Author's Note:
To E-Dantes, Permanent Chaos, Chaos Dragon, YumeTakato, cardinal, daydreamr'girl, and seghen
thank you very much for reviewing!
Catalyst: A Story about Change
Chapter 21: Sadness, Dimitri, and a Bimbo
Danny stared at the silent video images moving before him, too mesmerized to look away. He'd known deep down, he'd known. But he'd been putting this off…
Sam sat on a carpeted floor, playing with her son. Her black hair picked up the sun as she made faces at the child, reflecting purple highlights that somehow complemented her violet eyes. The boy had her black hair, with the same unusual highlights, but his eyes were a bright blue.
Her face glowed. The child's face glowed.
Danny couldn't look away. He sighed softly, torn between anger and longing. Vlad, you…bastard. Yet he wasn't truly surprised, just disappointed. He knew the man too well.
Vlad had been watching her. Danny pursed his lips disconsolately, mulling over a troubling thought. Had Vlad ever truly talked to Sam, as he'd told him, or had the man simply been spying on her back in Idaho as well…?
It was a shock when the answer, obvious though it was, came to him.
He saw my conversation with Sam…
He'd seen him crying, Sam crying, his insanely angry younger self racing through the door to give him the worst beating of his life…
Deep embarrassment coursed through him, followed by a flash of anger. That had been private, damn it! To think that Vlad had seen their conversation, heard all the promises he'd made, seen him beg to her on bended knee...
His eyes glazed over, no longer taking in the video, as the humiliation deepened.
Slowly a depressing gloom settled over him, as he realized that Sam had never called Vlad, had never asked the halfa to look for him after the fight with his younger self. Vlad had clearly decided to look for him based on the video feed alone. He'd probably predicted the outcome...
But it had been so important, to think that Sam had been worried enough to check up. Danny smiled to himself sadly as the comforting belief he'd held close to his heart these past months finally dissipated. He slowly focused back in on the video. Sam. She meant so much to him; Vlad had known exactly what to say. He grit his teeth, anger rising again.
But the feeling was kept in check. After all, Vlad had been so helpful to him, so kind, so…
Only to get on your good side, you fool.
Danny frowned darkly. It felt like a betrayal, to think that Vlad wanted to steal his son, and probably intended to use him to do it. Why else would Vlad have done so much for him?
But he never had a guarantee that I'd help, or that he could manipulate me successfully, and so far he's allowed me to stay here with him, helped me heal, taught me how to build a fortune…
It was as though Vlad had two minds, and they were in conflict with one another. Danny could see the uncertainty, could practically sense the confusion the halfa felt around him.
And when he confided in me, about his parents…that was real. That was personal.
Danny focused in on the video again, allowing his thoughts about Vlad to fall to the wayside. He didn't know how to deal with him anyway.
After a few moments Sam placed Nathaniel back in his playpen (which was where the camera was focused) and walked out of view.
Danny watched the tiny child as he crawled forward awkwardly, mouth silently opening and closing in what were probably excited yells, until he had reached the edge of the pen, where he placed one hand on the wall in a gesture that yelled "Mom, over here! I wanna play more!" He had a huge smile plastered across his face.
Danny felt the sadness and anger melt away, as a warm feeling took its place. Nathaniel. Gift of God. It was...a surprise to him. And a comfort, to realize that that was how she saw their child. A tiny smile graced his face as Nathaniel laughed excitedly.
He hadn't felt this...warm in such a long time. He was part of something again. He had family.
The feeling was bittersweet, but Danny could feel pride welling up in him. And something about Nathaniel was awe inspiring. The kid looked just like him at that age; he could still remember the baby pictures that used to be so embarrassing. Somehow, miraculously, he'd managed to produce a tiny human being, a happy, healthy little child. A son.
That didn't mean he could ever discount how terribly he'd hurt Sam; his deep seated guilt was a daily reminder. But a not so tiny part of him was still jumping up and down yelling "Look at what we created together! Look! That's our son!"
Danny's smile grew sad as his thoughts came back to Vlad. The man was truly pathetic, in his search for a son of his own. Someone who, as a halfa, could fully understand and love him. Danny almost understood the obsession, better than he ever had before. But why couldn't Vlad just...
