Danny Phantom/Criminal Minds
Ch.11: Dimensional Travel
Nervously, the two men looked between themselves before their eyes found the unconscious teenager again. One of them looked at the watch on their wrist, frowning anxiously and twitching. The other man paced nervously in front of the prone form, his gaze dodging between the teen, the ceiling, the ground, his partner, and the untouched food tray sitting on the concrete floor. Both were obviously nervous beyond belief, the source of their anxiety sitting quietly on the ground, chained up and breathing deeply.
It was hardly the typical attitude of a victim of kidnapping. Granted, the black-haired teen boy was unconscious, head lightly resting against the dry-wall behind him. However, both of the men in charge of watching the kid both knew he shouldn't be, seeing as the boy had basically been unconscious for two days now, and what little the teen had awoken, he'd been loopy and out of it, always hazy-eyed and smiling. Then he'd just drift off a couple minutes later, falling back into beddy-bye land for no rhyme or reason. The two men were starting to honestly wonder if they had accidentally hit the boy just a little too hard over the head when they had 'picked him up.'
Neither man would be worried, if it weren't for the fact their boss had told them to make sure the teen stayed mostly undamaged. The two thought they had done a pretty good job at that, but now they were starting to doubt how well they handled the job. They prayed their boss wouldn't find out. Neither man wanted to die so early on in their lives.
"Should we try to wake him up again?" The first man asked, brushing his dark hair from his forehead anxiously. His partner glanced at him, peeked at the unconscious boy on the ground, then returned his gaze to his partner. As if afraid to speak, the blonde man shrugged his shoulders before moving his hands in a suggestive arc in the direction of the boy. The dark-haired male made an obvious sign of unease, asking, "Wait, why do I have to do it?"
The blonde propped an eyebrow up. "You suggested the idea."
The first partner stuttered in response to the first's simple but straightforward statement. The blonde male just watched, hardly amused and just waiting for the other man to cave, either by going through with his suggestion or worming his way out of doing it. Much to the blonde's surprise, the dark-haired man quickly sighed in surrender, beginning the short trudge towards the spot the ebony-haired boy was chained and sleeping his capture away without so much as a care to bounce around inside his skull.
The blonde male made no attempt to make it to his destination swiftly, nor did he even bother to keep his already slow pace. The closer the male drew to the boy, the more a feeling of unease began to wrap around the man's chest, his hazel eyes locked onto the boy's prone form.
It wasn't that the boy was intimidating or posed a threat to the dark-haired male or his partner. In some ways, it wasn't even the ungodly amount of sleeping the young teen had been doing. No, the dark-haired man hadn't liked the look he'd seen in the boy's blue eyes when he had been conscious- or, lack thereof. His crystalline orbs might as well have been nothing more than glass marbles trapped inside a person's eye-sockets. They had been completely void of life, as if someone had sucked the boy's soul out of his body, and then hid it somewhere the rest of the world wouldn't be able to find it.
The blonde male watched from his spot, hands resting lightly on his hips with trace hints of amusement layering his worried frown. The blonde's partner stopped a foot and a half from the chained boy, glanced uneasily at the other male a few yards from their spot, and then looked back down at the boy. Reaching out with his foot, the dark-haired man nudged the teen's leg lightly. However, his voice was loud as he called for the boy to wake up. It was very out of place in the still apartment, cutting through the noise of traffic and heavy construction pushing through the walls. The man's voice was as sharp as the distant high-pitched car horns and ear-splitting jackhammer thrumming against who-knew-what.
"Hey. Kid. Wake up. …I said wake up!"
The black-haired teen's head lulled to one side, hanging limply as his lips parted ever-so-slightly. His body slumped a little further against the wall, slipping into a rather uncomfortable position for any lucid person. However, it didn't cause even the smallest blimps on the boy's radar. The most he did to suggest that he registered his treatment was a small sigh in his sleep; however, it seemed more of a routine than anything else, as the teen tended to sigh every two or three hours, like clockwork. Thus, it wasn't any comfort to the two men who were currently in charge of keeping him alive. Their frowns sunk deeper into their faces the longer the boy remained unresponsive. However, the teen refused to yield them any form repose, sitting blankly against the dry-wall without so much as a twitch along his form.
"How does he sleep like that for so long? Not even my baby sister can do that." The dark-haired man stated, shaking his head and scratching the back of his neck anxiously.
The man with the light-colored hair quickly dismissed his partner's simple statement, hardly even acknowledging that it'd been spoken at all. Instead, he focused on the predicament at hand, which would be what their boss would do when he found out the growing problem. "We've gotta find out what the hell's wrong with him. Call that contact of yours; get him over here to check the kid out. He should know something about this, right?"
The man that had nudged the boy turned his head towards his blonde partner. His worried expression had abruptly been cast aside, replaced by another look that clearly said, 'What the hell have you been smoking?' He voiced his feelings, saying, "Roman's a vet, not a doctor, dill-weed. She's more likely to make the situation worse, not better, and we're already in deep enough shit as it is."
"Yeah, well, sitting on our hands ain't getting us anywhere either, huh, pretty boy?" The blonde replied, clearly irritated. The hostility was shared with his partner, however, who glared back in response to the nickname he found offending. The blonde began pacing the length of the small apartment they were holed up in as his partner once again stated that calling a vet, of all things, to give their hostage a look-over was not a good idea.
"Roman's not gonna know what to do!"
"But she might have an idea. Just call her up already, dammit! I was pointed as the decision maker, remember?"
"Vividly, but I can't bring myself to give a shit. And you know something else? I also vividly remember you boasting about one of your contacts. You said he was a mob doctor or something like that. Why don't you call him up, huh?"
"Because that bastard got ganked last week. Now call your vet friend and get her over here!"
The fight continued, with the dark-haired male once again objecting to the blonde's order and the blonde restating his earlier commands. They invaded each other's personal space, yelling swears, threats, objections and demands, talking in circles that led them arguing around and around. Though their voices were high in volume and they continued to repeat themselves, the two refused to hear the other, fighting and fighting until one of them finally grew weary of the battle.
Through the curses and the booming dispute, the teen boy with the raven hair continued his convincing act as a statue, chin against his chest and mouth slightly parted. He was nothing more than a figure that took up space in the dinky apartment, and if it weren't for the routine rise and fall of his chest, that too would've been arguable. But none of it seemed to matter for the unconscious teenager, who breathed as flawlessly as he would on any normal day.
Danny grinned as he watched himself fly through the air, snow-white hair gleaming as it whipped around his head from the high-speeds. Peridot green eyes glimmered with determination, literally glowing from the power coursing through his veins. The other boy's skin-tight jumpsuit- a flaming, white DP emblem blazing in the center of his chest -twisted every which way the flying boy did, sweat creating a shiny sheen over his tanned face. His expression morphed into an adamant resolve to see that he won this battle.
The teen that was an exact replica of Danny- apart from the strange clothing, superpowers, and the color of his eyes and hair –was facing off against an older, blue-skinned male. The man had black-hair, like Danny's, and his eyes were a pupil-less crimson. There were pointed fangs that glinted menacingly every time the man opened his mouth, which reminded Danny of a vampire. The man's white and black get-up only reinforced the mental image and branded it permanently into Danny's mind, though the idea had been there for a long time anyway.
