Homesick

The breeze felt nice.

But none too soothing for the boy's fractured thoughts, as he sat on a telephone pole, slightly illuminous hair ruffling in his face.

Clockwork had promised to redirect the time stream once Danny did what he had agreed to do.

No one would know the difference, in the end. The only one who would keep these memories would be Danny himself.

Amnd, in a way, that frightened the boy more then anything else.

Danny sank his chin in his hand, groaning slightly.

In that alternative fututre, he could still see it, especially if he closed his eyes.

Images flashed before Fenton's mind, Masters' still bewildered by the concept of such a thing. Of course.

AT least they had stopped arguing. Danny Phantom thought he wouldn't mind getting rid of his human half-if it would only make them shut up.

But Phantom and Fenton could hear the voices all too well.

And remember the events that had taken place.

His alternate form couldn't live with the memories that had plaugued him since the explosion at the Nasty Burger.

He had gone to Vlad, and pleaded for him to remove his ghost half.

Wrong.

He had BEGGED.

Danny bit his lip, watching a pair of seagulls fight over a bit of old bread on the sand below.

He knew this old place quite well.

At least....Danny Fenton did.

This little alcove of beach was a small one, but a lovely one Phantom had found one day after patrolling the lakeside on a school vacation.

That might've seemed like overkill to most people...but seeing as Youngblood had attacked earlier that day....

Stupid kid. Stupid, stupid, stupid ghost-pirate kid.

The one Lost Boy that hadn't gone on to live a normal life with John, Wendy, Michael, and the others had to haunt him even in his thoughts.

Danny managed a wan smile as he stared out into the late afternoon waters sloshing against the damp sand, the sun glimmering faintly to the

West, and onto the grainy beach.

Probably had that skeletal parrot around, in a futile attempt to have him learn proper pirate slang.

The ghost boy fingered his side-it was no more then a slight ache by now-and allowed himself to glide off the ancient wood.

From what he could tell, no one had been to this lake for years.

"Nice...."

Sam was staring at the waters, a satisfied smile on her face as she grasped a reddish rock with a black stripe, and threw it into the water, watching

circular ripples violently explode onto the surface. She slowly turned to face Jasmine and Tucker, smile still evident.

"Sheesh-no garbage. No obnoxious beach parties or volleyball players." The girl held her hands up in the air, and tucked them behind her head with a

small sigh.

"Danny...great pick."

Tucker had cautiously dipped one toe in the water, but now he jumped back, a bit of seaweed wrapped around his ankle. Shuddering, he peeled it off,

and flicked it away.

"Speak for yourself. I like my water nice and chlorinated. And....where are all the cute girls? All I see is a nerd and a GOTH."

The two glared at him, Danny still watching from a nearby rock. Tucker gulped as he took a step back.

"Uh...l-ladies? L-let's not do a-anything I'LL regret...."

Danny just smiled, leaning back with a small sigh of his own.

"Hey, Tuck-figure the water's fine for you NOW?"

But the boy was already splashing into the dark lake, two girls in hot puyrsuit.

"Chlorinated-schmorinated! I'm OUTTA HERE!"

There was the rock he had sank on, in happier times.

Danny let his hand gove over the familiar, smooth dips and curves of the stone, pausing as he remembered something else.

Could they still-?

Danny turned. to the other side, squinting in the dim light as his hands felt around the surface.

Yep....they were all still here-carefully carved in and slightly faded-but here.

It disturbed him to see how timeworn the words were, but what could you expect? He knew he ought to be grateful the words still existed-

however faint-at all.

DF

SM

TF

JF

Danny managed another ghost of a smile, before allowing his body to phase back into his human form.

He closed his eyes as he proceeded to the water.

At least the waves sounded the same.

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Danny sat, hunched over with his arms tightly wrapped around his knees, watching the water steadily rock back and forth, soaking his shoes.

He picked up a rock-it was a glistening orangish one-with what looked to be a black stripe around it-and stared at it for a momment.

Did he throw it back? It seemed a shame...after so continually being rocked and forth-for who knew how long a time-before finally reaching

shore?

Did you ruin its accomplishments and send it back?

Or maybe it had never wanted to go at all. Maybe for the stone, the waters below was a cavern away from the treachery that was the world.

The ghost hybrid shook his head, and gently lay it on the sand again, watching the tide gently brush over it, but pull away.

The rock still remained.

Danny stood, watching the lazy sun steadily sinking below an orange horizon. On the other side of the world, it was rising, and people were

getting busy, preparing for a new day.

That or getting yelled at by their loved ones, who were busy telling them to snap to it.

As Danny glided into the air, he glanced down at the beach again.

He wondered vaguely if the stone was still there. It was too distant to see.

Danny slowly shook his head, and rocketed on towards a now indigo skyline, that beginning to richly coat itself with stars.

If it wanted to go-or if the tide wanted to reclaim it-then it would go. That was the nature of things.

* * * *

Danny shuddered, but not by the cold.

A feeling that had crrept into his bones by the water was disturbing him-but he couldn't shake it off.

The ghost boy was homesick.

But for where? Vlad's Castle? Fenton Works?

No.

Danny had to admit to himself that he really didn't care about finding either building.

So he wasn't homesick for the familiar landscaping-although that might've been comforting.

It was for the people who resided there.

Danny thought, even as he fluttered on, that he ought to rewrite that word in Webster's copy.

It was more heartsickness then anything else.