He rolled his eyes in aggravation. The man was so attached to Danny's mother that he wouldn't go and find some available woman to start his own family with...though of course that could be tricky as a halfa, he knew. But then his mom was a ghost hunter; it hardly seemed like Vlad could choose anyone more inappropriate...
Danny crossed his arms and drummed his fingers on a bicep in irritation. On one hand he was very angry at the man, and was tempted to go pummel him for being such a manipulative twit. But then he could empathize with Vlad (although he'd never let him have Nathaniel). And shouldn't he, of all people, appreciate how important forgiveness could be?
And besides, here was an opportunity to see Sam and Nathaniel at home, mother and child; to see their joy and know that it was genuine. His gaze softened again, as Nathaniel, my son, wobbled and fell back into a sitting position, only to maneuver himself forward again to pat the wall of the pen expectantly.
Danny's face split into a grin. Part of him was still crowing with pride, however misplaced, to think that he was the father, no matter what…
Sam walked back into the picture, smiling widely as she picked an excited Nathaniel back up. She glanced behind her.
A heavy weight suddenly settled itself in Danny's gut.
His younger self was there, joining them with a hesitant smile on his face. He and Sam talked for a few silent moments, and then she held Nathaniel out to him expectantly. The boy stepped forward, with a look of concentration and awe on his face, to take the child carefully in his arms.
Danny's nostrils flared, and he unconsciously clenched his fists. He continued to watch as his younger self broke into a genuine grin when Nathaniel placed a hand on one of his cheeks, talking his eager baby talk.
Danny stared at the scene. Somehow things had gone from daydream to nightmare. That was his son, and yet there his younger self was, filling in as, as…!
They were acting like the perfect little bloody family unit!
Damn you, damn you, damn you…
Danny stood up suddenly, but felt unaccountably weak, as if all the strength in his limbs was being drawn into a pit of churning fear and rage in his stomach. He felt sick, as though the world had turned sideways.
He still had it all. Hehad it all! Family, friends, the girl of his dreams, and now his son! His younger self hadn't gone through the loss, the pain, the horror; he had no idea what it meant to lose everything, and yet the boy still had the nerve to call him a monster, still had the nerve to take the last thing that was his alone…
Danny's face contorted into a mask of anger. The arrogant, self centered, spoiled brat! And then there was Vlad, also trying to steal Nathaniel…
He floated up, still staring down at the damned scene that ate into his mind like a powerful acid, tearing apart all his hopes and dreams, all the secret wishes he'd had, that somehow, somehow…
His face crumpled in anguish, and he found himself rushing forward, fist upraised…only to pull back at the last instant, face inches away from the computer screen. His younger self had fallen out of the scene for a moment, leaving Nathaniel hanging in his arms, with Sam close by…
A strangled sound escaped his throat, and he floated down to frantically turn off the video feed, to stop the unwanted images. Then he stared at his hand, still on the keyboard, as his emotions roiled.
That was his son. His son. He brought a hand to his face, covering his eyes, as the anguish ripped through him. Why?
Yes, he'd done horrible things, but…weren't they the same? If he'd lived his younger self's life, would that be him on the video, and his other self here, watching? How, then, was it fair that his life was hell, while he got heaven?
Danny crouched in mid-air, tense, as the anger fueled adrenaline, something he'd been suppressing for so long, finally raced through him again. Rage had been his sole protector; it had never allowed him to feel anguish for very long. How had he forgotten that?
Instinctively, he sought out the nearest enemy, teleporting himself, invisible and intangible, back to the higher floors, to the study Vlad used during the day, his blood boiling as he went.
You miserable, manipulative bastard! You want my son? Allow me to demonstrate how your pretty mansion can be leveled using your body as the battering ram!
And Danny was suddenly there, right in front of Vlad, fists clenched, teeth bared in a manic smile, yet still invisible and undetected. He stared at the older man, sitting there oblivious, as he wrote in one of his damned notebooks. Not for long…
Something made him pause. Maybe it was that Vlad looked nearly happy, a rare thing for him. As Danny watched, Vlad chuckled slightly to himself, and carefully wrote something in the noteboo…
Danny's heart lurched.
It was the essay he'd given Vlad yesterday. He had spent a lot of time on it. And now here was Vlad, looking it over, marking it up, and smiling to himself happily, almost dotingly…
It was like getting his head dunked in a bucket of ice water. The burning anger left him, leaving confusion and pain in its wake. He stared for another moment, panicked; then he floated up, and up, until he was suspended above the entire mansion.
