Keeping Promises

Chapter Ten: Survivors Guilt

"Danny! Look out!" Sam yelled running toward him with a panicked expression. Danny spun quickly only to get slapped across the sky with a large clump of cotton candy. He collided with a wall with a splat. It only took a moment for him to pop his head out. Tucker and Sam ran up to him as a giant candy themed ghost, with an ice-cream coned hat upon its head, rose above and behind them.

"You okay man?" Tucker asked as he and Sam started pulling the sticky candy away.

"I'm sweet Tucker." Danny replied with a role of his eyes.

Sam gave a half smile. "You've really got yourself in a sticky situation this time." She joked as she freed his right arm. Danny used it to blast the approaching ghost back a step.

"Oh, ha ha." Danny said unable to hide his smile as he watched Tucker indiscreetly stuffing chunks of cotton candy in his mouth.

"There." The two said as they fully freed him and pulled him from his sticky trap. "You okay?" They asked.

"I'm good." Danny smiled. "Thanks guys." He said brushing off his suit. "Give me a minute. I'll have this guy wrapped up in no time!"

His friend's cheered as he took to the clear afternoon sky and Jazz shouted support as he flew by her. "Give it up lemon squeeze." Danny quipped as he floated up to the ghost.

"Why would I when I've already buried the whole town in hot fudge!?" The ghost demanded in a dramatic voice. Grinning with its candy corn teeth.

Danny gasped spinning around to find the ghost word's true.

"Danny! Help!" Sam and Tucker cried as they were carried away by a sharp fudge current.

"Hold on guys!" Danny went to save them but another ghost appeared in his path blocking his rout, making the world around him go from blue skies to dark stormy night.

"Trying to save them?" The new arrival asked, his voice mocking. Danny's heart stopped as he looked into the read eyes of his future self. "How are you going to save them when they're already dead?" The ghost floated back half a step and spread his arm in a motion of display. Danny looked down in horror as the whole of Amity Park was in flames.

"NO!" Danny screamed setting up in bead. He gasped looking around frantically as he tried to understand where he was. The unfamiliar surroundings and the foreign placement of his bead in relation to the door had his mind reeling.

Slowly his heart found a more regular pace as his mind sludge into a waking state informing him that he was in his room at the Gray's new home. His body sagged as he let out a pent up breath. None of that was real. He let out a stress filled groan as his head fell into his hands. Not sure what to feel he just sat in the dark.

Suddenly, his stomach let out a sharp rumble declaring its emptiness to him in an irate manner. He sighed finding his feet with a slight wobble. Mildly surprised by this he stumbled out into the hallway and fallowed the sound of the TV down the stairs and into the living room. There he found Damion half asleep in a recliner a news paper laying across his stomach. Danny swallowed hearing the light snores coming from the man. He hesitated, not sure he wanted to disturb his new guardian. Another growl from his stomach told Danny he didn't have a choice in the matter so he spoke up.

"Um…" Danny said quietly. Mr. Gray jolted up in the seat like he'd been prodded and Danny took a step back surprised and a bit worried.

"W-what? W-who?" He blinked tiredly as he looked around, his frantic eyes finally falling on Danny's timid form. "Danny?"

"Sorry to bother you Mr. Gray…" Danny whispered, somehow feeling that making a lot of nose was hazardous. "I… I'm just really hungry."

The man blinked, his mind still hazy from his nap before he jumped to his feet. "Oh, right!" He walked into the kitchen. "Here." The man said pulling out the wrapped dinner and throwing it in the microwave. "Give it a minute. It'll be good."

Danny walked slowly into the kitchen rubbing his arm nervously. "S-sorry about dinner." Danny felt nervous in front of the man realizing suddenly how much trouble he must have been.

Damion Gray let out a soft laugh. "Don't worry about it."

Danny nodded, still worrying about it. "I didn't mean to…" He trailed off. "I don't know what came over me- I just-

"It's okay Danny." Mr. Gray said placing a hand on the boy's shoulder looking him in the eye as he spoke softly. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"But-

"There's nothing to apologize for." Damion said again more sternly as the microwave beeped. "Now get something to eat. Before I start force feeding you." The man gave him a light pat on the shoulder before returning to his recliner where he flipped the television to a news station.

Danny sighed. Damion could never understand how much he had to apologize for, so there was no use in arguing. Taking his plate to the table he started to eat the reheated dinner.

