ONE MONTH
"Danny, stop, I'll make your fucking cookies, just shut the hell up!" Everyone in class stared at me, there were no 'Danny's in our class
"Miss Grey!" I winced
"Yes?"
"Detention, after school."
"Yes sir." *Danny, I'm going to kill you*
*I'm already dead, so you can't*
*Half dead, I'll finish the job, now stop bugging me in school!*
*Okay, okay! I'm sorry, it's just, you're the only person I can talk to besides the professor and he's...well, less than fun. Do you know how boring it is not to talk to anyone for eight hours?*
*What about Sally?*
*She's mostly nocturnal, and I am not going to disturb her beauty sleep, she's worse about it than you.*
*I'm sorry, but you just got me my first detention. Ever.*
*Really? Wow, I got them all the time.*
*Well you're not doing that to me.*
*Okay. Three pi over four.*
*What?*
"Miss Grey, care to answer?"
"Uh, three pi over four?"
"Hmm, correct." sigh "Good to know you can answer questions and not just spout profanities."
*Thanks Danny*
*No problem*
THREE MONTHS
*Sally grows so fast, and she learns fast too, and she's so strong! She takes to Russian Sambo like a duck to water.*
*Those images you send me! She's so cute!*
*Of course she is! Any-who, you never told me about the new kid.*
*Hmm? Oh, well, his name is Kurt, he's blue, he has three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot. He has a prehensile tail with a spade on the end*
*A what tail?*
*Prehensile...it's like a monkey tail, not a dog tail*
*Oh*
*He's covered in short blue fur, has pure yellow eyes that glow, fangs, pointed ears, can cling to walls and he can teleport.*
*Cool...how's he going to go to school?*
*The professor says he has an idea for some sort of holographic wristwatch.*
*Hmmm...can he make one for me too?*
*Why?* I send her a picture of what I look like without my invisibility covering my scars and I hear a mental gasp *Danny...I never saw...when did you...Danny.*
*I never wanted you to see so you didn't. Having one would be a lot easier than constant concentration on my scars to keep them invisible. Especially if I forget one. I'm not playing the 'musical scars' game again. People notice things...Jean?*
*'Musical scars'?*
*Uh, people noticing my scars coming and going as my concentration loosens. Kinda hard to explain.*
*I'll ask, Danny.*
SEVEN MONTHS
*So then after Spike got arrested we set a trap and got Pietro to admit to the crimes on tape and we got him arrested...Danny? Are you there?*
*Yeah, I just think that it was all so...petty.*
*I guess you have a point. It was just a stupid rivalry, over basketball of all things. To take it this far...it was petty.*
*Hey Jean?*
*Yeah Danny?*
*Can you get me some new clothes if I write a list? And some materials for Sally and me?*
*Sure.*
*Hey Jean?*
*Yes Danny?*
*Do you think anyone will be mad if I made it snow? Sally wants snow.*
*Danny, its April.*
*So?*
EIGHT MONTHS
*JEAN!*
*What?*
*Kitty is in my room! She's touching my stuff! She brought Kurt!*
*So? Make them leave.*
*No direct interaction except us talking! ACK!*
*What? What's wrong?*
*They're abusing my guitar! And they're touching my paintings!*
*Make it cold then.*
*It'll mess with my paintings and my clothes and my guitar and amps and stuff! Can't you just tell them to leave?*
*Can't you just make the floor and everything in the room intangible?*
*They're scaring Sally!*
*I'll get them to leave.*
*...*
*...*
*...*
*Happy now?*
*You have no idea. I owe you so much for this. And Sally says thanks.*
THE NEXT DAY
*Danny?*
*Yeah Jean?*
*Did you paint this?*
*If it's a portrait of you, then yes.*
*It's flattering.*
*It's beautiful, just like you.*
*Are you...flirting with me?*
*Oh NO. I am NOT flirting with you! No offense, you're beautiful, but I say that in the way that my sister is beautiful...you actually remind me a whole lot of her. She was tall with long red hair, very intelligent and could read my mind with just a glance...I miss her.*
*Thank you for the painting Danny, and for comparing me with your sister, I can tell you love her and hold her in high regard.*
*No problem Jean...I kinda want to be alone right now.*
*No problem. Danny?*
*?*
*Thank you.*
ELEVEN MONTHS
*!*
*!*
*DANNY! DANNY ARE YOU OK? WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT WAS THAT?*
*Y-you saw?*
*You broadcast it to everyone in the mansion! The new students are panicked!*
*I did? They are?*
*Yes! It was...terrifying!*
*I-I'm sorry Jean. I didn't mean to, I...I'm sorry.*
*Danny?*
*...*
*Danny, what was that? Tell me Danny!*
*...*
*Please?*
*I...it...was me.*
*What do you mean it was you Danny?*
*...*
*Danny, you can't just terrify all of us like that and not just give an explanation!*
*I...you won't like what you find Jean. Do you really need to know?*
*I don't need to, but you owe me. Let me in Danny, let me help you.*
*...*
*Danny?*
*Open your mind, and...please, don't...don't be afraid of me.* The memories flowed, the late nights, the failing grades, the C.A.T. The fights, Clockwork, the future, the fights...the fight. THE Fight. Can't save them, too weak, too soft, too slow, too powerless. The explosion. The terror, the dread, the guilt, the...the shame. Clockwork. Redemption. Joy. Love. So much Love. So much happiness. The talk. The talk. The-
I was hovering outside Sam's window, I wanted to surprise her with my locket, it had been in the family for a while and I wanted her to have it.
