Chapter 14 - Visit
Though Clockwork's words had done much to help them along, Danny and Pariah Dark remained distant from each other, still trying to figure out what to say, exactly, let alone what to DO. That's not to say they didnt make attempts; at mealtimes, they tolerated the awkwardness between them, but really couldnt find the words to dissipate said awkwardness.
In short, they kept chickening out. That, and they both had too much pride to be the first to apologize. Again.
So the silence ensued for the next few weeks, until Danny decided to break it with a statement.
"I'll take the week before Christmas to visit my family."
It was during dinner that he said that, and Pariah Dark looked up from his meal in near shock at the sound of Danny's voice saying something besides 'hello'. He put his eating utensils down (Danny had awhile ago begged for proper forks and knives) and gave his fiance his undivided attention.
"I see," he replied. "Will you return on Christmas Day, or the day before?"
Danny took a deliberately long sip from his goblet before answering. "The day before," he said. "That way we can make plans for the official announcement."
Pariah Dark nodded, but frowned to himself at Danny's detached tone. It was a tone often used for addressing people at formal events, or for business. Ye gods, he actually preferred the boy's cautious stuttering to this stiff tone. He nodded, mostly to himself, and took the same tone up.
"Very well," he replied. "When will you depart?"
"Tomorrow," Danny replied. "I'll return in seven days."
"Very well."
Silence ensued after that. Just outside the dining room doors, Fright resisted the urge to bash his head repeatedly into the stone wall. Dora, who was waiting next to him for Danny to finish up so they could pack, could empathize entirely.
Later that night, Pariah Dark sat fuming in his quarters, already half-drunk from a ghost-made wine and in the process of breaking a fourth glass from gripping it too hard in anger. Not at Phantom, but at himself. He had a perfect opportunity to strike up conversation to get to know the boy, and his pride had blown it. Now the boy was leaving tomorrow for a week before the engagement, after Clockwork had suggested he start sharing life stories BEFORE the official engagement.
Great. Just perfect.
He shattered his fourth glass in his hand with a mere twitch, then growled and tossed the shards away. No, he said to himself. Getting drunk was NOT going to help. It never did in his life days, and it certainly wouldnt in his death days. He took a few minutes to calm himself down, then sat in contemplative silence.
He honestly didnt want him and Phantom to part on such cold terms with each other, no matter how short the departure would be. He at least wanted a comfortable familiarity between them.
He stood up and walked over to a large wardrobe and opened it, taking a simple black wooden box from the top shelf, and looked at it for a few moments before heading to Phantom's rooms.
Danny finally finished packing things that would at very least be halfway decent to wear back in the human world, and flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
He hadnt really meant to be that cold to Pariah Dark, but at least that kind of tone was safe; it wasnt too personal, or anything. It was something the Ghost King could identify with, and it had worked. He stated what he wanted, Pariah Dark conceded, the end.
Danny sighed, nibbling his lip. What was he going to say to his parents? He couldnt really just come out with 'Hi Mom and Dad, sorry I've been gone for damn near three months, but I'm going to be a Prince of the Ghost Zone after marrying a megalomaniac Ghost King with serious anger issues. Sorry I forgot the invitations, but hey, no humans allowed!'
...Yeah. THAT would roll over great. He'd be fucking lucky to escape a police questioning in the first half hour, just by seeing them. He had to get them to sit down and calm down before telling them anything, especially that he was half-ghost. Ugh, this was going to be one hell of a Christmas break...
"Sir Danny, are you alright?"
He opened his eyes to see Dora standing over him, looking worried. Danny gave her a small, brave smile. "I'm fine, Dora," he said, sitting up. "Just nerves, you know? Going to tell my parents that I'm half-ghost...gonna be married...to a King..."
"I really cannot imagine how hard that's going to be for you, Sir Danny," Dora said, sitting next to him. "A week simply isnt enough to explain everything."
"Preaching to the choir, Dora," Danny sighed. "It would take MONTHS for me to explain everything, from how I became a halfa to the fact that I'm marrying the Ghost King. What am I supposed to do for a week? I just want to enjoy their company...I want to visit with them, tell them I'm okay and I'm going to keep being okay, and that I'll keep in touch somehow...but..." He ran a hand through his hair. "...Knowing my parents...that's not going to happen..."
Dora gave Danny a comforting smile and squeezed his clenched hands. "Explain what you can, Sir Danny, and if it gets to be too much, you can always come back early." She held his hands tighter. "For your own safety...I ask you to do so, if things get...out of hand."
Danny nodded; he had thought of the very same thing himself earlier in the week, but what he REALLY needed was a way to keep his parents from following...
