An hour later, Danny's parents arrived in the room. Steven had returned the Infi-map to Frostbite who had gone to find a better doctor to check Danny's back as a fall shouldn't have injured the halfa as badly as it did. Harry and Steven fetched a few more seats for everyone. Maddie instantly fussed over her son, commenting on how he should be more careful while Jack stood back with concerned eyes.
"How's work on a cure?" Danny inquired once his mother settled in a seat beside her husband. Danny had moved to a seat, allowing Sam to stay beside Lilith on the bed.
"Slow going but as soon as these results come back we should have a better idea of what's going on. We sent a sample to Vlad as well," Jack answered. Danny nodded.
"Well keep up the good work," Danny muttered.
"Why aren't you working on a cure now?" Jeremy asked with slight anger in his voice.
"We're waiting on test results. They take time to develop and besides, we're not the only ones working on the cure. There's a whole team of ghosts in the lab," Maddie retorted calmly, but her eyes narrowed slightly at the blonde man defensively.
"Please don't argue. I'm not in the mood to break you four up," Danny grumbled tiredly, running a hand over his face.
"Sorry son. Maybe we should get you something to eat," Jack replied softly, gazing worriedly at the halfa. Danny shook his head.
"I ate recently. But I'm glad you two are here right now. I've been thinking and I've come to the decision that I have to shut all access to the Ghost Zone," Danny announced, having been in deep thought for the majority of the hour, letting Steven and Harry retell what happened on the quest to find the source of the disease.
"Danny, I still don't think that's a good idea," Sam protested.
"Sam, when I start displaying symptoms, I'm not going to be able to close the portals. I need to do it now, I'm already starting to lose focus," Danny retorted firmly, causing everyone to share worried glances.
"What happens to Lil?" Ethan mumbled.
"She'll have to stay here as will I. But I want you and your mother to leave. I will not let you two be trapped here where you're both in danger," Danny answered.
"I'm not going to abandon you Danny," Sam snarled.
"Yeah, and you made that law making mom temporarily in charge if you couldn't be," Ethan reminded his father stubbornly. Danny sighed, hanging his head slightly.
"I don't want you seeing me at my worst son," Danny admitted, knowing that at the rate of the illness's progression he would very likely be rabid before a cure could be found. Ethan was stunned, suddenly struck with the same realisation.
"And Sam, he'll need one of his parents. I'll be here for Lil for as long as I can be. The doctors here will look after us," Danny added, turning to his wife. Sam bit her lip, seeing the fear and pleading in her husband's eyes, instantly losing her angry rebelliousness. She could understand Danny's request for them to leave. She didn't like it. Not one bit. But she did understand.
"I can't force any of the rest of you but I would prefer that you leave and be safe," Danny continued, sweeping his gaze over the others in the room.
Pamela and Jeremy glanced at each other and Lilith.
"Would it be possible to stay?" Jeremy ventured, shocking Ethan. Danny nodded.
"But I wouldn't recommend it for you two. You have no training in fighting off a ghost. If Lilith or another infected ghost gets free, you won't be able to protect yourselves. And as much as I'd like to say the guards here can protect you, they can't be everywhere all the time," Danny admitted. Pamela and Jeremy nodded silently.
"We're staying," Maddie declared.
"No arguments son. We're working on a cure and someone needs to be around for you and Lilith," Jack agreed firmly. Danny opened his mouth to argue before closing it and giving a small smile and nod to his parents, grateful that someone would be staying to help him. Also with his parents around, work on a cure would progress faster. They had years of experience dealing with halfa health since learning Danny's secret. They didn't know everything but they knew enough to understand how this disease was working.
"I'll stay as well but Harry, you have to go back to explain the situation to the I.G.A.," Steven decided, cutting in before Harry could offer. The wizard bit his lip before sighing and nodding to the order.
"Alright then. Let's head outside before it's too dangerous for me to leave this floor," Danny announced and got to his feet with a groan, grabbing his icy crutch. Sam hesitated, turning to her sleeping daughter. She leant forward and kissed the girl on the forehead before standing up and standing beside Danny.
"You'll make sure she knows we love her right?" Sam muttered worriedly.
"Of course," Danny assured the woman easily.
As the group left, Maddie staying with Lilith, Steven pulled out a pencil and notepad and started jotting down notes for Harry to take with him, including his order for Harry to assume control of the I.G.A. until Steven or Danny could return. Pamela and Jeremy walked silently together while Jack followed his son closely as Sam wrapped an arm around her husband's waist and Ethan trotted beside his father. When the lift door came into view, Ethan jogged ahead to push the button which meant the doors slid open as Danny reached them. Danny smiled gratefully at his son as the boy punched the button for the ground floor and reception. The group piled into the lift and were soon walking through the reception. The receptionist half-rose out of his seat but Danny waved a hand at the ghost to stay where he was.
