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A Rock Star Christmas Carol

Chapter 5: Niall

“You are NOT leaving me here, Liam.” Louis glowered, holding a remote in his hand that automatically put a titanium bolt in place at the door – which he had pressed, thus preventing his assistant from going anywhere.

Liam was unamused to say the least, he had been trying fruitlessly to convince Louis to let him go for the last forty-five minutes and it seemed it was going in one ear and out the other.

“Louis, there are no such things as ghosts or demons. They simply do not exist – at least in this universe. I think you may need to cut down on watching Supernatural, mate. Now, I need to go pick up my son Jake and my daughter Ember. It’s about the only decent thing in my life going right is them getting to spend Christmas with me this year since their mothers are going on vacation for a week to Bali. So, please unlock the door so that I may leave.” Liam explained, practically pleading to get away from his boss.

Louis glared.

“I know what I saw and also, you owe me another phone!” Louis ranted, not budging from his spot, his arms folded across his chest.

“Louis? I will get you a new phone and anything else you want, hell, I’ll even come back later to check up on you if you want, but right now – I need to go pick up my children. Please unlock the door.” Liam ordered, keeping calm and speaking with respect to try and appeal to his erratic boss.

“No!” Louis stomped his foot hotly.

Harry sighed, having already been sitting on Louis’s couch to witness the whole thing while Zayn and Niall were away performing their own tasks.

“Louis? Let the poor man leave.” Harry ordered tiredly, becoming visible.

Louis’s head snapped to the couch and he stomped his foot again.

“NO!” He insisted, pointing to the couch. “Keep out of this you demon spawn from Satan’s arse, I am not going to let you possess me again! BE GONE!” He waved his hand up erratically in a gesture that he was dismissed.

Of course, to Liam it looked like his boss was having a psychotic breakdown as he couldn’t see Harry on the couch since their task was focused specifically to Louis.

“Louis? You need to let me go, right now!” Liam yelled, stepping back when Louis’s attention snapped back on him with dark pools of ocean that now drew all the flames from hell, though he spoke rather calmly and that was more unnerving than his normal screaming.

“Liam, if you step out of that –“ Harry interrupted him.

“Louis, don’t make me ghost you again so I can free your assistant, because I will do it. Let him go, you are breaking the law.” Harry spoke again in exasperation.

He was already at his ghostly wits end with the mortal.

“I am NOT breaking the law, I demand to know how?!” Louis exploded, taking a coaster from the coffee table nearby and hurling it at Harry.

The object went right through him and Louis picked up another to toss.

“I’m dead, Louis. Those objects can’t hurt me and if you want me to be technical, keeping Liam here by force is what today’s police would call a kidnapping. You need to let Liam leave, look at him, you’re scaring the living right piss from him right now.” Harry gestured to Liam’s worried face at his boss’s unpredictable behavior.

Louis looked and glared harder at Harry.

“He’s staying,” Louis finished sitting down in a chair. “Can you stay? I hate being alone right now. You know that.” Louis asked Liam calmly.

“I-I can’t. I need to go get my kids, if I don’t –” Liam began to plead.

“Whether he stays or goes, what’s happening tonight is going to happen regardless. I’m the ghost of the past, I can’t freeze time, but Niall can and trust me when I say, you don’t want that. Let him go, Louis. I’m counting to three and if you don’t – “Harry stopped when Louis pressed the button for the deadbolt with defeat.

“Never mind, just go.” Louis muttered distastefully, throwing the remote at Harry’s head and folding his arms back over his chest.

“I’ll come back later, mate. I promise.” Liam said, turning and practically flying out the door in a hurry to make up for lost time.

Harry used his hand to press the deadbolt back into place and set it to the side of him since he could still touch living objects.

“Nothing you have to show me tonight is going to work. You know that, right? My past is my own damn business. I’ve no intent on reliving any of it, so you might as well piss off.” Louis warned, standing up to go to the kitchen.

Harry smiled fondly, following after him.

