Warning. In this chapter an OC dies slowly and painfully. Well, actually it's not painfully, but she still dies. If you are to young a reader to read it, then ask me if I can summarise what's happened in this chapter. Also: BEWARE OF THE GIANT PLOT HOLE SOMEWHERE WITH IN THIS CHAPTER! Well, it's not that giant, nor that big a deal, but it's still there and I don't really want anyone to poke at it. Or you might get sucked into the story and get stuck there. OK, the last sentence is silly, but whatever. On with the story!
Danny sat in a tree. Yes, he had finally found his family. Yes, he now knew who he is. But something felt so... wrong. There was also Sam. Although he loved her, he also loved Maxy and his kids. Devorcing Maxy because he fell in love with someone else... Sounded cruel.
He also knew nothing of his past. He didn't remember anything. Sure, there are some odd threads, but no real memories. He sighed. He observed some of his students walking across the park to the Nasty Burger. He was invisible, so they wouldn't notice and gape at him.
He suddenly gasped, a blue mist escaping his mouth. He looked up out of reaction, warily looking around. "Joohn Ingleebeert!" A voice called out. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!" It didn't take long for Danny to realise this was Miss McLain's voice. He floated down from his tree and came out of the bushes.
"What is it Ember?" He asked. He then realised her face had a sadistic smile.
"Do you know how long we'd been looking for you Phantom?" she asked, a sparkle of remorse in her eyes.
"Phantom?" OK, so I am this Danny Phantom. How did I end up with white hair?
"Don't pretend. We've been searching for a decade and we almost thought you were dead... And now you come back, what made you come?"
"A Job Offer-"
"I don't think so. See, I don't think it was a coincidence, that you'd disappear exactly when we needed you. How did you know?"
"I don't know anything!" Ember fel silent, but her sadistic smile was still there.
"To prove that you are, who you are, I've set you a little task." Ember continued. John- er... Danny hesitated, disliking her tone and unconciously taking a defensive position.
"Thing is, what does Phantom value the most? Is it his friends? His family? Well, by the way you've been treating your... "old" family, I doubt that and Sam and Tucker. They're like thin air to you, aren't they?"
His blank expression on his face told Ember she was right.
"So, here's your task. Right about... Now, Maxy's been thrown into the Amity River, with a - get this- boulder tied to her ancle. Your kids? The fentons and co. were stupid enough to leave them unattended, they're currently trying to find you. That gave me the chance to set your house on fire."
Danny's face slowly start burning up in rage and worry, as he realised Ember was drowning his wife and burning his children.
"Here's your task: If you really are Phantom, then save them. All of them." Danny's eyes glowed green, although he didn't notice. If his family wasn't in trouble, he probably would have attacked her, but there were more pressing matters to deal with.
He split himself in half, both turning invisible and shooting off to their respective destinations, one being where Maxy was drowning, the other were his children were burning.
His first half flew as fast as possible to his home - in Fenton form - and although using his ghost powers was tiring, he still shot through the sky like a speeding bullet (exageration). Finally, he reached his home... The sight made him freeze. The whole house was burning and already firemen were there. He landed a bit behind them and ran up.
He was about to run up to the on-fire house, but was pushed back by a fireman, that had noticed him on time.
"Sir, please step away from the house. It's not-"
"Get out of my way." Danny replied, without giving him a chance to react. He quickly shoved the man out of the way and sprinted into the house. Other firemen were about to run after him, but failed to reach him on time.
Danny was now standing in his home, or at least, what was left of it. Everything seemed to be burning. He cooled himself off with a constant production of ice, but it was difficult to make at this heat.
"Lilac!" He shouted. Where would his children be? Well... It was some time after their bedtime, so... He shot up the stairs and opened the door.
"Lilac?" He called again. There was no reply. He flew over to the crib, where Skyler sleapt, but he wasn't in there. Shoot. The worried father thought.
He paused. He had to locate his children some how!
Calming down, he closed his eyes and listened, letting everything else around him drop. Pieces of roof collapsed into the floor, as water from outside desperately tried to terminate the flames, which roared in anger.
The crisping and crackling of fire surrounded him, it seemed impossible to hone in on anyone this way. But, he let all distracting noises around him disappear. He no longer heard the continous splash of water, the sound of merciless fire and crashing of dead burnt wood. Everything silenced as he listened to the sound he needed.
His children were coughing badly and crying. The smoke was poisoning them. Once Danny had finally found them, he didn't hesitate to slam open the doors of the wardrobe they were hiding in and pick them up, running out of the house intangibly (although he turned tangible just before exiting).
Lilac continued coughing, same as Skyler. He quickly gave them to the meds. "Take care of them for me." He told one of the workers. And then he vanished before their eyes, rejoining his other half, which was still rescueing Maxy.
It had taken him a short while, but he had finally found Maxy through the murky waters. He suddenly felt a jolt and memories stream into his mind, that he didn't remember before. Memories of a burning house...
His other half had come back.
He swam as quickly as possible, against the stream to reach his wife, which tried to release her ancle from the boulder hopelessly. Don't gasp for air, don't gasp for air... Danny begged Maxy in his mind.
Her eyes met his and hope twinkled in them, as she stopped flailing around momentairily. But suddenly she gasped. She had lost her breath and needed air. Now Danny became frantic, the relief of finding his wife draining away fast.
Maxy, just hold on! Maxy tried coughing but couldn't, water gushing into her lungs, she struggled. She struggled some more... Then she lost conciousness.
No, Maxy! Come on Danny, hurry up! She's only got little time left!
He continued swimming. Just a bit more... His mind screamed as he reached out for his wives motionless hand. Her eyes were closed and he was full of fear. When he finally reached her hand over the strong currents surrounding him, he turned intangible and flew up to the surface, holding his wife in his arms.
He gasped for air and choked a little. Losing his flight, he crashed into the ground, holding Maxy close to him.
"I... Gasp... Did... Gasp... It." He whispered to her, burrying his head in her neck...
But Maxy didn't react. She lay in his arms and didn't move. No. His mind thought, as it slowly dawned on him what was going on. No. No. No no no nononono... His mind started to repeat over and over and over again.
"Maxy?" He asked. He got out of his lying position and laid her in his lap. She's not coughing. Not spluttering. Not breathing. He hesitantly reached out his hand and touched her gently on her neck, exactly where her aorta* is. No pulse.
"No." He said before his eyes filled with tears. "Maxy!" He screamed pointlessly and held her limp body close to his. "You can't do this to me! Not now! Not here!" He cried, tears streaming down his face.
There were sirens in the distance, but he didn't budge. He had been there for everyone. But Maxy. He rocked gently back and forth, like a little child.
He didn't know how long he sat there. He didn't know when Maxy's body had disappeared off his lap. He didn't know when a bumarang hit him on the back of his head. He didn't know when some comforting arms had wrapped themselves around him. He just didn't know or care.
He wanted to wake up and find everything had been a dream. Gone back to the day he'd made the decision to move to Amity Park. He just wanted everything to go away.
*The aorta is the biggest vein the body has (or something like that)
Sorry, this chapter has been sitting on my computer for who knows how long. Should have been published awhile ago. Whoops. :S
Hopelessly you liked this chapter! (Apart from the OC-death, unless you're a strong DxS supporter, then you probably loved the death)