Danny couldn't tear his eyes away from his white-booted feet for what seemed like years, half-knowing what to expect, but not sure how he himself would react to their reactions. He knew they'd eventually accept him, but what would their initial reaction be? Shock? Disbelief? Probably nothing too wonderful, but nothing that couldn't be--
The cocking of a weapon cut off his train of thoughts, and time froze. For an instant that lasted an eternity, his blood froze in his veins, and he couldn't help but think that he'd heard incorrectly. He must have heard wrong...he had to have... Unable to believe his own ears, he slowly raised his glowing green eyes and stared in disbelief at what met his eyes. Both of his parents now stood stiffly behind the table, crouching defensively while aiming various inventions at him.
"You're a ghost? THE ghost boy?" Maddie asked, her voice barely audible even in the suddenly deafening silence. "I-" She cut off, disappointment and shock already settling into anger that seemed to seethe through her body. Jack stood protectively over her, crouching slightly as well, pain and hurt in his own eyes. Danny looked at both of them in shock. He hadn't known what exactly to expect, but this had not been on the list.
Words from Jazz's conversation earlier that day floated through his mind, calming him and giving him hope for the situation yet. "They probably won't react very well, Danny. Just give them a little time. They'll come around."
Finally he took a deep breath and nodded, answering his mother's previous question.
"Well, I'm half ghost."
"Then you're no son of mine," Jack growled at him as the older man's expression hardened into utter disbelief and anger. Danny hated seeing him like that, and opened his mouth to explain, but his mother's voice cut him off.
"Danny Phantom," she shook her head. "The ghost who's threatened and terrorized the town...how...how could you Danny?"
Danny shook his head and stepped forward, only to stop when they cringed and crouched down further. "No," he said, realizing how quickly he was losing control of the situation...that is, if he'd ever had control to begin with. "I can explain all of that!"
"You shouldn't have to," his mother's dangerously soft voice hit him like a ton of bricks. "How could we have done such a horrible job of raising our son?"
Danny couldn't believe what he was hearing. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! His parents were supposed to freak out, but accept him...like he'd always believed they would. Like he'd always known they would, deep down in his heart.
"You guys have got it all wrong," he insisted, desperation creeping into his echoing voice. "I protect the town from ghosts! I don't hurt anyone!"
"That's why we have to pay millions of dollars in taxes to clean up after you."
"I saved the town!" he defended, unable to keep the hysteria he had begun to feel from causing him to panic. "I've saved the town dozens--"
"At what cost?" Maddie suddenly yelled. Danny stopped talking immediately. His mother never yelled. When she did, you didn't argue back if you had any sense of self preservation. "Ghosts are evil! ALL of them! That means you..."
Danny saw her finger move, and dodged out of the way of the ectoplasmic blast that burned the wall directly behind where he'd been standing.
"B-but, you promised," he muttered incredulously, his mind not seeming to grasp the situation. "I thought you would understand," he said in shock. "You said...and I thought.."
"Well you thought wrong," Jack growled. "Get out of here! Go through that hole to where you belong!" He shot at Danny, who couldn't seem to make his body even try dodge. The beam struck him hard, and he hit the kitchen cupboards with a bone-crushing thud. It took him a moment to recover to a point where he could stand, and found himself sadly grateful that they hadn't decided to throw more shots at him. Still, this had all gone horribly wrong. He should have kept their acceptance when he'd had the chance, or listened to Jazz and waited for a better time to tell them, but now he'd apparently picked the precisely wrong moment, and there was no going back...
He doubted Clockwork would help him even, as the older ghost had made it abundantly clear that Danny was not to try and redeem mistakes through his new-found friend. He'd been told on any occasion he'd been to see the master of time that how people reacted to the mistakes they made and whether they took responsibility for their actions would be the deciding factor in his life.
But this...
Now his parents stood, cowering in fear, rage and disbelief at the other end of the room, wanting him to leave. He could tell from the looks on their faces.
He didn't even answer them, but turned and ran out of the room, forgetting that as a ghost, he could fly.
"And don't come back," Danny heard his father yell after him, and found himself stumbling toward the familiar stairs that now seemed so harsh and cold, like everything else in the house. Still not able to truly believe the events that had just taken place, he stumbled up the stairs, not recognizing the numb feeling that had begun to creep through him.
He ran directly into Jazz, who had obviously been pacing at the top of the stairs. Seeing Danny coming up the stairs, she went down to meet him. He didn't see her until she stuck her hand out to stop him from running her over.
"That didn't just happen," he said to himself, "That didn't just happen."
"What didn't just happen?" she asked, her own voice raised and worried. "I heard ecto-shots! What's wrong? What happened."
Danny felt his mouth open, but nothing came out. "Danny, tell me!" she shook his shoulders and looked him in the eye.
"They...they lied...they...hate me..." he managed to blurt out.
His sister stood up, looking at him in confusion. "They what?" He only shook his head and tried to move past her.
"Danny," she leaned over and looked him in the eye again," there is some misunderstanding somewhere, okay? Just wait for me to talk to them, okay?" With that, she walked past him, and hurried down the stairs towards the kitchen. She hadn't gotten half way from the base of the stairwell to the kitchen when she stopped dead in her tracks, her face paling incredibly
Danny didn't wait for a response from her after that look, but turned and half-ran, half-stumbled into his room. In a daze, he packed several clothes, his allowance money, and a few other odds and ends his numb mind thought he might need.
"I can't believe it," Jazz said from the doorway, her expression mirroring his own previous feelings of disbelief and confusion. "You'd better get out of here soon, they're preparing some sort of containment device."
Her words seemed to blanket what was left of Danny's mind, and he closed the suitcase he'd finished packing as if in a dream...or a nightmare.
"Danny!" He turned to face his sister when she called his name. She hurried toward him, and thrust something into his hands. "Here, just in case something happens." He looked down to see a fairly decent-sized wad of cash and her cell phone. "Give me your cell phone, so I can find you. It'll take a little while longer for them to figure out they need to track my phone instead of yours. I don't know what happened just barely, but it was wrong of mom and dad to act like that." She glanced angrily over her shoulder. Normally he would have replied with some sort of sarcastic quip about how he hadn't noticed, but his mind still refused to work for him.
Footsteps on the stairs caused them both to jump. Jazz whipped back around to face him, her turquoise eyes wide with worry. "Hurry! I'll hold them off," she pushed him towards the window. "I'll see what I can do, I promise." Danny nodded, already hovering. "Go over to Sam's. I'll try and reach you there."
"Jazz...I..." He looked at his sister, and a slight smile touched his lips, despite himself. "Thank you."
She nodded and hurried into the hallway. He hefted the suitcase, making sure he had a firm grip on the handle, and took off towards his friend's house.
