Fall from Grace

"Danny!" the halfa would know that shrill voice anywhere. Turning his back on the almost-packed Speeder, he smiled at the sight of Paulina and Star walking towards him, hand in hand.

"Hey!" Danny dropped the duffel bag he'd brought out for Dash on the ground, letting Phantom spur him into a sprint. Paulina let go of her girlfriend's hand, throwing her arms around Danny and wrapping him in a tight hug. He reciprocated with a quick squeeze, pulling away and turning to Star hastily.

"Hi Danny," she said gently, a small smile pulled to her lips. Her hair had grown a little longer in weeks since he'd seen her, her bangs growing into the rest of her hair. She was wearing an oversized sweater and a pair of baggy jeans. Danny couldn't help but smile at how much healthier she looked; he hadn't realized it before, but she'd looked so tired. Now, her eyes were bright and bagless, smile growing as Danny pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Danny pulled back, taking a few steps away from the girlfriends. Paulina threw an arm around Star's shoulder, causing the blonde to blush furiously.

"Th- thanks," Star's voice was small as she leaned gently against Paulina. "For everything."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, fingers trailing his scar idly. He'd been doing that more lately. "Of course. I just want you to be ok."

"I am. I'm...I'm doing a lot better," Star blushed again, bowing her head towards Paulina and looking at the ground.

"Hey baby, it's ok. You need a break?" Paulina asked, completely forgetting about Danny for a few moments.

"N- no, I'm ok. Just..." Star met Danny's eyes for a moment before looking back at Paulina. "I'll tell you later. But I'm fine."

"Ok, well," Paulina turned her attention back to Danny, keeping her arm around Star's shoulder, "let's get going, yeah?"

Danny smiled at the two of them. He hadn't realized how worried he was about the couple, even if he wasn't fully conscious of it. He was happy that they were alright. "Yeah, ok. Dash is just helping Kwan finish packing up, and we'll be ready to go here soon."

"Ok, cool," Paulina picked her own bag up from the ground, throwing it in the back of the Speeder along with Dash's other bag. Star followed suit, Danny tossing Dash's final bag amongst their suitcases.

They made themselves comfortable in the back of the vehicle, giving Dash and Kwan some space to finish up packing. Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Valerie were talking with Meg and Wes, who had taken it upon themselves to try and reorganize their peers, despite Meg's momentary breakdown. As much as Danny wanted to be a part of the conversation, he knew it wasn't a good idea, especially after hearing how Meg felt about him. He doubted Wes' opinion of him was much better.

"So...how have you been, I guess?" Paulina asked Danny when they finished getting settled for the ride, Star's sleepy head resting on her shoulder.

Danny looked at her, preparing himself to give an obligatory 'fine' before reconsidering. Obviously, he wasn't fine. They'd both, at the very least, heard about what happened.

With a small gulp, Danny shrugged, causing Paulina's form to tense. "Oh. Right...kinda a stupid question right now. Sorry."

"It's fine, no worries," Danny assured, offering a small smile. His cores still throbbed from the attack, a numb stab of pain shooting through his body with a shudder.

"You know, they're a bunch of idiots if they think that asshole was really telling the truth," Star grumbled, blinking the tiredness from her eyes and sitting up from Paulina's shoulder. She offered Danny a small, reassuring smile.

"Well...the thing is...he was," Danny hissed, his core reacting immediately. Phantom let him lean against him for support.

"...What do you mean?" Paulina's voice was low and uncertain.

"I really...did become him," he shuddered violently, licking too-dry lips. "I stopped it from happening as soon as I knew what was going on but...I still became him, even if it was in an alternate timeline."

Danny looked down at his hands, heart hammering hard against his chest. A hand squeezed his arm gently, jerking himself from spiraling; it was Star, her hand giving one more squeeze before pulling away.

"But he wasn't telling the truth about faking your emotions, was he?" Star's voice was quiet and reassuring. She smiled at him with a strange sense of understanding in her eyes.

"...No, he wasn't," Danny breathed the words out gently, watching as Paulina relaxed into herself a little. Star stayed in the same position, watching as he shuddered a deep breath in and out. "That was a lie."

"I don't care if you almost became him," Star laid her hand on Danny's arm once more, letting it stay there when he didn't move to shake it off. "You didn't. And you obviously aren't going to now. So you're fine."

Danny let a small smile fall to his lips, nodding softly at his friend. "Thanks."

The three let a comfortable silence wash over them, Star going back to leaning against her girlfriend idly. By the time Dash and Kwan made their way to the Speeder, Danny's hammering heart had calmed down, Phantom retreating and letting him take the lead once more. He'd been quieter since he'd gotten back, and Danny planned to investigate further when he had a chance to be alone.

"Hi, Danny! Dude, I'm so glad you're alright," Kwan's voice startled Danny out of his thoughts. He was so loud.

"Hey Kwan," Danny waved from his seat in the Speeder as Kwan entered. He plopped down in the row in front of Paulina, Star, and Danny, shortly followed by Dash. "You guys are finished packing and everything, then?"

Kwan flushed bright red, smiling awkwardly and shaking his head a bit. "Oh, yeah. Yep, we finished packing. That's all."

Danny cocked an eyebrow at the jock, turning to his friend only to find that he was blushing just as furiously. "Ok, weirdos. Well, we're just waiting on everyone else to finish talking with Meg and Wes, then we'll get on our way."

"Wait a second...Wes? Why is he involved in anything?" Kwan cut in, confusion coloring his voice.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't he be?" Danny asked slowly.

"Well, he's really anti...well, anti-you, I guess," Kwan explained, tone softening as hurt flashed across Danny's features. "Ever since that Dan guy told them everything...well, he's been using that. He says he knew all along you were an evil ghost."

