A Reminder

Summary: Before moving onto the afterlife, Thackery wants to make sure Max won't be summoning anymore witches
Warning(s): Spanking with a switch; spoilers for the whole movie; some references to violence and canon character death
Author's Note: Thanks to some of my fellow writers on one of the Discord communities I'm part of, this plot kitten decided to latch onto me

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Thackery leaned in and whispered in Dani's ear, "I will always be with you." Then, he straightened up once more, casting a glance towards the light shining through the forest. He knew that was the path to the afterlife. Emily was waiting for him...and he'd missed her. So much.

But she'd been waiting for him for a long time already. A short time more wouldn't make much of a difference, surely?

Thackery's gaze turned to Max and Alison. Max, the virgin who'd lit the candle that had brought the witches back. Yes, it had ultimately had a good ending...and Thackery was about to be reunited with his sister and the rest of his family. But a stab of fear filled him. What if Max hadn't learned from his actions? What if he did something else foolish and dangerous, only this time, without a talking cat there to help him?

"Thackery." Emily's small hand slipped into his and he looked down at his sister's spirit. "It has been too long. We have both been trapped for too long. We should leave this place and go home."

Thackery smiled at his sister. He couldn't blame her for her actions. While his whole village had known of the danger of the Sanderson sisters, they'd still been able to bewitch the children, despite the watchful eye of their mothers and fathers.

Max had no such excuse.

"Wait for me, Emily, just a little while longer?" Thackery asked. "There is something I must do before I can depart with you."

Emily looked downcast, but only for a moment or two, before she nodded and let go of his hand. "Don't keep me waiting for much longer," she ordered.

"Of course." Thackery smiled at her, then turned his attention to Max. "Max. Walk with me for a bit?" he asked.

A confused, mystified look came over Max's face, but he nodded and looked at both Dani and Alison. "You go on home, okay?" he asked softly. "I'll be there soon."

"All right." Alison stepped forward to hug him. "Just...be careful, all right?"

"And no more lighting candles," Dani ordered, as sternly as a child could.

"I won't. I promise," Max said.

Thackery sighed as he watched the two walk away, Dani turning back to give him a sad, forlorn wave that he returned. If only he could believe that Max had learned his lesson, then he could make his journey to heaven content in knowing that those he left behind would be safe.

But he couldn't be certain of that.

As Alison and Dani disappeared from view, walking out of earshot as well, Max looked towards Thackery, shuffling his feet like a child who knew he'd done something wrong. "You wanted to speak with me?"

Without a word, Thackery walked over to one of the nearby trees. As he reached out to snap off a sturdy looking branch, the brief thought went through his mind that this wouldn't work if his body reacted as a spirit's would and his fingers just went through the wood. If that was the case, what he planned to do next would have no effect.

Fortunately, his fingers wrapped around the branch and he was able to snap it off with ease. Of course, that still left the twigs and leaves that could cut flesh when it was swung with force. Thackery ran a finger over the branch, feeling the firmness of it, and then addressed Max. "Do you have a knife?"

"A knife?" Max frowned in confusion. "Why do you need a knife?"

Thackery raised his eyes to focus on the other's face. "I need a knife to strip the twigs and leaves from this switch, so that I don't cause you any damage when I thrash you."

Max took a step back. "Thrash me?" His voice came out on a squeak and his face grew red.

"Yes." Thackery softened his tone somewhat, though he borrowed from his father's own stern scoldings as he continued, "When you lit the candle and brought the witches back, you put every child here in danger. Not just the children, but the adults too. What do you think would have happened if Winifred had decided your parents were a threat? Do you think she would have let them live, when she let her sisters die just so she could have eternal youth?"

"No one thrashes anyone anymore...!"

"Perhaps they should. There's a lot that could be learned from a well-deserved punishment."

"And I bet you weren't thrashed for letting those witches kill your sister!" Max snapped.

Thackery paused at the response. He didn't know if Emily's spirit was close enough to hear the words, or if she even understood that her brother had tried to save her. "I did everything that was expected of me. I sent my best friend to get my father and the others...and I tried to save Emily by myself. For that attempt, I was changed into a cat and my father never saw me again. I was trapped, until you lit the candle and brought the witches back. There are some who would say I should be grateful that your actions have finally freed me, but it concerns me more that you don't see the danger in your actions. That you might not see the danger before it's too late. Who else will make sure you remember today's events the next time you are tempted to do something dangerous? Certainly not your parents, as they didn't believe you when you tried to tell them what had happened."

