It was a different Danny Fenton who opened his eyes the next morning. He remained carefully still in his bed staring tiredly up at the plain white ceiling before lifting his cellphone to look at the time. 8:30 AM. That meant he'd only had a little over three hours sleep. His rest was mercifully uninterrupted though, so rather than feeling exhausted, he simply felt worn. The memory of what he had done the previous night pressed over him like a sheet, present, persistent, yet not overwhelmingly so. This was his life. These were the decisions that had been delegated over to him to make. He knew he wasn't at fault for ending the lives of the two men in that hospital; but at the same time, it was his cross to bear.
He lay unmoving for several long minutes later. Then, deciding it wasn't worth it to stay in bed any longer, as it was evident he wouldn't be going back to sleep, he tossed off the corner of the quilt and planted his feet on the floor.
It was a beautiful morning out, Danny noted when he pulled back the curtains to look out the window. There were hardly any clouds to mar the blue sky, and the sun was shining bright. A perfect spring morning.
It was hard to believe there would be a funeral later in the day.
Danny shuffled out his room, looking up in time to see the door across his own swing open for his mother to make her exit. Maddie paused in surprise to find her son up so early, and quietly shut the door behind her.
"Morning, sweetheart," she said with a trace of concern in her voice. "Sleep well last night?"
Danny nodded, although he knew his appearance didn't say much to the fact. He always looked awful in the morning if he didn't get enough sleep, though he supposed the bags under his eyes were enough of a constant fixture that they didn't alarm his mother much anymore. "Where's dad?" he asked.
"Downstairs," Maddie pulled the robe she wore over her nightgown tightly around her frame and laced it. "He's been working on the eulogy he's going give this afternoon."
"Oh," Danny said awkwardly. He remembered hearing his parents discuss the matter when he followed them to work the day of Jack's interrogation. "How's it going?"
"You'll have to ask him, dear," Maddie sighed. "This is his project, and he hasn't let me in on it at all." She smiled through the weariness that lined her face. "Since we're all up, I'm going to cook us a big breakfast. What would you like?"
"Oh, I'm not hun—" Danny started to protest, but Maddie reached out and brushed a hand through his unruly hair, sliding her hand down to caress his face lovingly.
"You're getting so thin," she commented. "Most boys fill out as they grow older. I worry sometimes."
"You don't have to," Danny assured her quietly. "I eat enough."
"Yes, well," Maddie drew her hand back, "a mother has to worry; a boy has to eat. What would you like?"
"Eggs will be fine." Danny hadn't had a proper breakfast in years, choosing to use the extra time to sleep or catch up on his homework as best he could before school began, but he didn't have the heart to tell his mother that he had fallen too far out of the habit to truly indulge.
"You don't have school today, do you?" Maddie asked as she began her descent downstairs. Danny followed behind her.
"No," Danny said truthfully. Sam and Tucker told him after he returned from the Ghost Zone the previous evening that Casper High would be closed today; everyone in town would be going to Vlad's funeral.
They spotted Jack sitting on the couch in the living room, his eyes transfixed on the television. Littered around him and on the floor were crumpled up balls of paper, and placed on the seat next to him was a brown leather-bound book. Jack didn't seem to notice them, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
"Jack?" Maddie called. Jack jumped, turning his head to find her voice in alarm. Danny saw his figure visibly relax when he realized that it was only his wife who had interrupted him. The two of them made their way over to the lounge where Jack was sitting. "Have you been up all night working on that thing?"
"No," Jack said. "I've been watching TV on and off as well."
Danny turned to the television, where Tiffany Snow was holding on to a stack of papers and delivering the news. "...discovered the grisly sight," she was saying.
"Turn it up," Danny commanded, not taking his eyes off the screen. Jack dutifully increased the volume.
"...body of Jason Belgrave was discovered in the early hours of the morning by the apartment's superintendent, Esther Williams, who claims that she was attempting to catch him before he went to work due to non-payment of his rent. When Belgrave failed to answer the door, she entered using her set of keys, only to find the remains of her former tenant splayed out on the floor. Belgrave's body is described to have been 'mutilated', with several internal organs missing..."
"How horrible," Maddie covered her mouth with a hand in sympathy. "That poor man."
Danny felt a sick lurch in his stomach.
"...Williams stated that alarm bells were raised in her mind as Belgrave had always been a model tenant, with a tendency to pay his rent several days before the due date..."
"Organs missing," Jack shook his head. "Sounds like there's some sort of wild animal on the loose." He turned to gaze up at Maddie. "What's for breakfast?"
Maddie snapped out of her reverie at once, quickly making her way to the kitchen to start cooking. Danny, however, remained where he was, taking in the details of the bulletin. 'Belgrave was a single white male, aged 36. He had no known family members..."
Jack switched the television off, waking Danny up. "You're up early," he noted. "I thought you would have been enjoying your day off. We don't have to be there until 12."
