I love how Connections has longer chapters than this fic but it takes a shorter amount of time to get them out. You see people this is why I shouldn't be left to my own devices. For the like, two of you who've read Connections you will notice many similarities and links to it. Feel free to take those how you will.
Also, Ponytail Guy is back and gets his name revealed, because that idiot somehow managed to take over half the story. Someone else however, needs to get back in their own darn story. And to the reviewer who compared Danny's situation to Doctor Who; you have no idea what you've unleashed. I'll give you a hint; I had second-hand embarrassment from writing it.
Chapter warning: There is one character who swears a lot in the final scene. Granted, a bit of it's in ghost language but whatever. This seems like a good time to mention that headcanon's used, doesn't it? Feel free to ask for the translations, if you want them!
Onwards!
Part 4;
Danny stared at the calendar and clock in front of him, fixing the time and date on his phone. The blankets he had stolen from Candice were folded and lying in the living room. Danny figured that the less he saw them the easier it would be to ignore his guilt about taking them.
This better not become a recurring thing. I have no clue how I'm supposed to explain this. I have no clue how I'm supposed to explain anything.
Danny had just finished setting the time back to normal when the floor squeaked, and Danny shot a quick look behind him.
"Mom?" And this is where the problems arise. Crud.
Maddie stopped, giving her son a questioning look. "Danny? What are you doing home? I thought you would've gone straight from Tucker's to school."
Danny blinked twice, giving his mom a blank stare. "What?"
"Tucker called last night," Maddie crossed her arms, "I would've appreciated you letting me know that you planned to stay at his house instead of having him do it for you, but at least you boys thought to give me some warning."
Danny stared blankly at Maddie for a few seconds before what she'd said registered in his mind. Tucker covered for me. He realized what was- wait. How did he figure it out? What did he figure out?
"Danny?" Maddie's tone was gentler, "Sweetie, are you okay?"
"Hm? Oh, I'm fine, I'm just..." Danny rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "I have a lot on my mind." Like the fact that I need to thank him for this. I've been a jerk lately, but after everything… okay, I'll talk to them. I'll have them show me to a class or something, but that's it.
"Oh," Maddie had a smile on her face which even Danny could tell was forced. "Danny, I know you think I'm lying as I say this, but I promise I'm not. You can talk to me about anything in the world. It doesn't matter what it is, I will listen." Danny had quit making eye contact, and Maddie reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "And I will always accept you."
Wait. Wait, does she know? Danny looked up, trying to mask the fear he was sure covered his face. How could she know?! Who told her?!
Okay, no. Deep breaths Fenton, you're overreacting. She doesn't know. Mom would've brought it up by now if she knew. She probably thinks I'm in a gang or something. Wonderful, even more problems will definitely arise from that.
...Huh. I actually really like that phrase.
"Thanks, Mom," Danny smiled, moving out of her reach. He picked up his backpack, backing out of the room. "But I should really be going... um, school stuff, yeah..."
"Oh... are you sure? I can always call the school if you don't feel like it, after everything, I'm sure they'll understand."
"Positive," Danny took a few more steps back, "Tucker's mom is just around the corner and she's going to give us a ride. Uh, 'bye." He slipped on his shoes, rushing out of the house.
Well. That was awkward. And now I get to walk, how fun.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Come on Sam, please? I'll give them back!"
Sam pulled her head out of her locker, glaring at Tucker. "If you wanted notes for the English test, then you should've made your own."
"I forgot!" He leaned in closer to his friend, ignoring the bell which rang in the background. "Come on Sam, please? For me?"
"Still no, Tucker." She rolled her eyes, "We have History first, right?"
"I sure hope so." Tucker turned, confused for a brief second before noticing Danny standing a little ways away. "Because I need someone to follow to that class. Who the heck is Mr. Lock and why don't I know him?"
"Danny!" Sam smiled, noticing him as well. "So, are you talking to us again, or...?"
Danny shrugged, "I guess I owe you guys." He looked over at Tucker. "Thanks, by the way. I don't know what you know but... thanks."
Tucker blinked twice. "For what?"
"Uh, covering for me...?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, "You called my mom and said I was over at your house last night? You prevented her from panicking since I didn't get home until it was late...?"
"But I-"
"Don't I get a thank you?" Sam interrupted, "I'm the one who convinced him to do that. He wasn't sure you were okay, but I knew you'd be fine."
"But-"
"He really didn't want to," Sam cut Tucker off once again, elbowing him in the side. "I had to bribe him with Starbucks."
Tucker felt as if he was missing something huge. I didn't cover for Danny! I didn't even know he was gone!
Danny shrugged, "Okay, thanks Sam. I didn't know coffee worked as bribery."
"So, History with Mr. Lock?" Sam rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her face. "Geez Danny, do you have all your classes with at least one of us?"
"...Well, yeah." One hand made its way to the back of his neck, "I wanted to get a feel for the grade, you know? But I'm actually doing all my cores and stuff next term, since apparently that's a thing I can do. I don't have a chance of finishing this semester in the like, week we have left. So the teachers just kind of threw me in classes where I'd be with at least one of you."
"...Oh, okay." Sam reached forward, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. "We're glad they did, Danny. It means the world to us to have you back."
Danny's reply was to take a deep breath in and step back, looking almost disappointed. "So, History?"
"Of course," Sam replied gently, elbowing Tucker in the side. "Close your mouth, Tucker. You're going to catch flies."
"Sam, I-" He started, whispering, but Sam subtly shook her head.
"Later," She mumbled, and Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Well then. Are you two a couple now, or...?"
"What?!" Tucker and Sam both shouted, quickly moving away from each other and furiously blushing.
"Danny, dude. No," Tucker gagged, looking at Sam. "No offense Sam, but no."
"None taken," She wrinkled her nose, "You smell like hamburgers. Yuck!"
"Well, you smell like-"
"Let's not smell each other, okay?" Danny cut in, looking as if he was about to start laughing. It took Tucker a second to realize just how long it had been since he'd seen Danny smile like that. For a moment, he'd tricked his mind into believing everything was okay again; that he hadn't nearly lost his best friend. "We have a class to get to. Come on, show me the way!"
It wasn't until that class was over that Tucker got a chance to ask Sam why she'd claimed he'd covered for Danny when they both knew he hadn't.
"Are you serious?" Sam had replied, "Tucker, you were missing ten minutes and had a guy who was apparently fond of Danny sitting in your room. He said he needed to send a message; what if that was it?"
