Lost and Found

Chapter 13: Can't

Author's Notes:

Has anyone stopped to wonder how all of this has been affecting Danny?

A glowing green portal opened in front of the halfa's, illuminating him in its light. He stepped through, and found that he was inside of the Clock Cathedral standing in front of Father Time himself. The Cathedral chimed its numerous bells, welcoming him.

"Hello Danny." Clockwork greeted

"Hi grandfather clock, how's it going?" before the master of time could answer Danny continued talking. "Me, I've been doing good. Fighting villains, being a hero, finding out that Vlad isn't dead like I thought he was, hanging out with my friends, you know the usual."

Clockwork sighed "Danny-"

"Cut the crap Clockwork! Okay, just stop! How many times have I been here in the past three years!? How many times have I asked you if he was alive or not! If he had died in space! I thought that he was gone- knew that he was gone! And you said or did nothing to convince me otherwise! And then the universe is like 'Nope Danny the man you love isn't dead. In fact he's been camping out at the Clock Cathedral for the past couple of years, sorry for the mix up.' And now he's back! He's back! Why!? Why now!?... Why now." It was like a damn had burst and now there was no holding back, no way to stop the emotions flowing, racing out of him. He was shocked when he realized that he was crying and wiped away the tears angrily almost as if he were slapping himself; but more came.

"I just...I didn't..." Danny's anger bled out of him along with his tears, as he hugged himself. "Sorry." He said hiccuping a bit.

Clockwork hesitated for a moment before hugging him. "Danny I'm so sorry but I cannot tell you why, I'm...forbidden to do so."

The halfa nodded. "Thank you for taking care of him though." He pulled away from the other's embrace. "Why did you take care of him? Vlad said that you had saved him from being killed by the meteorite. Why did you intervene with that, I thought you weren't allowed to."

The master of time sighed. "For some reason I had to. I can't say why, but I had to."

Danny nodded and bit his lip "Grandfather clock please just answer this at least. Was... was Vlad telling the truth? About his ghost half? I believe that he was telling the truth, I want to believe it but... I'm just already so confused about everything that has happened."

Clockwork sighed again. "Yes everything he told you was true. It wasn't easy to help him. He still needs help."

"What do you mean? I thought that he was okay now, stable."

"He still has scars," he tapped the halfa's chest right over where his heart was. "In here and," he tapped Danny's forehead. "In here. I think you know just hard it can be to get over your monsters, especially when they're yourself. He's spent over twenty years trapped in his own misery and he had to face it all alone. He still needs help."

"I'll help him. I promise."

"I'm not the one you need to promise to."

Danny nodded. "Sorry for yelling at you it's just... too much..."

"I'm sorry too; I know what you're going through, demanding answers, an explanation."

"Well duh, you're the master of all time."

Clockwork smiled, though it was a bit forced. "It's getting late, you should head home."

"Yeah." The other agreed, usually he would argue about wanting to stay longer but he couldn't. He didn't blame Clockwork for everything that had happened, which was why he hated himself for being even the tiniest bit angry at the other.

Grandfather clock opened a portal behind the halfa. "Goodbye."

Danny smiled, waved and said goodbye the same way he always did. "Not goodbye grandfather clock, just until next time."

"Even if I wasn't the master of time I would have seen that coming." Clockwork deadpanned, though he was grinning.

The halfa stepped through the portal.

The time lord let out a breath like he had been holding it his entire afterlife and sighed. "Why indeed." He whispered to the now empty Clock Tower and waited as if expecting an answer; the Clock Cathedral chimed its bells as if apologizing that it didn't have the answers.

Danny appeared in his room, turned back human, went to the bathroom and washed off of the concealer, fatigue quickly catching up to him. Being out all day, fighting a cyber ghost, getting the shit electrocuted out of you, yelling and crying your eyes out tended to make a person tired. He braided his hair, changed into his pajamas and dragged himself into bed throwing the covers over him.

Danny watched, tears streaking down his face as Dan held Vlad by the neck, who was staring at the younger halfa wide eyed, afraid, helpless. And the halfa knew that the other man's face was a mirror of his own.

"I'll help him, I promise," Dan mocked, running a clawed hand over Vlad's face, almost stroking it lovingly. "Stupid naïve child. How can you help him fight his demons when you can't even fight your own?"

Danny cried out in horror as with a sickening crack, Dan broke the other's neck, he now hung limp in the monster's grip, like a marionette with the strings cut. The beast cackled as he threw the older halfa to the pile of bodies. The image of the bodies seared itself into Danny's mind. Tucker with a cut in his neck so deep and gruesome that his head was almost dismembered from his body. Sam, right arm and leg gone, and her face paper white. His parents, bones prodding through their skin; Dan had thrown them a hundred feet into the air, gravity had done the rest. Valerie, with a six inch hole where her warrior's heart would be, her eyes still open.

"Danie-"

Danielle who also had her eyes open, in the middle of her forehead was a bullet hole, no bigger than a dime.

"-se wake up!"

The halfa cried uncontrollably, they couldn't be dead. Not the cocky, terrifyingly brave, reckless people he loved so much. But the bodies continued. Jazz, half of her face burned off. Johnny and Kitty together even in death but so mangled they were nearly unrecognizable. Ember her throat slashed, the usual fire in her eyes now cold and blank. Youngblood, the cocky, talkative, playful bratty boy was now quiet with his own sword impaled in his chest.

"Badger please!"

Dan laughed, a cruel insane sound. "How can you help them?' His hands glowed with ectoplasm and he played the burning light across the bodies. Their faces and flesh melted like hot wax, bones crackled and snapped under the heat. The monster left the killing light on them until they were reduced to a heat of ash. Danny cried, screamed and sobbed but he could not move, could not look away.

Dan finally stopped the burning light and the wind scattered the ashes, swirled them through the air. He smiled sadistically at the halfa. "I promise." Dan said with that awful shark tooth grin of his.

Author's Notes:

I wanted to make the first nightmare more detailed but i decided to wait, didn't want to traumatize anyone to soon. Also I haven't had tea in 42 hours! What's the matter with me!? It's all good though, just had a cup of chai. ^.^ Sorry if this chapter seems short, I'm tired, dying and other stuff. XD Hugs to everyone who has put up with my crappy writing for all this time! ^.^