Max's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "That wasn't fair to you. But I don't want a thrashing."

"But you can't argue that you don't deserve one."

The silence that hung between them was deafening. Max's face was red and he was shifting from one foot to the other, looking even more like a naughty, scolded child. Finally, though, he thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. He thrust it towards Thackery without looking at him.

Thackery took the knife and opened it easily. There were some advantages to living for so long, even though he hadn't been able to talk to anyone until Max had lit the candle. He quickly stripped the branch of the twigs and leaves covering it, then swished it through the air a couple of times, making sure the switch would hold for as long as necessary. Nodding in satisfaction, he addressed Max. "Brace yourself against one of the trees."

Max had flinched at the sound of the switch slicing through the air. He stared at Thackery for a few moments, mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to protest. Finally, shoulders hunching, he turned round and leaned against the tree behind him, hands gripping onto the trunk with a white-knuckled grip.

Thackery stepped forward and braced one hand against Max's back. He lifted the switch and then brought it down, aiming for the centre of Max's buttocks.

Gasping, Max jerked his head up, hands reaching back to grab his bottom. "That hurt."

"Get back into position." Thackery forced any hint of sympathy out of his voice. He knew a switch hurt. He didn't bother pointing out that it was supposed to hurt. A punishment wasn't effective unless it made an impression.

Shaking a little, Max pulled his hands free of his bottom and bent forward once more.

Squeezing his shoulder, Thackery raised the switch and brought it down a second and a third time. Each stroke wrenched a cry from Max's lips, although he didn't stand up again. He stamped his feet and began muttering curse words under his breath as Thackery continued to bring the switch down, ensuring that he landed each stripe below the previous, so that he didn't strike the switch in the same spot twice.

And then he started over again from the top.

As the switch landed on flesh that had already been tenderised, Max began to yelp loudly. His hands curled into fists and Thackery could hear him begin to sob. "Please. I'm sorry."

"I know." Thackery hardened his heart against the tears as he continued to lash the switch down.  Max's body shuddered and his feet stamped at each painful stroke that left a stripe of fire that Thackery knew, from personal experience, burned even through the protection of his britches.

Finally, when Max was crying heavily and his body was slumped weakly against the tree, Thackery stopped the switching, although he let the implement rest gently against Max's sore, throbbing backside as he spoke. "You could have lost your sister to the Sanderson sisters. You could have been responsible for everyone here losing their children...losing their lives. Is that what you want?"

"No!" Max wailed the word. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry!" he cried. "Please...forgive me."

"I will," Thackery promised. "I will. When we're finished here. Ten more and then we'll be done." He waited, but there was no protest...only a slight increase in the sobs.

Thackery could tell that Max was already sore...sore and sorry...but he needed to make sure this punishment would stick. He wouldn't be there in the future. He couldn't be there to protect them, which meant it had to be Max's job now. He had to learn to be more responsible, without Thackery there to tell him when he was making a mistake.

Still, Thackery could tell that Max was at his breaking point. So even though he'd promised a further ten stripes with the switch, he kept the strokes gentle...really only light taps, although he knew Max's backside was so painful, he wouldn't feel the difference in the strokes.

"Ten," Thackery whispered, tapping the switch for the final time before he dropped it to the ground. Then, he wrapped his arms around Max's shoulders, hugging him close and gently rubbing his knuckles to help him loosen his tight hold on the tree. "It's done. It's finished. I forgive you," he soothed.

It took longer than it should have done, but Max finally loosened his tight grip on the tree. He turned and cuddled into Thackery's arms, his own coming up to wrap around Thackery in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry," he sniffled.

"I know you are. But it's over. I forgive you. The witches are gone and they can't hurt anyone else ever again." Thackery rubbed his hand gently over Max's back. "All you've got to do is stay safe. And keep Dani safe."

"I wish you could stay," Max whispered.

"So do I," Thackery said. "But my time is finished now. The witches are gone. But I'll still be watching you, even if you can't see or feel me." He gave Max one last, tight hug and then stepped back, giving a reassuring smile. "We'll see each other again."

"Hopefully, when we do, you won't need to thrash me again." Max's smile was self-deprecating.

"We'll see." Thackery turned slowly, walking towards where he could see Emily still waiting for him. "Let's go home, Emily." He reached out to take her hand.

Emily held his hand and they walked into the light.

The End