A/N: Finale time. A lot shorter than the previous chapters, but this one was written and planned out since the beginning. More at the end of the chapter! Enjoy!


A Very Whitechapel Christmas

Chapter 9: Christmas Eve Part 2

Ethan doubled over in pain, through his blurred vision he could see nothing but empty space around him. He and his friends had given it their all and despite their best efforts they had failed. No matter what the task had been before they had come together and stopped each of Coal's attacks. So why had things gone so horribly now? It was clear they had lost. The feathers were activated, the entire city was destroyed, Christmas was ruined, and perhaps worse of all he had failed to protect his friends. As the pain increased a strange sense of distance began to wash over him, it was as if he was losing himself. He could feel a dark hatred closing in around him, and soon it began to engulf his body. A single tear streaked down his cheek.

"I'm sorry," whispered Ethan as he thought of Sarah. Sarah... No, he couldn't give up, there were others waiting for him. He needed to remain strong for them, for her. He refused to give into the pain and hatred. He thought of his friends, and his family. This was Christmas- they were supposed to be together! A bright light began to glow in front of him, from within a voice spoke, and as it did the turbulent sea of emotions suddenly quelled.

"It's not over yet. You have to trust me."


TWENTY MINUTES UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Both Coal and Benny watched as a black smoke began to form around the statues and Ethan. It took the shape of two dark wings before suddenly fading away. Benny felt the blade go slack against his neck.

"Why?" Asked Coal as he suddenly left Benny's side and approached the courtyard. "Your friend should've been consumed by pain and grief, and upon his death transformed. Why didn't it work?"

He turned as if to receive an answer and was instead rewarded with a fireball slammed against his face.

"Ethan would never give into your hatred!" said Benny as he watched the boy topple over backwards onto the ground. He loosened his pack and swung it at him. There was the shattering of glass followed by an explosion of blue smoke. "That's for messing with my friends!"

Coal glided out of the smoke at Benny then stopped. A bright light was glowing in the midst of the statues. The creatures began to turn to dust, as they did Ethan looked up from the ground. In his hands was a glowing white feather.

"NO! It's not possible!" screamed Coal as he charged at him. The scythe rose into the air, and for a moment in the unnatural light it looked almost beautiful. Then it came down stopping inches above Ethan's head. The blade began to quiver and Coal pressed down harder. "How can it be possible?"

As if in response the scythe's blade shattered.

Ethan stood and made a grab for Coal's head. "It's time we ended this."

Memories of his friends and family surged forward, and Coal let out a cry of pain. "LET GO OF ME!"

"Not until you stop the feathers!"

"Never," hissed Coal. He kicked Ethan backwards, and looked down at his own hands. They were shaking. "What did you do to me?"

"I put the white feather into your mind," said Ethan with a smile. Coal ran towards him and was slammed sideways into a tree by Rory who was sporting a large cut across his torso.

"Oh my god," said Ethan as he looked at his friend. "What happened to you?"

"He tried to cut me, luckily it wasn't too deep," said Rory with his signature smile. "But he did ruin my favorite shirt."

Coal made a grab for the blonde vampire and was assaulted with a barrage of spells from Benny. Before the angelic boy could choose a target Ethan plunged his knife into his back, the wings suddenly emerged. Ethan closed his eyes preparing for a strike. It never came; Sarah had both wings with her hands.

"No one hurts my boyfriend," hissed Sarah as she bared her fangs. She pulled with all her might and used to momentum to thrown the Coal into the church. The back end collapsed and she turned to Ethan. "Are you ok?"

"I'm-" Before he could say anything he was pulled into a hug.

"I was so worried that he would try and kill you again."

"Guys we have other thing to worry about," said Benny as he ran over, his face paled when he saw the cut across Rory's torso. "Oh holy force."

"It's nothing, think of it as a really cool battle scar. Where's the scythe?"

"Ethan destroyed it, I'm sorry but that is just way to-" Benny fainted before he could finish.

"It's time for a counter attack," said Ethan as he tried to wake Benny up. "I put the white feather inside Coal's head; right now he's losing control of his body. Do as much damage as you can but don't kill him. I need to communicate with his mind if we want to stop the feathers in the city."

