A/N: All righty then…sorry for the wait, but I was rather busy this week and didn't have a lot of time to work with. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys seriously make my day so much better than it would be originally…and I haven't even been having bad days lately! Warnings: Swearing and torture is abound in this chapter; also, beware of mentions of sex, abuse, and even…attempted rape.
Sorry if this makes some of you squirm…I will do my utmost to make sure it is tastefully done. Hope you guys enjoy this one, and thanks for being patient with me!
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Ashes to Ashes
Part Five: Flare
Sam watched the many different emotions flicker past each person's face present in the living room, waiting for the outburst to come. Both Tucker and Valerie were looking at her in anger, confusion, and seemed to be trying to think of a quick solution to cover her apparent blunder. Jack Fenton kept narrowing his eyes in concentration, as if trying to pinpoint times when he had fought Danny Phantom that the specter had seemed to act like his youngest child. Maddie Fenton's face flickered from disbelief to horror to worry and back to disbelief as she stared at Sam's calm façade and it seemed that everyone of the officers present in the room were trying hard to not laugh or look at the gothic girl like she was crazy. Then, it came…
"WHAT!" six different voices asked her at one time, causing her amethyst eyes to squint at the din.
"Danny's the ghost boy?"
"Miss, I think you may just be a little shaken up."
"I think what Sam meant was that Danny KNOWS the ghost boy…"
"That just doesn't make sense; someone can't be alive and dead at the same time…"
"We would have known if our son was the ghost-boy…why wouldn't he tell us?"
"Yeah! I mean, Phantom's saved us a bunch of times before…"
Sam watched them argue for a minute or so before she felt a familiar tug at the back of her mind, causing her attention to turn away from the chaotic discussion and to her small gemstone. It was glowing as brightly as a solar flare, signaling to her that something was amiss; as to what though, Sam couldn't say. She lifted the chain over her head and examined the glowing gem, pleading with it to show her what was wrong, and all the other noise stopped around her…she and the stone were all that mattered. She saw the purple light create shapes and scenery, painting her a picture in its strange violet glow, and she felt something speaking to her at the edge of her mind.
"Sam…you need to hurry! We can't hold off Darkness much longer!"
"Knowledge?" Sam asked as she saw a large building painted in front of her, a large pelican playing dice with a fish adorning the outside as the emblem. "Is that you?"
"Yes…and Bravery as well. Riley is going to let something horrible happen to us after he gets bored with Jazz…something that I don't think even Love will have the power to fix right now."
"I thought you told me Love was the most powerful ting inside his head?" Sam asked confusedly, winding hallways leading her through the factory and the smell of fish filling her nostrils. "And what about Jazz? Is Riley torturing her!"
"In a way. One of the men here, a hulking man who seems to have a grudge against Danny, wants to…he wants to humiliate him, but Jazz sacrificed herself to appease Riley's longings if he ordered the man to leave Danny alone. Did you feel something through the pendant a little bit ago… something that made you sick and terrified for no apparent reason?"
"The finger…" Sam breathed, remembering the feeling of someone tracing down her arm, and a sudden fear and guilt tearing through her. "That man wants to…that sick bastard! And Jazz…she's…"
"Unfortunately…I'm sure you can imagine how well we are all taking this. Love is so busy trying to keep Rage and Guilt under control here…but it's not working! Despair is running rampant, and is no longer the minuscule annoyance you remember…he's now being used by Rage…Hope as practically been destroyed by the two of them and only Love keeps him safe right now. It's really like a bunch of chickens with our heads cut off in here…I can't even tell you how much Fear is in control right now. You need to hurry Samantha, before things escalate out of control!
"Knowledge, we have to go! We need Hope to stay alive in here as much as Love, tell her what you need to and be done with it!"
"All right all right Bravery! Listen to me very closely Samantha…Danny is unable to use any of his ghost powers because of these blue bands Riley as strapped around him. There is one around his neck and two around the wrists…you could not imagine the pain they send through the body…you need to have people with you who have sufficiently good knowledge about how to work ghost devices. Also, Riley said something about using a seasonal ghost by the name of Bruma to keep the police and his parents out, so you must find an ally of your own to combat the powers of winter. Bruma is also being controlled by these blue bands, we think Riley mentioned something about Vlad sending them to him, so Danny's parents should know what to do.
"We need to leave Samantha, but please hurry and remember all I told you!"