He hovered for a moment, trying to think. Phantom images were playing in his head of the mansion as it was years ago, in smoke and flames…
Then he opened a pathway to the Ghost Zone, numbly aware that he couldn't stay here; he couldn't act on his destructive instincts or everything would truly be lost this time, everything...
Liquid lines were gliding down his cheeks; some part of his fractured consciousness was crying. Maybe it was his dead human half, or perhaps, after all these years, he was finally shedding the tears that, as a ghost, he never had.
He'd nicked someone's cell phone, and now he floated, invisible, just outside his sister's dorm room window. He could see her, only feet away, as she sat at her desk studying. The desk faced the window, no doubt to make use of the natural light.
He'd spent some time in the Ghost Zone, calming back down. And then he'd decided to come here. He didn't want to analyze why. He just…wanted to talk to Jazz. And he knew he wasn't...quite safe yet, but that he'd never harm her.
It hadn't taken long to locate a computer with internet access- practically every house had one these days. Then he'd just guessed at her school (he'd been right with his first guess: Yale), and acquired her number using the online student directory. After that, finding her dorm room had been easy. It had been important to see her as they spoke. Though again, he wasn't willing to analyze why.
Now he was ready, her number already dialed into the cell, waiting to be sent. Danny closed his eyes for a moment, jaw clenched, and tried to calm down. But the anxiety he felt wasn't going to leave.
He finally opened his eyes again. To hell with it.
He placed a hand against the glass and started the call, bringing the phone to his ear. He watched as Jazz, facing him through the glass, goggled at the unfamiliar number for a moment, then picked up.
"Hello?" Her voice and face had that cautious is this a telemarketer look.
"Jazz." He waited tensely.
She broke into a grin. "Danny! I didn't recognize the number…"
He calmed down a little. This wasn't a problem; he'd just pretend for a little while...
"Sorry about that. I'm…at a phone booth, actually." Jazz cupped her chin in one hand, elbow on the desk, and raised an eyebrow. He continued. "I...wanted to talk to you, but I'm away from home and I, heh…forgot my cell." It was strangely easy, falling back into the way he had used to speak as a teenager. But surely my younger self has matured some in the past few years?
Jazz laughed, and leaned back, grinning lopsidedly. "Danny, you…" Her grin faded, replaced by a worried look. "Wait, how far away are you? I mean, can't you just, you know, zip back and grab it?"
Danny thought fast. "Actually…when I say I left it behind, what I really meant was, er…I'm still looking for it." He let embarrassment color his voice.
The eyebrows shot up again, and she smiled in exasperation. "You lost your cell phone?"
"I, er…I think it's at school somewhere, actually." Luckily today was a Saturday. "I'll get it on Monday."
He watched Jazz's face turn serious again. "I see. So…is this call just because, or…do you need to talk about something?"
She was to the point, just like he...remembered. "I..." He stopped, voice caught in his throat. Jazz, I wish I could tell you how sorry I am, how much you mean to me...
Her face showed her concern with a sad smile and a troubled brow. "You know I'm here for you." She paused. "Is it...about Sam?"
He put a hand to his head, massaging his throbbing temples. "I...no." It was true. This was about...something else. His voice came out tight, with a desperate edge to it. "Jazz, have you ever wondered...what it would be like..." To lose everyone?
He couldn't finish the sentence; his throat constricted too much. He couldn't play hypothetical games with this; it was too painfully real. So he floated there, still unable to speak, feeling more stupid by the second, as Jazz sat there looking worried.
"Danny? Are you still there?" She clenched the phone, brow furrowed.
"Yes." He swallowed and looked up at the sky. "I'm still here." I'm such a fool. What did I expect from this, what did I hope would happen...? Words formed in his mind, as if from mid-air.
"What if I was a horrible person, Jazz?" His voice was low and gritty, covering the fear ripping through him as he processed his own words. What am I doing, what am I doing...! He smiled bitterly, to cover the panic. What kind of response did he really think she would give him?
I wanted to kill Vlad not two hours ago...
"Danny..."
