Danny in Star City Chapter 13: Confrontations, a danny phantom fanfic

December 25, 2004: Well, well, well. Here I am again, and out with a special holiday chapter! Well, it doesn't have to do with Christmas or winter, but it's out two days early, so suck it up, you little buggers. Took me three days to write this thing- one for each of the three sections. So. I can write a lot in a short amount of time. Just have school, dangit.

References in this chapter: Just one for The Sixth Sense.

Okay, a few things you should know before you start reading: the first part has good old-fashioned flashbacks in it. Conley's basically remembering what happened to his partner roughly six months prior to DSC. They're denoted by a block of italicized text. Also, I have Eidolon and Phantom in the same scene. Before getting confused, remember: "the spirit" refers to Eidolon, and "the ghost" refers to Phantom.

This OFtR is "Of Nursery Rhymes and Christmas Trees" by AsoftGoodbye. It's for "Lost", or "The Coolest Series to Hit Prime-Time Since X-Files, Baby!". Ahem. This is Charley/Claire (squee!) and is PG.

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Danny in Star City
Chapter Ten: Confrontations

Taking the Fenton Ghost Laser from his coat pocket, Conley twirled it around expertly. There was a switch to set the gun from manual shooting to an auto-locked target, along with the settings "blast", "stun", and "decimate". Jack had said the laser was powered only by the presence of a ghost, making it useless at any other time. He aimed the weapon, wishing he could try it out at least once; he didn't feel comfortable using it cold.

A blast of wind gusted through the park, sending a chill message that autumn was almost at its end. The partygoers were dispersing one by one, which was a relief; the fewer potential witnesses, the better. Despite Eidolon's claim to have hidden them from view, Conley didn't particularly trust the spirit, especially since last time.

Out of nowhere, the green ectoplasmic blast hit her squarely on the chest. The brunette hadn't stood a chance. Her body rocketed backwards, skidding to a halt on the rough asphalt.

"Kathleen!" Conley shouted, abandoning the goal to rush to his partner's side.

Pulling his jacket around him tighter, he tried to convince himself that he trembled because it was cold. Memory and introspection were two things that he wasn't particularly keen on delving into at the moment. He glanced over at Jazz, still curled up on the bench and snoring peacefully. She was oblivious of what the night would bring, and Conley would have loved nothing more in the world than to join her.

The redhead gave a slight shiver, and he realized that the only thing separating Jazz from the cold was a simple long-sleeved shirt. With a shrug, Conley loosened his trench coat and draped it over her shoulders. He watched her quivering cease, and allowed himself a small smile. The breeze ruffled her hair, blowing a strand of it across her face. She snuggled deeper into the blanket as Conley brushed it back into place, ignoring the sour taste in the back of his mouth.

Long lashes fluttered open as a thread of blood unwound itself from her mouth. "I- don't worry, I'm okay, I- it doesn't even hurt anymore...."

In a shudder, Kathleen's final breath left her body, and a glassy sheen came over her eyes.

"You won't get hurt," he whispered to Jazz's sleeping form. "I promise."

"Haven't you learned to stop making promises you're entirely unable to keep?"

Mentally groaning, Conley stood up and straightened his turtleneck. His hand went to the silver pendent around his neck out of habit, and he slipped it under his collar.

"Impeccable timing as always, Eidolon. I don't even want to know how long you were watching me this time."

Eidolon shrugged, the most human gesture Conley had ever seen it perform. "Your kind amuses me, with your mixed emotions and conflicting interests. You can do nothing without questioning your own motives!"

"No...." Conley reeled back, feeling sick to his stomach. He tore his eyes away from her body and leapt to his feet. Three paces into his mad dash, an icy hand grabbed him by the arm.

"Forget something?" the spirit hissed in his ear. "You have a mission to complete."

"But Kathleen! She's...."

"Once, you, too, were alive," he said quietly, still facing Jazz.

It gaze a toothy grin at Conley's back. "Aye, boy. I was once like you. And soon you shall be like me. But enough of that. Look and see what I've brought."

In Eidolon's arms was a boy who, though young, held himself as a fighter. His white hair was held with contrasting starkness against the black of the spirit's cloak, and his bright green eyes glared defiantly.

"Hey, I know you, you're...." Conley turned around, snapping his fingers as though suddenly remembering the name. "Phantom, right?"

The ghost did not respond.

Conley shook his head and tutted. "Do you know how much trouble we went to capture you? And now it seems to have been a piece of cake for my accomplice. How would you rate it, Eidolon?"

From within the spirit's smoky hood came a wicked smile. Though it and the boy couldn't stand the presence of the other, they had worked out a routine for times like this. Things went a lot smoother if captives believed themselves to be held by two cooperating baddies.

"Oh, on a scale of one to ten? About a two. Maybe even a three, just to give the little phantom some credit."

"She's what, boy?" Eidolon asked, clearly enjoying Conley's panic. "Oh, you mean dead? Yes, it would appear so. Oh, boo-hoo. What a crying shame."

"Well?" Conley asked, smirking. "Aren't you going to fight, beg, or otherwise attempt escape?"