Coal emerged from the debris and took the air, the two vampires nodded and went after him. Ethan watched as they fought in the skies above. It appeared they were equally matched when another figure joined the battle. A moment later Coal went crashing into the church, the rest of it collapsed from the impact.

The figure dove into the wreckage creating another explosion of dust, when it cleared Ethan saw Erica standing over the boy, she was kicking him over and over again. The other two vampires landed as well.

"You come to my city and mess with head!" yelled Erica as she kicked him sideways. "I should rip off your arm!"

"Erica stop," said Sarah as she grabbed her shoulder. "It's over."

Coal looked up at them the dark circles under his eyes had become more evident, he looked haggard and damaged. It was clear that his body had reached it's limit. Ethan bent down in front of him and placed his hands on Coal's head, he spoke to his friends.

"Guys try and wake Benny up, this isn't over yet." The world faded from view.


Alec stood in front of him with an aura of light surrounding him. Opposite him was the man who had tried to take over Ethan's mind the man who had died in the snowstorm.

"Why are you here?" asked Ethan as he approached him. "No, it can't be."

"But it is," He took a step forward and when he did millions of purple orbs appeared around them. "I am Coal."

"Don't worry Ethan," said Alec. "I'll shield you from their pain, the same way I did when you were in the church. They can't touch you as long as I'm here."

"Why don't you tell Ethan about who you really are?"

Ethan looked at him, and Alec looked down ashamed. "This is my body- I am the Angel of Memories. When I was alive I was a Seer, and when I died I had a vision of all the pain I would cause my friends and family. I felt it, and I could feel the agony of the others who had perished on Christmas as well. At that moment I knew if I had been given a second chance I could've helped them, and maybe in a way helped myself. As fate would have it I used the darkness of these memories to turn myself into a spirit, if you could call it that. I wasn't dead, and I wasn't alive- I was something in between. I went to my family and did everything I could to try and communicate with them, but only those with a unique gift could see me. I watched them go about their daily lives day by day wanting to be with them, and then I realized it was time for me to move on, I had a new purpose. I began to travel all over the world taking in the memories of those who could not rest. You see there are two different types of memories: the first is the ones who simply need a voice or being to guide them through their misery, and the second are those who refuse to acknowledge anything but their own pain. It wasn't an easy task, I quickly learned the ones who could not let go became a part of my wings. My wings were shaped by the inability to heal, and they serve as a constant reminder that not everyone wants to be at peace, it's why they're so dense and sharp."

Alec looked and Ethan and continued on.

"I made it my goal to alleviate as much misery as possible, and as I amassed more and more of these memories I started to become visible to regular mortals. Soon I became a symbol of unease and sadness. After a while I began to yearned for home, I knew that if there was any place in the world where someone could look upon me and not be afraid it would be Whitechapel. The idea of a friend, or the possibility of just speaking with anyone that wasn't in pain was so great I lowered my own mental defenses, and that's when they attacked."

Coal laughed. "It's true the moment Alec showed any insecurities we attacked, and when we made our move we locked him within one of these prisons. While I did not act alone I was by far the strongest, and because of that I was the one to take control. I didn't know the potential of his powers but I knew they were great. The moment Alec thought about Whitechapel, I knew it would be the starting ground for our plan. You see we want to world to experience pain like ours, why should we wallow and rot while the rest of you live your happy little lives."

"When I realized what was happening I struggled against them for as long as possible. It was when they encountered you for the first time I realized I needed to act. I could sense that you were a Seer, and I knew you would be able to communicate with the feathers. So using my last bit of control I had them leave the feather I had been imprisoned in with you."

"When we learned what had happened, we filled the feather with all sorts of negative emotions." Coal was circling them. "You see these feathers are always connected to the body. If you destroy them the memories return back to the wings. Using this connection we were able to manipulate his prison with anger and hatred, once that was done we tried to use him to kill you."

""What about when I encountered you after the snowman attack?" asked Ethan. "If you weren't in the body then there was no way for you to control it."

"That wasn't entirely my choice," said Coal. "Alec used the connection to get rid of my feather, and the body was left in a sort of hibernation mode. If you recall nothing happened until after you defeated me within your mind. The other memories were far to weak to control it, and the connection was strong enough for me to get it back to the church where it remained until I returned."

"There's more Ethan," said Alec as he began to walk around. "Coal wasn't just trying to kill you, he was trying to make another vessel."