No, let me clarify His voice grew even more tense, as he forced the words out. "What if I...had killed people, done terrible things?" His hand clenched on the glass, and he still wasn't lookingat her. "What if I was my..."
Why was he doing this to himself? He knew what she'd say...
Jazz's voice came, firm and somber. "What if you were Dan?" Danny snorted softly, surprised. Dan.He'd expected something much worse. Evil bastard, perhaps, though maybe not from Jazz...
Look at her, you damn coward. He finally forced his eyes up, riveting his gaze on hers, watching in morbid curiosity.
"Yeah." He forced himself to continue. "Would you still...," love me, "be a sister to me?"
Jazz stared ahead for a few moments, frowning deeply. Danny was suddenly afraid that she'd realized who he really was from what he'd asked...
Her voice came very soft, and very gentle. "But...you're not a bad person, Danny, we already went through this..." My younger self asked?
He plunged ahead, hell bent on getting an answer, now that the question had been asked... "But what if I was? I...need an answer. Please. Would you," his jaw clenched, voice turning weak, "be able to forgive me?"
She held the phone in both hands, as if grasping for strength, and her frown grew distraught. Her voice was tense and unhappy. "I...don't know. Danny, it's just not the sort of question I can answer. I'd only know if I experienced it..."
Danny grit his teeth. "But you have. You...I..." Calm down, calm down. "D-dan tried to kill us all. What if that was me instead, not some...freakish combination of Vlad and my ghost half? Would you...how would you feel?"
Jazz grimaced, looking shaken and confused. "I...that's not...I don't know."She shook her head agitatedly. "Danny, I haven't thought about it, and it's not equivalent- I mean, there's two of you, and you're here, my brother, and he's some strange ghost that just looks like you...I just...I can't pretend he is you. What are you asking me?"
"But what if it was me?" His throat was still clenched, making it hard to speak. "What if I went berserk, and killed people, if I completely lost it...me,your brother." He put a trembling hand to his face. "Would you still...," his voice dropped to an embarrassed whisper, "love me?"
He watched, on tenterhooks, as she blinked a few times, banishing tears. "I...really don't know." Her voice was strained and thin, and for the first time Danny realized that this is what Jazz sounded like when she was battling tears. "I'm sorry...it's one of those things...just like how you never know if, when there's a kid you can save, but you'll have to die to do it...would I be able to? I don't know." She leaned forward miserably, lower lip wobbling.
No Jazz, you're wrong. "You'd save them." He was absolutely certain of this. Somehow, the knowledge helped calm him a little.
Her mouth fell open slightly, in confusion. "What?"
"You'd save the kid. I know you would." He drew a line on the glass with his index finger as he stared at her sadly. "You'd sacrifice your life, Jazz." And you fought me, don't you remember? He watched fondly as she grew embarrassed.
Jazz's voice sounded a little awed. "You...sound so sure, Danny." Her voiced softened. "I've never heard you sound so grown up before." She looked down at her desk, and smiled crookedly. Somehow his words had calmed her back down. After a moment she finally released her double death grip on the phone, and reached forward with one hand to draw invisible patterns on the window pane.
The gesture twisted something in him, and he flattened his hand against the glass, throat working. The loneliness was suddenly so powerful...
Can you sense me here, Jazz?
She looked so calm now, and a little sad. "Maybe you're right. Maybe...I would save the kid." She paused again. "And maybe...I do know how I'd feel." She looked up, and for an instant Danny thought she could see him. He grew suddenly very still.
"I'd still love you." His world stood still for an instant. Then he was searching her face, looking...
Would you really, truly...
She sighed, and looked down again. "I'd be sad, and unhappy, but I'd still love you. And I don't know what your older double really is, but if he was you, then...I'd love him too." She sighed again, and rolled her eyes. "I...know you don't want to hear that, Danny. And...I know it's crazy, after everything he's done, but if he really was my brother, if he was you..." She smiled softly. "I guess that's a really good answer, actually...I mean, if I could forgive him..."
I'm going to cry.
He smiled instead, and knowing it was foolish, he allowed his hand to pass through, just for an instant, and brush a tiny lock of hair away from her face...
She looked up, as if searching for a fly. Her eyes narrowed for an instant, and he was so tempted...
Then she put her chin on her hand, and the moment passed. "But that's all hypothetical. It's not like he is you."
