until the next morning, when Connor woke up, and found Haytham nodding off at the kitchen table. He hadn't slept at all after the police left, and it was starting to show in the way he couldn't keep his eyes open.

"Daddy?" Connor asked. He was hovering in the doorway, Puppy still in one hand, looking at Haytham. "Where's momma?"

"Something happened," Haytham said slowly.

Connor frowned. "But you said when I woke up this morning, I would be home again."

"Your mom… you can't see her right now. There was an accident."

"But- but you said!"

"I know," Haytham said. "But I didn't know something was going to happen."

"I want momma!" Connor whimpered. He hugged Puppy closer, burying his face in the grubby fur and sniffling.

Haytham got up, gathered Connor in his arms, and sat down with the boy on his lap. "Your mom had an accident," he said gently.

"…she okay?" Connor asked, and Haytham sighed.

"No," he said. "She's dead."

And Connor started to cry.

-/-

Taking requests for other characters you guys want to see more of. Apart from Connor, because more of his story is coming up next.