"But what if it wasn't?"
"Tucker, what else could it have been? He seems to be on Danny's side- why can't we trust him?"
For the life of him, Tucker couldn't find the words to form his answer. But somewhere in his mind, he knew that trusting the ghost wouldn't end well for any of them. However, he'd completely missed Sam's eyes flash red for a second just after the conversation ended and the shade of a tall ghost in a ponytail hesitantly step out of her body. Sam continued on like she hadn't even noticed the ghost there.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Danny couldn't believe it. He officially had the worst luck.
It'd been Thursday night- technically Friday morning, but just barely- a moment ago, and Danny had been lying on his bed. Now he wasn't sure what time it was, only that it was a ridiculously warm daytime and he was in the middle of a sidewalk in his pink flannel pajamas with cell phone in hand.
Bah, somebody shoot me.
Danny quickly moved to his feet, slipping on the pair of shoes he'd hastily grabbed before time traveling. Grabbing shoes was something he'd used to always do before a ghost fight- after all, if something happened, he didn't want to be barefoot in the middle of rubble.
His foot hit something as he tried to put it in the left shoe, and Danny frowned. Reaching a hand in, he pulled out a Fenton Wrist Ray. ...When did that get in there? Darn it, Jazz, stop touching my stuff. He clipped it onto his wrist, moving to his feet. Oh well. Thanks, you spaz.
Danny laughed at his taunt before remembering that he was alone.
He shook his head, wondering if there was a place he could hang out until exploding time travel paid him another visit. No place came to mind- granted, that was probably because he wasn't sure when or where he was- so Danny just flopped onto his stomach and laid on the sidewalk. He ignored the sound of footsteps which followed, slower and quiet at first then pounding and quick. I hate everything.
"...Excuse me, are you okay?"
Danny lifted his head, looking at the lady who'd reached his side. Oh no. "...I'm tempted to say no."
Once again, he'd found himself in the company of Candice. However, this time it seemed she didn't quite recognize him. "Okay, better question; why are you lying on the sidewalk?"
Don't be sarcastic. Don't be sarcastic. "Because I'm an exploding time traveler?" Well, that didn't work.
"...Danny?"
"No, obviously I'm the Master of Time." Danny had no clue why he was acting the way he was, though it may have something to do with the fact he was half asleep. "This is just my form that's has legs and isn't blue."
"I... I don't want to know." She reached down, helping Danny to his feet. "Are those your pajamas?"
"Yep. And I take it those aren't yours? Nice tank top, by the way."
"Well someone needs a nap..." Candice whispered before directing her voice back at Danny. "Thanks, I think. I'm just going to meet a friend. Would you like to join me? I'll buy you a coffee. Or a burger from that stupid place across the street."
...Did I just get asked out by Valerie's mom? Wow, another older woman likes me! "Uh, sure...?"
Candice stepped forwards, motioning for Danny to walk by her side. For a few long moments, there was silence, and then, "Are you a Time Lord?"
"A what?"
"Time Lord? From Doctor Who? You know, flies around in that blue box thing?"
"...What? Okay, I'm pretty sure that's a TV show."
Candice shrugged, "Worth a shot. It's not like I would've known what to do anyways- I'm not the one who watches that stuff. That goes to my husband, and it's mostly just old reruns he finds. Though he did make me watch a TV movie thing with him a few years ago, him and my best friend... Apparently that guy has two hearts."
Danny made a face, "...Ew. Just ew. Why would you even remember that?"
"I don't know I just have a really good memory." Candice looked over at him, "Maybe the same way I remember you and your abilities even though this is only the third time in two years I've met you. What did you say they were? Exploding time travel?"
Danny froze for a second, and Candice looked back at him in apparent confusion. "I- oh, right, I did tell you that." Darn you, half-asleep sass!
She nodded. "Just now, in fact. Danny, I just have two questions- what are you, and what do you want with me?"
"I..." Oh, why not? She already knows about the time travel. "I'm a ghost. Part- I uh, yeah. Half human, too, and uh... yeah." That was not a good idea that was really not a good idea that was a horrible idea that was a really bad idea-
"...Yeah, sure." Candice scoffed, crossing her arms. "You can't be alive and dead. Besides, Ghosts aren't real."
Wait... Is she serious? "And a guy having two hearts is?"
"It's more likely than that!" Candice took a step back, "And ghost being real would mean that the Fentons are right. And those nutjobs shouldn't even be allowed in public!"
"Hey, leave them out of this!" Danny snapped, "This is between you and me!"
"Oh please, I'll bet you're working with them." She blew a strand of hair from her face, "What, did you get contaminated with their green goop and get superpowers?"
Danny could feel everything cooling around him as he took a step towards Candice. "They're ghost powers."
"Ghosts aren't real!"
"Yes, we are!" Danny's voice cut into a shout as he lashed out with a hand, and suddenly there was a wall of ice between him and Candice. "Oh, come on! Why is that power dead when I want to use it, but when I'm... I'm..." It's freezing. I'm freezing. Why is it so cold? Danny wasn't entirely sure how he ended up sitting on the ground, shivering and his teeth chattering. Stupid ice powers... it's too cold!
"Danny, I-" Candice stepped around the ice, kneeling beside him. "Um, are you okay?"
Danny couldn't reply verbally, so he offered none other than attempting to push Candice away. He failed. I control the power. The power does not control- dear god its cold.
"Danny? Danny, breathe, its okay." She reached a hand towards him, stopping before she could actually touch him. "You're freezing. Danny, breathe, okay? I- Danny, you're scaring me."
Good job Fenton, you terrified Valerie's mom. Great job.
And then just as quickly as they had appeared to attack, Danny's ice powers were gone again.
"Danny?" Candice asked again, reaching over to place a hand on his shoulder. "What was that?"
"Power surge," Danny forced a smile, looking over at Candice. "Still think ghosts aren't real?"
.-.-.-.-.-.
Danielle sat on top of a roof, staring out over Amity Park. She popped an Oreo into her mouth, chewing for a second before reaching back into the box for another. Her fingers touched nothing but crumbs and plastic, and with a frustrated sound she knocked the box to the ground.
Where was Danny? He should be here; after all, this was his school that she'd been sitting on since at least midnight. Of course, he didn't have school at night, but still!
Maybe those rumors she'd come to tease him about were true. Maybe he really was dead...