"Shit! Knowledge hurry…I think Martino's back!"
"Don't lose Hope Sammy…and don't let Danny lose his!"
"Wait!" Sam started to say as she felt the voices fade away from her mind, like a comforting blanket ripped off in the early morning leaving you cold. She didn't start to say anything else because she found herself in front of a purple door, and, as if she had x-ray vision, she could see a very battered and very scared looking Danny huddled in the corner, breathing like he couldn't get enough air into his lungs without pain. All the purple light flared one last time, giving her a very clear picture of everything she had seen while speaking with Knowledge, and then retreated back into the gemstone, beating in tune with a heart beat that didn't mirror her own.
"Danny…" Sam whispered as everything faded back into sight, and she focused her teary lilac eyes on six very concerned people who were looking at her in both awe and fear. She gently put the necklace back around her neck, feeling the beating the stone was giving off next to her own heartbeat; she recognized it as Danny's by the way it was beating so fast. "What are you all looking at?"
"Uh, Sam sweetie," Maddie said as she stepped forward and placed a small hand on the young woman's forehead and then feeling the side of her face as if to make sure she wasn't dying. "Do you feel all right?"
"Sure I do--" Sam began before Tucker and Valerie enveloped her in a hug, cutting off her air supply by how tight they were squeezing her.
"Sam," Tucker said as he let go, letting Valerie continue to hug the confused girl. "You fell to the ground the minute that stone started to shoot out light…and then you were glowing all over…your heart stopped beating for a few minutes there. We didn't know if…if you were…"
"I'm fine I swear," Sam said as she waved a shaking hand at Maddie to get the worried woman to stop her fussing. She pushed herself off the ground, only to be met with a serious sense of vertigo and having Tucker and one of the detectives catch her as her jelly-like legs nearly gave. After steadying herself, Sam wrapped her hand around the pendant again, remembering the purple hued pictures it had painted for her, the violet map leading her to Danny.
"Sam, do you remember what you said about--?" the detective who helped steady her began to ask when Sam interrupted him.
"I know how to get to Danny," Sam whispered, earning looks of shock from everyone, also looks that seemed concerned for her sanity. "No! I really do! Don't ask right now how I know, the story is way to long, and I don't think we have a bunch of time to sit around here and wonder about my mental stability. We need to get Jazz and Danny back right? If you have no other leads, you'll be no worse off then you are right now."
All the adults looked at her and then at each other for a moment, considering her words and recognizing the truth in them. It was Maddie who finally broke the silence, asking quietly, "Is Danny really the ghost-boy?"
"Yes he is," Sam answered giving both Tucker and Valerie a look that told them to not dispute her right now. After Maddie looked over at those two and earned two more nods, solemn faces looking guilty at revealing their friend's most guarded secret, she focused her turquoise eyes back over at Sam's violet ones. Sam continued with a deep breath, hoping Danny would forgive her for what she was doing. "In ninth grade, you and Jack made the Ghost Portal, but when it didn't work, you just kind of quit. Well, Danny looked inside of it and turned it on, not aware that it was plugged in. He was hit with so much ghost energy…he passed out and when he woke up he was half ghost."
"Half dead?" Jack asked, confused that his son had even survived being hit with that much energy. He and his wife looked at each other, guilt swamping their feelings at the thought they had hunted their own son so mercilessly. Maddie gave a shuddering gasp and Jack wrapped his large warms around her, not knowing what to believe anymore…
"He didn't want to tell you because he thought you'd hate him or something," Tucker said quietly, taking Valerie's hand as she too became overwhelmed with the old guilt at having attacked Danny so ruthlessly. "I think he was going to though…things just kept getting in the way."
"Why would he think something like that?" Maddie asked as tears flowed down her cheeks. "We would never attack our own son!"
"But you attack ghosts," Sam pointed out, not unkindly, but factual nonetheless. "And he thought you wouldn't see past the fact he was half something you despise so much. And he was so unsure of his abilities at first, he thought he'd put everyone in danger if more people knew about him…as he got older, the small fear grew into some ugly monster and he couldn't…he wouldn't let himself believe that you would accept him in case you didn't."
"Jazz found out on her own," Tucker said, following Sam's lead and trying to get both Fentons and the police to understand why Danny had done what he'd done. "And after he found out, he still didn't want her to help out in case she got hurt. He thought he would be burdening unnecessary troubles on everyone. The only reason why he could never get Sam or me to leave him alone was because we were both to stubborn to leave him alone."
