A/N: No sweet clue where this came from, very different from my usual stuff. Rated T (M?) and contains Dark/Depressing scenes, just thought I'd ought to warn you. AU and probably a little OOC.
When the POV's are in bold, it is present time, unbolded is a past event.
The Game
Sarah Serena Rose
Death is all around us. It surrounds the planet, like a thick, dense and black fog. The one inevitable thing in life. Kind of ironic really, what we have to look forward in life, eventually, is death.
The two are connected at the seams, intertwined.
For every person and animal on earth, only fate will decide when they will die. Either accidental or natural causes.
For some, their souls have been split from their bodies and they come back as spectral beings. Fated, to an eternity on earth.
But for two strange souls, they have already died, and yet, they still walk among the living. Two souls who have seemingly 'cheated' death. But is anyone ever really able to evade the clutches of death?
Danny POV
Fenton Residence
June 14, 2007
I can pinpoint the exact moment when it all started.
It was during a fight, three years ago, a few months after I got my powers. I had gotten hit by a rather powerful blast while flying, my powers had...shorted out, the blue rings engulfing me in a cold sensation, and I slowly descended towards the ground.
I could barely make out the yelling of Tucker and Sam below me, as panic flowed through my veins, heart pounding, eyes wide in fear. I had tried multiple times to convert back into a ghost, but it wouldn't work. The ghostly presence I usually felt was gone.
But as I continued to fall, the panic ebbed away, instead, a rush of adrenalin filling me. I felt like I was on top of the world and nothing could harm me, seconds later, my ghost powers activated once more and I missed the pavement by inches. I had deceived death. It had left me feeling oddly, accomplished. This was the second time I had done so, (though unknowingly). The first had been when I was electrocuted by the ghost portal.
I mean, if I could cheat death twice, then why couldn't I do it again?
Danny POV
Amity Park
May 2, 2005
After the adrenaline had worn off from my second brush with death, from the free-fall, I decided to try it again a few months later.
It was an early May evening, and the sun was setting, the sky turning a blood red. White clouds evaporating, the first stars peeking out of the dark sky. I was at the park, standing in the grass, its particular scent encasing my senses, as a breeze filtered through, brushing my hair to the side. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, slowly exhaling.
I changed into my alter ego a moment later, the familiar circles running up and down my body. A dog was barking in the distance, and my eyes snapped open in fear. A panic started to rise and my stomach was rolling like a bowling ball. Scanning the park, I didn't spot a soul, I was completely alone. The only thing I didn't want was someone finding out my true intentions.
Shaking my head, I floated into the sky, higher and higher. Flying till I could touch the clouds, wisps of white slipping through my gloved hands. Freezing in my spot, high above the town, I glanced all around, making sure there were, again, no people around. Seeing nothing of my interest, I smirked and transformed back into a human.
A power once again filled me, as I fell towards the Earths surface.
There were two things that I could completely remember from that moment. The rush and exhilaration coming from my death defying stunt and the heart-shattering scream that echoed from the grassy fields below.
My eyes locked onto where the noise came from, and widened to the size of saucers, my own heart almost falling out of my chest.
It was Sam.
I transformed back into a ghost and flew towards her.
My breathing quickened and dread filled my veins.
She couldn't know. She would never understand. Sam...
As I came to a halt a few feet above her, I noticed the alarm clear on her face, a hidden rage underneath.
She closed her eyes and crossed her arms in a defensive manner.
"Danny. What the hell, were you doing?"
Her question left me shell-shocked, as the consequences of my actions finally took hold.
I opened my mouth a few times before answering, "I was flying."
Her lips quivered, and she dropped her arms to the side, hands clenching into fists.
"Whatever that was Danny, it definitely wasn't flying! You were in human form and hurtling towards the ground, now the only impression I get from that, is that you were trying to...to...kill yourself."
I tried to reach out and console her, but she backed away and a gnawing guilt flooded through me, keeping me still.
"Sam, I wasn't trying to kill myself, I was just...tempting fate? I don't really know how to explain it, but whenever I get close to death and don't die, it gives me such a rush. That I know I could have died, but I didn't and that I have that power over myself. It gives me...control."
I took a deep breath and bit my lip, waiting for a reaction from her.
