Hey guys, I know it's been a while. For a while I've been a bit stumped on how I've wanted to continue on with the fic. Part of which includes deciding what episodes I've wanted to use along with what I've wanted to make standalone chapters. Luckily, I've decided what I've wanted to do for at least this chapter and wow are you gonna find out some stuff. Also, you guys will be getting three songs lucky for you. But enough of that, let's get on with the story. I don't own anything. Danny Phantom belongs to Nick. Enjoy!
Songs in order of appearance:
"Sublime" by Christina Grimmie
"StopRewind" by Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle)
"I Am Not Nothing" by Beth Crowley
Fighting For Control
Nova Super sat in the Amity Radio Station, much to the delight of the night show's hosts. They'd been begged for an interview ever since her album came out and she agreed to one after talking with her manager. Sasha was excited herself but was super nervous, hoping they didn't ask any personal questions. Having to think on her feet about answers for Nova would be tricky considering her and Sam didn't lay a backstory out for her beforehand.
"Nova, we are so excited to have you here," one of the hosts Chrissy told her.
"I'm excited to be here," Sasha replied.
"I have to say, the both of us have been listening to your album nonstop and it's phenomenal," the other cohost Rocky complemented.
"Thank you so much," Sasha smiled.
"You've had quite the journey so far. It seems like you've come out of nowhere and have become a huge hit," Chrissy said. "Tells us how it happened because it's certainly a crazy mystery."
"Well, it's been crazy for me as well. One minute I'm writing songs in my bedroom and then the next a family friend of mine is calling me down to save this concert. Apparently, the singer stormed off stage and refused to perform. So, the next thing I know I'm up on stage and the crowd is chanting my name. After that I manage to find an agent and now I've created my first album," Sasha fabricated.
"Wow, so if it wasn't for that family friend we might not have gotten your music," Chrissy said in awe.
"Who's this family friend?" Rocky asked.
"Mason," Sasha answered, deciding to go with a variation of Sam's last name.
"Thank you, Mason!" Rocky exclaimed causing the other two to laugh.
"Now you said that you have a surprise for us?" Chrissy segwayed.
"Yes, tomorrow night I will be performing a few songs at The Blue Velvet Club in honor of my album dropping," Sasha announced.
"Ahh! That's so exciting!" Chrissy practically screamed.
"Thank you, so much for the exclusive and thank you once again Nova Super for joining us tonight. Be sure to check out her performance at The Blue Velvet Club tomorrow night," Rocky thanked.
He then played them off, transferring into Nova Super's song, [insert song]. The three of them talked for a little bit longer before Sasha left the booth, meeting Sam on the other side. Together they exited the radio station and headed home, stopping for a moment so that Sasha could sneakily change out of Nova Super so that no one would know where Nova was going.
"That Mason guy sure sounds great," Sam teased.
"Yeah, he sure is," Sasha smiled, nudging Sam a bit.
"You did pretty well for your first interview," Sam said.
"Really? I wasn't too nervous or anything?" Sasha asked.
"You were fine. Nice thinking back there as well. I'm sorry I kinda threw you in there without figuring out a backstory first," Sam apologized.
"You're not entirely to blame. I should've prepped something ahead of time. I'm just happy they didn't question me about the singer I replaced," Sasha sighed.
"Luckily everyone's forgot about Ember and the spell she put on them," Sam agreed. Sasha let out a yawn. "Tired?"
"Yeah. I just can't wait to get home and get some sleep. I'm gonna need it if I'm gonna make it through school long enough to do the show tomorrow," Sasha answered.
"It's gonna be a busy day. The Circus Gothica is in town tomorrow and I'm hoping to at least see the opening ceremony since I'll be missing their first show in favor of yours," Sam said.
"Doesn't that mean you'd be ditching first period?" Sasha questioned.
"Yeah, but I've already paid Tucker off to pretend to be me while I'm gone," Sam replied.
"I'm not sure I want to see that," Sasha said, picturing what Tucker would look like dressed up as Sam, causing the other girl to laugh. The two stopped when they came to the road in which they'd part, Sam heading to her house while Sasha headed to her own.
"I'll see you tomorrow at lunch," Sam said, wishing Sasha goodbye.
"See you then. Night," Sasha wished back.
And with that the two split off, heading to their respective homes. By the time Sasha got home she wanted nothing else to crawl into bed but stopped upon seeing her mom in the living room. Zoe Lucas had a large smile on her face as she stared at her laptop screen. Sasha already had a guess as to what was making her mom happy and decided to probe her with a few questions to see if she was correct.
"You seem pretty happy. Online dating going well?" Sasha asked.
"You can say that. I'm actually going on a date tomorrow," Zoe informed her daughter.
"That's great!" Sasha smiled.
