(Stay tuned to the end of the chapter for a chance at a bit of audience participation)
Chapter 29: War Never Changes
June 21, 2010
Danny stumbled a bit as Castiel dropped him off in front of his house that night, giving a mock salute as the angel disappeared again. He shuffled wearily to the front door before turning the knob, frowning when it didn't open. Of all the times to lock the door... he grumbled, banging his head tiredly against the door. I could just sleep here. He mused, closing his eyes with a sigh.
Immediately, the door opened to reveal Damon, who caught his brother as he fell. He helped pull Danny inside and walk to the couch, closing the door when his brother had finally been settled down. He walked into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water and handing it to Danny, who thanked him before chugging it gratefully.
"Rough night?" Damon commented, sitting on the couch across from him.
"Mhmm. We lost five of our squadron before we managed to beat back Raphael's forces," Danny informed him, pressing the ice-cold glass against his throbbing head. "Any word on Stefan?"
In the month since Damon had been bitten and Klaus had undone his curse, quite a few things had changed. The first of which was that Klaus had healed Damon – and in exchange had taken Ripper Stefan on a road trip with him and secured a promise from Danny that he would not follow them. The second was that, after the two had disappeared and Damon was back to full health, Danny had told his brother everything – Alistair, Lucifer, him being a Nephilim, etc. Damon took the news surprisingly well, even making a few jokes out of Danny being the son of Satan.
The only thing he had left out was that he would soon become a father. It wasn't that he didn't trust Damon, it was more that didn't want to risk someone entering his brother's mind or compelling him for information. Danny, Karen, and the Winchesters were the only ones who knew about Danny's unborn son – though Karen was trying to convince him to at least tell Ric. Danny didn't think the man would be able to handle knowing that his sister was practically dead so soon after his girlfriend died, but knew that he would have to tell him eventually.
The last thing that had happened was that the war with Raphael had officially begun. Cas had placed him on the front lines, combating Raphael's forces alongside other angels. The battles were rough and brutal, even with Danny drinking Cas' blood on a – now daily – basis. He was just grateful that he hadn't had to face Raphael on the battlefield yet, he wasn't quite sure he'd be able to handle it.
"No. Just a bunch of dead-ends and a few maybes," Damon replied, leaning back against the couch. He frowned when Danny groaned, massaging the dark circles beneath his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you alright?"
"Fine. Just angel radio – still not used to it," Danny grunted, relaxing when the voices faded away.
"Still don't get why your friend made you turn that on – all it does is give you a headache."
"It's in case I need to be contacted quickly by him or other angels. It's hard to dial up 1-800-SALVATORE when you're in Heaven – or in some other place with no cell service," Danny informed him tiredly, scowling at the glass of water in his hand and wishing it was bourbon.
"You know, you could have a drink and he would never know," Damon told him, noticing his brother's look.
"Except for the fact that I promised to never lie to him."
"Yeah, that was your first mistake," Damon informed him, receiving a half-hearted glare in return. "I just don't think it's right that some dick angel is ordering you around. No alcohol, no human blood – what's next? No sex?"
Danny stared down at his empty glass, not responding. It was true that Castiel had told him not to drink alcohol – which Danny could understand, he didn't want to show up to the battlefield absolutely hammered. But Castiel had also forbade him from drinking anything other than his blood. Cas' reasoning for this was that human blood might weaken him, diluting the angel blood he was already drinking. Danny didn't really get it, but figured the angel knew what he was doing – at least, he hoped he did.
"Cas knows what he's doing," Danny eventually mumbled.
"Bullshit," Damon snorted. "He's clueless – and it's going to get him – and you – killed."
It almost did. Danny recalled tiredly, twisting the glass in his hands as he turned to look at the slowly burning fire in the fireplace.
