EmeraldSeaGamer - I PLAN TO FINISH VERY SOON - AS IN BEFORE THE 24TH WHEN SCHOOL STARTS! ALSO, I LIKE THIS FONT. THANKS!
diseptiv - I know you meant "fic" but as a teen I couldn't help but explode from laughter at your little mistyping ;) Thanks so much for your support.
mpwtl125 -Thanks, I'm hoping to get this up as soon as possible.
Danny Phantom Overlord - 5 words: Thank you for your support!
AquaPhantom025 - Thank you! It means so much for you to read and review. Also, I heard that song about a month after beginning this story, and as soon as I did, I had this little chapter written up in my head. Songs work so well in writing, I've found.
Randomness-sama - Thank you very much! I enjoy you reading it. I always adore reading reviews, and I adore responding back. Also, would you prefer me PM'ing you? Or is my current method working?
crazyreader11 - Awwwe! I totally did not mean to make anyone cry, however pulling at folk's heartstrings is something I do enjoy doing ;). My old friend used to tell me my super power was making folks blush. But it's truly messing with all y'all's emotions, despite me genuinely not wanting to make you cry (w). I'll try to keep it so your tears are kept to a minimum, as I hate crying, and feel awful inflicting it on someone else.
LunarCatNinja - Although I don't know her personally, I'm sure Sam shares your same opinion.
The Howling Behemoth -- I feel so awful about how much I missed, y'know? Everything has been purely awful this year, and I lost ALL my motivation. I actually started fanfiction during a similar year as an escape, but with my plate piled so high, I forgot how much I loved it and viewed it more as something I had to do but could put off. Finally my head's snapped back on right. Now I'm back. I may be publishing some of my stories from my creative writing class on fictionpress if I can scrounge them all up. Also, I worked on a "nanowrimo", which I'll explain if you can't find it on the internet, that I want to finish because I think it may be something worth trying to publish on a greater scale. Very long story, longer process, but hopefully worth it.
Myra the Dovahkiin - I'll be keeping you on your toes for as long as I can, my dear. You can trust that. My final chapter is worked out to be a bit of a cliff, actually- oops- but it's going to be a well done one.
orrisd3 - Hah! yeah, I inspired by "Strength" but I desperately wanted to make it my own. I hope I'm doing okay. Actually, my original hiatus was caused by a similar, but much more negatively put review. Knocked me off my game for weeks. Thank you very much for being positive about my work.
The Talent - I feel so awful about how much I missed, y'know? But I certainly will do. I'm not going to lose my head again. I've endured too many hours of trying to get it screwed back on.
snoopykid - Hah! Maybe I will. If you look at my account, you'll probably notice that my tastes jump around a lot. I call it "phases", since I'll get into one series or movie for a span of time, then I'll jump to another one. Heh, if I were a ghost, my obsession would never be the same twice. Anyway, right now, I'm in the midst of a frozen phase. It's the first one I've had in months, since I've kinda been dead, and I'm riding the high to the fullest.
tsukiyomi Sora - Um, si, voy a. lo siento, sólo hablo Inglés y francés. Y traductor Google es horrible.
PhantomFanForever - I'm really sorry- you'll be so mad at me (v_v*). It'll work out though- I swear - I'll keep up on this, and you'll see what I mean.
Okay, I hope I didn't give any spoilers in my replies. Probably did. oh well. too bad. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and if I end up complaining in the bottom author's note, please skip it and ignore me. Yeah. So, here you guys go. Maybe 1 or 2 chapters after after this one... I'm almost done, actually... wow. End of an era.
Danny's POV
The first thing I think I really comprehended upon waking up, was that Frostbite yelled something to Snow Fort, and Snow Fort ran out of the room. I wasn't really coherent, but I did remember what had occurred before I "dozed" off.
You thought this was going to be one of those stories where the dude gets hurt, then predictably wakes up with amnesia, huh?
I'm not that type of dude.
I remembered my panicky trip to exhaustion, and I felt I'd merely woken up after that. I did realize that being in the Far Frozen meant I'd been asleep for probably 2 days. I did realize that I was in the Far Frozen hospital, actually, a wing of it that was reserved especially for me. I've gotten knocked out enough times to figure out what happens between my eyes shutting and my newly awakened state.
