Chapter 4: Tearing Barriers Down

He wants to get to know me? Ember thought, extremely puzzled by Danny's statement. She was extremely apprehensive about being kind to him in the first place, but actually letting him be her friend made her even more apprehensive. Surely he has an ulterior motive behind this, Ember told herself. She learned the hard way that kind people weren't always honest and genuine people. Therefore, she decided to approach with extreme caution.

"And why is that, exactly?" Ember asked.

Danny swallowed, getting more nervous by the second. "I'm gonna sound really cheesy, but you seem kinda lonely, even when you were surrounded by fans. I want to know why."

Ember rolled her eyes, but she was touched by his words nevertheless. "Being a ghost and all, you kinda get stuck in the past. Moving on takes a longtime for us, see, so I'm still in that phase."

Ember wasn't sure why she told him that, but she figured if she gave him enough information, he would leave her alone.

Danny nodded. "I'm not gonna brush it off and think that's easy by any means. I can kind of understand what you're going through, but I'd be lying if I said I truly did get it."

"You're damn right," Ember said, "you don't know the half of it."

"I'd like to, though."

"Why? What does it matter that I haven't fully moved on? It doesn't affect you at all."

"Yes it does! I'm the 'go-between' for the ghost world and the human world. If I can't understand both sides, then I'm doing a lousy job. I want to know, Ember."

She sighed heavily. "How can I move on if I keep going back, huh? Tell me that."

Danny found himself at a loss for words. She made an excellent point, and he had no counter argument for it. He knew she was right, but he still wasn't getting anywhere with her. Obviously he understood that this task wouldn't be an easy one, but he also knew that it wouldn't be impossible either. It's just gonna take time, that's all, Danny told himself, Baby steps. I need to take baby steps.

"I'm sorry," Danny began, "I didn't mean to, um, imply anything. I just wanna know what it's like…No, that sounded wrong too…"

"You sound pathetic right now, you know that?" Ember said.

"Yes, yes," Danny said, "I'm aware. Believe me; I'm used to it by now."

Ember crossed her arms and waited for Danny to gather his thoughts. I have all of eternity, she thought.

Danny sighed and faced Ember. "What's holding you back? I wanna know if I can, at least, help in any way possible."

"Helping me won't do squat for you. You know that, right?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I may not get a reward, but I think I'll get something out of it. I just don't know what yet."

At least he isn't selfish, Ember thought. "You really want to be my friend?"

Danny shrugged. "Whatever works for you. I just wanna see you happy."

Jack said something like that to me, too. Maybe this Fenton kid will be good for me, Ember thought. She felt ridiculous for accepting his offer, but she couldn't stay angry and bitter forever; she had to free herself. She knew that everyone carried pain, but she also knew that people moved on. This was her chance to move on. It's now or never, she thought.

Ember went over to Danny and looked at him for a while, which made him nervous. She eventually gave in and hugged him. Despite being a ghost, Danny felt surprisingly warm to Ember. He was warm fire, as opposed to her being cold fire. Yes, Ember thought, I can move on…with Danny's help.

Author's Note: I apologize for the late update! I've been really busy lately. Also, thank you so much for all of your feedback! I love knowing what you guys think about my work. You don't know how much your encouraging comments mean to me. I promise to continue this story, though it may take a while. Anyways, thanks again and I hope y'all enjoy this latest chapter.