“I’m afraid I can’t and even if I could, I think it’s high time you faced your past. It’s not as bad as the others I’ve seen – most certainly not as rough as Allure’s was and sadly, is going to be.” Harry sighed, sitting down on a stool at the black granite island while Louis went to the stainless-steel fridge to the left of it.

The kitchen was huge. Almost the size of a small apartment. A small island with a black granite top and blinding white structure sat directly in the middle of the room, two pure crystal chandelier fixtures hung above it to compliment the pure black sapphire granite floors.

“You want some scotch?” Louis asked in a mutter out of habit. He usually offered clients or even guests a drink when he was pouring some for himself.

Harry laughed.

“I would, but I’m afraid I’ve been on the sober trolley for a few hundred years, you know, being dead and all.” Harry winked, leaning back in his seat to look around.

“A simple no thanks would have sufficed.” Louis snapped back, not in the mood for ghosts and especially not a curly headed one.

“Okay, no thanks, mate.” Harry rectified, turning when Zayn popped beside him.

“I see we had another episode?” Zayn asked, a large grin on his face.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“What makes you say that?” Harry downplayed, knowing Zayn already knew what happened, given he was the ghost of the present.

“Well, he’s jugging down that scotch like it was water and I know everything that happens as it happens. Not a good idea to be holding your assistant hostage, mate.” Zayn antagonized, earning a grunt from Louis as a response.

“I see he’s gone from dismal to tolerable. Maybe he should invest in a liquor brewery?” Zayn suggested.

Louis grunted again and slammed the good-sized scotch on the island across from the ghosts and sat down.

Niall popped onto the third stool, looking more sullen than usual.

“Rough job?” Zayn asked him, meeting his cold dead steel blue eyes.

Niall nodded.

Harry copied his motion knowing all too well, furrowing his eyes when Niall showed them his last job.

“Oh boy,” Harry muttered, an image coming into his own mind. “Louis? We’ll see you tonight, you’re going to be preoccupied for the next few hours, so try not to get too bladdered. I’ll be back at midnight.” Harry promised, going to disappear.

“You ghosts pop in and out of here like you own the place, don’t you have someone else to haunt?” Louis snapped bitterly.

“No, you’re our last job.” Harry answered back calmly, waiting to see if Louis would say anything else and he certainly didn’t disappoint.

“So, I’m what’s standing between you gents and eternal rest?” Louis smirked, pleased he had some sort of power and the ghosts certainly didn’t appreciate the blatant threat that accompanied the question.

Harry put his hand down, a dark shadow of black aura green flashing across his dead eyes.

“Yes, but not only ours, yours too. Don’t you ever wonder about which side of the spectrum Simon ended up on?”

“Hell. There is no wonder. He was cut throat, savage and brutal, but he was my mentor and I learned everything I knew from him.” Louis took another sip from his bottle and snorted. “Though, I suppose there are worse things than Hell, yeah? Like your job. How did you three even manage to get this way?”

Niall shook his head and threw out something to Zayn.

“Niall says that there most definitely are worse things than Hell and Niall was never human, in case that wasn’t already a dead giveaway. He is the nonexistence, not what is. He isn’t the past like Harry, he is not the present like me or even the future, which happens to be my girlfriend. He is merely a form of possibility to what can or will become.” Zayn explained.

“He said all that to you?” Louis asked in disbelief.

“More or less. Niall has never spoken, so it makes playing charades with him quite the party.” Zayn winked, making Harry roll his eyes and Niall flip him off.

“I’d tell you to loosen up curly, but that ship’s long sailed.” Zayn bantered, his head snapping sideways to follow the flying scotch bottle that whizzed right through him and hit the pure white ceramic wall behind the three bickering ghosts.

The shattering glass was deafening, but didn’t deter Zayn in the least.

“I had a cannonball take my head off, mate. You’re about a hundred and some odd years too late to do anymore damage.”

“Jesus bloody Christ, will you just shut up! I just want to get drunk and get high and pass the fu –“ Harry slammed his hand against the island with a warning look, making Louis recourse his rant. “the fork out! Can’t you three just fork off, for fork forking sake!” Louis was screaming by the time he finished, every word louder than the last.

