12Hey, everyone! Happy New Year to ya! Yeah I know it's a day late 'n all, but can ya blame me? Anyway, here's a new chapter for my fans! *Hears crickets in the background* Th-they exist! I think...
Disclaimer: You know the drill guys. What's mine is mine and what isn't belongs to some big corporation machine thing.
Danny rubbed his face, feeling absolutely drained. The night's event's played again and again in his mind. Four dead. Four people he failed to save. Four people he couldn't get to fast enough. In the back of his mind, he had always wondered what would happen if he ever failed. What it would be like to be too late to save someone. He hadn't ever expected it to happen. Not really. They had a few close calls, what with the Disasteroid still fresh in his mind, not to mention having to face himself. The thought made him shudder. That was one incident he wish he could forget. But every time he and his friends had been able to pull through. So when it actually happened, Danny didn't know how to feel. Sure he felt horrible, but it almost didn't register to him. Like he was... detached. Maybe that was it? Maybe the weight of the situation hadn't fully hit, yet. The teen sighed as he sat on his bed. He almost dreaded when it actually did hit.
A knock came to his door, making him groan. "Yeah?"
The door opened, and Maddie Fenton poked her head inside. "Hey, sweetie. I just wanted to check up on you."
Danny gave her a wry smile. "Well, I'm still here. I guess that's something."
The woman gave him a somber look and moved to sit beside her son. She wrapped an arm around him, pulling the teen close. Danny rested his head on his mother's shoulders.
"Oh, Danny," Maddie sighed.
"I should've been there, Mom. I could've done something-"
His mother hushed him, rubbing his back. "You did do something, sweetie. A lot of kids owe their lives to you. You were so brave."
Danny thinned his lips. He knew she was right, but... He sighed, feeling even more exasperated.
"Danny, none of this is your fault," his mother said. "Even if things were different, there's no guarantee that the result wouldn't be the same. You've done so much for this town, already. How can anyone ask anything more from you?"
"No one ever asked me to do what I do, Mom," Danny said, sitting up. He shrugged. "I just... Do."
"Then maybe it's time you took a break?"
"What?!" The boy pulled away from Maddie in shock. "Are you crazy?!"
The woman gave him a stern look. "I would like to think not. That title's more for your father. But Danny, when's the last time you had some decent down time? Where you didn't have to worry about the next ghost attack, or the next big accident or some sort?"
"I tried that during the Disasteroid. It didn't exactly work out."
"That's still eight months."
"I'm fine, Mom. I can handle-"
"I know you can handle it, Danny," Maddie said, once again cutting off her son. "But if you don't give yourself time to rest, you'll only burn yourself out."
Danny opened his mouth to protest, but Maddie silenced him with a look. He closed his mouth with a sigh. Smiling, his mother kissed his head and stood.
"Your father and I will lead the patrols for now. I know we don't quite have your track record, sweetie, but we're not new to this, either."
"I never said you were," the teen said with a small smile.
"Then you can trust us to take care of things for the next week."
"A WEEK?!"
"I'm not budging on this, Danny. If I catch you out patrolling for the next seven days, you're grounded, young man. Am I clear?"
"Come on, Mom. A day-"
"Danny."
The teen slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Fine."
"Good," Maddie said. She turned to leave, stopping by the door. "Try and get some sleep, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning."
"Love you," Danny said. The door was shut, and he flopped backwards on his bed. Sleep. Yeah, that was gonna happen.
~DP~
It wasn't a very big room. Most people would've felt it was pretty cozy. But Sophie felt it was entirely too big. It didn't help that the walls were bare. Everything that had cluttered the room before had been moved down to the lab for safe keeping until the Fentons could sort through them. All that was left was an old sleeping bag for Sophie to use until they could get her a bed. It was still rolled up in a corner, completely untouched since Jazz had set it there. Sophie sat with her back to a wall, feeling out of place.
Isn't this a good thing?
Sophie frowned at her own thoughts. 'What about this is good? I lost my house and what I practically considered as my family has been scattered.'
But you're now closer to Fenton. Just like Plasmius wanted.
'I... I guess so.'
If you don't do what he wants, he'll kill again. He'll kill Willow.
'I know!' Sophie held her head in frustration. 'Just leave me alone!'
The voice ceased, but the girl was already unsettled. She couldn't stand being in that room anymore. She stood and took a deep breath. Slowly, the girl opened the door, trying to make sure it didn't squeak. Silence met her in the hall, and a quick scan let her know that everyone was already asleep. She crept downstairs.