Danny's eyes glowed brightly as an angel rushed towards him, blade raised to stab him in the brain. The hybrid raised his own blade, deflecting the blow. The angel – a brown haired male with a crisp suit – threw out a punch with his left hand, only to have it caught by Danny's right. With a twisted smirk, the hybrid twisted the angel's arm, hearing an audible 'snap' as it was turned 360 degrees. The angel gave a screech of pain, giving Danny the opening he needed to stab him in the chest. Light poured from the angel's eyes and mouth as he screamed before falling to the ground, wings burnt on either side of him.
Danny looked around for his next target, spotting Cas trading strikes with a female angel. He seems to be holding his own. The hybrid mused, twirling his blade in his left hand before switching it off to his right. He was about to turn away to look for another foe when he spotted another angel approaching Castiel from behind. Not on my watch, you dick. Danny snarled, his face vamping out.
He vamped towards the assailant, lifting up his blade just in time to stop him from striking Cas. The angel seemed surprised to see him there, something Danny used to his advantage. He punched the angel in the face, startling him before twisting his wrist, knocking the blade from the angel's hand before stabbing him in the face.
"Nobody. Touches. My. Angel," he snarled, staring down at the burned-out vessel.
He turned around, almost jumping in surprise when he came face-to-face with Castiel. Huh. Guess he beat his opponent. He surmised, glancing around Cas to see the angel he had been fighting was dead behind him. Cas glanced at the angel Danny had killed, surprise and gratitude showing on his face for a brief moment. Danny grinned, about to say something when Cas' expression darkened. The angel shoved Danny to the side, blade plunging into the abdomen of the angel that had appeared behind the hybrid.
With his would-be killer dead, Danny blinked at Cas, his heart racing at the thought of how close he had come to dying. Cas turned toward him, reaching out a hand to help Danny up. The hybrid took it gratefully before being hoisted up. He gave Cas a fleeting grin, receiving one in return before they both noticed more angels approaching them. With a small nod to each other, the two stood back to back, ready to face the oncoming assault.
"-anny. Danny! Hey!"
Water was splashed in the hybrid's face, shocking him out of his thoughts. He glanced around, seeing Damon standing before him holding an empty glass in his hand. His eyes then settled on the fireplace, where the flames had turned from red and orange to a blueish white color. Immediately, Danny severed the flow of magic coming from him and the fire returned to normal. He gave a sheepish look as Damon sighed in relief before sitting back down on the other couch.
"Dude, you need to be more careful. You could've burned the house down," Damon informed him lightly.
"Sorry," Danny mumbled. "It's hard to control it sometimes – especially lately."
"Ever considered the fact that maybe – just maybe – it's a sign that you shouldn't be drinking angel blood?" Damon questioned sarcastically.
"Ever considered the fact that you're a dick that has no fucking clue what he's talking about?" Danny snapped back, eyes glowing.
The fire flared up a bit as it changed colors once more. The lights began to flicker a bit as the house shook lightly, prompting the younger Salvatore to raise his hands in surrender before apologizing. Danny relaxed somewhat at this – his magic following suit – before watching his younger brother begin his trek upstairs. The old hybrid ran a hand through his hair before running it over his face and sighing. Lucifer's balls, Damon might be right. I might have a problem. He clenched and unclenched his hand before looking at the dying fire, determination in his eyes. But I can't stop. Not when Cas and the Winchesters need me.
June 22, 1010
Danny lay on his bed that morning, hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Once more, he had not slept – not that he needed to, but he enjoyed doing so when he didn't have nightmares. And that was what kept him up at night, the nightmares. He had been used to having them for years now – though they had been off and on lately – but there was a big difference now: he had been drinking angel blood.
The first night he had gone to sleep after starting his regimen of angel blood had not gone well. He had been reliving his time in Hell – a common theme in his dreams – and had woken up abruptly to his windows and light bulbs shattering. Damon had rushed into the room and asked what was wrong – which prompted the hybrid's confession of who and what he was. Since then, Danny had not slept, afraid that he may wake up one day to the house on fire.