No. Get a hold of yourself, Danielle! She slapped her cheeks, moving to her feet. Danny wasn't dead, he couldn't be dead! He was a bit thick, sure, but he wasn't stupid enough to go and die!
"Littering's against the law, you know."
Danielle nearly fell off the roof from shock. She floated back up, staring at the girl a little ways away. "Valerie, right?"
"That would be my name," The ghost hunter crossed her arms. "What are you doing here? Besides throwing cookies on the ground."
Silently, Danielle recalled what had happened last time they'd met. "Just passing through. I've got a world to see, after all!"
"Right," Valerie didn't seem to believe her. Though, that probably had more to do with the fact she was a ghost than anything. "Well, then you'd better head off to see it!"
"Wow, someone wants to get rid of me." Honestly, Danielle didn't know where she was going with this. "I wonder why that is? Does the fact that I'm part human weird you out?"
"What? No!"
"It does, doesn't it!" Danielle was honestly offended now- it's not like she'd chosen to be like this, none of them had!
"It does not!"
"Girls, girls, you're both pretty."
Danielle and Valerie froze, slowly turning to the left. The voice had been male, and not one of anyone they knew. That, and there was a faint smell of smoke around them which hadn't been there before. The ghost floating at their side was physically in his twenties, with a stopwatch around his neck and white hair that for some reason turned black as it was pulled into a ponytail. He was drinking something from a Starbucks cup, and paused when he noticed they were staring at him.
Valerie had a weapon raised within moments. "This is a private conversation, ghost."
The ghost frowned, "Of all the names I have, none of them are ghost. If you're going to call me anything, at least go with Infinite, okay?" He took a drink from his cup, slurping through the straw.
Danielle copied his expression, "Infinite? I- okay, I know I've heard that name before."
Infinite took a drink from his cup before replying, "I wouldn't be surprised. I get around. ...That sounded a lot less sexual in my mind." He shrugged, "Anyway, I'm just here to talk. So, if you could put the gun down Val, that'd be great..."
Valerie didn't, instead reaching over to pull Danielle behind her. "How do you know my name, ghost?"
Infinite rolled his eyes, holding up his hands in an innocent gesture. "Again, it's Infinite. I understand that's a stupid name, but 'ghost' isn't any better. Really, we all know I'm dead, no need to rub it in." His hands moved back down to his side, "And I know your name because I do. Just like I know her's is Ellie."
There was a pause before Danielle replied, "My name's Danielle."
"...Ah," Infinite frowned, "Give it a month or two. Anyway, Dani, Val, I'm here to talk to you about Danny. With an extra N and a Y."
Danielle hesitated a second before moving out of Valerie's protective grasp, "What about him?"
"Long story short, the rumors going around the Ghost Zone- you heard those, right? Well they weren't exactly wrong... but not right! Don't worry, he's not dead! Trust me; I'd know if he was, and it would screw so much up!" Infinite smiled, "I'm... Here to make sure he doesn't die! Yeah, that. It's a thing I do now. Because someone abused their Life Core. But if he sees me, that's going to cause a lot of problems. Valerie, Dani, I need your help."
Finally, Valerie lowered her weapon. "Why should we trust you?"
Infinite sighed, "You shouldn't. I'm a world class dick, among other things. But if you want Danny-with-a-Y to make it through the next couple months without breaking the Timeline and probably killing you all, you don't have a choice."
Danielle floated back slightly, glancing over at Valerie. It took a second before the older girl asked, "How could he break the Timeline?"
Infinite shrugged, "I don't know. Magic. Time travel. Exploding pineapples. Ripping a hole to an alternate Universe open. Take your pick. All of those have actually happened."
"You're trying to stop what you don't even know is going to happen?" Valerie scoffed, "Oh, sure. Because that makes so much sense."
Again, Infinite simply shrugged, and a hand moved to rub the back of his neck. "It does when you're me. Are you going to help me or not?"
"I'm in," Danielle nodded, looking over at Valerie. "I want to help Danny."
"...Fine, sure, whatever." Her weapon was raised again, "But one wrong move and you'll be ectoplasm on the ground. Are we clear?"
"Clear as crystal!" The smile on Infinite's face appeared absolutely ridiculous and out of place, much like him. "Okay, here's your part in this master plan. And uh, you might want to sit down, this could take a while."
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Ghosts aren't real."
"Oh, then what was that? What did I do back on the sidewalk?" Danny crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at Candice. "Because if ghosts aren't real, then that couldn't have been a power surge."
"Maybe you're a wizard!"
"Yeah... I'm Danny Phantom, not Harry Potter."
Candice stopped her pacing, looking over at Danny in confusion. "Phantom? Seriously? What are you a ghost named ghost?"
Danny shrugged before reaching over for his drink. The two had continued to their destination- a Starbucks- in silence, and now were waiting at an outside table for Candice's friend. "Half ghost. But yeah, sure, I'm Ghost Ghost. Nice to meet you."
"You're serious? That has got to be the stupidest surname I've ever heard."
"It's not my actual last name, I made it up. Well, technically my best friend did and we ran with it..." Danny rolled his eyes, taking a drink from his cup. Huh, not bad. I should start drinking coffee. "And at least it's not a color. No, shade, grey is a shade isn't it?"
Candice froze, slowly turning towards him. "How do you know my last name?"
"Wait, that's actually your name? You're actually Valerie's mom?!" One of Danny's hands moved to the back of his neck. "Oh, this got awkward..." Valerie's mom died when she was eight... oh this got very awkward...
Candice's hands slammed down on the table, and Danny leaned away. And I thought an angry Valerie was scary! "How do you know my daughter, Phantom? Answer me!"
"Whoa. Do I even want to know what's going on here?"
Danny didn't expect to see his gym teacher when he turned, though he really should've. Don't call her Ms. Tetslaff. Do not call her Ms. Tetslaff. Don't call her anything. Focus on the beetle climbing up her shoe. Ew, bugs.
"Hey, Agatha," Candice was almost smirking as she straightened back up. "Remember that kid I told you about all those years ago? Here he is! Danny Phantom!"
And look, I broke the present again.
Agatha blinked twice, "Nice name. What is he; a part time superhero?"
Danny swallowed, laughing nervously as one hand made its way to the back of his neck and the other to his left side. "Maybe."