“No. Besides, pissing you off is about the only joy I get to have at the moment, but with respect to your wishes, we are ghosting out again. Later, mortal.” Zayn waved, turning invisible but still staying in the chair.

Harry pursed his lips into a thin line, eyeing Louis wearily, mostly because of the threat earlier, so he decided to leave him with some fat to chew over – sorta speak.

“You asked us before about there being a worse place than Hell? Yes, there is. It’s worse than what we do and no, we don’t know why we didn’t move on, but for almost four hundred years, I’ve seen and experienced the pain of others. It sucks, because I myself cannot feel anything for my life or death. I want to feel sadness, I want to feel pain and I can only do that through the grief of others, not my own,” Harry explained, his low voice a bit more defeated.

“So consider yourself lucky that you have a chance to redeem yourself. Be glad it isn’t too late. Simon wasn’t so fortunate as you’re going to see. Think on that and I will see you at twelve.” Harry finished, turning invisible again and glaring and Zayn.

“As for you – “Harry started, but Zayn put his hand up in front of Harry’s face.

“Don’t even start with me, Macbeth. I’m keeping my promise – sorta. It’s not my fault the bloke is a stubborn arsehat.” Zayn defended, taking a hit of his cig and throwing it onto the tile floor, the fag materializing away when it hit the ground.

He took out another one and lit it.

Harry shook his head, still not understanding the point, but he supposes it was just Zayn’s old habits following him into death – which he took to guessing was chain smoking.

“Good thing you’re already dead, mate. If you weren’t, you would be by now from all the smoking you did.” Harry told him, noticing Niall remained visible and was staring Louis down.

Louis took it as a challenge and stared right back, a dark look crawling to his face.

“Listen, creepy mcCreeperson – I don’t know why you’re still here and I assume your friends are still around, but I really would like to have the illusion of being alone for a few ho – “Louis paused when Niall pointed to his landline phone.

It began to ring.

Louis groaned, standing up and kicking the stool back, walking to the back wall behind him and answering.

“This is Louis Tomlinson, I’m sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now as my mind has run away from home, please leave a message and I will get back to you next Tuesday to never. Beep.” He snapped, grunting when Liam spoke from the other line.

“Lou? Hey, I just got a call from Allure. She’s at children’s hospital.” Liam yelled through what could be described as a busy airport.

“And? How does this concern me?” Louis rolled his eyes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Her son’s coma – she asked me to come but I can’t be there and I figure since you –“Louis cut Liam off.

“I think there’s a bad connection here, Liam. because I could just have sworn you asked me to go to a…children’s hospital. I know that can’t be right or you have mistakenly called the wrong number,” Louis bit back, eyeing Niall who was staring at him with a stern melancholy expression. “Actually, what is this about?” He decided to color his curiosity, not breaking eye contact with the spooky ghost.

“And has anyone ever told you that your eyes could freeze fire?” Louis asked Niall while simultaneously speaking to Liam.

“No, I’ve never had anyone tell me my eyes can freeze flame and for God sake, Louis, I’m dropping my ex-wives at the airport and taking the kids, I cannot just leave –“ Liam started, growing silent when Louis spoke again.

“Therein lies your problem, mate. You realize that they call them exes for a reason, no? Ex is the former antecedent of together – meaning those mangy mankey mutts are just exploiting you for free rides, money and child support that obviously doesn’t go to the kids – not that I give a rats ar –“ Louis stopped his rant short when Niall’s eyes darkened in silent warning.

“Anyhow, no, I’m not going to the bloody children’s hospital – unless they’re serving free alcohol and antidepressants,” Louis compromised, walking and settling back into his chair at the island, still eyeing Niall. “And if you’re not careful, mate, your face is going to stick like that.”

“The hell is bloody wrong with you today?!” Liam exploded. “You’re being more of a prick than usual, Louis. I’d ask what’s wrong, but the damnation if you’re gonna tell me, right?”