The wave he'd been riding on tried to dump him off. But it wasn't hypothetical; they were the same, which meant that someday, Jazz could accept him...
He had to hold onto that thought. Everything he'd gone through today...somehow this made it better. Maybe he'd been searching for this, when he came here. I wish I could hug you, Jazz. Someday I will...
"Danny? Are you...all right?" He'd been quiet too long.
He swallowed, and said the first thing on his lips. "Thank you." He knew his voice was too intense, but he couldn't hold back on this. He needed her to know how much this meant. "Thank you."
She stared, wide eyed, then sighed inaudibly. "Danny...you're such a nut, sometimes." She smiled. "I'm glad that made you feel better, though."
He smiled softly, and couldn't resist being a little mischievous. "You have no idea, believe me." He paused. "So...how's school going?"
She immediately perked up; his younger self obviously didn't ask this question often. And maybe she was relieved to be off the previous topic.
She answered eagerly. "Actually, there's this really interesting syndrome we've been going over in abnormal psychology, you won't believe how weird it is..."
He listened to her talk about school for over an hour, drawing her out with the occasional question. That warmth he'd felt, when he'd been watching Nathaniel, slowly returned.
This was therapy.
It was early afternoon, and he floated, unseen, above the bustle of the New York stock exchange. It would be closing in another hour.
Danny had quickly thought of Vlad after his conversation with Jazz, and realized that he needed some sort of excuse for where he'd been. He still wasn't sure visiting here, ostensibly for study purposes, would cover him, so now he was looking around for something for something to catch his eye...
It took nearly an hour, but something finally did, most definitely: New Age Utilities, Inc.
It was a tiny company, focused on creating everyday gadgets that incorporated new technologies in a cost effective way. One product they were working on was a sort of universal adapter, which used carbon nano-rods. From the description, the thing was impossibly good; it could connect practically anything, had its own adjustable power source, and it fit in the palm of your hand. This was exactly the kind of gadget someone like Tucker would kill to have.
Although, maybe not. Danny needed to research it more, and find out if this company was as good as it sounded.
He located their workplace quickly enough; they were in New York City, after all. He'd kept his search to companies in the area.
He watched the company workers (all five of them; it was a very small company) for the rest of the afternoon, and worries about Vlad fell by the wayside. Tucker really would kill for one of these things...
Danny sat with Vlad at the breakfast table. He didn't usually eat with him, as his need for sustenance was minimal, but today he nursed a cup of Vlad's favorite tea, Earl Grey, and munched on a piece of toast.
He'd been curious about the taste of the stuff for months, and was pleased to know that it wasn't half bad. Not that his introduction to Earl Grey was paramount. Vlad was staring at him over his newspaper, brows drawn down in a perpetual frown, apparently debating with himself internally.
Vlad had realized Daniel wasn't home in the early afternoon yesterday, when he'd gone searching for him to go over his essay. He'd been pleased with the b...
Not a boy. And that was the problem. He wasn't a child, yet Vlad still felt put upon at the disappearance. Daniel hadn't come back until nearly midnight, and Vlad had sat up waiting. He hadn't said anything when Daniel finally drifted through, just a brief nod in greeting, but the ghost had given him an odd look, obviously surprised that he wasn't down in his lab, or asleep, as he usually was by then.
He shuffled the newspaper irritably, cursing inside. He'd hoped he could maintain some sort of control over the ghost...
Or was he just protective? "Butter biscuits..." Vlad hid behind the newspaper, turning another page. He hadn't meant to say that out loud, however quietly...
"What was that?"
"Nothing." He tried to keep his voice neutral. "So...where were you last night?" And all day yesterday, you inconsiderate...brat.
Danny grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!" He sat back, smirking, and waited until Vlad lowered the newspaper, expression grumpy and closed. "I'm going to invest."
Vlad's features didn't change. "Do tell."
"The company's called New Age Utilities, and it's located in New York. That's where I disappeared to yesterday. I was checking it out." He took a sip of tea. Vlad still looked grumpy, but Danny couldn't bring himself to apologize, not after what he'd seen yesterday. Even if he had decided to forgive the cheese head.
"I see...but you couldn't inform me of your actions before flying off?" Keeping the glower at bay was proving difficult. Vlad put down the newspaper and picked up his tea, sipping it. At least the cup would cover his frown.