Just like he'd seen the two do so many times before, Danny studied the banter passed between the two- sometimes, it was almost teasing; other times, it was deadly serious; tonight, it seemed the two were caught somewhere in the middle, as if they were indecisive –and the way their bodies easily twisted and turned in the air as they moved to attack their rival or dodge the oncoming onslaught of projectiles they hurled at each other. The older man's movements, Danny noted, were very precise, very deliberate, as were his carefully selected words. The black-haired boy's green-eyed counterpart, though, wasn't so nearly as meticulous, taking openings as he saw them and creating moves as he went along, never thinking about what his next course of action might be. They were two very different fighting styles, but that may have been what made the two so evenly matched: the older man may have plans, but anything could disrupt his flow, while the boy merely reacted. However, because the teen only reacted, there was no way for him to predict when a decent opening to end the battle with may come, which he may or may not be able to catch in the heat of the moment.
Or, at least, that's what Danny thought may be the thing keeping them evenly matched. He wasn't a professional in the art of fighting, however. The evenness may stem from the fact that, while the vampire-wannabe undoubtedly had much more control of his powers, his younger adversary harnessed much more raw power. Danny couldn't tell for sure, though, and he didn't know where to find out, either, to his dismay.
Danny contemplated more of the same sorts of things as his crystalline eyes followed the fight high in the sky. He stood planted in the middle of the abandoned street, head bent back to watch with an air of casualness around him, despite the danger he'd put himself into. Danny even had one hand cupping his cheek in contemplation, a thoughtful expression etched into his face. It was hardly the look one should be sporting when in the midst of an area full of hazards, but what else was Danny to do?
It wasn't like it much mattered anyway. Neither the man with crimson eyes, nor Danny's white-haired twin saw him standing casually yards below their violent quarrel, and everyone that had fled the scene earlier had raced right past him; sometimes, even straight through him. It was like Danny didn't exist in this world, and it was the same for every world he visited. He was nothing more than a ghost, a spectator to watch the happenings in other dimensions.
Well… That wasn't completely true. There was a dimension he could change things, and people knew of his existence: his home world. However, it'd been a long, long time since he'd been back there. The images in his head of the people he knew were starting to become fuzzy, distorted. The names, which used to be so familiar, were foreign sounds on his tongue. The sounds of his family's voices- he was fifty percent sure he had one, and he noted he used to be more sure of himself only a few dimensions ago –could no longer be recalled, and had been replaced with generic voices for generic, vague pictures that grew dimmer with each passing day. Danny knew it should've made him anxious, but the feeling of forgetting was as familiar as his family should've been, so he didn't worry more than a little.
Besides, the fuzzy bits of his home world that could be recalled were bland and boring. Why would he want to go back there when the worlds he journeyed to- the ones where he had superpowers or, in the ones that didn't have a Danny for him to watch, had impossible things in them, like monsters and demons and other cool stuff –were so much more interesting to watch? Sure, it wasn't possible for him to interact with the environment or the people, but watching wonders beat living a dull, boring life.
Even now, with Danny's twin wise-cracking as a thermos in his hand sucked the man with fangs inside the cylinder container, the fight coming to a close, going back to his home world didn't seem like a pleasurable task to venture after, even though Danny knew what exactly came next after a battle such as this. The white-haired twin would fly to his strange house, would undoubtedly get scolded by his parents when he arrived after breaking curfew, and then go to his room in hopes of either sleeping or getting some homework done. However, no matter which option the twin went with, his goals would always be interrupted by other entities this world called 'ghosts.' Some were amusing to watch; others were simply routine. Danny preferred the unusual visits from the blue-skinned man and other, more powerful enemies.
Just as Danny predicted, the tired twin began streaking off towards the distance, where the black-haired teen could faintly see the top of the large op-center sitting on top of his twin's house. However, much to his pleasant surprise, as soon as the white-haired male was gone, a tank-like vehicle screeched around the corner of an intersection, nearly tipping over from the speed. With a grin, Danny watched as it roared forward before squealing to a halt only a few inches in front of him. The car hadn't even stopped before two figures, one clad in blue and the other in orange, jumped from the doors, waving large firearms around in the air. The man in orange, who was properly over six feet in height and large around the middle as well, boomed with his loud voice, "Where's the ghosts?! Where's Phantom and the Wisconsin Ghost?!"
There was no one but Danny to answer, and the two figures looked right through him, as usual. His light laughter echoed through the deserted street, but it never reached Danny's twin's parent's ears. They just continued to search for the two entities, despite the obvious fact they were both gone, and Danny continued to laugh.
"Oh, for the love of-" The blonde yelled, cutting himself in the middle of his exclamation to take a swing at his unrelenting partner. The other barely managed to duck away, an enraged expression overcoming his face for the uncalled-for violence the other man resorted to. However, missing his target only enraged the light-haired male further as he yelled, "Would you just call the damn bitch already?!"
The dark-haired man opened his mouth to retort, probably with a similar response to what he'd been giving for the past couple of minutes since the fight started, but his voice never left his throat. Through the honking of car-horns and roaring of jackhammers, a soft laugh slipped through the din and pierced the men's eardrums so abruptly, they both stopped short in their fight. The anger drained away, leaving their blood cold and their once trembling bodies deadly still.
Almost as one, the two men shot around to stare at the boy still on the ground. The black-haired teen had yet to move from his uncomfortable spot, still slouched limply against the wall with his hands cuffed to one side on the leg of a nightstand. It was undeniable that the fragile, breathless laughter was coming from the boy, though he hadn't so much as stirred in the past eighteen hours.
Without thinking, the dark-haired man zoomed up beside the boy's side, dropping to his knees and cupping his hands around the teen's face. None too gently, the man lifted the younger male's head up to face his, and he was a little disturbed at how limp the boy remained. To make matters worse, the boy was still caught in the depths of sleep as he chuckled quietly to himself. The only thing about his expression to change from its usual stoic look was the slight up-tilt of the boy's mouth, creating the barest image of a smile. However, it was so small that the dark-haired male almost completely missed it.
Glancing over his shoulder, the man looked at his anxious partner with a questioning gaze. The blonde shrugged his shoulders, at a loss of what to do, and the man kneeling on the floor was grateful when the other all but forgot about calling the female vet to give their unconscious captive a check-up. Turning back around and ignoring the glaring fact nothing he did would rouse the black-haired teen, the man patted the boy's cheek a little roughly, calling, "Hey kid, you awake?"
As usual, there was no response. The boy's head merely bobbed in the dark-haired man's grip as he was smacked. The tiny twitches at the corners of his lips stayed firmly in place, not growing bigger but not shrinking either. When the man opened one eyelid to see if that would warrant any response, all the dark-haired male received in return was a lifeless blue orb boring into his own hazel ones. The man released the boy's eyelid quickly after, though he refused to acknowledge how unnerved he was at seeing the void stare.
"We should seriously get this kid some help." The dark-haired man stated, looking back over his shoulder as he released his grip from the boy's face. As predicted, it limply lulled to one side again, black bangs shielding an expressionless face. When the blonde opened his mouth to say something, focused on his kneeling partner, the dark-haired male snapped, "And not from a vet. God, if only you could grow a brain."
The comment would've sparked another fight, if the FBI hadn't chosen that moment to break their door down, of course.
It was fast, how it happened. The door slammed open abruptly, flying in a long arc before crashing into the dry-wall with a loud BANG! Agents poured in with firearms and padding, telling the two men to get on the ground and place their hands behind their heads with sharp, booming voices. With startled yelps, the two men didn't have any chance to do as they were told; the agents roughly helped them along with the task before either man's brain could catch up with their eyes. As the agents quickly began restraining the two men, others scoured the rest of the small apartment, shouting 'clear' when they found no one. A blonde agent quickly split from the first wave of agents that had entered, thumping over to the unconscious teenager slumped against the wall. Behind her, someone asked if the boy was alive.