"I could say the same to you," Danny retorted, looking down at where his dad was sitting. "Mom says you've up all night."
Jack waved a dismissive hand. "Gotta get my speech down," he said by way of explanation.
Danny nodded. "How's it going?" he questioned.
Jack shrugged, getting to his feet and stretching out his limbs. He gave Danny a wan smile. "What can you say about a guy like Vlad?" he posed.
Danny nodded along. "He was a one-of-a-kind," he told his father kindly. His eyes shifted to the leather-bound book next to Jack. "What's that?"
Jack looked over, almost as if he hadn't even realized it was there. His face split into a toothy grin. "Oh, this!" he picked up the book and cradled it in his arms. "Your mom's going to love this. It's a photo album from our old college days!"
He brought a hand to one side of his mouth. "Oh, Maddie!" he called. "Look what I got..."
And he jogged over to the kitchen. Danny spared one last look at the now blank television, and shuffled after his dad.
Jack and Maddie were standing off to one side of the stove, engrossed with the photo album in Jack's hand. Maddie was grinning sardonically down at it while Jack chattered on, reminiscing old memories with a gleam in his eye. Danny took a seat as Maddie turned to flip the eggs and quickly turned back. Jack never broke his stride.
"And here's Dougie Finnerty – you remember him? He was my first roommate, before I met Vlad," Jack told Danny. "Good guy, but too involved with his girlfriend; I could never get a moment's peace with them around! And Vlad hated his roommate, so we made a request to be put together."
Jack flipped the page. "And here you are with Marty Hoover – never did figure out what that guy's problem with me was..."
Maddie giggled girlishly. "Well, Jack, he was my boyfriend at the time ... and you were flirting pretty hard."
Jack flipped the page again, and the two of them let out a faint approving murmur. "What?" Danny's curiosity was piqued. Jack turned over the book to show him the picture; it was one Danny had seen before: Jack, Maddie and Vlad, all wearing white lab coats and scrunched close together with camera-ready smiles.
"Most of these pictures are of us and Vladdy," Jack said to Maddie and Danny, and perhaps somewhat to himself as well. "It's why I dragged it out of storage." He flipped through several pages. "Didn't really help much with the inspiration while I was going through it alone, but..." he flashed Maddie a fond smile, "...I guess it's a different story when you have someone to go through the memories with."
There was a moment of quiet appreciation for Jack's words. Then Jack slipped the album shut and excused himself. It seemed that inspiration had finally struck.
For the second time in recent memory, Jack did not intend to join his family for a meal. But Danny felt a lot more positive about his absence this time around. His heart glowed warm at the memory of the secretive smiles his parents shared while going through the old photo album. Maddie seemed a lot more cheerful too. Danny was positive he even heard her hum a few bars as she clattered about the kitchen to make breakfast. Leaving her to cook in peace, Danny decided to go to his room and prepare for the funeral.
It was hard to believe that Vlad's body had been discovered by the Guys in White less than a week ago. The past six days had been some of the worst Danny had ever experienced in his life – and yet, he couldn't admit to wanting to take it back if given the chance. He felt as though he had aged a lifetime since last Saturday. In that short space of time, he had been through hell and back, with everything in his life ranging from school, Vlad, Dash, his parents and the Guys in White; and up until a few minutes ago, he had been feeling lost, but now...
He yanked the curtains apart, allowing sunlight to flood the room. He had kept the drapes firmly shut ever since the Guys in White had rolled into town, but now...
Now he felt ready to take on the world again.
After a long, luxurious shower, Danny opened the door to the adjacent bathroom, clad in only a towel. Steam billowed past as he wiped his feet on the mat to avoid getting wet footprints everywhere. He examined his closet, searching for the dark suit his parents had bought him a few years ago. He only wore it for formal occassions, and this seemed an appropriate time for it. He tossed on the shirt and trousers, and noted that while they were a little shorter, they did seem significantly baggier. Perhaps his mother had a point.
Deciding to leave the coat on the bed – it was only a little past 10:30; the funeral wouldn't be for a few more hours – he thudded downstairs and took his place at the breakfast table. Maddie had prepared a feast, but did not sit down to join her son in wolfing down pancakes.
"I'll be upstairs," she informed Danny, who was busy scooping scrambled eggs onto the topmost pancake before slathering it with maple syrup and folding it into a wrap to scarf down. "I have to take a shower and make sure your father is ready to go.'
"Go?" Danny mumbled through the disgusting concoction he had stuffed into his gullet. "Thought funeral didn't start till 2?"
"It doesn't," Maddie informed, pulling out her cellphone and typing in a quick message. "But we need to go down to the town center before then, don't we?"
Danny raised his eyebrows and noisily swallowed down the oversized bite he had taken. "The town center?" he questioned. "Why?"