A knock at the door made them both look up. Dora got up to answer the door, only to quickly back away and curtsy. "My Liege...!"
Danny looked up to see Pariah Dark standing in the doorway in his normal-looking 6"6 height, holding a black box in his hands. Pariah Dark nodded to Dora, who quickly backed into the next room, sensing her King wanted a private chat with his fiance.
Pariah Dark stared at Danny in silence for a few moments before walking up to him and holding out the box. "I want you to wear what is inside," he said. "In case...you wish to return early, or in case of an emergency." Danny blinked at the obviously open and honest tone, and took the box, opening it to find a silver chain with an egg-sized green jem with silver backing.
Danny stared at it for a few moments before Pariah Dark took it out of the box and hooked it around Danny's neck. As he latched it, he said, "It is specifically charmed to let me know if you are in danger. Should you feel the need to return early, clasp the gem in both hands and say 'Domus ut meus rex regis'. Do you understand?"
Danny reached up to touch the large gem with his fingertips, feeling a slight pulsing of power coming from it. Despite its size, the necklace felt almost weightless on his neck. "'Domus ut meus rex regis'," he recited with perfect pronunciation. "Latin?"
"Correct," Pariah Dark replied. "Commit that to memory; it may save your afterlife one day."
"...I'll keep that in mind," Danny muttered, not really comfortable talking about possible death at the moment. Pariah Dark seemed to notice, and backed away from the subject.
"...You are prepared to leave?" he asked, working up nerve to keep speaking. Danny nodded, still fingering the gem around his neck absently.
"Yeah," he said. "...It was...kinda hard...finding clothes that wouldnt stand out too much..."
Silence.
"...You are welcome to take what you wish with you," Pariah Dark said. "...I...understand that gift-giving is customary this time of year?"
"...You're saying I can take gifts home to my friends and family?" Danny asked incredulously. Pariah Dark nodded.
"Anything you wish...within reason."
Danny blushed a little and grabbed a larger bag, pulling out a few items, including some old-fashioned jewelry, armory, and weapons. "...I kinda already did."
Pariah Dark took a quick glance at the items and nodded. "They are fine," he said. He remained silent for a few moments, then turned to the door. "...I will leave you to your sleep, then. ...Goodnight, Phantom."
"...'Night, Pariah," Danny finally said, but by that time, the Ghost King had already left.
There was no formal farewell the next morning. The Ghost King did not come out of his rooms, and Fright took it upon himself to escort Danny to the human world, by way of the Fenton Portal.
"...He didnt want to take me himself?" Danny found himself asking Fright before he could stop himself. Fright only tightened his grip on Night Mare's reins.
"...I cannot really say, Phantom," Fright replied. "He did not feel like coming out of his rooms today. He did, however, threaten me with a one-way trip to the deepest recesses of Tartarus should anything happen to you."
Wondering if he should take that as a good or bad thing, Danny remained quiet until they reached the Fenton Portal, which looked strangely deserted. Fright pulled on Night Mare's reins to stop her, and hopped off, helping Danny off too. "I took the liberty of alerting your friends," he said. "But I specifically instructed them to stay out of our world...that you would meet them on the other side."
Danny gave Fright a smile. "Thank you, Fright," he said, hoisting his bags over his shoulder. "I'll see you in a week, then." With that, he turned and stepped through the Fenton Portal to his parents' lab.
Fright stared after his young charge for a bit, then shook his head and sighed, hoisting himself back onto Night Mare. He had a horrible feeling that it would be much sooner than THAT before Phantom came back. He was SURE of it.
Danny barely stumbled two steps out of the Portal before being tackled by three people with enough force to break a lesser beings' sternum. Thankfully, Danny was not a lesser being, and only suffered the wind being knocked out of him.
"DANNY!" Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all shouted, fighting with each other over who got to hug him first.
" - OH, DANNY, I THOUGHT I'D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN - !"
" - WE DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE WHEN HE TOLD US YOU WERE COMING - !"
" - DUDE, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WEARING - !"
"WHOA!" Danny finally shouted, resorting to turning intangible to keep from being hugged to death. "Guys, guys, relax, okay? I'm fi - ."
"We will NOT relax, Danny!" Jazz yelled, tears running down her face. She punched his arm. "Damn it, Danny, you've been gone for over three months, and you didnt say a THING about what's going on!" He hugged him tightly. "...Have you been working out?"
Danny blinked at his sister's mood swings, but wisely chose not to comment. He just hugged her back and smiled when his friends joined into the group hug. "I'm sorry, guys," he said earnestly. "But...I just didnt know how...you would take the news. The REAL news."