I blinked hard a couple of times, trying to rid myself of my sleepiness. Sleeping for two days should've been restful, and I told myself such as I swallowed a yawn. I pulled my eyes up, despite the pain the light induced, and looked at my bangs. White. That's odd, I thought. OH! Frostbite must've forced me to change to Phantom because of how low I've been recently. That makes sense.
My ears began to clear and I smiled at the clear sounds.
And then I heard something as clear as a bell, that sounded a bit like a bell.
"You're awake," I smiled and looked to the door Snow Fort had rushed out of. Sam was standing with a huge grin on her face, staring at me. "I can't believe you're awake," she said again.
I tested my voice out, "Yes ma'am." I smirked at my success, "Good morning. How are you?"
She quickly made her way over to me and held my torso in a hug. "I'm just fine," she said, hoping I didn't notice her eye's getting teary. This time, I tested the connection, and made it one just between the two of us.
What's wrong? I asked her, knowing that not even Tucker could hear us right now.
I missed you. She replied, and I wiped a tear from her cheek. Sam didn't like to cry in front of people, which I knew, understood, and respected.
No need, anymore, right? I'm here. I've only been asleep for, what, two days? I asked.
Sam's eyes got wide. "It's Sunday. You've been asleep about 10 days, Danny."
"What?" my jaw dropped. No no no no no. This was not happening. I could handle two days, everyone could handle two days.
But ten?
Oh my God. Could you imagine how restless and angry everyone would be? I had to get them all home before a fight broke out. And, oh my God, my parents. What were they thinking? What had they been told? And what about Jazz? She could handle a week. She could even handle two! But it's been seventeen whole days! Can you imagine how many bad things could happen to my sister while I was away for seventeen days?
Oh, oh God no. Dear realms.
Sam noticed my anxiety, and held my hands. "Danny, please, it's all okay. Yes, people are restless, but they're safe. And isn't their safety the most important thing?"
"B-but, Sam," I gasped, "What ab-about Jazz, or Ida, or..well, Amity?"
"They're all fine, Danny," Sam told me plainly. "And because they are all fine, your health is at upmost importance, because you won't be able to ensure anyone's safety again, if you're not well." Her voice was even but clear, and I could sense the sternness of her tone. I stared at her, and she stared back.
". . . Okay," I finally said, reassured by her calm confidence. My ears perked at the sound of footsteps down the hall, and I smiled at my heightened senses returning.
"Daddy!" Danielle yelled, bursting into the room, followed by a nearly-bouncing Tucker.
"Sugar Skull!," I called in reply, as she bounded into my arms. As soon as her weight was entirely my responsibility, though, I let out a sharp groan. I picked her up off my chest and set her on the bed beside me, my hand clutching my chest at the pain.
"Danny?" Sam asked, instantly detecting my pain through the link. I looked at her, then Tuck. I mouthed "sorry", before shutting the link off entirely.
Sam and Tucker's eyes got wide, then they blinked hard. It wasn't often I shut the link off entirely, blocking them out completely, but whenever I was in pain, I attempted to do so. They both rewarded me with a glare, followed by a concerned look. I gave a heavy breath, and turned to Danielle. "I'm super sorry, honey, but I don't think I'll be able to lift anything but my own limbs for a while." I hardly noticed the weary look Sam and Tucker gave each other.
"Sorry, Daddy," Dani said, hugging me lightly.
"It's all fine," I replied, giving her a smile. "So, Tuck, Ammy, what's been going on that I should know?"
"Nothing really, mainly waiting." Tucker said, giving me a warm smile, "I really missed you, dude." I held his hand, and we lightly bro-hugged. I noticed Frostbite's head peeking into the room, and I gave him a gentle nod as Tuck and I pulled apart.
"Great One, excellent to see you coherent and up," Frostbite said, bowing his head.
"Great to see you too, Frosty," I said, too tired for formal formalities.
"How do you feel?" he asked, unfazed at all by my casualness.