Zoe Lucas set up an account after their mother-daughter weekend and was talking to potential dates. Unfortunately, most of the people she talked with weren't up to her standard and never got close to a date. That was until recently. Sasha was happy coming in to see her mother smiling at her computer screen, talking with a guy. She'd yet to tell Sasha about him, saying that she didn't want to talk about it too early. Which was fine, though now that an actual date was happening perhaps she'd hear about the guy.
"Are you going to be okay with that?" Zoe asked, wanting to make sure that her daughter was fine with her dating.
"Of course, I am. Mom, you deserve to be happy. But if this guy does anything to hurt you I'll break his femur," Sasha said. Zoe laughed off the last part and got up from her spot on the couch.
"Thanks, honey," she said and placed a kiss on top of Sasha's head.
"I'm serious. If he hurts you I hurt him," Sasha said flat out.
"I know you will," Zoe replied. "Now get to bed. You've got one more day of school before the weekend arrives."
"Alright, I get the hint. I'll leave you alone so that you can talk to what's his name more. Goodnight," Sasha bid farewell and headed up to her room. Sleep was calling her name.
O
The next day started out normal enough. She'd gone to school, and everything was going fine until Mr. Lancer received a message saying that she needed to head to the principal's office. Her classmates watched her go, everyone wondering what Sasha might have done to get a summons. When she arrived at Principal Ishiyama's office she saw Danny, Sam, their parents, and Tucker dressed up as Sam.
"I really didn't need to see that. Tucker, I hate to tell you this, but you cannot pull off a skirt," Sasha told him.
"Thanks," Tucker replied sarcastically.
"Principal Ishiyama, you wanted to see me," Sasha said, turning to the person who brought her here.
"I think you know why," the principal responded. Sasha looked around the room once again. From what she could tell Sam got caught skipping out on school and Tucker was caught as her replacement. Why Danny was there was a mystery to her, but not as big as a mystery as to why she was there.
"No, not really," Sasha said, still confused.
"Sasha had nothing to do with me going to the circus," Sam stood up for her.
"Really?" Principal Ishiyama asked.
"Yeah. I've been in class all day. Mr. Lancer can confirm that," Sasha told her.
"Sorry, I just assumed that you'd be somehow involved with this as well," Principal Ishiyama apologized.
"It's good to know at least one of Sam's friends isn't a delinquent," Mr. Manson muttered.
"What did you say about my son?" Mrs. Fenton demanded, showing signs of turning into a protective momma bear.
"Well since you weren't involved in any of this you are fine to head back to class, Miss. Lucas. The rest of you three will receive punishment in the form of detention tonight," Principal Ishiyama decided.
"Tonight? But Sam, what about the concert?" Sasha asked her friend, trying to keep from freaking out.
"You'll just have to go without me," Sam replied, her eyes showing her apology.
"What concert?" Mrs. Manson questioned.
"The Nova Super concert at the Blue Velvet Club. She's performing a few songs from her album and we had made plans to go check it out," Sam explained.
"Great! Not only did you get me in a skirt, but you've made me miss a Nova Super performance," Tucker complained.
"Sorry," she apologized to her friends.
O
Sasha paced back and forth in the green room at the Blue Velvet Club. Ever since being called to the principal's office and finding out that Sam wasn't going to be able to go with her to the performance she'd been tense. Heading home she was too much in her head because of nerves that she hardly paid attention to when her mother's date picked Zoe up. After waving them a quick goodbye she'd locked herself in her room and tried to calm herself down. She had a show to get to and couldn't show up to the venue a mess. So, after calming down Sasha changed into her Nova Super outfit, went ghost, and then flew to the Blue Velvet Club. She made sure to change back to Nova Super where no one could see her before heading inside. The manager was excited to see her and quickly lead Nova into the green room before she could get swamped by patrons. Inside the green room, the manager asked if she wanted anything to drink to which she replied water, though part of her wished she was of age to have a shot of whatever alcohol they got. When the manager left to retrieve that that was when the pacing started. Part of this situation couldn't help but remind her of what happened back with Ember. Alone to perform, though Sam promised that she would be there. Sure, there wasn't an angry ghost waiting out on stage but still. It was her first real show as a musician and she was completely alone. When the manager returned with her glass of water Sasha took it and completely downed the drink.
"Thirsty?" the manager joked.
"Just wanted to make sure my throat's all clear for my performance," Sasha brushed off.
"Well if your throat's all clear we have everything set up," he told her.
Part of Sasha wanted a few more minutes to gather herself together but the other part wanted to get out there and get it over with, hoping the adrenaline that came with performing would help cause the worries to go away.
"Let's not keep them waiting any longer," Sasha smiled, having made her decision.
The manager nodded and lead her out of the green room and towards the stage where Sasha waited off on the side where no one could see her. The manager hopped on stage, getting in front of the microphone.
"Alright guys, it's the moment you've been waiting for. The new rising star of the music world, Nova Super!" the manager introduced.
