A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! ^_^
My gift to you: a slightly longer chapter of my Forever Fourteen fic! Here is the third part, and I was pretty excited about this.
I apologize if I made it too angsty; I was listening to some "epic" and "sad" music when I did this, so... yeah. Anyway, that would account for any "OOC" moments in this chapter...
Feel free to ask any questions; I know there were some confusing parts of this chapter...
Chapter Four will be up as demanded, though I thought I'd just start with this one. There's not really a cliffie, but in the next chapter is when things start to move forward! ;D YAY!
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
SAVE DANNY PHANTOM!
Part 3:
Back in the ghost zone, Danny absent-mindedly twiddled a candy cane around his fingers. It had a ghostly glow to it, and instead of red, it was green. Sighing, he tossed it across the room of his lair, hating the empty clacking sound it made.
Danny had gotten his own lair after he died, and he hated it now. It was too big and too empty. Though he knew he couldn't cry anymore, Danny felt the ghosts of tears coming back, making him feel even more hollow.
Sighing again, he pushed himself out of his huge armchair and bent over to pick up the broken candy cane.
"Maybe next year…" He was no longer tired, but then again, he was once again in the ghost zone. According to the "new ghost" rules (apparently, there were even rules about newly formed ghosts; he only learned them courtesy of Walker), they had to remain in the ghost zone if they wanted to maintain their form. Remaining in the human world for too long as a new ghost could evaporate the spirit, because it is still so accustomed to the world in which it lived. The continual feed of ectoplasmic energy in the ghost zone helped to stabilize a ghost's form. Eventually, the ghost would be able to maintain it for long periods in the human world as well. Danny still wasn't strong enough for that yet.
Not to mention the psychological damage visiting his own world could do… the emotions remain even after death, and Danny knew it wasn't just trying to exist in his own world that wore him out: it was the strain of realizing he no longer belonged there…
Danny recalled how weak he first felt after he'd died, and now he knew why. He also hated Christmas for a new reason. Ironically, this year, his parents hadn't been the ones to ruin Christmas: he had.
It hurt to remember. He felt the pull toward his home, his own ghostly obsession, but he couldn't do anything about it yet… So many people he still had to protect…
It didn't help either that these feelings were so strong. Apparently, another weakness of new ghosts was interaction with their own world. His family, his friends, anyone had been prevented from coming to see him, and he couldn't stand it. After many failed attempts, his family and friends had stopped trying to come see him. He knew the other ghosts were just trying to keep him in some plane of existence, as the strain of memories and the fresh pain of death could literally cause a spirit to dissolve the same way being in the human world could. Danny would disagree: he thought it was harder to be away from them all. Even if his ghost form was getting more stable, he felt like his mind wouldn't last too much longer. He needed them…
He glared at nothing in particular, not noticing as he clutched the candy cane with such force that he reduced it to a crumbly mess.
Angrily, he stared at the mess until his hand glowed a bright green. He released his ghost ray in frustration, flinging it toward the front door of his lair. It hit the side paneling of the door just as it opened, revealing a surprised-looking Skulker.
Momentarily stunned, Danny blinked, then hung his head slightly, missing the feeling of heat rising to his cheeks in embarrassment. Yet another painful memory.
"…Sorry about that. I wasn't aiming for you or anything…" Danny said with true remorse, though much more heavily weighted by the rest of his pain.
"Well, I figured that, especially since you can't have known I was coming, whelp." Skulker added this bit in, just to humor the boy. He knew it was hard on him, and even Skulker wasn't completely heartless. Besides, with his current prey now just another ghost, no longer the one-of-a-kind halfa, he lost interest in hunting Danny. Instead, he became more preoccupied with helping him settle into the ghost zone. Interesting how one common factor can bring together the worst of enemies.
"Well, then, what ARE you doing here? Just come to bug me?" Danny snapped; he couldn't help it. He could feel his patience thinning, and soon, Skulker might just become his target practice.
As though sensing his mounting frustration, Skulker held up his hands in surrender.
