Chapter 1 - Because of You

Because of You



Solemnly, 14-year-old Danny Fenton walked the school hallways, his head hanging down. His black hair hung over his face as little beady drops of tears formed in the corner of his eyes. Walking the school grounds, he glanced at people passing by him. It wasn't the same anymore. There was no Mr. Lancer to yell at him and the trouble-making students. No more detentions. No more Jazz and her highly academic roles and grades. And most importantly, no more Sam and Tucker.



I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery



As he passed by Dash, he didn't care if he was going to be beaten up or not. Better he get knocked out of his misery than to live it. But surprisingly, Dash didn't do anything. He just stood there, staring. Frowning, Danny looked at him with a questionable look.



“Hey, man, I'm sorry for what happened.” Dash said, as if to reveal a whole different part of him.



“What? Aren't you going to pick on me?” Danny asked in confusion.



Dash shook his head. “You're no longer the Fenton geek that I used to know. You used to be the one to help us get our parents back from the ghostly pirate ship. You used to be the one who could always take my fist. Now, you're just a lonely, sad, and pitiful kid walking the Casper High hallways with no where to go, no future to attend to. It's as if you're a mindless creature wanting to rewind time.”



Danny sighed. “I guess I do want to go back and fix everything that has happened….anyway, catch you another day, Dash.”



“If you get better and don't act like this, I'll schedule a beating for you. But I'm letting you off the hook since you're already tormented by your broken soul,” Dash called after him as Danny walked away.



“Yeah, whatever,” Danny muttered as he stared at the ground with emotionless blue eyes. Coming up to his locker, he opened it. To his grief, a picture of his friends and family hung in the back. They all seemed so happy together. A single tear fell from his eyes as he remembered the times they used to have.



I will not break the way you did,
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far



Flashback to Reign Storm episode:

“I can see you over there, you know,” Danny said once he got into the Ecto-Skeleton his parents had created.



Behind him, Sam and Tucker pushed the door to the rooftop wide open and ran over to him. They both held worried expressions.



“Danny, please,” Sam said as she tried to prevent Danny from doing his task.



“Come on, guys. You didn't think it was always going to be as easy as shoving the Box Ghost into the Fenton Thermos, did you? I'll be back,” Danny assured them.



Tucker frowned as he looked sideways with unsureness. “Your mom used the word `fatal.'”



“Guys, I'll be back,” Danny said as Sam and Tucker hung their heads. Once he said that, they looked up at him with the thought of never seeing him again. Suddenly realizing that this may be the last time he'd ever see them, he figured it was time for one last words from Sam. He bent down to her and said, “But….if there's anything you wanted to say to me, now might be an excellent time to do it.”



“I….I….I…..” Sam stuttered, trying to make out the words `I love you' to him. But she never got a chance to say it.



End flashback



“Sam wanted to tell me she loved me…..and she never did,” Danny whispered to himself. He felt horrible for not noticing the way she felt about him. Guilty for looking at Paulina instead of her. If only he could change that. No. It was impossible. Nobody could turn back time.



After school, he ventured past the broken Nasty Burger. More painful memories flooded his mind as he stared up at it. This was the place. This was the place where Sam, Tucker, Jazz, his mom, his dad, and Mr. Lancer died. This was where it all started. He'd cheated on a test, and Mr. Lancer talked to them there about where kids end up if they had poor grades….or cheated. But unknowingly, the substances inside the Nasty Burger's tank had grown too hot that it overheated and exploded into them.







Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid



Flashback:



“This is where people end up when they fail….or cheat,” Mr. Lancer said as he gathered a meeting in front of the Nasty Burger.



Maddie gasped. “What? Cheated?”



“Danny, is this true?” Jack asked.



Danny nodded solemnly. “Alright, I admit. I did cheat. But I hadn't had time to study, so I had to do that.”



“That's no excuse for you to cheat, Mr. Fenton,” Mr. Lancer said sternly.



“Danny, why?!” Jazz sobbed with tears, ashamed of her little brother.



“YOU GUYS, YOU'VE GOT TO GET AWAY FROM THERE!!!” Sam cried as she and Tucker ran up to them.



“This place's gonna blow!” Tucker added with fear in his eyes. “And we're 3 feet away from it!”



