I don't really have a date for this one cuz it's been written for a while and I forgot lol.
Buckle up, folks. This chapter is a doozy! (Not in length, just a bit of a wild ride). It's been written for quite some time. I've written and rewritten it several times. I wasn't happy with the original iteration, but my last rewrite was a total overhaul and I like it much better now.
This is the last official chapter to Taken, aside from an epilogue.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
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Chapter 27: Just Pretend
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He knew this showdown would happen sooner or later, but he was just grateful the Headmaster waited to get him alone. He didn't want his friends and family as collateral.
"If you're throwing me to the lions, you should know, " he glared. "I'm not scared of dying."
She smirked. "No, obviously not," she answered. She watched him for a moment, blue eyes seemingly hiding the soul of a demon. "I never anticipated your friends' tenacity in finding you. That was my mistake," she sneered.
Danny frowned. "Did I imagine killing them two years ago?"
The Headmaster shifted her weight, hand now on her hip. "You did not, though obviously it wasn't them."
The half ghost furrowed his brow. "Then who, or what, were they?"
She shrugged. "Clones. They may have not been the real Sam, Jazz or Tucker, but they certainly believed they were."
"They didn't know they were clones?" He clenched his fists.
"No. I sent a team to gather their genetic material and then used that to clone them. Memories may come from synapses in the brain, but your DNA carries echoes of those memories. I was able to use that to create clones with all their memories intact," she grinned. "They truly thought I had captured them and brought them to you. And they truly believed you were killing them."
He growled, features darkening. "That was sick. Why go through all that trouble?"
She raised a brow. "It worked, didn't it? It was the catalyst that finally broke you."
His glare deepened, toxic eyes blazing. He chose to change the subject. "Pretty brave, taking on the half ghost yourself, don't you think?" he mocked.
Her smirk irked him and made the hairs on his neck stand up, even in ghost form. In a flash, her hand came up, and a purple ecto-blast flew at him with frightening speed. He blocked the shot with a shield, mouth now gaping at the Headmaster.
She narrowed her eyes a bit, allowing their glow to shine now. "I have had some success in replicating your nature, my pet. While I do not have a ghost form, I can use ghost powers."
"That doesn't mean you'll win," Danny retorted darkly, shaking his head, his white bangs sweeping across his forehead.
The woman merely grinned a knowing smile. "Tell me, my pet, how is your side?" She asked, voice sickeningly sweet.
His deepening scowl and fiery eyes told her what she already knew: it wasn't healed. How she knew about his wound, he didn't know, but it definitely turned the tide in her favor. His core wasn't fully recovered either, having spent most of its energy healing his extensive wound. Even now, he could feel the energy waning, the ghostly organ throbbing slightly with pain from overuse.
"You may have killed my second favorite pet, but he certainly gave you a little parting gift. But I am generous. I'll give you a gift of my own," she reached behind her and unclasped the strap Danny hadn't noticed had been over her shoulder. Pulling it around, she tossed it to him and the hybrid caught it, surprised when he realized it was a sword sheath.
He cautiously pulled the sword from its sheath, the dazzling silver blade glowing in the fading sunlight with ghostly energy. His eyes darted to hers. "Why?"
The Headmaster shrugged nonchalantly. "It wouldn't be a fair fight otherwise."
He scowled. "Since when do you play fair?"
"Come now, child; we have history. It is out of our shared history and bond that I give you this chance."
"Bond, my ass," he growled. Danny squared up then, done listening to her irritating voice, and dropped the sheath, flexing the fingers of his free hand in anticipation, gripping the hilt of the sword in his other dominant hand. The Headmaster smirked, the long ghost pike glowing eerily at her side.
The young halfa knew how to use the sword; it was one of the many weapons he had trained in. He knew the Headmaster would only give him a sword if she thought she had the upper hand, as he was an extremely skilled swordsman, and would be putting her life in danger giving it to him.
The half ghost was the first to move, quickly summoning an ecto-blast in his free hand and sending it her way. The Headmaster used the pike to deflect it as Danny used the opportunity to try and get close, but she brought her weapon up and parried a swing of his sword.