Sophie found her boots by the door and began pulling them on. She would've liked to change out of the pajamas she was wearing, but she had no idea what Jazz had done with her actual clothes. Part of her felt bad about slipping out in the middle of the night. The Fentons were being more than generous to her. She just felt so awkward. She really needed some fresh air. Besides, she'd have to come back anyways. Plasmius wouldn't let her back out of this 'opportunity'.
She went to grab her coat, but found that it wasn't where she'd left it. Sophie frowned. Did Jazz move that, too?
"Do you normally sneak off in the middle of the night?"
Sophie jumped, but to her credit, she'd managed not to make a sound. She turned and groaned as she saw Danny standing behind her.
"Dammit, Danny! Stop doing that!"
The boy's brow furrowed. "You scare pretty easy, huh?"
Sophie pouted. "You're not exactly the first person to point that out. And no, I'm not missing the irony, here."
"Well as long as you're aware of it."
The girl sighed, rubbing her now heated face. "I thought you were asleep, already."
The boy shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. And from the look of things, neither could you."
Sophie shook her head, confirming his statement. She'd rubbed her arm, nervously, a thumb running across the band she wore. Her eyes were cast downward, but she still felt his gaze on her. Silence stretched between them before Danny shifted on his feet.
"Hold on a sec, okay?" he asked before going into a nearby closet. Sophie watched as he pulled out her coat and handed it to her. She blinked.
"D-Danny? What are you..."
"You're going out for a walk, right?" he asked, putting on his own coat. "I'll join you."
"Oh...n-no, you don't... have to do that..." Her voice was quiet as she watched him continue to dress for the outdoors. She noticed the teen was moving rather sluggish. His usual easy smile was nowhere in sight. After tying his boots, Danny straightened and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Don't worry about it, Soph. I think I kinda need this as much as you do."
Sophie didn't argue after that. What could she say? He did look worse for wear. Maybe he did need this.
You can use this to get closer to him. Like Plasmius wants.
Sophie frowned. Could she really? It didn't seem like she had much of a choice anymore.
Sighing, the raven-haired girl put on her coat as Danny opened the door. They both stepped outside as snow was beginning to fall. The two headed down the road, once again not speaking. Soon, they came to a nearby park. Snow blanketed the slides and swing set. Sophie wandered towards the swings. She dusted off a seat and plopped herself in it. She played with the hem of her coat as Danny took a swing beside her.
"I'm sorry, Sophie," he said, looking up at the falling snow.
"What?" the girl said in surprise.
"About all this. You lost everything because I couldn't get there fast enough."
"...You could have," Sophie said. "You could've been right there with me. If you had walked me home, like you wanted to, you would've been there."
Danny's expression darkened. He kicked the snow at his feet. The thought had come across more than once, but it was still a blow to hear it voiced.
"So you have nothing to be sorry about."
That made the boy turn to study her. "Sophie, I-"
"I was the one who told you to go home. If I hadn't made you leave, you would've been right where you needed to be when it happened." She gripped the chain of the swing so hard her knuckles began to turn white, even with her pale skin. "If anything, this is my fault."
"You don't really think that."
"I'm sorry, but you weren't the one who froze the moment you saw the fire," Sophie snapped. "At least you actually did something."
Her harsh tone made Danny flinch. He didn't know how to respond. His eye caught the ice beginning to spread from the girl's palms onto the swing-chains. Sophie must have noticed too, because she immediately jumped out of the swing, hugging herself.
"I was there long before anyone else saw the flames," she continued. "And I just stood there like the scared little girl I am. I didn't do anything."
"No one asked you to, Sophie."
"I shouldn't have needed asking! That was my family, Danny!"
"And it was my responsibili-"
Sophie actually felt herself snap. Like some wall inside her broke down, and everything it was holding came pouring out.
"THE HELL IT WAS!"
~DP~
Several pillars of ice shot up around them, causing Danny to bolt out of the swing. He landed on the ground with a hard thud. Pain began to grow from his lower back as he looked up. He blinked in amazement. Ice shards glistened in the streetlights, each one as clear as a piece of glass. Most of them just jutted up from the ground in no particular fashion, but a few had formed a tight circle around Sophie, who looked scared out of her mind. Tears began to fill her eyes as she sank to her knees and covered her head. Danny stood but nearly lost his balance on the ice beneath him.
