Chapter 3: How They Saved His Life
Hello again. It has been quite a while since I last wrote for this story. Admittedly, I've had a little trouble getting back into the mindset required for this story, at least for this chapter. Now, however, I feel comfortable enough to begin again. Check out my page for a new story poll I have set up. I do not own Danny Phantom. R&R and Enjoy.
***Clockwork's Realm, 30 Minutes before Danny's Fall***
Vlad Plasmius was astonished at what he was viewing. Initially, he had expected there to be a minor problem going on in the life of Daniel Fenton. Perhaps family trouble, school problems, or even a minor quarrel with one of his friends. Therefore, he was unprepared for the humiliation, degradation, and rejection that the boy had received. This initial astonishment was soon replaced by outrage. He had thought that his loss of Maddie was a tragedy. Now though, his loss paled in comparison to what Daniel had endured. Ms. Manson had literally spat in the boys face after he had confessed his feelings.
Yet there was one thing that bothered Vlad. The boy's reaction. Why hadn't the boy retaliated? Why hadn't he tried to seek revenge?
"Two reasons." Clockwork spoke up, almost as if he knew exactly what Vlad was going to ask. "First is that deep down, there is a portion of Daniel's heart that still loves and cares for Ms. Manson."
Vlad grudgingly nodded. In a way, he understood this love. Though he hated Jack for the accident and for taking Maddie from him, there was a small part of him that remembered the good times they had shared back in college. Whether it be research, football, or simply hanging out with him and Maddie, they did have some excellent memories.
"The second?" The elder halfa asked.
"He has realized something you haven't" The ghost of time answered.
Vlad raised an eyebrow at this.
"What would that be?"
His answer was peculiar, to say the least.
"Have you ever listened to the band The Rolling Stones?" Clockwork asked.
"Yes..." He replied, his eyebrow raised. "What is the point you are trying to make?
"I believe it was Mick Jagger who said it best with the line, 'You can't always get what you want.'" The ghost of time said.
"What are you..."
"What I mean is that Daniel, unlike you, has now realized that no matter how much he wants Ms. Manson ad her affections, he will never receive them in return."
Now Vlad was shaking with rage at the implications. Surely he must be wrong. There was always a means of obtaining what he wanted. He simply had yet to discover it in the case of Maddie's love. Surely once he discovered the method, he could assist Daniel in his problems with Ms. Manson.
"No." Clockwork said simply.
"Why the Hell not?" Vlad yelled at the ghost. "There must be a way both he and I can get what we want. There is always an option!"
Clockwork just gave him an impassive look.
"I have seen every plan you make, Vlad Masters. Past, present, and future. With those, I have also seen the infinitesimal outcomes that come with each of your plans. In none of them do you ever receive Maddie or her love. You have and always will fail. Sometimes comically as you have experienced with young Daniel. Sometimes painfully. Other times, fatally. The same would apply to Daniel if he had gone the route of revenge that you have taken."
Gone. In that instance, all of Vlad's anger and resentment had been crushed by the overwhelming sense of defeat. The irrational side wanted to continue the argument with the ghost of time yet his analytical side knew that what the ghost said was truth. To think, he had wasted so much time, so much money on his revenge plot, on his desire to have Maddie, only to be informed by Clockwork that no matter what he did, no matter what variables he changed, he would never obtain what he wanted.
For the first time in his life, Vlad Masters felt worthless. His main goal in life was now meaningless.
"Now you know how Daniel feels." The ghost of time said. "Now you understand his current mindset."
Vlad did not know what to do. He had no more tears to shed. He had given them all to his loss or Maddie and his frustration at Jack. He had lost his anger. That seemed to have burned up after this latest revelation. All that remained was the hollow shell of a man and his vast fortune.
"Before you go, there is one last task I have for you." Clockwork said, breaking Vlad from his musings.
"What?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Clockwork simply motioned forward with his staff, where a portal appeared.
"Step through and discover for yourself."
Vlad peered though the portal. From the looks, it appeared to be the front of Casper High. Why he would want him there, Vlad did not know.
"This is it?" Vlad asked solemnly. "After this, I won't visit you again?"
"No." Clockwork replied, his face composed in his usual stoic look.