"A bit tired, but pretty good," I replied honestly, noticing that the pain in my chest was fading.
"Excellent, then, if you and your family are willing, may we begin conscious testing?"
I looked to my family, asking for objections. When no one replied negatively, I gave Frosty a nod, replying, "That sounds fine."
"Excellent. I assure you that nothing will be too strenuous for you. You need your rest as much as these tests need to be done." I nodded, and he pressed a button on the controller he had for my bed, leaning me (and Dani) up into a sit.
"Alright," Frostbite said, looking to Danielle, "You'll have plenty of time to visit with you father following these tests. However, now, I think you should go out in the hall to play with my son." Although she seemed a bit taken back by the idea of leaving me, she obliged knowing that Far Frozen doctors would be polite at first, but would openly kick you out if you refused.
As soon as she was out of the room, Frostbite turned back my sheet exposing gauze-wrapped legs (and thankfully, underwear - Sam and Tuck had seen me without it before, of course, but it was never deliberately and left me embarrassed every time. I'm not the type of guy who wants my girlfriend looking at my junk before marriage,) although spots of red poked through. Frostbite held out his giant paws to me, inviting me to attempt to stand. I couldn't feel much below the middle of my back, besides a dull burning ache, but I told my body to stand, nonetheless. Upon finding that my lower body couldn't hear me over the pain, I grabbed Frostbite's paws and pulled myself up. The burning feeling became more intense, and I immediately had to sit back down.
"What I feared," Frostbite muttered, writing something down on a chart. I gave him a questioning look, and he sat, motioning for Sam and Tuck to do the same.
"As Sam and Tucker already were aware, the ghost-fire severely damaged your nerves. Nerves, as you know, do not grow back. However, with your ghostly healing and the equipment and scientific possibilities here at the lab, we believe we can stimulate and mutate them enough that they begin to heal. We will conduct more tests, then begin right away." He scribbled something down on a piece of paper.
"How long will it take?"
"That depends on how willing you and your family are." I thought a moment.
"Could we fit everything into a day?"
"Twenty-four hours for all of those tests and results and figuring out how to rebuild the nerves, then doing it?" He thought a moment, before replying, "I believe we may be able to do that. Would you like to begin immediately?"
"At the top of the hour," I replied, glancing to the clock. That gave me twenty minutes more to spend with Sam and Tuck and Danielle. I asked Frostbite to send her in, as he left to gather his medical team.
We spent twenty moments laughing and joking and talking, completely ignoring the elephantom in the room.
"I'll be with you this time tomorrow," I told Danielle, before kissing her head goodbye for the day. Tuck and I hugged as he wished me good-luck, and Sam and I shared a short kiss that sent tingles up my spine before Frostbite wheeled me to the first of twenty-four hours of tests and repairs.
I stretched, greeting the early morning with a yawn. I had been awake for every test, examination, and procedure for the past twenty four hours. I was beat and tired as hell. But I forced my eyes to stay open, knowing that in two minutes my family would come in to talk with me. I couldn't miss that. I missed Sam and Dani and Tucker (and Jazz, too, of course) far too much.
As I predicted, they came in, and I greeted each of them with a gentle hug.
I woke up around six in the afternoon the same day (Monday). I would've slept longer, surely, if it wasn't for the remains of Trechor's torture pounding through my subconscious. Almost immediately upon waking up, Frostbite entered and told me that my rest needed to be balanced with exercise and nutrition. As I agreed and asked what was next, I noticed I was in my human form, which must've happened during my nightmare.
"Well, first, a scan to see if your nerves are regrowing yet," the Far Frozen's King said, glancing at a few charts. He helped me into a wheel chair, before leading me down the hall to the scan room, which contained only a device very similar to a CT scanner in the human realm. After being scanned, I waited outside for Frostbite to interpret the results.
"Hey, um, Phantom?" I heard. I turned to see Snow Fort, one of my best friends in the Far Frozen, shuffling up to me.
"Hey, Snowy! Great to see you! What's up?" I asked excitedly.
He looked from his feet to me, before nervously replying, "I have a question for you."
I chuckled at his nervousness - it was only me. "Shoot."