Taking one hand from her gun, JJ pressed two fingers to the boy's throat, finding his pulse without any difficulty. It was strong under her fingers, and with a sigh of relief, the blonde agent responded, "He's alive, and he appears to be unharmed."
The other agents quickly breathed a sigh of relief as the members of SWAT began to lead the two men from the apartment, both with their hands cuffed tightly behind their back and an agent grasping them tightly from behind. Derek quickly joined JJ's side, helping by quickly brandishing the keys he'd grabbed from the apartment's coffee table (of all places to put the keys; the two men must've been really confident in their ability to keep the teen hidden and restrained). While Derek did that, JJ shook the boy gently by the shoulders, trying to rouse him from his slumber as the cuffs dropped from his wrists. Calling sweetly, JJ said, "Hey, Danny, wake up. We're here to take you back to your family."
However, like with the two men before her, the black-haired boy refused to be pulled from his slumber. His head lulled to and fro from JJ's gentle shaking, and his body slumped even further against the wall, sliding easily against the dusty, wooden floor. The teen's breathing wavered as he moved, though it easily adjusted quickly.
JJ frowned at the response- or lack thereof –she received. She shook Danny's shoulder a little harder, called a little louder. Derek looked anxiously between the boy and his comrade, wondering why the boy wasn't responding. JJ pondered the same problem beside him. But no, Danny refused to stir even the smallest bit, no matter how rough JJ got or how loud she called. When it was clear that nothing was to be gained with such actions, Derek called, "We need a medic in here, ASAP!"
Through the hustle and bustle as agents scoured the apartment high and low, Hotch made a quick beeline for the two agents kneeling beside the unconscious captive. As he joined their side, taking a place on the ground beside his two agents, Hotch urgently asked, "What's wrong?"
"He's not waking up. Danny! Danny, honey, can you make some sort of sign that you can hear us? Danny!" JJ called again and again, cupping the boy's cheek in her palm while shaking his shoulder with her free hand. Still, he did not move or make a sound.
The medics with the ambulance came too slowly, in the agent's opinion, though they did not say so aloud. They merely got out of the paramedics' way as they quickly laid Danny out, trying to minimize his movements in case there was internal damage none of them could see. They loaded the boy onto a stretcher soon after. He was rushed out of the apartment building, into an ambulance, and raced to the hospital with only the paramedics and JJ to be there if he awoke suddenly.
From his spot in the schoolyard, Danny watched his twin smile as he greeted his friends. The three grouped together after class, ready for lunch. The other students milled about them, alternating between casting dirty glances and completely ignoring the "freak trio" of Casper High. However, the three teens were unaware of the looks and not-looks thrown their way- or they were, and they just couldn't bring themselves to care. Although, Danny wouldn't be surprised if Sam, the pretty goth girl, and Tucker, the tech-wiz in love with his PDA, noticed them while the twin was in the dark. Danny had heard him being called "clueless" a few times, and there were a few instances that the boy understand why such a title was bestowed upon the fourteen-year-old.
Seriously… Even Danny could see there was something going on between the goth and his twin. In this dimension, there was, in the very least. In other worlds, the the girl and boy's (his?) relationship varied upon the alternating events.
For a moment, the black-haired boy forgot all about the trio he was watching. His thoughts were back in his world, wondering if maybe he had a Sam somewhere, even though it'd been months since his twin and the blue-skinned man had fought and he'd last thought about what his world was like. But no, he couldn't remember if there was a Sam where he was from- or a Tucker or a Dash or a Mr. Lancer or anybody around here. Hell, if he was being serious with himself, Danny wasn't even all that sure he had parents or a sister in his world. All he had was his name; there wasn't even a last name to go with it.
But then… That was typical, wasn't it? He always forgot where he came from, who he knew, what he'd done. All of that priceless information was lost in the other dimensions he'd visited, where he'd been focused on the happenings and not about what was going on where he was supposed to be. After all, how could he think about his boring, normal life when such amazing and strange things were going on somewhere else, a place he was allowed to view?
However, it would be nice to see the few similarities between his world and the other dimensions out there every once in awhile. It'd be easier to relate to his other selves and even to the people that weren't him, when there wasn't a him to watch. But alas, there were no memories to connect to people with, making Danny just a little less compassionate to the people he watched than he should've been. Not feeling bad (or anything else) for them wasn't something he meant to do; it was just hard to understand why some of his twins felt so miserable in some dimensions when their parents died when Danny himself didn't even know what it felt like to have parents, or to feel happy for anyone who received a good grade when he couldn't ever remember receiving any grades at all. So it wasn't for lack of trying; he just didn't get it.
With a sigh, Danny shooed all those thoughts away, focusing on the trio again as they found a spot away from the other students, in case any of the other teens decided to play a joke on them or something else along those lines. For the first part of their lunch, nothing interesting happened. The trio just sat and talked, about everything and nothing at the same time. Danny, leaning against the tree directly behind the three, sighed as he listened, bored but unwilling to find something else to watch, just to make sure nothing would happen while he was gone. However, he seriously contemplated leaving a few times, gently bashing his head against the tree beside him with moans and groans.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Danny realized this was a nice break for his counterpart. The twin always seemed to be chasing down ghosts or attempting to catch up with schoolwork or chores, hardly ever receiving a break from life. It drastically limited everything a normal teen looked forward to when he got everything done and over with: sleep, free-time, and family time. Thus, while watching his twin squirm and rush had been amusing for Danny, it had been taking a pretty high toll on his twin, who desperately needed the break lunch-time at school offered.
However, like all good things for Danny's counterpart, it came to an end rather quickly and abruptly. The black-haired boy's twin gasped, a puff of pale blue fog slipping past his parted lips. The mist dissipated quickly into the air as the black-haired boy sitting between his two friends regained his composure, looking all around the area for the entity that set off his "ghost sense." Sam and Tucker both sighed but, nonetheless, put on brave-faces, ready for whoever it was interrupting their day this time.
Standing right behind them, Danny couldn't help it. He smiled.
With a whispered word to his friends to relax and enjoy the rest of their break, Danny's twin rushed into the brush, hiding from any person with wandering eyes. Casually, Danny followed behind him, hardly mystified when his counterpart changed from his human form to his ghostly one, black jumpsuit and white hair and green eyes and all. Without any time to lose, the teen hopped into the air, zooming off with a sudden burst of speed. Danny wasted no time in sprinting in the direction of his twin's flight path, keeping his gaze to the sky to watch where his twin was racing off too.
As usual, there was a long distance between Danny and his twin. The only thing allowing the boy to follow his counterpart was the fact the other boy liked to fly way high in the sky, and it wasn't hard to spot him, if you looked a little longer than normal. The black-garbed figure stood distinctly out against the puffy white clouds and perky blue sky, which made tracking him that much either. Danny had no idea why the ghost-hunters of the town- the Red Huntress, the Fenton parents, the GIW, all of them –needed their stupid devices when, if they just looked up once in awhile, they'd see the black streak zooming across the sky. Were they all blind or something, or did it just make them feel better when they used their tracking devices?