Louis hummed out an agreement.

“I’ve got ninety-nine problems today, Liam and I can’t even begin to explain the first ninety-eight of them. Anyway, give Allure my best and tell her I will see her bright and early tomorrow at the next location and if she’s not there, I will fire her. Pass that on to her as my Merry Christmas. Lots of love to your little ankle biters and as for your minxy manks of ex-wives – tell them I hope their plane goes down and that they scream as they burn alive in a fiery crash,” Louis finished his rant with gritted teeth, before adding something in as an afterthought. “Oh, and tell Allure I hope her kid’s doing better.”

With that he hung up and slammed the phone down onto the top of the counter, noticing Niall was still sitting there as still as ever.

“Will you move or something? That’s kind of unnerving me.” Louis huffed, seeing Niall furrow his eyebrows down and smile.

“Yeah, I got nothing to add to that. Anyhow, if you demon spooks need me, I’ll be in the living room, slamming my head into a wall until I am either unconscious or stop seeing hallucinations. I am going to chalk you all up to LSD in my coffee from earlier this morning, it tasted a bit off, probably thanks to that slaggle sloggle something or other,” Louis accused, looking at Niall and finished his farewell. “You three have a nice night, let me know how that soul-searching thing goes.” Louis stood up and saw a cigarette suddenly materialize and roll its way over to him.

Louis noticed the dark paper of the fag and frowned while picking it up.

“Okay, not an LSD hallucination – so that means ghosts are real and one just handed me a cigarette that is over a hundred years old?” Louis reasoned with himself, nodding. “Yup, because that makes sense.”

He walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the ringing of the telephone as it started up again.

Niall went invisible, eyeing Harry and Zayn when he did so with a shrug, answering their unasked query.

“Okay, so we went from demon children-men to demon spooks to hallucinations? Can I have some more fun, Harry? Pretty please with a dead worm on top?” Zayn asked, getting ready to turn into a ten-foot lizard.

“No, we need him calm tonight. The cigarette trick was quite enough.” Harry warned, sending him a strict look.

Zayn shrugged.

“Fine.” He relented, seeing Niall stand up with his scythe already materializing in his hand.

“Follow you?” Zayn asked when Niall motioned them with his other hand before disappearing.

“Think that’s what he wants us to do.” Harry confirmed, popping out in a mist of red to where Niall had gone.

Zayn stood there and looked out toward the living room where Louis had gone, smirking and getting ready to transform into his lizard form again.

“DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!” Harry screamed in his head, reappearing beside Zayn and forcing him to where Niall stood.

“Spoiled sport,” Zayn muttered, his eyes catching sight of a woman beside a child, his small figure lying comatose in the spacious hospital bed. “Oh.” He frowned in realization.

“Allure’s child.” Harry realized, stepping to the side of the bed and looking down at his small body with a frown.

Niall stepped beside Harry, also looking down. His icy blues a lot more tired looking, especially with the increase of jobs.

Zayn chose to put out his cigarette and walk to the foot of the bed and look over to observe.

“He’s young – so’s she, what’s her story?” Zayn gestured to the woman who slept hunched into the chair.

“Rape victim, her uncle’s friend, New Year’s Eve party, eight years ago. The boy’s seven and her Uncle’s friend was never charged due to a connection he had in the department. She was thirteen at the time, had her son at fourteen.” Harry broke down, his hand going to the tyke’s shoulder. “She never wanted to be famous, but the bills for treatment were overwhelming and she has a pretty voice. Louis saw her talent. So, he leant her the advancement as she agreed she would be able perform. If she doesn’t, he can sue her.” Harry commentated what he saw from the girl’s past, the amount of sadness flowing through him was painful as most of the boy’s and her life were spent in hospitals.

“That’s no life to have, is there nothing they can do?” Zayn asked, looking at Niall for an answer.

Niall shook his head and threw an image at the other two spirits.

It was an image of the boy, his lifeless body covered over with a sheet. It was the image of what was to come – what was about to be.

