His Redemption

The Inevitable

Robin sat silently beside the still unconscious Danny, a frown on his lips. It had been nearly a week now, and the half ghost had given no signs of waking up. His already slow heartbeat had slowed even further, becoming almost nonexistent. Robin was concerned, no, terrified.

The League had brought Cyborg back with them in order to gain information on the final battle, and, more likely, information on Danny. Though, Robin couldn't help but think that if they deemed him dangerous, there isn't much they could do. He winced at his own pessimism. Though, Robin knew that Danny's current state hadn't just affected him. Even the incredibly bubbly and optimistic Starfire had been somber since Alpan's defeat.

Robin was brought out of his, admittedly dark, thoughts by the sound of the door opening. He was greeted with the sight of Cyborg.

"Cyborg? When did you get back?"

"Later. We have company." Robin was up and out of the Medic Ward in a matter of seconds. He quickly reached the living room, Cyborg trailing behind him.

"Hello Robin," came the voice of Clockwork as he floated near the windows. "I see that Victor managed to coerce you to leave Daniel's side." Robin whirled on Cyborg, demanding why he forced him away from the Medical Ward with Danny in the condition he was.

"Hey man, he said it was important." Cyborg put his hands up in a placating gesture, a bit of fear in his eyes. He hadn't seen Robin this angry since Slade.

"You shouldn't be so harsh, Robin. What I have to say is important. And it involves Daniel."

"What do you mean?" He asked suspiciously, not daring to allow himself to hope.

"There are things I must tell you; things that Daniel would likely rather I not say. Unfortunately, for him to recover, fully recover, I must." The Titans could visibly see the regret on the shifting ghost's face. "But, firstly, I will put your worries to rest. Daniel will wake."

Rather than cheers, the relieving words were met with a stunned silence. Starfire was the first to recover.

"Danny will... awaken?"

~~~~~~~~~Line~Break~~~~~~~~~

He woke slowly, eyes feeling far too heavy to even consider opening. With an internalized groan, he attempted to move, only to be met with sharp burning pains spreading throughout his body. Deciding it to be better to lie still, he instead began to expand his senses in hopes of understanding where he was.

Memories flooded back with the scent of artificial citrus.

Jump City.

Battling yet another demented version of himself.

Alpan.

Danny's eyes snapped open eyes taking in the surrounding Medic Ward with far too much detail. An internalized voice spoke of adrenaline in the back of his mind, but he paid it no attention.

Danny heard the sound of hushed voices coming from outside the door. Though he couldn't make out many of the words, he heard one far too clearly.

Dan.

His heartbeat picked up, now feeling as if it were pounding out of his chest.

They knew.

Danny's breathing became ragged; it was as if he couldn't get enough oxygen into his lungs.

About his future.

His vision blurred, black spots beginning to appear sporadically throughout it.

Danny felt the door open more than he heard it, but didn't have the capacity to truly notice.
 
   He felt the blood rushing in his ears, heart still pounding erratically. His chest was heaving from lack of air. He couldn't breath.

   It felt like he was dying. Again. Only this time, it was far worse. When he was hit with the blast in the ghost portal it was a much swifter, barely focused pain. Now, however, he was suffocating. He couldn't breath. He was drowning in it.

   I'm sorry Sam.

   Vaguely through the fog and the pain, he heard something. Something... familiar? It was sad, but so very comforting. Images of his mother flashed through his minds eye. Danny didn't notice the tears falling freely down his face.

   Slowly, he felt his breathing grow deeper, more oxygen reaching his lungs. His heart, while still beating faster than normal, no longer felt as if it would burst from his chest. And finally, the blackness that had filled his vision bled away with his tears.

   The first thing that filled Danny's watery vision was the sight of a (suspiciously damp masked) Robin. The sound he had heard was the boy wonder humming the comforting tune that his own mother sang.

   It was several moments before anyone spoke, the sound of Robin's comforting tune being the only noise in the room. Eventually, it faded.

   "Danny?" The halfa hated how concerned Robin sounded with just one measly word. He didn't deserve such kindness and caring! Even the Titans must see it, knowing what they do now!

   "No..." He muttered, trying and failing to keep even more tears from falling.

   "Danny, what are you-"

   "No!" He couldn't stand the concern in his voice! "I don't deserve your concern! Your caring!" Danny shouted, clenching his fists painfully in the sheets. "You know about... about Him. How can you stand to look at me?! How can you sit there so concerned?! What I'm going to become; that monster, is inevitable." He was practically sobbing by this point, all of the pain and self loathing rising to the surface.

   "Danny, we know about Dan," the halfa winced, "and we don't care."

   "All of us have had fates that were supposed to come to pass, and none have." Starfire pushed on before Danny could vocalize his shock.

   "Danny, my purpose when I was born was to be a gateway to the end of the world. I thought is was inevitable, and yet, you and I, and all of us are still here."

   "Yeah man, us Titans make a habit of changing fate."

   "And doing the impossible." Beast Boy spoke up, a concern so genuine in his eyes Danny couldn't stand it.

   How could they be so trusting? He'd only been with them for about a year, and he'd kept so much from them! Why do they care so wholeheartedly, trust so completely in him? He was at best a loose cannon! It didn't make sense!

   "Danny," Robin spoke again, "we trust you, whether you like it or not. So it looks like you're stuck with us." The shrug was so painfully familiar, yet so different that Danny felt his breath hitch.

   And for the first time in three long, torturous years; Danny allowed himself to hope.