The crowded club erupting into cheers as the manager stepped off stage and Nova stepped on. She smiled at the crowd and then reached for the guitar the club provided for her. She slung its strap over her shoulder and then turned to the crowd.
"How's everyone doing tonight?" she asked the crowd to which they responded by another round of cheers. "That's good to hear. Well, tonight I'm here to play a few songs off my new album. So, let's start off with the song that started it all." The crowd got excited as Sasha started playing "Let Me Try" and even saw people singing along to the song with her. It was just what she needed to get over her nerves and to get the positive adrenaline running. When the song finished the crowd applauded, causing Sasha to smile. "This next song is what I refer to as the obligatory love song on the album because every album needs one. Hopefully you guys enjoy it."
Some of the crowd quieted down, thinking that it would be a soft song though the ones who'd been listening to her album over and over again knew what was really coming. As she played the notes on the guitar the others caught on that the soft love song was not the case.
"You, you make me wanna fall in love
You, it's all or nothing, I know
Getting' lost in your blue skies
All my senses come alive
Every second amplified tonight
Gonna be sublime
So so sublime
Feel your love all over me
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime
Sublime
Feel, I feel your aura in my veins
Surreal, you're breaking through my chains
Gettin' lost in your blue skies
All my senses come alive
Every second amplified tonight
Gonna be sublime
So so sublime
Feel your love all over me
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime
Sublime
Getting so high it's celestial
Never come down to terrestrial
When you speak every decibel
It's making me feel so sublime
Vulnerable but invincible
Lucid but so irrational
Spontaneous but intentional
You're making me, feel so sublime
So so sublime
I feel your love all over me
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime
Sublime, oh no
Sublime
I feel your love all over me
Can't stop thinking we could be sublime
Oh, sublime"
Once again, the crowd broke out into applause. Sasha didn't stop to talk again, instead she went right into her next song. After three more songs, it finally came to the last one. Sam and her had decided to only sing six for this performance, seeing as it was a small show for a small venue.
"Alright guys, I hope that you've enjoyed the show tonight. I'm gonna play one last song for you before heading out," Sasha told the crowd. She heard a half of the people whine that the show was ending, causing her a smirk for a moment before heading into her last song.
"Day and night my mind is running
Reaching out 'cause I want something more
That I've never had before
I'm scared to chase what I've been dreaming
Beyond a want and now I need it
Push me by surprise
So I can take a dive
Day and night my mind is racing
Dents and footprints I've been pacing
What am I supposed to find?
My god I'm the bait and the predator's my mind
It eats at me all the time
Can we stop and rewind
I'm not so sure
When'd I become my own enemy
I don't understand what you see in me
'Cause I'm just another story
That's not worth a reading
Now you've got me pinned up against the wall
Why aren't you afraid that I'll take a fall
There's more that came before me
Am I worth believing?
I'm not so sure
Eye to eye our worlds collided
Ear to ear you kept me smiling
Kept me happy kept me grounded
Before I flew away
I felt it breaking
Then you came around
In this world of white noise you're my favorite sound
When'd I become my own enemy
I don't understand what you see in me
'Cause I'm just another story
That's not worth a reading
Now you've got me pinned up against the wall
Why aren't you afraid that I'll take a fall
There's more that came before me
Am I worth believing?
I'm not so sure
We brave and broken fewer
Three cheers to fear future
We brave and broken fewer
Three cheers to fear the future
When'd I become my own enemy
I don't understand what you see in me
'Cause I'm just another story
That's not worth a reading
Now you've got me pinned up against the wall
Why aren't you afraid that I'll take a fall
There's more that came before me
Am I worth believing?
I'm not so sure"
With the final song done the crowd burst into the loudest applause of the night earning the biggest smile from Sasha. She wished them goodnight once again before putting the guitar back where she got it and walked off the stage. The manager ushered her towards the green room again where she caught her breath and received payment for the performance. The Blue Velvet Club had paid them in advance, but Sam made sure that the arrangement would have them give Nova Super a pretty good amount of money afterward. Sasha stuck around the Blue Velvet Club to sign some things and take selfies with fans before leaving, making sure to find cover from anyone before going ghost and flying back home. That night Sasha fell asleep with a smile on her face.
O
Unfortunately, life couldn't remain peaceful. The next morning when Sasha came downstairs for breakfast the morning news caught both her and her mother's attention. They instantly frowned upon seeing a picture of Danny in his ghost form along with some other ghost stealing money.
"In other news, police got a break in the recent rash of mysterious burglaries as security cam footage revealed the ghostly culprits," the anchorwoman reported. The thing that caught Sasha's attention, besides the fact that Danny who was so hero bound was robbing a bank, was that his normal ghostly green eyes were a sinister red.
"That's not Danny," Sasha muttered as the anchorwoman started talking about something else.
