Vlad's Life After Death
Chapter Eight:
Danielle descended the stairs the next morning late, her hair disheveled and dark circles under her eyes. She looked as though she hadn't gotten any sleep at all the night before. Danny was up, having already eaten breakfast, and was sitting in the living room.
She walked in and sat down beside him. "Morning," she said.
"Morning. Do you want some breakfast?" he asked.
She shook her head, "I don't feel good," she told him.
Immediately he reached over and pressed his hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm," he murmured.
"Danny, I want to try to live with Vlad," she suddenly spit out.
Danny choked on whatever words he'd been about to say. "Are you sure?" he managed to ask over the huge lump in his throat.
"Yes," she said. "I want to at least give it a try."
"Okay," he said quietly. "I'll call him, I guess."
"Thanks, Danny," Danielle stood up and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before going back upstairs.
Danny sighed loudly and reached for his phone. He scrolled down to the number he had in mind and hit the call button.
Johnny's cellphone rang loudly, rousing him from his sleep. It was Saturday morning and it was only ten, way too early for the biker. He usually slept until noon on Saturdays. He rolled over, wondering why the hell whoever it was couldn't have just called Kitty instead. She had been up for hours.
"What do you want?" Johnny groaned into the phone without checking to see who was calling.
"She wants to try to live with him," Danny said dully on the other end of the line.
"What?" Johnny asked, still trying to process everything in his sleepy mind.
"Danielle wants to try to go live with Vlad." Danny said the words slowly and precisely, knowing that he had probably woken Johnny up.
"You didn't tell her, did you?" Johnny asked, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.
"She told me when she got up, I didn't have time!" Danny defended himself.
"Then tell her now."
"I can't tell her now. She's already made up her mind."
Johnny groaned and flopped back on his pillow. "Let me get dressed and wake up," he said. "Then Kitty and I will come over. Even if you don't tell her, she'll need help packing." Johnny knew the words were harsh, but he was hoping that the cruel reality of them would give Danny the initiative he needed to tell Danielle how he felt.
He heard Danny swallow loudly before replying, "Okay."
Johnny and Kitty were over by noon. Danny had lied and told Danielle that Vlad didn't answer and he'd try to call again later. She was up in her room; packing her bags; while Johnny and Kitty sat with Danny in the living room.
"Danny, really, you need to tell her," Kitty said gently, picking up a silver decorative pillow. She tossed it in the air and caught.
"She wants this," Danny said through his teeth. "I don't know why, but she does. I'm not going to stop her."
Johnny rested his head in his hands. Danny had reverted from being a father figure to being a teenage boy. He was being stubborn and pouting because he wasn't getting his way. He shared a look with Kitty, fully knowing that she felt the same way he did. Both of them loved Danielle and Danny, and had loved them for the past three and a half years. They hated the idea of Danielle going back to live with Vlad as much as Danny did, but they couldn't stop it for him. It was something he had to do himself. It was pissing them off.
Danielle chose that moment to skip down the stairs, holding a folded navy blue shirt in her hands. "Here, Danny. I thought you might want this back." She held it out to him.
He snatched it from her hands, "Thanks," he snapped, tossing it beside him on the couch.
Her eyes widened and it was obvious she was a bit hurt, but she shrugged and went back upstairs. Danny crossed his arms over his chest and flopped back against the sofa.
"You're not doing yourself any favors," Kitty chastised disapprovingly.
"Why does it matter?" Danny scoffed. "She's leaving anyway."
Johnny growled under his breath, hardly controlling his temper. "You should probably call Vlad and let him know that he'll need to come pick her up soon."
Danny shot him a glare, his eyes flashing a vibrant neon green. "Shut the fuck up, Johnny." Yet, Danny still opened his cellphone, holding up a hand to tell them to be quiet.
"Hello?" Vlad answered casually.
A look of disgust came over Danny's face. "Danielle wants to try living with you again," he spat angrily. "She's packing. You can come pick her up when she's done."
Vlad seemed immune to the anger and hate in Danny's voice, his own happiness all he cared about at the moment. "Marvelous!" he said cheerfully. "Give me a call when she's ready." With that he hung up, leaving Danny with a sick taste in his mouth.
"There!" he snapped at Johnny. "Happy now?"
Johnny held his hands up in front of him, palms out. "You're the one who lied about calling him earlier, not me."
Danny muttered something under his breath that Johnny and Kitty didn't quite catch, though it didn't sound very flattering, and resumed his sulking. Kitty and Johnny stayed. No matter how annoyed they were with Danny, they were two of his best friends. They knew he was hurting deeply and they weren't going to leave him alone with that pain.