Edit 10/8: The general consensus, to my surprise, is to continue this story, so I will do exactly that. Extended this chapter to end better. Working on ch. 5. Addition begins at 'He swallowed and turned back to look at the menu'.
Just to let you know, this chapter is unbeta-ed and ends oddly. It's also short. There is a good reason for that though. I'm considering rewriting what I have of this fic so far. I think I started it too early in the plot/story, and there is too much exposition (and drama XD ). I'd love to hear your opinion on the matter. I don't know when it will be up, as I'm currently working on it. Let me know what you think: rewrite or continue as is?
Tucker wasn't much help. He'd mostly tried to talk Danny out of all his ideas to get rid of his powers. At first, Danny had tried to think of any of his parent's inventions that could help. Danny had been split by their Dreamcatcher a few weeks before, but Danny didn't like how he acted as a human when split. He wanted to be without his ghost powers, not a different person. He didn't want to be just a shell. The only other thing Danny could think of that might be able to help would be his dad's Ghost Gauntlets. They could be used to grab a ghost and they might be able to use them on Danny, to reach inside him and pull out his ghost side. They would be perfect.
Unfortunately, as Tucker pointed out, they didn't know how to turn the gauntlets on, much less how to control them. Tucker tried to convince him to put the thought to rest entirely, as he had tried to persuade Danny to do all evening, but Danny felt it was their best bet. He agreed to leave it as a backup. At some point between the Gauntlets and searching the internet, Danny had asked where Sam was. Apparently, according to Tucker, she was busy showing some exchange student from Hungary around. Sam had done the same thing yesterday, after they'd all separated.
"I wonder if she's hot," Tucker speculated dreamily, "With a hot accent."
"You'll think she's hot no matter what," Danny'd replied with a smirk.
Tucker had grinned. "You're right. She's from Hungary, all Hungarian women are hot!" Danny had rolled his eyes and got back to what was important right now: getting rid of his powers.
Tucker sat on his bed, on his PDA, as Danny took over his friend's computer. Searching 'getting rid of ghosts' brought up websites for priests, salt and sage, mediums, the Ghostbusters, and nothing that was useful to Danny. Ghost DNA was similarly unusable, talking about bacterial ghosts, whatever those were. Finally, Danny typed in the search 'changing DNA'. A link for information about genetic engineering came up. He clicked on it. "Genetic engineering, genetic modification (GM), and gene splicing (once in widespread use but now deprecated) are terms for the process of manipulating genes in an organism…" were the first words on the page. After looking at the contents, he skipped down to 'Genetic engineering and research' and skimmed the section. It didn't have any names of places involved. The links at the bottom weren't helpful either. He searched 'genetic engineering lab', but it came up with results on animals. Maybe genetic research lab would work better.
"Hey, Tucker," Danny asked, not looking away from the search results, "Have you ever heard of something called 'S.T.A.R. Labs'?"
"Star Labs? Like, space?" Danny heard Tucker's mattress creak and the boy's steps heading towards him. He slowly shook his head.
"Like," he began to read from the screen, "Scientific and Technological Advanced Research."
"What are you looking up?" Tucker sounded uneasy.
Danny clicked on the link. It brought up a website laid out in sleek white and blue.
"Danny?"
"Genetic Research," Danny replied distractedly as he skimmed the page. He heard Tucker make an odd sound behind him and begin coughing. He quickly stood and thumped the other boy on the back.
"Are you insane?" Tucker gasped out. He coughed one last time and took a step back to look at Danny. "Dude, what are you thinking? A research lab!?"
Danny blinked. "A genetics research lab," he emphasized.
"Even worse!" Tucker was incredulous. "Dude, what is your problem? You want to get experimented on!?"
Danny shook his head hastily. "What? No!"
"Then why are you looking up a research lab?"
"Well, they might have information."
"How are you going to get their information!? They aren't just going to put it up on the internet!"
Danny opened his mouth, then closed it again. Bringing a hand up, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He hadn't thought of that. Tucker always seemed to find out so much information on the internet, he had just assumed the research would be there. "You sure?" He tried weakly. He then shook his head at Tucker's expression. "Fine!" He closed the window on the computer. He'd look it up at home. He slumped back into the chair. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"How about you stop trying to get rid of your powers?" Tucker said seriously.