"Sasha, do you know anything about this? This isn't like Danny at all" Zoe asked. Danny and her daughter had been friends for months now, so Zoe knew what to expect from the Fenton ghost kid. He was always trying to save the town, not torment it
"No, but I think I know who might," Sasha replied and then pulled out her phone, dialing her friends' numbers. "Tucker, Sam, what the hell is going on?"
"I'm guessing you saw the news," Tucker said.
"Of course, I did," Sasha almost growled.
"Please tell me you didn't watch the Circus Gothica segment," Sam said worry laced in her voice.
"No, I haven't seen a single commercial for it at all actually," Sasha replied confused.
"Good. The reason why Danny is acting weird is because of Freakshow, the ringleader of the circus. He has this scepter that is controlling Danny. He tried to have him kill me yesterday," Sam explained.
"Shit," Sasha muttered.
"But at least we have you to go knock some sense into him," Tucker said, trying to make things positive.
"Tucker, I can't go anywhere near Freakshow without some kind of protection," Sasha told him.
"What? Why not?" Tucker asked confused.
"From what you've told me it sounds like this scepter controls ghosts. If I come into contact with that without some protection than Freakshow will take control of me and then there's no stopping him," Sasha explained. "I can't lose control of my mind. If that happens then everyone will be in danger."
"Then what can we do?" Tucker asked.
"Sasha, can your mom make you something that can block out the scepter's power?" Sam questioned.
"She might be able to," Sasha replied.
"And if she can't?" Tucker questioned.
"Then it's up to you two. My mom and I will try and supply you with all the equipment you might need to take Freakshow and his ghosts on… even Danny," Sasha answered.
"Perhaps we should meet up to discuss the plan," Tucker suggested.
"How? I'm currently under house arrest," Sam said.
"I'll come bust you out. We'll meet at my house," Sasha replied.
"Okay," Sam and Tucker echoed.
With things agreed upon the three of them hung up their phones and got ready to meet up. Zoe Lucas was already on her daughter with questions, having listened in on the conversation, or at least Sasha's side of things.
"If what I've picked up is true then not only is Danny in trouble, but you might be as well," Zoe said.
"Yeah. Mom, can you make me something that could block out the scepter's power over me? It's the only way I can go doing something to stop him," Sasha asked.
"I'll try," Zoe promised.
The two split up, Zoe heading downstairs to her workshop while Sasha went ghost. With Freakshow being stationed at the circus she was certain that a trip to Sam's house would be safe. Going intangible Sasha flew into Sam's bedroom, surprising the goth girl. Even with two of her friends being part ghost she hadn't gotten used to them suddenly appearing. The two didn't talk much as Sasha flew Sam back to her house, there was too much on their minds about the Freakshow situation. When they arrived back at Sasha's house they discovered that Tucker was there waiting for them. Setting Sam down in the living room Sasha turned back into her human form, feeling a bit safer.
"Where's your mom?" Tucker asked.
"In the workshop, hopefully figuring out for me to safely take on Freakshow," Sasha answered.
"I don't think we've ever seen her workshop," Sam commented.
"Well today's your lucky day," Zoe said, surprising the three as she came up from downstairs.
"Have you managed to make it?" Sasha asked.
"I need to make a few more adjustments but I'll need you in order to do that," Zoe answered.
"Wow, you're quick," Tucker complemented.
"You two are free to come down and check out the workshop. Besides, even if my protective glasses for Sasha work out I'd feel better equipping the two of you before you three go to face this Freakshow," Zoe told the other humans in the room.
"It would be interesting to see someone else's lab. We've been so used to the Fenton's," Sam said as Ms. Lucas and Sasha lead them downstairs.
"I'm sure it will be the same," Tucker replied.
He instantly shut up when they entered the basement. There wasn't as much open space compared to the Fenton's, nor a huge ghost portal. Instead there were many tables with equipment on them, some more organized than others, and a space dedicated to testing inventions. The whole room showed a maturity that the Fenton's didn't carry. Sam and Tucker wondered if that was because both the inventor and the ghost worked together to make things work. The inventions that the two of them saw were also a lot smaller than what the Fenton's created, possibly so they could be concealed better. The Fenton's inventions were pretty in your face.
"And I stand corrected," Tucker said.
"Your workshop is so cool," Sam complemented.
"Thank you," Zoe replied, setting the pair of protective ghost glasses on Sasha's face. Sasha adjusted them to her liking while Zoe grabbed a tool to make her final modifications.
"So, these glasses are gonna protect Sasha from Freakshow's scepter?" Tucker questioned.
"That's what they're supposed to do. I originally designed them for humans so they wouldn't be affected by ghostly powers or items. Reversing that was surprisingly easy. However, we'll only truly know if they work if we test them," Zoe explained.
"And how can we do that? We can't send Sasha to Freakshow without knowing this will work," Sam asked.
