Chapter 16

Amity Park, Indiana

Three Days Later

Samantha Marie Manson Fenton would have appreciated the weather on the day of her funeral. It was a cool rainy day when her friends and family all gathered to lay her mortal body to rest. No words were spoken among them only looks exchanged and the sound of crying and mourning were exchanged. Danny sensed all the emotions of everyone there. Tucker and Valerie's sadness was tinged with shock and disbelief while Jazz's feelings were directed more towards him and his kids. Sam's parents' sadness was mixed with raw hatred, all of it directed at him, the most powerful man on Earth, who couldn't save their daughter. Their combined hatred could only be matched by Danny's own hatred directed at himself. At last they reached the synagogue and Tucker stood up to give the eulogy.

"Sam…was the most unique and headstrong person I ever knew. When we first met we were seven years old, and she was the one girl that wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She was slinging mud around with all the boys there, and she still wasn't as dirty as the rest of us. Sam got a face full of dirt and me and Danny got the guy that hit her. Ever since then, we were all inseparable. We didn't always get along well, and in High School she went a little overboard with her causes, but we all managed to get through it together. Sam was probably the least afraid of us all when ghosts started to appear. I know that watching her is what made me man up when I needed to.

"Sam and Danny raised their kids as best as they could. Most women wouldn't have been able to raise kids with powers like she did. There were some days when she'd call me and Valerie just to vent about how crazy her life had gotten. And every time she called me, she'd always say that it was worth it. Sam never regretted her life. She lived the way she wanted to live. In the end, I guess that all there is to it," Tucker said as he gave her one last farewell, "Goodbye, Sam." The coffin-bearers came and everyone followed them as they carried Sam's body to her family's plot. Everyone was crying as her coffin was placed into the ground. Danny stepped forward first and put three shovelfuls of earth over her coffin, as he did he recited the appropriate prayer, "V'hu ra-chum,y'cha-payr övon, v'lo yash-chis, v'hirböh l'höshiv apo, v'lo yö-ir köl cha-möso." He, being compassionate, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy; time and again He turns away His anger, and does not arouse all His wrath. All of them performed the last good deed they could do for her, only Cameron, William, and Morgan did not participate in the burial of their mother.

At last the hole was filled and the Rabbi led everyone in the Tziduk Ha'din prayer. As they all said it, the sounds haunted Danny. It was supposed to sing of God's justice, and how He was just and faithful. Danny did not feel that way, not throughout the Tziduk Ha'din, nor the 49th Psalm that followed. At last all the prayers were said. For the next hour Sam's Parents as well as Danny and his children politely accepted everyone's condolences, but none of them truly felt comforted. At last, Danny couldn't take anymore. He went to Tucker and asked him, "Tucker, please, just take us home. I don't want to be here anymore, none of us do." "Okay," Tucker said. Cameron, William, and Morgan said goodbye to their grandparents, and then they all took Tucker's car and headed home through the rain. Tucker kept quiet the whole time out of respect to his best friend.

At last they reached their home and Danny and his kids went inside. The first one to start crying again was Cameron. She grabbed Danny by his suit and said, "Why did you let this happen!? How could you let this happen!?" Danny hugged his oldest daughter tightly as she vented all her anger at him. "Why aren't we strong enough!? Why wasn't I strong enough?" Cameron cried. "Cammie, I'm sorry I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Danny cried with her as he went to his knees. William and Morgan held their older sister and Father and together they all cried. Danny didn't know how long they all stood there all he knew was that with every tear shed, every cry vented that it made it just a little bit better. Finally, they had no more tears to shed. Danny got up and wrapped all three of them in a hug and said, "I promise you, I won't let anyone hurt you again." His thoughts turned to Sam and he silently prayed, I promise, I won't let them become monsters.

They all stood up and changed to their pajamas, it was later than they realized. Danny tucked William and Morgan into bed. He gave them both a kiss on their forehead and told them, "I promise you, we're going to get through this." He went to Cameron's room last to see her lying on her side. "Cameron," Danny said, he knew that she was still angry at him. He sat on the bed with her and said, "Cameron." "What," she angrily said, not looking at Danny. "I know how you feel," Danny told her. Cameron's anger went down, slightly. "Cameron, if I could, I would take her place in a heartbeat, but I can't," Danny said, his voice choking up. Cameron lay there for five minutes before on the verge of more tears she said, "I just…why do I feel like I could have done more?" "I don't know Cammie, I don't know," Danny admitted, "maybe there are things I could have done, maybe there wasn't. But I do know that none of this was your fault. Do you hear me? None of it. You did everything you could, we did what we could. We saved a lot of people. She would be proud of you."

Cameron sat up and Danny hugged her, "I'm proud of you Cammie, and I always will be." Cameron swallowed and said, "I love you Daddy, I'm sorry for what I said. I'm sorry…" "I know sweety, I know," Danny told her as he laid her down to sleep. Danny left her room and went back to his and Sam's old room. He laid down on the cold bed, and tried to sleep.

Author's Note: Reviews are greatly appreciated. And no, I'm not ending this series on such a low note. I would like to give a special thank you to the guest that calls themselves TheDandyman, Goliath Pyroson, and Guntherson962 for your reviews.