"Speeder's through that portal dad. Steven, mind double checking all the cages are empty?" Danny informed both men, gesturing to the portal he made from the cottage where the disease originated from. Steven and Jack nodded and hurried off to do as Danny asked.
Danny pointed a hand out in front of him and made a portal to the backyard of his house. Pamela and Jeremy hesitated a moment before walking through, Jeremy carrying their little case that they brought having expected a long stay at the Hospital.
"You got everything from Steven Harry?" Danny asked. The wizard nodded and waved a small bundle of pages ripped out of Steven's notebook. Danny gestured to the portal and Harry understood the request for some alone time with his family. Harry stepped through the portal and Danny turned to Sam. He gave his wife a passionate kiss.
"I promise when the cure's been administered, I'll open the Ghost Zone up again. Let the others know what happened," Danny vowed softly, pressing his forehead to Sam's. Sam sniffed and nodded, pulling her husband into as tight an embrace as she knew he could handle with his numerous injuries before stepping back, allowing Danny to have a moment with his son.
Danny turned to his son but paused as he brushed his energy against the crown's.
"Can I block off the Ghost Zone without you?" he mentally asked the crown. The crown gave an uncertain and hesitant pulse of confirmation.
"Can I give you to Ethan then? To keep you safe from the illness," Danny inquired mentally, ignoring the confused expression on his son's face as the boy was waiting for Danny to say a heartfelt goodbye. The crown once again confirmed that Danny could before a flash of fear and sadness exploded out of the crown as it realised Danny's intention.
"It won't be forever," Danny assured the crown telepathically before he knelt down in front of his son painfully.
"Son, I want you to do a big favour for me," Danny started, waiting for Ethan's full attention. The ten year old nodded slowly.
"I want you to take the crown. I want you to protect it for me," Danny requested, taking the crown off his head and holding it out for Ethan to take. Ethan gasped in awe but didn't move to take the crown.
"But don't you need it?" Ethan whispered.
"It does give me extra strength and advice but I would be happier knowing it was safe with you," Danny answered, secretly also knowing that the crown would be able to tell him if Ethan was in danger, although Danny also knew that he wouldn't have the presence of mind to understand that soon enough. Ethan chewed his lip uncertainly.
"It would mean a lot to me son," Danny added hopefully. Ethan slowly took the crown as tears welled in his eyes and he threw himself into Danny's arms, burying his face into Danny's shoulder.
"I love you dad," Ethan sobbed.
"And I love you son. Be safe and be careful. When you next see Danielle, ask her to help control your ghost ray. She'll be a better teacher than Vlad," Danny replied before letting his son go and gave him a gentle nudge to go through the portal. Ethan hesitated before disappearing through the swirling green portal back to the Real World, clutching the crown tightly in his hands.
"Are you sure you should have given him that?" Sam muttered as she helped Danny back to his feet. Danny nodded.
"I feel better knowing that the crown can't be corrupted and that he'll have a part of me with him, even if he doesn't understand that," Danny answered. Sam nodded as she hugged her husband again.
"I love you Danny. So much. Stay strong for me. Fight this sickness for as long as you can," Sam muttered worriedly.
"I love you too Sam and I will. But I'm not sure this sickness is particularly something I can fight. But I'll try," Danny promised. Sam nodded before capturing Danny's lips in another kiss, tears flowing down her cheeks as she pulled away. Danny watched his wife walk through the portal backwards, their eyes fixed on each other's as they parted, both hoping they'd see one another again soon and fearing they wouldn't. A cure could be years away.
Danny stared at the portal before he raised a hand and collapsed the portal, wanting nothing more than to run after his son and wife. He turned to the portal to the cottage near Salem. Jack was easing the Speeder through the narrow portal with a nervous scowl on his face. Danny hobbled over to the portal, and drawing on the energy in the Ghost Zone, widened the portal for the vehicle. Jack flashed his son a grateful look as he drove confidently through the portal and parked the Speeder outside the Hospital. Steven returned moments later with a couple of ghostly doctors, one holding a thermos and the other holding a stack of notes and files. Steven walked over to Danny while the doctors rushed into the building.
"You okay?" Steven asked. Danny swallowed down his sorrow for sending his family away and nodding.
"Yeah, I should get back to Lilith," Danny mumbled. Steven frowned worriedly at his friend but didn't argue.