"But," one of the detectives asked sharply, running his hand through his gray-streaked, brown hair and his brown eyes narrowed in confusion. "What about all the damage Phantom's done to public property? Or the attack on the mayor? Or the half a dozen other things he's done over the past four years?"
"Those were all because ghosts were trying to make him a pariah in the human world," Sam snapped back at…Detective Jason Bower as his badge said. "He's not really a big do-gooder in the Ghost Zone…he keeps sending ghosts back there after they try to cause trouble here. Danny's never done anything but try to help this town, this world even, and all everyone seems to want to do in return is just tear him down! Well, what are all of you going to do when he's not here to help you all out anymore? Do you know how much he's giving up to keep helping everyone in this fucking ungrateful town! Are you seriously going to be able to live with yourself if you let him just die or be maimed or be raped because he's Phantom! You're all so stupid!"
Sam turned to run away, tears stinging her eyes at the way the police officers seemed to think it was all right to leave Danny and Jazz in the hands of that monster because of a prejudice they had against Phantom. What had she been thinking when she decided to tell them about his powers? They would never understand, and every second they wasted arguing here, Danny was one step closer to being…to being hurt horribly. But, she was stopped by Jack Fenton's strong arms before she could move more than five feet. She looked up with wet eyes at the shaken, but determined look Danny's father had on his face and she let herself get control of her breathing as Jack addressed the officers.
"Sam's right," Jack said with an air of authority that he did not often display to the public. "I don't care if Danny's the ghost boy…he's still my son, and my son would never do something wrong intentionally. If I have to hunt him down be myself, I will, but I'll be damned if I let you people come along if you only intend to arrest him for wrongs he didn't he even commit."
"Don't worry Sam," Maddie said with a fierce look as she too looked over at the now shameful looking officers and detective. "We'll get Danny and Jazz back, and we won't let anything happen to them! They're our children…I don't care if they're pink, ghost, or part turkey…I'll love them no matter what."
Tucker and Valerie both nodded and voiced their agreements as well as they surrounded Sam along with the Fenton parents, both still surprised by Sam's outburst; Sam usually didn't sewar like that if she didn't have to. The policemen looked like they had just swallowed something bitter and none seemed to want to defend themselves against the petite girl's outburst. It wasn't until the slightly younger looking detective came forward and spoke did they take their gazes off the ground.
"You really care about him don't you Miss Manson?" the thirty something man asked, his green eyes and blond hair giving him a kind look on his rugged face. He waited for a small nod and then continued. "Then I promise something to you right now, I will do everything in my power to get Danny and Jazz back to you and out of Riley's hands. I won't let anything happen to Danny afterwards…but he might have to explain some things himself about the charges against him. Let me help you…I don't want anything to happen to those kids…ghost or not."
Sam considered telling the detective…Jacob Miller…to go off and screw himself along with his entire racist squad, but a voice in the back of her mind told her to listen to him. "Trust in what your heart tells you Samantha…" This is what Knowledge had meant…and she wasn't about to go back on one of the things she'd said she'd learned in her speech now. She wiped away the last of her tears and gave the man a small smile with a nod of her head. The man looked relieved and then turned around and started giving orders to some of the officers, sending them scrambling like ants as he went and exchanged words with the older detective.
"We'll need some weapons," Sam said quietly as she turned back around to face the Fentons and the African American pair. "Riley has a ghost under his control and she can control winter…I think we might need to find an ally in the Ghost Zone to combat her powers…Knowledge said that we might need to."
"He talked to you again?" Tucker asked, ignoring the confused looks on the other three faces. Tucker had forgotten to tell Valerie about Sam's new connection into Danny's mind, and he hadn't thought that the Fenton parents would discover about their son's powers that very morning.
"Yes…he said that…he said something about things not going well," Sam said as she tightened her grip on the stone, feeling the calm beat come from within, letting that soothe her for the moment. "He said that the ghost's name was Bruma, and she was more of a spirit than a ghost…or maybe that was Danny…anyway, Riley is controlling her with a collar that he's also using to keep Danny from going ghost. We'll need some major equipment to hold her off…she tossed Danny around like he was a sack of potatoes, so she must be powerful."