Maddie smirked at the befuddled boy. "For the unveiling, of course!"
"Unveiling?" Danny blinked dumbly. "What unveiling?"
But Maddie was already making her way upstairs and did not seem to hear him, so Danny shrugged it off and scooped another hearty offering of scrambled eggs on top of the stack.
An hour or so later, the Fentons loaded themselves into the car. Jack had still not gotten his eulogy down the way he wanted it, so Maddie took the wheels while he sat in the passenger seat muttering quietly to himself. "What rhymes with 'orange'?"
"Store range," Danny said immediately, letting a wry grin play on his face.
"Jack," Maddie said warningly, "you aren't going to pass off one of your limericks as the eulogy are you?"
"Of course not," Jack rebuffed. "I just thought I'd warm up the crowd a little bit first."
Danny was surprised to find a sizable crowd milling about the town center. The center was located in the middle of Amity Park's business district, and surrounded by the public park, city hall, the mayor's office, and the shopping district. Danny quickly whipped out his phone and sent a text message to Sam and Tucker, asking them if they were around.
Water fountain, came Tucker's reply, referring to the circular water fountain located at the edge of the park where they often met and hung out. Telling his parents where he would be, Danny quickly escaped the crowd to find his friends.
"Did you see the crowd?" he asked in greeting when he found them lounging upon their usual bench. Tucker was fiddling around with his tie, looking most uncomfortable, while Sam lounged beside him with afashionable veil.
"That's nothing," Sam said dismissively. "Wait till you see how many show up for the funeral. I think this is going to be the biggest social event in Amity Park's history."
"You gotta hand it to Vlad," Tucker agreed. "He knows how to throw a party."
"At least it shows people still like him," Sam offered. "No matter what he did, he never alienated himself too far from the public. Unlike Michael Jackson. No one's going to care when he dies."
"I don't think that dude can die," Tucker added. The three of them chuckled.
"It's so strange to think he's gone though," Danny said, taking his place between them. Tucker scooted over to allow him space, and Sam rearranged her legs to make way. "So weird to think that I saw him, spoke to him, only a week ago."
A thought struck him, and he turned to Sam. "By the way, what's all this about an 'unveiling'?"
Sam quirked an eyebrow. "You mean the unveiling occurring in about..." she pretended to check her watch, "...ten minutes from now? You really need to read the papers more often Danny – didn't you know that the city's been commissioned to build a statue of Vlad commemorating him since his death?"
"What?" Danny was thoroughly confused. "Amity Park doesn't have the money for that."
"Amity Park isn't paying for it though, is it?" Tucker clarified. "The money is coming straight out of Vlad's estate."
"I thought you would have known about it before anyone else," Sam told him. "The news only broke out on Monday's paper. Didn't you say that Vlad's lawyers came to your house to discuss his will on Sunday?"
"Yeah well, no one told me about it," Danny said, feeling a little disgruntled. "Wait a minute, today's Friday – how could they have managed to build a statue in such a short time if the news only came out on Monday?"
Sam shrugged. "It's amazing what a billion-dollar fortune will get you."
They sat there on the bench, enjoying the sunlight and talking about nothing in particular until they saw a fancy black car escorted by several policemen on motorbikes pass them by. Tucker got to his feet and let out a hefty yawn while stretching his limbs. "Well, that's Mayor Stubbs's car. We'd better get going."
Sam and Danny followed his lead, returning to the crowd, which had grown livelier upon witnessing the mayor's arrival. Danny spotted several people from school leaving nearby coffeeshops and joining those gathered outside.
For the first time, Danny set his sights upon a large red sheet that obstructed a large construction from view. He had had a busy week, to be sure, but he still couldn't believe that he had failed to hear that Vlad was getting his very own statue in the middle of town.
The crowd quietened down as Ida Stubbs, the wizened, aged woman who had succeeded Vlad as mayor of Amity Park, took the stand. She was old-fashioned, that much was apparent, and had built her campaign around that fact, highlighting the main difference between her and Vlad's compulsion to drag the town forward with near-futuristic technology. Just like how Vlad had appealed to the public during his election run almost four years ago, Ida Stubbs had sought to do the same by inviting Amity Park back to more traditional values. Vlad had fought furiously, but after his failure to prevent the town from succumbing further to the influence of ghosts, his campaign was of no match to Stubbs' more down-to-earth approach.
"Welcome, welcome!" she crowed out. Her accent had almost a Hepburn-esque drawl to it. "Thank you all so very much for coming to our great unveiling today. Many of you could have spent the time you were given today at home with your friends and family; yet instead you are here with me, and I thank you."
She was good, Danny had to admit. Ida Stubbs exuded a kind of charisma Vlad had never been blessed with, gaining instant supporters due to her likability where Vlad had to grub and manipulate his way into the hearts of the people.