"I'm being serious here!" Candice lowered her voice, pulling Agatha closer to herself. "He fought off the green things that attacked me a couple years ago! And he nearly blew up my car in January! And both times, he just appeared out of nowhere! Today- you'll never believe this- but today I learned he can travel through time!"
Well, I'm screwed. I'm going to regret this. "Uh-huh," Calmly, Danny reached over and took a drink. "That's me, the time traveler. Secretly I am Doctor Who."
"Oh? You are?" Agatha raised an eyebrow as Candice rolled her eyes, almost glaring at Danny as her friend spoke. "Where's your TARDIS, then?"
What the heck is a TARDIS? It sounds like an insult. Or a fruit. "I... Ate... It?"
Agatha stepped back, looking over at Candice. "If you're going to find a kid to reference my childhood shows, at least make sure he knows the material."
"Okay one, that's not why he's here." Candice crossed her arms, "Two, I didn't 'find' him, he found me."
"No, I think you found me." Danny said, forcing a smile. "Let's see- I was in the park, you followed. You almost hit me with your car during that blizzard-"
"-Because you fell in front of it."
Danny shrugged, "You still almost hit me. And then there was now, when I was just lying on the sidewalk when you showed up."
Candice opened her mouth to say something, closing it when she couldn't find the words. Agatha glanced between the two before grabbing Candice's arm, giving Danny a plastic smile. "Danny, wasn't it? Would you excuse us?" She pulled Candice off around the corner of the Starbucks building, leaving Danny alone.
Well. He took a sip of his coffee, amusing himself by playing with the lid. This is awkward.
And then his ghost sense came out in a tiny puff.
Danny frowned, looking around. "Okay ghosty," He whispered, "Where are you?" There was a squeak from under his chair and Danny looked down to see an ectoplasm blob which almost reminded him of a mouse. Well, a green mouse with eyebrows, but still a mouse.
The creature looked at him, squeaked, and then moved away from Danny.
"Hey, calm down Micky," Danny whispered, "I won't hurt you. What are you doing here? Wait, you can't talk." He got off his chair, crouching down in front of the ghost mouse. "Guess someone was using ectoplasmic mouse traps. Sorry, but it's your own fault. ...And possibly my dad's. Did you run into a big orange guy called Jack Fenton, by any chance?"
In reply, the mouse burst into flames.
"Jesus Christ!" Danny shouted, falling back and attracting strange looks from people passing by. Okay, ghost mouse that lights itself on fire in the past. Don't see that every day. Slowly, Danny moved back into a crouch, trying to locate the mouse again. It had stopped flaming, at was barely there for a second before rushing away. Danny dove forwards to grab it, his hand barely missing the ghost's tail before it burst into flames once again. The mouse scurried into the parking lot, still flaming and scorching the ground it ran across. Danny almost rushed after it, but stopped himself. This was the past; he couldn't interfere. Otherwise he'd give his dad ghost powers or something again. Besides, it was one little flaming mouse, what was the worst it could do?
Sitting back down, Danny watched the mouse stop burning before diving through a wall of a nearby building. Something twisted in Danny's gut, and a feeling of dread rose up in his chest. There was a pull, almost, and Danny found himself staring at a sign which read 'Tasty Burger'. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Valerie talking about how the Nasty Burger used to be the Tasty Burger, until a disaster where someone stole the T and replaced it with an N. The staff had just run with it, turning the name change into a giant joke.
You've got to be kidding. This isn't happening- it can't be! Does explain how they knew that the sauce could explode... And take out a city block.
Oh no.
Danny jumped to his feet, looking around at all the people who were just arriving. The outside area was starting to fill up, and Danny watched a young couple sit rather far away from him. A few tables over, a man sat playing with his touch phone- Danny chose not to focus on him, something about that man made him woozy. But he knew if he didn't do something, and that mouse did what he thought it was going to do, they and everyone else on this block would die.
I have to do something, I- I have to help them! But, wait- time travel. I can't. I can't change the past. I'll screw up the future, I'll... I'll do something wrong! But... I can't leave them to die. I can't. "I won't," Danny muttered, and then raised his voice. "Candice!"
"What?" She asked, looking around the corner of the building. "What do you want?"
Danny rushed over to her side, lowering his voice. "I don't want you to panic, but we need to get everyone off this block and we need to do it now."
Agatha stepped forward, pulling her friend back. "Why?"
"Because..." Crud. How do I explain this? "Because we just do, okay?! Just trust me!"
"No," Agatha replied, crossing her arms. "Give us a good reason why. Just one."
"I..." What do I say? "Fine, the Nasty- Tasty Burger is going to explode."
Agatha frowned, exchanging a look with Candice who shrugged before replying. "Okay, you were right. He's crazy."
"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" Danny stepped back, failing to stop the blush which rose up in his cheeks. "People are going to die if we don't do something!"
A hand was placed on Danny's shoulder, and he found himself being pulled back by somebody in black hoodie. Oh my god I'm going to get mugged.
"Danny," The guy in the hoodie sighed, "Just stop."
...Okay. How does he know my name? This is weird, this isn't right, this is not right!
"Uh," Candice spoke up, "And who are you?"
"Um... Isaac. I'm with the uh..." He pulled something out from a pocket, and Danny's heart skipped a beat. I know that thing. That's one of Clockwork's medallions! "...Clockwork Division of the Guys in White."
Danny's voice cracked, "The what?"
"That's a stupid name." Agatha said, and Danny caught Candice giving him a concerned look. "And if you're in the Guys in White then why are you dressed in black?"
"...Civilian dress, ma'am. And I'm surprised you know about- oh, my bad. You're... Mary-Ann's sister, aren't you?" He tightened his grip on Danny.
Agatha frowned, ignoring Candice's obvious growing confusion. "Maybe."
"I apologize for any trouble this boy has caused you- at any point in time." He added on, looking at Candice. "He thought it'd be hilarious use some malfunctioning equipment. Sometimes I really do hate thirteen-year-olds. Actually, always. They're annoying, especially Daniel Fanton here."
"Thirteen?! I'm not thirteen!" Okay, I don't know who you are but I hate you. And what the heck is a Fanton?! It sounds like drink!
"I'm pretty sure he's older than thirteen," Candice said, "Now get your hands off of him. I don't know what's going on, and excuse my language, but this is the biggest load of shit I ever had the misfortune to be around. And I have a three-year-old! Guys in White? Please." She grabbed onto Danny, pulling him away from Isaac. "What are they supposed to be? Some secret government agency?"