Still glaring, Phantom opened his mouth and spit at the other boy. It landed about a foot short of its intended target, eliciting a chuckle from Eidolon.

"I can't break free, and I'm not about to start begging, so there's not much I can do at the moment. Sorry for disappointing." His voice was laced with sarcasm and heavy contempt.

The ghost was partly held by Eidolon's cloaked arms, partly by a blanket of black mist. In fact, the spirit itself wasn't completely solid; it struck an almost perfect balance between smoke and cloak. Conley raised an eyebrow, but did not comment, instead turning his attention back to Phantom. He could see the way anger flashed in his eyes, and knew he was quickly tiring of their game.

"What's the matter, little ghostie?" he taunted. "Don't find our jokes funny?"

Phantom remained silent. In the next instant, his muscles tensed and he launched himself at Conley, throwing Eidolon completely off guard. He swung out at Conley, but the older teen simply stepped aside and allowed the blow to glance off his jaw. Carried by pure momentum, Phantom toppled through the air several feet before he managed to bring himself to a stop. He hovered, not quite believing that he had broken free that easily.

"You know, if I were you, I'd come back right now."

"Why should I?" Phantom's eyes narrowed.

Conley looked at the spirit first with astonishment, then anger. "You said- you said we would be safe. You said that we wouldn't get hurt!"

"So I overestimated my power. What do I care if the Ghost Zone has one more inhabitant? But you have no reason to worry- your shield held. You, for the moment, are still among the living."

"Because." There was a sharp click as Conley trained the laser's sight on Jazz. "That's why."

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Unconsciousness, one might note, is a beautiful thing. Even simply dozing, a person is rendered blissfully unaware of their surroundings. Jazz, for example, had no clue that a gun was ever pointed in her direction, and was all the better for it. A few blocks off, on the opposite side of the highway, her brother was in a similar state. Instead of inebriation, his sleep was brought on by being pushed to the limits of human endurance.

Mercifully, his sleep was dreamless; for the moment, Danny was allowed to ignore the pulsating void in his mind. All good things must come to an end, unfortunately, and soon coherent thought snuck in and hit the boy like the proverbial ton of bricks.

The first thing that Danny became aware of was being helped into a sitting position. A paper cup pressed against his chapped lips, and he drank gratefully. He let the water sit in his mouth for a few seconds before swallowing it all in one gulp- an attempt that left him spluttering and coughing for breath. Someone held up his arm and hit his back, effectively clearing up his air passage. When Danny felt certain the choking had stopped, he chanced opening his eyes.

He immediately wished he hadn't. A penlight was held up directly to his eye, and he drew back instinctively.

"Sorry bout that, buddy, but I had to check to see that your pupils were dilating normally." There was a click, and the light went off. "Looks like they are."

"Best news I've heard all day," Danny muttered. He tried to stand up, but a pair of hands blocked his movement.

"Whoa there, take it easy. You don't want to be moving around too soon, especially right after fainting like that."

Danny tentatively opened his eyes again, and this time nothing was flashed in his face. The room was actually pretty dark- the only light came from the crack under the door and the glow of a laptop. Over the screen was hunched figure, fingers flying over the keys.

"I didn't faint, okay?" Danny said irritably.

Looking up, the man chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "'Faint: Verb. To lose consciousness due to shock, loss of blood, exhaustion, etcetera.' Now, you can argue with Webster all you want...."

Casually, he leaned over in his chair and flipped on the light switch. Harsh fluorescence stabbed at Danny's retina, and his insides performed a cartwheel. He moaned and took a deep breath in a vain attempt to steady himself. The man passed him a trashcan, and with a shudder he dispelled his dinner.

"Believe it or not," the man said when there was a pause in Danny's barfing, "this is a very good sign. Your body reacting this way means that it's getting itself out of shock."

Danny wiped a sleeve across his mouth. "I think I'd rather deal with the shock." Peering curiously at the man, who had thin black hair shot with gray streaks, he had the weird feeling of déjà vu.

"Naw, shock is pretty nasty," the man said, giving his head a shake. "Leads to comas and total system shutdown. But, if your stomach is settled, mind telling me how you broke your arm?"

"Uh...." Danny looked down and realized that his left arm had been set in makeshift cast. The pain had devolved to a dull throb every couple of seconds. "I kinda got tossed against a wall."

"Yep, that'll do it. Your ulna- the little bone in your lower arm- snapped in half. It was fairly clean, which made it a whole lot easier to set." He took an approving look at the cast. "Of course, you'll have to get a proper one at the hospital, but this'll do for now."

The man held out a hand and Danny accepted it awkwardly.

"Hal Brighton, M. D. Specialize in paranormal afflictions, or basically anything not covered in your conventional medical textbooks."

"I'm Danny Fenton."

"So your friend has told me. She's been racing between rooms since Jereni showed up with you all in tow."

"Eliza?" Danny said, perking up. His demeanor suddenly fell, though, and he asked in hushed tones, "How's her brother doing?"

Hal sighed and sat back in his chair heavily. "Physically, the only thing that's wrong with him is a bruise on his neck- no crushed vertebrae or anything like that- but otherwise.... Part of his soul is gone."