Following the black-clad figure zooming across the sky, searching for one of his many long-time rivals, Danny contemplated this question. It gave him something to do as he raced across streets, streaked through alleys, and jumped over backyard fences. The distant and speed hardly deterred the boy; he never slowed, nor did his muscles ever begin to ache, but that was normal to him. It was just another thing he forgot existed back in his world, though he knew everyone in every dimension felt fatigue when they worked past their limits. It seemed Danny had none.
The boy's twin eventually rushed into another flying being, one Danny couldn't identify from the distance he was at, though his money was placed on Youngblood. The younger ghost hadn't been spotted for awhile now, and it felt like he was due any time for a visit. However, Danny never did find out who the ghost his twin ran into was, for, as he launched himself over another fence, he landed on a solid, black floor. Which was surrounded by a black void. With nothing else but Danny in it.
The scene was familiar, and Danny frowned, a little irritated by the timing. After all, he wanted to know who it was that his twin had stumbled upon. He had started a bet with himself, after all!
There was nothing he could do, though. He'd been abruptly booted from the dimension he'd last been in, and as far as he knew, there wasn't any way he could go back to it, at the last spot he'd left it. From here, Danny could only go find another one and begin watching the interesting folk there. First, however, he needed to find another door that led to another dimension, which could take anywhere from a few minutes to months to find, depending on which direction he walked in and where the other universes were settled in their spots. Danny had no way of knowing which way led to the closest world; thus, he simply closed his eyes, spun in a circle as he counted up from one, and stopped when he reached ten. As he opened his eyes, Danny prepared his legs to begin walking in that direction. Before he could move, though, he paused.
Just a few feet away stood an opening, not like any of the ones Danny had seen before. There was no door, just a large rectangle that needed a door. Inside the entryway, there was nothing but a brightly lit, white expanse. However, none of the light shined out of the door, remaining inside and never reaching the darkness beyond the opening; never reaching Danny, who stood in his spot only feet away.
Despite having no memories of the opening (or at all, if Danny was being technical about it), it still seemed vaguely familiar. The smallest feelings of dread twitched inside of Danny's stomach, and he frowned, wondering if he should enter the entrance. He may not have memories, but he knew what instinct was, and he always listened to it. It's what kept him from entering the worlds filled with nothing but misery and agony, no hope ever in sight. And it seemed that this opening would be one of them.
However, as if it could read his thoughts, the light inside of the door seemed to dim in sadness. Danny, head-tilting to the side in curiosity, watched as the white light flickered, as if pleading with him to please come back; I miss you. It only confused the boy further, the teen wondering if this doorway was something else he may have forgotten over the decades while he journeyed far and wide. It was a likely theory, and Danny began to step towards the shining light, steps hesitant and slow. It was enough for the light, which beckoned brightly in encouragement. Though it didn't make the boy move any faster, the simple trek still excited the light, which seemed to get a little brighter each, careful footstep.
The bright light was warm, Danny noted, very warm. It was inviting, but the dread curling around inside of the teen's stomach was only getting worse. However, Danny couldn't bring himself to turn and run; the light had seemed so sad and forlorn when he'd thought about doing so. But how was he supposed to ignore his instincts, which had been so helpful and correct over the long years? Either way, it seemed he was going to have to betray one of them, much to Danny's chagrin.
The light continued to call; the boy's instincts urged him to leave. Danny just stood in front of the doorway, enjoying the radiating warmth and pondering his course of action. The time that passed as he stared into the doorway was indeterminable.
In the end, Danny stepped into the welcoming light and was whisked away.
Hotch and Jack Fenton, Danny's father, stood outside of the teen boy's hospital room. They both gazed inside, solemnly watching Danny's sister standing on one side of the boy's bed while his mother sat in an uncomfortable chair on the other side, holding her son's hand as he continued to sleep the night away. JJ stood off to the side, hopefully to bring comfort to the family. There were nurses padding softly up and down the hallway, distant sounds of talking and some laughter, and the squeaks of gurneys and wheelchairs; however, the only sounds that mattered to the small family was the quiet beeping of the monitor set off to the side, assuring everyone in the room that the boy was indeed alive, and not lost to them forever. It was the only source of comfort to the two crestfallen parents and downcast sister.
Though he already knew the answer, Hotch asked anyway, "Is Danny alright?"
Jack sighed, running a hand through his salt-and-peppered hair. His free hand rested lightly on his hip as he gazed into the quiet room, his cobalt eyes studying the solemn scene tiredly. Dark stubble lined his chin and jaw, and dark crescent-moons hung heavily under his eyes. However, Jack managed a small smile, just happy his son was in safe hands as he said, "I guess he is. The doctors found hardly any damage; just a few cuts and bruises that are almost healed, and he's a little malnourished too. Besides that, though, there should be nothing wrong with him, but he just keeps on sleeping, and no one knows what to do."
Hotch noted that the other man's tone was sad but resigned, as if he was used to such strange happenings under his watch, though he wasn't overly thrilled they continued. Hotch watched Jack for a little longer as the dark-haired man continued to watch his family with his dejected smile. Unable to keep his curiosity at bay, Hotch hesitantly asked, "Has something like this happened before, Mr. Fenton?"
"Unfortunately." Jack answered, his smile dissipating. His shoulders followed, slumping as his once perfectly structured stance crumbled. The crescent-moons seemed to grow darker and longer in those few quick seconds, and it looked like Jack aged a few years from just standing there. Jack explained, "Danny's been falling into these long periods of sleep ever since he was a kid, though it wasn't so bad at the time. They've progressively been getting longer over the years; sometimes, Danny will be asleep for days, though those instances only happen every few months."
"I'm…sorry." Hotch stated, still hesitant. He felt like he was walking on eggshells around this man, and the agent really didn't desire throwing this man into a deeper fit of depression, which would only age him further. "Is there any way to treat his condition?"
Another depressed sigh. "No. There's no way to wake Danny when he's like this. The only thing we can do is keep him on an IV and wait until he wakes up."
Hotch wasn't overly sure how to respond to the simple statement. Nothing he could say would bring comfort or hope. The agent was even the first to admit that he had little to no experience in the area of problems with no solutions, especially for his son. Fortunately, Jack didn't seem to be in the mood to talk any longer with the FBI agent. With a quick but deep breath, he told Hotch he wanted to join his family. As soon as the man nodded, Jack left the doorway and entered, slowly stepping over to where Maddie was sitting patiently beside her son's bedside. Jack rested a hand on the woman's shoulder, and together, the two watched the ebony-haired boy sleep on and on, breathing deeply and occasionally sighing in his slumber.
JJ briefly looked to her boss, asking with her eyes what he was going to do. Hotch gestured down the hall, turning around as he did. JJ nodded, watched his form leave, and then settled back to study the family silently again. She'd already been here for a long time, and the blonde wondered if it would be better if she just decided to leave and give the family some time to themselves. JJ thought about her decision for some time, eventually coming to the conclusion that she would be better used at the office. However, just as she took the slightest step forward, Danny's expression scrunched up in confusion, a groan resounded from his throat, and his eyes fluttered. In the next instant, the boy's eyelids opened, and blue orbs looked around the room confusedly.
"Danny!" Jazz exclaimed excitedly, immediately reaching to wrap her arms around her brother as he yelped at the sudden attack. She squealed in his ear, earning another loud yell in pain before Danny pushed the girl away, mumbling a curse under his breath. Still, it didn't deter the girl in the least as she held the boy's shoulders at arm's lengths, gazing at him with teary, teal eyes. "Oh, I missed you, Danny!"