"You… you were worried that I'd seen the Circus Gothica segment on TV, right?... Show me a commercial. That way we can test it here where you guys can restrain me if I go crazy," Sasha suggested, shifting uncomfortably.
"And you're comfortable with that?" Sam questioned.
"No. Not really. But it's the only thing we can do to test it out," Sasha admitted, her voice cracking a bit out of nervousness.
"Okay then. Sam, Tucker, grab those two ecto-net guns on that table in case we need to restrain her," Zoe instructed.
Sam and Tucker nodded and grabbed the guns while Sasha prepped herself, making sure the glasses were on and changed into her ghost form. When everything was ready Tucker loaded the commercial for the circus on his PDA and played it for Sasha. Everyone was tense as the commercial played. They watched Sasha closely, looking for any indication that she was affected, especially when the scepter appeared on screen. When the commercial ended Zoe, Tucker, and Sam looked at Sasha with baited breath.
"Sam, I have no idea why you wanted to go to this thing. Freakshow comes across as a complete creep," Sasha spoke, causing the others to relax.
"It's comforting to see it works," Zoe sighed.
"Yeah, especially since I'm the one who'd be in danger," Sasha said.
"But we can go with plan A now, which makes me feel a bit better. You're more experienced fighting than Tucker and me," Sam admitted. "Not that we'd leave you to do it by yourself."
"Which means you two will need more equipment than those nets," Zoe said and then picked up two other guns, these ones smaller than the ecto-net. "These are ecto-blasters, they'll be plenty helpful if you're attacked."
"Thanks, Ms. Lucas," Sam and Tucker said, taking the blasters.
"So, what's the plan now?" Tucker asked.
"The important thing is to destroy the scepter. If we can do that without having to fight anyone that would be the best outcome," Sam answered. "If we want a chance at that then we better head out now. Freakshow encouraged parents to come for a free show, so he'll be distracted doing that."
"Alright then. Sam, Tucker, hold on. I'm taking us to the circus," Sasha told them. Sam and Tucker stuffed their guns into their pockets and grabbed onto Sasha's arms. Zoe Lucas wished the group luck and then they were off.
O
As Sam predicted, with so many parents in the circus tent Freakshow seemed to be distracted. Sasha kept the three of them invisible as they traveled through the circus grounds, not wanting to risk being seen. Trying to figure out where the scepter was, Sam pointed Sasha towards the train which the Circus Gothica arrived in. Going intangible Sasha flew them into the caboose of the train and set Sam and Tucker down.
"Wow, you got some major muscles," Tucker complemented, having not expected her to carry him and Sam the whole way.
"Ghost hunting tends to build up one's strength and gives you surprise abs," Sasha told him, looking around the caboose. The train car was filled with piles of gold, money, jewelry, paintings, and other expensive looking items. It was Sam who spotted Freakshow's scepter sitting in a pile of gold.
"There's the crystal ball! Let's grab it and…" Sam said but was interrupted as her and Tucker were blasted out the back of the train.
"Tucker! Sam!" Sasha shouted. Turning to the source of the surprise blast Sasha saw that Freakshow and Danny, dressed in a grim reaper robe, suddenly showed up.
"Oh look, another ghost to add to my collection. And it looks like this one is your partner in crime," Freakshow said to Danny before turning his attention back to Sasha. He grabbed the scepter out of the pile and pointed it at her. "Now come to me, minion." When he noticed that Sasha's eyes didn't change red Freakshow looked at his scepter angrily. "What is wrong with this thing?"
"Sorry, creep, but that's not working on me," Sasha growled.
"Shot. Minion, get me out of here," Freakshow demanded.
Before Sasha could do anything to stop them, Danny grabbed Freakshow and flew out of the train. Groaning in frustration, Sasha retrieved Sam and Tucker and flew the three of them on top of the train, which suddenly decided to start moving.
"Why'd you come back for us? You should have gone after Freakshow," Tucker asked.
"I still can. But I need you two in case his other ghosts come to attack. Be sure to pay attention this time though," Sasha replied, setting them down on top of the train.
Hearing their arrival Freakshow and Danny turned to see that they'd been followed. Freakshow grimaced and sent Danny and several of his other ghosts to take care of them. This time Sam and Tucker were prepared and tried to fight off the other ghosts while Danny and Sasha faced off.
"Danny, it's me. It's Sasha. Your best friend, remember?!" Sasha called out to him, hoping to break the spell he was under.
"Sasha? I…" Danny blinked, slowing coming out of it. However, he reverted back to his spelled state as Freakshow pointed his scepter at him. "I am a ghost. I have no friends."
"Don't waste your breath, child. He's under my control now," Freakshow smirked.
"Then I'll have to break it," Sasha replied, setting her sights on the scepter.
