[Third Person's PoV]
"But I don't understand—what do my parents being alive have anything to do with Batman?!" Danny asked, his voice tinged with confusion, panic, and disbelief. His eyes were wide, the news of Bruce Wayne's early death had hit him like a truck—an impossible truth from a reality he barely recognized.
Death, who was precious looking over his shoulders leaned on the desk, tilted her head in amusement at his reaction. She gestured lazily toward the nearby window.
"Why don't you start by looking out that window?" she said, her voice calm but layered with meaning.
Danny glanced at her skeptically, unsure of what looking outside would solve, but the earnest glint in her eyes pushed him forward. With hesitant steps, he walked across the room and reached for the window latch. He opened it slowly and leaned his head out. A gust of cool air hit his face, and what he saw made him blink in confusion.
Directly across from his bedroom window was a large, brightly colored billboard that boldly read:
"Welcome to Amity Park."
Danny stared at the sign for several seconds, trying to make sense of its convenient placement.
He slowly pulled his head back in, shut the window, stood there in silence… then immediately opened it again to double-check.
Same sign.
He shut it once more, this time a little harder, and turned away with a shaky laugh.
"I think I'm seriously losing my freaking mind," he muttered, pressing two fingers against his temple.
"I'm honestly so overwhelmed right now, it's like every answer just gives me five new questions."
Death let out a soft chuckle, stretching slightly as she shifted her position. "I won't answer the questions you can figure out for yourself," she said gently, her tone laced with wisdom, "but I will share what would be… difficult for you to discover on your own. For example, the reason you remember the other reality, and why your memories weren't rewritten by the shift—that's mostly thanks to me."
Danny turned to her sharply, eyes narrowing.
"You? What do you mean you did that? What exactly did you do?"
"You wouldn't remember," Death began patiently, "because you were unconscious at the time. When the incident occurred… when your body was on the brink… you were, for a moment, technically dead. I appeared before you then. My job was to collect your soul and guide it to the afterlife."
Danny's breath caught in his throat. He had no memory of that—no dreams, no visions, just blackness and waking up confused. He looked at her, stunned, not interrupting as she continued.
"But while I was there," she went on, her gaze turning thoughtful, "I witnessed something that caught me off guard. Your accident didn't just nearly end your life—it stirred something dormant inside of you. A memory... a spark from a life before this one."
Danny felt the blood drain from his face. His breathing hitched as he braced himself on the edge of his desk. "Y-You… you know about that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I mean, of course you do… you're Death. Of course you'd know."
Death gave him a warm, knowing smile and nodded. "To protect you—and the dangerous knowledge buried deep within you—I took precautions. I fortified your mind, shielding it from telepaths and manipulative influences. That protection is what kept your memories intact despite the effects of the spell that altered reality."
Danny was frozen in place, processing her words. The sheer weight of what she said pressed down on him. He had always feared what would happen if someone pried into his thoughts—if they discovered what he knew. It was a concern that lingered in the back of his mind, even when he trained under Batman, hoping someday he might learn techniques to hide or shield his consciousness.
But now… he didn't need to worry.
That thought brought unexpected relief. A warm wave of gratitude washed over him, and he slowly sat back down in his chair, looking at her with genuine awe.
"I… I don't know what to say," he admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "Thank you. You've seriously done me a huge favor. How can I possibly repay you?"
Death chuckled softly, her expression softening even further. She reached over and ruffled his hair with affection, her touch surprisingly gentle for someone so often associated with endings.
"Don't worry about it, Kiddo~" she said with a wink. "Just keep doing what you're doing. You're a good kid, Danny Fenton. I've got high hopes for you. Think of this as… me investing in a future worth preserving."
There was something profoundly comforting about the way she said it—this being who had likely seen the beginning and end of countless lives, offering him not just protection, but belief.