Sam seemed slightly shocked, but an understanding was held in her violet orbs. She tentatively reached up a hand and took mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. I could see tears starting to form in her eyes and I suddenly felt disgusted. Disgusted in myself for making her feel sad.
"Danny, I can relate with you on a certain level, wanting to have control over your own life, being able to do what you want without anyone else's opinion. Sometimes I find myself reaching for that feeling, trying to grasp onto something real, but it's never really there. My parents try and control me, but I want to dictate my own life, do things that make me happy, not just my parents."
Sam released a long breath and I studied her. She seemed to be having the same feelings as I do...
I put a finger under her chin and locked eyes with her. Tension filled the cool spring air.
"Sam you can't tell a soul. Nobody, no one else I know would understand, you're the only one."
Her gaze felt like it penetrated my very being and I sucked in a breath as she turned her head away.
A soft mumble tumbled from her lips. "Okay."
I grasped her hand again and pulled her into a swift hug, my heart beating as her arms wrapped around me. Lifting my head, I gazed at the stars, watching them shine brightly in the sky. Thinking, that maybe, the rush and control I felt didn't mean as much as losing everything I'd ever cared about.
Danny POV
Manson Residence
June 7, 2005
It was a little over a month later, till the subject was brought up again. Sam and I had ignored the incident and acted like it had never happened, carrying on as usual.
But one afternoon while we were doing homework up in her room, she started asking questions. She was laying stomach side down on her bed and I was occupying her computer desk chair.
"Danny?"
I glanced up at her, rubbing my eyes as I did so, the words from my notes blurring my vision.
"Hmm?"
"Was that the most control you've ever felt in your life?"
I froze and slowly looked at her. She was biting her bottom lip, eyebrows knitted together. Swallowing nervously, I nodded.
"Yes." I admitted quietly.
Sam slowly nodded, turning my answer through her thoughts. Her next words shocked me to the very core.
"I want to experience it. That feeling of control. From...pushing yourself to your limit."
Sam POV
Amity Park
July 15, 2005
I glanced down at the rushing rapids below, watching the water cascade off of rocks to tumble under the bridge. It was definitely high enough.
I glanced to my right and saw Danny eyeing me with worry, slight fear in his eyes.
I smiled weakly at him and gazed back down at the river below.
"You sure you want to do this?" He asked.
Carefully stepping up onto the ledge, I nodded.
"Lets do it."
Danny gave me a weak smile before he vanished from sight. I glanced back down at the river below and tried to calm my pounding heart. The water was rushing so fast...
A moment later I cleared my throat and shook my head, trying to calm the fear inside. I was going to be fine.
Stepping forward, my boot covered feet teetered a small fraction over the edge.
Closing my eyes, I yelled out, "I'm ready!", before waiting a few seconds.
I jumped.
Air rushed all around me, my hair flying wildly. I opened my eyes and gazed upwards, watching the gap between me and the bridge build with every second I fell. The panic I had felt began to fade, replaced by something foreign, but the strange feeling suddenly stopped when I was caught by a pair of warm arms that seemed to have come out of nowhere.
Glancing onto Danny's face, I saw pure relief and happiness. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I gave a dry laugh.
"That was strangely, fun. Sorta like an amusement ride. You were right, the thrill was amazing, but I don't think I want to go jumping off anymore bridges anytime soon."
Danny nodded, holding me tighter and looked to the side. We were only a foot from the water.
"Yeah, I have to agree with that. My heart leaped into my throat when you jumped, even though I knew I was the one who was going to catch you."
I looked him straight in the eyes.
"You're the only one I would trust to catch me plummeting off a bridge."
His green orbs sparkled and a wide smile played on his features. I grinned myself and leaned my head against his shoulder as he flew us back home.
I should have know then, by the look in Danny's eyes and the elated feeling I had felt, that that wouldn't be the last time we tried something as risky as jumping off a bridge.
Sam POV
Fenton Residence
June 14, 2007
I felt exhausted, physically and mentally. My head was spinning, as nauseousness filled my stomach. Climbing the staircase to Danny's room took more energy than it should have. Taking a deep breath and trying to calm the fluttering in my stomach, I continued, raising each foot mechanically, placing it down as quiet as I could.
The little game me and Danny had started almost two years ago was taking its toll. On both of us. Scars painted us like a canvas, indescribable bruises and multiple broken bones. Most blamed on insistent ghost attacks, though many were achieve in a different method.
