Sam sank into the steaming recesses of the porcelain tub, the heated water refreshing against her aching muscles. She grabbed the sponge sitting on the tub's rim and dunked it into the water, the scent of vanilla heavy in the air as she lightly brushed the loofa down her arms and legs, the soapy foam and bubbles dripping down her skin.
"Having fun?"
Sam's scream echoed and rang off the black and white tiled whiles, and the sound of splashing and a meaty SLAP quickly followed. "Danny, what the hell are you doinginhere?!"
"I just thought I'd check and see how my precious Sammy was doing, the halfa scowled, rubbing his wounded cheek and kneeling down beside the tub. "Apparently you're doing well…" he smirked, his gaze traveling up and down her bubble shrouded form.
"Hey!" Sam immediately crossed her arms over her chest and sunk deeper into the tub, her chin touching and sending ripples across water. "Get out," she snapped, her hand raised warningly.
"Why would I wanna do that? I'm enjoying the view," Danny winked. "And besides…" his voice turned icy cold, eyes hardening to resemble stones of frozen blood. "I'm tired of getting slapped and not being treated with the respect I deserve."
Sam cried out as he lashed out and grabbed her wrist, her horror stricken face paling under Danny's murderous stare. "Time to pay the piper, Sam." His hand exploded in red ecto-energy. A long piercing scream erupted from her mouth, her fear ridden eyes widening as the ectoplasm burned into her skin. Blood started to drip down her arm in speedy rivulets, the liquid falling into the tub and staining the water a cloudy red. A few drops landed on Danny's exposed fingers, and Sam felt her eyes travel up his arm and land on his face, his malicious, hate tinted eyes.
"Wha...why…" she whispered, pain cracking her voice, and his fingers tightened around her bleeding wrist.
"You've been a bad girl, Sammy...call this judgment day." Danny flashed her a cold smile and slowly leaned towards her, his fangs bared and getting closer...closer...and closer
"AHHHHH!"
Sam jolted up from the bath, her hair flying and sending shimmering spots of water through the air. Her breathing ragged and eyes wild, she let out another scream as she stumbled and nearly went sprawling over the tub's edge. "What the...what happened," she panted. Glancing down at the water, her eyes widened when she saw the opaque liquid, the light wisps of steam rising off the water. No blood or gore dripped from her wrist, and no blood was mixed with the water. Everything was as it had been.
"Wow...did I dream that…?" Sam breathed, a light tremble running down her spine. "It was so real…"
"SAM!" The bathroom door slammed open, and Sam let out a shrill scream as Danny burst through the open doorway, his red eyes hastily sweeping the interior. "I heard screaming, are you," he cut off, his jaw dropping as his gaze met a very naked and angry Sam. "Umm…" Danny flashed a fanged grin as he took several steps into the room, his eyes never once leaving the goth's. "I thought you might be in trouble, but I guess that's not the case," he chuckled lightly.
Sam frowned, but after a second glanced down and
"AUGHHHHHH!"
Danny snickered at her horrified expression, and he watched with a smirk as she scrambled to grab the towel laying on the floor by the tub. Sam quickly wrapped the large-and thankfully black-towel around her chest and upper hips, her expression frozen in a look of outrage and shock.
'This is just great,' she muttered, shooting the quietly chuckling halfa a death glare; he was nonchalantly leaning against the wall, his fanged smile wide and red eyes sparkling. 'I can't believe he saw me!' Sam stepped out of the bath, but she wasn't counting on the slick floor and slipped the second her foot touched the tile.
"Careful there." A strong pair of hands caught her under the arms, and Sam couldn't even catch a breath before she was whisked up into waiting arms. Cradling her bridal style, Sam was forced to stare straight up into the halfa's face, his red eyes boring intently into hers. "And the reversed hero saves the damsel in distress. What's my prize…" he winked at her.
"Don't make me slap you."
Danny made a pout, his eyes widening like a puppy dog's. "You wound me Sam," he sighed, but carried her out the doorway and set her on her feet. "So, care to explain why you were screaming like a banshee?"
He blinked at the sudden shadow that casted itself over her face, the girl's purple eyes narrowing and lips curving into a steadfast frown. "I don't want to talk about it." Sam turned her face away from his prying eyes, a hand reaching out to touch a smooth stone wall. "It was just a bad dream," she whispered, more to herself than him. With a shaky sigh, she sat down on the bed, her fingers lightly tracing the skin of her right wrist, the wrist that Danny had brutally maimed in the dream.
