Steve adjusted his white beard and checked his hat one last time. Then, slinging the red bag over his shoulder, he headed down the stairs of the pier with a loud "Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!"
Below on the pier, the children looked up and smiles spread across their faces. A little girl who could not have been more than four or five shouted "Santa!" Another boy, who Steve recognized from prior years, shook his head. "That's not Santa. It's Patchy Claus."
The girl looked at the boy in confusion as Steve approached. "That's right, little dude!" Steve said. "Patchy Claus is here with toys for good little boys and girls." He could see the flash of disappointment in the little girl's face, so he settled himself on the last step of the pier and pulled the girl into his lap.
"By the look on your face, I'd say you were hoping for Santa." The little girl nodded shyly. "Well, Santa has so much to do on this day that he gets helpers all over the world, like me," Steve said, smiling. "That way, all of the boys and girls get their presents that Santa picked out for them." He leaned down and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "And I happen to know that there is one in here just for you."
"Really?" the little girl asked, her smile brightening on her face.
"Really," Steve replied. He reached into his bag and pulled out a gift that he and Kayla had wrapped the night before and was specially purchased for a small girl. He handed the package to the girl and watched as she tore through the wrapping paper to find a new doll inside.
"This is the doll I asked Santa to bring me!" she squealed. "You really are Santa's helper!"
Steve laughed heartily and set the girl on the ground with her doll. "That's right, little sweet thing. Santa made sure to tell me that doll was just for you."
The girl smiled broadly and threw her arms around Steve. "Thank you for bringing my doll to me. My mama said that because by daddy lost his job that I shouldn't expect a new doll this year. But I knew that Santa would read my letter and I've been good for weeks."
Steve's heart caught in his throat as the little girl's innocent words. He still remembered those Christmases in the orphanage when the children would make long lists to Santa, always hoping their wishes would be fulfilled. He knew now that the orphanage staff did the best they could, but most Christmases arrived with a small present that rarely matched the wishes of the children. He was thankful that fate or the Big Dude had helped Kayla and him find the perfect present for this little girl. He was glad that she could still have faith in Christmas and Santa for at least another year.
The girl moved off with her new doll and the rest of the children crowded around. Steve recognized some of the faces, but there were always a few new ones and others who he missed. For the next half an hour he handed out the presents to the kids. Some of them appeared to be perfect matches, and he pretended not to notice when a few of the children traded presents after they were opened.
Finally, he was down to the last kid. It was the boy who had identified him as Patchy Claus earlier. Steve looked into the bag at the few remaining presents, thankful that he brought enough for everyone and hoping he could pick the right one for the boy. He pulled one out and handed it to the boy. The boy smiled, opened it, and found a new football inside. He grinned.
"I've been needing a new one of these. My dog got a hold of my old one and, well, it's a little hard to throw now."
Steve laughed. "Keep this one away from the dog and it should last a long time."
The boy nodded and then looked at Steve more closely. "You're not the same Patchy Claus that was here last year. You're the one that used to come here before."
Steve nodded. "Unfortunately, I couldn't be here last year." He looked up as he heard footsteps and saw Kayla approaching with a well-bundled Stephanie. "But I sent the best person I know to fill in for me. I bet she . . . er . . . he did a great job too."
The little boy shrugged slightly. "He was okay, but not as good as you."
Steve saw Kayla stifle a laugh and roll her eyes. Then she said, "I agree. Nobody can replace the real Patchy Claus."
The boy nodded, thanked Steve again, and then headed off to play with his football. Kayla sat down next to Steve and put Stephanie in his lap. Steve looked around at the children with their new toys and then looked at Kayla.
"You did good," she said. "The kids all look so happy."
"We did good," he corrected her. "You picked out a lot of the presents and helped wrap them all." He smiled. "And you kept things going last year, so they didn't give up on ol' Patchy Claus."
Steve saw a sad look cross Kayla's face for a moment. "It wasn't easy to do this last year," she said softly. "But I knew that the kids were counting on me and I didn't want to let them - or you - down."
"Thank you," Steve whispered and leaned over to kiss Kayla on the cheek. It wasn't easy through the fake beard and Kayla giggled as he worked to get his lips through the fake hair. Kayla's giggles seemed to infect Stephanie and soon she was giggling as well. Steve wrapped his arm around Kayla and reveled in the sound of both of his girls laughing.
He again hard footsteps on the pier. Looking, up he saw Jack approaching. He was dressed in a suit and tie with his long overcoat buttoned around him. Steve just shook his head. Even on Christmas his brother could not seem to dress down.
"Merry Christmas, Jackson!" Steve called as Jack reached them. "If you're lucky I might still have a present in here for you. I think a squirt gun would be perfect."
Jack smiled. "I don't think I'm supposed to go near any kind of weaponry." He looked at Kayla, nodded, and brushed his hand over Stephanie's head. "Merry Christmas."
