Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom as it's the property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International. I am just a loyal fan and nothing more.
Unshattered Bonds
Chapter 22: Together again
Ember and Danny soon found themselves back in Amity Park, in her penthouse and Ember found herself feeling a great weight lifted from her shoulders. After so many days trapped in that hell of a timeline, it was just so good to be back home. She was silent, happy that things were finally over.
"I was almost worried I'd never see this place again..." Ember muttered as she looked at her home.
The same home that she acquired after she went straight. The home she had earned from all of her hard work and her music career. The same one that she knew she never would have gain had Danny not helped her see the light. She soon sat on her favorite couch with Danny joining her.
"It's good to be back..." Danny said but noticed her silence.
He knew that when Ember was quiet, it was because something heavy was on her mind.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?..." Danny asked.
He knew that she must have gone threw something major from what he was told. Having to deal with BOTH Vlad and Paulina screwing with time was not an easy task but Ember managed to save both him and the world from those lunatics. He had no memory of those events since they pretty much never happened now but he knew that Ember did remember it.
"It's just...I'm just so glad that it's finally all over and that I'm with you again..." Ember said with a sigh, gaining a tired look in her eyes.
"Then why so quiet?..." Danny asked, confused.
Ember managed to beat the bad guys, save the day and they were together again, safe and sane back home and Vlad and Paulina were finally getting what they deserved. Why wasn't she more thrilled?
"Because. ...it all came so close...it was so close to losing you in what was probably the most painful way possible. .." Ember said as she was now clinging to him, trying hard not to cry.
"Ember..." Danny whispered as he held her tighter.
It was obvious that whatever happened during that alternate timeline had been very stressful and painful to her, he could only imagine what it must have felt, being forced to watch him trapped in Paulina's arms and nearly be dragged down the aisle by her while Vlad manipulated everything behind the scenes. Such a thing was enough to make him ill to his own stomach but he could only imagine how painful that must have been for her to see it all.
"It's over now and we are together again...You managed to beat them and save me and I am so proud of you..."Danny said as he kissed her forehead.
Ember merely gave him a soft look in her eyes as she continued to hold onto him, not wanting to let go.
"There were times Danny...that things looked so bad and I saw so scared that I was really going to lose you...to those monsters and our entire relationship would have been undone and...and...you have no idea how terrified I was of that..." Ember confessed as Danny tried to sooth her.
He felt his heart break hearing this. She sounded so vulnerable right now and he wanted to let her know that no matter what, he wasn't going anywhere, not now and not ever.
"You didn't lose me and you never will, like it or not Ember, you're stuck with me for good..." Danny said, earning a light chuckle from her in the process.
"I really missed you. .." Ember said as she enjoyed being in his arms.
" I did too...Even if I don't remember anything, I have a feeling that my alternate self missed you too..." Danny said in a sincere tone.
Ember smiled, as she knew he was right about that. The other version of Danny, the one that was lost and confused still loved her and it was that love that saved him from being controlled and corrupted by Paulina and Vlad. No matter what they did, Danny would always be Danny, the wonderful, sweet, caring man who she would love for all of time and no matter what, they couldn't destroy the beautiful soul that he was.
"I know..." Ember said.
The two lovers shared a tender kiss, feeling all of their tension melting away. Once separated Danny gave her an unusual look. Ember noticed that he was now on his knee and holding her hand tightly.
"Ember Mclain, will you marry me this June?..." Danny asked in a sweet voice.
"What? What are you saying?..." Ember asked, totally confused.
June was less than 4 months away and Danny originally said that he wanted time to properly plan the wedding. It usually takes over six months to plan a real wedding, so what changed that tune?
"This whole thing just showed me that...time is short and you just can't predict what will happen but if there is one thing that I am certain about, it's that I love you and I want to be with you until the end of time...Sure four months is a short amount of time to plan a wedding but all I know is that I want to call you my wife as soon as I possibly can..." Danny said, still kneeling.
Ember was stunned but soon found herself smiling warmly at him. There was that sweet heart of his, the warm, gentle voice and those sincere blue eyes and the sweet way he put things that always made her fall in love with him all over again.
"Why June?..." Ember asked and Danny gave her a coy smile.
"The weather is perfect and Paris is lovely that time of the year for a honeymoon, so what do you say?..." Danny said with a cute smile.
Ember gasped in delight, found herself grinning silly and soon found herself hugging and kissing him.
"I do..." Ember said before she and Danny went back to their kissing.
Both determined that no matter what, nothing will ever separate them ever again.