"A bad dream about…?" Sam looked away as Danny sat down beside her, pulling her knees up to her chest. "What was it about?" Danny gently grabbed her chin and turned her face back towards his, his gaze intent and unflinching from hers. "Sam. Was it about me?" He immediately recognizing the guilty and uneasy way she bit down on her lip. He'd done it all too often in the past, mostly when being faced by his parents when he was caught sneaking in late.
"It was, wasn't it?" Danny pulled his hand away and instead reached for her wrist. Sam watched him pry away her fingers and bring the wrist up to his lips, his smile sincere and a sight for sore eyes. "It must've been pretty bad for you to wake up crying," he murmured, gently kissing the skin that had been burnt and charred in her dream.
Sam could only manage a short nod. Her breath caught and eyes fluttered, her frown disappearing as delicate shivers raced down her spine.
Danny slowly kissed his way down her arm, his lips gliding onto the base of her palm. Smirking, he lightly bit the smooth flesh, his fangs just barely nicking and not hard enough to draw blood. Sensing her gaze, he trailed his lips farther down, kissing the tip of her index finger before letting it slid past his lips. Sam gasped as her fingertip hit one of his fangs, and she shuddered as she felt it sink into her flesh, drawing a bead of blood that Danny eagerly licked away.
"Danny, what're---what are you doing," she tried to keep herself calm, but his tongue was doing sinful things to her finger. A tremor entered her voice, but she couldn't stop it. "Danny...I want to--to ask you something." Sam felt his lips pause, his tongue moving back to lick her fingertip.
"Ask away…" he pulled her hand back, holding it in his gloved hand as he eyed her with a stony, suspicious stare that hardened his bloody eyes.
"A--about what you said earlier. Danny, what exactly are you planning on doing," she frowned, her resolve returning. "You act like you want me to trust you, but how can I knowing that you could easily turn on me? You're evil, you admitted that yourself!" At that point, she couldn't stop herself. She'd been planning on edging into the topic, but her temper was too out of control to do that.
"Yeah, I did. What exactly is your point?"
He was getting angry; Sam could hear the edge coloring his voice. "My experience with evil guys has taught me one thing. They can't be trusted!"
She snapped her hand away, an angry glint entering her purple irises. "What makes you any special? You're not the Danny that I know. He never would've done the things that you've done over the past two days," she scowled at him, but he didn't look in the least bit ashamed. Then again, why would he?
"Mhmm. So, you're trying to tell me that the Danny you know hasn't done anything bad?"
"…no, that's not"
Danny held up a hand, the cold look on his face eerily calm. "You know, I'd have to disagree. Shall I name a few instances for you?" He held up a finger, his dark eyes lowering. "I--well, perhaps he would be more appropriate, since you insist upon differentiating us. He cheated on the CAT, and nearly got you and everybody else killed."
"Yeah, but Danny returned the test answers! Did you forget that little fact," Sam snapped.
"And why did he do that? Because he knew what the future would become if he didn't." Danny smirked, raising another finger. "There was the little incident of him spying on you and Gregor. Jealousy can do many things to a guy, and it made him invade your privacy without your knowledge or permission."
Sam had to flinch at that memory; she'd been really mad at Danny for that one, although he did turn out to be right in the end.
"Plus, we can't forget how your innocent best friend has used his powers for personal gain, not for the benefit of others. Which, as I recall, is what he promised to use them for. Not for sneaking out of detention or overshadowing his parents to get ungrounded."
"……you di--he did that?" Sam paled, but her fiery spirit couldn't be so easily quenched. "Well, so what? Just because he did all those things doesn't mean that he was a bad person! You're different! You kill people without a second thought! You sent your own parents to the hospital! You--"
"Technically, since you so adamantly protest against me being your Danny, then those weren't my parents. They were his." He grinned smugly. "So, care to rectify your statement? Am I or am I not Danny?"
Sam wanted to grab him by the hair and beat him senseless; he was so damn infuriating! "You're evil! You've told me time and time again that you're his other half, but that--"
"Which only proves that I am Danny. A different Danny, but him nonetheless. I have all his memories, all his emotions…well, all the ones I'm capable of feeling, and I have all his quirks and attitude. The latter being a tad more ruthless, I'll admit, but I digress." Danny leaned forward and grabbed her chin, jerking her face less than an inch away from his. "I may be a bit smarter and more maniacal, but I…am….Danny."