Danny huffed. "I wish Clockwork had just made it so I never went into the portal." The portal. The portal. Danny shot up, eyes wide. "Duh! The portal! It gave me my powers and it can take them away!"
The blood seemed to drain from Tuck's face and he gaped at Danny. "What?"
"I can just go in the portal and turn it on again!" Danny was getting excited now. "It will reverse everything!"
Tucker had started shaking his head as Danny talked, slowly at first, but getting quicker. "No! Dude, you almost died last time! You can't do that!"
"It'll be fine," Danny waved him off.
"No! What if it just kills you the rest of the way? You don't know it'll reverse the procedure!" The teen was breathing quickly.
Danny opened his mouth, then blinked and frowned. "Tucker, it's okay."
"No, it's not!"
"Tucker –" Tucker was looking really panicked now, but before Danny could reassure him, the door swung open to reveal Tucker's mother. Danny looked up at her over Tucker's shoulder.
"Sorry, Danny, but it's dinnertime. I'd invite you to stay, but Tucker's dad is home tonight. Do you need me to give you a ride home?"
Danny glanced at Tucker, then back to her. "Thanks, Mrs. Foley, but I'm okay walking." She smiled at him, still standing there. He glanced back at Tucker, forcing an encouraging smile. "I'm fine, Tuck. Really." He passed Mrs. Foley and headed down the stairs. He could hear Mrs. Foley talking to Tucker as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"We're having steak for dinner, Tucker." He opened the door, pausing slightly as he heard Mrs. Foley ask Tucker if he was alright. Sighing, he closed the door behind him. Tucker would understand.
It wasn't anything that could go wrong, Danny was sure. He shuddered remembering the pain, but thinking of Dad and what happened helped solidify his decision. What if because of him, Mom got hurt? Or Jazz? Vlad could get hurt, Danny was fine with that, but he didn't want what was left of his family hurt because of him. Maybe Tucker was right, and there was a chance, but it was small at best, right?
He got to the end of the street and turned left instead of right. He needed to think about this, and Mom wasn't expecting him back until curfew in an hour and a half.
It could be a small chance, but it could be a large one. The first time he was in the portal and it turned on, it had hurt so much. He'd thought he was dead, or going to die, at least. It had been absolutely terrifying. The electricity and ectoplasm coursing through his system… He had blacked out as it increased, but remembered how much it had hurt at first and how… worn he'd felt afterwards. He'd woken up as he fell from the portal. It had been terrifying, opening his eyes with no idea of what was going on except that he was rushing towards the ground. He'd caught himself on his hands and knees, vision graying at the edges again at the jar on his already raw nerves, and his left arm had given out. He hadn't had the energy to hold himself up and had landed on his side, rolling over as he passed out again. He'd woken up again, not sure how long afterwards, feeling only slightly better, though he was able to move. It had been a shock to see himself. He'd since gotten used to the sight and, more recently, begun to hate it. Maybe it was for the best he used the portal to get rid of his ghost side.
Tucker's words came back to him and he frowned. If only Tuck hadn't said that. Danny had thought he'd found the perfect solution, but now he wasn't so sure. It couldn't be that big of a chance, could it? Maybe he shouldn't try it. Maybe he should leave it as a last resort. Well, if that was a last resort, then what was left? Did he have any other plan? He supposed he could always call STAR Labs and say he was calling for a project or something.
The mall came into sight a little ways ahead of him and he sighed. He should probably turn around and head back home. He'd lost track of time thinking and it was already nine-thirty. He glanced across the street to see if any cars were coming, or if was safe to cross the street, but his eyes were caught by a familiar figure standing under the street light. He froze as he saw Sam, across the street, with a tall guy in white kissing her, and Sam reaching her arms around the guy's neck and kissing him back. Danny gaped, hurt and betrayal flaring deep in his chest. Sam moved up on her toes, bringing her closer to the other boy's face.
Danny turned and ran back the way he'd come, pain tearing a hole in his chest. He couldn't believe it. How could she do that? How could she do that!? His eyes pricked and anger pushed up at the feeling. How could she do that to him? He'd trusted her, he'd…
He'd liked her, he realized. He laughed slightly, still angry. Of course, now he would figure out how he felt about her. Life just wasn't fair, was it? And who had that other guy been? Danny had never seen him before. Was he the exchange student Tucker had mentioned Sam was showing around? Oh, wasn't that just great! Danny wasn't sure when he'd started to like Sam, but he'd only realized it now, when that guy had been around for, what, a day, and he'd already decided that he was interested in Sam? That jerk! He couldn't believe that he had kissed Sam. He had been kissing her! Didn't they get to know girls before just kissing them in Hungary?