"What do you mean?" Tucker asked. "That Fright guy told us you were going to become a...leader of the Ghost Zone? Is that true?"
Danny nibbled his lip. "...Yeah," he said slowly. "...To an extent..." He suddenly looked up toward the basement door. "Where's Mom and Dad?"
Jazz stood up and helped him up. "They're out at Vlad's place," she said with a non-too-pleased look on her face. "Vlad's actually worried, believe it or not, and he's been sending out task forces looking for you...I think he's even asked ghosts to keep an eye out for you in the Ghost Zone..."
"That wont do any good," Danny said. "They've been forbidden from mentioning my presence outside the Ghost Zone, to any outside forces."
"Wow," Tucker said, shaking his head. "This is like...White House big, isnt it? Nation security thing."
"Bigger than that, Tucker," Danny replied. He looked over at Sam, who had been oddly quiet the entire time. "...Sam, are you okay?"
Sam only glared back at him. "No, Danny, I'm NOT okay," she said testily. "You disappear without a trace for three months, with nothing but the word of a ghost and a stupid NOTE telling us you're okay!"
"Sam, I couldnt tell you! It's...a secret!"
"WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS, DANNY!" Sam shouted, balling her fists up. "WE KEPT YOUR GHOST SECRET, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRUST US!"
"I'm here NOW, arent I?" Danny replied back calmly. Pariah Dark's tempers were MUCH worse, after all. "...But only for a week, then I have to get back."
"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, DANNY!" Sam cried, tearing up. "WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT A BIG SECRET FROM - ?"
"I'm getting married."
"...us..."
Sam, Tucker, and Jazz stared at Danny in silence. Awkward silence. Very uncomfortable silence. Ridiculous silence. Danny sighed and sat down in a chair. "...That's...the big secret, Sam," he said, running a hand through his now-black hair. "I'm getting married and I and my...spouse...will be the new ruling monarchy in the Ghost Zone." He held his breath as he waiting for one of them to say something. ANYTHING.
"...But...but you're only seventeen, Danny...!" Jazz exclaimed. "You cant get MARRIED!"
"I'm not getting married until my eighteenth birthday, Jazz," Danny replied. "And this marriage is for the best...for both the human and ghost worlds. I've made terms and agreements with my fiance, and the main policy is ghosts are monitored going in and out of the 'Zone...in return for humans staying out."
"I...you...married...?" Tucker stammered, trying to wrap his mind around what Danny had said. Danny sighed and nodded.
"Yes, Tucker. Married." He sat up in his chair. "...I'm here to tell Mom and Dad, guys. I'm going to tell them everything. About my ghost half, that I'm getting married...and that I'll be STAYING in the Ghost Zone." He made brief eye contact with each of them. "...Permanently."
All three of them paled. "...Permanently, as in..." Sam queried weakly. Danny paused before nodded.
"DANNY, NO!" Jazz cried, reaching forward to grip his shoulders tightly. "You're saying that you're going to DIE! That's just CRAZY! It's HORRIBLE...!"
"My fiance has done research, Jazz," Danny replied, making his voice sound as strong as he could, despite the fact that he was about ready to break down crying at any moment. "I'm going to be drinking a special ghost-made wine that will stop my heart almost painlessly. I HAVE to be a ghost in order to become the Prince."
Jazz stood there hyperventilating for a few moments before breaking down crying into her brother's shoulder. "H-how can you be so okay with this, Danny?" she demanded through her tears. "You're telling me that you're d-dying...and...and...!"
Danny hugged her tightly, feeling tears come to his own eyes. "...I'm sorry, Jazz," he said softly. "...But for the best of both worlds, I HAVE to do this...there is no one else who can. Trust me, if there were ANYONE else to marry Par..." He winced at the near slip; he DIDNT need them to know who he was marrying, not yet. "...My fiance, then I'd back out. But there isnt."
"...Danny, who is this fiance of yours?" Sam asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Danny paled slightly, but before he could answer, the front door was heard opening, and all four of them heard Jack and Maddie talking.
"...I...I need to go ahead and get this talk out of the way," Danny said, standing up and drying his eyes quickly. He fumbled with his clothes to straighten them, and his fingertips brushed the necklace Pariah Dark had given him. Just touching it seemed to give him a gentle push of courage. "Just...PROMISE me, you'll be strong for me, okay? Please?"
Jazz didnt answer, and instead stalked up the lab stairs stiffly. Sam and Tucker winced slightly at Jazz's apparent anger, but nodded to Danny.
"We'll be here for you, man," Tucker said, putting his hand on Danny's shoulder. Sam was quiet, but she gave Danny a brave - albeit tearful - smile, and the three of them adjourned upstairs to face to proverbial music.