Shatterglass

A Danny Phantom Fanfic by Quill N. Inque

I do not own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 9: Epilogue

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The slow, high pitched and rhythmic tones of the alarm clock to Danny Fenton's left caused his eyes to open blearily through the fog of sleep. He sat up, yawning cavernously as he pushed the sheets aside in his reluctant bid to escape the still-warm cocoon of fabric and pillows. The flight back from Europe had flown into the States in the wee hours of the morning, and Danny had collapsed in bed without even changing into his pajamas.

Danny hissed in pain as he tried to stretch, and the lightning bolts of protest that came from his bruised and battered body made him grit his teeth. Though he had triumphed over his longtime nemesis (in theory, anyway), that last, tragic battle had taken its toll, a toll that Danny had paid in his own blood.

He hurt. In fact, Danny hurt in places that he never knew he had. His face was mottled with a collection of purple, green, and black bruises that offset the deep shadow of his black eye, and he still wore the filthy rags that had once been his clothes. The legs of his jeans were torn, stained, ragged and singed, and his signature T-shirt sported a lovely assortment of singed holes, ripping gashes, and the rusty brown stain of oxidized blood. The arm that had nearly been twisted out of its socket pained its owner abominably, and the stiff, aching pain Danny felt there was enough of a hindrance to render the entire limb incapable of use.

Danny looked less like an American teenager and more like a Dark Age warrior who had just stepped off the battlefield. His ragged and weary appearance gave a silent confirmation of the massive physical trauma Vlad had inflicted upon him, and now Danny drew a sharp intake of breath as he slowly reached for the doorknob. Danny stepped out of his room-

-Only to find Sam waiting for him.

Her eyes were drawn to the sight of his surprisingly muscular torso that the tattered rag on Danny's shoulders subtly displayed. "Who knew ghost fighting would get you so built?" she said slyly.

"Sam, what are you-" Danny was clearly embarrassed. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd gone home!"

"And face my parents after your secret's out?" Sam snorted. "Not just yet. I need time to convince them that you were framed, 'cause right now they're writing letters to our senator demanding your incarceration."

"Wow, and here I thought everything would be different," Danny joked, trying to move past her so as to get to the bathroom and banish the detritus of war from his bruised and tired body. "It's good to know some things never change."

Sam narrowed her eyes as he began to walk past her. "Where are you going?" she demanded in her typical style, grabbing Danny's arm roughly. "C'mere."

So insistent was she that the young hero turned to face her-

-Whereupon Sam promptly pulled on his hand and drew him close to her, pressing her lips to his.

Danny's brain promptly short circuited like a toaster in a bathtub, and his blue eyes became as big as dinner plates with shock and surprise. Sam laced her arms around his neck, pressing so close that he could feel her heartbeat against his own, and Danny was not even aware of the fact that his hands subtly wrapped around her waist. His grip was gentle, as if Sam were a priceless treasure that would break if he touched her too hard, and Danny's eyelids closed as he gave in to the unbelievable feeling of his very first kiss.

The hero felt is heart begin to soar as surely as if it had been given wings, whilst a joy unlike any he'd ever known washed away the remnants of anger and misery like footprints before the incoming tide. Some part of Danny's mind that had miraculously remained lucid idly wondered why the hell it had taken the two of them so long to do this. Nothing else mattered right now, not the politicians, not the callous Major Skryme, and definitely not the diabolical machinations of the late Vlad Plasmius. The President himself could have tried to gain Danny's attention right now, and he would have ignored him.

Right now, Danny's world consisted only of Sam.

She broke off the impromptu embrace gently, and Danny felt his face heat up like a furnace while his cheeks turned puce. "You're…good at that," Danny said awkwardly, unable to find the right words for what had just happened.

Sam smiled back at him, taking his hand in her own. "So are you gonna ask me out or what?"

"Yes," Danny replied hurriedly. "Of course!"

"Then say it."

"What?"

"Ask me out, properly," Sam told him, a wicked glint in her eye.

"Why should I have to do that? We just kissed!"

"Stop whining and grow a pair, you baby."

"SAM!"

"You're so gullible," she laughed. "I would've thought Tucker would have fallen for that, but not you."

"You are a sadistic person," Danny snorted, but there was no anger in his tone.

"Anyway, you'd better get cleaned up," Sam stated. "Brody called early this morning after he went back to D.C. You've been cleared of all charges, largely due to his report on what happened in France. He wanted me to give you this email, too," she added. "Better hurry up and read it, though. The City Council wants to publicly apologize and honor you in a desperate attempt to save face with the voters. The only reason I'm going is so I can give them a piece of my mind," she added.

