Disclaimer: I own nothing! Not the show, not the characters, and possibly not even the plot (that's up to debate though)

A quick word before we begin:

I have never recieved such positive reviews for a new work before. I'm rather grateful and blown away at the same time. Due to lack of free time, I may not reply to all of the reviews, but I do read and apprieciate all of them!

-to Elle Aitch: It's not normal for me to reply via chapter... but you didn't leave me much of a choice! I honestly can't express how flattered I am by your review. And, I don't mind the length. After all, it's difficult to know what you're doing correctly or incorrectly when there's no details. I'm glad that the 'normal characters' were in character... That can be problematic sometimes... -frowns- Crap... I forgot about Jazz... Other than the general plot and some later details, I'm not too sure where this story is going. Any thoughts or ideas are very welcomed. And, I've actually never heard of that book before... once I progress further and get money I think I'll take your advice and look into it. Thanks again!

And, that's it! On to the story!

Eidolon
2: Complications

"Daniel… May I come in?" Winston asked as he knocked on his charge's door about an hour after the two had returned home. He had sent the boy to his room as soon as they walked in for two separate reasons. The first was punishment; Danny had snuck out of the house after all. The second was that it would give Winston a little bit of time to gather his thoughts so that he could hopefully handle the situation.

A muffled reply answered him after a moment. It was probably a 'no', but that was pushed aside as he opened the door. He was a little surprised to see that the room was a mess; random items, mostly clothes, had been scattered, more likely thrown, around the room. The perpetrator was sitting on his bed and seemed rather angry that he had been interrupted. The boy had thrown a rather impressive tantrum, which was surprising, since Winston really hadn't heard anything. Perhaps he had been more distracted than he thought.

The older man sighed as he sat down on the bed while ignoring the glares that were being sent his way. "I know you're upset…" Well, that wasn't the best way to start things off.

The boy snorted. "Wow, aren't you perceptive."

Sarcasm, of course. Sometimes he swore that was the boy's native language, but he was going to have to ignore that at the moment, there were more important things at hand. "Could you please stop for just a moment and listen? You can cuss me out later." He hoped that his tone didn't have any anger (or much) in it, even if he had added an uncommon note of command.

Danny continued to glare at him, but he didn't say anything, which Winston took as a cue to continue. "I know that it's definitely hard for a boy your age to be kept in the house most of the time… However, we have a bit of a current situation…"

"Situation…?" the boy asked as he narrowed his eyes. "What kind?"

"It's not too bad…" Winston glanced upwards for a moment before he continued, a little surprised that he had the boy's attention. "…Hopefully…" There was a momentary pause before he continued. "I recently got a call from the state… From what I understand, some of the documents of your adoption have gone missing. They're going to be sending a case worker out to evaluate our current situation. If everything checks out, we'll be able to fix this and go on as if nothing happened…"

Danny was silent for a moment. His expression changed from that of skepticism to concern. "And what if this case worker guy doesn't like what he sees…?"

It was Winston's turn to look troubled. "Then it spells bad news for us. It could turn into a custody battle." He then reached over and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry; I won't let it come to that. Can you promise me something though? Until this whole mess gets sorted out, can you please not sneak out of the house again?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Winston repressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Think about it for a moment. What happens if someone ends up calling the police because of… who knows? With what's going on right now, it could make this situation worse! I promised your parents that I'd take care of you, and I'll be damned if a stupid move on your part because of your 'rebellious phase' makes me break that."

"But what about Sam and Tucker? It's not like I can just disappear from them now, especially with how angry Sam was earlier."

What was it about teenagers that seemed to make them try and bring others into their arguments? However, this was something that he couldn't really ignore. Sure, he could tell Danny that he couldn't see them until after everything was situated with the state (or at all), but that would just backfire on him. Danny would become even more put out and probably sneak out again in spite. Or his anger could come across as something else when the case worker came, which would definitely not be good.

But that wasn't all that could go wrong. If he wasn't mistaken, that Sam girl was the daughter of the Mansons, a very powerful family with lots of connections. If she happened to say anything to them, it could cause them to get involved and launch their own investigation. The rumors around town said that she wasn't on the best of terms with them, but judging by how willful she seemed, she might actually use her power. That, by itself, could pose the biggest problem at the moment.

Instead of answering him immediately, Winston decided to ask a question of his own. "How are you sure you can trust them?" It definitely caught the boy off guard. He let him flounder around a bit before he decided to take the pressure away. "You just met them, so of course you really can't tell yet. …I guess that means that you'll just have to get to know them better." He thought about it a moment. "It's going to be fall soon, so they're probably back to school already. Thankfully, tomorrow's Sunday…"

"Wait… What did you say…?" Danny's eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief.

The expression was priceless which made it difficult for Winston to keep his tone even. "A boy your age should have friends. I'm still not very pleased that you snuck out again, but I think that I'll let it pass this time. We will have to work out times for you to go out, since I don't know when we're going to get that visit… but we can work on that tomorrow."