"Um, well," he glanced around before sitting beside me, pleased with the emptiness of the hall. "My dad doesn't like to talk much about these things since mom moved on, but I was wondering, um, about girls?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," I said, "I know practically nothing, but I'm more than willing to try'n answer your question." I chuckled at how limited my knowledge of the female mind was.
"Um, well, there's this girl, she was in my class? But, now I'm her superior at work, and I was wondering, um, how do I get a girl to like me like Sam likes you?"
I paused. Sam was always my friend, I know. And, despite how close we were, I was still clueless as to why she ever got that crush on me, like I got on her. "Well, I guess, be her friend first."
"I am, but... She doesn't seem... interested." He gave me a confused and dejected look, to which I hummed.
"Well, have you asked her?"
"No. I'm not that bold."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with a humorous, gentle, and when-need-be formal Captain of the guard and prince." I replied, "I don't know why she wouldn't like you."
"Heh, thanks." he muttered.
"Nothing to thank me for. Now, what's she like?" I asked.
"Well, she's really shy. She's pretty reserved, and really smart - and witty. She's got a witty little sense of humor. And she's great with her ice powers," he said, thinking it over. "She only really ever talks to me, actually."
"That's a great start! That means she likes you, dude."
"Really?" He asked. "That's awesome... Are you sure?"
"Duh, I'm sure." I replied, "How would I ever have gotten Sam if I wasn't sure."
"You're a reckless bastard who happens to have pretty good luck guessing most of the time?" Snowy asked me, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"That is extremely true," I said after my laughter subsided. "So, I'm luckily going to guess that she likes you. So, go ask her to hang out! Not a date, yet, but just an outing, or an inning if she's that shy."
"That's a pretty good idea! Takes the awkward date pressure off.. Thanks, Danny. I promise I'll call you and tell you first, as soon as I get Elsa to be my girlfriend!" he said, then ran off, inspired.
"Good Luck!" I called, chuckling. I loved him, and I loved that he saw what Sam and I had as something to reach for in relationships. Heh. Ammy was something else, and what we had was something else, too.
I smiled, looking up as Frostbite came out of the room beside where I sat. "Greetings, Great One," he began, "It seems your nerves are beginning to regrow. Exactly what we hoped for."
"Awesome! So, what now?"
"Well, first you should go back to your room and rest. I have to go to our forge-man and work out a few things. I'll see you around ten, if you're still awake."
We agreed, and said our goodbyes before he left for the furnace-house and I wheeled back to my room.
I pretty quickly fell asleep upon getting back to my room, and I only woke up again when Sam decided to lay down beside me for a while, and when dinner was announced throughout the palace.
"Do you want me to grab you some supper?" Sam asked me, getting up and tucking the sheet back around me. "I know you wouldn't miss Monsieur's filets for anything."
I pressed a short kiss to her forehead before replying, "Sure, that sounds great." She nodded before leaving me to rest. I gave her a smile and closed my eyes. I couldn't help but doze a little, I was just so goddamn tired. I couldn't help it. For as long as I had already slept in the past several days, my exhaustion only kept growing. I knew that if it kept on growing, there was no way I could ever take the group back to Amity Park.
That, sadly, spawned the idea that would all-but break up Sam and I; make Jazz all-but strangle me when we got home; and would eventually make my parents ground me for a month when I finally told them about it (which I would do at the age of twenty-one, and their ferocity made me obey the punishment.)
I scrabbled for the blank piece of paper I knew rested at the very back of all clip-charts, and I blocked my friends out as I grabbed a pen and began writing out my worst-case-scenario plan. I'm sure you understand that I was not in the best mindset at the time, and I hope that upon learning my plan you don't begin to hate me. I was scared. With everything that had happened, it seemed like the best option. The only problem with my little plan was that my fear had covered up the fact that I was a stubborn little thing, which is a humble way of saying I had will-power unlike any other. And thank God, Sam would remind me of that and keep me from going through with this God-awful idea.
Have I built suspense? Or are you merely angry with me for going on about how awful this damned plan is, when I could just move on and tell you?