A vibrating coming from his nightstand interrupted his staring contest with the ceiling. He turned his head to the side, staring at the glowing, vibrating phone. For a moment, he debated not answering it – wanting an uneventful day for once. He then gave a sigh, turning back to the ceiling before reaching over and grabbing the phone. He answered it, not even looking at the caller ID as he pressed it against his ear.
"Hello, Castiel," he answered in a monotone voice.
"You overslept," the angel's voice replied.
"Au contraire, mon ami," Danny replied, mild amusement in his tone now. "Oversleeping would imply that I slept at all – which I didn't."
"Well, then you're late," the angel informed him.
"Thank you, Time Wizard, I had no idea," Danny replied mockingly. He then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache forced itself upon him. "I'll be down in a couple minutes."
Danny hung up the phone, lying in bed for a few more seconds before sighing and sitting up. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed, standing up and walking over to his dresser. He pulled out a cerulean blue v-neck – one of his attempts at trying to add other colors to his wardrobe – and a pair of black jeans. After putting them on, he went over to his closet, opening and examining the contents. His fingers ghosted over the plaid flannels and black jackets before settling on a black leather jacket. He pulled it on before reaching down and picking up a pair of black strappable boots. Putting them on, he exited his room, locking the door behind him and heading down the hall.
He paused when he heard the voice of Andie before he continued onward, taking the stairs two at a time. He made his way to the front door, opening it and revealing Castiel standing there with his hands behind his back. The angel nodded in greeting as Danny exited the house, closing and locking the door behind him. He then placed a hand on the hybrid, teleporting them to a warehouse somewhere in Wisconsin – at least, that's where Danny assumed they were.
Stumbling, the hybrid placed his hands on his knees, huffing out, "One of these days, I'm gonna puke."
Cas ignored Danny's comment, handing him a large vial of his blood. Danny took it – with some mild trepidation, admittedly – making a comment about how Cas was practically his drug dealer now. The hybrid chugged it under the watchful gaze of Castiel, giving his body a shake as the familiar power surged through him and his eyes glowed an ice-blue color once more.
"Have you been practicing?" Castiel questioned, beginning to walk towards a door at the end of the warehouse.
"If, by 'practicing', you mean almost destroying my house, then yes. I got some hefty practice in last night," Danny replied bitterly, falling into step beside the angel. "I thought these exercises were supposed to help me control my powers. Instead, I feel like my control has been slipping – like they're controlling me."
Since that day when he had telekinetically thrown Damon through the balcony door – and after he had shattered his windows during his nightmare – Danny had been afraid that he might one day accidentally hurt or even kill his brothers – or even his own son. He had then reached out to Castiel, asking the angel to teach him to control his powers. Cas had obliged him, working with him daily on various exercises – telekinesis, pyrokinesis and the like. He had also started teaching the hybrid Enochian, something Danny found fascinating.
"Control comes with time, Danny," Cas informed him, and not for the first time. "Besides, it's not just your powers you need to control; it's your emotions. Your powers are obviously directly linked to your emotions – when you get angry, it lashes out. The ground shakes, the lights flicker, fire flares up and goes out of control."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Danny replied, scratching the back of his head. "But there's not much I can do about it. Vampires have unnaturally heightened emotions – we feel things differently and much stronger than normal people do. Only way to stop that is to shut off my humanity again – and I don't think anyone wants that."
"Surely it can't have been that bad?" Castiel questioned, turning his head to look at him curiously.
"Well, apparently it was bad enough for the archangel of partying to feel the need to 'rehabilitate' me. I trust Gabriel's judgement on pretty much anything. So, if he says I'm better off how I am now, I believe him," Danny paused, gritting his teeth. "Believed him."
