A/N - The music for this chapter is Across the Burren (McLaughlin) during the sad parts and Sunrise over the Ocean (Janis) during the happy parts (ends with Sunrise over the Ocean).
The passing of one week would find them back in the states, wandering the familiar - to Sam at least - streets and paths of Amity Park. He had accepted the name the girl Sam had bestowed upon him. Daniel. Danny. It feels comfortable, familiar.
Slowly, tests in the Fenton lab coupled with insights from Sam and Tuck piece together a partial explanation.
"So you're saying I used be half ghost, but I wasn't really half either but one of each in the same body?" Daniel -he'd asked them to call him by the full name- frowns in concentration. The entire Fenton family with the addition of Sam and Tuck are seated in the kitchen with mugs of tea and hot chocolate.
"Well, there was this time that you split yourself into two people; Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton. So that's pretty strong proof for you having been two whole people – a ghost you and a human you." Tucker explains.
Sam strokes the back of his hand with her thumb, trying to send a reassuring message. Despite lacking any and all recollection of his life, the new Danny had still felt strong emotional ties with his old friends and family. It was those ties that had led him across the ocean on the bidding of the stranger girl who had found him.
Now he stands on the brink of discovering who he is and, well frankly, it scares him. He trusts these people, even loves certain of them, but…
"And now I'm actually half ghost, half human?" he continues resolutely.
Again it is Tucker, the boy who claims to be his best friend, who answers. "Both 'human' objects and 'ghost' objects are solid to you. No one wanted to try weapons, but I'd say it's a pretty safe bet both will work against you. On the positive side you've shown an instinctive, well…" the technogeek glances at Sam, "either it's memory or natural instinctive use of your powers. You haven't realized you're using them a lot of the time, but you only 'accidently' use them in your favor, unlike when you first got your powers."
This time it is Sam who interjects. "So at first it was like two Dannys learning to work together but now-"
"Now there's only one Danny, perfectly split between ghost and human."
Abruptly Daniel stands, pushing his chair back from the table. "I'm tired of this. I'm going up to- I'm going upstairs."
Gathering his cocoa he leaves the rest of the group in silence. Sam rises to go after him and Tuck begins to follow suit before Jazz lays a restraining hand on his arm.
"Leave them be Tuck. Danny… Daniel just needs some time."
Upstairs, Sam cracks open the door to his room, then swings it open. Standing in the middle of the floor is the ghostboy. The cup dangles loosely from long fingers. The brown chocolate is a spreading stain against the carpet.
She merely stands in the doorway, offering unspoken support as he turns to her.
"Why?!" All the frustration that he's rarely shown in the past week bursts out in that one word. "Why?" he asks more softly, holding his arms out toward her impeachingly. "Why?"
Tears welling up in her eyes she steps into his room. "I don't know Daniel. I don't know."
"All this stuff means nothing to me!" With a sweep of his arm the boy dismisses the entire room. "Nothing. But…"
He reaches out and traces her face with tentative fingertips. "But, them downstairs, you... you mean so much. And I don't understand."
"It's ok. It's ok."
This time it is Sam who comforts Daniel as he morns the loss of a life he can't remember.
Some time later finds them sitting at the windowsill. Sam is cupped in her love's lap as they take solace from each other.
"Sam?"
"Mm-hm?"
"I want to go home. Not here home. The place I remember. Clare."
Sam shifts closer to him and cups his cheek in her hand. "I know. We'll go home soon. We can stay there as long as you like."
"And…. Sam?"
"Yeah?" She raises her face to match his gaze with her own.
"No matter what else is real or not…. I do love you."
Softly she meets her lips with his. Drawing away slightly violet meets aqua as an understanding passes between the two.
"I know. I love you too. Forever."
A/N - This started out as a one-shot, then a two-shot and now (finally) a three shot. Kudos to everyone who caught the - vast - similarities between this plot and the plot of 'The Hunter's Moon' written by O.R. Melling. I hate to admit it but nothing here is mine but the arrangement of the words and the explanation about Danny. For those of you who didn't quite catch it here's what happened.
When Danny sacrificed himself Crom Cruac only took one sacrifice, but Danny was essentially two. Whether purposely or not Crom Cruac took half of Dan's human self and half of his ghostly self, leaving him whole, but not quite all there either way.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it. Comments and critiques are always welcome. Till next time, farewell.