Later
In Athens, Greece
Cupid, now equipped with his arrows and regaining his title, was busy searching for those desperately in need of love. He soon came across a young woman who has been spurned by her love and dealing with a broken heart. He also saw that a shy man has taken a fancy to her but was too timid to make a move.
"Let's see...both are the right age...his interest seems genuine and I sense no ill intentions within him..." Cupid missed before he pulled out a sacred love arrow and shot at both the man and the girl.
He soon saw the shy man approach the girl with a bouquet of flowers that he wanted to give her and the sad look on her face soon turned happy. He could sense a positive vibe between those two and the chances of a bond forming were very good.
"Wonderful, now to let nature take it course..." Cupid said as he left them alone.
He would check to see if they progressed on their own later, enough to form a legitimate bond. He knew now that he could only guide love, not force it and that once a couple forms a bond or not, it's all up to them now.
"I hope that I made the right choice pairing them..." Cupid said to himself, hoping that he wouldn't have to undo this in the future.
"I think you did make the right choice..." A new voice suddenly said.
Cupid froze. He couldn't believe it and he was certain his mind was playing tricks on him. There was no way he could have heard that voice. It has been eons since he has heard that voice...Her voice.
Somehow, the newly appointed spirit of love found the will to turn around. There he saw a very beautiful female ghost in a light blue Grecian dress. She had long golden hair in braids, her skin was pale but looked as flawless as a polished pearl and her green eyes shined like emeralds. She was still as beautiful now as she was all those centuries ago.
"Psyche..."Cupid whispered but he was still too stunned, scared that he was having a hallucination.
"Hello Cupid..."Psyche said with her voice low.
They were both silent for a long time, before Cupid found the will to take a step forward.
"Is it really you?...'He said with his voice trembling.
He felt like his emotions have turned into a hurricane. This was the woman he had married against his mother's wishes, the same one who broke his heart when she had left him all those years ago and the same one that he wished and prayed every night since then to come back to him.
Now she was right in front of his very eyes, still as beautiful as she has always been...He also saw that she looked like she hasn't been happy for a very long time and she also looked like she was about to start crying.
"Yes, I am...Cupid...I am so sorry...I am so sorry and ashamed that I hurt you...I know that you are angry and might not want to see me but I just-..."Psyche was silenced when Cupid suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace and she felt his tears drop on her shoulders but he wouldn't let go.
"I never thought I would see you again..."Cupid cried as he held her tighter, not wanting to let go out of fear of losing her once more.
Psyche found herself returning his embrace, along with tears. After what felt like a really long time, they let go and Cupid and her just shared a look.
"What brings you back? I looked everywhere for you but I couldn't find you..."He said in a soft voice.
"I came back because the man that I fell in love with came back...I know what you did to help that ghost and half mortal..."Psyche said, surprising Cupid.
"You know?..."Cupid asked, seeing her smile.
"Yes and I am so happy...so happy and proud that you did the right thing again..."Psyche said with more tears sliding down her cheeks as she just kept smiling.
"How? How could you have know and how did you know where to find me?..."Cupid asked, totally lost here.
"Let's just say I know of a certain mother-in-law who wouldn't shut up about it..."Psyche said.
Cupid was stunned, unable to believe it.
"My mother?..."Cupid asked in disbelief as Psyche nodded.
"She had Clockwork track me down and she told me of what you did...She said that she has never been prouder of you..."Psyche said happily.
He knew that his mother expressed her guilt over the years but this was something unbelievable. He knew that his mother absolutely loathed Psyche and to learn about this, Cupid felt a warm feeling in his chest, one he has not felt in so long and especially in regards to his mother Aphrodite.
"Remind me to thank her..."Cupid said as he pulled Psyche into another hug.
The two stayed in that embrace and began to kiss. Cupid felt such a rush of power and energy from it as he felt his heart beat like mad and he felt so...so happy right now.
"Do not get me wrong Psyche darling, I am still angry about a lot of things, but right now I am just to happy to care for the moment..." Cupid said.
"I understand, we have a lot to talk about..." Psyche nodded.
"I have all of the time in the world..."Cupid said as he sent her a gentle smile.
"So do I..."Psyche said as she gave him a loving look.
The once estranged husband and wife shared another kiss and felt such a rush of power and happiness that neither have felt in thousands of years. Every tear, every cry, every scream and every broken heart no longer mattered as they once again, were together again and both vowed that this time, they would never lose the other ever again.
Unknown to the reunited couple, a certain mother and time master was witnessing their reunion, one with tears and the other with a smile. Clockwork had been able to track Psyche down easy since he knew that she would only want to be found the moment she sensed that Cupid had truly changed for the better. He had been happy when Aphrodite requested finding the girl after they sent Danny and Ember home, since she had unfinished business to settle.