"We are gathered on this day for one reason only," she continued, "and that is to lay to rest our most beloved, our most revered, former mayor – Vlad Masters." There was a smattering of applause from the crowd. Mayor Stubbs allowed for it to die down before ploughing on. "Now I regret to say that I never personally had the benefit of knowing the mayor," she surveyed the crowd; "the extent of my relationship with him is limited to researching his stand on the policies that affect our town; I disagreed with him; he disagreed with me."
She gave a small smile. "But what I do know is that he is one of the finest, most capable, most resourceful men I ever did come across. Indeed, he was a teacher! He taught me not only what to expect when I took office, but also passed on the benefits of his experience and expertise, without which I would not have got along as I did; and for that, he taught me what it meant to be a proper politician – a proper lady – and a proper human being!"
There was a louder burst of applause from the audience, and Danny found himself clapping along. He didn't know if Mayor Stubbs was telling the truth; from what he knew, Vlad had been bitter to the last about his defeat in the polls.
"But before we lay our dear friend to rest," Stubbs concluded, turning to the great red coat behind her, "we pay tribute to his memory, now and forevermore—" she nodded to the group of men situated around the cloth, indicating that they ought to grab on to the ropes they were standing next to and begin pulling. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you..." The veil began to undo itself, falling away from the statue underneath.
"Vlad Masters!"
Danny sucked in his breath and he took in the sight of the statue. It was larger than life, looming above them twenty feet tall, and polished white as marble. Vlad stood there, upon a pedestal emblazoned with his name; the detailing was exquisite, from the ponytail and trimmed beard, to the outline of his signature suit, to the stern frown on his face. One arm was positioned akimbo, coming to rest upon the statue's hip, while the other – the right arm – extended forward to point its index finger at some far off place.
It was breathtaking.
The applause was thunderous now, but Danny didn't join in this time, his eyes fixated upon the monument in front of him. He couldn't believe this was the result of less than five days work.
Mayor Stubbs began talking again, but Danny couldn't hear her. He found himself completely awestruck by the sight before him, and was only nudged out of his thoughts by Sam elbowing him in the shoulder.
"Come on, Danny!" she said. "We're going to the church now. The funeral's going to begin."
Danny checked the time on his cellphone. "The funeral doesn't begin for another hour," he reminded. "It doesn't take that long to get to the church." For some reason , he found that he didn't want to leave the statue just yet.
"It will with traffic backed up like this," Sam gestured to the crowd dispersing all around them. "Come on!"
Danny remained where he was. "Maybe I'll just catch up with you guys there," he said uncertainly, glancing back at the statue. Sam and Tucker shared a look with each other.
"Dude," Tucker said gently, "I know today's gonna be hard for you – but I don't think your parents want to be alone right now." He nodded over to where Jack and Maddie stood, conversing quietly with one another. Danny bit his lip, giving the statue a lingering look.
"I guess you're right," he said. "I'm just being stupid."
Sam put a consoling arm on his shoulder. "You can look at that statue another day," she told him. "Right now you've got to say goodbye to Vlad."
Feeling bolstered by her words, Danny gave her a watery smile and nodded, plodding away to join his parents. Jack clapped him on the back as a sign of welcome, and the three Fentons headed back to the car.
Sam was right; the church was packed. Had Jack not been the one scheduled to deliver the eulogy, Danny doubted they would have been able to even get inside. "What did they do, sell tickets?" Danny muttered under his breath when he found Sam and Tucker again.
"Almost," Sam informed grimly. "My dad managed to reserve us a pew days beforehand."
The three of them were waiting, along with what seemed like most of the people in town, outside His Shining Grace, Amity Park's premiere Catholic church, where the service was to be held.
"I don't think we can get in," Tucker pouted, looking over the mass of people.
It was sickening. Danny watched as families chatted merrily with one another as they set down blankets upon the grass to settle on. Children laughed and chased each other through the legs of their parents. His eyes narrowed with dislike as he watched one girl talking on her cellphone while she painted her nails. If not for the fact that most were clad in black, Danny would have thought they were gathered for a celebration, not a funeral.
"Don't worry," Maddie reassured Tucker's parents. "If you stick with us, I'm sure you'll be able to get inside."
Danny checked his cellphone again. Despite the odds, they had made it with plenty of time to spare; the doors would not be opened for another ten minutes.
"Come on," he muttered to no one in particular. "Let's go stand under a tree. I'm burning up in this suit."
Jack and Maddie apparently thought this was a good idea, for they quickly followed Danny in his search for some shade, pausing only when they thought they heard someone calling Jack's name.
"Jack! Jack!" a voice in the distance hollered. "Hey, Fenton!" The three of them turned around, hardly believing that someone would be capable of such a ruckus, even on a day like this. Danny spotted someone with long black hair running to catch up with them.
"Look, Maddie!" Jack said excitedly. "It's Harry – Harry Chin!"