"Candice," Agatha said; her voice quiet. "That's exactly what they are. I have no idea what they do, but that's what they are."
"What?" Candice frowned, not loosening her grip on Danny. "Wait, you- you don't actually believe him, do you?! Agatha!"
"I can prove it, if you want." Isaac spoke up, turning away slightly as Danny glared up at him. Turn your face towards me, you dick! "He's been stealing equipment for a few years now, but I managed to track him this time since it's- the thing on his wrist- it's having an error. That's also why he's in pajamas." He paused, removing the medallion from his pocket. "You see, this boy isn't a time traveller or half ghost or whatever ridiculous story he's come up with this time. He's just a dorky thirteen-year-old who likes to pretend he's helping when in reality; he's just causing more problems for everyone. Bit of a freak, kind of a loser."
Danny glared, pulling his arm from Candice's grip. "I am not!" A memory rose up from the back of Danny's mind, and he shook his head in an attempt to make it leave. No thinking, no thinking, no thinking about me when I was thirteen because that's just embarrassing...
"Danny," Isaac's voice was gentle now, and Danny felt the wrist way be removed from his wrist. "You know better than to touch broken equipment. It could enter your system, and- oh no. No, that should've- no!" There was weight around Danny's neck, and for a moment he thought he could feel his ghost core pulsing. He opened his eyes, putting a hand on his chest. Why is Clockwork's medallion around my- wait. Where'd my sleeves go? Why am in jeans... and short?
"What did you do?!" Danny moved closer to Candice, who in turn moved away from him. "Candice...? You okay?"
"That should not be possible," Candice whispered, "That can't be!"
Agatha was much calmer, instead raising an eyebrow. "Huh. That's weird."
"Like I said; I'm from the Clockwork division. Weird describes us pretty well." Isaac sounded increasingly nervous, as he grabbed onto Danny's wrist and began to drag him away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to give my boss back his kid before something explodes. ...Like the pineapples. That was officially the weirdest Christmas party I've ever been to."
Explodes? No... no! Danny fought against the grip on his wrist, but Isaac didn't let go. He'd started rambling about something, and a with a quick look behind him Danny realized just how far away the Nasty Burger was getting. Everyone was going to die if he didn't do something. Screw this being the past, Danny refused to stand by and let innocent people die!
Isaac's grip relaxed slightly and Danny yanked his wrist away. He kicked Isaac in the knee, delivered one punch to the man's stomach and a second to his nose. He didn't wait to see if the man went down, instead just grabbed back the wrist ray and ran. For a brief moment Danny thought he saw Candice and Agatha from the corner of his eye, watching him as he hopped the fence around the coffee shop. Danny didn't stop; he couldn't.
Screw this being the past, screw changing the future. Danny had people to save.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Clockwork felt the rush of energy hit him, pushing him forwards slightly but thankfully not knocking him over. "Infinite."
"Oh, you're being civil this time? Nice!" The ghost came up beside him, and Clockwork channeled his energy into keeping his adult form. "I'm still mad though."
"Oh no," He deadpanned, glancing over at Infinite. "What could I have possibly done to deserve your fury?"
"The Mercy-esque Timeline."
"You'll have to be more specific."
"I literally just-" Infinite stopped, resting a palm on his face. "A slightly smarter than average version of Danny gets stabbed by local fire-robot-hunter-guy. And I use the term 'smarter than average' loosely here because he's a dope. In Mercy-esque, instead of going to a hospital like he was supposed to, he time teleported into Mercy-2. Do you see where I'm going with this yet?"
Clockwork turned to face the ghost, doing his best to keep his emotionless façade going as his nails dug through the fabric of his gloves into his palms. Honestly, he wanted Infinite gone. If he never had to see him again it would be too soon. "And what does that have to do with me?"
Infinite frowned, letting his hand fall back to his side. "Stop it."
Clockwork faltered, moving back. "Stop… what?"
"The hand thing!" Infinite snapped, and Clockwork flattened his palms against his sides. "And while I'm at it, stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about! You're not an idiot, and I know you don't like me, but this… why can't you just help him?! What if the Observants find him, huh? What then?!"
Clockwork turned away, "They have more pressing issues than one time teleporter."
"Turns out no, they actually don't." Infinite muttered before raising his voice, "But you're the Master of Time! It's your job to help people like him! You're supposed to protect the Timey ghosts!"
"That's still a stupid name."
"And surprisingly, not my fault." The smugness in his voice was almost tangible. "That one's all on you and Twister."
Clockwork flinched, digging his nails into his palms once again. "Thank you. I needed such a reminder to brighten my day."
"…Yeah, I realize that was in bad taste." Infinite sighed, "But that doesn't change my point! You need to help him! I realize you're stressed out and that there's a lot going on right now but you need to help!"
"…Tell me, Infinite." Clockwork turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. "If you are from the future, then you know how this plays out, correct? You know that the past cannot be changed. You of all beings would know that. So tell me, do I step in?"
He shook his head, stepping back. "Just because everyone says I can't change the past doesn't mean I'm not going to try."
"And yet, you haven't answered my question." Clockwork said, "Do I step in?"
"…Fine, be that way. Be difficult!" Infinite stepped back again, and Clockwork braced himself for the wave of power which was surely coming. "If you won't help him, I will! I don't care if the past can't be changed; I'll find a way!"
"It won't work; you know that."
Infinite balled his fists, glaring at the Master of Time. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to try."
"What's the point in trying when you know you'll fail?" Clockwork rolled his eyes, "You're just going to make a fool of yourself."
Red eyes blazed as the time teleporter gripped the stopwatch around his neck. "You'd know an awful lot about that, wouldn't you?" His hand shot out to the side, quickly coated in the black ectoplasmic energy his powers fed off of. "And another thing; the idea that hybrids can lose their Timey powers is a myth."
There was no explosion when Infinite teleported; just a puff of black ectoplasm where he had been. Clockwork hesitated a second before bringing up the Mercy-esque Timeline. He couldn't locate Daniel at the present, so that meant he must have activated his power and be somewhere in the past or future. Hopefully the boy had the sense to not try to change the past; that would just end in a disaster Clockwork didn't feel like having to fix. If only he could manipulate the Timeline to track time teleporters. That would solve so many of his problems- and he'd be able to see exactly how far in the future that damned Infinite Hour was from.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Danny had always had a tendency to get himself into situations he couldn't handle. When he was seven, he insulted Dash and ended up breaking his arm when the older boy pushed him off the playground. When he was nine, he climbed one of the tallest trees in Amity's central park and the fire department had to be called to get him down. From when he was fourteen until a few months ago, he'd willingly put himself in situation where he'd likely be beat up. Getting in over his head was nothing new.
