Title: Awake
Summary: Danny Fenton wakes up one day, only to discover that everything he's been through the past year was all just in his head.
Notes: No pairings. Mostly told through Danny's POV. If you notice anything wrong or that should be improved, please let me know.
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. It belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. (Applies for the whole story).
Chapter 1: Open your eyes
Some things in life are always constant. Things that will always be there no matter what. I can count on my name being Danny Fenton, my parents' blabbering on ghosts, my friends being there to support me, my sister trying to analyze everything from a psychological perspective, and a few other things.
What probably scares me the most, is to have all those constants removed just because of the latest addition to my list: having to fight ghosts on a daily basis. Yeah, I'm not your ordinary fifteen year-old.
About a year ago, I had an accident in my parents' lab which turned me into a half-ghost, half-human hybrid. I've been using my abilities to protect Amity Park, the town where I live, although most of them think of me as a menace.
Ever since I started having this dual life, everything is upside down: my parents are hunting my ghost half because I haven't told them my secret, my friends have given away their own priorities to help me, my sister has to make alibis for my wounds and disappearances, and new enemies keep emerging just to make my life miserable.
But what if I had a chance to change all that? What if I could just be a normal teenager? What if I could stop putting my loved ones at risk?
Stop kidding yourself, Danny. It's never going to happen. I mean... even as I'm thinking about this random stuff, I'm looking for a ghost that ran (or more likely, flew) away.
I was able to trade only a couple of blows before he escaped, but I'm sure about a few things: 1) it's a male, 2) I haven't seen him before, 3) he's not the talkative type, and 4) he's stronger and faster than me.
So, not only did I sense a new ghost who is tough to beat and got away easily, but to top all things, I'll be at home after my curfew and my parents will ground me yet again.
There he is! He's in that building. Better get this over with now before he decides to wreak some real havoc.
Wow... it's really dark and quiet in here. Oh, right. It's still under construction. Ok, now to find the baddie.
Danny went into the fourth floor of the unfinished complex following a shadow he recognized from earlier. The figure was wearing a black cloak and had intense red eyes. Very hard to miss.
"Hey, shady, I'm already late so why don't we end this right here and right now?" the boy taunted as he began to approach his enemy. "C'mon... That has to be the lamest banter I've got. I'm sure anything you say will be better than that." Danny paused, waiting for a reply that never came. "Still not talking? Guess I'll have to jump directly to the fight then".
And just as he was about to charge, something tackled him on the back. Danny crashed into a pile of bricks. As soon as he got up, he noticed a second ghost, similar to the other one he was originally seeking. The newcomer was so fast that he didn't even set Danny's ghost sense off, or at least the boy didn't notice. "Let me guess, you're not going to speak either," the ghost kid said dryly.
"Why would I want to speak if I don't have any business with you?" the second ghost said as he floated near Danny. His voice was strong and yet... soothing. The young hero found himself almost in a trance, but snapped out of it.
"If you don't have any business with me, then why did you tackle me?" There's something strange about him. I just hope he's not as strong as the other one.
Instead of replying, the second ghost held his left hand up, his palm facing the boy, as if he were about to release some sort of beam.
What is he doing? Why is he--
Before he could finish his thoughts, Danny felt unable to move. The ghost was controlling him and now made him float out of the building.
I can't move. If he lets me go, I'm gonna hit the ground. Wait, what if...
Danny tried moving his head. Sure enough, the ghost wasn't controlling that. Determined, the white-haired teenager focused his energy in his throat. After what seemed like forever, he managed to release his Ghostly Wail on his enemy.
The figure was sent back with the strong blast. Even the first ghost was thrown by the energy. The building also received a fair amount of damage; more than fair to be precise, as it crumbled to the ground.
Great. They're both gone, so that's two birds, one stone.
Danny was so weak after using his recently acquired power that he changed into his human form while he was still floating four stories above the ground. He quickly began to fall.
They say life passes right in front of your eyes when you're about to die. Danny's case was no different as the ground came closer and closer. In an instant, it all went black.
"Oh, my God... Jack! Call a nurse, a doctor... anyone! I think he's waking up!"
Was that... mom? Ow... My head is killing me. I must've hit the ground pretty hard. I can barely move. And my eyes... I would keep trying to open them if it weren't for the light. Ugh... it hurts so bad! At least I can hear whatever's going on.
"Danny... my sweet boy. Please wake up. Please wake up."
It IS my mom.
"He's on his way, Maddie."
That's my dad's voice. I didn't die? I'm probably at the hospital. Yeah... I can hear several voices coming from outside the room. I can also hear a machine beeping like mad. That's gotta be my heartbeat. I didn't realize until now how fast it was beating.
Ok, Danny. You better give it one more shot... open your eyes. I know it hurts, but open your eyes.
"Doctor! He started to move."
C'mon, Dan. Open your eyes. The light is blinding and you can barely move, but try again. Open your eyes.
Ugh... yeah... that's the light I was talking about. You can do it. Slowly. Move those eyelids. It's all blurry, but at least it's something. There are three dark figures surrounding you. Now try to sharpen that vision, Fenton.
At the same time as his vision became clearer, the one he supposed was the doctor now spoke, freezing Danny with the sight and the sound of such a familiar man standing next to him.
"Hello, Daniel. It's great to see you're awake," The doctor said as he greeted Danny with a warm smile.
Just then, a nurse came in to hand some sort of vial to the doctor. "Here's the medication you requested, Dr. Masters".
"Thank you. This should stabilize him as he regains full consciousness. I'll be back in a second". Dr. Masters and the nurse left the room, leaving a still shocked Danny behind.
Dr. Masters? What the hell is Vlad doing here?
Before he could question himself more, Maddie and Jack now came closer to the boy. Danny first noticed how they were wearing regular clothes instead of their hazmat suits. His mom was the first to speak, her eyes full of tears. "Danny! We're so glad to finally see you awake!"
"You really scared us, son," Jack added, trying to hold his own tears.
Danny was still dizzy but tried to speak. His throat was sore and he could hardly emit a sound, but he managed to whisper something. "What happened?"
Jack looked at his son with a sympathetic smile. "You were in a coma for a year".
What? A year? How come I feel like it all happened yesterday?
"But don't worry. We won't let anything like this happen to anyone again. We destroyed the Fenton Ghost Portal," Jack continued.
"Jack, he just woke up. He might not even remember the accident at the lab that sent him to the hospital a year ago".
The lab? They can't be talking about the accident that turned me into a ghost...
... could they?
Notes:
Sorry if it's confusing and I also apologize for the cliffhanger. But don't worry, it will be explained later. Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you liked this little introduction.