A FALLEN FRIEND…

A Danny Phantom Story

Tucker Foaly, now 25, was walking home from work. He'd decided to get in shape once he, Sam, and Jazz had taken over ghost hunting. Danny was gone. No one knew where, but they all knew why. His parents had finally figured it out. They no longer viewed him as their son, but as something to be studied. Danny did the only thing he could. He let them. Finally, he broke. When the police arrived, the house was gone. The Fentons inexplicably protected by an unyielding green dome. Maddie and Jack, muttering nonsense about ghosts, were sent to North Mercy Hospital, while there older child, Jazz, was taken in by Vlad Masters. Danny hadn't been seen since.

Tucker shook his head, clearing these reminiscent thoughts. He didn't like to think about what had happened. Or what had become of his best friend. He kept his eyes on the well known pavement he'd walked every day for six years. Being the chief inventor at Axiom Labs did have its drawbacks though. Between the job and ghosts, there was absolutely no time for his love life.

Tucker just smiled to himself and shook his head slightly. It wasn't like he hadn't tried… He jumped as a trash can rattled in the alley to his right. He just kept smiling. There was a little cat that lived there. It was adorable, but his apartment didn't allow pets.

"Hey there little guy. You hungry?" He procured a small bowl and a bag of kibbles from his briefcase. "I swear, you're gonna be the death of me… some guys at work nearly saw your treats in my bag. What they would think… Well, it wouldn't be pretty. Talk about an interesting ego reducer… Then again, it's nothing compared what you're going through…"

"Tell me about it." A deep, eerily familiar voice came from behind the can.

Tucker nearly jumped out of his skin. After he'd gotten control of himself, he peered around the corner. There sat, in tattered clothes and a moth-eaten jacked, a young man. His raven-black hair was standing up in weird places, his muscles, at least as far as Tucker could see, did not seem hobo-ish to him at all. In fact, it was rare to see homeless people this, not overly buff, but strong. He sat with his knees against his chest, his head resting on his folded arms, which were on his legs. He didn't look up.

"Sorry Sir, I didn't see you there. Are you alright? I mean, do you need somewhere to stay, something to eat?" Ah, Tucker. So nice. The man just chuckled.

"Do I look alright to you?" He asked, not raising his head. Tucker studied him closer. At first glance, he'd seemed fine, but when Tucker looked closer, he could see how gaunt the man looked. He looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks, maybe months. Then he noticed all the injuries the man had. Scrapes and bruises seemed to cover the man, head to toe…

"Done staring yet?" Tucker looked up at the man, who had finally looked up. The annoyed expression was extremely familiar. Then he caught sight of his eyes. A piercing ice-blue glared into his eyes, seeming to look straight into, or maybe through him. He knew he recognized them, but couldn't, for the life of him, remember where from.

"Well?" That did it. The annoyed tone was too familiar.

"Do I know you?" He asked, still studying the man.

"How should I know? Everyone I ever knew doesn't know me anymore. I just try to keep moving on. I don't remember anyone because I don't want to forget." Tucker was shocked at this sudden revelation by someone who was a complete stranger. Was there a reason this man was pouring his sadness on someone who was just passing by?

Then, finally, Tucker knew.

"Danny?" He barely breathed. The man's striking blue eyes locked onto his.

"How…?" He whispered back.

"Danny, you seriously don't know who I am?" Tucker said, looking shocked.

"I know who you are. I'm just wondering why you aren't dead yet."

"W-What?" Tucker stammered, still looking into Danny's eyes.

"Everyone's going to die. Most are already gone. Why aren't you dead yet?" Danny looked deep into Tucker's eyes, silently wondering why they looked so lost.

"Danny, all of us, all your friends, are still alive. We're still here."

"Maybe for now, but everyone is going to die. There's no stopping it. Everyone must die. Even if I'm only a half-alive freak. Everyone must die." Danny looked back down at his knees, leaving Tucker even more confused than ever.

"Dan-"

"I'm just a freak. I'm not human anymore. Everyone's going to die. And it's all my fault."

Tucker just gaped at his long-lost friend. He didn't know what to say. How on earth do you react when someone close to you says he's basically going to kill everyone? So, Tucker reacted, eventually, as most people would. He slapped Danny across the face.

"Danny, listen to yourself. Do you have any clue how you sound right now? I'm kinda starting to worry. Look, we need to get you somewhere safe. Get you some food, rest, and a looooong shower. Then, you can tell Sam, Jazz, and I exactly where you've been for the past 9 freakin' years!" Tucker nearly shouted these last words, frustration and confusion taking over.

"You ran away Danny. There's no other way to put it! I understand your pain, but we, your friends, we were still there! Do you know how worried Sam and Jazz have been? Jazz doesn't know if her only brother is still freakin' alive! Sam spent three months locked in her room after you were gone! Don't you know how she did, and still does, feels about you? Danny, she still lo-" Tucker stopped his tirade as Danny stood and glared at him. Tucker could've sworn his eyes had a tinge of red in them. He backed away as Danny slowly strode towards him.