Searching the ruby gaze in front of her, Sam was startled to see the truth swirling in his dark irises. Truth, and another emotion that she'd never really noticed before, and couldn't discern. "Fine. You're Danny." Jerking her face away, Sam laid a hand on his arm and whispered, "But how could I trust you? How do I know you won't hurt me? You did in my dre," she cut off, but her words had obviously already registered in Danny's mind. The snowy haired halfa stared at her for a few seconds, his bloody eyes narrowing and a tight smile settling on his lips.
"How can you know I won't hurt you? That should be obvious, considering how many damn times I've said it," he growled, his voice dangerously soft. Sam's heart froze under his penetrating stare, her violet eyes spellbound and unmoving from his gaze. "Most evil guys don't have someone that keeps them sane, but I do."
"But--you--"
"I would never betray you. I can't." Danny smirked, and in a flash of red he had an arm wrapped around her waist, the other tangling in her hair. "And as for hurting you, have I ever really done that?"
"Well, you did do this lovely number to my shoulder," Sam rubbed a hand over the two fangs marks on her right shoulder, and Danny shrugged.
"Yeah, but that was to make a point. Other than that, have I intentionally hurt you?" He grinned at the dumbfounded look that crossed her face, the answer to his question already evident. "No, I haven't. Sam, you can trust me, because I'm never going to betray you. I can't." Danny let a loving smile replace his smirk, eyes softening from their former stone-like look. "I love you too much to do that."
Sam's breath hitched, and with a low cry she grabbed his hand, purple eyes growing wide. "Danny, what're you saying?! Do you--do you really mean that?"
Instead of the arrogant reply she'd been expecting, Sam was fully surprised when he merely smiled enigmatically, the softness in his red eyes dulling the hue to a deep garnet. For once, she wasn't scared by those eyes. Those eyes, which she'd first seen coming out of the darkness, would have haunted her dreams, if not for words that had just come from the boy she loved with all her heart….even if she refused to admit it.
Yawning, Danny brushed a hand over her cheek and grinned. "Well, I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed, since I doubt that either one of us is really hungry." Stunned, Sam watched him climb off the bed and go over to a bureau standing in the corner. From it he withdrew a long black nightgown and a pair of black sleeping pants, and Sam, though dumbfounded, caught the warm gown as Danny tossed it to her. "I didn't think you'd wanna sleep in your clothes," he shrugged at her expression, but Sam caught the self satisfied smirk that appeared on his face.
"Oh...thanks Danny, I guess, but--uhh? Ok, I'm officially confused," she murmured. "I thought you were--umm--you said." Sam threw her hands up and groaned. "Oh, forget it! Let's just go to sleep."
Danny gave another chuckle and a small shrug and then, in a flash of red light, transformed back into his human self. Sam took in his black hair with white tips, red eyes, the still sharp canines and the plain black t-shirt and jeans clothing his form. "Going goth?"
"I guess you could say that, at least fashion wise," he grinned, and he reached for the hem of his t-shirt.
"Hey, what're you doing?!"
Danny nearly jumped at Sam's startled cry, his eyes narrowing curiously at her shocked expression. "What does it look like? I'm getting changed." The goth blushed a pale rose pink, and Danny let out a short sigh. "Oh please, don't tell me you're embarrassed," he smirked.
"No! Of course not!"
"Good…" Danny threw off his shirt at blinding speed, and Sam let out a yelp as she was left staring at his pale and incredibly well built chest.
'Oh wow...man, he must work out,' she thought, her eyes fixated on the muscles standing proudly under a layer of pale skin. An impressive six pack was the dominating feature of his lower chest, his muscles evident yet not overpowering. As Danny moved Sam felt her eyes traveling upward, the muscles in his arms rippling and nearly making the goth drool.
Danny saw her staring out of the corner of his eye and, his face frozen in a wicked smirk, stretched his arms upward in a languid movement. "You planning on staring at me all day," he chuckled lowly, and Sam immediately dropped her gaze to the floor, the blush intensifying to the color of cherries.
"Go jump off a cliff." In a huff she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, Danny's laughter following her through the flimsy wood and echoing in her ears. Sam quickly tugged off her clothes and, nearly stumbling in the process, managed to pull the nightgown over her head, the long sheath tumbling across her form and falling modestly to the floor. "Well, at least it's black, and comfy." Sam did a quick twirl in the soft black gown, her smile reappearing as she ran her fingers over the soft material. 'And its decent,' she added mentally.