“South-beach diet, people! What's wrong with you?!” Mr. Lancer shouted.



I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with



All of a sudden, a loud crackle could be heard throughout the Nasty Burger. Frowning, Mr. Lancer looked up. “What was that?”



“It sounds like metal popping,” Maddie said as she glanced around, as did Jack.



“MOVE IT!!!” Sam screamed as she tried to get everyone out of danger.



But it was too late. At that moment, a loud burst of combustaneous flames erupted from the Nasty Burger's grill that had been left unstable for a long time, exploding into a force so great, the debris stung into Sam, Tucker, Mr. Lancer, Jazz, Maddie, and Jack. Widening his eyes, Danny watched as the disastrous scene unfolded before him. His mouth was speechless, and he felt numb all over.



“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” he screamed.


Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid



His blue eyes watched in horror, as the radiation from the heat of the Nasty Burger's grill exploded onto his friends and family. And that was the last time he saw them. The last time he'd ever see them. Dropping to his knee, he clenched his teeth angrily as he curled his hands into a frustrated fist. How could he have cheated? If he hadn't cheated, then Mr. Lancer wouldn't have called him over here. Everything would've been preventable if he hadn't cheated on the CAT. It was all his fault. His fault that everyone he knew died.

I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me



At that moment, police cars arrived at the scene to investigate. They asked Danny a couple of questions before realizing that he was too tortured a soul to speak anymore. Quietly, he walked back to his now empty house. Once inside, he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in great mournful pain, as tears cascaded down his facial skin. There, he lay sobbing throughout the night.







“Mom…dad….Jazz….all of them are gone. Gone forever,” Danny whispered to himself as he stared up at the building.



You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing



Just then, he felt his shoulders shake as his knees turned weak. Falling onto his hands and knees, his eyes met the ground as his black hair hung over him. The pain was coming back to him again as he formed more tears. Try as he might, he couldn't rid himself of the misery he was in.

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you



With nowhere to go, Danny decided to do what he'd never do in a million years---join Vlad. Walking into the house, he picked up the Fenton phone and began to dial the Masters' mansion in Wisconsin. After a long ringtone, he finally heard a voice.



“Hello?”



“Hello, Vlad.”



“Daniel, what do you want?”



Danny hesitated, then said, “Vlad, my family and friends are dead. I have nowhere to go. Can I come live with you?”



At that moment, Vlad realized that Danny had been crying. After all he'd been through, he chose to turn to him in the end. Not wanting to make the situation any worse, he replied, “I'll have my plane pick you up at three o' clock.”



“Thanks, Vlad.” Putting the phone down, Danny went to pack up everything that he had, including the things that held the most memories. His eyes looked sorrowful as he looked at a picture of him and Sam hugging.



“Why must fate torment me? Why me?” he asked himself as he allowed one final flashback to invade his mind. This time, it was memories of him and Sam together.



Flashback:



“Sam, are you okay?” Danny asked as he took Sam flying. Apparently, he'd noticed how Sam was looking dreamily at him.



Startled, Sam said, “Yeah! It's just….the view's kinda nice from up here.”



Danny stared at her, then smiled.



Later, right after Ember had been sucked into the Fenton Thermos, Sam ran up to Danny to hug him. Immediately, they both started to blush.



“Hehe, I guess Ember's spell hasn't worn completely off,” Sam laughed nervously.



“You two were never under Ember's spell,” Tucker stated matter-of-factly.



Irritated, Sam nudged him in the shoulder.



End final flashback



I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid



“If only I could tell you I love you, Sam,” Danny whispered softly before leaving the house with all his suitcases and bags. As he stepped outside, he saw that Vlad's plane was waiting for him. Grimly, he boarded the plane with pure silence. As he stared out the window, he took one last look at the place he grew up in. The city he saved from evil ghosts when he was Danny Phantom. The place of silent, heartbroken memories. Once more, a single tear dropped from his eyes and splashed onto his lap as he gave Amity Park a final glance.



“Goodbye….Amity Park,” he whispered under his breath as he turned his head around. Staring into a photograph of his friends and family, he said, “Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Mom, Dad….they may be gone, but they won't be forgotten.”

Because of you
Because of you

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