He stepped back, resetting his stance, left foot and left arm forward, sword pointed front and in his right hand which was to the side and slightly back.
It gave the illusion of being open and unguarded, but in reality it gave him room to either attack or quickly parry.
This time, she moved first, taking a swing at his legs, but Danny simply floated up and swung his sword down. She, ever nimble, threw her body backwards and the swing missed.
He growled, wishing desperately that he could do this battle at a distance, but he knew his core would not hold out. He needed to save every ounce of energy it could give him for when he really needed it.
He came back down, once again swinging, aiming for her neck. As he predicted, she threw her upper body back. What she did not expect was Danny to swing the sword one handed, only to follow it with his free hand, a punch landing on her hip and throwing her off balance.
The halfa took advantage and advanced again, bringing the sword up in an arc. The Headmaster tried to dodge in her off balance state, but the ghostly blade still managed to slice a clean line up her cheek.
The woman practically snarled, launching a volley of ecto-blasts, the proximity forcing Danny to erect a shield and use precious energy. Then, she spun around, nailing the larger male in the side of the head with the butt of the pike.
The hybrid fell back, shaking his head and seeing stars from the blow. With a low growl through clenched teeth, he charged again, exchanging blow after blow with the agile woman, parrying and dodging where he could.
Even with the long handled weapon she was fast, moving with a precision and agility he didn't think possible for her age. Combine that with the occasional use of powers to make a punch or kick go through her, or to charge her own punch for a more powerful hit, and she was by far the most challenging opponent he'd faced.
The Headmaster landed a nasty hit to his side right over his still healing wound. He grunted, losing his concentration, and allowing him to take another hit from the handle of her pike. He was dazed as she spun the weapon and aimed the deadly point at his chest.
Danny felt his core lurch painfully as he erected a shield, the sensitive organ struggling in its weakened state. His eyes went wide when the weapon penetrated the shield. It did stop, but mere inches from him. He could feel his dormant heart pounding from the adrenaline that particular close call created.
Now with ecto-plasm leaking from his wound, he floated back from the shield before it dissipated so he was farther from the lethal weapon and lifted his sword in a defensive posture.
He was breathing heavily now, not just from pain, but also from fear, though he wouldn't show that to her.
He had a feeling he was going to lose this fight.
Clenching his jaw, he braced himself and flew at her, his sword and her pike exchanging heated blows.
Danny then nearly lost focus when Sam came barreling around the corner, boots sliding to a stop as she witnessed the Headmaster for the first time. The cops had finally shown up and she'd slipped away.
The adversaries were locked in a heated battle, and to the goth's dismay, it didn't seem to be going well for the hybrid.
Sam's distressed eyes met Danny's, his usually bright green orbs clouded in pain and worry. He was distracted then by a hit to his chin and he stumbled back, a low growl in this throat.
The young woman looked around the alley for anything she could use to help, having lost her knife when the cops showed up. After a moment she spotted a long metal pipe and grabbed it, cringing at yet another grunt from the halfa.
But as she lifted the pipe, ready to charge in, she saw the subtle shake of Danny's head, the quick pleading glance that conveyed so much: 'Stay out of it.'
Despite having fought well earlier, the Headmaster was a whole different kind of beast, and he did not want her getting involved.
Her heart clenched at the thought of simply watching him fight, but as he winced at a blow to the side of his stomach, the memory of her stepping in the last time he fought such a strong enemy replayed in her mind, and she relented, at least, for now.
Danny was tiring quickly, his core depleted. The Headmaster seemed to have unlimited energy, but that was likely due to the powers she had been able to obtain. The older woman had a smug look on her face that just would not go away. She knew her quarry was weak; she could sense it.
The young half ghost managed to parry the deadly tip of the pike with his sword and tapped his core for extra energy. His eyes glowed blue and he blasted her with two ice beams. This time, it was the Headmaster's turn to be shocked as intangibility didn't work, and the ice stuck her arm to her side.