Danny felt the floor drop out from under him. "Does that mean he's going to....?"

"To tell the truth, I don't know. This is incredibly traumatic, especially for someone Todd's age. Though his soul should begin to heal itself, it won't ever be completely whole again. At the moment, he seems to be stabilized, but...." Hal shook his head again.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that there's not really much we can do but sit and wait."

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In the next room over, Todd lay on a countertop acting as a makeshift stretcher. His sister, settled in a chair, watched him intently as his chest gently rose and fell. There came a hesitant knock on the door.

"It's open," Eliza called in a flat voice.

Edging the door open, Danny peered in the room. Eliza glanced up long enough to acknowledge his presence, then returned her gaze to Todd.

"How're you doing?" she asked quietly.

Danny eyed Todd. "I'll live. Hal set a cast for my arm but it's only temporary."

Eliza nodded. "What did he say about your- about the...." She gestured vaguely. "You know, your other half."

Danny shrugged his right shoulder. "He didn't really talk about that. He did say that.... well, Eliza, Todd's not in very good shape, and...." Danny trailed off, unable to tell her exactly what Hal had said.

The redhead gave a sad smile. "No one ever told you the story of when Todd was born, did they?"

"No, I don't think so," Danny said, wondering what she was getting at..

"Well, he was nine weeks early. I remember going to the hospital, and seeing how tiny he was. He could have fit into a tissue box. Some of his organs were still underdeveloped, and the doctors didn't have much hope that he would make it through the night.

"He did, to everyone's amazement, and made it through a couple more nights. They took him off life support on the sixth day, and in a few weeks, he was finally allowed to come home.

"The thing is, Danny, is that after fighting so hard to survive, Todd has earned a shot at life, more so than you or me or a lot of other people. And for me to be told that he lost his chance just like that...."

"We'll find a way to fix everything. Don't worry."

Eliza gave a snort of disbelief. "Please, let's be realistic! You can't do anything. I can't do anything. Gale and Jereni and Hal have done enough already. You think that those ghosts are just going to show up and make everything right out of the goodness of their hearts?" Her voice had risen to near hysterics. "God, I've never felt so helpless before! I want to do something, anything to keep my brother from going through anymore...." She hung her head in shame and whispered, "But I can't."

She took a shaky breath, and Danny thought that she was about to cry. Between the two of them, he didn't know who had it worse; himself, who had already lost something, or Eliza, who was facing the same possibility. He sat down in the chair beside her and pulled the girl into a stiff, one-armed hug.

"I know exactly how you feel," he said in empathy. "I wish I could have been stronger. Sometimes, and especially now, I wish I never got my powers in the first place."

"Don't say that," Eliza whispered, laying her head in the crook of his shoulder. "Neither of us would be alive right now if it weren't for you. You fought off the minotaur, remember?"

"It would have never shown up in the first place if it wasn't for me," Danny said bitterly. "Todd wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for me."

Eliza closed her eyes, unable to bring herself to deny what he'd said. Somewhere deep down, she agreed with him. No one would have gotten heard if it hadn't been for him....

Guiltily, she realized where her thoughts were taking her and felt a stab of self-loathing. No matter how harsh she would be on Danny, he would be a million times worse on himself.

"Where are you going?" he asked as Eliza stood up.

"Just going to stretch my legs for a bit. Hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"Look after Todd until I get back, okay?"

"Uh, sure," Danny said, a bit surprised at her request. "What's up?"

"I think," Eliza said as she reached the door, "that I have an idea."

Jazz! Danny! Eliza! What are they up to? Tune in next week to find out!

Oh, and it seems like my fans have forgotten me- I got three reviews for chapter nine. :P Gah, the fandom has really grown since October! All these really junkie stories that stink, and maybe fifteen, twenty percent are worth reading. :P Bah! Humbug. But for you three reviewers, thanks! 90 reviews even! I rock! -does Patented Dance of Ninety Reviews©-

Anomaly25: Yeah, remind me to read your fic sometime. As to whether or not Danny and Phantom get back together (sounds like a soap opera!), you gotta keep reading! Nyah. Your Christmas present is an X-Box with the first ever Danny Phantom videogame.

Axion-Pup: Wow. To cause that kind of emotional reaction in a reader is something that professional writers only dare dream of. -sniffles- I feel so loved! And Lil' Cujo (the dog on SoG) is cute. Yeah, the Increds rocks! Must.... get.... that.... DVD.... Your gift will come next week. Trust me, you'll love it. It brings out your eyes!

Silver Latias: I know, doesn't it suck that "Take a Look in the Mirror" hasn't been updated in, like, forever? I wonder if the author is even aware that it has gained a fan following.... Your gift is the first two seasons of Danny Phantom (hey, I'm being optimistic) on DVD.

This chapter is dedicated to my buddy Lunabird, again, who made a guest appearance in this chapter. She just got someone to host her site- holy Cheetos, is she lucky! Just updated her site: http:www(dot)geocities(dot)com(slash)auquair(slash). Observe all the pretty art. Oooh. Shiny.

That's it for today, folks. Merry Christmas to all, eh? Hope y'all got more than you needed, if not all that you wanted. Be back by New Years.