He took a breath, trying to calm down as he paused outside of his house. He was already late for his curfew, a few minutes to make sure he didn't snap at Jazz or Vlad, if he was there, wouldn't hurt. After a minute, Danny gave it up as a lost cause and opened his front door. He stepped in, ready to head up to his room, but noticed Mom sitting uncomfortably on the couch, looking everywhere but at him.
"Danny, sweetie, can I talk to you?"
Danny swallowed, glanced around for Vlad, then sat down on the other couch. "Yeah?" He tried to sound normal, but his voice was tight and stiff. Mom's eyes darted over to meet his, then just as quickly looked away. Danny frowned mentally as he noticed the alarm he'd seen in them. Was he scaring Mom? Crap, were his eyes green? He didn't think so, but he blinked hard just in case.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes, the atmosphere becoming more tense by the moment. Danny shifted slightly in his seat. Mom finally sighed.
"Danny," she began, licking her lips and looking at the coffee table, "How are you, sweetheart?"
That wasn't what Danny had expected her to say. "I'm fine."
"Honey, you know if you ever need anything, or want to talk, or feel upset, you can talk to me, right?" She looked up at him as she asked, holding his gaze. Danny nodded and she glanced down at her hands.
"Is everything okay, Mom?" Danny ventured. He had no idea what this was about.
"Do…" Mom faltered. She took a deep breath. "I got a call from Tucker's mom, sweetheart. She said that Tucker was worried that you were going to- going to hurt yourself. Using the portal."
Danny almost couldn't believe it. "What?"
"I've taken down the portal." Shock rushed through Danny and his eyes widened, the anger he'd felt at Sam reemerging and turning to Tucker. How could he do this? It was Danny's choice, not Tucker's! Tucker had just taken Danny's best chance to get rid of his powers! It was true that Danny hadn't planned on doing it, but that didn't matter then. Right then, he was angry that Tucker had taken Danny's decision into his own hands and made the choice for Danny.
He closed his eyes hard and quickly opened just in case his anger showed. He did his best to push his expression into neutrality, though he wasn't sure if he succeeded. "For- for the move?"
Mom opened and closed her mouth. "Danny, maybe Jazz was right about a counselor-"
"I'm fine," Danny asserted. "I'm not crazy and I don't need to see a shrink."
"Danny, I never said you were crazy, sweetheart. I just… You're taking your father's death really hard, and that's understandable, all things considered, I just think it might be good to talk to someone about it. Talk about what you've been feeling, and what you saw, and how you feel now. It could really help you. I'm worried about you, honey."
Danny forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Really, I don't need to talk to anybody."
"Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories, how may I help you?"
Danny hesitated for a second, swallowing, before he replied. "Hi. Er- Hello. Um, I was wondering if you had any information on –" He paused as his mind went blank trying to remember any of the terms he'd read last night. "Er, on gene splicing?"
"May I ask who is calling?" The tone was slightly irritated, though still polite.
"Oh, I'm, I'm doing a school project on… uh, genetic research and I figured you guys would have the best information."
The person on the other end of the line's voice warmed slightly. "I see. Well, what would you like to know?"
"Uh," Well, he was getting somewhere, at least. "Gene splicing? Or taking one part of your DNA and changing it?"
"Chromosome isolation?" The words sounded distant and were muttered quietly, though Danny could still hear them. "Hmm." The voice spoke up. "I'm sorry, I can't give you any information concerning that. Is there anything else?"
Danny sighed. "No, thanks." He ended the call, the change clattering into the tray beneath the phone. Well, there went that option. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed down the street to the Nasty Burger. Vlad was coming over sometime that day and Danny didn't want to be around the man. He didn't have anyone to meet and hang out with there, as he was annoyed at Tucker and Sam was furious with him.
"Danny!"
He turned at the sound of his name, but he didn't see anyone behind him.
"Danny!"
This time he looked further down the street to see Valerie running towards him. She waved as she caught his attention and he waved back, a smile lighting his face. Val slowed down as she neared him, huffing slightly.