Getting in over his head because he had to evacuate the Nasty Burger before a flaming mouse blew it up however, was an entirely new experience. He'd managed to get everyone out though, and that was the main thing.
Everyone but himself.
Danny threw his body against the window, willing it to break. Thanks to his earlier power surge, his ghost powers were all but dead. Or in the very least, he couldn't access them.
The window refused to shatter, and Danny's right side was starting to hurt. The smoke and fire which covered much of the building made him cough and his eyes sting, and Danny knew that if he couldn't find a way out he was going to die. "Stupid time travel," He hissed, throwing a chair at the window before breaking out in a coughing fit. His head felt like it'd been hit by a train, and Danny was sure he was going to be sick. Stupid mouse, stupid glass, stupid Candice…!
It took Danny a moment to realize that someone was hitting the window. He raised his head, Clockwork's medallion bumping against his gut. "What… Candice?!"
Valerie's mom was beating against the glass, calling out something Danny couldn't hear over the crackling flames. Danny broke out coughing again before he stepped forward and pressed his hands against the glass. From what he could gather, Candice was yelling at him to hold on, that she'd get him out of there.
"No!" Danny screamed, glancing back at the flames. God, he was hot. His ice core was probably the only reason he hadn't been burned or something yet, but that wouldn't be able to save him or anyone once the building blew. He was dead. He was so dead. I don't want to die! "Get out, get away!" He screamed again, motioning wildly. "Go! Please, go!" You don't need to die here.
Candice shook her head and threw herself against the glass as Danny started coughing again. The glass had several huge cracks, but didn't shatter. It didn't make any sense- he'd been thrown through those windows many times while ghost fighting and they'd always shattered easily.
A small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that those would be different windows.
Candice was yelling something that Danny couldn't hear, and when he raised his head again Isaac was pulling her back. He said something that Danny didn't hear and started making wild motions with his hands. Candice slapped him and pointed at Danny, but Isaac didn't flinch. Agatha came up behind the two, looked over at Danny, and yelled something at the other two.
Danny dropped to the floor, trying to save himself from the smoke as it became nearly impossible to breathe. That was the only thing he could save himself from, this building was going to explode any minute now because of that stupid mouse. And Danny hadn't even managed to catch it.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. If you are, I mean, I'm just guessing. I'm not a mind reader. I have a friend who is, though." Wait, what? Danny lifted his head, trying to find the source of the voice. "Also, don't look at me unless you want to pass out. Trust me; not fun. Especially when surrounded by fire. One way trip to death there, unless you have a Life Core with you. Then you're fine. Unfortunately you only have me, and I have stuff to do before I die so no peaking."
Danny lowered his head, and the air around him seemed cooler, clearer as well. "What…?"
"No talking either." The voice cut him off, "Man, Mini Me really is taking his sweet time. I don't know if I should blame you or me for that, but I'm thinking you. And me. You and me, burning down the city… well, okay, not really. Anyway I iced the vat- which is a really stupid way to store highly explosive sauce- so it won't explode for at least a few minutes. I think. Don't worry. And you've got a weak shield around you, and- this is the best part so you'd better be proud of me- I captured the mouse! His name is Finnegan R. Cheddar now. The R stands for Radical."
Danny almost started laughing, but it devolved into coughing instead. He'd had a gerbil named Radical when he was younger. Names had never been his strong point.
"You're not going to die, you know." They continued, "Well, not yet. But trust me, when you do die, it'll be super dramatic. I think. I hope. I don't actually know, but you should probably start planning your last words now. Then again, you'll never beat 'someone kill that bitch for me!' What do you think Mr. Cheddar- Finnegan! No biting! Bad mouse! Back in the hamster ball you go! You'd better not have ghost rabies… Is that a thing? I hope that's not a thing, the others would flip…" There was a pause. "I'm sorry, you know. No wait, you don't. And you won't, not for a while- but I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry and I know I'm rambling but I'm going to make sure everything goes the best possible way for you. I promise. Just hold on, okay? You've got about fifteen seconds left, maybe. That's all. I know you have questions, but you have to find your own answers. I'm sorry, I- don't talk! Oh, uh, you might want to take off that medallion."
Danny was just about to ask what they meant when the glass shattered, and Isaac landed amongst the shards.
"Oh, sure, it works that time," He muttered, and Danny lifted his head. The man had pulled up his t-shirt over the lower half of his face, and was wearing what appeared to be swimming goggles over his eyes. "I should've told them to sue. You should've told them to sue!"
Danny decided to forgo the mysterious voice's warning. "Who-" He broke off into a coughing fit. Stupid smoke.
"You know," His laugh was rather bitter. "I don't even know anymore. Now give me back the medallion!" He reached down, grabbing onto the strap. Danny felt his fingers brush against his neck, heard Isaac mutter "Wait shit," and then his chest heaved. It felt like a ball was pushing against his ribs, and Isaac collapsed beside him- hand still wrapped around the medallion's strap. Danny gasped for breath, lifting his hands to pull Isaac's away. Their hands met, and a burst of black sparks appeared.
Wait, that's…! Oh no. Danny moved to pull his hands away, but they seemed to be stuck in place.
"Don't fight it," Isaac said, and the air around them became much warmer. "It's either this or we die."
"What?" Danny replied, breaking out in a fit of coughs before he could say more. The second blast came, and Danny felt the pressure in his chest disperse.
"What did he call me? His Mini Me?"
"You… heard?"
"No. You did, and I remembered."
"What?"
Isaac coughed this time, black hair falling in his face. "I don't know, it made sense before- actually no, it didn't." The third wave came just as he finished speaking, and Danny groaned. "Uh, this is it. See you in a few months."
Danny was just about to ask him what he meant when he found himself falling. Danny hit his bed and bounced to the floor, gasping in pain as he landed on his left side. After at least a minute of coughing and trying to catch his breath, it occurred to Danny that he was in his room. He was back in his pajamas while both Isaac and the medallion were long gone. Danny's room was starting to stink of the smoke which clung to his clothes, and- was that Jazz knocking on his door?