Sasha lunged towards Freakshow to try and grab the scepter, but Danny stopped her. The two started fighting, firing ecto-blast after ecto-blast at each other just like Sam and Tucker were doing with Freakshow's other ghosts. It was almost a difficult thing to do as Sasha did not like having to fight against her friend. But the person she was fighting against wasn't Danny. It was a Freakshow controlled Danny. That made the punches a bit easier to throw. Still, she continued to try to call out to him, hoping to add that to breaking Freakshow's spell.
"Danny, come on this isn't you. You would never do this. You're a hero, not a villain," Sasha tried to call out to him.
Once again, she saw a break, seeing the real Danny come through. However, that was short lived but not for the reason it was beforehand. Sasha had been hit by an ecto-blast, by a ghost or by one of her friends she didn't know and was sent tumbling towards the front of the train where Freakshow was. Sasha winced and went to get up when she noticed the absence of something. During her fall the protective glasses managed to fall off and land at Danny's feet. Panic set in at Sasha forced her eyes shut, not wanting to catch a glimpse of the scepter.
"No! No! No!" Sasha screamed, frantically looking for the glasses.
"Sasha!" Sam and Tucker called out.
At this point Freakshow caught on that the reason his scepter had no effect on Sasha was because of the glasses. Now seeing that they were off her face, Freakshow smiled and grabbed Sasha, shoving the scepter in front of her face. Sasha shrieked and squeezed her eyes even tighter.
"You don't have your pretty little glasses to save you now," Freakshow laughed as he tried to get Sasha to open her eyes.
"No! No! I can't become Him!" Sasha shrieked, causing Freakshow to only laugh more, delighted at her screams.
Sam and Tucker watched as shadows began to creep from the edges of the train and started to slowly gather towards Sasha. It reminded them of when Wulf mentioned Black Heart which caused Sasha to freak out. It was scary then and seeing an even worse version starting to happen now terrified them. Sam tried to think of something quick before things got even worse, be it from Sasha freaking out or Freakshow taking control of Sasha when she spotted the glasses next to Danny. Moving fast Sam swiped the glasses from the ground and shoved them onto Danny's face. Danny stumbled back and after a moment his eyes returned to his normal ghostly green instead of the sinister red.
"Sam? What's…" Danny began to ask before seeing Sasha in trouble. "Sasha! Let her go!"
"What? But you were my slave." Freakshow said confused, seeing that Danny was no longer under his control.
Feeling Freakshow's grip on her loosen, Sasha took the shadows that she felt creeping towards her and flung them out around her, throwing Freakshow back. Sasha fell to her knees and started shaking, holding her head as she continued to panic. Right next to her though was the scepter. Danny was quick to fly over and grab it before anybody else could. Freakshow screamed no as Danny smashed the crystal of the scepter against the train car, shattering it and releasing all of the ghosts from Freakshow's control.
"Sasha, it's alright. The crystal's broken," Danny tried to reassure her to no avail.
She still shook in fear. Seeing that the glasses were no longer needed to protect himself from Freakshow's scepter Danny took them off and gave them to Sasha who instantly placed them back on herself. Even with the protective item, Sasha shook. While Danny wanted nothing more than to console his friend the awakening of the other ghosts alerted them to the issue of Freakshow.
"Are we finally free?" one of them asked.
"Only one way to find out," Danny said.
The group of ghosts turned their attention to Freakshow. They grabbed him and phased into the train, leaving Sasha, Sam, and Tucker on the top. The teens braced themselves as they felt the train coming to a complete stop before running over to Sasha. Sam dropped down to her knees and pulled her friend into a hug while Tucker placed a comforting hand on Sasha's shoulder. Feeling the comfort of trusted friends who cared about her Sasha broke down into tears. When Danny returned from finishing taking care of Freakshow his heart broke upon seeing his friend and was reminded of when Sasha freaked out on top of her roof. And once again it was kinda his fault. Three of them tensed upon hearing police sirens getting closer to the train.
"You guys okay to get out of here on your own?" Danny asked Sam and Tucker. The two nodded causing Danny to relax a bit. Reaching down he picked Sasha up in his arms. "I'll take Sasha home where she'll be safe. And guys, I'm sorry."
"We can all apologize later. Right now, we just need to get out of here and get Sasha home," Sam said.
The three nodded in agreement and ran off before the police could discover them. Danny flew off, holding the crying Sasha close to him. Feeling Danny's familiar ghostly energy Sasha pulled herself closer to him, needing the comfort of someone familiar. It only made Danny feel guiltier. As soon as Danny entered the Lucas's household Sasha transformed. Hearing someone in her house Zoe Lucas came running out from the kitchen and gasped when she saw her daughter in distress.
"Sasha! What happened?" Zoe asked.
"The details are a bit fuzzy for me, but she lost her glasses while fighting Freakshow," Danny answered.
"Oh god, that's what I was afraid of," Zoe frowned. "Will you take her over to the couch?" Danny nodded and headed towards the living room when Zoe stopped him for a moment. "And Danny, it's good to see you're back to your normal self."