Harry nodded.

“Then we’re here for? If you got your order, why did you bring us along?”

Niall pointed to Allure and then pointed at Zayn and then back to Allure.

“I wish you would just bloody say what you needed to, mate. Your pictures and charades are getting daunting to try and piece together.” Zayn muttered seeing Niall lift his scythe and gently swoop it down, touching one of the small lad’s fingers.

Light started to glow around the opening of where the blade had touched and that allowed Niall to reach down and grab the dying light.

Harry and Zayn watched the transparent fluorescence shift form and the small aura suddenly took shape again into the same structure that now laid in the physical world, alive no more.

The first thing the boy noticed was the three older men standing around him and the second one was his mum.

His eyes lit up.

“Mum!” He ran over to in front of her. “Mum, I feel better now! We can go home!” He exclaimed happily.

Zayn frowned and Harry just looked at Niall with a look of disbelief.

“Niall?” Zayn tried, but Niall’s eyes were focused on the heart monitors and the sudden frantic beeps that screamed around the small room.

The little boy frowned when Allure jerked awake and began to yell for help, her arms frantically reaching onto the boy’s physical form in the bed and crying out to the heavens.

“Mum? Mum, I’m right ‘ere. Don’t cry.” The little boy pleaded, not understanding the happenings around him, not even as the doctors rushed in with the defibrillator or when they pulled his mum away from him out of the room.

Niall took the confused boy’s hand and lead him to the side of the room, gesturing Zayn out the door and for Harry to follow him with the boy.

The boy was confused, but allowed Niall to walk him to a quieter corner.

Zayn walked out into the hall where Allure was and Harry obediently followed next to Niall, kneeling down so that he was eye level with the boy.

“Hey there, Michael. Don’t be scared, okay?” Harry soothed, knowing that spirits couldn’t cry and the boy didn’t look to upset, just confused.

“Not scared, what’s goin’ on?” He asked, eyeing Niall and then Harry again. “Why is mum crying?”

A beat of silence followed his query and Harry looked at Niall, who gestured for him to explain.

Harry cleared his throat.

“Well, she’s crying because she’s sad. She has to say goodbye to you. You’re going someplace else, somewhere nice.” Harry forced a smile, which would have brought out the cutest dimples if he had still been alive.

“Goodbye? But I’m not leaving mum, I’m better. We can go home.” Michael frowned, his face becoming visibly upset.

“Oh boy,” Harry murmured, eyeing Niall.

He continued for him to explain further.

“You’re not being very helpful here, mate.” Harry told him, trying to keep the smile from slipping off his face. He simply sighed and tried again.

“Son? You are going home, but it’s not with your mum. Your mum has to say here and look after herself. Don’t you want to be able to play and run around all day without getting tired? You can now and you don’t ever need to sleep. No more pain, no more doctors.” Harry tried to convince him, but Michael was not so easily fooled.

“Why can’t I go home with mum or why can’t she come with me?” He asked, puzzlement slipping onto his face to replace the look of angst.

Niall turned the little boy around gently, kneeling down onto the hard-white floors and wordlessly pointing to the doctors that were now clearing the bed.

“Time of death: 8:57PM.” One of the doctors announced, his words as toneless and cold as the room itself.

Allure could be heard crying outside and yelling for Michael, but wasn’t permitted to reenter.

Michael realized what Harry had meant then, the sight of himself being covered with a sheet.

“That’s me.” He frowned, walking over to the bed and staring in wonderment at his now covered body, reaching out to get a better look.

Niall was over and gently moving his hand away, shaking his head and Harry was joining them a moment later to make sure the lad would be alright.

“I don’t wanna leave mum. She needs to know I’m alright.” Michael insisted, looking up at Niall, who again shook his head.

“Then, I’m not going.” Michael huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and puffing out air that he didn’t even need to.

Harry chuckled, even if the physical and mental anguish surrounding them all was beating down on his soul, it was still nice to see innocence and naivety.

