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another-shameless-fangirl · 2 years

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Reap What Was Sown- Chapter 2

Absolutely thrilled to share chapter 2 with you all. Thank you to @saxonroa for the gorgeous art please follow them right now.

Archive of Our Own Link

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Summary- Desperate to find their missing son, Jack and Maddie summon Phantom for help as the last one to see Danny alive. Their years of hatred for ghosts have come to a boiling point and Phantom is not cooperating. The hunters will have to try to convince the ghost to bring their son back to them by any means necessary.

Good or bad, at the end of the night, the family will have to reap what they have sown. Happy ending.

Tags: Angst with a happy ending, fanon typical torture, no dissection, