A/N: So. I lied. Two updates in the same month. :D Be happy, read it! Oh, and I don't own anthing related to Danny Phantom besides Michelle and Gerard. Whooo!
Michelle prided herself on her memory. She remembered her father being an actual father; when he would take her out for ice cream, buy her dolls for her growing doll collection, or sneak in some candy when her mom had punished her for misbehaving. She also remembered when he stopped being her father. He'd come home late, smelling of perfume, cologne, and an undertone of something she just couldn't identify. She later would identify it as what the Lions on the Documentaries did. Sex. She remembered that's what her mom called it when she'd explained it to Michelle when the little girl had asked where babies come from.
Michelle also remembered a darker time. Her parent's would go into nonstop fights, escalating until there was screaming involved. She knew by then that her mother suspected that daddy wasn't being good. She knew that daddy was hiding something, and that the yelling hurt her ears and made her scared. She remembered that was when he came to visit her. He had been very nice, offering her solace when no one else offered it. He would block out noise when her parent's would fight, and then have make up sex afterward. He would bring her pretty flowers, saying 'Don't cry, sweetie.' And she would stop, just like that.
She also remembered the first time she'd touched him. She'd wanted to scream from his coldness, from the fact that her arm went through him. He had smiled and explained that he was special. A ghost, he'd said. She understood. 'Like Casper?' He'd laughed then, and said, 'Kind of like that.' She'd believed him without question after that. Anything he said, she did, as long as it didn't hurt her, and he made sure that it didn't. She didn't mind that he looked scary with his flame-like white hair, or his incredible muscles. Or that she didn't even know his name. She trusted him because he was her rock, her shelter when things steadily got worse and worse, and only she seemed to notice. Her mom went into denial, even believing that their family was ok, that nothing was wrong. Michelle knew the truth, but being only 8 years old, she couldn't exactly voice it.
It was around the time that he had started asking Michelle to meditate every night that she started to have memory lapses, not remembering days at a time, or in fragments. He visited her more often, spending more and more time trying to touch her heart, he said. 'I wish I was like you', and he would smile at her, later she would learn that it wasn't for her benefit. It was because she was falling right into his hands.
The night before Sam's attack, Michelle had had her biggest memory lapse since he'd come to visit her. The next thing she'd known, she'd heard her mom screaming bloody murder down the hall, and then the loud thump of her fall. Then Danny banged the door open, her mom in his arms, completely bloody and pale. She'd helped him get her into the car, and Danny had driven them to the hospital like a maniac on the road. She was crying, but so was he, she knew. He would never admit to it.
Michelle was worried. She couldn't remember her mom being attacked by anything.
"Time to come out and play..." he snarled with Michelle's voice. He was alone in the house for now. The sitter had just left, and Danny was on his way to the house. Looking around, he could see influences of Danny everywhere, even if the Woman would never admit to it. He knew that Sam had once been in love with Danny. He didn't know about now, but he knew he could further it for his use. It would be perfect. Nothing could go wrong.
With an air of authority he climbed the stairs and into Sam's room, looking around. Even in here he could see the influence. Disgusted, he yanked the drawers open, looking around. He couldn't find it! He threw open the closet, and trashed the clothes, still looking. There was nothing. With an inhuman growl, he reached under the bed, pulling everything and everything out from under it. There was the odd sock, a box(which he set aside gingerly), a corset(he raised his eyebrow at that), and a lockbox. Grunting, he forced his power into it, unlocking it in a matter of seconds. He flung the lid open, greedy eyes searching. With gentle fingers, he looked through the various documents and items.
There was Sam's and Michelle's birth certificates, a marriage license, blood work documents, social security documents, identification papers, etc. Boring stuff. Stuff he didn't need. His eyes widdened. There it was! It was spherical in shape, and had a faint green glow. He grinned widely. Oh it was here! Just as the Fates had said, the sphere was here! With a triumphant cry he stood up, looked down at Michelle's body and phased out of it, letting her fall forward.
"Finally my search is over!" But then, at that moment before he could leave, he heard the door in the foyer open, and Danny set down his keys. Frustration welled up. Damn him! Always interfering... Re-entering Michelle's tiny frame, he stood up, and made his way to the door.
Danny pulled up into the driveway of Sam's house, almost at a crawl now. His drive had been slow going back, with everyone and their mom on the road that night. Honestly, he couldn't figure out why. Groggy, he unbuckled himself and opened the door, steady dinging filling his ears. He slowly climbed out, not allowing himself a moment to think about it. Danny had been known to fall asleep in his car when he didn't feel like getting out. Closing the door and hitting the automatic lock button, he went up the walkway and to the door, not noticing the meanacing feeling exuded by the house - especially the door. His keys jingled as he came in, setting them down lazily on the nearest flat surface. He pulled his jacket off just as Michelle came bounding down the stairs, clutching a strange round object in her left hand. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and it was then that Danny knew something was wrong.
"Hello, Daniel." Such a small phrase, but a shudder coarsed through Danny at the sound of her voice...no. Not her voice.
"Dan Phantom!" Danny managed to choke it out, before his vocal chords failed him. A mocking laugh left the frame of that little girl -Sam's daughter. Her beautiful face contorted into a mockery of her natural features, green eyes begining to glow with the unnatural glow of a Ghost. Dan was in complete control now. Somehow, Danny knew that he'd been there for a while, bidding his time, looking for something. That something was clutched in Michelle's hand, but Danny couldn't discern what it was. It glowed a sickly green instead of the vibrant color it'd flared when he'd walked into the house. It's natural color was white, and he saw little spidery lines along it's surface, reminding him strongly of an Egg.
"Congratulations on stating the obvious, Danny. And so nice to see you." A wicked grin spread over her features, promises of torture and death. And then he phased out of Michelles' body, a bold move on his part, and Dan knew it. Danny went slightly pale at this, and before he could move forward, Dan had phased himself, Michelle, and whatever it was he'd found through the floor and away. Danny immediately phased himself, and then followed after them. He wouldn't let Dan have Michelle.
"Mr. Borders' I'm very sorry to be calling you this late, but you need to know that your wife has an infection. It's...ah... Well, we've never seen anything like it. It's ectoplasm, sir. Yes... She's getting worse. I'm not sure if she'll be able to hold off the infection. Whatever Ghost got her hurt her pretty bad. The young man said it was a Cougar... hmm..." Dr. Jones looked worriedly at his clip board for Mrs. Borders. It wasn't looking good. He knew he should also tell her husband the slightly better news, but wasn't sure if it would help the situation any. No, he supposed not. It would make things worse.
Sam looked over to the phonebooth outside her room. She was now too weak to move her fingers, toes, and head back and forth. No one, not even the nurses knew what was happening. She knew Danny was worried, even if he didn't show it most days. He had told her that she might just be weak from being in a coma for a week and some days. But she knew that her strenght should be returning. Instead it was leaving her, like her body had given up. Looking back over as far as she could, sam watched the doctor place a call, but in her weakened state, she couldn't decipher it. Why are my eyes so heavy? Oh, God...
Slowly, Sam slipped into blackness, not hearing anything but the steady beeping of her heart monitor.
A/N: Whooo!! Things are getting more interesting, right? :) Read and review please!