Danny smiled sheepishly, feigning embarrassment, and put a hand to the back of his head. "I guess I wanted to surprise you again. But I rather forgot how much that annoyed you last time. I hope I didn't irritate you?" Danny suppressed a smirk; he had clearly irritated him.
But you really irritated me first. Besides, Vlad was such a control freak. He needed to realize that Danny wasn't pawn material. It was the first step, maybe, toward helping him realize what a monumentally bad idea trying to steal Nathaniel would be...
They both sipped tea for a few moments, Danny's question going unanswered. They both knew it didn't need one, anyway, as the tension between them had reached a new height.
Vlad finally set his tea down, and started rifling through the newspaper. He stopped after a moment, and handed it across to Danny. "Is this the company?"
Danny looked at the page, and spotted a short article focusing in on new inventions. Apparently the company's unique design concept for the universal adapter qualified. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, this is them."
"Tell me why you want to invest." Vlad's voice was completely neutral. Apparently he'd decided to suppress his aggravation, at least for the moment.
Danny launched into a description of their technology, elaborating where the article left off. He went through the production process, the members of the team, the materials they used, their suppliers, the market they could potentially reach...
He finally wound down, and realized that his enthusiasm had worked off a lot of the tension he'd been feeling, so much so that he could even concede a slight defeat, and give Vlad an apology of sorts. "Actually, I would've been back sooner, but I got carried away watching them work." He grinned again, genuinely embarrassed this time. "It's...really interesting stuff."
Vlad had been silent throughout, expression remaining closed off. But now his face finally relaxed a little. "Actually, I plan on investing too." He smiled slightly, and looked as though he were telling a secret. "They are interesting, aren't they? Quite ingenious, really."
The remaining hostility immediately evaporated, and a wave a relief washed through them both. Somehow, the quiet struggle they'd been having had just resolved itself.
They spent some time discussing the little company together. They spent time discussing his essay. Then they spent time discussing Danny, and how he could move fully into the business world, as Vlad felt he had proved himself ready. They would both invest in New Age Utilities, together.
Somehow along the way, Vlad offered to introduce Danny as family- a cousin from oversees, one Dimitri Mihailov. The surname was Russian, and Vlad's mother's maiden name. Her parents had immigrated here when she was eight, which was nearly as much as Vlad knew about them.
In the following days Danny practised his human disguise, and his Russian accent. They decided to nix the accent pretty quickly; he'd just be uncannily good at English (instead of uncannily bad at Russian).
It felt ridiculously good, walking around in public without someone screaming at him. As a normal human. Passersby hardly gave him a glance.
Danny grinned. Although, he was getting a few second looks from those of the female persuasion.
He had a right to grin, having settled on the way he would've looked if he were still human, which wasn't half bad, in his opinion. That made him a dead ringer for his younger self, of course, but he'd kept the goatee and longer hair, back in a ponytail not unlike Vlad's (though definitely harder to tame) which he thought differentiated him from his younger self pretty clearly. Of course, the expensive business suit didn't hurt either; his younger self had no reason to wear something like this, and didn't have the money for it anyway.
After two weeks, he and Vlad had successfully organized to meet with the five owners of New Age Utilities at a suite in uptown New York, provided by Mr. Masters himself. It had been easy to set up. They had been awed and overjoyed that such a giant in business had taken an interest in them.
The meeting was scheduled for about- Danny checked his watch- nearly an hour from now. In the meantime he'd decided to stretch his legs, with the promise to be back with time to spare...
A shrill scream from above made him look up in surprise. What...?
A woman was falling from near the top of a nearby skyscraper. Danny hesitated for an instant. I can't just let her fall...
The he looked around quickly and found, ironically, a phone booth. He disappeared into the thing and instantly emerged, invisible, as his ghostly self.
Invisibility was best; he did not need publicity.
She was about halfway down when he caught her, and brought her to a careful halt. Her screaming stopped as she shifted from falling to magically hanging in mid-air. Then she panicked again.
"WAAAAAAAAGH!" She twisted in his grip with surprising strength, and he came dangerously close to dropping her. What the hell? She wiggled around, and he become uncomfortably aware of how very...feminine she was.
Maybe I should just show myself...
She paused for an instant when he appeared, and then she wrapped herself around him, still screaming. A muscle jumped in his jaw.