The temperature in the room dropped a few dozen degrees, ice forming along the walls of the warehouse. Castiel watched it warily, noticing that he could see both his own breath and Danny's. He put a hand on the hybrid's shoulder, prompting him to turn and face the angel. Cas stared at him before gesturing to their surroundings. Danny grew alarmed for a moment before forcing himself to relax and push away his feelings of grief and guilt. His eyes lost their glow as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, noting that the temperature returned to normal.
Castiel looked at him for a moment longer before nodding and releasing him, continuing his walk to the door. Danny followed him, a bit more subdued now. Cas waited until the hybrid was beside him before opening the door. On the floor of the almost empty room was a Devil's Trap, in the middle of which was a chair. Tied to the chair and gagged was -
"A demon?" Danny questioned, disgust evident in his voice as he looked upon the creature's grotesque face, barely able to see the man behind it.
"Yes. I figured it was time you learned how to smite a demon," Castiel told him, entering the room with Danny following close behind him.
"Bitchin'. How do I do it?" Danny questioned, walking closer to the thing.
"Place your hand on its face," Cas instructed, watching as Danny did so. "Now, call forth your power and use it to smite the demon."
Danny looked at the angel, a bit perplexed at the vague instructions. With a small shrug, Danny closed his eyes and tapped into his Grace, opening his eyes to reveal glowing orbs of blue light. He allowed the power to flow through him to his hand, frowning when, instead of the light that he usually saw come from Cas when he smote – smited? - a demon, icy-blue veins sprouted forth from his hand. What the fu -
Visions interrupted his thought suddenly.
A man, pushing his laughing daughter on a swing.
That same man, giving his son a piggyback ride as he held his arms out, pretending he was an airplane.
A birthday, another little boy blowing out his candles as the father snapped a picture.
The father and his three kids, standing in front of a grave, each of them placing a flower upon it. The father hugged his children close, promising to never leave them.
Danny withdrew his hand as though he was burned. Did I just... He looked down at his hand before looking at the demon-possessed man. See his memories?...I forgot. I forgot that they're not just demons – they're people possessed by demons. They're fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters – innocents. And I've just been killing them without a second thought. He realized, disgust with himself showing on his face.
"Danny? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Castiel questioned, placing a hand on the hybrid's shoulder.
Danny looked at his hand before turning back to the man, determination in eyes as he said in an authoritative tone, "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundis spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, draco maledicte. Ecclesiam tuam securi tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!"
With the exorcism finished, the demon smoked out of the man, leaving the slumped over shell behind. Danny worried for a moment that the man might be dead, but relaxed when he noticed he was still breathing. He walked closer to the man, kneeling beside him as he began to untie his bonds, removing his gag as well. The man looked at him, fear and relief in his brown eyes. Eyes like Gabriel's. Danny couldn't help but think.
With a reassuring smile, Danny put a hand on the man's shoulder and looked him in the eye, turning on his compulsion. Danny compelled him to forget being possessed – and about him and Cas – before telling him that he had been kidnapped and had escaped but had no recollection of the incident. The man nodded robotically before Danny released him, allowing him to leave the warehouse and go back to his family.
"Why did you do that?" Cas demanded as soon as the man had left.
"The vessel – the man – was innocent. There was no reason to kill him," Danny informed him, turning to look at the angel.
"And since when has the life of a demon's vessel concerned you?"
"Since just now, when I realized they were people – innocent people. People with lives and family and kids. That man, he has three kids – he's all they have. I couldn't take that away from them," Danny told him, clenching his hands and looking at the opposite wall. "All kids deserve at least one parent who's there for them and loves them no matter what. Perhaps if I had had that from the beginning, I would've been different. I would've been better."
Cas dropped him back in front of his house that night, seeming surprised to see a bunch of teens leaving the house in droves. Danny, while knowing that there was going to be a party, had not expected it to be this large. Ordinarily, he would've been pissed off at this – a bunch of horny teenagers in his house trashing his furniture, why wouldn't he be? Fortunately for everyone currently leaving, he was both distracted and on a mission.