On the other side of the bed, Maddie and Jack both stood at attention, gazing at their two children fondly. They only looked away to smile at each other briefly, their eyes falling back to the two young ones in an instant. They didn't even acknowledge JJ, who stood off to the side, shocked but thrilled by the sudden awakening of the black-haired teen. However, the excitement began to trickle away as they watched Danny take in his surroundings.
The boy was beyond confused, which was to be expected after being unconscious for who-knew-how-long. However, there wasn't a trickle of understanding in the scenery around him. It was strange. Even if Danny didn't know where he was, he should've at least recognized the familiar faces surrounding him. But no, Danny studied each of them carefully, looking like he might've seen them on a street-side a long time ago and not just two days prior, right before he'd gone off to school. His brain was trying to make the connection between the vaguest of familiar feelings, but something just couldn't catch.
As JJ watched the scene with growing dread, Maddie and Jack suddenly glanced at each other again, obviously horrified and anxious. Jazz immediately became crestfallen, withdrawing her hands from her brother's shoulders. Slowly and hesitantly, they fell to her sides, and the girl tilted her head to side, her eyes pleading with the boy to recognize her. Jack and Maddie turned back to their son, and Maddie took Danny's hand, asking, "Danny, honey…do you remember us?"
It was like the woman asked the teen a trick question. Danny's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, the cogs in his brain turning and cranking to come up with an adequate answer. None seemed to come to him, though. Finally, he just asked, "Should I?"
"Should I?" Danny asked curiously, eyes darting between the four unfamiliar people around him. He felt like he should, though; after all, this was undoubtedly his home world (only in his dimension could he be seen and felt, he remembered that much). However, the only thing he recognized about these people was that they had an uncanny resemblance to his twins' parents and sister in the other dimensions he'd visited.
However, the teen couldn't be sure that these people were his family. While there was a great load of worlds where Jack and Maddie and Jazz were all related to his other selves, that didn't necessarily mean they were related to him in his home world. There were plenty of dimensions where the other-Dannys were related to trapeze artists or monster hunters or people who dressed in ridiculous clothing and a plethora of other strange things (some people were strange for simply not being strange at all). Hell, the people in front of him may not even be the Fentons. They may just be people who looked similar to the other families in other worlds. That didn't happen a lot, Danny knew, but it did happen occasionally. After all, he'd had the glorious pleasure of traveling to many worlds over the last couple of lifetimes, which gave him a good knowledge on these sorts of things.
Unfortunately, traveling abroad without being able to interact with his environment meant that his social skills were very limited. It's not like he'd had the chance to use them in a couple hundred years.
It wasn't very often Danny found himself wishing he had his memories of his life in his home world, but he was wishing for them now. The people around him had all gone still, taken steps back from his bedside (what'd he done to be admitted to a hospital was beyond him), and they looked between each other, torn between feeling hopeless at his condition and joyous at the simple fact he'd woken up at all.
Danny didn't particularly enjoy having the three figures surrounding him so hesitant to speak or make a move, as if he were going to shatter into a million pieces if they made the slightest misstep. He wasn't damaged in any way; he'd seen damaged and broken and hopeless and desperate. He was far from any of those things. Just because he couldn't remember anything didn't mean that there was something wrong with him. He was perfectly fine! Honest!
(Ok, so he may have lied a little bit. There was something seriously wrong with no memories, but it's not like he'd been tortured or anything.)
Looking at the disheartened faces surrounding him, Danny started dodging their gazes as he studied the hospital room around him and the condition he was in. He first noticed the IV hooked into his arm and the heart-monitor beeping occasionally to assure everyone he was still perfectly alive (unlike in some worlds; how did crap like that even happen?). To the boy's dismay, he was dressed up in a hospital gown, and light blankets laid across his legs. The floor the bed sat on was white-spotted tile. The walls were a pale, calming blue. The florescent lights blared harshly down on the figures in the room, and there were a few chairs strewn about the room. In the back, standing close to the door, was a blonde-haired woman, watching everything with a deep frown but a calm gaze.
The teen liked her immediately. She wasn't freaking out or completely bummed like the three others around him. The woman was calm, collected, hiding her shock and concern well.
With his eyes, Danny silently asked her for help with the silent figures surrounding him. There was nod from the blonde, almost unperceivable to the eyes, and then the woman stepped forward, smiling gently. She came up on Jazz-look-alike's side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder but staring directly into Danny's blue eyes. With a hushed and motherly tone, the woman said, "Hi Danny. My name's JJ; I'm an FBI agent. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions about what happened when you were kidnapped."
The teen eagerly nodded, ready to break the tense atmosphere when-
Wait, WHAT?! Back this gravy-train up a bit! What did she say?!
"FBI agent?! Kidnapped?!" Danny yelled, his mouth dropping open as he suddenly jerked forward in his bed. Almost immediately, his supposed parents (he still wasn't entirely sure, though they were acting very parental) tried to push him back down, telling him to calm himself. Danny, without the least bit of hesitation, shooed them away, stating again and again that he was fine, before they finally relented. Turning back to the surprised FBI agent, Danny said, "I was kidnapped?! When?!"
As if surrendering to him, the woman- JJ, she had called herself –held up her hands to appease the boy and potentially calm him. Her smile, though entirely fake and only for looks, came back to her face, but it did nothing to assure Danny. Carefully choosing her words, the woman slowly explained, "You were jumped on your way home from school and thrown into a van. That was two days ago. The FBI was called in to help your case, and we found you holed up in an apartment not far from here. According to the men that were watching you, you were asleep the entire time. Do you remember anything about that, Danny? Anything at all?"
The teen didn't answer right away. He looked away from the blonde-haired woman, instead gazing at the sheets draped over his legs. Danny flipped through his memories quickly, trying to dig up anything that remotely seemed like the event JJ was speaking of. However, there was nothing that could be recalled. All he had were other people's lives stuck in his brain, most of which were alternate versions of him- cooler, stronger, more badass versions of him.
It wasn't fair. Something exciting finally happens to stupid, little Danny Fenton, and it's that exact moment the boy's brain decides it's a good idea to travel.
(The teen chose to ignore that being kidnapped should not be considered exciting on anyone's list, especially his, after everything he'd seen happen in other worlds to kidnapped victims. People were brutalized, tortured, and broken into a thousand, unfixable pieces. Danny shouldn't desire such things happening to him to spice up his life. … He was a little more messed up than he originally thought. Who woulda thought?)
"I…don't remember anything. All I know is that my name is Danny Fenton." Danny stated, feeling sure about his simple statement. It filled him with relief, as he hadn't known for sure what his last name might've been only a few minutes ago. The teen believed with everything he had that other things would come back to him in time. How long it would take, Danny didn't know, but he was prepared to wait it out for however long it'd be.
He'd already watched a couple different lifetimes, some of which had almost been as dull as his probably was. Waiting for days or weeks or months would hardly faze him.
JJ frowned at the boy's answer, but she didn't press the issue. Danny made it a point to tell her that he was sure the details of his life would come back to him soon, though he couldn't say for sure how long it'd be or what would come first. JJ raised an eyebrow, and asked how he would know such a thing. The beginnings of a smile began to creep up on the corners of the boy's lips as he turned to look at his parents, saying, "Sorry for the heart attack I'm sure I gave you, Mom, Dad. I can assure you it wasn't my fault." Turning his head to the hopeful girl on his other side, Danny teasingly called, "Sorry Spazzy-kins."