Kayla smiled, but Steve could see the tension that was always there when Jack was around. He would forever be grateful that his wife was willing to tolerate Jack's presence in their life, but he also wanted to spare her as much of that strain as possible.
"Sweetness, why don't you and Stephanie head on over to your folks? I'll wait here in case there are any stragglers and meet you there soon."
"Sure," Kayla replied as she gathered up Stephanie. "Don't be too long though." She headed for the stairs, pausing just briefly next to Jack. "Merry Christmas, Jack." Then she headed off to her parents house.
Steve and Jack stood silently watching her leave. Steve tried to read the expression on his brother's face. He thought there was a mix of regret and sadness there, but he was not really sure. He and Jack might be brothers, but they were also still Jack Deveraux and Steve Johnson, and Steve really could not read Jack any better now than he could when they first met.
Jack finally broke the silence, turning to Steve. "Glad to see you got your old job back. I thought Kayla might try to recruit me next."
Steve laughed at the thought. "The kids are luckier than they know. With you shopping for them, they would all get ties and subscriptions to the Spectator. How are things at the paper these days?"
"Couldn't be better," Jack replied with pride. "Circulation is up, revenues are up, and the accolades are pouring in for our coverage of the toxin attack and death of Lawrence Alamain." He looked Steve in the eye. "Thank you. If you hadn't brought me in on that, I might have been in serious danger of losing the paper."
"Don't thank me, Jack. That's not why I did it."
"I know," Jack agreed. "But regardless of the reason, I'm grateful." He smiled ruefully. "I guess my big brother saved me again. You really are a superhero."
Steve shook his head. "You're wrong, Jack. I'm anything but a superhero. I've made too many big mistakes and hurt too many people to be any kind of hero. I'm just a guy trying to do the right thing for his family."
Jack shrugged. "Well, whatever you are, I think Salem is pretty lucky to have you back." His tone grew serious. "We're all lucky to have you back."
Steve did not know how to respond to the sincere emotion there. He and Jack had written the book on how to avoid emotional conversations over the years. The rare moments that they occurred never failed to surprise Steve.
Jack then reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. "I brought this with me hoping I'd find you here. Merry Christmas."
Steve took the box and stared at it, emotions swirling inside. His little brother had brought him a Christmas present. It was, in some ways, a dream come true. And yet, Steve could not help but be a little suspicious.
Jack must have seen the look on Steve's face and chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not going to explode and it doesn't have a microphone hidden in it."
Steve rolled his eye, but opened the present anyway. Inside was a small framed picture of him, Jack, Jo, and Adrienne. Steve recognized it as having been taken the Christmas before Lawrence took him. It was the first time they had all been together on Christmas.
"I thought you might like to have this," Jack said quietly. "After you . . . disappeared, I used to look at that picture and wonder why we had so little time to be an actual family. Now, it's just the first family picture we managed to take."
Steve swallowed the lump in his throat. "Thank you, Billy Jack. I . . . It really means a lot."
Jack nodded and shifted uncomfortably. Then he checked his watch and said, "Well, I better being going. I have to meet Jennifer at the Horton's. Apparently, there will be singing involved."
Steve laughed. "Hard to believe you are part of the Horton clan now." Then he stuck out his hand and Jack shook it. "Have a good Christmas Jack."
Jack looked at their joined hands and offered a rare sincere smile. "I think I already have." Then he turned and headed off up the stairs.
Steve looked down at the picture again. Somehow, despite years of pain, anger, and hurt, his family had managed to find their way back to each other. They would never be the Hortons or the Bradys. There was too much history there that could never be entirely forgotten - or maybe even entirely forgiven. But for a boy who grew up in an orphanage never believing he would ever have any kind of family, it was more than good enough.
He put the picture back in the box and gathered up his things. The pier was now empty as the children had headed off home. As he walked up the stairs, Steve spotted Shane and Kim at the far end of the pier. They looked deep in conversation and he knew he would see them soon, so he did not interrupt and continued on his way.
Soon he reached the Brady house. After a brief stop at his car to rid himself of the red suit and gather the presents he and Kayla had brought for the family, he climbed the stairs to the front door, opened it, and entered the house. Inside he saw nearly the whole Brady clan, including his wife and daughter.
Kayla looked up and smiled at him, and just that smile was enough to make his heart nearly burst. So much had happened, not just recently, but through their entire time together. And yet, watching her with Stephanie on her lap, Steve knew that if that is what it had to take to get to where they were now, he would do every single step over again.
He had everything he had never dreamed was possible. His wife, his daughter, a new baby on the way, and his family - Johnson and Brady. He was home and he was happy.
With that thought, he bellowed a hearty "Merry Christmas" and walked into the warmth of the house feeling something he had never really known before. Peace.