"The Casper High Ravens lost 7-14. It was a ruff loss but our boys still have a chance at the playoffs. And with some of the moves Dash Baxter pulled last night we still have hope to pull through!" The excited anchor said. "Speaking of Casper High the school still is working hard to find a suitable person to fill the role of Vice Principle." Danny swallowed the food roughly. "The school board say's they've found some possible candidates."
"That's good news!" The co host said with her bubbly voice. "Though I do hope who ever it is knows they have very large shoes to fill."

"Yes. The whole school is feeling the loss of Mr. William Lancer. He was a strong member of the Casper High staff. Working harder than most educators he was both Vice Principle, and the main English teacher, and also emergency substitute. Yes... the halls of Casper High won't be-

"Welcome to the Late Late Night Show!" The TV suddenly shifted gears so fast Danny felt a shock run up his spine. His eyes moved to Mr. Gray who was staring blankly at the screen. Danny glanced down at his food, twisting the fork in his hand, his tong felt heavy in his mouth. His stomach popped with anger as he contemplated not eating. His mind froze not sure. Slowly, he found his body choosing for him scooping the food into his mouth. He chewed slowly. Then suddenly his body froze. His mid halted.

Danny's mind was screaming. 'I need to swallow.' He thought. His throat was tight and he suddenly felt panicked as he realized his body wasn't sure how to swallow. Constrict- right? He went to tighten his throat but ran into a problem. His throat couldn't move- what was wrong? He began to panic- when suddenly his throat loosened and he took a breath only to have the food travel down the wrong tube. He coughed spitting the bite out onto his plate.

Damion was on him in a flash as he tried to desperately clear his air way. An agonizing fit later Danny finally gasped staring blankly at his plate for a moment.

"Take it slow Danny." Mr. Gray said soothingly rubbing the boy's back.

Danny jerked away from the comforting hand. "I'm fine." He started shoveling food into his moth quickly eating coughing randomly as his lungs spasmed.

"Slow down."

"I said I'm fine!" Danny yelled slamming the plate down angrily.

His out burst was meet with silence. Which Danny unwillingly broke as his lungs still fought to clear themselves. "I'll get you some water." Damion said calmly. The mans moments were stiff as he moved to the cabinet and he wasn't able to hold back a sigh as he filled the cup.

A few moment's later Danny was staring into his empty cup. Mr. Gray sitting in front of him. "Better?" The man asked.

Danny glanced up then quickly away. "Yeah…" He mumbled letting out a small cough.

'Why dose he try so hard?' Danny wondered silently. 'He wouldn't try half as hard if he knew the truth.' Bitterly his hands tightened around the glass.

"Look… I know it's hard…" The man trailed off. "I just want you to know I'm not here to judge. If you want to talk- about anything… I'll listen."

Danny felt his eyes rise with surprise. He wasn't entirely sure what Mr. Gray was trying to say. Danny started to wonder if he knew something. "Wh- why do you think I'd be worried about being judged?" Danny asked quietly.

"Danny… it's not uncommon for people to suffer survivals guilt." The man frowned at the boy concern all over his face.

"Oh." Danny's shoulders fell a bit.

"I know telling you it wasn't your fault isn't what you want to here… I can't even begin to imagine what you want to hear. I know I can't tell you what you need to hear… but I do want you to know that I'm here to listen. No mater what you have to say. I won't tell you you're right or wrong… I'll just listen. Okay?"

Danny frowned at the man before the honest hazel eyes became too much to look at. His eyes darted around the room looking for an escape. Finally they fell back to the empty cup. "I understand." He finally said numbly.

Danny was starting to wonder why the Gray's would bother helping him at all. Ghostly alter ego's aside... Letting out a sigh he shifted uncomfortably. Wondering if the feeling he was having was this survivors guilt Mr. Gray was talking about. If it was... Danny silently decided he deserved to feel every bit of it. He was guilty after all.

Authors Notes:

So... this chapter was one of those that I kept going... I could cut it... I probably should cut it... it really doesn't ad to the story... but I liked the interaction here between Danny and Damion... so I'm keeping it... even if it's not necessary...

I hope you enjoyed my failed attempt at braking up the mounds of sad with that crappy dream...

This last month and a half has been crazy... this next week is full of travel and I don't know when I'll be able to post more... I'm editing Not and Idiot right now but my computer is reaching the end of it's life and I keep losing bits of progress when it randomly shuts off. Even saving regularly losing a couple sentences only to have to rewrite them after waiting for the computer to start up again gets old really quick.

Anyway... This is the third time I've tried to write this Authors note so I'm sorry if it sounds kind of blunt...

Thank you for reading this story! I hope you're enjoying it! Let me know your thoughts!