Harriet Chin, one of his parents old college mates, was surprisingly steady even in her platform heels as she rushed to greet them. Danny stared. Unlike almost everyone around them, Harry had chosen to forgo the traditional black in favor of a garish lime-green suit instead. Clutched tightly in her hand was a microphone with the logo for Channel 6 brandished across it.
"Ja-a-a-ck," she cooed as she drew close, her stiff posture in complete odds with the overly-friendly grin on her face. "It's been too long."
"Hello, Harry," Jack said a little less enthusiastically, apparently just as thrown off as Danny was by her bright outfit. "Things going well?"
"Super," she chirped. "Not for poor Vlad though – terrible, terrible. Don't you agree?"
"Yeah, well, we're all too young, I guess," Jack's eyes drifted down to take in the microphone in Harriet's hand, but didn't say anything. Maddie, though, was making no effort to hide the frown of displeasure on her face. Harry gave a fake laugh.
"Not Vlad though, he's always passed off as, shall we say, mature for his age – what with that white hair and all. Of course, at least he can say he made his mark on this world, what with that new statue they built for him downtown, and all that money – which, as I hear it, he's passed over to your son here," she reached out and ruffled Danny's hair, to his chagrin, before turning to Maddie with a bright grin, "and dear Maddie, of course." She turned her attention back to Jack once more. "Your thoughts?"
Before Jack could open his mouth, Maddie let out a correspondingly fake laugh in response. "Harriet, dear," she said scathingly, "need I remind you that we are at a funeral for one of our dear friends? If there were ever a chance for you to act with a little dignity, it's this one, and I suggest you take it, dear." With that, she placed a firm hand on Danny and Jack's backs and ushered them away.
"Wonder what's gotten into old Harry," Jack mused. "You'd think she didn't even care Vladdy was gone from the way she was acting."
Danny was sure to give his mother an appreciative smile on his father's behalf, which she returned in full.
There didn't seem to be any shady places available; most of the good spots had been taken by those who had the foresight to come early while the rest of the town was preoccupied with the statue's unveiling. More as a way to distract himself than anything else, Danny surveyed the grounds, from the large brick church with its slanted roof, to the concrete parking lot, and over to the graveyard, which was probably the only area in the vicinity not currently occupied by noisy families. At first glance, Danny simply passed over the solitary figure standing beneath one of the trees in the graveyard, then doubled back in surprise.
Checking to make sure no one was watching him, he squinted into the distance, forcing his eyes to flash green; his ghost half's eyesight was far better than his own. Slowly the man in the distance started to come into focus, the black silhouette gaining color and features. When the loner came gained full distinctiveness, Danny reared his head back in shock.
He searched out for Sam and Tucker, who were milling about with their parents. Sam was trying her hardest to pull her head away from her mother's iron grip as Pamela Manson licked at a bit of tissue before methodically rubbing at her daughter's face. Deciding he couldn't count on them for support at the moment, Danny broke away from his parents to march up to the man waiting in the graveyard. Agent M's words on the day of his father's interrogation came rushing back to him in an instant.
The albino.
"How do you do?" the man asked politely as Danny grew closer. "Lovely day we're having, isn't it?"
"What are you doing here?" Danny gritted out.
"Me? Why, I'm simply enjoying the sights," the man replied in an infuriatingly calm manner. He watched as Danny's hands clenched into fists. "Temper, temper," he tutted. "We wouldn't want to cause a scene, now, would we?"
"Look—" Danny burst out. "I am not in the mood to play games. Whatever it is you're planning, just forget about it and walk away while you still have the chance."
"There, there, little on," the man before him said in a falsely soothing voice. "There's no need to raise your tail so high; I simply came to pay my respects to our Vlad Masters. After all, it's not every day you get to see a ghost die." Danny paused. "Surprised, boy? Why should you be? After all, I know everything there is to know about ghosts." An evil grin revealed itself slowly upon the man's greyish face.
Danny pulled away, taking a step back. The man made no move to advance in on him, but Danny was nonetheless rattled by his presence. "Stay away," Danny told him. "You've been warned."
And then he turned around and strode quickly back to the awaiting crowd, trying his level best not to break into a run. On the way there, he pulled his cellphone out of his coat pocket and quickly typed a message containing only one word to Sam and Tucker.
Freakshow.
Danny hardly heard a word the priest said. He was seated in the front row with his parents to his left and the Foleys' to the right of him. His arms were folded over his chest and he stared down at the red carpeting that ran across the stage where Father Julian was delivering his opening sermon. From the pew directly behind him, where the Mansons' were seated, he could feel Sam's curious gaze prickling into the back of his neck.