"Hey, Danny," She smiled at him, "How are you?"
Danny smiled back. "I'm fine. How are you?"
"I'm good." She glanced over her shoulder. "Are you going to the Nasty Burger to meet Sam and Tucker?"
Danny shook his head. "I'm not meeting them there. I was just going on my own."
"Well," Valerie turned so they were side by side, "I just got my paycheck from there and, since I've put in so much overtime, instead of paying me, they gave me a bunch of gift certificates. Want lunch?" She looked straight ahead as she asked him this, a slight blush colouring her face.
Danny also looked straight ahead as he replied, "Sure." His cheeks tinted red slightly as well and he glanced at Valerie out of the corner of his eye, catching her looking at him. His blush grew darker and he looked for another thing to talk about as they walked. "I haven't seen you in a while."
"Yeah, since-" She stopped, but Danny knew that she was thinking of the funeral three weeks ago. "So, how are you? Did Mr. Masters stay long?"
Danny half-laughed. "He hasn't left for more than a few days."
Val looked surprised. "Really? He's so busy, I'd think he'd be back to running his business as soon as possible."
"He's been running his business from here and flying back and forth to different meetings. Vlad and Mom were friends in college, so he's been here to support her. It's a little weird, but I've sort of gotten used to him around." Danny shook his head. "Okay, that's really weird. I don't even like him. I wish he'd leave us alone, but Mom's happier with him around, so…" He shrugged, trailing off. Valerie nodded slightly.
"I see. Sort of." The last phrase was muttered, though Danny caught it. They chatted amiably the rest of the way to The Nasty Burger. Danny paused slightly as he walked into the restaurant and caught sight of Sam and Gregor sitting at a table. Valerie began to asked him why he'd stopped, so he grabbed her wrist and sped walk to the counter.
"Let's order, quickly, and sit as far away from the entrance as possible." They stopped behind a few people at the counter and Val turned to look behind them.
"There's Sam!" Val said with a smile, before her tone turned curious, "Who's she with?"
Danny chanced a glance behind him, only to catch sight of Sam, who had noticed him, glaring angrily at him. He swallowed and turned back to look at the menu, feeling Sam's gaze burning the back of his head. "That's Gregor," he replied, grimacing.
Valerie made an amused noise beside him and he turned to look at her. Her eyebrows were raised. "Sounds like you're a fan."
Danny frowned. "He and Sam are…" he trailed off. He wasn't sure what to call it.
"Together? Valerie prompted, grinning. Her smile faded as she looked at him. "Oh. That's why you're in such a bad mood. Is that also why Sam kept glaring at you when we came in?"
Danny looked at her with surprise. "You noticed that? I didn't know you saw that."
Val smirked. "I notice more than you think. Compared to girls, boys are pretty clueless." Her smile faded. "So did you guys fight about that?"
"I- " Danny stopped as the couple in front of them moved away from the register and the cashier beckoned him and Valerie up. They ordered and hung around the side of the counter, not saying anything, as their food was quickly put on trays and finished. The inside of the Nasty Burger was full, so they found a shaded table in the heat outside. Danny wasn't sure what to say, so he started eating.
After a couple bites of her own burger, Valerie set it down and picked up a fry. She pried the plastic lid off of her Nasty Medium Chocolate Shake and swirled the fry in it. She watched it as she spoke. "So, did you tell her you didn't want her going out with him because you liked her?"
Danny jerked in surprise, the straw of his drink jabbing into the roof of his mouth, and started coughing, "What? How- how did you?"
Valerie twisted her mouth into a wry smile, her eyes on the fry she now held still in the ice cream. "How did I know you like her?" She shrugged. "Wasn't hard. You and Sam both were bad at trying to hide it."
"I didn't even know I liked her until last night! I – " he stopped. "What do you mean, me and Sam?"
Val took a bite of her soggy fry. "She liked you too. I could tell." She laughed once. "Everyone could, other than you. That was why Paulina went to that dance with you. No offense, of course, but she just wanted to go with you so Sam couldn't."
Danny stared at her. "So if she likes me, why is she with him?"
Valerie shrugged. "Maybe she moved on. A girl isn't going to wait around forever to be noticed. And, no offense, but remember when I said boys are clueless? That's one thing they're really bad at. Noticing this kind of thing."