"But—" Danny tried you cut in.

"I know," Dash cut in this time, "it's ridiculous, but that's what he's been saying. Too many people agree with him. It's stupid."

"'It's stupid.' Eloquently put, Dash," Star mocked, earning a small chuckle from her girlfriend. "I'm sure it's not that bad, Danny."

"Well—" again, he was cut off.

"Look, you haven't even been here since before Phantom first showed up. People have really started doubting Danny. I don't agree with it, but we can't just pretend it's not happening," Dash explained, voice growing heavier with each word.

Danny opened his mouth to finally speak, words dying in his throat as he processed what Dash had just said. People were doubtful of him, of course they were, but hearing it didn't exactly feel good. Phantom tried to comfort Danny, but he found himself pushing away.

"How...how 'anti-me' is Wes?" Danny asked, gaze falling to the ground as he spoke. The Speeder fell quiet, causing Danny to close his eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry," Dash spoke just above a whisper, watching as Danny shook lightly.

"Not your problem. Don't apologize," he let out a dry laugh, looking up with wet eyes. "I caused this, whether I meant to or not. I've got to deal with it."

"But—" Paulina tried to cut in.

"No, this is my problem. I've got to be the one to fix it," Danny smiled reassuringly at Paulina, watching as she looked down hesitantly. He turned his attention back to Dash, wiping the unshed tears from his eyes. "So, how much is Wes pushing against me? What am I dealing with?"

Dash and Kwan looked at one another for a brief moment before nodding in unison. According to them, Wes had decided that Danny was not to be trusted, especially not when Phantom could take over at any time. He wholeheartedly believed what Dan had said, and fought anyone who questioned it. Meg, on the other hand, was trying to convince people that Danny (and Phantom) were not evil, drawing on all the good things he'd done for not only Amity Park, but for all of humanity. Unfortunately, the group (no longer called Team Phantom) was split pretty evenly, not yet able to come to a consensus.

"But they're, like, not gonna believe that creep, right?" Paulina asked softly, hand clenched firmly in her girlfriends'.

"I don't know, things were getting pretty intense when we were on our way out," Kwan explained, attention drawn back to Danny. "A lot of people believed him. Too many."

All attention fell to Danny now, causing the young halfa to shrink in on himself. "Wow. Ok. Have they gone to the media?"

"Wes wants to. Some others want to, too, but Meg told everyone they can't until they work this out," Dash jumped in quickly.

"So it's contained," Danny looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them slowly. Phantom swam in the back of his mind, curiously waiting to see what he had to say. "Good. The last thing we- I need is for this to become a media frenzy. I need to train and get ready for Dan's real attack. I don't know what he's planning, but this is just a distraction."

Danny nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on both shoulders, coming from two different people. One one side, Paulina had rested her outstretched hand on him. On the other, surprisingly, Kwan had patted him on the shoulder, letting go much quicker than Paulina.

"We're going to help you. This is all of our fight," Kwan gave Danny a dignified nod, smiling gently.

"Why? This isn't your fight?" Danny asked slowly, breath hissing out of him like a leaking balloon.

"It is, though," Star cut in now, drawing Danny's attention back to her and Paulina, who had just retracted her hand. "You have always been there for us, stepping in and making sure we're ok."

"Now it's our turn," Dash offered, causing Danny to turn in front of him once more. "Let is take care of you. Or at least help. Please."

Danny looked around him, laughing under his breath. He was surrounded by the popular crowd — the same people who used to torment him just for being small or dorky. For too long, he'd resigned himself to the fact that they would never change. He thought they would always be a-listers hell bent on tearing people down, but looking at their supportive faces, he found that belief washing away. They'd changed, and maybe Danny had been a part of that.

"Ok. Yes, we'll all train. Th- thank you," Danny rubbed the back of his neck, fingers dancing over his scar again. Closing his eyes, he let a few tears fall, letting out a breath he'd been holding for far too long. "Thank you."

"It's in motion?" the dark, heavy voice cascaded over the entire cavern, bouncing off the dark rubble.

"Of course. It was really too easy," Dan replied to the darkness, smirking as he felt it writhe in indignation.

"Do not call it easy. You know—"

"Yes, yes," Dan started, twirling his fingers in front of him as he spoke, "this has been in the works for months, and how *dare I make any part of this seem easy. But really, you know who you're working with. They're teenagers. It was easy."

"Good," the voice was now a deep growl, scraping across Dan's cores like a rusted blade. He tried to keep himself from flinching, but he blinked before he could suppress the instinct. "What is it, little ghost? Feeling intimidated?"

Dan puffed out his chest, fiery hair glowing brighter for a moment in defiance. "I told you, this arrangement only works if we're equals. Don't patronize me."

"I'd never," the voice cackled, sending an involuntary shiver down Dan's spine. "Now, stop sulking. We have preparations to discuss."

"Of course," Dan smiled wide, taking a step deeper into the darkness around him.

Hey all! What do you think?

First and foremost, I'm so so sorry about the late upload. I know I said I'd try going twice a week, but things have been a little crazy lately. Without going too far into it, I have my new job, of course, but I'm also from Minnesota, in a larger city where there have been protests and riots. I'm safe and well, but trying to balance work, getting involved where I can, and self care has been difficult.

But! I've missed writing a lot, and have decided it's an important part of taking care of myself. I can't promise a consistent upload schedule right now, but I will be posting whenever I finish a new chapter.

That being said, I'm still very excited about what's to come! I've shortened and streamlines the story from where I was going to go, but I think it'll still turn out well.

Thank thank thank you all for your continued support. It honestly means the world to me!

Until next time,

~Ash