With that Zoe disappeared back into the kitchen leaving Danny to head into the living room with Sasha. Upon entering Danny transformed back himself before setting Sasha down on the couch. She didn't want to let go of him though, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. Not having the heart to push her away Danny sat down on the couch, pulling a throw blanket over the both of them. Feeling all of this happen Sasha let go of Danny's shirt but still clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder.
"It's okay, Sasha, you're safe. Just breathe," Danny comforted her, hugging Sasha.
The front door burst open and an out of breath Sam and Tucker came rushing in. They looked around, trying to figure out where Danny and Sasha were before spotting them in the living room. When they spotted the still crying Sasha both of their faces fell. The amount of guilt that Danny felt Sam felt it tenfold. All of this happened because she wanted to go to that stupid circus, putting her friends in danger. Sam and Tucker headed into the living room, Sam sitting on the other side of Sasha, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, while Tucker stood by looking up ways of how to calm a panicking person down on his PDA.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Sasha," Sam apologized.
"It's not your fault, Sam. It's mine. If you guys didn't have to come save me than she would never have been put in that position in the first place," Danny tried to tell her.
"No, it's not. I'm the whole reason all of this happened. I wanted to go to the Circus Gothica. I got us detention for skipping out on first period. I exposed you to Freakshow's scepter which in turn got you under his control. I was the one who pressured Sasha into going to save you because I felt better knowing she had more experience fighting ghosts. I'm the one who put her in a situation I knew she was nowhere comfortable with because I was too selfish to do it myself. It's my fault. And I'm so sorry I put you guys through all of that," Sam expressed, getting teary eyed herself.
"Sam," Tucker said, going over to comfort his friend.
"I'm fine. We shouldn't be focusing on me and the guilt I feel over my stupid decisions. We should focus on Sasha and Danny," she brushed off.
"It's a good thing I made extra tea," Zoe Lucas said as she walked into the living room, carrying four mugs. Danny, Sam, and Tucker took the mugs; Sam and Tucker taking a sip while Danny allowed the warmth to seep into his hands for a moment before setting it down on the coffee table. Zoe set the one meant for Sasha down on the coffee table, seeing that her daughter wasn't going to touch it at the moment. "How ya feeling, Danny?"
"Tired. I… I did some bad stuff, didn't I?" he asked, trying to get clarification on his blurry memories.
"Nothing you can't fix," Zoe assured him before turning to Sam and Tucker. "Now you two, tell me what happened."
"When Sasha was trying to knock some sense into Danny she got hit by a blast which caused the glasses to fall off," Tucker answered.
"She closed her eyes so she wouldn't fall under the scepter's power but Freakshow figured out what the glasses had been doing. He grabbed hold of Sasha and tried to get her to open her eyes," Sam continued in.
"She started freaking out. Shadows started creeping towards her and Sasha screamed that she couldn't become Him. It was scary," Tucker jumped in.
"I managed to get the glasses on Danny and get him back to normal to take care of the rest," Sam finished.
With everything explained Zoe let out a frustrated sigh and looked sadly at her daughter. "I should've added a better attachment so that they wouldn't fall off. I'm afraid this might be the hardest situation to calm her down from. Luckily, she has you guys to help. You three are great friends."
"But we're the reason she's like this in the first place," Danny tried to argue.
"You've made a mistake. We all have. What you need to focus on now is learning from the mistake and making up for it. And you three are doing that now by being here for Sasha," Zoe explained.
Their conversation was interrupted by the doorbell. Confused as to who it could be Zoe headed into the hall and answered the door. Standing right on her porch were the Fenton's and the Mansions.
"Zoe, have you seen Danny or Sam at all?" Maddie Fenton asked her.
"Yeah, they're right in her," Zoe answered, ushering the parents into her house.
The Fenton's and the Mansions were eager to start shouting at their kids but paused when they saw the scene on the couch of Danny, Sam, and Tucker trying to comfort a crying Sasha.
"What's going on here?" Mrs. Mansion asked.
"My daughter had a panic attack and her friends came over to help calm her down," Zoe explained.
"Was it because of Eddy?" Maddie asked, causing Zoe to freeze.
"Yes," she forced out.
"Who's Eddy?" Jack Fenton question, earning a slap on the chest from his wife.
"Eddy Valentine is Sasha's scumbag of a father," Zoe explained.
"Did he try and contact her?" Mrs. Mansion questioned.
"No, some things just occasionally remind her of him, like certain movies or troubling news stories," Zoe said. "She gets really bad when that happens."
"Poor thing," Mrs. Mansion mourned.
"When was the last time you saw him?" Mr. Mansion asked.
"When he was killed in a police shootout," Zoe told them.