"Gosh, you're subtle," Danny teased, taking the proffered envelope. "I wish he coulda stayed around for a while, though. Brody didn't seem like such a bad guy."

"I'll be downstairs," Sam said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Jazz and I will wait for you in the car."

Danny nodded absently as he ripped open the missive, and Brody's blocky handwriting greeted his gaze as his eyes roved over the innocuous-looking piece of paper.

Fenton,

I write this at the bottom of the document that I have saved on my desktop computer, the same document that I prepared for the prosecution's case against you.

I've surreptitiously run some satellite scans when my boss has his back turned, and what little remains of Vlad's estate holds nothing to evidence any foul play of any kind. I have seen to it that both the virtual and hard copies of your case file have suddenly disappeared, with the exception of this one. Normally, my own ethics and morals would compel me to bring you in, but I've said already that arresting you after you fought so hard to clear your name would be nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. You've already gone through more than anyone your age should, Fenton, and you've shown an unswerving dedication to the point that you were willing to throw away your own life for the sake of others, even as they vilified and denounced you as no better than Vlad.

Between you and me and the printer that is running off this paper, you did the world a service by offing that sick bastard. I've run across a lot of wackos in my day, but this guy even gave me the heebie-jeebies.

I won't lie to ya, I'm not getting any younger. I've been with the Bureau so long and seen so much violence and corruption, that I'd long stopped believing that anyone was really pure.

But then a folder with your name upon it landed on my desk, and I realized that there are still those who fight to keep the light of hope burning in the face of the encroaching darkness.

Fenton, I would have given almost anything to have been as noble as you at just fourteen. You are worthy the trust and admiration of everyone around you, Fenton. You have earned the right to be recognized and honored for all of the heroism and valor you have shown in the past, and will, I am certain, show in the future. That is why no one can ever know the truth about Vlad's death. Kid, the fact of the matter is that sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes, people deserve more.

Sometimes, people deserve a hero upon whom they can depend to watch over them, a man with a pure heart and unquestionable honor.

Words cannot describe the guilt I feel over what I have done to you these past weeks, but I hope I can count myself fortunate enough to be counted as your friend.

You've probably guessed by now that I'm retiring. I've already decided to move up north, near the Rockies, where I can spend the rest of my life in peace and solitude without the bloodshed and anguish that I built my entire career upon.

When I am done typing this letter to you, I shall finish cleaning out the contents of my desk and bid goodbye to the coworkers that I have lived and fought beside for nearly twenty years.

And then I'm going to delete this file.

-Brody

Danny saw a splotchy tear make the ink on the paper run, and he wiped his hands across his eyes before splitting his face in a watery smile.

The hero wouldn't let Vlad's last act of malice and cruelty consume him. At that moment, Danny Fenton renewed his resolve to keep fighting the good fight in the name of all those who could not wage the battle themselves. The world may now know his identity, and his secret may be gone forever, but Danny had the staunch support of his loved ones to keep him going if he ever faltered.

That was something Vlad had never possessed.

There was no trying to change those with opinions like Major Skyrme's. The only thing Danny could do was prove them wrong with his actions.

Danny sniffed again. Just like the statues.

"Danny! Come on! We're gonna be late!" Sam's hollering snapped him out of his ruminations.

The future lay ahead of him, and as his shoes clumped down the stairs, Danny grinned hugely as he sent out a silent challenge to whatever joys and trials were in store.

Bring it on.

A/N: D'aaaaaaw! Isn't that just sweet? I gotta say, it has been a BLAST writing this fic, but I have truly been humbled at the unprecedented response that this story has received! XD I was BLOWN AWAY by how many people read and reviewed, and so I want to take a moment to recognize all of you who took the time and effort to give me your feedback! To KichiMiangra, Ember Mclain13, Bubbace, Astro MacPhearson, ToiletFacility, TitanQueen13, acosta perez, jose romero, Punker88, Hinata28h, Codiak, younarteest8, liyit789, pearl84, DBack47, artfan, Iyrsiiea, GollaG, EtaCarinae1, Supersister, CrypticMoonFang, and all the rest, you have my undying gratitude for your readership and well-rounded reviews!

But there is one person in particular that I want to thank: Gabry. Gabry has read and reviewed almost all of my stories, and in fact, he's often the FIRST to review! Old friend, I put forth here in writing my warmest thanks for your continued readership. It is readers like you that keep this site going, and I hope, with utter sincerity, that you will join me on many stories in the future! Thank you so, so much! ^^

And to all my readers, I shall simply say:

I am, and ever shall be,

Your humble servant,

-Quill N. Inque