Neither of the elder Fentons asked how the gothic girl knew all this, they simply complied with her thoughts and only focused on getting their children back. Valerie was looking at Tucker in a strange way but he said something about letting her know on the way. Sam turned around to see Maddie and Jack loading all of the officers selected by Miller to go with ectoplasmic guns and also equipping themselves with weapons, slightly excited about using all their gadgets despite the severity of the situation.
"You said you knew how to find the Fenton siblings Samantha?" Miller asked from behind her, causing her to whirl around and face the man.
"Yes," Sam said with a small smile as she looked down at the pendant and silently thanked Clockwork for giving it to Danny. "The pendant gave me a map…please don't ask how, it just does."
"I wasn't going to," Miller answered with a slight smile that reminded Sam of Danny so much. "I was serious when I said I would everything in my power to make sure Danny and Jazz return safely to you, and if that means trusting you completely, then I'm going to do that. You seem to have knowledge of what's going on here, and I'm not going to second guess your judgment."
Sam looked at the green-eyed man in a quizzical fashion, wondering why this man was putting so much faith in an eighteen year old girl and her necklace. Before she could voice a question though, he answered for her. "I'm not unknown to the workings of paranormal events," he said with a slight laugh and a shake of his head. "My mother and grandmother were actually Wiccan, and you'd be surprised what they could do with the magic in nature alone. And while I'm not Wiccan myself, I do know how to spot certain things and that necklace your wearing around your neck is pulsating with a life of its own. I believe you'll end up being the key to finally toppling Riley and his tyranny on innocents he believed wronged him in some fashion."
"You're not from Amity Park are you?" Sam asked gently as Valerie began loading up her ghost hunting equipment into the Fenton RV, talking animatedly with Jack about certain techniques and such as Maddie and Tucker loaded weapons into the vehicle outside.
"No, no I'm not," Miller answered as he gave the girl an appraising look. "observant though Manson…you'd make a good detective. No, I'm actually from a Special Victims Unit up in Chicago that's been on this case since Riley first broke out of jail with his associate, Charles Martino. They and their cronies are wanted for various sexual offences and a murder list that's through the roof. If he now thinks he's going to get these two…well, he's got another thing coming."
"Did you lose someone important, to Riley?" Sam asked cautiously, not wanting to upset the man.
"Not to Riley," Miller answered as the last of the hasty preparations were taken care of outside and an officer informed him. "But by another just like him. My sister, Margo, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered when she was nineteen…I was only fifteen at the time. The man or woman who did that to her was never convicted, and I swore that I'd do everything in my power to keep monsters like that from walking free. You actually remind me a bit of her…she was so passionate about her beliefs and a wicked tongue that could rip you to shreds."
Sam didn't know how to respond to the detective's story, so she just nodded and told him "Thank you for helping," quietly, looking at her feet. She didn't see him give her a soft look before ushering his squad out the door and into their cars, letting the Fentons know where they would be and to call them when they were ready to go. Sam looked back up at Tucker and Valerie before her, and gave them a determined smile as she hurried downstairs to the lab and readied the Spectre Speeder with Tucker's help. The Speeder was loaded with extra pairs of clothing and plenty of food should their search for this ally take a day or two.
Jack and Maddie walked down just in time to see Valerie zapping on her ghost hunting suit and climbing into the Speeder alongside Tucker and Sam. The three young adults gave encouraging waves and said they'd be back soon, Tucker yelling something about snagging a ghost before dinnertime before they disappeared into the Ghost Zone and out of sight.
Maddie sighed sadly as she leaned back into Jack and asked softly, "They'll be all right, right Jack?"
"Of course they will!" Jack said with more mirth than he had all day. He was emboldened by the thought of being able to find his children and using the Fenton Gloves, Jack-O-nine tails, Peeler, and other ghost weapons on Riley for trying to harm his family. "They're in the Spectre Speeder after all!"
"Oh Jack," Maddie said with a small smile as she continued to gaze at the swirling green portal, thinking about the three brave friends her children were blessed to have. In particular, the clever and tough Sam Manson… "She really loves Danny doesn't she honey?"
"Well, why wouldn't she? Danny is a Fenton after all! And, apparently half-ghost to boost…tell me what kind of Goth would pass that up?"
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Tucker drove the Speeder around for a good amount of time the first day before he began to get frustrated and suggested Valerie go outside for a second and try to bully a ghost to give them a direction to go. Sam protested mildly, telling the green eyed boy that it was blatant violence to try and bully someone, even if they were a ghost, but after Valerie said it would help find Danny quicker too, she gave in easily, though she did grumble a bit.