They passed Jack as he clambered out of the Speeder with a box of items he took from the cottage. The man watched his son return to the Hospital quietly before making his way back to the labs on the ground floor.
"Where's the crown?" Steven inquired as he punched the button for the lift.
"I gave it to Ethan for safe keeping. I checked with it first if I could close off the Ghost Zone without it and it confirmed that I could," Danny answered sadly. The lift doors slid open and Danny fumbled with his belt to detach the communication device Skulker gave him once inside as Steven pressed the tenth floor button on Danny's request. He lifted the device to his mouth.
"Skulker. Come in?" Danny called. A few moments passed before the static changed to Skulker's voice.
"What's up King Phantom? I'm on my way to drop off ghosts at the Hospital," Skulker replied.
"I've been bitten so I'm going to close down all portals in the Ghost Zone. I wanted to check which side you were on. The I.G.A. can clean up the last few ghosts in the Real World," Danny explained.
"… I'm sorry to hear that my king. I trust your venture to the source was productive?" Skulker commented carefully, with almost a hint of hope in his voice.
"Very. We now know where this disease came from and the doctors have samples of what was injected into the original ghosts to infect them," Danny confirmed.
"Then a cure should be found soon. I will visit when I get there," Skulker decided.
"Thanks. Over," Danny concluded and clipped the device to his belt again.
The lift doors slid open and Danny hobbled out with Steven hovering close by to help the halfa if necessary. They arrived at the doctor headquarters relatively quickly and Danny confidently hobbled over to the tables. The ghosts turned to Danny, many of them with concerned eyes.
"My king, you should be resting," one ghost protested.
"I will but I need to do this first. I'm blocking the Ghost Zone off from the Real World. Since I'm going to get sick, I can't do it later. I'd rather do it now when I can rather than have this crisis spiral out of control later when I can't do anything to stop it. Do any of you need to contact the Real World before I do?" Danny inquired. The ghostly doctors shared looks and had a quick hushed conversation before shaking their heads. Danny nodded.
"Then I'll close down the Ghost Zone. I'll be on the roof for the next few minutes if you need me," Danny concluded.
Steven blinked after the halfa before rushing after the injured man as he led the way back to the lifts. Steven pushed the button for the halfa.
"Are you sure about this?" Steven asked while they waited. Danny nodded.
"Yeah. It's the best option. I can't stop myself getting sick or the Ghost Zone losing its king for the time being. But I can stop this disease getting out of control in both worlds," Danny confirmed as the lift doors slid open. He pressed the button for the roof and Steven joined the halfa.
"Fair warning, I've never tried anything like this before. It could completely wipe me out. So um… try and catch me if I collapse or something," Danny requested nervously. Steven nodded, Danny didn't even have to ask. With his injuries, the halfa could seriously hurt himself if he fell over, especially if he landed on his back again.
The doors slid open and Danny led the way to the centre of the expansive roof. He took a deep breath before absorbing the energy of the Ghost Zone, being careful not to overdo it without the crown to filter the energy safely into him. Then he closed his eyes and brought himself to his full height.
"By order of the Ghost King, all portals will close!" Danny commanded loudly, his voice echoing loudly through the chilled world, carried by his ghostly wail which sent ripples of power and sound across the Ghost Zone. The ripples spread so far, that Steven lost sight of them and he knew that every ghost and every portal in the Ghost Zone would see and feel this order taking place. Faintly he wondered how Wulf would feel about losing his ability to open portals. The ripples spilled out of Danny's mouth as he repeated the command again and again, each ripple echoing through the Ghost Zone and out of sight. Slowly the ripples petered out and Danny slumped tiredly. Steven rushed forward and wrapped an arm around the halfa's waist as the man teetered dangerously and the white rings appeared, reverting him to human.
Steven draped Danny's arm around his shoulders and took the icy crutch from Danny's weak grip.
"Let's get you back to your room where you can rest," Steven grunted as he led the way towards the lift once again.
"No… Lilith," Danny panted weakly, starting to swim in and out of consciousness.
"She'll be fine. I'll sit with her while you rest," Steven assured as the lift doors slid open and Steven hit the ninth floor button with the crutch. The lift doors slid open minutes later and Steven struggled to carry Danny down the corridor and into his allocated room in ward 97, trying to lay the halfa down gently as Danny quickly lost the fight to stay conscious. Steven propped the crutch beside the bed, easily within Danny's reach before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. He crossed the corridor and stepped into Lilith's room. Maddie looked up before seeing her son's absence.
"Where's Danny?" Maddie inquired worriedly.