Vlad sighed before gliding through the portal. He quickly transitioned back into his human form before turning back to the portal.
For whatever reason, it remained open with Clockwork standing in front of it.
"Remember. 'If you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.'" The ghost of time said before the portal closed.
Vlad simply shook his head. Cryptic as always. What he wanted. What he needed. He always thought them the same thing. Whatever the case, he would figure out why he had been sent here before returning to his mansion and reevaluating his life. Unfortunately, there was little he could think of that needed reevaluating. He had no friends or companions. No family to speak of. It was just him, his money, and his cat.
Temporarily pushing these gloomy thoughts from his head, he straightened his tie before walking up the steps to the school. Everything seemed to be in order. Class was still in session and very few civilians were out about town at this time.
When he was ten feet from the front doors, however, out came Jazz Fenton, Daniel's older sister. She seemed not to notice him immediately. Instead, she was frantically looking around, as if she was searching for someone.
"Danny! Danny, where are you?" The red haired teen called, worry written all over her face.
Daniel, Vlad thought. Had something happened to him during his visit to Clockworks? Something more devastating than what he had already experienced?
It was then that Jazz turned to face Vlad. Her look of worry vanished, replaced by one of hatred and conviction. It was frightening how much of her mother she had inherited, Vlad pondered.
"You." She growled. "Where is my brother?"
"Has something happened to Daniel?" he inquired.
"Don't give me that bull shit." Jazz hissed. "Something is wrong with my brother and I think you have something to do with it."
Vlad needed a moment to compose himself. After all, Jazz Fenton NEVER cursed. So something must have happened in school to bring her to this state.
"I assure you that I have not harmed your brother in any way. As a matter of fact, he visited me earlier today."
This didn't seem to satiate Jazz's anger. "And why would Danny willingly visit you?"
Vlad hesitated, wondering if he should tell the eldest Fenton sibling about how Daniel sympathized with him on his feelings of loss. Deciding not, he said, "He asked me to neutralize his ghost powers for the day."
"And why would he ask for something like that?" The sister demanded.
"He refused to say."
Not satisfied with his answer, Jazz walked up to him until her face was inches from his, a scowl on her face.
"I don't know what sick game you are playing," She said, jabbing her finger into his chest. "But it needs to end. My brother has endured enough today and he does not need any more..."
But it was then that Jazz felt something drop onto her hand, almost like a raindrop. This was quite odd seeing as how it was bright and sunny out and not a cloud in the sky. Looking down, she was slightly confused to see instead of clear water, it was crimson. Her mind cycled though possible explanations. It seemed too thin for paint and she did not hear of any plans to paint the school if that were the case. There was nobody outside the school besides the two of them so it couldn't be a stray drop from a drink. Then where could the strange drop have come from?
Both she and Vlad looked up and caught a faint glimpse of someone on the roof. Taking a step back to get a better angle, they saw it appeared to be a boy with a mess of black hair and a white T-shirt on.
"Danny?" Jazz whispered. Curious, she brought her hand to her nose to get a whiff of whatever had fallen on her. The smell horrified her.
Blood.
The metallic smell stung her nostrils. Sickened her to the stomach.
Glancing back up, she saw her brother's arms painted red, drops coming off his finger tips and sprinkling the pavement below.
"DANNY!" Jazz screamed up to him, desperately trying to get his attention.
Vlad was quickly able to deduce what was happening from the sister's reaction and by looking at Daniel on the roof. It was truly a mortifying sight. What made it hurt even more was that Vlad knew he had unknowingly aided the boy in his suicide attempt. It seems the ghost of time was right. He wouldn't get what he wanted. He had actually brought about the downfall of his own plans. Shaking his head, he decided now was not the time to contemplate his ruined plans. Now was the time to try and atone for at least one of his greatest mistakes.
"Danny! Please!" Jazz pleaded, trying to grab the attention of her brother. Yet it was of no use. Whether Danny was too high for her voice to reach her or he simply refused to acknowledge her, Danny remained on the edge of the building.
Then, to both Jazz and Vlad's horror, they saw Danny fall backwards off the building.
"NO!" Jazz yelled.
"DANNY!" another voice called from on the roof.
To the two onlooker's surprise they saw another figure rush to the edge of the roof as Danny began his decent. It was difficult to make out but Jazz thought the person looked like Kitty.