Danny, also startled that she hadn't phased through the ice beam, was silently glad it had wiped that smirk off her face. This was a weakness he could exploit, so long as his core held out. The woman growled and her body flared purple, the ice melting and freeing her arm.
Sam, for her part, was standing there, mouth agape at the display of ghost powers from the Headmaster. Her worry for Danny instantly doubled and she shifted her weight from foot to foot, desperate to do something, anything, if it meant buying Danny some time. She didn't know how the Headmaster had ghost powers, but Sam knew it made the woman more deadly.
She was so terrified that her interference would kill him.
Danny gave the Headmaster his own smirk this time, charging up an ice blast in his hand. He let it fly, but his enemy deflected it with the pike, using one smooth motion to deflect it and then come around and try to stick him.
The young man dodged, floating a few feet back, surprised when she began to float as well, following him for another strike. This time, her strike was aimed directly at his wrist, and with a hard smack, the sword went flying. He brought his hands up, turning slightly and grabbing the offending pike, only to scream when she sent electric purple energy through it. Danny could feel his core being drained even further.
The electrical assault abruptly ended when the Headmaster yelped and pulled away, taking the pike with her. As Danny recovered, panting hard from the shocks, he noticed his assailant holding her head and glaring murderously at Sam.
The goth stood tall, still at her spot towards the end of the alley, hands balled into fists at her side and matching the Headmaster glare for glare. She had thrown the metal pipe and it struck true, hitting the enemy near the temple.
'Dammit, Sam!' Danny thought angrily, both furious and terrified that she'd made herself a target again.
He flew at the Headmaster in a wild bid to get her attention back on him. His hand glowed green as he landed a good punch in her side, hearing her grunt and gasp. She stumbled back but recovered quickly, sending a purple ecto-blast at the hybrid. Danny deftly dodged, coming at her again, sending her more ice beams from his eyes.
The older woman ducked, and with a smirk, set her sights back on Sam. Danny internally cursed, fear nearly paralyzing him as the Headmaster once again dodged his attack and brought her hand up, a purple glowing ecto-blast at the ready.
Sam squeaked and bolted out of the way of the first blast, repeating "Shit, shit, shit!" over and over, and cringing as she heard Danny's deep booming voice, "Stay away from her!"
The hybrid could practically feel the smugness rolling off his adversary which only fueled his own rage. His eyes blazed green as he forcefully tapped his core, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest as he pushed it near its limit. A little voice in the back of his mind tried to remind him that he'd shift back to human if he wasn't careful, but the rest of him just wanted the vile woman dead.
He launched himself at the Headmaster, causing her to throw another shot wide. Sam decided it might be time to get out of the alley, and made a run for it. She jerked to a stop, however, at Danny's cry.
The goth whipped around, finding Danny had taken a fairly nasty ecto-blast to the chest, causing him to fall back into the wall. His hand was over the smoking burn, hazmat seared away, pain shocking his system and his weakening core further.
"Danny!" Sam cried, realizing her mistake when the Headmaster once again rounded on her. Her eyes went wide, realizing that Danny was taking too long to recover to help her, his eyes scrunched shut from pain.
"Know your place, you little runt!" the Headmaster sneered as she sent two more blasts at the raven-haired girl.
This time, Sam was too slow. She tried to throw herself to the right, but her boots slipped on something slippery on the ground, and she gasped as one of the blasts hit her squarely in the side of her neck. She went down hard, reeling from the pain.
Her hand flew up to her neck, only to come away with way too much blood. She grimaced, panting heavily, realizing she could see a pool of blood starting to develop around herself. She placed her hand back over the wound, pressing tightly, but still feeling the blood seeping between her fingers. She screwed her eyes shut and let her forehead hit the pavement as her labored breaths caused ripples in the pooling blood. 'She must have hit something…' she thought, realizing she was quickly becoming dizzy.
"Sam!" Danny shouted. He took off from the wall, ignoring his own pain, to try and get to her.