Rolling her eyes, Sam slowly pried open the bathroom door. Danny was leaning against one of the bed posts, the smirk still plastered on his lips. His black pants hung low on his hips, and she could easily imagine the muscular limbs hiding beneath the fabric. Glancing up, Sam drank in his pale torso, and she was struck with a longing to caress the smooth muscles that studded his chest. Her gaze shifted to his face, and she blushingly admired the alabaster features. Shoulder length hair fell messily around his handsome face, the white tips brushing his chin, and shrouded long strand fell over his right eye, but she could see that the other was crinkled in amusement.
"I'll pass on the whole 'jumping off a cliff' thing, unless I'm in ghost form," he glanced up at her, his one visible eye narrowing in what Sam recognized as scrutiny. "Suits you."
"Huh?" Sam paused at that, and Danny nodded to her nightgown. The blush instantly reappeared on her cheeks, the red stain a dark contrast to her pale skin.
"Well, you can stand there gawking at me the whole night if you want, but I'm going to bed."
Sam watched him climb into the red silk strewn bed and lean back against the fluffy pillows, a dark look quickly emerging on her face. "And where exactly am I supposed to sleep?"
Danny grinned and patted the space beside him, a wicked glint coloring his eyes.
Sam felt her jaw drop in an almost comical fashion as she stared at him, her eyes wide and hands clenching into fists. "No way! Uhuh, nope, sorry, not happening!"
"Aww, come on Sammy! I promise to play nice," Danny gave her an innocent smile, patting the space beside him. His expression didn't waver at the dark scowl Sam shot him, and instead he simply relaxed against the velvet pillows, his hands grabbing the warm red coverlet and tugging it up to his waist. Sam, teeth gnawing into her lower lip, glanced hesitantly from him to the floor. "Sam." She glanced up and met his gaze. "I won't hurt you. Promise," he smiled a gentle grin, one that nearly made the goth collapse to the floor weak kneed.
"….You promise not to try anything?"
Danny beamed at her, his smile infectious and bringing a small grin to her own face. With a short sigh she climbed into the massive bed and laid down beside the halfa. Rolling over so that she was lying on her side facing him, she gave Danny the biggest smile he swore he'd ever seen on her face and leaned over and brushed a light kiss across his cheek. "Night Danny."
"Night Sam." He smiled cheekily and gently slipped an arm underneath her light form, eyes practically glowing as he pulled her up against his chest. In a quick move he removed his arm from under her and draped the other one over her chest, his fingers twisting and playing with her silken black hair.
"Hey, I thought you said you weren't going to try anything," she teased, and the halfa grinned.
"I lied."
Sam mockingly glared at him, but her smile was peaceful as she slowly drifted off, her eyes fluttering close. Danny watched her snuggle up against him and place a hand against the smooth expanse of his chest, his own eyes falling closed as he curled his fingers in her hair and gently kissed her forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Sam."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pale light filtered into the room from the massive windows shrouded with thin silk curtains, the silk looking more like waves of blood. The red hued light fell on the two sleeping figures lying on the bed, illuminating their black hair and pale skin with bloody streaks.
Sam, her expression peaceful and hair lightly tussled around her face, let out a yawn as she pressed herself up against Danny's chest. One of her arms was draped over his side, her hand resting in the small of his back.
Danny released a soft sigh and shifted the arm draped over Sam's own waist, his hand curling in the goth's long black locks and lips curved in a faint smile. "Mmm…" the halfa's eyes crept open inch by inch, the red orbs even brighter in the pale light. Danny smirked as he glanced over at the girl spooned up against him, and in a swift movement pushed himself up and off the bed, not even disturbing the sleeping girl.
The red rings appeared around his waist and transformed his plain sleeping pants into the black pants, red shirt, and leather jacket of his costume. Black hair turned white and fell messily around his pale face, his fangs sliding down to graze his lips.
Without a word, he turned intangible and flew through the wall, his expression changing to form a stubborn frown as he re-emerged in the sky outside. Bright golden sunlight was spreading across the horizon and illuminating the sky with orange, red, and pink streaks, the light turning Danny's hair a pale gold. The halfa didn't stop to admire the beautiful scenery, however, and through the clouds he soared, the breeze ruffling his hair and whipping the hem of his coat around his transformed ghostly tail.