It was amazing what that simple statement did to the boy. It turned him from a brooding angsty… (was that the right word…? Was that even a word?) teenager to an overly thankful kid. He chuckled as he excited the room to allow Danny to revel in his victory.

With what the next few weeks were going to have in store for him, it was important that he at least had something good. When he had told Danny there was a situation, he hadn't lied… It was just that it was direr than he had mentioned. Winston only wished he knew how the state managed to find out. He knew that it had been a possibility… but after so many years, he thought it would no longer be a problem.

Then, there was the boy's birthday to consider. It was probably going to fall in the middle of all of this, which was definitely going to make the situation worse. And, if what he had been told was correct, then that date would add an entirely new dimension of problems.

He sighed as he massaged his temple. There was just so much that had to be kept secret, and it was all about to come out. Hopefully, Danny would find it in his heart to forgive him for all of the deception.

Eventually.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was no way that he had managed to be that lucky! Winston hadn't even grounded him! He was so happy that he was honestly thinking about shouting for joy, even if it really wasn't too dignified. There was only one problem with this…. How was he going to be able to contact Sam and Tucker again? It wasn't like he knew their numbers or even where they lived. Maybe it wasn't as good of a deal as he had originally thought.

He growled in frustration as he punched the wall. Winston had just humored him! He knew that he probably wasn't going to be able to see them again which was why he was so lenient! Danny wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. A pyrrhic victory, that's what this was.

The question now was what was he going to do about this? There was no way that he was going to let Winston get away with this. Who cared if that worker… or whatever… was coming? That was still a few weeks away. Or never... That whole story could have been created just to give him a reason to act better.

He glanced at the clock; it was nearly eight. Good! Winston had a habit of doing paper work from around that time to when he went to bed. He knew that the man did something for the school district but though he was not entirely sure of the specifics. Whatever it was, it definitely took a lot of time out of his day. When he was much younger, he used to hate that, but today, it was going to be a blessing.

About a half an hour later, after he was sure that Winston was occupied with his work, he snuck out of the house, via his window, for the second time that day. Once he made sure that he hadn't accidentally alerted his guardian, he immediately headed towards the graveyard. They had been there once…. Maybe they'd be there again.

…..

On second thought… maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Usually, at least to him, the local graveyard was a rather peaceful place, but this time, it was anything but that. In the setting sun, the beautiful and watchful statues were now little more than leering and grotesques figures. There was also a strange, unnerving chill in the air that seemed to displace any sense of solace he might find. Something was definitely off. It was almost as if the uneasy feeling he had gotten earlier in the day had suddenly decided to multiply a thousand times. He knew it was probably safer to listen to his instinct and leave, but he wanted to be there in case they did come back.

A sudden rustling of leaves caught his attention, causing his eyes to narrow as he glanced around. There was no wind, and there did not seem to be any people in the area. It was most likely just an animal… Glancing over his shoulder, he decided to head back towards the entrance. If anything, Sam and Tucker would probably stay around that area.

He probably shouldn't wait much longer anyways; no more than another hour. Night had finally descended allowing the shadows to come out of hiding and dominate the world. There were few lights in the cemetery which allowed the darkness to feel more pressing. Most people would steer clear of such locations. It was safer that way since it was difficult to tell what could be lurking within the safety of the shadows.

Wait… Was there someone actually out there? He could have sworn that he heard something that sounded like quiet chuckling. Yet, after waiting a moment, there was no other sound. His nerves were starting to get to him. He knew this place. Nothing bad had ever happened. The sound had probably just carried from somewhere. Even so, it wouldn't hurt to move a little faster.

"Leaving so soon, boy…?"

He spun around and searched the area. There was no way that voice had carried; it sounded like it had come from somewhere nearby. "H-hello…?" he replied shakily. Who had called out to him? It sounded male… but it did not belong to anyone he knew. What made it worse was that it was difficult to pinpoint. It was almost as if it had come out of nowhere. "Is…. Is someone there…?"

Silence was the only response. "That's it… I'm losing my mind…" he told himself after a few long minutes. Once again, he scanned the area. He was about to start moving again when he caught movement at the edge of his vision. "What was that…?" Fear had begun to grip him. There was no way that was just a local animal. No, this was way too large. Whatever it was, it was probably not friendly.

Another noise broke into his train of thoughts. Without a second thought, he ran as fast as he could towards the other sound. His footfalls were heavy, a dead give away to whomever… whatever… was out there. Its shadow seemed to ghost in and out of his line of sight as he ran, almost as if to let him know that there was no way that he could ever outrun it. He could feel its amusement in its movements. This was nothing more than a game to it; a game that he could not win. Even if that was the case, he was going to do whatever it took to try.