Stepping into the hallway, I made my way to Danny's room, steadying myself against a wall to stop the vertigo I was feeling. Sighing, I thought of all we had endured these past few years. Ghost attacks were the norm for us, but we had pushed each other, maybe too far.
The thrill of cheating death had become so consuming to us that it was toxic. A self created drug. It left us with wanting more, which was the most dangerous of all.
I still can't believe some of the situations me and Danny got into. Or that no one had ever found out about any of it, with the injuries we had it was strange, though we were secretive about it.
I took a few steps forward, memories resurfacing, flashing behind my eyes as I got closer to Danny.
Reckless driving. The smell of burnt rubber and the squealing of tires. The impact of a crash. Twenty stitches down the right side of my abdomen.
Another step, another memory.
A high school party. Laughing teens, the potent stench of alcohol. The burning sensation it left in your mouth. The sound of bottle after bottle being sat down. A hangover that ended all hangovers.
I took another step and slowly peeked into Danny's room, my heart beating faster than normal. I remembered the message he had left on my cell phone, saying that we needed to talk, needed to stop everything. That was the reason I was at his house, but he had sounded strange on the phone and I instantly raced over.
This game. It had to stop. Before one of us crossed the line.
It had to end.
Taking another deep breath, I pushed his door open and was rewarded with an empty room. Narrowing my eyes in confusion, I called out, "Danny? Are you here?"
He was the only one in the house, his parents gone off to some weekend ghost convention.
I froze when a loud groan came from a room down the hall.
"S-sam?"
My eyes widened and I spun around at the sound of my name being called out, racing down the hallway. The noise had echoed from the bathroom, the door was slightly cracked open. I could feel my heart pounding louder and louder, like waves were crashing in my ears.
There, in the middle of the door, was a smudge of blood. In the shape of a hand.
I can barely remember the events that came next, scenes flashing though my subconscious. I had flung the door open in a haze and found Danny, laying on the floor, multiple scratches all over his body.
There was just so much blood.
It clouded my vision as I rushed to him, pulling his head onto my lap and pushing the hair out of his eyes. Tears formed in my own, as his face screwed up in pain as he tried telling me what had happened.
The words had poured from his lips, but I only caught a select few.
'Ghost.'
'Attack.'
'Scratches.'
'Pain.'
'Blood.'
'Not supposed to happen, Sam.'
Danny kept repeating that over and over, a constant tumble of words.
'This wasn't supposed to happen...'
I tried to calm him, fighting the panic starting to settle inside me, and shushed him. Uttering soothing words while I ran my hand through his hair. After a few minutes he was mute and I slowly pulled myself up, trying not to look at the large pools of blood staining the white tiled floor.
Running to his room, I grabbed the first-aid kit he had hidden in closet, almost tripping in my haste to get back to Danny.
When I made it back to the bathroom, he had sat up, leaning against the porcelain tub and smearing blood down the side of it. He glanced up at my, eyes begging to stop the pain. Placing the first-aid kit by his side, I rummaged through the medicine cabinet and grabbed a bottle of painkillers. Opening the bottle with a shaking hand, I dumped a few out and handed them to him.
He tried to smile at me, swallowing the pills without a complaint.
I then proceeded to bandage up his wounds, cringing whenever he would hiss when I put peroxide to sanitize the scratches. His jeans and T-shirt were damaged beyond repair, but nether of us paid any attention to it. The main thing I was worried about, was Danny.
By the blood soaked into his clothes and on the floor, I was afraid he might go into shock from loosing so much. He looked rather pail, skin deathly white.
When I was finished patching him up, we both sat on the floor, side by side. I could feel the blood covering my hands, arms, legs. It made me shiver.
He let out a large breath as I leaned my head against his shoulder, back against the tub and arms wrapped around my knees.
Danny was the first to speak, though his voice was very weak.
"This needs to end. Today."
I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded, my hair rubbing against his shoulder. He leaned his head atop of mine, as I wrapped a hand around his back, resting it on his other side, minding the injuries. We sat on the bathroom floor for hours, staring at the mess surrounding us, the blood, clinging to each other like a lifeline.
I broke the silence.
"I promise. No more games."
He took my hand that was wrapped around him into his own and squeezed it gently.
"No more games."
Most games are lost, not won – Casey Stengel
A/N: Comments?