Relieved smiles overcame the family's expressions, and they all but ignored JJ and her shocked expression as they gave Danny jubilant hugs. Maddie began gushing about how much she missed her baby boy, Jack underlined his teases with his previous anxieties and new reliefs, and Jazz just bounced happily at the boy's side, occasionally giving her two-cents on the matter and swearing she'd destroy Danny if he scared her in such a way again. JJ took no part in the reunion, and after regaining her bearings, the blonde woman excused herself from the room with trace hints of a content smile on her face. However, before she exited, she made sure Danny knew that she or another agent would be by eventually to see if he remembered anything about his capture, which would help them figure out the motive for kidnapping him. Danny merely nodded, smiled, and became engrossed with his family again, happy to be home and safe again.
Danny would like to say that he and his family chatted on for hours, but that would be a lie. The first half-hour came and went with small-talk and a doctor's visit, sure, but the time that passed afterwards was awkward. With Danny's memory as spotty and fickle as it was, the three visitors didn't have much to talk about with him that would make sense. Thus, their conversations were inconsistent, at best. They talked and quieted and sat in awkward silence and then chatted some more. It was probably the longest few hours Danny had ever had the misfortune to be a part of, which was saying a lot, looking at his track record.
However, as the hours began to trickle by, Danny became a little more disheartened at his return. His memories came back to him, like expected, but they only filled him with dread and uncertainty.
Whenever he got back to school, Danny was going to have to make up a whole bunch of tests and even some standardized testing, not to mention all the other work he'd missed over the last few days. That wouldn't help his already slipping grades, and that ten-page research report that was worth twenty-percent of his grade? Yeah, that was supposed to be started the day he got kidnapped. Dash wasn't doing well with his grades either, Danny noted, which meant he was due for a wailing when he got back to school. Sam and Tucker were still ticked at each other for some reason that Danny still couldn't quite remember, and he didn't know how to fix the problem (whatever it was). And what about Mr. Grey's cat he was supposed to be feeding while the man and Valerie were away?! Who had been taking care of her while Danny had been MIA?
It was just one problem after another and smaller, pettier ones than the ones Danny already remembered were still popping up: he still needed to clean his room. His letters to Nana and his pen-pal in California, a girl named Ember, were long past due by now. His desk drawer needed to be emptied. Did he shut his window when he left his house two days ago? His scooter was still at Tucker's, and Sam was supposed to tutor him yesterday. The A-Listers knew his main route home now, so he'd have to map out a new one. Unfinished homework. His turn to make dinner. Babysitting the kid across the street, and the other usual things that went on in Danny's life on a daily to weekly basis. It was all so simple, but it filled the teen with immeasurable stress and frustration. As far as Danny could see, there wasn't any reason for it either.
Fortunately for him, the teen-boy hid it well. Soon enough, Jack and Jazz were going home for the night, promising to be back the next day, while Maddie stayed behind with him. The woman and the boy talked for a little while longer, before Maddie drifted off to sleep. Danny left his bed for the briefest of times to tuck a spare blanket around his mother's shoulders, getting right back in his spot quickly after. The distant sounds of padding feet and the steady thrum of the heart-monitor were the only distractions in the room, which wasn't much to focus on.
Looking absently around the room again, Danny frowned and half-wished to go to sleep. Maybe he'd find himself back in that endless expanse of black again, a door leading to God-knew-where sitting silently in the distance. It seemed like a much preferable option to what was in store for him in the near future, but he resisted the urge. Putting it off wasn't going to help him get any of it over with.
Time ticked by slowly, and Danny found himself watching the green numbers on the clock on his nightstand slowly tick by. They hardly seemed to change, and Danny was sure something was wrong with the clock after about five minutes. It was taking much more than sixty seconds for the numbers to change. It only made the teen more miserable, and he had no idea why that was. Shouldn't he be joyous over the fact everything he had to do was farther away than originally thought?
Despite watching the numbers intently, Danny wasn't sure how much time had passed when there was the tiniest of knocks at his door. He perked to attention immediately, glancing at his mother before the door. The noise didn't bother the woman, and Danny turned his head in time to see the door slowly crack open before an African-American man peeked his head in. His eyes quickly found Danny's wide ones, and he asked, "Danny Fenton?"
"Yeah…" Danny drawled softly, glancing at his mother meaningfully. The unfamiliar man followed the boy's gaze, before he nodded in understanding. The dark-skinned man slipped through the door, closing it softly behind him. A bundle of clothes was stashed in his hands, and Danny eyed them as the taller male padded closer, asking quietly, "Who are you exactly?"
"I'm Special Agent Derek Morgan from the BAU." The man stated as he drew closer, handing the teen the bundle of clothes as he stopped beside the bedside. Danny nodded gratefully at the older man, eager to rid himself of the hospital gown, but then he looked up at Derek with a questioning gaze. The man smiled small before stating, "FBI."
"Ah." Danny muttered, looking at the clock out of the corner of his eye. It was only eight forty-five, which was early. However, Danny almost expected this guy to come earlier. But then again, he didn't know what a fed's schedule was like. Danny pushed those questions to the back of his mind as he asked, "I guess you want to ask me some questions?"
"Only if you're up to it." Derek replied smoothly, raising a questioning eyebrow.
Danny resisted the urge to snort. Why would he not feel fine? Then he remembered that, yeah, he'd been held hostage for two days. The feds probably wouldn't want to take any chances with his mental health, despite his claims of not remembering a single bit of it because he simply decided to take an extended nap.
Hm. Danny's few memories of the men that had hauled his ass into the back of their van felt like a few centuries ago. In a sense, it had been that long ago, but the long period of time had only affected Danny.
A few minutes later found Danny and Derek standing just outside of the hospital room door, both sitting on a bench as Danny basked in the simple t-shirt and sweatpants he'd been given. They'd left the room at the boy's request, as he would feel very guilty if his mother woke up because of his and Derek's chatting. Danny had even left a small note on his pillow explaining that he and the FBI agent were sitting just outside the door.
Derek hardly minded the boy's gestures, instead feeling the slightest bit proud that the teen would do such things on his own for his mother.
As soon as they were on the bench, Derek casually asked Danny if the boy really was up for the questions he was going to ask. The teen only rolled his eyes in exasperation, stated that he was perfectly fine, and then asked Derek if he was ready for any incomplete answers Danny was bound to give him. The agent raised an eyebrow at the boy's lack of confidence in a memory that happened just days before, but assured the teen that anything Danny would tell him would be more than enough. Danny shrugged, as if to say 'suit yourself,' and said, "Ask away."
"Ok. I'm going to start with something simple. What were you doing just before the men nabbed you?" Derek asked, relaxing against the bench as he waited patiently for Danny's answer.
He took much longer than the agent probably expected, Danny mused, digging through his foggy memories. He discarded everything he saw and learned in other dimensions- and oh God, what did he remember from his classes in school? Did he remember anything at all about them? It'd been so long since he'd last studied, since he last thought about his schooling. Homework looked a thousand times harder now, as did the testing in his near future –and focused on the events right before he went off exploring in other worlds. It was much harder than Danny thought it'd be. The other worlds were trying to catch his attention, and though they were much preferred to the memories of two days ago (or a few centuries ago, but it wasn't that much of difference, was it?), Danny pushed past them anyway.
A few minutes later, the teen finally replied, "Well, I was walking home from school like I do every day. My friend texted me that I needed to pick up my scooter from his house before that huge storm that was predicted blew through town. I was in the middle of texting him back when I passed this van on the side of the street. The doors opened, two guys grabbed me, they dragged me inside, and then one of them hit me over the head with a pipe- I think it was a pipe, at least. It got all fizzy after that, and then the next thing I know, hello hospital."