“If you want, you can hold your breath forever too, luv, but that won’t change anything. You need to let Niall guide you, help you to where you need to be.” Harry tried to appeal to the boy, sitting in the chair next to him that Allure had occupied minutes before.

Michael took Harry’s advice and held his breath stubbornly.

Niall shook his head, though he did let a small sideways grin slip passed.

Harry took a breath, chuckling.

“How about this? We’ll go out to the hallway and you can say goodbye. She won’t be able to see you, but she will be able to feel you and you can tell her that you will see her soon. Will you let Niall help you if we do that?” Harry compromised.

Michael nodded enthusiastically, letting his breath out.

“But will I see her again?” He asked, not missing a beat.

Niall seemed more stiff when he nodded.

Harry certainly didn’t overlook that one, realizing that’s why he had sent Zayn out into the hall. He had known or sensed something amiss.

“Come on, let’s go say goodbye.” Harry ushered, taking his hand and leading him out into the hall and out to a waiting room.

Allure’s cries could be heard echoing down the hall, but they grew even louder when Harry and Michael entered.

She was hunched down against one of the stiff metal chairs, hiding her face into her knees to try and stiffen her anguish.

Harry nodded to Michael and he went over to his mum, throwing his small arms around the chair. They went through his mum as his spirit was still new to the outside world and not very strong, but it was his presence that seemed to pacify the tortured woman.

“Why?” Was all she managed to choke out, sobbing again.

If Michael could, he looked like he’d be crying right along with his mother, but he couldn’t feel pain anymore. He could understand it, but – he just couldn’t feel it and in a sense, Harry was glad of that.

“I don’t know, mum. I was sick and then I’m better?” He asked, looking up at Harry.

Harry could only force out another smile, feeling like his face might freeze if he tried any harder.

The small waiting room had metal chairs, a grey charcoal carpet and off colors of faded white walls with a few coffee tables and magazines, though the lights inside were dimmed inside, leading Harry to assume it wasn’t in use as the only one in there at the moment, at least physically, was Allure.

“They said I have to go home now, mum – but I don’t want to. I want to go with you so we can play.” Michael insisted, wishing his mum could hug him back.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye before he slipped into the coma. I was working, please let me say goodbye.” Allure pleaded to the open air, the silence around her deafening, but even in the physical anguish, there was something comforting near her, she felt it.

“It’s not too late, luv.” Harry told her, knowing she couldn’t hear him.

Michael knew he needed to leave, he felt the small bout of urgency begin to build within him, it was hard to explain into words, but he was better and knew his mum would be okay too eventually.

“I love you, mum and I’m gonna miss you.” Michael whispered softly to her, leaning back and standing again in time to see Zayn and Niall standing by Harry.

Niall held out his hand and then nodded at Zayn.

Zayn took out a cigarette and lit it, puffing away at the tip with agitation, his good mood and joking personality no longer apparent.

Michael and Niall disappeared, leaving Harry to sit beside Zayn.

“Louis is a donkey’s arse crack. She needs someone here with her and he can’t be arsed. That’s it, I’m turning into a ten-foot lizard and eating him. Let’s see how he feels about THAT for a bloody hallucination.” Zayn growled, throwing his cigarette onto the ground and disappearing.

Harry sighed and looked at Allure, wanting nothing more than to join her in the flood gates, but he didn’t. He simply absorbed her pain and took it in as glances of her past flew through his mind.

He saw more good in her than he did in a lot of people these days and that comforted him.

“You’re a good person, Allure. Just hang in there and I promise that it will get easier. Now, not to sound insensitive, because truly I’m not, but I hear Louis screaming and I need to go calm down Zayn before he actually causes irreversible psychological damage to the man we’re trying to help. Hopefully when this night is over; your boss will have learned some valuable lessons – like not piss Zayn off, which is something he’s learning right now.” Harry hurried and popped back to Louis’s place to help Niall control a pissed off ten-foot lizard ghost – which wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Louis, for lack of small mercies, had passed out against the back wall he had cowered in.

Notes

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