"I don't like it any more than you do Tucker, but we have to." Tucker? What was Sam talking to him about "You saw what he becomes! You saw Dan! How can we do anything else? He's worse than all the other ghosts, we have to turn him in." What? "I know, I know he's Danny, I know but...I'm afraid. I'm afraid of Danny." a cold hand clenched my heart. No, this was the last thing I wanted. She should never fear me. NEVER. But she...she was...afraid...terrified...of me. "It's already too late Tuck, he's already Dan. He's starting to get the same powers too, the ghostly wail, opening portals. I already called the Guys In White Tuck. They'll catch him, and keep him, and that future...Dan, will never happen." They, she...I...I love her and she...she...why? Why would she do this to me? My heart is shattering. I will never again be okay. She...I loved her. I LOVED her and she...betrayed me. "When they're done with the tests they'll destroy him, and every chance of Dan ever existing...Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I'll miss him. He would want it this way, his life for the world. He'll understand Tucker."
"I don't think I will." My voice was hollow, broken, distraught, my face destroyed, just like my heart. Tears were streaming down my face. "Maybe you can explain it to me"
"Danny!"
"Sam, how could you?"
"Danny, listen to me, please just listen-"
"No! How could you do this to me? I trusted you! I trusted you Sam! I...I loved you!" I glare at her through the tears in my eyes, falling to the ground and curl up into myself. In a soft voice I say "Clockwork was right." I shake my head "He's always right. Why should he be wrong now? Why...why did I trust you?"
"Danny," her voice is broken "please, it's for the best." I glare at her, suddenly filled with rage and stand to face her
"What was for the best? What part of this is good for anyone? For me? For you? For the town? For all the people that will get hurt without my protection? For all the people that will die?" my heart breaks again, something I didn't think was possible and more tears fall. I can't even look at her "I...I-I promised Sam...I promised and...I have to get out of here, I-" I look up at her defiantly, refusing to show any more weakness before her. "Goodbye Sam, you'll never see Danagain." I raise my hand and blast her as she screams, terror radiating from her and she tries to move out of the way. She falls to the floor. She's unconscious, so I pick her up and put her in her bed, tucking her in. I kiss her cheek and place my locket around her neck. "Goodbye Sam. I love you." And with that I fly out the window. I never looked back.
*!* tears stream down both of their faces. She had just lived the memory, feeling everything he had felt, as with the nightmare. The betrayal...it was worse than living the fight with Dan. It...it hurt, in a way Dan never could.
*...are you okay Jean*
*!* Jean was still crying, still trying to get over the hurt.
*Shhhhhhh, it's okay Jean, let go. Let go of it, it's not your hurt, not your pain to bear. Give it to me, give me your pain, give me your fear, give me your sorrow.* I had no idea where these word were coming from, but they were working and I could feel something. The feeling in my eyes where I could see an Aura, the twinge in my chest that felt...empty and always kept time with my eyes. I could see Jean's in my head, her eyes, and her Aura, her energy and emotions. I could see the purple and yellow-green, the sad and afraid, the hurt. I could feel it, and I drew it away. I siphoned it from her aura. It gave me such power, such strength, such...joy. That's wrong, I shouldn't be happy to feel her hurt, her...misery. Oh fucking hell, this is exactly what Spectra did. *Oh crap. Jean are you okay? Do you feel alright? Tired? Exhausted...more miserable?*
*No...I...feel...better. Thank you, for whatever you just did.*
*I'm not so sure it was a good thing. Plus you wouldn't feel this way in the first place if it wasn't for me.*
*It's not your fault Danny, none of it was your fault. !*
*What?*
*Nothing, Scott's just here to check on me.*
*I'll leave you alone now. I have to calm Sally down anyways.*
*Don't let it get to you Danny.*
*Thank you Jean, I...thank you.* we separated our minds.