"I noticed her!" Danny protested. "I hang out with her all the time."
"Danny." Valerie looked right at him. "You said you didn't know you liked her until last night. Noticing a girl like that is different than just being a friend. Is that why you guys are fighting?"
"No, uh," Danny looked down at the rest of his burger sitting on its wrapper. "She came over this morning to talk about something and I told her that I saw her last night kissing Gregor." Sam had come to apologize for what she'd said to him in the park and Danny had told her about how he'd seen her at the mall. He didn't think it would have been right to keep that from her, but she'd gotten angry. "She thought that I had been spying on her."
"…Were you?"
"No!" Danny looked up at Valerie. "It was an accident!"
Val nodded. "I just had to ask. So, she didn't believe you?"
Sighing, Danny shook his head. "She wouldn't listen. She started yelling at me, and I started yelling back, and now she's mad at me."
"What does Tucker think?"
Danny pushed the burger away, no longer hungry. "He doesn't know. He –uh- We're not speaking either."
"Really?" Valerie's tone was laced with surprise and Danny nodded.
"Yeah, he got me in trouble over something stupid and I just-" He huffed in frustration. Why was getting along with everyone so difficult lately? "It's like-" He couldn't find the words.
"It's like everyone's acting differently, but the same as they always have?" Val supplied.
Danny looked at her in surprise. "Yeah. That's it. How did you know?"
Val smiled sadly. "I felt the same way after my mom died. I just couldn't understand what was wrong with everyone else. I finally realized that I was the one who'd changed. Sam and Tucker are going to try to understand, but they never will."
"Hey," Frowning, Danny started to defend his friends, but Valerie held up her hands placatingly.
"I'm not trying to say anything bad about them, Danny. It's just… until they go through it, they won't get it. They can't." Her words were plain, but Danny knew the full meaning behind them. As hard as his friends tried, except for Val, none of them would know how horrible and different he felt. Even Valerie didn't fully understand. He set his chin on his palm and picked up a fry. Valerie was right. It meant a lot to him that they tried, though. And he'd definitely miss them when he left. That reminded him, he hadn't told anyone about that yet. He was always waiting for the right time, but the right time had never come up.
"I'm moving." He said it without preamble, not looking at Valerie.
He heard her stop drinking. "What? When?"
He blushed slightly. "Next week."
"Next week?" She sounded sad. Danny glanced up to see her looking at him, shoulders slumped. He sighed, suddenly regretting that he hadn't told her when he'd found out a few days ago. Regretting that he hadn't spent much time with her this summer. It'd be a lot harder to see her when he was in California and she was still in Illinois.
"Yeah," he replied quietly.
They were quiet for a few minutes, Danny playing with that same fry.
"We're still going to talk," Val finally said, breaking the silence. "I'll IM and we'll talk all the time."
Danny nodded. "Yeah, we will."
"And, Danny." At the seriousness in her tone, Danny turned to look at her. She looked completely sincere. "If you need help, or are in trouble, I'll always help you. I don't care if it's girl trouble, or life trouble, or…" She trailed off, then quickly added, "or if it's invasion of the body snatchers, I want you to know that I will always help."
Danny blinked. "Invasion of the body snatchers?"
Valerie blushed. "We have an old movie channel that my dad loves. It was on last night." She laughed self-consciously, then smiled. "Still goes."
Danny smiled back. "Thanks."
The conversation turned back to normal topics and they sat there for another half hour, talking about summer and new movies, and what Dash was going to do with Danny gone. Val eventually had to go inside for work and Danny headed back home, feeling better than he had in days.
Told you it ended oddly. Again, let me know your thoughts on the matter: rewrite or continue as it? I love (and listen to) feedback and definitely take it into consideration for writing. Whichever side people want the most, I will do. So, what do you want, rewrite or continue as is?
Almost forgot: the sentence Danny reads online is taken from an August 2005 Wikipedia page on the subject. I don't own it, of course. I think I used the 10 August 2005 version. Also, don't own DP or TT, though you can't see the Titans yet in here.
Again, I will be continuing this as is. If you read this before and love my edit, let me know =D Alternatively, if you detest it, also let me know. Any requests for next chapter? I can't guarantee they will be in there if it doesn't work with the plot, but I will do my best =) See you soon with Chapter Five!