"That was a wonderful thing that you have done, my dear..."Clockwork praised as he closed the time window, wanting to give the couple some privacy.
'Well, no matter what, my son loves her and there is a bond between them that just cant be broken, believe me, I have tried..."Aphrodite said but Clockwork knew that she didn't mean anything by it.
"You won't have to worry anymore, you're son has found his way to the right path and I can safely say that he won't stray from it now that his faith in love has been renewed..." Clockwork said to his lady love.
"That makes me feel so relieved...I always knew that my son had a lot of pride but now that his faith and compassion has been restored, he will be a grand spirit of love as he was always destined to be...'Aphrodite said, feeling so happy and proud of her boy.
'And about Psyche?..."Clockwork said in a pressing tone and Aphrodite pouted.
"I suppose I will try to be more civil, but if she tries to leave him again, a new makeover is going to be the least of what I have in store for her..."Aphrodite said in a protective mother tone and Clockwork chuckled.
"Don't worry, she's not going anywhere...She finally has what she wanted, as it was the same thing you did as well..." Clockwork answered.
Soon, they both were silent, as they knew they had to talk about what has happened.
"I do apologize about your suspension, no offense to your son but you had been doing a great job on your second term..."Clockwork said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"That's alright, I wasn't planning on keeping that job forever...I was only holding onto it until Eros proved to me that he was ready for the responsibility..."Aphrodite said with a shrug.
"So what will you do now?...'Clockwork asked.
"I will go back to my retirement...I might not be able to guide love now but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it..."Aphrodite said as she found herself holding his hand.
"Remember that I am on probation and the Observants are just dying to hold it over me...'Clockwork sighed.
"These next few years are going to be so tedious ..."Aphrodite sighed.
"It's not forever and I have all of the time in the world, no pun intended..."Clockwork said as he gave her hand a firm squeeze.
Aphrodite smiled at that and nodded.
"It took me over a thousand years in order to finally win you over Clockwork, don't think I'm going to let you go now that I finally have you..." Aphrodite said with a challenging smile.
"Just so long as we don't mix business with pleasure, that's what got us in trouble in the first place..."Clockwork reminded her.
"I hear you loud and clear...Business time and pleasure time are two separate things...so which time is it now?..."Aphrodite asked in a coy, flirtatious tone.
Clockwork shook his head and sent her an amused look.
"I am afraid that it's time for business, I can sense that the observants will stop by soon and I don't want you to risk getting in trouble again..."Clockwork said honestly.
"I understand...'Aphrodite said sadly.
Clockwork suddenly leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips, surprising her.
"Just because we can't... explore the depths of our feelings...does not mean that I want to stop seeing you, even if it's for a brief visit..."Clockwork said gently.
'Clockwork...'Aphrodite said.
"Aphrodite, always know that I will always have time to share a kiss with you...'Clockwork whispered into her ear.
"You truly are one of a kind...'Aphrodite purred happily.
The time master and the former guardian of love shared one more kiss before needing to leave. No matter what, they had a bond between them and not even the observants could dictate them over it. The probation and suspension will not last forever and even so, Aphrodite always managed to get the man that she wanted in the end and it didn't matter how long she had to wait before she could become physical with him again.
The beautiful spirit pulled out her magic mirror and saw the image of Clockwork who was trying not to pull his hair out listening to the Observants nagging. She giggled, feeling sorry for him but knowing that as soon as they were gone, she could visit him again.
She soon saw images of her son and his wife still embracing and sighed, seeing that her son was finally happy again and she was happy for him, even if it was with Psyche. She then saw images of Danny and Ember, happily laughing as they kept embracing each other.
She felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders. She finally had her son's love back, he was happy, healthy and would become the man she always knew he would be. She might have lost her title but she got her son back and that was all that mattered to her. She didn't need Clockwork to know that the future seemed bright now not only for her but her family, friends and especially with her beloved time master.
"Love is so grand..." Aphrodite said as she put her mirror away and felt so happy.
And she knew that more happiness would come not just for her, but for everyone who was blessed by the beautiful gift known as love.
To be continued-
Next time on Unshattered Bonds
Happily Ever After
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:
Wiseguy2415: I get what you mean now.
Invader Johnny: Yes, it certainly is fitting.
Guest: Thank you, I try.
The Reviewer: You won that bet, congrats!
Phantom of the Future: Thanks for pointing out that little error. Typos are the worst.
Feurrige: Maybe but as stated, his suffering is his own doing.
Fatcatjohn: You're welcome, it was my pleasure. Also, I guess you have a point, she might have lost her job but she still has her man :)
:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)