Movement from the corner of his eye caused him to jerk away, but he was unable to dodge. The glowing pike came at him and Danny had no choice but to stop and grab the offending weapon. The force pushed him back against the wall and he realized in trepidation as his intangibility flickered that his core was too weak to allow him to sink through the brick.
At that moment, Danny's sensitive ears picked up the sound of heavy footfalls coming quickly down the street. Then Tucker rounded the corner and screeched to a halt in front of Sam, a look of pure horror on his face. Jazz wasn't far behind him, her own shock mirroring her husbands at not only the goth on the ground, but also her brother backed against the wall.
The dark-skinned man knelt, gingerly pulling Sam up and into his lap. "Oh God, Sam, what do I do?" he asked desperately, voice cracking at seeing the sheer volume of blood.
Sam was still breathing hard, and swallowed thickly, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. The agony was taking over, as well as the fear of possibly dying.
Tucker's hands roamed from one part of her to another, having no idea what he should be doing. Sam was the one who was good at this stuff, not him! His shoulders bounced with a sob. "I don't know what to do…"
Finally, he looked up and yelled fearfully, "Danny! What should I do?!"
The half ghost switched his gaze to Tucker's pleading and desperate eyes. "Save her," was his simple command.
It was enough to bring Jazz out of her paralytic shock and she kneeled next to her husband, bringing her backpack around and digging through it. The redhead pulled out wads of gauze before finding a styptic and a patch. 'Thank God Danny had us carry these!'
As she set about stemming the blood flow and finding where the blood was coming from so she could patch it, Danny felt relief wash over him, along with hope that Sam would be okay.
Through the pain, Sam finally opened her eyes, amethyst meeting neon green. He gave her a light smile of reassurance that it would all be okay before turning back to the Headmaster with a look of determination.
I can wait for you at the bottom…
The half ghost grunted, using all his strength to keep from getting skewered. The older woman had always been formidable by her skills alone, but now that she had ghost powers, her physical strength rivaled his. But in his weakened state, he was no match and could feel he was losing the battle.
Danny tried to shoot another ice beam, but it took too much power, and his eyes glowed blue only briefly before flashing back to green. 'Come on, dammit!' He knew he had forced power from his core before!
I could wait for years if I gotta…
As he stared into the Headmasters eyes, the woman with that ever irritating smirk on her face, Danny realized that this was a losing battle. Sam had given him hope that maybe he would survive this, but he understood now that it was futile to hope.
His heart ached at knowing what they could not have; at the life he would no longer share with her. He wouldn't see his parents again, he would never see his nephew grow up. He'd never have children of his own…nor would he grow old with Sam.
This was the way it was always going to end.
He knew what he had to do in order to keep them safe. With one last glance at the woman he loved, and with a nearly imperceptible nod, Danny let go of the pike, the weapon burying itself into the center of his chest.
Pain exploded as the ghostly pike pierced his ghost core. Danny was forced harder back against the brick wall behind him and he gasped as the weapon went further, effectively shattering the vital organ. Pain exploded within his chest and he would've cried out, had his throat not been filling with his life-blood. He forcefully spit ectoplasm mixed with blood and once again gripped the handle of the offending pike. He glared, piercing green eyes meeting the Headmaster's glowing blue ones.
Danny could hear the screams of Jazz and Tucker in the background.
The half ghost would be damned if he didn't take her with him. With a shout, he forced the pike completely through, watching with satisfaction as the Headmaster's smirk turned into shock and then to horror as Danny's hand reached out. She tried to pull away, but Danny was faster, now grabbing her hand and, finally, blessedly, forcing power from his shattered core and encasing her hand in ice to keep her there.
With his free hand, he pressed his palm to her chest, giving his own bloody smirk as he poured as much power as he could from his destroyed core into her chest. Pain erupted and intensified as he bled his core dry, but he refused to stop. She let out a blood-curdling scream as searing hot ectoplasm burned through her flesh, bones and then lungs before blasting through her back. Her eyes dulled before she hit the ground with a thump.
Sam, while weak and dizzy, witnessed the entire thing in absolute terror. An involuntary scream left her as Danny slumped against the wall, glowing pike through his chest. As he slid down, she shouted again. "Danny!" she yelled, finally finding her voice, panic seeping into her bones.