The last half of the sentence was false, actually. The next thing Danny knew, he was standing in an endless sea of black, nothing but himself in sight. Thus, he'd shrugged and began walking, and an estimated fifteen minutes later, a door had popped into existence. Danny had eagerly entered the entryway, a bright smile on his face. The teen watched the dimension for a few decades before he was kicked out, and then wandered off to find another world to watch. The process was repeated for a few lifetimes before he finally said 'hello hospital.'
Derek didn't need to know any of that, though.
"Are you sure you never woke up during your capture?" Derek asked without missing a beat, still looking wholly unaffected by anything the teen said to him. It was starting to make Danny think that any small, vague detail he may give would be helpful, despite his common sense saying the agent wanted the juicy, gory details Danny simply did not possess.
Danny nodded. Derek asked, "Did you hear the men say anything before you blacked out?"
"I don't think so."
"You're not sure?"
"Most of that day is kind of a blur… Sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about." Derek stated, before explaining that he'd like to take Danny through a cognitive interview. It was supposed to help the teen remember the things that had become a blur, but a few minutes later, Danny was no closer to even recalling what the color of the van was. The agent received nothing for his efforts, and Danny felt his stomach sink when he couldn't recall any of the lessons he learned the day he was nabbed, which meant he was going to have to catch up a lot in the next few days if he wanted a good mark in any of his classes. Even science hadn't managed to stick with him this time.
(Somewhere, in the very back of the teen's brain, Danny knew he should be more curious about the captors' motive that drove them to pick him off the side of the street. But, good God, school was much scarier and much more pressing than an event he'd been asleep the entire time for. Besides, picking him up must've been a mistake. After all, nothing ever happened to stupid, little Danny Fenton. He was hardly the highlight of the show like his many twins were.)
Derek frowned from his spot, wondering how a cognitive interview had so completely failed him. To make matters worse, something seemed to trigger something in Danny's mind, for he was now lost in his own thoughts, frowning in frustration and eyes crestfallen over his thoughts. Derek reached out, laid a hand on Danny's shoulder, and asked, "What's the matter? Do you remember something?"
"No, and I'm not gonna remember anything. It's just-" Danny snapped, before his mouth abruptly shut. The boy let out a long breath, propped his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his face, paying particular attention to the area around his tired eyes. It felt good, and the boy concentrated on it, willing the anxiousness creeping in his stomach to disperse. It didn't, but it did ease a little bit, though not much. Still, it was a big relief for Danny, who hadn't thought even that much would give way to him.
The dark-skinned agent waited patiently for the boy to continue with what he was saying, but watching him, Derek came to the conclusion that Danny was probably done talking. However, the man was curious, and he cautiously prodded, "It's just what?"
"I'm not telling you." Danny stated, shaking his head and giving the other male an 'are you crazy?' look. The teen looked away after a couple of seconds, choosing to study the many nurses and doctors wandering the hospital halls this early night. Despite their pressing jobs, they seemed less nervous than Danny, which was quite irritating for the boy. Without looking up from the mass of people dressed in scrubs and white coats, Danny said, "You'd think I was nuts. Sorry, but I don't need anti-psychotics on top of everything else I'm gonna have to catch up on soon."
Derek propped up an eyebrow at the sheer bluntness and the serious tone Danny used. "Kid, no one is going to put you on meds, and I'm sure you're far from crazy. Come on; tell me what's on your mind."
Danny glanced at the man from the corner of his eye, and saw nothing but sincerity in Derek's eyes. However, it wasn't hard to be sincere when you didn't know what you were going into. Danny knew this well, and it's why he hadn't bothered to tell either of his friends since he tried once many years ago. Both Sam and Tucker had laughed and asked him if what he'd been saying was some sort of joke, despite the boy's 'condition' that lined up with what he was saying. Danny had merely laughed back, telling him that he was seeing if he could pull a fast one on the two of them. Then he'd gone home and cried.
The boy hadn't brought it up aloud since. Danny didn't want to now.
"What's the matter?" Derek asked again, prodding the boy's shoulder. When it looked like Danny might simply rise from his seat and leave, Derek placed a firm but gentle hand on the teen's shoulder to stop him.
To Danny, it was obvious the man wasn't going to let him be unless he started having a nervous breakdown or something. However, while faking a nervous breakdown was preferable to admitting the truth, it wasn't going to make him look any more sane. It'd probably get him stuck in therapy, and then everyone would believe he'd been faking the whole 'I-don't-know-anything-that-happened' act he had going on- which wasn't an act at all, when it came down to it. Either way, the teen wasn't going to escape with his image intact; that was for sure.
Well, Danny thought, he could always just half-lie, blame his memory problems and say that he was worried about his schoolwork he'd have to make up. Somehow, though, Danny knew the man would catch on, and Derek wouldn't be satisfied. The man would dig further, and the boy would be right back where he started.
The blue-eyed teen sighed. Looking over at the man, Danny asked, "You can't look at me like I'm nuts, and whatever I say doesn't leave us, ok?"
"As long as none of it pertains to the case, I can do that."
"Believe me; none of it pertains to the case." Danny stated, rolling his eyes. If he wanted to talk about the case, he would've talked about the case earlier.
(Again, he realized how easily he was pushing the thought of the kidnapping to the side when he should've been hung up over it. After all, who'd want stupid, little Danny Fenton for anything?)
(You know, why did they want stupid, little Danny? No one ever wanted him for anything, really. They all wanted his cooler, stronger twins with the cool powers and sass. Shouldn't he be excited that he was being singled out for once?)
(Sigh, sigh, Danny's priorities were all jumbled up and strewn in an ungodly mess. He'd need to work on it when he had the time- if he'd ever have time to himself again after this big, messy event. Wow, Danny felt older than fourteen, but he blamed it on his excessive traveling and not his excessive worrying.)
"Ok, so…" Danny drawled slowly, glancing at Derek once before gazing down the hallway again, daring something to catch the man's attention, so Danny could avoid the conversation. Nothing happened, however, and Danny carefully chose his words as he spoke them. "…when I sleep, I sometimes travel to other worlds for long periods of time."
"Worlds?" Derek asked. His tone was laced with confusion, and Danny was willing to bet his facial expression was scrunched up as he tried to decipher Danny's blunt words. However, the teen wouldn't look at the man to be sure, for fear of that 'I'm-trying-to-hide-my-worry-for-your-sanity-behind-this-fake-expression-of-understanding' look. It'd be worse than the 'come-on-Danny-stop-playing-around' look Sam and Tucker had given him all those years and was permanently branded into his mind.
(How come he could remember a look so clearly from so long ago when he couldn't even remember what'd he learned just two days ago?)
"Dimensions, if you wanna be specific." Danny stated, watching the busy nurses enter and exit rooms. Doctors and visitors- whom Danny was sure would be gone soon –walked briskly down the hallways, too distracted with their activities to notice the black-haired boy and dark-skinned man sitting stiffly on the bench, the boy watching them all curiously.