'Wait, wasn't this all snow?' he thought to himself. He looked around and saw that once again, a layer of ice covered the ground. But this time, it was still spreading. Veins of frost crawled across the pavement and up the sides of nearby trees.
Danny's gaze went back to the trapped and trembling Sophie. Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to her. He weaved through and around the glassy pillars, trying not to slip and fall. It was slow going, with a few close calls, but he finally made it to the inner ring of ice.
"Sophie?" he said gently. The girl's only answer was a sob. Danny tried to squeeze between two ice shards to see her better.
"Sophie," he tried again. "You need to calm down." He said that partly for himself, as well. He could feel his heart doing jumping-jacks in his chest. The waves of energy she was hemorrhaging were making him nervous.
"Go away..."
Danny sighed and took a step back. When he stepped forward again, he phased through the ice. There wasn't much room to maneuver in, but he managed to crouch down in front of the girl.
"Sophie, please. I know you're scared, but if you don't calm down, your powers are gonna get out of control."
"They already are!" A wave of cold air pulsed from the girl. If it wasn't for his own ice core, Danny was sure it would've froze him stiff.
"Which is why you need to calm down," the boy said. He gently moved her still shaking hands to get a better look at her. Sophie looked up at him and their eyes locked. She looked so lost. Danny couldn't remember ever feeling such a weight from another person. Sure, he had self-appointed responsibilities. People looked to him for help all the time. But this girl... It wasn't just that she needed his help, she was desperate for it. And to be honest, he was a little afraid of what might happen if he couldn't help her.
"Just breathe, okay?" he said. Sophie bit her lip, looking down. Her hair fell in front of her. Danny watched as she took several deep breaths. She seemed to relax little by little with each breath. The boy waited a moment, studying her. When she looked like she was calm, Danny tried to move the curtain of her hair to the side and make eye contact.
"See? You're fi-"
"WHY DO YOU KEEP TOUCHING MY HAIR?!"
He pulled his hand away like he'd received a shock. Sophie held her hair back out of his reach, red coloring her face.
"Sorry. Won't do it again." He put both hand up in surrender. "We're calming down, remember?"
"R-right..."
Danny scratched the back of his head. "So... We all good now?"
"W-We'll have to talk about personal boundaries, but... For the most part, I guess..."
"... You didn't exactly leave me a lot of room to work with."
"And you're dense! Wow."
The boy actually looked offended. "I resent that!"
"Resent is too big of a word for you."
Danny opened up his mouth but shut it immediately afterwards. Seeing as Sam was probably the reason he even knew that word, he couldn't exactly argue. Instead, he laughed, shaking his head.
"I think it's time we head home. Preferably before I get in more trouble with you." The ghost teen offered Sophie a hand, which she took with a small smile. He phased them both through the ice and they both looked around.
"...Woah," Sophie said.
"Yeah... You're pretty strong..."
Sophie rubbed her arm. "Y-you have the same power, right? W-was it ever like this? For you, I mean."
"Somewhat," Danny shrugged. "I did freeze things without meaning to a lot. I mostly remember just being really cold."
"Really?" she said with a frown. "I hardly ever get cold, anymore."
"Not even a chill?"
The girl shook her head. "Not really. I mean, I think I've shivered once or twice, but other than that, the cold doesn't really bother me."
"Huh."
"What?"
"Nothing," Danny said. He put a hand to his mouth in thought. "Just seems a little odd, is all."
"Yeah, well, that's not really surprising to me. Figures I'd be a freak among freaks."
"You're not a freak, Sophie."
"Tell that to the mini Mt. Everest," she said bitterly, gesturing to the mountain of ice she'd created. Danny didn't know what to say to that. He gave her a sad look and placed a hand on her back.
"Come on," he said. They started to walk back, but Sophie stopped them.
"Ah... Actually, can we make one last trip?" she said.
"Uh, sure. Where to?"
"Well, I-"
The sound of screeching wheels caught the teens' attention, and they both looked in time to see a car crash into the ice blocking the road. Red and blue lights flashed on the ice. A horn and siren began to blare from the totaled vehicle. For a moment, both of them resembled deer caught in headlights, but that changed when the car door opened and a groaning man all but spilled out.
"Time to go," Danny said, grabbing Sophie and running off.
"Shouldn't we-"
"They're fine! And we don't need any questions!"
Well, that's that! PLEASE tell me what you think. Can't make the story better if you don't say anything about it. See ya next time!