It hadn't helped and they were forced to stop for the night, or at least some rest, and continued on their second day. After a few bogus leads, one of the ghosts suggested a realm were spirits of different things resided; maybe they could find this ally there.
The three followed the advice and drove the Speeder to a different part of the Ghost Zone that seemed more solid than the rest of the ghosts' province. The ghosts, or spirits rather, here though were very reclusive and didn't seem to want to help the three at all. Sam started to grow frustrated and gripped the gemstone, a habit she had adopted to do whenever she was nervous or anxious, and sighed sadly.
Suddenly, Sam felt something in her mind tell her to go to the left, an urgent request that didn't seem to want to be ignored. "Tucker, go to the left," Sam said in a sure voice, trusting the pendant, especially after Miller had talked to her about the powerhe could sense from the stone.
"All right," Tucker answered, driving off into nothing it seemed until the Speeder entered a lush area covered with grass and trees. Sunlight seemed to shine there even though there was no sun in this land of the dead, and Sam could swear she could here water running outside. Tucker pulled the Speeder to a stop and the three teenagers pressed themselves against the glass and looked around for anything…or anyone.
"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Valerie asked in an unsure tone as she lowered the visor to uncover her brown eyes.
"No idea," Tucker said as Sam shrugged, both wondering the same thing.
Sam continued to look outside even as Tucker suggested they start looking somewhere else and maybe come back later. She was just about to agree, wondering if she had misinterpreted the pendant's message, when a figure suddenly appeared before the three startled teens, glaring at them with annoyance.
The figure, now recognizable as male, had his bright yellow eyes narrowed and his flowing rainbow hair was tied back into a small ponytail at the base if his neck and then kept out of his handsome face with a small band of leather. He was garbed in what looked like a hunter's clothing, and had a long bow strapped to his back as well as a short sword belted to his side. Sam looked at him closely and was reminded instantly from his clothing to the reddish color of his skin of summer…but why of summer?
"Who dares to enter the domain of Aestas?" he boomed in a lilting voice that sounded like waves crashing on the shore or a hot summer breeze whistling through the trees. He fixed his glowing yellow eyes on the three terrified teenagers and smirked of a sudden. "Children? What humor is this? Does the mongrel truly believe that mere children will defeat me?"
"Hey!" Tucker shouted indignantly, forgetting for an instant how scared he should be. "Who are you to talk buddy! You only look a few years older; we aren't a bunch of kids you jerk!"
"Tucker!" both Sam and Valerie hissed at the young man as they saw the mirth leave the spirit's face.
"You have bravery to speak to me thus," the being answered back as he floated closely to the Speeder, almost touching the glass and causing the others to shrink back. "You intrigue me…say what it is you seek or desire and then be gone from my domain."
"I think we need your help," Sam said shakily as she rose to her feet and walked closely to the glass, only hesitating for a moment before she had suddenly remembered something vastly important.
"You are asking for my help human?" the spirit answered with a laugh as he ran a hand through his rainbow hair that was loose from the band. "Aestas does not give help to humans unless they truly warrant the aid…and after the recent betrayal inflicted upon my brethren and I, I see no reason to help you child."
"What if," Sam began, clutching the glowing pendant close to her heart, having already taken it off from around her neck. "What if I told you I know where Bruma is? Would you help us then?"
The spirit's demeanor changed instantly, any humor gone in a flash and a look of pure fury emblazoned about his entire frame and he raised his arms to strike down the Speeder, ignoring the gasps and screams coming from the children. Sam saw his arms become encased in flashing bolts that reminded her of lightning, and his yellow eyes were flaming now in hatred. "YOU DARE TO MENTION MY SISTER AS A TOKEN FOR YOUR BARGAIN! WHERE DID YOU AND YOUR MONGREL EMPLOYER TAKE HER?"
Sam didn't have anytime to react as the furious spirit brought up his lightning encased arms to strike her down, and she could hear the terrified screams behind her yelling her name. Her violet eyes widened and she felt her knees give, and in a last ditch effort to defend herself, Sam threw up her arm that held the pendant in the hand and closed here eyes at the brilliant purple light that flooded out from the tiny stone. She heard a tiny gasp and two other voices suddenly yelling something, but the only thing she seemed to be able to focus on was the immense fear flooding her entire body as pain after pain wracked her small frame. Her eyes opened for one last time and she saw five figures hovering above her, three familiar and two not, before she gave one last cry and passed out, only seeing a hulking figure leering at her before the pain enveloped her.