The figure put their hand to their mouth before swiftly taking it away, almost as if they were blowing someone a kiss. Once the gesture was complete, they saw a spectral set of lips flying towards Danny.
Jazz turned away, not wanting to see her little brother's body crash onto the pavement. She waited for the sickening splat on concrete.
One-second.
Two-seconds.
Three-seconds.
The wait was becoming unbearable yet Jazz did not wish to have the image forever burned into mind.
Then something broke the silence. It wasn't the sickening sound of bone breaking or the splatter of flesh. It was the delicate sound of feet landing on pavement and gentle sobbing.
Deciding to open her eyes, Jazz turned to the origin of the sound.
There, on the concrete, weeping on her hand and knees, was Kitty. Tears were streaming down her face while her body spasmed with each breath she took. There was now sign of her brother except for the patches of blood that littered the sidewalk.
"Is...is he safe?" Jazz asked hesitantly.
Kitty shakily stood up before facing Jazz.
"He will be okay as long as he remains banished. He still needs help and I can't keep him banished forever." She replied.
Nodding, Jazz walked over to the ghost before pulling her into a tight embrace. Kitty stiffened at the gesture, unsure on how to react.
"Thank you for saving my brother." Jazz said.
"I wanted to stop him but I was too stunned. I didn't know how to react so I just watched." Kitty whimpered.
"You saved him." The elder Fenton sibling reassured. "Right now, that is all that matters."
Kitty nodded her head before they separated.
"He needs medical attention." She said shakily. "He lost enough blood to pass out."
Nodding, Jazz turned to Vlad, a determined look in her eyes.
"Is it safe to assume that you have the proper medical equipment in your lab to help patch up Danny?"
Vlad simply nodded.
"Good. We'll patch him up then figure out how to tell my parents."
With that, Vlad transformed into his ghostly half before picking the girl up by the arms and leading Kitty towards him mansion. Once there, the three phased into his lab.
Jazz was quick to prepare a bed for him while Vlad quickly powered down and prepared the necessary equipment for patching up his cuts and preparing a blood transfusion.
***3 Hours Later***
Everything was foggy. His eyelids seemed to weigh a ton and his thoughts were as murky as swamp water. The only thing he was currently certain of was that he was alive, in some form or another. He currently had no murderous intentions or a desire to rip out Vlad's ghost half and fuse with it, meaning he hadn't completely gone ghost. The thought of him still being alive started to solidify as he felt a dull, throbbing pain on both his wrists.
Slowly, everything started to come back to him. He had gone to the roof after Sam had humiliated him in front of the crowd of onlookers. Somehow he had downed the remainder of his parents liquor without passing out or throwing it back up. He remembered how desperate he had felt to make the heartache and pain go away. He remembered Kitty, Ember, and Spectra approaching him on the roof top, trying to calm him. Yet still he took out the straight razor and sliced both his wrists open. Then when everything began to turn black, he remembered Kitty saying that she cared for him. Was she telling him the truth? Did she really care for him? Danny hoped that he could find out.
Once he felt strong enough, Danny slowly opened his eyes. Looking around, he did not know where he was. The medical equipment and bed was hospital quality, yet the room itself was furnished lavishly. There were leather visitor chairs, a large flatscreen television, decorative plants, and expensive looking paintings.
Just then, Jazz entered the room. She appeared to be exhausted and she had a bandaid on her right arm over her vein. When she saw that he was awake, her eyes welled up with tears before she rushed over and hugged him fiercely.
"Danny!" She sobbed into him. "Thank God you're okay!"
After getting over the initial shock of seeing his sister, he slowly wrapped his arms around her. There was a shuffle of feet coming from the doorway. As the two separated, Danny saw Kitty standing there, here eyes bloodshot and trails of mascara running down her face.
"Glad to see you awake." She said as she sat next to his bed while Jazz stood next to her.
"Where am I?" He asked.
"Vlad's mansion." His sister replied. "We were able to get you to the lab and transfuse some of my blood into you so you could replace the blood you lost."
He slowly nodded his head before speaking again.
"How did I survive the fall? I blacked out right as I felt myself going over the edge."