"True," said Coal as he approached Ethan. "It worked once when Alec died, why shouldn't it work again? After all you were both nearly identical, the only difference is perhaps age."

"So when you entered my mind it was to take over my body?" asked Ethan trying to make sense of everything.

"Exactly," said Alec. "But that was after you freed me, so I was able to help you fight him off. He realized that you wouldn't transform unless you lost everything. That's why his attacks became more aggressive. He needed to create a large amount of pain and loss centered around you and in that process he misused my powers. The feathers were never meant to be weaponized, in fact they were never meant to be anything other than a storage for memories. Hatred is a brittle thing, and when exposed to those with pure intentions and a kind heart it often breaks. That's why he couldn't tolerate your touch, and that's why I was able to break the scythe, it was held together by power that shouldn't exist."

"You refuse to see their power!" yelled Coal. "Instead of helping them, you should spread the pain! It's what you want, we can see it in you! You weren't created to manage it, you were made to spread it. Those first days you spent wandering after your family, that's what we feel. You are just like us!"

"Alec," said Ethan as he reached out for the boy.

"No," said Alec as he shook his head. "I exist to prevent people from feeling pain, and you've perverted that process! That's why you needed Ethan."

"What do you mean?" asked Ethan.

"When Coal dropped the feathers all over Whitechapel it drained my body beyond it's limits. That's why he tried to change you, so he could absorb the pain of the city and start all over again. Except this time he'd be stronger than ever, after all he'd have a vessel tailor made to his mind."

"How were you able to survive the darkness?" asked Coal. "You should have changed."

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Alec with a smile. "He has a reason to fight. Yes you've destroyed the material things, but Ethan knows that there's more to Christmas than that."

"It's over," said Ethan. "You're out of time and energy. Give Alec back his body!"

He jumped forward and grabbed the man's head. Memories of the depression his friends had experienced over the past month flooded forward. Coal struggled against Ethan's grip.

"You absorb the memories into the feathers, but you have never actually experienced the pain you've absorbed. Living in that memory had dulled your senses."

Coal said nothing, his eyes stared blankly at Ethan. "Please…. Stop…."

"One more," Ethan showed him the pain he felt when he saw Sarah hurt. The pain he felt when he saw the worry in her eyes. Coal slumped forward.

Alec took a step forward and placed his own hand on Coal's forehead. He began to lose definition, and slowly he turned back into a small purple orb. Alec looked at Ethan.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Alec turned around. "I didn't know if you'd help me. I was afraid, you were the first actual person to communicate with me since my death. I am the embodiment of sadness, why would you want me back in my body. I didn't know if you'd actually trust a memory that tried to kill you."

"Is is true then?" asked Ethan.

"Is what?"

"That you're body is decaying? That you you're going to die?"

"Ethan I'm already dead, but yes my body is failing. But that's ok, I'm going to fix Whitechapel. I was made to absorb the pain. The world will be better off without me, if I hadn't been collecting these memories things would have never have gotten this out of hand. Instead of being a catalyst I've become a cause, and I won't let that happen again. When I die the memories will die with me, and they won't be able to hurt anyone else."

Ethan reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What about all the good you can bring."

There were memories of him and Sarah on a date. Wrapping gifts with Jane. The annual Morgan Christmas Party. Eating dinner with his family. Getting a Christmas tree. And finally finding the perfect gift for Sarah.

Alec smiled."I have to stop what they've started. I know the feathers can create, it's time I change things for the better."


FIVE MINUTES UNTIL CHRISTMAS

When Ethan came to his friends were all staring at Alec, he was no longer a creature they had feared, but one they pitied. He stood up and Ethan realized the boy had been projecting what had transpired for all to see. There was a sense of peace on his face as he looked up.

"Can you really do it?" asked Ethan. "Can you stop the feathers?"

Alec nodded before his wings spread out behind him. "Whitechapel was once my home, I won't let it be destroyed."

He took off into the air, the rush of wind made Ethan wince, but he watched as the boy took off in the direction of Whitechapel.

"Do you think he can do it?" asked Sarah as she took Ethan's hand.

"He can," said Ethan thinking of everything they'd been through. "He has to."

Alec soared above, "I can change who I am. I can stop them."