"Danny!" She shouted, sounding very obviously annoyed. "It's one in the afternoon; it's time to get up! Danny-"
"I heard you!" He snapped with a surprisingly hoarse voice. Danny cleared his throat before calling again, "I'm up!"
Jazz hesitated for a second, "Are you okay?"
"Well," Danny replied, coughing for a few seconds. "I'm not dead." He ignored the questions about Isaac and the mysterious voice which had popped up in his mind, instead choosing to focus on the fact that Isaac had apparently stolen his wrist ray. Jerk.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Danny let Valerie's textbook slide from his hands and into his lap, raising an eyebrow at her. "Okay Val, spill; why'd you want me to help you study?"
Valerie frowned, "Just keep quizzing me, ghost boy."
"No, hunter girl, I don't think I will." He crossed his arms, staring at her. The day after Danny had returned from his adventure at the then-Tasty Burger, Valerie had invited him over to help her study for her upcoming biology exam. Danny had agreed, despite the fact that he knew absolutely nothing about the level of the course she'd taken. Valerie knew that, so Danny couldn't understand why she'd asked him to help her study. "What did you really want to talk about?"
Valerie shrugged, "I just thought you'd like a break from everyone treating you like you'll break if the wind blows you too hard."
"You do know that you're in that category, right?"
"Shut up and quiz me."
Danny rolled his eyes, lifting the textbook back up. "Question twenty-seven; why'd you invite me-" He was cut off as Valerie threw a sock at him. "Hey! Don't throw your dirty laundry at me!"
"That was clean, you moron!" Valerie replied, her smile betraying that she wasn't taking their fight even remotely seriously.
"Then where was its pair?"
"Missing in action; there'll be a candlelight vigil on Thursday for its safe return."
"I'll mark my calendar," Danny replied, something beside him catching his eye. Danny reached out, grabbing the picture frame. Candice and a younger Valerie- she couldn't have been older than six- stood side by side, holding hands while Valerie sported a toothy grin and a bright red backpack. "Wow, you were so cute." He showed her the picture, which Valerie took. "What happened?"
"You're a horrible teacher," Valerie muttered, shoving the picture to the side. An awkward silence covered them both, and Danny shot a quick glance at the picture.
"I'm joking, you know."
"I know."
More silence.
"Is that your mom?" A stupid question; he already knew the answer.
"Yeah."
"You look like her."
"I know."
Danny lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck, "She… died, right?" Another stupid question that he already knew the answer too. He was just full of them today.
"Yeah. Yeah, she did."
"What happened?"
Valerie was silent for a few moments. "Nothing- it doesn't matter."
Danny reached forward, placing a hand on Valerie's own. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"I shouldn't have asked."
"Yeah, you shouldn't have."
Danny pulled his hand back, and a thick layer of tension settled over the two of them. Neither spoke for at least a minute, which was filled with awkward movements, pencil tapping, and page turning.
"It was my fault," Valerie muttered, and Danny shook his head.
"C'mon Val, don't blame yourself."
"But it's true!" She made a wild motion with her hand, "I was feeling like crap so I called home and asked her to pick me up! It was like a blizzard outside so I couldn't walk, but who asks their mom to drive in that weather?! If I hadn't called her, she wouldn't have gone off the road, and she-" Danny cut Valerie off, pulling her into a hug.
"Blaming yourself for people getting hurt is my job," He whispered, and Valerie hesitated a moment before pulling out of the hug.
"Sorry," She said, glancing at the photo as she appeared to push her hair out of her eyes. "I don't know what came over me."
"For what it's worth," Danny replied, "I don't think it was your fault."
Valerie scoffed, but said nothing.
"You were like eight," He continued, "It wasn't your fault." He looked back down at the textbook, a plan forming in his mind. He could time travel. He could change the past.
Maybe he could save Valerie's mom.
"Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you mean, it's your job?"
Danny shrugged. "I'm a part-time superhero Valerie; just because I'm on sick leave or whatever right now doesn't mean that I feel any better about you or anyone else getting hurt by ghosts."
"So what, you think it should be you?" Valerie asked, and Danny shrugged again. "You have a hero complex. Somehow, I'm not surprised."
Danny frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Valerie shrugged; a plastic smile on her face. "Just quiz me."
Danny hesitated, but dropped the topic. He'd made up his mind; he was going to do it. He would be the hero, and he would stop Candice from dying.
Even if the main reason was just to make Valerie happy.
.-.-.-.-.-.
The time travel ended, dropping Danny in a snowy alleyway. He shivered at the biting cold, brushing the snow off of his coat and jeans. It looked like he was in the right time- though whether that was thanks to pure luck or the fact that he'd thought of nothing besides his goal to save Candice for the last day and a half was anyone's guess. At least he'd managed to make it outside of the school before his exploding time travel fully triggered. On the downside, he was now skipping school, which was against what had been set up with the school and would probably result in him being expelled. But he could worry about that after he'd saved Valerie's mom.
Danny opened up his backpack, peering in at what he'd gathered the day before. A newspaper clipping about how Candice Gray had died- her car was believed to have hit a patch of ice which caused her to go off the road-, a map to the location, and a box of road salt. Danny couldn't believe he'd thought bringing those with him was a ridiculous idea.
Now he just needed to be sure he was in the right time.
"E-excuse me! Sir!" Danny called, stumbling forward towards somebody out shoveling their sidewalk. "Do you have the time?"
"Yeah, hold on. And it's ma'am, if you don't mind." She replied, her voice muffled under the scarf around the lower half of her face. "1:37, I believe."
Danny frowned, pulling up his hood. Okay, about fifteen minutes off. "Uh, what about the date? And- I know how this'll sound- year? Sorry, I'm really forgetful."
The person raised an eyebrow, "February third, 2005."
Danny glanced at the newspaper clipping, smiling as the date matched. He held up the map next, pointing to where the accident would take place. "Could you tell me how to get here?"
"Kid," She pointed down the alley, "The place you're looking for is right over there."