"I...I saved you." Kitty said softly, fidgeting a little in her chair. "I used my banishing kiss on you before you hit the ground then brought you back so we could patch you up."
"So where is Vlad? Why isn't he with you two?"
Jazz let out a huff. "He is in his study, 'Thinking about recent events.' Or so he claims. I hope he feels guilty for taking away your ghost powers."
"Don't be mad at him." Danny replied, sitting up his bed to better talk to the two. "I asked him to do it."
This only made his sister even more angry. "Why? Why did you ask him to take your powers away?"
Here it comes, Danny though. The grand interrogation his sister was sure to start.
"Why would you decide to commit suicide? Didn't you think about me or mom and dad when you decided to slit your wrists? Why didn't you talk to anyone if you were having these feelings?" Jazz asked, desperately wanting to understand why her brother had come to the conclusion that he did.
Danny simply gave her a somber look before finding intense interest with his bed sheets. This is what he feared. The questions. Truthfully, he didn't want to answer because he didn't think Jazz would understand nor did he wish to relive the painful memories.
"Jazz." Kitty spoke up, causing the elder Fenton sibling to pause in her interrogation. "Could you give Danny and I a couple of minutes alone?"
Jazz was about to decline yet after looking at Kitty's pleading eyes and her brother's reluctance to answer, she sighed before nodding her head and exiting the room.
Once the door closed, the two let out a sigh of relief.
"I love my sister but I can hardly talk to her when she gets like that." Danny spoke up.
"I can tell." Kitty chuckled, looking up at the black haired teen.
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips before he glanced over at Kitty.
"Are you feeling any better?" She asked.
"My arms are sore and I still have a terrible headache." He replied.
Kitty simply nodded in acceptance.
"I do appreciate you saving my life." Danny continued. "I just hope things don't get that bad again where I..."
*SMACK*
Danny head jerked to the side at the force of the strike. His cheek stung and his jaw was sore. Turning back, he saw Kitty breathing heavily.
"Don't." She said, her body shaking as she spoke. "Don't even think about doing it again. Escaping from the problem will never solve it.
After getting over the initial shock, he spoke. "I don't want to deal with it. I don't want to even think about the problem because of how much it hurts."
Kitty sighed before getting up from her chair to sit next to him on the bed.
"I know it hurts. I may not have been around for the other indignities that Sam and Johnny inflicted upon you but I was there when this whole mess started. Did it hurt seeing the one I had loved cheat on me? Yes. But I knew that I needed to move on and not dwell on the past if I wanted things to get better."
"I lost so much, though." Danny said as tears spilled from his eyes. "I lost my friends. My parents were too busy to listen to me. I knew Jazz would overreact if I brought it up to her. Then I was humiliated in front of the school. I had nobody. I was alone."
Kitty wrapped her arms around him before bringing his head to rest on her bosom. With her right hand, she ran her fingers through his unruly black hair. With her left, she gently rubbed his back.
"You're wrong." She cooed in his ear. "You are loved. Your parents love you, even when they are busy. Your sister loves you, despite her overbearing attitude. And...and...I love you."
Danny continued to cry as he contemplated Kitty's words. He knew his parents loved him. When they were free from work they showed their affection to him. He knew his sister loved him, even if she sometimes had a difficult way of showing it. It was the last one that got him, though.
"Do...do you really love me?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied. "I loved our time together before you convinced me to return to Johnny. I loved you enough to go and find you today after hearing about the terrible things that had recently happened to you. I loved you so much that I wanted to save you. To give you another chance at life. To prove to them that you are stronger than their insults. To have a second chance to be with you."
Danny had no words. He hadn't expected her to love him like this. To confess her feelings for him in such a way. All he could do was cry. He wept over the bitter memories of Sam, Tuck, and Johnny. He wept for the people he had hurt by trying to killing himself. Finally, he wept at knowing that people loved him enough to want him to stay alive.
Kitty simply continued with her ministrations. She knew that he needed this. To let it all out. She didn't know how long he cried. When she heard him stop and heard the slow, methodical intake and exhale of his breath, she knew he had fallen asleep. She set him gently back onto the bed before crawling in beside him.