"How dare you. How dare you!" Danny shouted, his eyes flashing completely red before he got control of himself.

"You dare think, all these years, I've just been hiding from the world like some hermit? You dare think, all this time, I haven't made sure you all were still ALIVE?!" Danny yelled. "I know about Jazz, Sam, my Parents, even VLAD! The world's gone to ruin, and you think I don't care?! I know about you, your job… heck, I even know your freakin' garage code! How dare you think I don't care." Danny finished, and looked away from his friend, who was obviously terrified.

"Danny, what's going on? Why haven't you told us you were here? So much pain was wasted! You could've told us!"

"No, I couldn't have. I couldn't" Danny's face fell and he turned his head and looked at the ground, tears now gathering in the corners of his eyes.

"I couldn't do anything Tuck."

Tucker stared astonished at his friend. He hadn't seen Danny cry since 4th grade… but now tears were spilling down his face.

"Danny, what happened?"

"He's back Tuck. And this time, I couldn't stop him."

"What?!" Tucker nearly shouted.

"He got out Tuck. He destroyed Clockwork's tower, and the entire Ghost Zone in under his reign. I couldn't stop him. I just couldn't. I tried. I tried. I just…" Danny didn't go on, just sat back down and buried his head in his hands. "I don't know what happened Tuck. One minute I was fighting, no, losing, and the next, I was lying outside the Portal in my Parents house. This was seven years ago. I haven't even though about going back since. I managed to get out before they found me."

Tucker opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he realized Danny wouldn't talk about it if he was interrupted now.

"Before that, I was Clockwork's Assistant. He was the only ghost who would take me. For two years, I escaped my pain by going to the past. I was able to relive the days my secret was safe. I was so happy then. I was able to see my parents when they still considered me their son. The world was a better place, or at least, to us it was."

Tucker smiled to himself. The world had seemed perfect then. Just the three of them, battling weak ghosts, laughing at the worries of the world. Then they grew up.

"I was able to pinpoint the turning point in our lives. When Freakshow first appeared. That's when they started to suspect Tuck. Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight helped. I suspect they might've subconsciously retained some memories of… him, too. What was I supposed to do Tuck? When they found out? They were my parents. I still hoped they'd see past my ghost side and realize I was still their son. But they never did.

" I tried to endure Tuck. I tried to reason with them, so did Jazz. But eventually I gave up. I was able to sneak away, with Jazz's help, and went to the Ghost Zone. Clockwork wasn't able to foresee that Tuck. He thought I would just give up and die. He said it would've a shame if I did. That he expected more. But he didn't see me escaped Tuck." Danny looked up, his eyes and expression barely bordering insanity. Tuck subconsciously took a step back.

"I'm to powerful for him to see Tuck. I was able to fight off all the ghosts that forsaken place threw at me. I was the most powerful I'd ever been. All that rage, all that power, it gave me strength. I could've taken on the entire world. Then it hit me. After all that power, what else was there but loneliness?" Danny's face fell. His eyes went back to their dull, lifeless look, and he looked down again.

" I felt there was nothing else to live for Tuck. I went from the most powerful being in this world, to just a not-so normal ghost hybrid trying to stay alive. That's when Clockwork found me. He took me on as his apprentice, to try to teach me more. More about life, and death. I studied and worked under him for two years, when he finally slipped. Clockwork and I, we were back in Salem, studying, out of all things, the reasoning behind Witch Hunts. When we got back to our own time, He was loose. The tower was destroyed. Clockwork tried to hold him off, and told me to run. I did eventually, but only after trying to save Clockwork. I wasn't fast enough. He destroyed him. He's stronger Tuck. To strong. I can't do anything. I won't even bother. I haven't Gone Ghost since that day. We're all doomed. What's the point of fighting the inevitable?" Danny looked up, eyes looking as dead and hopeless as the grave, as Tucker stared at him in horror.

Tucker looked at his friend in horror as it became apparent. Danny had lost it. His sanity, will to survive, everything that made him who he was. Danny just continued to stare at the ground, lost in his own misery.

"Danny, are you really giving up? Where did your 'I'm invincible! No matter what, I'll protect them!' go? Since when did you give in when the odds were against you?" Tucker lectured, trying to force some of his friend's old happy-go-lucky attitude back into him.

"Since life caught up with me. Since I've seen everyone around me betray me. Since the odds are staked so high against me. Since I've been forced to make it myself. Since my trust in humanity withered and died." Danny looked up at his best friend. "We have no chance of survival this time Tucker. Better make you last days your best." And with that, Danny stood, shot Tucker one last despairing look, and disappeared.