Danny continued, "Sometimes, when I go to sleep, I wake up in this black void. Sometimes, there's a door; sometimes, they're not, and I have to look for them. Either way, I end up walking through them eventually, and I'm taken to all these different worlds. They've got all sorts of impossible things in them. Like, one time, I watched these two brothers from the moment the younger one was born, and they grew up to be monster hunters. It was one of the coolest and most depressing places I've ever been to…
"Anyway, I started traveling when I was really young. The first time happened in the second grade, if I remember correctly, which I may not. It was the first time these kids at my school- the A-Listers –bullied my friends and I. It really upset me, and I should've told my parents, but I didn't… Not the point. That night, I fell asleep, feeling really anxious about the next day, but I woke up in the void, and opened a door for the first time. I watched the people there for about seven to eight months, and then I woke up. It was morning, and all I'd done was sleep through the night. I didn't realize how much I missed my parents until I saw them…" Danny mused, frowning. He shrugged. "I chalked it up to being a dream, and there wasn't an incident for another few weeks.
"My visits didn't get much longer for a few years, but then I turned twelve. It was the day before school was supposed to start, and I was feeling nervous about going to middle school. I feel asleep that night, woke up in the void, and I stayed in there for a good nine to ten years… I slept through the night and half of the next day, meaning I missed the first day of school. Way to start a track-record at a new school, huh?" Danny chuckled, but it was a hollow sound. "My parents flipped out. They hadn't been able to get me to even stir while I slept, and they took me to the hospital, but the doctors didn't know what was going on either. When I woke up, I tried to tell them what had happened, but the doctor's thought I was talking about a dream… I didn't correct them.
"Over the years, my stays have been progressively been getting longer, though there's no telling what'll set me off. I just wake up in the void, and I never question it. I don't get that. I never question how I show up there unless I'm awake. Like, it feels like the real world when I'm there, and this is the dream, but when I'm awake, it's the opposite. But what am I saying? The other dimensions are real! Uh, I'm just talking in circles." Danny ranted, rubbing his temples in aggravation. He paused in his speech, almost expecting the agent to speak up already, but the man was eerily silent.
(If Danny was thinking completely straight, he probably would've come to the conclusion that Derek was attempting to figure out which mental illness he had. After all, Danny was talking about the dimensions like they were real. And they were! It's just…no one ever believed him. It didn't fit in with their reality, however. But then, reality was a fickle thing, wasn't it? Danny was just the only one who ever seemed to realize it.)
After inhaling deeply, Danny released a long breath to calm himself. His heart was hammering against his chest, nervous from speaking about his ability. Derek's quietness was unsettling as well, but Danny pushed that thought to the side, trying to pretend he was the only one listening to his voice ramble on. "I'm not gonna lie and say I wish the traveling would stop. I don't want it to, but it's…got problems. Like, sometimes I'm asleep for days, which isn't good. I always wake up in hospitals when that happens, and the search for the source of the problem begins again. Let me tell ya; it's not fun.
"And, well… I've started forgetting things. It always starts when I'm traveling. About the time I hit the one-year mark, things start becoming fuzzy. Like, I can't remember my classes from the day before I left, or all of the streets I use to walk home. Then, from there, it just gets worse. Can't remember my classmates, or my high-school, or anything I've learned from school, or my friends, my sister, my parents… They all just fade away, and I can't stop it. And it's terrible because I never get worried about the forgetting either. I just let it happen, like it's not a big deal to know what makes me…well, me. And even when I wake up, I still can't remember anything. It takes days to remember what I've learned in school this year, and even after weeks pass, I still never get any memories before second grade anymore." Danny stated, blowing a strand of black hair from his blue eyes. "I think the only reason I ever wake up anymore is because I forget that this one doorway leads me home.
"I know I should stop traveling because of my memory issues. I know this, but I just…I can't stop. There are other different versions of me, and they've got all sorts of cool powers that I wished I had. Other people really seem to like them- me. And I guess that's why I keep going back… Because, somewhere else, I'm something different, but here, I'm just stupid, little Danny Fenton."
Again, the teen fell silent. His blue eyes continued to follow the figures wandering back and forth in front of him. With his story done, the teen's shoulders relaxed, and his heart, though still thumping heavily against his rib-cage, calmed, feeling less like it was going to explode at any moment. Focused on the other figures rushing and down the halls, Danny forgot all about Derek for a time.
However, his trance was broken when Derek said, "I believe you."
For a moment, Danny's hope soared. His head turned to look at the older, taller man and was faced with an almost expressionless face. If he hadn't known better, the teen would've taken it as the man taking the notion seriously. But no, there was something about his eyes that said 'I believe…that you believe yourself.' Danny deflated immediately, sighed, and shook his head. Getting up, the boy got the slightest bit of amusement out of the surprise that took over Derek's face. Danny smiled sadly and said, "No, you don't."
Then the boy turned, entered his room again, and slipped back under his covers. Pulling the sheets up to his chin, Danny closed his eyes and allowed sleep to pull him away.
Black.
That's all Danny saw as he scanned the horizon, even though there was none to be found. In every direction, all he saw was an endless sea of black that never wavered. The only thing splashed with color was him, but he was barely a pinprick in this expanse.
Looking in front of him, there were no doors. To his right, there were no doors. To his left, there were no doors. Behind him, there was a door.
Danny recognized it because it wasn't a door at all, just an entryway blanked white. The light pulsated, urging him to enter. It was calling him back home, Danny now realized. And not just calling; it was begging, pleading, crying. The door- his home world, really –wanted him to come back. It didn't want him to wander off again for another few centuries. What was wrong with his normal life, it asked, hadn't he had enough with the other dimensions yet?
The teen watched it for a time, studying the way the light pulsed and beckoned. It was heartbreaking, watching the light call so desperately to him. For a moment, Danny almost stepped forward, which would've no doubt ended his stay, but he resisted. The teen turned, walking in the opposite direction completely. Danny never turned back, always strutting forward, looking for any door that may suddenly appear on the horizon.
After all, he'd only be gone for a little while. It wouldn't hurt him, would it? Besides, there was nothing too pressing going on in his joke of a home world anyway…
(Danny knew it was a lie, but he'd forget it soon enough.)
Behind the boy, the light from the door began to dim as Danny wandered away from its welcoming warmth. It called again and again, becoming more desperate the farther Danny got. The light became weaker, fading away as the teen's silhouette became smaller, darker, indiscernible from the vast expanse about them. Soon enough, the weak cries began to fade, and the light continued to dim. Then the cries died out, no longer calling. Still, the light clung to its last bit of life. It flickered weakly in the darkness, trying its hardest to receive the boy's attention again.
However, Danny just continued to walk, and the light snuffed out.
I thought this chapter would be short. I was very, very wrong. *facepalm*
Anyways, so a different take on dimensional travel is this update's chapter, obviously. This specific talent is number two on my "If I could have one superpower, this is what it'd be" list, with this specific version of it in mind. It is only topped by flying because I really, really wish I could fly. Like, I literally dream about flying, and I wonder if the feeling is the same. (But, then again, this is coming from the girl who never wakes up when she's falling in her dreams. I ALWAYS HIT THE FUCKING GROUND, BUT IF MY FOOT GETS CAUGHT IN A HOLE IN MY DREAMS, I WAKE UP WITH A MINI-HEART ATTACK. LIKE, WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?)(I'm tired; I'm sorry.)
Thanks to these people for favoriting/following: Devinely, Horntastic, bluecandy2007, beazlerat, Reklaw14.
Guest Reviews:
Shadowflaymenyte: I cannot promise that. Haven't seen the movie, haven't read the comics. And every-time I try to watch/read them, I end up doing, "I'm gonna- Oh, look! SUPERNATURAL'S ON!" ...so yeah.