His only hope was to try to get to his goal, the cemetery gates. He had thought that he had heard other people in that direction. His fiercely beating heart and spastic breathing made it difficult to concentrate on the voices, but they did seem like they were getting louder. He was getting closer! He needed to reach them! He had to reach them!

As he neared the gates, he saw two figures illuminated by one of the few cemetery lights. A boy and girl… Sam and Tucker! They had come after all! They looked somewhat weary… maybe they could actually hear him running. He called out, somehow, and they saw him.

There was only about a hundred more yards before he reached them and the edge of the light. He tried to push himself just a little more when his feet failed him. Ignoring the injuries from the paved walkway, he glanced backwards and tried to get up. It was still there! Its shadow was now in the trees.

"Danny! Are you okay?"

He jumped. The voice was right on top of him. He glanced back towards his new friends only to realize that they were within mere feet of him. When did they get so close? But he could not think about that now, he had made a horrible mistake! "You… got to… get out of here…!" It was hard to speak while he was so out of breath, but they had to be warned! They didn't know what was out there!

"Dude, what's wrong?" Tucker was clearly worried as he watched Sam help him up.

It was getting harder to breathe. His body was screaming for air causing the edges of his vision to darken. "It's… not safe…!" he tried to tell them between gasps. "Go…!"

"Danny, breathe!" Sam told him sharply, which he ignored as he glanced back in the direction of his pursuer. Worried, she took his face between her hands so that she could get him to look at her. "Calm down! What's wrong?"

Before he had a chance to speak, Tucker started to stammer. Both he and Sam looked over to see him pointing at something within the darkness. "Wh-what's that?"

He looked in the direction and saw two small lights of vivid crimson coming from the shadows. There was no movement for a moment before the lights seemed to narrow. The sight sent a chill down into his very core. They were eyes!

"So…You've found comfort in the arms of friends…" It was the same voice from earlier. Unlike before, when it seemed like it could have been coming from anywhere; it had a point of origin somewhere near the crimson orbs. "Enjoy it while it lasts…" The voice then laughed as it faded away, taking the lights with it.

When he finally could exhale, he collapsed on the ground. His body was absolutely drained from the combined strain of his fear and flight. Was that thing actually gone? It did not feel like it… However, that did not mean very much. It could still be there, just waiting in the shadows for them to turn their backs.

"W-what was that thing…? Why was it chasing you? What were those lights?" Tucker then paused for a moment after his spastic string of questions as he looked at him carefully. "…Why are you here anyways?"

He chuckled weakly as he allowed his friends to help him up. "I could ask you the same thing." A wary sigh escaped him as he nervously glanced into the shadows. "I was hoping that I'd be able to run into you guys again… And then that thing appeared…. I… I honestly have no idea what it was."

"Hate to interrupt," Sam told him in a tone that was oddly mixed with sarcasm and irritation as she pointed in the direction of where they had seen the odd lights. "But… newsflash: there's something out there that's unknown and potentially dangerous. We should probably get out of here before it decides to come back." There was a silent agreement before the three of them sprinted as far away from the graveyard as they could.

…

"So… now what?" Tucker asked as they caught their breaths on a lit street corner several blocks away from the cemetery gates. It didn't seem like they had been followed by whatever it was that they had seen, but there was still an uneasy feeling lurking in the air.

"You're asking me?" he replied in near disbelief as he leaned against the light pole. "I still can't stand without help, let alone think straight! Great…how am I going to be able to get home and sneak back into the house like this?"

His words were met with a disbelieving look. "Wait… You snuck out, again? Do you seriously hate your house that much?" Even though they had just been scared out of their minds, Tucker had managed to calm down enough to joke. He wasn't sure if he found that relieving or insulting. Before he could make up his mind, Sam knocked his beret off. "What was that for?"

"Tucker, this isn't the time!" She scowled at him for a moment before she glanced over at Danny. "But, that does bring up a good point… Do you think that you'll be able to meet us here tomorrow?"

"Sure… " he replied hesitantly, "…as long as I'm able to get back into the house without being caught. Why?"

A strange expression appeared on her face, making him uneasy. "I don't like being scared. So, I'm gonna find whoever that was and teach them a lesson, and you two are going to help me do it?"

He and Tucker shared a look before they both asked, "We're going to help you do what?"

This will probably be the fastest I ever get out a chapter for this fic (I had quite a to focus on writing this week). Like I had previously mentioned, this is not going to be released quickly. I start back to college on Monday, and there are some personal problems right now that may also effect the release time. So, please be patient with me.

Oh, and just in case anyone is unsure what I meant by "pyrrhic victory"…. It refers to an ancient battle where a general won at the cost of losing so many of his men that it was a victory in name only. We use it now to refer to a situation where you win something at the cost of losing something else of value. Some might cause it a win-lose situation. You can also compare it to a double-edged sword… but that's not an even analogy.

Anyways, I do love feedback. So please, feel free to critique.

And, that's it for now. Goshi, signing off.