The Watcher in the Darkness
Vlad finds Danny, hopelessly beaten and broken. Spiriting him away to his home, Danny wakes up...unable to remember anything about who he is and what attacked him in the first place....
Quote:
"People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain."
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Amongst a few summer flowers, face pressed into the grass, Danny's limp figure lay, motionless, one hand still seized around a nearby patch of
wild grass.
But that too, was unmoving.....
It was a late, rainy afternoon when the boy had been found in the muddy ravine, completely splattered by dirt and rain, pearl like drops still in his
raven hair.
Mixing with the scarlet on the ground.....
Mayor Masters had been out on a casual stroll when he had stopped at an odd bump in the grass, and casually turned his head.
He froze.
His umbrella had gone crahing to the ground.
"D-Daniel....?"
But the boy did not move. Vlad hesitated, then rushed over to him.
His eyes widened.
Who could have done....?
One of his legs was at an odd angle, as if the bone had been snapped cleanly in two. There was blood still on his face, coming mainly from his
nose.
As he cautiously lifted up a hand to check for a pulse, he had to suppress a gasp and a curse.
Bruises. Bruises everywhere purpled the boy's skin, dark, green, blue, yellow, red, violet, orange....everywhere, a dark hue of colors that each
looked like a rainbow had thrown up on each.
Daniel let out a small moan as Vlad attempted to lift him....he was still alive. Vlad paused, then gently sank him back to the ground.
He had no idea why. Didn't he want the boy destroyed?
Well....that had not been his previous intentions....if only the boy had relented and JOINED him....
Things could have been so different....
When the ghost entity known as Nocturne swept through Amity Park....
...he almost wished he DIDN'T wake up.
Check. Not Almost.
There had been no Jack.
Maddie had been his wife....
Jasmine had been off studying pyschology at Dartmouth....
And Danny had been alongside him, a smile on his face.
He should've known things were too good to be true.....
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Vlad sank to his knees from his crouch, and stared, and stared.
This was....too odd to be actually happening....
Imagine your rival.....if you have one.
Now imagine him completely beaten to breaking point on the ground.
Imagine that you stumbled upon him.
What would you do...?
Vlad sighed. Maddie and Jack were going to be desperately upset with frantic tonight, when Danny didn't come home.
He whipped out his cellphone in the driving downpour and spoke urgently into the mouthpiece.
"Edward, I need a ride. Stat."
Later that night, around three in the morning, truth be told, Vlad was sitting in his parlor, sipping on some Darjeeling tea. He lowered his porcelain
teacup and listened.
Nothing.
Daniel had not moved a muscle since he had been bandaged.....there had been several nasty wounds that had, at first, escaped Vlad's notice as
he cautiously lowered Danny into the velvet seats of his limosine.
For one thing, three of Danny's ribs had been broken....the leg wasn't broken, but fractured....the opposite ankle had been sprained....
Vlad shook his head with amazement in his lab, applying a healthy layer of gauze as he wrapped the leg in a tight weave of bandages.
Broken nose....blacked out eye.....loss of blood....
Who did this?
And how could he get his hands around their throat and tear them to-^R**%TYTUI???!
Vlad had started, surprised.
Why....did he feel anxious about the boy? For heaven's sakes, he would be fine and about soon enough.
He could've simply flown home...and dropped off Daniel at the Fentons.....but where would the fun be in that?
Besides...he was curious to know.....Danny was a strong halfa. Who could've hurt him like that?
It couldn't have been Valerie....she was good, but even if she COULD overpower Danny, she would've simply finished him off.
Not leave him alive....she despised him.
What if the Fentons themselves did this to his Ghostly form?
Jack had no chance-he was too much of an asinine moron....Maddie, perhaps...but he rather doubted it.
The Fentons would've rushed to see what was on the ground...
....and they would see a broken child.
Undoubtedly, they would be unable to put two and two together.....but they would panic, Maddie would sob hysterically, and, knowing Jack, the
idiot would probably vow to make whoever harmed his son PAY.
Dearly.
Bah. As if the oaf could back up that threat.
Well....might as well check on the boy before he went to bed. Vlad sighed as he slowly stood up, streched, and began to go up the winding
staircase before simply deciding to phase into Plasmius.
It always gave him great satisfaction to do so....it was a feeling of power, prestige, invinciabilty.
What did young Daniel see in his form?
He had always wondered.....
After phasing through five floors, Vlad had arrived.
Danny was greedily sucking the Co2 from his breather mask as it gently charged and discharged air, by the heart monitor....
With all the wires, devices, and white cloth bandaged around him....
Dare he say it? Danny looked so....frail.
His face looked much younger as well....he could easily be taken for a ten or eleven year old.
Vlad paused.
And hesitantly let a hand run through Danny's dark bangs.
Vlad withdrew his hand and sighed.
He was being ridiculous.....
As he turned to go, he glanced over his shoulder.
And eyelids parted to reveal a pair of baby blue eyes looking staright at him.
Vlad paused, face blank.
Several seconds of silence passed between them. Finally, he spoke.
".....well?"
Danny only frowned a little bit, his gaze still unfocused. Ah....must of been the painkillers.
"Where...?"
"So, finally Sleeping Beauty awakes." Vlad smirked. Yes, now Danny was going to get angry and demand for answers.....
But nothing. Vlad raised an eyebrow. Danny seemed to be studying his appearance, still frowning.
"I....how long have I been...?"
"Several hours, little badger. But what I want to know is what happened to you."
Danny only shrugged, still staring at Vlad's eyes. The intensity was making Vlad a little uncomfortable, and he turned away.
"Can I....ask you another question?"
Daniel was much more docile then usual....how odd.
Maybe two was a little much to give him....
"Shoot."
"Who are you?"