OOC: Gotta do some more formatting.



It was going to be the first Christmas without Dad.

No one seemed to say it, but the thought reverberated within Ned's skull. Tonight was the small party they held for Christmas every year before the bigger family reunion about a week or so later. While it was nice to have his mother, his once estranged brother, and his best friend there, there was no mistaking how big of a void there seemed to be in the room. They had all chit-chatted and eaten already, but behind the formalities of togetherness, the empty feeling touched them all. Sitting alongside each other in the living room, letting Charlie Brown play in the background, they spoke in small bits of conversation, seemingly avoiding the truth of the matter. But not Ned. He had remained more quiet than anything throughout the evening. The idea of Christmas fell a little flat to him this year, although his Christmas spirit, so to speak, hadn't fared too well over the years. Regardless, despite his efforts to seem somewhat excited and joyful over the coming of the new year, the exchange of gifts, and the value of family, Ned simply couldn't. He attempted to be grateful for his mother still being there to celebrate with him, but instead sensed a coming dread for when she might not be able to. He tried to think about spending more time with his brother, but the truth was he had to head back to his own life sooner than later. His friend Ethan would need to start college sooner than later. It seemed even the comforts that made this time of year bearable were more fragile with each passing minute.

And that's when he felt it. It was like an itch. It came from time to time. Ned had spent years as an alcoholic and while he had made exceptional progress, old demons tend to rear their heads out, ignoring such small, personal victories. Ned couldn't help but think how much easier it would be if his fiance was still with him. And the truly painful truth hidden within was that the car crash that had taken her from him could've easily had their roles reversed. Christmas had a way of dredging up these painful recollections. It was part of the reason Ned was beginning to loathe this time of year. Nevertheless, he sat in the room with his family throughout the night, occasionally saying a witty comment or something polite until it was time for everyone to start heading home and getting some sleep. Well, except for Kaye himself.

It was a tad shocking when his mother had first asked him to spend the night for a few nights around Christmas, but he understood. There's a certain sense of calm you get with having family near in times of distress and Ned wasn't about to deny his mother that security. So, after she had gone to bed and he had cleaned up the kitchen and living room, he made his way to the guest bedroom and got dressed for bed. Sleep came, but not without its own pains. After what felt like an eternity thinking about his upcoming match with Hanari, one he wasn't going to have to travel for, he finally dozed off. A peaceful night was right there before him. Or so it seemed.

"Neeeeeeeeed..."

Ned shook awake, sitting up in the bed and inspecting the room. Everything appeared to be in order. He assumed it was just something he misheard, perhaps the buzz of the house's heater or something equally reassuring.

"Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed..."

Just as he was about to lie back down, the odd noise appeared again, this time sounding more like a voice. Ned pulled himself out of bed, putting a coat on to cover up his shirtless chest.

"...Hello?" He quietly called out into the night.

"Ned!"

The shout had come from behind him, causing Ned to spin around to see its source.

"It's ME, Ned! Your old friend Big D!"

Big D wore tattered clothes, adorned with chains and was glowing eerily. Seeing this did not surprise or impress Ned one bit.

"Goddammit, Daniel. I'm trying to sleep here! Besides, we haven't even been 'friends" for that long."

Ned walks over to grab D by the arm and drag him out of the room, but as he reaches his hand passes right through his tag partner.

"What the-!"

Big D tsks, shaking his head.

"Come on, Ned! You of all people should understand this! I'm here to warn you of three spectres who will visit tonight!"

"I swear to god, D, I'm not really in the mood for one of your bits."

"I have NO idea what you're talking about."

D floats to the either side of the room, continuing his explanation.

"Each spirit who visits will represent a different timeline; each one from a time where one key aspect has changed. That's right, Ned! You're gonna learn the meaning of Christmas thanks to ME!"

Ned gives Big D's spirit a wildly confused face before it switches to one of near disinterest.

"Oh, I get it. This is a dream where I live some personalized version of A Christmas Carol. Why are you my Jacob Marley, though? We haven't been teaming for that long."

Big D hushes Ned.

"LOOK, are you gonna keep askin' me stupid shit OR are you gonna learn the meaning of Christmas?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Exactly! That's the spirit, Ned!"

And with that, Daniel's ghost fades away, leaving an uneasy vacancy in the bedroom. Ned sighs, deciding to sit on the bed, waiting for whatever's to come. After several minutes of anxious anticipation, a muffled mix of noises begins to stir outside the door. Taking a deep breath, Ned lifts himself up and walks towards the door, placing his hand on the handle and twisting...


As he opens the door, Ned is met with loud cheers and chants echoing through a backstage section at any given XWF show. As he walks through, the cheers seem to get louder and louder, all calling for Ned. It was a surreal thing to hear. A crowd cheering for him with the kind of passion typically reserved for Centurion and Robert. Looking to his right, he sees a door with a large plaque, his name scrawled across it. The door's cracked open and Ned can hear some giggling coming from within. He push it open before seeing something very bizarre for him.

In a seat in this dressing room is himself, but a distorted version. A shade. The figure has a beer in one hand and his other wrapped around a woman's waist. Cigarette smoke floods into Ned's face as he looks inside. There's a distinct scent of pot, but the most jarring sight of all sits around The Shade's waist.