He nodded farewell to Cas before lightly jogging toward his house, sidestepping around the various teenagers. He eventually made his way inside, closing the door and locking it when the last of the teenagers left. He looked around the house, irked at the empty cups, spilled alcohol, and all-around messy atmosphere. He shook his head, resolved to worry about it later. He tilted his head to the side, listening closely for any sign of Damon. He heard the sound of smashing objects coming from Stefan's room, prompting the hybrid to vamp up the stairs to see his younger brother.
He leaned against the doorway as watching Damon set down an acoustic guitar before asking, "What happened?"
"Stefan showed up and killed Andie," Damon informed him, turning to look at his brother.
Danny winced sympathetically before saying, "My sympathies, brother."
Damon squinted at him, saying, "You seem...weird. What's up?"
"I'm learning and growing as a person – becoming a better human being, blah blah blah," Danny rolled his eyes, strolling into the room and laying down on Stefan's bed.
"Sounds painful," Damon snickered.
"Oh, it is. I hate it so much," Danny informed him, sitting up and putting his elbows on his knees, fidgeting his hands. "It's made me realize something, though. The life I lead – the job I do – eventually I'll come across something stronger than me, and it'll kill me. Hell, maybe this war'll do me in." He held up a hand to forestall Damon's protests. "I don't know when it might happen, but..."
"But?" Damon prompted when Danny paused for a while.
"Damon...for the first time, I'm going to ask you to do me a favor," Danny told him, his face taking on a serious expression. When Damon nodded for him to go on, he continued, "When I became a Nephilim...my body it... changed. Apparently, while vampires are infertile, Nephilim are not." Damon's eyes widened comically at this as he caught on. "Karen's pregnant, and we're having a son. I want you to be there for him as he grows up – teach him about family, what the Salvatore name really is. Don't let him grow up not knowing that someone that shares his blood loves him. Promise me you'll be that person – the one he can count on to love him even when I'm not around to tell him. Promise me, Damon. Promise me."
Damon was silent for a moment before he finally said, "I promise, big brother."
A/N:
Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)
Review Response:
Peetato1989: Awesome chapter! I get real excited everything I log in and see that this story is updated... Are we gonna get any actual Katherine torture by Danny? Cause that would be pretty awesome... And not to go all PJATO but I think it would be pretty awesome if some other pagans made even a cameo... like Poseidon surfing with Danny (he did teach him right)? Also... will Danny be accompanying Klaus on his hybrid making mission... that would be much cooler than Stephen IMO.
A: Not sure if I'll put any on-screen (or on paper/story, as the case may be) torture scenes unless I get some sort of public outcry for it. If there are torture scenes, they'll probably be mostly psychological, since I think Danny would get more of a kick breaking her mentally and emotionally rather than physically. In regards to pagan cameos...well, we'll just have to see. I already have plans for Danny to run into some of the gods that the Winchesters did. Other than that, not much else planned (I'm also a big PJATO fan, btw.). I couldn't figure out a way to shove Danny along with Klaus on his little mission. He had already promised to help Cas with the war against Raphael, which doesn't leave time for much else. Hope you understand.
Audience Participation:
To get right to the point, I read a review by Peetato1989 that made me think and gave me some interesting ideas. One of the questions was in regards to a pagan cameo - such as Poseidon, who taught Danny how to surf.
The chapter(s) that I am currently working on do(es) involve stories from Danny's past - such as his meeting with John Winchester. It made me think: why not write about other meetings and things that have happened to Danny over the course of his life? That lead me to this question: why not ask the readers what stories they would like to hear about?
And so, I ask you, dear readers, what stories would you like to hear? Write a review and tell me what you want, and I will do my best to fulfill your desires. (Note: not all ideas will be used in the chapter I am writing. They may, however, appear at other points in the story - or in other Daniel Salvatore stories that I plan to write.)