For over an hour Danny flew like this, his bloody eyes silently searching the landscape below. Finally his eyes narrowed and his face assumed its trademark smirk. Had it not been morning, a normal person would have been shocked to see a demonic looking ghost dive-bombing out of the sky towards the ground. But it was morning, so nobody saw the teen drop down and set foot on walkway in front of a massive building, his gaze hard as he stared up at the structure.
"About damn time," he muttered darkly, and he quickly turned intangible and phased through the building's front door. Danny ignored the people walking to and fro through the halls and instead walked up to a desk set into the wall. No one noticed him turn tangible and grab the clipboard lying on the desktop, his eyes hastily scanning the papers clipped in a sheaf on the board. "Heh...you think they'd hide this sort of thing, especially with what happened." Danny tossed the clipboard back onto the desk and turned invisible, his eyes scanning the halls as he quietly walked across the polished tiles. The only notice anyone gave to his presence was to shiver slightly as he passed by, his ghostly aura emitting a bone freezing chill.
He floated down the hall and made a sharp left, his smirk widening as his gaze fell on the door at the hall's end on the right-hand side. "Here we are..." Danny chuckled, turning visible and reaching out to grasp the handle. The door swung open to reveal a brightly lit room, and he winced as the piercing white light hit his eyes. "Damn, why do they keep it so bright in here," he snapped softly, shutting the door behind him with a swift kick.
Beepbeepbeep
The halfa glanced at the various monitors lined up against the right wall, the machines beeping, whirring, and glowing with tiny red lights. Danny barely paid them any mind, instead strolling over to the two double windows set into the far wall. He peered outside at the scraggly trees and different paved walkways, his smirk fading and replaced with a stony frown. "You know, this is all your fault…" Danny whispered, his voice radiating hatred and eyes glowing a fierce ruby red, the same shade as the streaks painting the sky. "You should have just minded your own damn business. I mean, look what happened." He whirled around in a flurry of gleaming leather, his teeth bared in an wolf-like leer. "I wonder how it would feel, knowing that your only son was turned into a monster by your very hands?"
BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP
"Damn, that is really annoying," he spat. Shooting a beam of ectoplasm out of his fingers, Danny sneered as the machines were reduced to a pile of burning, twisted pieces of metal, a dull thud sounding as they fell to the floor. "Well fuck, somebody probably heard that. Now look what you made me do," he scowled, but a touch of humor entered his voice. "You know, it's kind of ironic. You wanted to help me, to save me from the darkness. And instead you created me." With a low sigh, Danny leaned against a window and stared out at the golden landscape. "You know, I didn't think I'd ever turn evil again. I mean, there really was no way to see this coming, so I couldn't have known, but…." he shook his head. "I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm evil now, and I've never felt better in my entire life. I hold more power now than I ever thought possible, and I have the girl I love by my side. I--"
"Room 512! The patients have flat lined!"
Danny gave the door a quick glance, automatically turning invisible just as two doctors came streaming into the room, panicked looks on their faces.
"What happened here," one of them cried, running to the destroyed machines standing against the wall.
"I don't know, but that explains why our machines said these two were flat lining," the other said, an evident sense of relief coloring his words. Both doctors turned to the two patients lying side by side in the beds, neither paying any attention to the red eyed phantom that emerged from thin air and stood in the corner, quietly observing. "We better call an orderly and get all new equipment in here." The two walked out of the room.
"Idiots." Danny pushed away from the wall, an arrogant sneer on his face. He walked over to the two beds and stared coldly down at the two unconscious figures laying on the starchy white sheets, his eyes like chips of frozen blood. "You two made me what I am...you made me a half ghost, and then you turned me into the very enemy you always feared. Some parents," he snorted, but his eyes narrowed as he let out a short chuckle. "I suppose out of respect for our past I should let you live...after all, I have you to thank for being this way. For being the best I could be."
Utter silence fell like a blanket across the room, the quiet broken only by the faint breathing of all three occupants. Danny stared at the helpless patients with his icy eyes, and finally he pushed away from the beds and started back towards the window. He pushed open one of the double windows and climbed onto the sill, gloved hands tightly clenching the frame. "I am no longer your son...next time I see you, I won't show mercy."
Danny flew out into the open air and soared away from the Amity Park Hospital at top speed. The two lying in their beds unconscious were blissfully unaware that the monster they created had been in their room. They stayed asleep, oblivious to how close they had come to death, and just how twisted their one and only son had truly become.
End of Chapter 9