The sound of crying filled the room as everyone fell quiet. Maddie looked at Zoe apologetically, having already been told the story of Eddy while the other parents stood in shock. Even Sasha's friends stared at Zoe horrified. They knew that Sasha's father wasn't the reason behind Sasha's distress but discovering that he was such a horrible person that he was killed in a police shootout made them feel bad for Sasha in a whole other way. No one could begin to imagine what he might have done to Sasha or Zoe, those thoughts were too disturbing.
"Ms. Lucas, I'm so sorry," Mr. Mansion tried to apologize.
"Don't be. I'm glad he's gone," Zoe bit, feeling the anger that accompanied talking about Sasha's father. The Fenton's and Mansion's flinched in response. Taking a breath Zoe calmed down, she needed to remain the calm one for everyone's sake. "I'm happy that Sasha has such amazing friends, they've really helped her through a lot. You should be proud of the kids you're raising."
The Fenton's and Mansion's looked over at their children once again, seeing how Danny was holding Sasha and how Sam was offering her a comforting touch as well. The anger that they were planning on showing when they stepped inside completely disappeared. Talk of groundings could happen later.
"We have raised some great kids," Mrs. Mansion smiled.
"We sure have," Jack agreed.
"Sam, we'll have a talk when you get home," Mr. Mansion told her.
"You too, Danny. But for now, you can stay and take care of Sasha," Maddie told him.
"Thanks, Mom," Danny replied.
"Thanks, Dad," Sam echoed.
O
Sasha sat in her room under the covers of her bed. After the Fenton's and Mansion's left her friends stuck around until the end of her crying spell which lasted for a little under an hour. With everyone exhausted, Danny offered to carry Sasha up to her room before heading out with Sam and Tucker, an offer Zoe was thankful for. As soon as she hit the sheets Sasha was out and slept until noon the next day. When she woke up her hair was a mess, there were dark circles under her eyes which were red and puffy, and her throat hurt from all the sobbing. Zoe decided that it would be best for her daughter to remain in bed for the rest of the day and brought up soup and tea to help calm her throat. Sasha had finished her soup and was on her second cup of tea when she decided to start writing.
"But I will forgive myself
And start to let it go
Accept that who you chose to be
Was out of my control
And though it might be hard
To begin again
I'll write myself a brand new story
With a happy end," she wrote.
As Sasha finished up the chorus of her new song she heard a knock at her window. Looking up she saw Danny in his ghost form floating right outside. She set the notebook she was writing in face down on her dresser and motioned for Danny to come in. He simply came through the wall, transformed, and sat down on Sasha's bed.
"Hi," he greeted.
"Hi," she repeated back.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Terrible, but I'll make it through. I have in the past," Sasha admitted. "How are you doing?"
"Well, I'm still grounded, but mom and dad decided to be a bit lenient when it comes to helping you," Danny answered.
"That's not what I meant," Sasha said. Danny fell quiet. "You saw me break down for a second time yesterday and were there for me. I'll be here for you as well, Danny. So, tell me, how are you feeling after this nightmare?"
There was a silence before Danny started opening up. "I've been remembering what happened. It's been a few pieces here and there. Like robbing stores, running from the police, … fighting you. And I remember while I was under Freakshow's control inside I was screaming, trying to fight back. And sometimes I'd free myself for a moment but that stupid scepter got me back under. It was… terrifying not being able to control my own body."
Sasha pulled Danny into a hug, this time for his sake instead of hers. He melted into the hug, accepting the comfort.
"I'm so sorry," Sasha muttered. "Losing control of yourself, becoming just as evil as the ghosts you fight…. it's terrifying."
"I remember you screaming during the fight when Freakshow tried to get you. You said you couldn't become Him. You were referring to Black Heart, weren't you?" Danny asked, pulling out of the hug.
"Yeah," Sasha hesitantly admitted.
"You don't really think that's who you'd become right?" Danny asked.
"It's all I ever think about. We're two sides of the same coin. And it's my worst fear that one day that won't be the case. That I'll be just as bad as he is. There's a reason why even ghosts fear him. He's killed people, he's tortured them. He's a monster," Sasha told him.
"But you're not a monster, Sasha. You're a hero," Danny said.
"I try to be," Sasha replied.
"We both do. And I think we're doing a pretty good job. Even with my minor setback," Danny told her.
"Thanks, but even us heroes have bad days where we need to deal with our own problems," Sasha said.
"Luckily, we have each other to help us work that out," Danny replied, taking hold of Sasha's hand.
"Yeah, lucky that," Sasha smiled.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to leave me a review and a crazy "So Tell Me About Yourself" answer. And be sure to check out my profile for character designs and my writing schedule.
"So Tell Me About Yourself" is an inside joke between me and my friends which started from my one friend's hatred for the typical getting-to-know-you question "So tell me about yourself". She, being so annoyed with the phrase, gave a silly answer that she murdered people in their sleep. When she brought it back to me and my other friend we both gave a silly answer. That is where the idea for my account name came from.