The Universal Title belt.

The Shade looks up to meet Ned's gaze, pantomiming a kiss to the woman he has pressed to his side before releasing her and walking over to Ned. It's clearer now that The Shade has a bit of a stomach. He holds his arms out, welcoming Ned before a taking a large gulp of his beer.

"What took you so long kid?"

Ned gives this odd doppelganger a look over, a grimace glued to his face.

"Oh shit, I didn't offer you any... want some?"

Ned shakes his head.

"Who the hell are you...?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm the ghost of your future. I finally did what we always wanted, Ned! What we longed for for ages!"

The Shade points to his title belt.

"I'm Universal Champion, I'm the face of this company! Hell, I beat the shit out of that impostor who took over Lux's body! I dropped APEX Prophecy for weighing me down and I even was able to stop Fuzz's little cash-in attempt! I finally achieved what we couldn't for so long."

He burps right into Ned's face, standing proudly before him.

"But you gave up everything we stood for..."

The Shade shrugs.

"What good did it ever do us? All it did was ensure that we'd be the butt of the joke to people like Noah and Lacklan. But not now. Now I take what I want and I get what I want. And there ain't nobody in this Federation who can do a damn thing about it."

Ned frowns, shaking his head.

"You're disgusting."

"Disgusting? On the contrary. I'm the champ."

The Shade finishes his beer, haphazardly letting some of it drip down his chin onto the belt he's wearing.

"So, you just threw it all away for success? What does that say about you? That you were too weak to do it any other way but the easy one?"

Ned looks to his feet.

"What would Dad say?"

"I'd like to think he'd be proud of raising someone worth the time. I mean, you're the one always getting upset that you can't win. That you'll dishonor him through failure. At least I achieved what I set out to do, kid. What have you achieved?"

Ned stays quiet for a moment.

"I'd like to think I've become a consistently better person, not just some celebrity wrestler."

"You would like to think that, wouldn't you?"

The Shade motions to a few guards that Ned hadn't seen yet.

"Get this sack of shit out of here. I got a woman to please."

The Shade gives a twisted grin while the guards move to toss Ned out. Preempting them, Ned sees himself out, stepping through the door with contempt and a sick stomach. As he leaves the room, he notices the hallway is gone, instead being replaced with a small room. His office at his gym to be precise. However, as he looks around, he notices a thin layer of dust coating nearly everything. He presses a finger to his desk, watching the dust stick before hearing a voice from behind.

"It's in rough shape, isn't it?"

"Ethan..?"

Ned turns around to see his best friend, the look on Ethan's face blantantly pessimistic.

"Hey, Ned. It's been a while."

"What do you mean...?"

"Well," Ethan shrugs, "I'm the ghost of your present, man. I've watched you keep isolating yourself like you've been doing."

Upon hearing his friend say this, Ned averts his gaze. He had been avoiding those around him lately, ignoring their pleas. Regardless of his intentions, he was hurting those around him. And while he wanted to berate his subconscious for throwing such a thing in his face, it was true.

"So, the gym...?"

"Closed. You don't leave the house anymore. Hell, I don't really know what you do. You hardly talk to me or Nate. Or anybody..."

"I... I didn't mean to come off that way, buddy."

"Then what did you mean, Ned?"

He looks away, feeling a deep shame over his actions in recent memory, reizing just how much he's been abandoning the people he cares about most. It's a heartwrenching sensation that Ned cannot ignore. Then...

-------------

In a swift second, the area around them had shifted. The lights swirled and glimmered before settling in soft rays towards the ground. The floor beneath them had transformed into some glossy tile, intricately flourished with details Ned couldn't quite distinguish. He had turned back to look at Ethan, but there was no one there. Where once his friend was standing, there was now a pew aligned with others in rows. Each one was a deep brown, the wood grain finish reflecting a soft glow coming from a stained glass window that had materialized before him. Ned's eyes fell below the glass to a casket, propped up by some table with a cloth draped over it. The memories began to flood back to him. This is where they had held Lilian's visitation.

This was the last time he had seen the woman he loved.

Ned began to step forward, hearing the sound of his bare footsteps quietly reverberate in the empty church. The tiles beneath his feet were cool to the touch and the air within was stagnant. And in the dim, colored light he could see what appeared to be tiny bits of dust floating around him. The casket was open, but he couldn't see the contents yet, even as he approached. With a heavy heart, Ned made his way up a slight set of steps and finally touched the exquisite casket, running his fingertips over the smooth side before placing a hand on the unopened part of the lid and looking within, uneasy eyes preparing for a grim memory of pain. He looked within and his eyes widened, mouth falling agape once he had processed what he was witnessing. With then casket was none other than...

Himself.

Ned studied the details of his own corpse with a morbid shock, seeing the pale look of his normally warm skin. But before the image had time to set with him, he felt something touch his hand, looking over to see exactly what it was. As he adjusted his gaze he saw another hand placed atop his; his eyes tracing up the figure's arm before looking at their face. The sight was heartbreakingly reassuring for Ned as he trembled in the presence of this final spectre. His voice shook in his throat.

"Lilian..."

She gave him a gentle smirk, squeezing his hand ever so slightly.

"It's good to see you, hotshot."

"You can't run from yourself."