For the anonymous reviewer who asked, this is set after KS. Please, anon reviewers, if you ask me questions, be so kind as to give me a way to reply, I want to keep my A/N to a minimum.
The Faithful
I believe in Danny. I believe that he's amazing. I believe he's an exception to all the rules. He's not completely human, so why should he be bound to the rules of humanity? Wait that doesn't sound right. Why should he be bound to the laws of physics, life and death? Better.
So, Vlad says he has a plan that might help Danny. Let's stress the word might. I would pay any price myself if Danny could just be made whole. I've said it already, I'd change places with him in a heartbeat. I'd do anything Vlad asks and he knows it, which would be really frightening if I let myself think too hard about it. It's probably a good thing that he doesn't want anything from me. What would he want from a teen girl anyway? Vlad is a bad guy, but he's not a pervert, that's just sick.
I feel like I'm in a nightmare. The very air around me has that weird dream like quality. I keep hoping that I'll wake up and it will be Saturday morning. The minute woke, I would crawl out of bed and run to Danny's house. It would be early and he'd still be asleep, because he's a lazy bum. I'd crawl in bed with him and I don't care if anyone approves or not. I'd tell him I had a horrible nightmare and I needed him to hold me. He would because he's sweet like that, and everything would be fine. So, yeah I wish this was a nightmare. Who wouldn't?
For the moment it's enough that I'm standing here and watching the respirator breath for him and listen to the soft beeping of the machine monitoring his heart, and that he's alive. Just being in his presence fills me with peace, and I know they are going to come take me away from him. I'm not his family. I'm not even his girlfriend. I'm just his best friend. I could stand here forever though, like a faithful old dog. I feel like I'd start howling if they tried to drag me away at this moment. I need more time.
Don't worry, I'm not going to sit here and go on about the depth of my love for the boy laying in that hospital bed. I'm just going to sit here and trace the bluish veins on his arm until they make me leave.
Maddie's summary of the doctor's diagnosis is frightening. Even if Danny comes out of this coma, he'll never be quiet the same. I can see his dream of becoming an astronaut going up in flames along with the future I dreamed of having with him. I don't care about my dreams, as long as Danny has a future where he's reasonably whole, but I worry about his reaction to the loss of his dreams. Would he rather die than have his whole life change and become full of limitations?
If I close my eyes. I can imagine his eyes opening. I would give anything to see those eyes again. They are the focus of most of my fantasies…Danny's beautiful eyes looking into mine before he kisses me. Danny's eyes filled with emotion as he tells me he loves me. Danny's eyes as he…ummm, well let's not go there okay? I'm not sharing all my fantasies with you. Some things need to stay private in a girl's heart. I've given away too much as it is.
I'm becoming a little numb now. Okay I'm a lot numb, emotionally anyway. My head feels like it's on fire. My body hurts like it's been beaten. My throat is sore from screaming at my parents. My eyes ache like I've been staring at the sun for hours on end. I'm not complaining though. I'm afraid they'll make me go home. It would be torture.
It would be nice though to lay in my bed. To put my head on the soft pillows, pull the blankets over my head and slip into the oblivion of my dreams where I could find Danny. He'd take me flying and we'd belong to each other. I wouldn't care if I woke up as long as he's there with me.
I've always said I would never go ga ga over a boy, and here I've been acting like a stupid girl, wailing and crying and carrying on like an idiot. I'm not proud of myself, but I can't help it. It's like I've had no control over myself. I'm weak. I used to think I was strong, but here I am in a life and death situation and I've lost my head.
Danny's hair is a mess, but really that's nothing new. I can see the surgical wounds near the top of his head. His hair feels horrible and greasy as I trace along his ear. I love his ears. They are so perfect. His skin feels warm and alive and his eyes are moving like he's dreaming. Is he dreaming? I wish I knew. I place kisses on his eyelids then nearly jump out of my skin as a hand falls on my shoulder. It's Jazz.
Jazz. I wish she's stop trying to sort through my head looking for dirty laundry. Most everything in my head is clean, I swear. I don't want her to know my mind. I don't want her to see how vulnerable and hurt I am. I don't want her to know how desperately I love Danny or that she scares me. I don't want her to know that I'd be lost without Tucker too, that my friends mean more to me than my own parents. It makes me seem cold, but there it is.
Jeremy and Pam Manson are my parents, but they are hardly my family. My father is too obsessed with his wealth and his reputation. My mother is too obsessed with her appearance and her social standing. She goes to the hair dresser almost monthly to hide the fact that her hair is as dark as mine. I know why she chose red, it's because she looks freaky as a blonde, but she can pull off red, and that makes her fit in with the bland, vanilla, white bread social scene of Amity Park.
I love my Grandma though. She at least makes the effort to understand me, and care. Right now though, I couldn't bare her wisdom and comfort. Wait. I just made it sound like I don't love my parents. I do. I love them. I just really don't like them.
I know a lot of people wonder why I have such dark hair while my father is blonde and my mother is a red head. A lot of people think I dye my hair. I've actually been told by people, mostly my mother's friends, that I should let my hair revert to it's natural color. I usually just sneer at them and walk away. I've adopted the Goth look partly to counter my parents and their squeaky clean, sweet as honey, butter wouldn't melt in your mouth, fake life. So yeah everything you see about me is real. I was born with black hair, and no I don't wear contacts, my eyes really are lavender, get over it already.