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Jazz sat against the far wall of the plush room Riley had given assigned as her 'prison' two days prior, trying desperately to focus on anything but the situation she and her little brother were in now. She tugged at the flimsy, but very expensive dress hanging off her frame, not caring that it barely concealed anything from sight as long as her brother was safe from Martino. It was almost night, and she knew what that meant…Riley would be coming soon and she'd have to uphold the end of the bargain she had struck with him to maintain the safety of her brother.
She didn't regret the choice she made one whit, but she knew her brother was probably beating his already battered frame up over this and she wanted nothing more than to just hug him and tell him everything would be all right. He always took on way to much responsibility in her opinion, and she knew he was blaming himself for this, even though it was not his fault in the slightest. But, that was her brother for you, to much a hero and not enough a teenager.
Her thoughts were drawn back to her present situation as the clock rang, signaling it was past eight at night now, and Riley would be on his way. He had not been overly rough with her during their trysts, but it was in no way a pleasurable experience, but she kept her mouth shut and acted as if she was having a good time. If it meant protecting her brother, she didn't care about the personal demons she knew she was going to have to deal with when this was all over. She hoped against hope that it would be over soon.
She heard a knock on the door and, with a defeated sigh, lifted her slender form off the floor and sat down on the overly large bed, crossing her legs in a lady-like fashion. She echoed a soft "Come in," after the knock happened a second time, and Mance Riley waltzed in, a cold smile playing on his lips and hungry blue eyes staring at her.
"How was your day my dear Jazzmine?" Riley asked as he clicked the door shut and walked in measured steps over towards her bed.
"Fine, how's Danny?" Jazz retorted, knowing that Riley hated it when she mentioned anything to do with her brother, a cold reminder that it was only to protect him why she was letting him do this. Her turquoise eyes locked with his ice blue ones and he let out a small chuckle as he halted directly in front of her.
"You do have spirit my dear," Riley whispered in her ear as he placed slobbery kisses on her neck in an emotionless way that merely made Jazz want to creep away from his touch. But she held fast, not letting him have the satisfaction in letting him know he scared her. "Your lovely brother is still whole. Although, I must say, if he does not start behaving like a good little boy then there won't be much of him to send this Plasmius fellow afterwards."
"What do you mean?" Jazz asked worriedly, not caring that he had disrobed and was now forcing her to lie beneath him. "Why are you still hurting him!"
"What I mean dear girl," Riley said coldly as he slowly undressed her, a little annoyed at how her concern for her brother overruled all her other emotions. "Is that, while our arrangement keeps your little brother from doing what you're doing, Martino is still not pleased that every time he attempts to…'educate' him, young Danny blasts him into the other wall. Martino cannot strike him as our agreement states, but the frequent shocks from the collar are not healthy for your brother…but enough talk."
Jazz cast herself into a small place in her mind where she could still think clearly, even though the monster on top of her was running his hands all over like a madman. What did Riley mean by Martino 'educating' Danny? Was that sick pervert actually trying to kiss or touch him? Well, no wonder Danny had been blasting him into walls, his breath smelled horrible! Jazz felt herself smile slightly at Danny's bravery and her small joke. Riley took the smile to mean something else however, so he didn't even care that Jazz lay completely unresponsive beneath him.
Jazz started to wonder about many different things, everything from thinking about her brother's and Sam's wedding someday to what she needed from the store when she got home. She had observed that focusing on small things during traumatic events could actually help reduce the aftereffects later and also helped reduce the pain of it during. Most of the time she would think about when she and Danny were little, and the family vacations they took…he had been so adorable when he was younger! He still was in a way, usually when he smiled or cocked his head when confused, but mostly people just saw him as a good-looking young man who was a bit of a goof and clumsy!
Before long, Riley finished with her and pushed himself out and off of her, his body giving off a slight odor of fish and sweat that did not smell good and made Jazz wrinkle her nose a bit. She quickly covered herself back up with the flimsy dress, but Riley lounged on the bed, seemingly content with no clothes on. Jazz didn't know why, he wasn't impressive or anything. He leered over at her and smiled coldly, sending shivers down her spine against her will.