His wings began to glow and all around the city memories came surging forth. So many of anger and hatred, they battered against his mind and he did his best to focus. He felt his body weakening, it was too much. Then he thought of what Ethan had said.

"What about all the good you can bring?"

It was time to give them all new purpose. The possessed objects began to glow. Christmas trees suddenly reformed, presents stopped and re-wrapped themselves, one by one things began to mend. Alec flew forward letting new feathers fall. Upon landing they repaired any of the damages done throughout the night. One landed on the empty pedestal and recreated the Whitechapel Reindeer. Another landed in front of it repairing the city hall Christmas tree, others fixed cars and buildings. Throughout the park trees began to reappeared, and as they did the blue lights began to turn on one by one until it's festive feel returned. Several feathers faded through the roof of mall, and within the Christmas tree and decorations reappeared.

He soared over the church and watched as it too came back into being. He landed at the base and picked the small object on the ground. Ethan held Sarah close to him and felt tears well up in his eyes as all of Whitechapel's Christmas lights began to come back on.

"He did it," whispered Ethan hardly daring to believe it. "It's over."

Alec walked towards them, his eyes held a distant look.

"I-I-" He reached out to touch Ethan when his wings began to fade away.

"Is it happening?" asked Benny as the group approached him. "Are you-?"

"I've used up all my energy," said Alec as he looked at the object in his hands. "My time is almost up."

Ethan said nothing and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. Alec smiled and in return placed a small object into Ethan's hand. He spread his wings one final time before taking to the skies.

"Goodbye." He soared into the air, feathers raining down all around them. Once he could go no longer he allowed the memories to consume his fading body. Without a host they too would fade into nothingness.

"What did you show him?" asked Sarah.

"I showed him all the friends he has now, that he's not alone anymore."

The group watched as the final few feathers fell, Alec was gone. In the distance a bell began to toll. Ethan looked down at the object in his hands, it was the locket he had gotten Sarah. It looked as good as new.

"So boyfriend?" asked Ethan as he slid his arm around her waist. Sarah turned red. A moment later the couple was looking into one another's eyes. "Since it's Christmas I guess I can give you this."

Ethan handed her the golden locket. She opened it, then looked at him. "Oh Ethan it's beautiful!" She hugged him hard and Ethan let out a yelp of pain. "Sorry," mumbled Sarah looking even redder.

"It's ok," said Ethan as he looked up. Then he noticed it. A single feather had landed on the edge of the Church and turned into mistletoe. Sarah looked up and smiled. They both leaned forward.

Benny, Rory and Erica all shared smiles as they watched their friends kiss for the first time.

"About time," mumbled Erica and Benny at the same time. They shared a strange look before the blonde suddenly looked away. Benny kicked a small rock on the ground wondering what would come next. As long as it didn't involve looking at Rory's wound he didn't care what happened.

Rory sighed, the entire month had gone by and he still didn't have the evidence to prove Santa existed. Sure they had saved the town, stopped the bad guy, and watched their friend find true love. But still... He looked up and caught sight of something streaking across the sky. It took him a moment to realize it was a sleigh being pulled by reindeer.

"SANTA!" Screamed Rory. Benny and Erica looked up as well. Together they watched the the sleigh vanish. "SANTA! WAIT FOR ME!" Rory took off into the air.

"Oh my gosh, he's real," said Erica in disbelief. Then she began to yell. "RORY DON'T YOU DARE BITE SANTA CLAUSE!" She took off into the air after him.

Benny's mouth hung open as the two vampires disappeared into the night.

"Merry Christmas Sarah," said Ethan as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Merry Christmas Ethan," said Sarah as she pulled him into another kiss.

Benny looked at them, and up to where his other friends had flown away. He smiled.

Yup, he thought to himself. It was a very Whitechapel Christmas.

The End.


And there you have it, the conclusion to A Very Whitechapel Christmas. I hope you enjoyed, and a special thanks to all of those who left reviews. Feedback means a lot to me. As of now this story is complete, I might come back in the future and tidy up the chapters add some of the content that didn't make it in, but I doubt it. I have another story planned out, and it's not as rushed as this one. It involves a clone, let's leave it at that, it'll be out next month and I hope you guys will take a peek at it. In the mean time have a great holiday, and keep safe. And don't forget to believe! -Takarifan101