Chapter 6
When they got back to the waiting room, Karenna was already there. Her face looked as lit up as a Christmas tree with the huge grin that was spreading across it. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"What's got you so happy?" he asked sourly. He was not in a good mood. He was frustrated that they still didn't know how to defeat the Darkness, and they only had an hour left.
"Tucker woke up from his coma!" Karenna stuttered excitedly, tripping over her words in jubilation. Sam and Danny looked at each other and then at Karenna in disbelief before running towards Tucker's room, nearly running over a nurse in their haste.
"Oh, Tucker, you're awake!" Sam said happily. Tucker was sitting up in bed, various monitors beeping around him and all his wounds stitched up. Danny felt a surge of happiness course through him, and at that moment felt something on his face that he hadn't felt in a long time. Warmth. Sunlight.
Danny yanked the blinds on the window back, and found a ray of light shining in. It was a very small ray of light, and the rest of the town was still surrounded by the Darkness. But it was sunlight.
Sam grabbed Danny so hard and so fast he nearly fell over. Sam had a look of dawning comprehension on her face.
"Danny!" she said quickly. "We were happy that Tucker woke up from his coma, right?"
"Right..." Danny said warily, unsure of where she was going with this. Sam looked wildly excited, which was a rarity for the Goth girl.
"No, just hear me out. We were happy, then part of the Darkness went away. I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Danny, what if happiness vanquishes the Darkness?"
Danny stood there in shock for a minute. "Wow." he said. "That actually sort of made sense." He then turned to Karenna, who had that mysterious smile on her face again. But this time, she gave a long, slow nod.
"I knew it!" Sam looked pleased with herself. But a second later, the look turned into one of frustrated puzzlement.
"But how do we generate enough happiness to vanquish all of the Darkness?" she asked. Danny didn't have an answer. Then suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
"Maybe..." he said slowly. "Maybe we have to go back into our happiest memories."
"Yes." That was Karenna. "You figured it out. Now, I'm not sure how you get to your happiest memories, but if I know my dad, and I do, he'll have already done it. So...I guess just put on your time medals and see where they take you."
Danny shrugged, but he trusted Karenna wholeheartedly. After all, she was Clockwork's daughter. So he obediently put on his medal and found himself watching a five- year old Danny.
He knew what this memory was, Danny suddenly realized. This was the day he met Sam.
The five-year old Danny looked much like the present-day Danny. His already untidy black hair flopped into his large, loveable, bright blue eyes. He was already wearing his signature white and red T-shirt and jeans.
The younger Danny tugged his mother's apron. They were in the Fenton kitchen. "Mommy, I'm bored!" he whined. An almost a decade younger Maddie Fenton turned around.
"Why don't you go over to the new neighbors? They have a little girl just about your age." his mother suggested. The younger Danny made a face at being asked to play with a girl, but knew that his parents were too busy to play with him. And Jazz was up in her room, studying. At seven, she was already a brainiac.
"OK." The younger Danny trudged out of the house, with the present-day Danny trailing along behind.
They arrived at the Manson house, where movers were unloading furniture from a huge truck parked in front of the house. The younger Danny went up the steps and rang the doorbell. Danny ducked behind some bushes so no one would notice him. Sam's mother answered.
"Hi, my name is Danny Fenton and I live down the street." the five-year old Danny started. "Can I play with your daughter?" Sam's mother beamed.
"Look, Sammykins!" she said happily. "One of the neighbors is here to play with you!" A five-year old Sam peeked around her mother's legs. She was wearing a long, frilly skirt and a purple, lacy shirt. The present-day Danny shook his head. He had forgotten that Sam hadn't always been a Goth.
"Come, Sammykins, go on and play with your new friend, Danny." her mother coaxed. Sam reluctantly let go of her mother's legs and stepped onto the front porch.
"Hi." she said shyly. "My name is Samantha. But you can call me Sam." The two five-year olds went around to the backyard. Once again, the fourteen-year old Danny followed.
"Hey, Sam, wanna play tag?" Danny's younger self asked. Sam smiled.
"OK." The two children ran around the backyard for awhile. Then Sam tripped over a tree root and fell. She sat there crying and holding her knee.
"Did you get a booboo?" the young Danny asked, bending over and examining the injured knee.
"Y-yes." Sam sobbed. Danny looked at his new friend in concern.
"That's OK. I know how to fix it." Then the younger Danny bent over and kissed the scrape on Sam's knee. Sam stopped crying almost immediately.
"Thank you." she said shyly. The younger Danny took a corner of his shirt and wiped her tears. Then he held out a hand and pulled her to her feet.
"You're my hero." Sam proclaimed, giving the young Danny a kiss on the cheek. The young Danny blushed.
"Thank you. Hey Sam, do you wanna be my best friend?" Sam threw her arms around Danny in a tight hug.
"I would love to be your best friend!" The young Danny hugged her back.
"Then you can be my best friend. You're gonna be my best friend forever." The older Danny smiled. This memory was the beginning of a very special and beautiful friendship. Then Karenna's voice floated through his head.
Danny? You there?, it asked.
Karenna? Is that you?, Danny thought in surprise.
No, it's someone else who has the power to project her voice and thoughts into the future, she retorted sarcastically. Geez, Danny, who else would it be?
I don't know! Give me a break!
Danny could almost see Karenna rolling her eyes as she projected her thoughts.
Forget it. Anyway, that memory's vanquished part of the Darkness, but it's not enough. You'll have to go to another happy memory.
Huh? Oh, yeah. Danny had almost forgotten why he was watching this memory.
What? Have you forgotten about Dark Danny and the Darkness while you were watching your five-year-old self fall in love with Sam? Karenna's voice asked dryly.
You know which memory I'm watching! Karenna!
Aw, lighten up. I couldn't resist projecting my mind there so I could see what your happy memory was.
"Remind me to kill you later." Danny muttered out loud. Karenna's laugh echoed in his thoughts.
Whatever. Anyway, to go to another happy memory, just close your eyes and hold your time medal in your hands.
Will you be watching? Danny thought warily.
Well...not if you don't want me to. Danny sighed.
All right. I'm going now. AND DON'T YOU DARE WATCH!
Fine. I won't watch. Now go. The fate of the world depends on you. And on Sam.
Danny chuckled as he fingered his time medal. Karenna loved to tease him. He closed his eyes, held his medal tight, and prepared to enter another happy memory.
A/N: Well, this chapter definitely wins the prize for longest chapter I've ever written! It's about two and a half pages. And I couldn't resist putting some DxS in there. So, how'd you like it? I can't promise you an update on this story soon, because I have a zillion other stories I promised you I'd update soon, and I'm only one person. So, read, and review!