Jazz had managed to apply the patch and stem the bleeding just as Danny had let the weapon pierce him. And so, Sam forced herself to her hands and knees, ignoring the pain and woozy feeling, and crawled to him, Tucker and Jazz supporting her as best they could as they all desperately made their way to him.
Sam reached him, knees scraping on the asphalt. She grabbed his shoulders as he coughed, blood and ectoplasm spilling from his mouth. "No, no, no, no…" she said as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way!" she shouted, anger and deep sorrow overtaking her.
We'll try again…
Jazz and Tucker settled on the other side of him, his sister now wailing and running a hand through his hair. Tucker's chest was tight with his sobs.
Danny grabbed hold of his sister's hand, coughed again, and brought his other hand up to hold Sam's. He briefly gave her a smirk. "We both knew…it would end…this way…" he said weakly between shallow breaths.
When we're not so different…
Sam sobbed harder and pulled his head to her shoulder, hugging him close. "Don't go," she pleaded. "Please, don't go." Hot tears ran down her cheeks and her sobs threatened to overtake her. Her eyes darted back and forth trying to think of something she could do to help him.
Danny struggled to take a breath, but his lungs rattled and pain flared. The more he tried to breathe, the harder it was; his lungs were filling with a mix of ectoplasm and blood. He knew he didn't have much time.
Danny squeezed her hand before letting go and bringing it up to brush her hair back, finally resting it on her cheek. "I love you…S-Sam. I always…will," he breathed out.
His words made her cry harder before she nodded. "I love you, too," she replied, before hugging him tight. They stayed like that for several moments before Sam pulled back to look into his eyes, only to find a very human Danny.
His eyes were closed and he wasn't breathing.
It was then that Sam completely lost it, realizing the man she loved and had searched for for four years was gone. She was bent over him now, tears flowing freely as she let out the depths of her sorrow, screaming and crying, body shaking from the force of her bawling.
She understood now, when Danny said his heart had shattered when he thought she died; her heart felt as though it had shattered along with him. She knew it would never be whole again and her chest constricted painfully at the thought.
She could hear Jazz screaming as well, and Tucker's labored breathing through his own weeping. His sister was holding onto his head, crying into his hair while Sam cried into his stomach, careful of the pike.
Then, the young woman heard fast footsteps behind her before more screams rent the air. Maddie and Jack fell to their knees around Danny, fully aware that he was gone. Sam shifted back some to let them have their turns with him, standing shakily and then weakly walking a few steps away, but unable to curb her agony.
The goth cringed every time Maggie let out another gut-wrenching scream, Jack rubbing her back with his own silent tears snaking their way down his cheeks. Maddie had thrown herself half over her youngest child, her husband trying to comfort her while losing his own composure.
After several long minutes, Sam felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Tucker, face soaked with tears and in her weakened state, and shed new tears as she gripped him tight.
As the sun set, not just on Amity Park, but also on Danny's life, Sam cried into Tucker's neck, and he into hers, Sam knowing that none of them would ever be the same.
She just didn't know how right she was.
Heaven knows I ain't getting over you…
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*Hiding from SamXDanny* I'm so sorry…All of your most recent reviews, I kept cringing and practically hiding my face from the screen, especially the one where you were like "DANNY BETTER BE OKAY BY THE END OF THIS!" because…well…I already knew this.
I know you are thinking: was it always my intent to kill Danny? Yes. As Danny realized above: "This was the way it was always going to end." For 18 years I've known the outcome of this story; it's actually the main thing I dreamt about that sparked this entire thing. And I'm sure you all hate me! I put him through hell and then killed him.
Also, I was listening to "Just Pretend" by Bad Omens while writing this. That song is basically the theme of this story and it's a REALLY good song. Some of the things characters have said, or titles of chapters (including this one), came from this song. I encourage all to listen to it.
The story doesn't end here, however. There's an epilogue, so stay tuned!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to run and hide from a certain reviewer!