I'll keep going with the actual story, then. Sorry.
Sam came back with supper, and we both ate in silence, until I broke it, of course.
"How are things?"
"Things are okay. How are your things?"
"They've been better, but they're just fine."
"Good, good," she mumbled, a bit taken off game by my awkwardness. I shrugged a small apology her way, which she brushed off, knowing I was tired. We continued to eat and made small conversation about the once-again-growing whispers. We were both unsettled by them, but Sam insisted that they needed to learn to be patient, because healing takes time. I gave her a nod, and asked if my parents knew I was awake.
"They fought with Frostbite every morning to see you. He told them when you woke up, but he's prohibited humans from coming into this wing. For your secret's sake."
"Thank him for me," I said through a yawn.
"You can thank me, yourself," Frosty's warm voice greeted us as he made his was up to my bed.
"It took much less time than expected," Frostbite said, then he and Sam stood me up. He screwed some bars around my legs, and snapped these cuffs onto my wrists. I examined them to find myself wearing leg braces and crutches.
"This is not fair." I instantly growled in my head. I was Danny-goddamn-Phantom. Why the hell did I need crutches and braces? I leg out a guttural growl, and Frostbite gave me a good-nature'd laugh.
"I know you don't like them, but how else do you plan to get around the castle? They're custom made, Phantom, and I believe you'll find them quite useful. You only have to wear them until your nerves regrow, so be thankful yours will only be used temporarily. Most people have to wear them their entire lives, you know."
"But Frostbiteeeeee-! I don't want to-!"
"Too bad," he said, his dad-voice becoming evident. "A king never whines, Great One." I groaned and huffed when he gave me a small push so I could try them out. He made me practice until nine, when he let me go back to sleep, finally.
Okay, I don't know who you are, if you have these things or not, or if you know someone who wears these things or not, but I would like to tell you that if you use those things, I respect you more than I do Frostbite. Those things are difficult, and if anyone ever makes fun of you for it or something stupid like that, please call me, and I will gladly beat them up. Like, ecto-ball to the face, teach them some respect sort of thing. Tell me right now. I'll make a hit-list. Don't even worry about it.
It was Wednesday, and I was extremely tired. Frosty and I had started exercising and stuff (and I'm not proud to say that the particular routines required less energy than a senior-citizens' water aerobics class). I knew that the activities would normally take nearly no effort, and the fact that I felt so drained scared me. I felt so weak, and only seemed to have the energy to be scared left over. So, I called Tuck into my room to speak in private.
I told him my plan, and I could see how disappointed he was in me for having such an idea. But, he was scared too. He had heard the rumblings around as clearly as I had. He knew I was weaker than I'd been before the accident, before I was Phantom. "I don't like it," he told me plainly, "But, it's your life, dude. That means it's your decision. But you can't expect Sam and I to completely change our lives because of this decision. We both know that every decision has consequences, but you gotta remember, bro, those consequences don't only affect you."
I gave him a nod, "I know, man. I wouldn't expect you and Sam to change a thing. We'd still keep Danielle where we planned to, we'd still hang out after school - maybe even during school if I'm careful. And the link won't ever go away, y'know?"
"It won't be the same, but it's your decision."
"Thanks so much, Tuck. I love you, dude."
"I love you too, little brother," He chuckled lightly. "See you later, okay?"
"Yeah, totally." I replied, and waved lightly as he left.
I began to practice walking a little bit again, before giving up and getting some sleep.
The next day, I called Sam into my room.
"Hey, Danny, what did you need?" She asked me, sitting beside me.
"I, uh, well, I," I coughed into my fist and started over.
"Sam, if I don't get better, what do I do?"
"What do you mean, of course you'll get bett-"
"But I haven't yet, and it's scaring me. And people are talking, and it's scaring me."
"You're walking around, Danny." She replied, giving me a hard look.
"But I can't feel it. I can force it, but I can't feel it. And it's got me thinking, what if I don't get all the way better within the next week?"
"Then we keep waiting for you to get better, it isn't a big deal!"