Adverse to organized religion though he was, Danny had always found there to be something mystifyingly beautiful about churches. Golden sunlight turned purple as it streamed through stained glass windows depicting the saints; by Father Julian's right ear hung an image of Jesus upon the cross; red tapestries ran on either side of the walls portraying so many rich images upon their banner that Danny didn't even know where to start looking; but he wasn't looking; his thoughts were consumed by his earlier encounter.
So the Guys in White knew that Freakshow had escaped. Why had they not done anything about it? How was it possible for Freakshow to travel all the way to Amity Park between Wednesday, the day that Pelham had received the news that they lost communication their base unit in Washington, and Friday so quickly?
Danny sat upright, his mind playing over the hurried conversation between Agent M and Agent Pelham only a few days ago. They had mentioned a name. A name that was now chillingly familiar to Danny Fenton. He elbowed Tucker to get his attention. "Do you have your PDA with you?" he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. Tucker turned curious eyes on him.
"Of course," he said. "Why?"
"I need you to go online," Danny told him, keeping an eye out that Father Julian didn't catch them talking.
"Danny," Tucker admonished quietly. "We're in the middle of a funeral!"
"Just do it!" Danny whispered urgently. Tucker complied, sinking low in his seat and pulling out the device. Mr. Foley frowned at his son, but didn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt the service.
"I need you to look up a name," Danny continued, darting his eyes between Tucker and the priest. "Look up the name 'Belgrave' – 'Jason Belgrave'."
Tucker typed in the text quickly, using the edge of his fingernail as a substitute for his stylus. "Got it," he whispered. "Jason Belgrave on Most Recent News: discovered in the early hours of the morning ... Esther Williams ... oh, gross, Danny!"
"Where does it say he was from?" Danny breathed, still keeping his eyes carefully focused on the robed man addressing the parishioners.
Tucker scrolled down. "Washington. Why?"
But Danny slumped back in his seat and gave no answer. His mind was whirring.
So Jason Belgrave had been a Guy in White based in Washington. While the rest of the team had relocated to Amity Park to investigate Kwan's mysterious accident, he had been placed in charge of Freakshow back in the bureau's headquarters. It was on Wednesday that the Guys in White had realized they'd lost contact with him. But why him? What was so important about getting in contact with Jason Belgrave over everyone else?
"...as I walk through the valley of the shadow..."
How could Freakshow have possibly travelled all the way from Washington D.C. to Amity Park in such a short space of time? If Jason Belgrave's remains had only been discovered earlier this morning, he couldn't have been murdered too long ago. And if Freakshow had indeed murdered him before escaping the hold the Guys in White had him in, why was his body discovered in his apartment rather than headquarters?
"...thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me..."
And suddenly Danny understood. Agent Pelham had given him the answer even before Danny had known the question. "We even got our own ghost portal now," – hadn't that been what he'd said to Jack? A ghost portal based on the designs of the one in the Fenton's basement, which the Guys in White had acquired years ago, back when Danny and his family had briefly moved to the rich side of town.
Tucker stepped on his foot hard, and Danny was brought back to the present. He sat upright, realizing that the sermon was over. "Amen," he said quickly, the last person in the room to do so. He thought he heard a brief snigger from somewhere in the congregation. Jack got to his feet, and Maddie slid over to cover his spot and allow the rest of people seated at the pew more room to stretch out.
Jack took over the priest's place at the podium, holding tightly on to a stack of papers as though his life depended on it. He stared out at the mass of people gathered around with wide eyes for a moment, flicking over to look at the even bigger mob waiting outside trying anxiously to hear what he was about to say. Danny saw him visibly gulp. There was another long stretch of silence as everyone waited for Jack to begin. Someone in the room coughed.
"Vladdy—" Jack's voice came out as an unnaturally high-pitched squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Vladdy and I went back a long way; we first met in college, and well ... the rest, you can say, is history." Without his gloves on, it was easy to see his fingers shaking as he grappled with the pile of papers in his hands. "What can you say about a guy like Vlad? Well..." Jack leaned in close, his forehead creasing as he struggled to read his handwriting. "He – he was my best friend, and..."
"Mayday! Mayday!" Tucker said to Danny under his breath. Danny ignored him, focusing his eyes on his father, trying to provide his support.
Just look my way, he willed. Everything's going to be alright ... just keep calm and focus. It was a trick that always worked for him; whenever he had to give a presentation he was nervous for, Danny tried to seek out Sam and Tucker and feed off their energy.
But Jack didn't look his way. Instead he closed his eyes and sighed, before setting his papers down on the podium's surface. He glanced down before him, where the an ornate black casket with gold trimming lay closed. Danny watched him study the bouquet of flowers perfectly positioned atop of it.
"Vlad Masters," Jack began in a resigned voice, "was my friend. I loved him like a brother. They say that no two friends can get along all the time – well, they're wrong. Oh, I won't pretend that I agreed with everything that he did; after all, what's the fun in that?" He paused, his eyes running over the somber faces presented in front of him. "But he was my friend, and no matter what I thought about some of the things he did, I stood by and supported him all the same.