"Really?!" Thank you, exploding time travel! Danny didn't bother to say thank-you, instead rushing down the alley and dropping his backpack by a fence. The street was quiet, but the blowing snow made visibility absolutely horrible. Danny took a moment to wonder why the person would be out shoveling his sidewalk when it was just going to get covered up by snow again before shrugging and deeming it just another weird factor of Amity Park. He grabbed his box of road salt and went to work, throwing it over the snow and ice. He didn't know if it would be enough, but maybe if he rationed it-
That plan was thrown out the window as Danny felt a blast of something hit his back, knocking him to the ground. It took a moment for the shock to settle before Danny was pulling himself out of the snowdrift which seemed to have formed around him and jumping into a fighting stance.
The only person around him was a teenage girl in ragged blue dress, with pale skin and long, curly, dark brown hair. She was bent over, seemingly gasping for breath. The snow around her had all been pushed away, and as Danny squinted he realized she was almost the exact same place he'd ended up.
Okay, that's weird.
"Um, excuse me," He called, hesitantly moving towards the girl. "Are you okay?"
The girl didn't reply, instead falling to her knees. She let out a loud sound of surprise at the cold before standing up, bending down a moment later to scoop some up.
Danny hesitated before doing the same, but instead of letting it fall through his hands as the girl seemed to be doing, he formed in into a ball and threw it, hitting her on the side of the head. The girl's hands fell to her side and she quickly turned, fury etched on her face. "Qglr rgw dyxj qla rglr?!"
Danny blinked twice, "Uh… gesundhite?"
The girl tipped her head to the side, an awfully ugly pick hairclip holding her hair in place. "Tiy… bi, ig bi." She was furious again "Tiy nyeswe! Tiy jukkws rgwn! Nyeswe!"
Danny held his hands up in a sigh of surrender, "Hey, I don't speak… whatever language that is."
The girl stopped her advancement towards him, letting out an annoyed sound before continuing. "Oh, I'm sorry," She didn't sound sorry; she sounded pissed. "Is this better?"
"Yeah, what accent is that?" Danny frowned, "Is it British or something? No, wait, that's not even close to what British people sound like…"
The girl stopped, raising her eyebrows. "The fuck is a British?"
Danny rolled his eyes, "Wow, okay, language."
"English."
"That's… not what I meant."
"Do you think I care?!" She snapped, stepping towards him and pulling at her neckline. "Because if so sweetie, then you're even stupider than I thought. This is for Mary." She muttered something under her breath.
"What? I don't even know a-" Danny cut off as the girl seemed to speed up, and he found himself rushing backwards as she moved to grab him. Danny grabbed her by her left arm, ignoring the squeak of pain she let out as Danny threw her to the ground. "Ah yes, being attacked by random beings I hardly know. God I missed this." He stepped back as she reached for his ankle, moving to a fighting stance as she was suddenly at her feet. "Wow, okay. If you weren't human I'd…" He trailed off, staring into her pupil-less red eyes before glancing at her skin. It was a shade of gray, so pale it was nearly white. "…Yeah, never mind. Go away, you stupid short spirit! Hey, I used alliteration! Lancer would be so proud."
She swung at him with her right fist, which Danny blocked. Or at least he thought he did; the girl moved her left hand back up to her neckline and muttered something. Next thing Danny knew, he was lying on the ground and the side of his head felt like it'd been hit by a train.
"Fuck," The girl cursed as Danny jumped back to his feet. He was back in the alleyway, and the girl stood a little ways away cradling her left arm close. "It wore- damn!"
"That was weird." Stupid teleporters.
"You're weird," The girl muttered, leaning slightly against a fence and glaring at him.
"Wow, congratulations," Danny replied, clapping his hands together. "Look who's twelve!"
The girl stared at him before calmly stepped forwards, placing a hand on Danny's arm. "You know," She smiled, "I've really enjoyed our time together. Too bad it has to end." She tightened her grip on Danny's arm.
Danny didn't hesitate; he yanked her hand away, and guessing that bad things would happen if he let her palms touch him, grabbed the other as well. He forced her to the ground, kicking the back of her head when she tried to get up. The girl collapsed to ground with a squeak of pain, and Danny crouched beside her.
"Listen to me," He muttered, "I don't know who you are, why you're here, or what you want. But given that you're a ghost, it's probably 'take over the world' or something equally as dumb. I don't know anyone named Mary- aside from the girl who pushed me off the swings when I was four and made me break my ankle, but I haven't seen her in years- so whatever you think I did, I didn't. You got it wrong. Now if you'll excuse me, I-" He was cut off by tires squealing, followed by the sickening crunch of metal.
No. Danny stood, turning back and staring at the tire tracks in the snow. No!
"Candice!" He screamed, rushing forward and falling to his knees. "No, no!" He couldn't bring himself to move, to see if maybe the report hadn't been wrong- that she hadn't died on impact. Danny found himself banging his fist against the snow instead, screaming. "No, no, no, no! I still had time! I could still save her, I still had- I should've- oh my god, oh my god I'm so sorry... no, no please… I can't have been wrong!"
The girl made a quiet sound, and Danny turned back to see her sit up. Both hands were holding where he had kicked her, and anger replaced his guilt over Candice.
"I could've saved her," He whispered, and the snowfall seemed to grow fiercer. "I should've saved her." He stalked towards the girl, pulling her up by the front of her dress. "This is your fault!"
"Oh shut up," She muttered, one hand still rubbing the back of her head. "I don't care; you got what you deserved. Does it hurt? Does it sting your poor little soul?" The other hand reached forwards, resting on Danny's left side. "Good. That was for Mary- this is for her children."
The pain which spread through him was three times worse than what Skulker had done to him, at least. It spread out from his left side, getting stronger with every moment. He felt like he was being pulled apart, piece by painful piece. The portal accident and Skulker combined couldn't hurt as much as this; nothing could hurt as much as this. Danny would rather be torn apart and eaten alive than go through this, and he could even feel it in his ghost core. It was tearing him apart, dissolving him from the inside out…
Too busy screaming and all but dying of pain, Danny missed his chest heave. He missed the black sparks spring from his fingertips, and he missed the blue ones which came from the girl's. He missed both him and the girl fall to the ground as the energies mixed, and he missed her frantically try to pull her hand away but to no avail. Danny missed the energy overtake him, dropping him off somewhere far away and causing him to hit at least five branches on his way to the ground.
In case anyone's curious; yes, Candice is dead. No, this is not the last time we'll see her. Time travel's amazing like that. This also isn't the last time we'll see the girl with the melty powers. Yeah, that's what she was doing- she was melting Danny.
Ah, murder. That's probably illegal, you know.
Anyway, thoughts?