I don't know why I'm talking about my hair and my eyes. This is stupid. I'm too tired I think. Jazz is standing beside me looking at Danny. She's been talking to me, but I haven't been listening. I shouldn't be so rude to her. I should be kinder, but she irritates me to no end.
"Sam," she said to me softly. "Tucker says that you and he need to talk to me. Something about being able to save Danny." I looked into her turquoise eyes for the first time and saw her pain too. It dawned on me for the first time that Jazz didn't have anyone to lean on. She was busy running around taking care of everyone else.
"Yeah," I said to her. "But are you okay?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked at Danny.
"Vlad came and talked to me," I started. Jazz stiffened beside me and took a deep breath.
"What did he say?" She asked.
"He thinks that if we could get Danny to transform into Phantom, that it might save him." I answered as I went back to tracing the veins on Danny's arm. I could almost feel Jazz's thoughts as she stood beside me. She was so scared and like me, she didn't want to show it.
"Do you think it will work?" Jazz finally asked her voice wistful with unspoken hope.
"I don't know," I answered. "It could make him go ghost permently you know, but he would still…be Danny. I mean his physical body might be too broken to heal."
Jazz shook her head. "I'm not following you Sam. Please explain."
I took a deep breath and wished Tucker was here. He'd be able to explain it better. "Danny's heals quick in ghost form," I answered. "Maybe his ghost form can heal his mind enough to pull him out of the coma, save his life…."
"And how would we do that? How do we get him to transform?" Jazz asked softly. "If this idea came from Vlad, it's likely it will do more harm then good, unless he wants something."
"Yeah," I answered. "Your mom."
"My mom." Jazz said. "My mom?"
"Yeah," I answered. Jazz laughed almost hysterically then looked over her shoulder.
"They want us out of here Sam," Jazz told me as she again put her hand on my shoulder. I fought the urge to pull away. "There are tests they want to run."
I bent forward and kissed Danny's cheek then let her lead me away. I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder, looking back would be a sign of doubt. I knew I was going to see him again. I have faith in Danny, which I know is hard to believe considering my earlier behavior and thoughts.
"I think you all should go home," Maddie said once we were out of Danny's room and I felt a sense of panic rising up inside of me.
"Sweetie," she said as she looked into my eyes. "It's well past midnight. You're going to be of no use to Danny if you collapse from exhaustion."
"Tuck and I need to talk to you," I said weakly. I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to sleep in my cold house. I wanted to stay with Danny.
"Jack is going to take you and Jazz home," Maddie continued as if she hadn't heard Sam. "Tuck is going home with his mother." She paused. I watched uncertainty fill her eyes.
"Your parents went home a few hours ago," she continued. I think she expected me to be upset, but I was glad. I didn't care.
"I asked if it was okay if I kept you for awhile, as comfort," she told me then smiled a sad smile as her eyes searched my face.
"I need to stay here," I told her.
"You need rest Sam," She argued. "You have a choice. Either go to my house and rest or I send you home to your parents where you know they'll try to make you give up on Danny and move on. It's your choice."
I sighed deeply. "Tucker and I need to talk to you. We need."
"I've already told her," Tucker said softly as he appeared beside me. I looked at him in shock and he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Sam," Maddie said as she turned me face to look at her once again. "This is in my hands now. Can you trust me?"
"We can find a way to by pass Vlad," I said. "You don't have to…"
"Sam," Maddie interrupted. "Tucker and I have already discussed this. Now, I have a decision to make and you need sleep."
"But…" I started.
"You'll be sleeping in Danny's room," Maddie said, as if she knew that would be an incentive to go. I watched as she turned to Jack. They embraced and I looked away in embarrassment. They held each other like it was going to be the last time. Did Jack know? What did Tucker tell them? I hated being left out. I also began to wonder how long I had been in Danny's room. I felt completely out of it.
My mind fell into a daze. I remember Tucker kissing my cheek, which was very odd behavior for Tuck. Where did he get off thinking he could do something like that? I remember hugging him. I remember being loaded into the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle and watching the buildings of Amity Park whiz by.
Jazz lead me up to Danny's room and opened the door. We stood there, together and just looked, neither of us wanting to take the first step inside. It was almost like disturbing sacred ground.
"Well?" Jazz asked as she looked at me. I didn't move so she pressed her hand on my back and pushed me forward. I watched as she opened one of Danny's dresser drawers then handed me one of his nightshirts.
"Y-you don't mind?" I asked and she gave me a pitying look.
"Why would I mind?" she replied gently, she reminded me of Maddie in that moment. I shrugged my shoulders as I clutched the purple nightshirt to my chest. She asked me if there was anything I needed. I only shook my head. She gave me a sad look, told me good night and left the room, shutting the door behind her as she went.
I honestly didn't think I'd be able to sleep as I changed my clothes and crawled beneath Danny's blankets. I sighed deeply as I breathed in the smell of Danny and cuddled into the pillows with a faint smile, and then before I knew it, I was sound asleep and safe in a dream world where I was held gently in the arms of a certain ghost hybrid whose name wasn't Vlad.
I have to admit, this is the most emotionally draining story I've ever written. If I'd known digging so deeply into these characters minds would affect me so profoundly…well…So this chapter seems weird and almost pointless to me, though it's not.
Filler chapter? Maybe. Review? Please.