"Until recently." Danny glanced over at his mother, who was resolutely watching her husband. It wasn't hard to figure out what incident Jack was referring to. "I won't pretend that I agreed with everything he did," Jack reiterated. "Some of the things he did confused me; some things confused me; some things outright bamboozled me!" There was a light ripple of practiced laughter from the crowd. "But there was nothing that made me question his loyalty as my friend.
"Until recently." He paused again, holding on to either side of the podium. "I won't pretend that I understood everything that went through Vlad's mind; I don't think anyone here could say that. As much of a friend he was to me, there were times when Vlad seemed like more of a stranger. The way he lived; the way he kept to himself; it was hard to love him, and it was hard to be his friend sometimes.
"But I guess that's what friendship is," Jack straightened up. "There are some things about Vlad that I'll never know; things that I'll never get to know now. He did things I didn't agree with, things I didn't understand – but I know that he was always there for me. And that's what friendship is. Looking past the things you don't understand and still loving that person for who they are. So, Vlad," he addressed the casket now, "for the things I didn't agree with, for the things I don't understand – I forgive you. Because you will always be my friend. Rest in peace ... Vladdy."
"Amen," the congregation murmured.
Feet scraped the floor as those in the church stood up. Danny heard the cracking of spines as the crowd adjusted their bodies and let out sighs of relief before breaking into a low hum as they began to speak to one another. Their attention was briefly stolen away again as Father Julian returned to the podium, but he only gave them a toothy grin and declared, "To the resting place!"
Danny watched as four able-bodied men scooped up the intricate casket, marvelling at the ease they displayed. The Foleys' began to file out, and Danny and his parents followed suit. Danny watched from the corner of his eye as Maddie took Jack's hand in hers. "It was a lovely speech, Jack," she told him.
"Yeah, dad," Danny added as sunlight washed over their faces. "Vlad would have been proud."
Jack blushed and rubbed at the nape of his neck in embarrassment. "Ah, I'm not so good at speeches."
Maddie smiled up at him. "The best ones come from the heart."
They merged with the crowd once more at the adjoining cemetery. Danny noted with some satisfaction that Freakshow was nowhere to be seen. "Don't tell me they built that within a week too," he said to Sam, nodding at the mausoleum the crowd was assembled round.
"Vlad must have given them prior notice that he wanted a mausoleum for himself," Sam said uncertainly. "It looks really new though. Who knows?"
The crypt was inarguably beautiful. It was slate grey and towered above the people before it, though not as much as the statue in the town center. It looked like a humble house more than anything else, supported by two pillars on either end. Carved into the stone was a depiction of the Grim Reaper, its empty eyes staring out at nothing. Its skeletal arms criss-crossed each other to rest upon opposing shoulders; the right arm was bereft, but the left held on to its classic scythe. Suspended on the roof of the mausoleum was the Virgin Mary; unlike Vlad's statue in the middle of Amity Park, the particulars of this statue was not as elaborate; she did not have irises etched into her eyes the way Vlad's statue did, and so stared blindly down upon them, a benevolent smile upon her face, and her palms facing out, as though welcoming them to embrace her. On either side of her and the Grim Reaper were two small winged, baby-faced cherubs; their bodies were only halfway complete, sinking back into the stone roof where their arms ended; each of the cherubs rested their bountiful cheeks upon one arm, somehow able to gaze lovingly both up at Madonna and down at their audience at the same time.
"Look, Jack!" Maddie tore Danny's attention away from the chamber, pointing up at a tree. "have you ever seen birds with that kind of plumage?"
Danny turned to look at what she was pointing at. There, perched upon a sturdy branch, sat three vultures that boasted feathers of the purest green. Danny's eyes widened in recognition, while the birds simply sat over them and watched the proceedings curiously.
Danny stood aside as the priest hobbled over to his parents. "Ah, Jack!" Father Julian cried as he neared them. "It was a wonderful speech. Couldn't have done better myself." He inspected Jack and Maddie closely. "You'll be the ones then, eh?" he questioned, producing a small porcelain urn with red patterns painted upon it.
"Oh, yes," Maddie nodded, accepting the vase and nodding her thanks.
"Lovely, lovely," Father Julian said. "We'll be starting in a minute – but if you'll excuse me, I believe I see Ida Stubbs not too far away, and I haven't yet had the pleasure..." he straightened his posture slightly, dusting off his robe before bidding them goodbye and making his way over to join the mayor.
"What's that?" Danny questioned once he was gone.
"Vlad's ashes," Maddie informed him.
Danny turned to the crypt in alarm, then back to Maddie. "Vlad's ashes?" he echoed. "But then ... what's in the casket?"
"Nothing," Jack said. "It's empty."