"Sleeping. Closing off the Ghost Zone took a lot out of him. He could hardly stay awake on the walk back from the roof to his room. I'll stay with Lilith if you want to get back to the labs," Steven offered. Maddie chewed her lip before standing up slowly and nodding.
"Thank you. You're a good friend to Danny," Maddie muttered as she left, pausing to rest a hand on the wizard's shoulder.
Ethan watched as his mother backed out of the portal. Seconds later the portal faded out of existence and Sam broke down crying. Pamela rushed forward to embrace her daughter and Harry put a hand on Ethan's shoulder as silent tears ran down the boy's cheeks.
"I've known Danny for a long time and if I've learnt anything about him, it's that he's strong. He's strong and he doesn't let getting hurt or sick stop him. He'll be fine and he'll look after your sister," Harry told the ten year old calmly. Ethan nodded mutely as he sniffled and sloppily wiped his cheeks futilely as his tears refused to stop.
"Come on. I bet you'd like to see something cool," Harry whispered and led Ethan towards the house while Sam cried into her mother's shoulder and Jeremy hovered beside the two women, completely at a loss.
Harry glanced back at Pamela and Jeremy before pulling out his wand, the same wand he got when he was just eleven years old, and waved it at the back door. The door swung open and Harry guided Ethan inside. Harry glanced around the room but the kitchen was relatively tidy and clean. The same went for the living room as Harry passed through the house. Harry scaled the stairs and soon found his way to Lilith's destroyed bedroom. Ethan obediently followed the wizard. Harry threw a smirk over his shoulder at the ten year old.
"This has to stay between us alright," Harry muttered conspiratorially. Ethan nodded slowly and uncertainly before gasping in awe as Harry waved his wand slowly around the room.
The wooden splinters of the destroyed dresser flew together and reassembled into the dresser, looking as good as new. The clothes flew upwards, shaking themselves out and refolding themselves neatly before floating into the open drawers of the dresser. The glass shards that were shaken out of the clothes drifted lazily over to the smashed window as the drawers slid shut. The mess of teddy bears and toys jumped up and zoomed to their places on the shelves or in the toy box. The plastic tea set had been broken during the fight but now the plastic fused itself back together seamlessly and neatly arranged themselves on the rug. The glass from around the room gradually returned to the window and, like a jigsaw, fitted itself back together perfectly, fusing cracks back together. Finally the blood stain in the corner where Lilith was bitten erased itself. Ethan blinked and rubbed his eyes in disbelief at the now tidy and fixed room.
Harry smiled at the awe in the ten year old's expression. He remembered when Dumbledore did a similar trick in that muggle house when he met Horace Slughorn. Harry had never seen a large scale spell like it before, most spells having caused only one thing like transfiguring a bird into a goblet or a feather floating into the air. Seeing the destruction all around him cleaning itself up, fixing repairs and returning everything to its rightful place had been magical. Like watching a graceful dance. And he was more than happy to replicate it for Ethan whose entire world was breaking down around him. Harry found himself wishing that he could do the same trick for Ethan's family. But unfortunately the spell didn't work on people let alone ghosts.
"That was amazing," Ethan eventually whispered.
"Magic has its perks every now and then. And I figured that Lilith would want to return to her room like this when she comes home with your dad," Harry replied. Ethan smiled, although tinged with sadness, Harry could see the gratitude. Ethan crossed the room and dropped down to sit on the bed, putting the crown gently beside him. He stared at the gentle flickers on the flames engulfing the crown.
"Before all this happened, I thought I was ready to be something more than my dad's son. But now… I just want that back," Ethan mumbled sadly.
Harry smiled sadly in understanding, walking over to the bed to sit beside the young halfa and Crown of Fire.
"Things will work out. You just need to be patient. The doctors will find a cure and they'll make your dad and Lilith better. I promise," Harry assured the boy. Ethan nodded but he didn't look convinced.
"I know I'm not meant to make wishes. But I kinda wish that I hadn't been so horrible to my dad. He saved me from one of those ghosts and I just started shouting at him. I even accused him of being ashamed of me. Now I just want to take that all back," Ethan informed the wizard as his eyes welled with tears again. Harry pulled Ethan into a hug.
"I can tell you, as a dad myself, that Danny doesn't care about you saying all that as long as you understand that he loves you and is only trying to protect you," Harry reassured the ten year old. Ethan nodded into Harry's chest as he began crying again.
Well… that was an emotional chapter. Writing Sam and Danny's goodbye nearly brought me to tears so I hope you guys thought it was good.
But what will happen now that the Ghost Zone is blocked off? Remember what Danny said all those chapters ago, blocking off the Ghost Zone will put both worlds under pressure.
Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.
Until the next chapter.