"You truly are a beautiful creature Jazzmine," Riley drawled, letting his eyes roam her stiff and covered frame. "It is a pity that you were born to such insufficient parents…parents whose sins dragged you and your charming brother into all of this. If it were under different circumstances, I could treat a gorgeous blossom like yourself as a queen. But tell me, doesn't it bother you that you have become nothing but a whore in order to defend a weakling brother? Why put yourself through all this pain for one measly, insignificant boy?"
"You would never understand Riley because you don't know anything about helping others," Jazz replied cool and collected, not phased one bit by the man's words. "You only care about yourself and your own needs…a grade A sociopath whose way is usually done without question and without feeling. I've already told you, I really don't care what you do to me…and that's something you'll never understand because you don't understand what it means to be a family. Maybe Danny's insignficant to you...but he's everything to me."
Riley's eyes narrowed and his face contorted into an expression of extreme displeasure. No matter what he called the girl and no matter what he taunted her with, she never cried, begged, or screamed for him to stop. She was like a brick wall that was impossible to break though with, every hammer and chisel he tried only chipped her face, but didn't break it. She even dared to taunt him right back, maybe not in jest, but her calm demeanor insulted him. And Mance Riley hated being insulted almost as much as…
A cold and sudden smile came to Riley's lips, a wicked gleam in his eye as he knew how to break the girl. If a hammer didn't work, you use a wrecking ball…Masters would just have to deal with damaged goods. Riley leaned over and pressed a small button to signal one of his cohorts to enter the room, one who did so in only five minutes and made the still calm Jazz Fenton go rigid with worry.
"Charles," Riley said in his oiliest voice of all, grinning like a madman at Jazz and then at the hulking excuse for a human being. "I believe that there is a very lonely young boy in one of our cells…why don't you go and keep him company for the night?"
"NO!" Jazz screeched as she lurched from the bed and tried to stop Martino from leaving, despite the massive difference in size and strength. The huge man hurled Jazz away from the door and into the adjacent wall, not caring that she smashed into a vase and toppled to the floor with a loud THUD. Jazz tried to raise her head and saw that Martino had already disappeared from the room and only Riley was left, gazing down at her pitilessly. "You said you'd leave Danny alone," Jazz rasped as she felt her vision begin to swim.
"Oh my dear Jazzmine," Riley said as he kicked her once and into the wall again, enjoying the yelp and subsequent groan she gave as her consciousness fled. "I told you he would be safe until I grew tired of you…and you finally broke so I no longer have any interest in you my dear. My only interest is revenge on your parents, and I'll go to any means necessary to achieve that!"
Riley slammed the door shut and locked it with a click, faintly heard by Jazz as she let the darkness and exhaustion take her over. She hoped she didn't have a concussion… "Oh Danny…I'm so sorry…"
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It was officially the worst three days of Danny Fenton's life, and he was including the time where he got thrown into a Christmas story and had to talk in rhyme, the time he got stuck in Warden's prison with all of his enemies, the day when Sam told him she didn't care about him the same way, and the few days he'd been dealing with an evil future version of himself bent on taking control of the world. Yep, these past few days ousted all of those events by a mile.
Danny walked around his cell slowly to keep the circulation in his legs going and to try and distract himself from the awful pain in his chest that didn't seem to go away. Part of it had to do with his two or three broken ribs, but the rest had to do with the guilt that had been eating away at him ever since he had last seen Riley and his sister. A logical part of his brain kept telling him it wasn't his fault, that he had nothing to do with what happened, but that small voice was being drowned out by another and he couldn't escape it. So, he started walking to keep his mind off of everything, not that it helped mind you.
He stopped his pacing and leaned his back against the wall, now embracing the cold steel walls instead of shunning them…it seemed like a good source of self-punishment he was able to inflict upon himself with the limited things given to him. It seemed like a thousand voices were buzzing in his head, all clambering to make themselves heard.
"I still don't see why you're blaming yourself for this….you had no control over the situation."
"Because it was his fault…you caused your sister the pain she's in now and--"
"Are you just going to sit here and take this? Do something already and stop being such a wuss man!"
"KILL THEM ALL FOR THIS!"