"It's empty?" Danny, Tucker and Sam exclaimed together.
"Of course," Jack said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "They only ever recovered Vlad's head, and you don't expect us to put just that in the casket, do you? Vladdy was cremated days ago. This funeral is only ceremonial."
"Like I told you," Sam said faintly, "it's amazing what a billion-dollar fortune will get you."
After the casket had been placed within the bowels of the mausoleum, the Fentons' walked slowly together through the cemetery and back to their car. Danny trailed slightly behind his parents, who looked more like they were enjoying a romantic stroll through the park. Maddie had wrapped both her arms around Jack's right one and was leaning against him as they walked.
"It was a lovely service, Jack," she sighed. "The perfect way to say goodbye."
"Yeah," Jack replied, a beatific look upon his face. "I'm sure Vlad's looking down upon us and smiling right now." And if that smile was more of a smirk, well then, that was just Vlad Masters.
They were interrupted from their journey when a man Danny recognized as one of Vlad's lawyers came up to them and spoke in quiet tones to his parents. He watched as they nodded along, then Maddie turned towards him and pushed the urn into Danny's arms.
"Here, sweetie," she said. "We have some business to attend to; why don't you get a ride with Sam or Tucker, and we'll see you later at the house?"
"Are you sure?" Danny questioned, glancing over to the lawyer standing a respectful distance away.
"We're positive. Mister Zechariah here just wants to go over a few things with us; we won't be long," Maddie told him. Danny nodded, and left to go find Sam and Tucker.
After some quick talking, the three of them left, with the Foleys' under the impression that the trio would get a ride back from the Mansons', and the Mansons' believing their daughter would be hitching a ride with the Foleys'. Danny hooked his arms around Sam and Tucker's and transformed before taking off into the air.
"What are we doing?" Tucker yelled into Danny's ear, trying to be heard over the rush of the wind.
"You'll see," Danny responded. "There's something I need to do."
They didn't speak again until they reached their destination. Danny landed at the foot of Castle's Point on the other side of town, and set Tucker and Sam gently down with him.
"I was thinking," he said by way of explanation. "Since this whole procession was 'only ceremonial', we never really got to say goodbye to Vlad, did we?"
"What are you going to do?" Sam questioned.
Danny patted the urn in response. Sam and Tucker nodded in understanding.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Tucker offered. Danny shook his head.
"No. I think I want to do this alone, if you don't mind," he said. When they assured him they didn't, he raised himself upward, floating to the very tip of the hill and planting his feet firmly on the edge. The sun was only just beginning to set, burning the whole sky a combination of pink and gold. Danny broke away from the sight to roll the small urn between his hands, trying to think of what to say.
"You're a dickwad."
He raised the urn up to eye-level. "I know what you were trying to pull with that last trick. You really should have learned a little something about subtlety when you had the chance."
A sound that may have either been a laugh or a sob escaped him, and he lowered the urn a little.
"But if my dad can learn to forgive you ... then I guess I can too."
He unscrewed the lid away from the body of the vase.
"Rest in peace, Vlad. Even you deserve at least that."
And then he thrust his arms outwards, and watched as a shower of ashes cascaded into the sky, freezing still for a moment before being carried off by the wind to places unknown.
He stood there then, alone, isolated, the only one. Closing his eyes, he allowed his heart to unclench itself. This was the end. The one person, the only other person in the world that could ever truly understand Danny was gone. And it was time to let go.
When he opened his eyes, he realized for the first time that he hadn't gone numb as he was so prone to doing. He felt opened, raw. It was a strange new feeling, dangerous, and yet not unbearable. The wind blew cold against him, causing his hair to flutter. The sun was giving way to night now, sinking almost completely in the horizon. Danny decided to stay and watch it go.
There was a loud screech to the left of him, and he turned his head, and watched with some surprise as three vultures of the purest green soared together through the sky, perfectly aligned, in the direction of the dying sun.
Author's Note: I hope this chapter doesn't look weird. I'm using my Japanese friend's computer to upload this chapter so I hope it doesn't screw up the formatting. It looks fine on the Document Manager so I hope that's a good sign.
I hope I managed to do justice to Vlad with this chapter. It turned out a little longer than I wanted it to, but oh well. I really wanted this chapter to be shorter than the last, because I'm pretty sure the next chapter is going to be long too. Consider this chapter as a sort of interlude between the past few chapters and the ones to come.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to say welcome to all the people who have recently discovered this fic. It makes me feel so good to see so many new people reviewing this fic and adding it to their Story Alerts and Favorites. I felt bad about skipping out an entire year on this fic, but now I know that if I hadn't done that, I probably wouldn't have gained all of you like I did now, so it makes me feel really good to welcome you all as this story reaches its ultimate conclusion. Hope to hear your thoughts on this chapter. I quite like the way it turned out and I hope all of you reading this did too.