"But it is, Sam. We're parents. Can you imagine how scared we would be if Dani went on a field trip, never called and ended up being gone for weeks after she was supposed to get back?" Sam gave me a wide-eye'd look, and I continued. "It's not fair to them. It's not fair to Amity Park that Danny Fenton is keeping every other kid from getting home."
"Why did you say Danny Fenton?" She asked me, suspicious.
"Because Fenton is the problem. Fenton is the sick kid keeping his peers from going home. And, well, if Fenton was gone, Amity Park couldn't really be mad that he'd kept their kids from going home for such a long time."
"Gone? Danny, what the hell are you thinking? If Fenton goes, then Danny drops a syllable!"
"I know! I know. I'm not talking like that, though. But, what if, Fenton died," I suggested, putting air quotes around "died".
"What?"
"Mom and Dad wouldn't have to worry about me anymore, and I could still live in Amity Park and be with you guys. And it may even give Phantom a little break from being hunted. Everyone could go home and get back to normal in a month or so. And Phantom would still be around. I could stay here and heal, then go back to Amity and hang with you guys after school and between classes and all that, invisibly, of course. And we could keep Danielle where we wanted to, and I could be a stay-at-home dad until I was needed as a superhero. And I'm ruling the Zone now. So I can always bring you here and switch back and all, And-"
"You want to fake Fenton's death, so everyone can go home, and no one would be mad at you, and your parent's wouldn't worry about you?"
"Yes," I said finally. "And so I can take care of Danielle full-time and rule the zone."
"Not going to finish highschool? Not going to go to NASA?" Sam asked me, and I realized then that my plan had made her even more upset than I'd estimated.
"N-no."
"What about Tucker and I? What are we supposed to do? Pretend to mourn you for a year, then visit with you in the dead of night? That's cruel, Danny! If you get rid of Fenton's life, you're getting rid of Fenton. You'll become Dan for sure."
"Don't you dare say that," I glared. "Don't you dare."
"What do you want me to say? Oh, sure, Danny-dearest, if you stop being Fenton, Fenton will still exist even though he's a part of you that needs to continue to grow and exist in your mind and behavior order for you to keep your humanity, but hey, I'm sure it'll all work out peachy-keen?! That's a lie, Danny. You need to be all of you in order to remain all of you. And imagine what Jazz would think? What Ida would think? What on earth has happened that makes you hate your family so much as to abandon them?"
"Stop that. I'm making it easier on them."
"No, you're being a selfish child. I only like being at the playground, so I'll just never go home! It's childish, Danny, and I can't believe you would stoop that low!"
"You know, Tucker at least acknowledged that it's my decision, Sam!"
"But it doesn't affect just you! It changes everything!"
"It's my decision to make, and I'll be the one to decide! If I'm not better by Wednesday, it's happening. Whether you want it to, or not!"
We continued to argue back and forth. About half an hour passed with yelling and come-backs, until finally Sam stormed out, knowing I wouldn't be able to. I groaned and tried to think through everything again. It was my decision, but what would it be like without Fenton? We'd still see each other... Right?
I wouldn't sleep that night.
The next three days were spent with me resting and exercising. Resting and exercising. Resting and exercising.
I still couldn't feel my legs. But Frostbite said that the ends of my nerves were only four inches apart now. He didn't say how long it would take for them to grow the rest of the way, but I had a sinking feeling that it was longer than I would like.
Sam and I had argued for about an hour each day. But in between out fights, we'd both get tired, so we'd put a pause on it, like Marshal and Lily in How I Met Your Mother. And while it was on pause, we'd cuddle and relax, trying to ignore the fact that I had stirred up the worst fight we had and would ever have.
I hoped I would make the right decision.
Alright. That's it for now. Pretty long chapter, huh? 5449 words! That's pretty cool. Just, saying. Okay.
So summary of this chapter:
Danny woke up.
Danny can't feel his legs.
Danny is sleepy a lot.
Danny got braces and crutches and is pissed about it.
Danny got scared and came up with a dumbass idea to fake Fenton's death.
Sam got pissed at him.
Yeah. Can't wait for the next chapter (w) I'm thinking third person. And it may be the last chapter! Depends on how tired I am. Yay!