"If you listen to that one…dear Lord…"
"What's the point of trying to do anything? You'll just end up dying or going to Vlad anyway…just accept it…"
"I take it back, you listen to THAT one and we are all seriously…"
"I am sooooo bored right now…"
"You know, if you team up with Riley, you could have so much power at your disposal…"
"Danny…it will all be…it will be all right i-if you just believe…believe in her Danny…hold on and don't give me up just yet."
Danny's thoughts immediately went to Sam, as if the last voice compelled him to with a feeling, and he felt a sense of contentment fill his tired form as he focused his thoughts on his best friend and love. He could see her smiling face and sparkling lilac eyes, encouraging him to keep fighting and not give up just yet. He remembered the feel and taste of her skin, how smooth it felt and the slight taste of mint and lavender she always seemed to give off whenever he was near. Her hair was shiny and black as night, and she was running a delicate hand through its silky tresses while the other was gripping the amethyst necklace he gave her for her birthday. Something seemed to be screaming for his attention as he looked at the small gemstone, but before he could grasp what it was, a loud noise from outside his cell tore him away.
He was still in a slightly dreamy, relaxed state, so it took him a second to recognize the hulking figure standing in his doorway, breathing heavily as he looked at him. Unfortunately, that second was all it took for Charles Martino to grab Danny's pummeled body and hurl him across the room, slamming the door with his other beefy arm. Danny tried to regain his bearings, but he didn't have a chance as he felt a large hand encircle his throat and lift him off the ground.
"Guess what dipshit?" Martino asked as he pinned Danny's struggling form against the wall with his other arm. "The boss got tired of your little sister…"
Danny's blue eyes went wide for about two seconds and his mouth was slightly agape at the shock the huge man had sent through his system. He tried to squirm away, but before he had even comprehended what happened he felt two very large, very rough lips against his own and he wanted to scream. He wanted to hurl, he wanted to beat this man within an inch of his life, and he wanted to curl up in a ball and wish this wasn't happening and he'd wake up in his bed and tell himself not to eat any ice cream before going to bed.
But, it wasn't a nightmare, he physically couldn't swat a fly right now, and his mouth was being covered by some crazy pedophile's. Danny desperately tried to think of something to do as Martino slipped his coarse hand underneath his shirt and touched his skin, making the halfa shudder in revulsion. But he couldn't do anything! He was alone this time, no friends to back him up, no sister to sacrifice herself for him, and no parents to protect him from the evils in the world; a fact which hit him like a sledge hammer as he felt the ratty thing he called a shirt torn off him and the man started fiddling with his belt…
But he wasn't ever alone…not really. He could fight back, and he would, no matter how much it would hurt, and he knew it was going to. His countenance narrowed in anger and determination and he did the first thing that came to mind, Danny swung his knee straight up and connected to that lovely area Shakespeare quoted as "The place where the don't shine," and Martino tore himself off Danny and started to swear. He was saying something how Danny was going to regret what he just did, but the problem was Danny wasn't listening anymore. Martino looked back up and was met with two very green eyes, glowing in both rage and hatred, and he suddenly decided now would be a good chance to leave.
Before Martino even made it to the door, Danny Phantom opened his mouth and let out his Ghostly Wail, shattering all the walls around him and scaring Martino so bad the man dropped dead to the floor, only to be mourned by the fleas that resided on him, and was covered with the still crumbling walls. Danny felt a blinding pain shot through every inch of his body, but he kept the Wail going, determined to try and destroy this damnable place that was trying to kill him and his sister. The pain eventually took over however, and as soon as Danny stopped his choked off his Wail, pain crashed into his form and he collapsed to the ground heavily. He couldn't move, and he couldn't think straight, the agony of the jolts sending dots to cover his vision. Then, before anyone else in the building came running over to his wing to try and help or stop him, his eyes rolled up to the top of his head and he stopped breathing…
The last thing that entered his mind was of someone screaming his name, someone who he thought cared about him very much, and then everything was enveloped by a violent violet flare and then faded to black…
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A/N: Three cliffies in one chapter…wow, don't know my own strength do I? Now, if some of you are wondering why this one is slightly shorter than the rest, it's because this was originally part of the previous chapter, but after I mapped it out in my head how long this was, I figured I better split it so I did.
Please review guys and tell me what you think! It only take a minute, and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings for the rest of the day! Wow, I just sounded like a Care Bear for a second there…oh, and Kael would like to let you know he's laughing manically in the background right now. Kael's the muse for those not in the know…
REVIEW! Until next time guys!
Osco