***Vlad's Study***
As Vlad poured his third cognac, he once again went over the events that had transpired today. His meeting with Daniel. His understanding of his relationship pain. Neutralizing his powers. Going to Clockwork and discovering the terrible indecencies Daniel had endured. The revelation the ghost of time had imparted on him that he would never attain Maddie's affection. Witnessing Daniel's attempted suicide. Finally, how he patched up Daniel and set up the blood transfusion between him and his sister.
Taking a sip, he felt numerous emotions. Guilty for indirectly causing Daniel to attempt suicide. Relief that he had managed to help him recover from his attempt. Lost, because he could not foresee a purpose to his life anymore. Lonely, because he had abandoned his friends and made countless enemies to attain his now impossible goal.
What was there to do? There was no point in continuing to be mayor. No point in continuing his fight with Daniel. There was nothing left for him.
Just then, in a disgusting whirlwind of green slime, there appeared Penelope Spectra.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" Vlad asked.
The misery ghost gave the room a quick look over before replying.
"I came to check on Kitty to see if she was able to help Danny."
"He's healing up." He replied. "We were able to patch up his wounds and perform a blood transfusion. Kitty and his sister have been keeping watch over him."
"Oh." Penelope said, giving Vlad a look over. "Why aren't you with them?"
Vlad sighed, rubbing his temples before answering.
"I needed some time alone to think."
"What about?" Spectra asked, slowly walking towards the empty chair next to him and sitting down.
"Recent events and the future." He said before taking another sip of cognac.
"Would you like to talk about it?" She asked.
"In short, I indirectly helped Daniel go through with his suicide attempt. I not only learned of the hardships Daniel has endured but I was also told that I will never woo the women that I love. I witness Daniel nearly fall to his death. Finally, I patch him up to try and atone for the mistake I made."
"My. That is quite a lot of things weighing you down." Penelope said.
"Indeed." Vlad replied.
"So...where is it?" The misery ghost asked, giving him an all knowing look.
"I don't know what you are talking about." The elder halfa replied, refusing to meet her eyes.
Spectra simply chuckled. "You can play dumb all you want but my doctorate in psychology tells me otherwise."
Letting out a sigh, Vlad pointed to a rectangular wooden box on the small table that was sitting next to his decanter of cognac. Penelope picked up and set it in her lap before opening it.
"Dirty Harry fan, I see." She said, pulling out the .44 Magnum from the velvet lined box.
"Unfortunately it is no longer the World's Most Powerful Handgun." He mused.
"Still." Penelope chuckled as she placed it back in the box and closed the lid. "It would blow your head clean off."
"That was the point." Vlad said flatly as he downed the last of his drink.
"Do you really feel life has become meaningless?" Spectra asked.
"To use the quote Clockwork told me, 'You can't always get what you want.' All my life, I have tried to gain the affection of one women. Today when I was told by a being second only to God that I will never have her no matter what I do, life does seem meaningless."
Penelope simply chuckled before patting his knee. "I believe that the line continues to say 'If you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.' How do you know life is meaningless if you don't see it all the way through? Maybe there is a better woman than her out there, waiting for you."
Vlad sighed. Even in his inebriated state, he saw the truth in her words.
"I can't fault you on that logic." He conceded.
"That's why they gave me the doctorate." She replied cheekily. "So what are you planning on doing now?"
"Maybe see if I can right some of the wrongs I have done. Give some aid to Daniel in his struggle. Hopefully find someone new along the way." Vlad said.
Penelope smiled.
"That's as good a start as any."
Author's Note: I don't usually write an Author's note at the end of my chapters but I feel compelled to write one for this chapter. I said in the first chapter of this story that I had two reasons for writing this story. One was because you the fans voted for this story. My second reason is because I have been battling depression. Even during the writing of this chapter I felt it. Still feel it. I'm afraid of being alone and helpless. Of thinking that nobody will understand these thoughts running through my head, telling me that it would be so much easier to end it all now rather than continue. Yet here I am. I know that I'm not alone. I have friends that love me. I have family that loves me. I know that God loves me. Do I occasionally have suicidal thoughts now and then? Yes. But I keep going because I know that tomorrow is a new day and sure to bring new experiences. So to you readers that are having the same thoughts, I beg you to keep going. You are not alone. You are strong. You are brave. You have people that love and care for you. God will always love and care for you. I will love and care for you. Please, don't give up. Keep going.
