True Love Knows No Boundaries

Every Word Is Dripping With Lies

~Dan's POV~

"Dan!? YOU'RE GOING TO BE OKAY DAN! WE'RE GOING TO MEET THE AMBULANCE HALF WAY! HANG ON DAMMIT! OUR STORY ISN'T OVER YET!"  Phil was screaming and crying as they wheeled me rapidly down the hospital halls. Screaming my name, constantly asking if I was going to be okay. Then, everything went white.

Was this it? This wasn't exactly how I imagined I would go, but I guess it doesn't really matter in the end. A loud ringing was echoing through my head. Slowly I blinked my eyes to see a room completely filled with white. 

"Daniel..."

That voice. It can't be, can it?!  Slowly, I turned my head in the direction of the voice, a fresh flood of tears already streaming down my face. "M-Mum?" Heart racing as I ran towards her and wrapped my arms around her, on arm holding me close to her as another was slowly running through my hair. Her hands gently moved to cup my face as she planted a soft kiss on my forehead. "I thought I'd never see y-you again..." 

She smiled, "As did I darling," slowly shaking her head as her eyes glistened with tears, "but not like this..." She must've noticed my confused expression, "You're not going to die sweetheart."

"What? B-But isn't-isn't this heaven?" Her hands were still cupping my cheeks as my hands placed on top of hers. She smiled softly as she shook her head, "So... I'm not dead? But how? I thought I died, I didn't?" 

My mother smiled, "Walk with me, Daniel..." At first, I was hesitant because hey, I'm sure we've all seen those movies where you think something's real and it turns out to be totally fake. Slowly I stopped in my tracks, which caused her to turn and give me a sympathetic and confused look. "What is it dear?"

"H-How do I know it's actually you? Yeah, know? Like how do I know this isn't a trick or all totally in my head?"

She smiled and laughed slightly before twirling in place, "Sweetheart, of course, this is all in your head." I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as I felt my stupidity hit me. "And to answer your other question. Who else would know a) that when you were ten you shaved your head because you wanted to match me? And b) that you used to run around naked after a bath because you wanted to and I quote, 'air dry'?"  I laughed and nodded.

She led me to a familiar sight, my heart skipped a beat as hot tears started to burn my eyes. The cemetery. My mother slowly made her way closer to the stone that wrote her name and patted the ground next to her. "You haven't come to visit me in a long time, Daniel... Why? I missed your company..." Her voice sounded broken and leaking with sadness. 

My heart started racing as I avoided her glance to wipe my tears away, "I-I just... I couldn't bring myself to see you here. I didn't want to see you here... I..." Without any words she got to her feet and pulled me into her embrace, "I wanted to, I wanted to so bad Mum but I... I couldn't..." Her soft hands slowly ran through my hair as she quietly hummed the tune for 'Black Parade' by MCR (My Chemical Romance), she and I would always sing it together on the way to school. "I just wanted to make you proud mum... Guess I failed at that too huh?" 

Her soft hands coming to cup my cheeks once again as she looked me in the eyes and shook her head. "Quiet the opposite sweetheart." I shot her a confused look, she smirked, "Daniel since you've reconnected with Phil and after he saved you... Have you stopped cutting?" I was utterly shocked, she knew I was cutting after her death?! Slowly, I nodded, "Have you been happier?" A soft smile slowly found its way to my lips, "Do you have a new respect for yourself? For others? For the world?" I nodded before she kissed my forehead, "Do you feel love in your heart once again?" I let my eyes fall to my tattooed wrists, I smiled at the memory of Phil and I getting matching tattoo's, I got mine on both my wrists and he got his tattoo on his ribcage. Mine was of Phil's signature, Phil on one wrist and Lester on the other, and he hand Dan Howell just in one spot because that's all his mum would allow. 

Somehow our surroundings changed. We were in a hospital room, I quickly spun around the room until I saw why we were here. There was Phil, crying softly, I practically ran to his side, however, in my attempt to hug him I went right through him. "Phil? PHIL! I'm here Philly! Please!" My eyes swiftly lifted along with my head to meet my mum's, "What's happening? Why can't he see me? What's going on!? Are you one hundred percent sure I'm not dead?!" 

My mother shook her head and sighed, "Sweetheart, you're not dead... Yet that is..."

My heart stopped, "Y-Yet? What does 'yet' mean?!" 

"Daniel, right now you're stuck in between life and death." She sighed, "It's actually quite simple darling, it's a choice, you can choose to go back to Phil or you can die. That's really the only option you have at this point." My eyes turned back towards a crying Phil, then back to my mum.

"I-I can't. I can't leave him." She smiled and nodded, "Mum? Does it hurt dying?"

Smiling she shook her head, "It's quicker than waking up that's for sure." I smiled and nodded.

"How... How do you accept this? Like, you always said to 'greet death like an old friend'. How did you do that?" 

"Darling... In accepting death as inevitable, we don't label it as a good thing or a bad thing. It's simply the fact that, death happens. It's just death, and how we meet it us up to us. My mother once explained it to me as a story. She said, 'Once Life asked Death, Why do people love me and hate you? Death simply responded with, Because you're a beautiful lie... And I'm the painful truth.' Daniel, you have everything you could ever want," Her hand pointing towards Phil, "and he needs you, sweetheart, don't lose him. You two are the others second half. I'm so and will always be proud of you Daniel..." Her voice faded as she slowly started to disappear.

"Mum? MUM!? MOMMA!? COME BACK! MOMMA PLEASE! I NEED YOU! MUM!"