"… I'm sorry." Danny spoke again, lightly clutching his head as though trying to keep his mind from shattering.
"Not to worry. I just wanted to remind you that we're having our annual Christmas party, and you're more than welcome to join us." Skulker didn't want to push the kid into doing anything he didn't want to, but it couldn't be healthy for him to spend the holidays alone. Even ghosts like Skulker couldn't stand the thought of being alone during the holidays.
Danny lowered his hand slightly, and stared glassy-eyed at the carpet in front of him. He hadn't gone last year because of the timing, and he still felt bitter about it. Christmas as a ghost was hard enough, but to die so close to Christmas? Well, Danny still blamed himself for ruining it for his family. Each year, his season of supposed joy was just a reminder, one of the memories he'd actually prefer to forget.
Skulker waited indecisively as he saw the boy's inner conflict. He didn't want to just leave, though, in case the boy really did start falling apart. Much as he would never admit, the whelp had grown on Skulker, and in this vulnerable state, he could see just how much of a kid he really was. Lost and scared. He no longer had his ties to his family, or the real world. Now it was just empty space, a swirling vortex of purple and green ectoplasm. He could almost see the boy trailing along the same train of thought…
Danny's thoughts were interrupted as a net suddenly weighed him down, and he glared over at Skulker, who was now somewhere between a smirk and a grimace. Well, I guess even Skulker didn't have that kind of patience.
"Well, since you can't seem to make up your mind, I guess I'll have to take you hostage." Skulker was smirking now, his voice slightly mocking. It roused in Danny his old fighting spirit, the kind that made him want to throw Skulker against the wall. Just as he was about to break the net and do so, he heard another familiar voice enter his lair.
" Oh, come now, Skulker, and stop being so childish." Skulker sulked for moment, and then obliged Frostbite by releasing Danny. Stretching, Danny turned to welcome his newest visitor.
"So I've heard you visited your realm today…" Frostbite, though usually confident, said this rather tentatively. He knew how painful a trigger this could be.
"… Yeah." Danny kept his answer brusque, not really trusting his voice for anything else.
" You did visit the grave, too, right?" Frostbite sounded truly concerned; if Danny didn't keep it up, he may soon forget.
Sighing in slight irritation, and trying to hide the hidden pang this gave him, he replied "Yeah, yeah, I know. I did."
"Good. You must never forget; too many a spirit has evaporated under the emotional turmoil from being in their world too long. If you fail to remember that you no longer exist in that world, it could be your undoing…" Frostbite sounded almost like he was telling a scary story.
Except it's not a story. It's my new "life". Danny scowled, and Frostbite mistook his meaning.
"Listen, Great One, I know it may seem troublesome, but reminding yourself can help you to remember what you are; the more you are able to accept it, the stronger you become."
"Yeah, I know, I was just…" Danny trailed off.
"That's quite alright. Whatever it was, we just want to make sure you don't hurt yourself any further. And, may I say, you're really progressing more quickly than any of us did!" Frostbite's voice became proud, and he stood a little taller.
"What do you mean?" Danny replaced his scowl with puzzlement.
"Not many ghosts are able to visit their own world so soon after their deaths. You are an exception. I figure it may have to do with your being accustomed to your Phantom self already. You already knew some aspects of what it meant to be a ghost, and you're really coming along quickly."
Danny couldn't help but bring a small smile to his lips as he heard Frostbite boasting about him. It rather reminded him of his Dad… Danny's smile faded as quickly as it came.
Noting the boy's expression, Skulker intervened. "WELL, if the two of you don't mind, I believe we have a party we're going to be late for?" Skulker's voice sounded slightly annoyed that they were leaving him out. Danny allowed himself a grin at that.
"… Yeah, let's go." Danny turned to leave, not noticing the small, satisfied glance the two ghosts behind him exchanged.
A/N: Here are some explanations of the more confusing parts:
- New ghosts can "evaporate" either under the strain of staying in the human world too long or from emotional strain and painful memories; the typical "waiting" period for ghosts is about five years before they can return to the human world (for any period of time) and remain stable