"Thanks," Danny murmured, glancing away as his voice softened. A light blush rose to his cheeks, catching him off guard. He rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Can you answer my first question now? What does Batman disappearing have anything to do with… my family being alive?"
Death's expression didn't shift much, but the corners of her lips curled into a sly, knowing smile. Her eyes sparkled with something between mischief and patience. "You've been trained by the world's greatest detective, haven't you?" she asked casually, crossing one leg over the other as she lounged with regal grace. "Surely you can piece the clues together yourself. A sharp mind like yours shouldn't need every answer spoon-fed."
Danny blinked at her in mild confusion, but there was no sarcasm in her tone—just challenge. He sighed and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, one hand rising to cover his mouth in thought. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the floor, turning her words over in his head like a mental puzzle.
"Okay… So the only thing my family and Batman have in common is…" he muttered, tapping a finger against his lips thoughtfully. "We both lived in Gotham."
The pieces started falling into place slowly, like clicking cogs in a machine. "Without Batman… Gotham would've changed. A lot," Danny continued, more to himself than to her now. "Crime would've skyrocketed without someone keeping the supervillains and psychos in check. Without Batman patrolling the streets, the city would fall into chaos. It'd be a dangerous place for anyone… let alone a family with young kids."
He sat back and closed his eyes, processing the growing clarity in his thoughts. "Knowing Mom, she probably noticed how bad things were getting. She's always been hyper-aware of danger, even if she hides it under her ghost obsession. She would've brought it up to Dad, and they'd want to protect Jazz and me. I think… she'd be the one to suggest moving away."
He paused for a beat, then shook his head slightly. "Or maybe Jazz was the one who pushed the idea… yeah, that actually makes more sense," he muttered. "She's always been proactive, especially when it comes to the family. Mom agreeing with her? That tracks. She'd listen to Jazz if it meant keeping us safe."
The logical progression brought a heavy silence to the room. Danny breathed out slowly through his nose, eyes still closed. The conclusion brought a bittersweet ache to his chest—relief that they were alive, but sorrow knowing what had to change for that to be true.
A sudden knock on the door snapped him from his spiraling thoughts.
Danny stood up quickly, shaking his head clear of the fog as he walked to the door and pulled it open. Jazz stood in the hallway, her expression one of concern.
"Danny… who were you talking to just now?" she asked, eyes peering into his room curiously. "I thought I heard you talking to someone"
Danny froze for a second. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. What was he supposed to say? 'Oh, just having a casual conversation with the embodiment of Death herself'? Yeah, no. That wouldn't go over well.
"Uhhh…" he stalled, eyes darting as his mind scrambled for a response. "Myself?" he offered weakly, the word laced with clear uncertainty.
Jazz stared at him silently for a moment longer, her expression unreadable. "…I see," she finally said, though the concern in her voice deepened. She clearly didn't buy the explanation but decided not to push further.
"Anyway," she continued, shifting gears, "I talked to Mom and Dad. You don't have to go to school today if you're not feeling up to it. We get it, Danny."
Danny let out a breath of genuine relief. His shoulders visibly relaxed as the tension in his chest eased. The last thing he wanted right now was to sit in a classroom pretending everything was normal while his world had just turned upside down.
"Thanks, Jazz. Really. That means a lot," he said sincerely, looking at her with gratitude.
Jazz stepped forward, giving him another affected hug as she kissed his forehead. "Just get some rest, okay?" she said with sisterly warmth. "And if you need anything… you know where to find Mom and Dad."
"Yeah," he nodded. "I do."
With that, Jazz turned and headed down the hallway, grabbing her backpack on the way out the door. Danny watched her go for a second before closing the door behind her.
When he turned back, he found Death once again lounging in his desk chair, looking thoroughly amused. "You have a very caring older sister, Danny," she said, a rare note of admiration in her voice.
Danny looked down, a small, soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. His gaze drifted to the closed door Jazz had just walked through, and his expression grew distant but warm.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I really do, don't I?"
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