She's like a freaking monkey...
He felt suddenly harassed. And...yep, down below a crowd was forming.
Back up, then...
"......"
I'm going deaf...
He finally found where she'd fallen from; it was the only suite in the entire building that had a full fledged balcony.
"......"
He set down on it hastily, and took his arms away, which left her clinging to him under her own strength. "You can let go now..."
W...ouch!
He jumped, shaking his leg. A Chihuahua growled up at him possessively, holding on to his ankle for dear life. I think the rat-dog's actually drawing blood...
Its eyes glinted red. "Grrrrrrgrrrrrrrr....."
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh...are you a ghost?" The lady sat on the floor staring up at him, oblivious to the psychotic fur-ball.
He stared down at her, eyebrow twitching. "Your dog..."
No kicking the rat-dog...
She finally leaned forward to grab it, flashing him in the process. Oh geez.
"Oh,Chewy!Bad dog! You hurt the really cute ghost ma..." Demon dog started yapping, oblivious.
She was staring up at him, starry eyed. "...and he has a cape, just like Superman, and he has flaming hair, and pointy ears, and he's so strong..."
Danny's eyebrow twitched again. And you're so crazy...
He turned to go, but his conscience kicked in.
"Ah...," he raised his voice to be heard, "you're not going to jump off again, are you?"
She looked very confused for a moment, her own babbling cut short. Then she flounced up, dog still in tow. He averted his eyes to avoid getting flashed.
An image of Sam popped into his head. She smiled sarcastically. Congratulations, you've passed bimbo 101!
"You are a ghost, right? My cousin talks about them all the time, she's so obsessed...but I never thought they were so awesome..."
Something made him look over his shoulder. He blinked. A whole group of businessmen were watching from a huge windowed room in the skyscraper across the way.
"...and she said he has shiny green eyes, but I think red is really..."
I'm getting a headache.
He turned back, and tried not to glower. "So, how exactly did you fall, again?"
She paused, and looked sheepish. "Oh, I...was looking down at the traffic, and Chewie made a loud noise..." She blushed slightly. A picture formed in his head of her leaning very far over, with those men right across the way...
Sam popped into his head again, uttering a single word.
Bimbo.
"...and over I went! Hahahahaha! Good thing you were there to save me..." She came forward, lowering her lashes. "You're much more sexy than Paulina's ghost boy, I'm sure..."
What!
He blanched, stepped back, tripped over something, and fell on his rear.
I can't believe it, it's Paulina's cousin.
He stared at her. The Hispanic features, the heavy makeup, how could he miss it? She knelt down in front of him, smiling in a disturbingly seductive way, and the rat-dog escaped. It latched onto one hand while she grabbed the other...
Her voice was suddenly low. "I'm Roberta Sanchez, by the way."
"Ehehehe..." He laughed, suddenly nervous, and went intangible.
This isn't happening...
He was off the roof, invisible again, as her yells and the rat-dog's yapping mingled with the sounds of traffic.
He transformed back in a public restroom several blocks away. His face, in human form, remained beet red for several minutes. Then he silently came to a decision.
What Vlad doesn't know won't hurt him...
Vlad didn't say anything when Danny got back. He merely raised an eyebrow and pointed to the really nice plasma television that came with the suite...
A slightly wobbly picture showed him flying up with Miss Bimbo, in her teeny mini-skirt. "Amazing caped crusader saves damsel in distress..."
Oh...crud...
The picture switched over to a reporter interviewing a skinny teenage boy.
He held up a cell phone. "I got it all on my new video phone! Sweet!" He made the victory sign, grinning widely.
A picture of Tucker popped into Danny's head. He hugged something to him, looking slightly insane. I loooove my PDA...
The image on the TV changed. They had zoomed in to a close-up of him and the bimbo...with distortion tastefully added around her nether regions.
His eyes glazed over.
Vlad pursed his lips, and finally spoke in sardonic tones. "I do believe you've made the first page. In The Inquirer, at the very least..."
Danny's eyebrow spasmed.
Arrrrgh.
What were the freaking chances?
Author's Note:
Eeeeehh...my sense of humor...cough. Um. Hopefully that was at least a leeeetle bit funny. Maybe? A smidgen...? I'm turning red here folks...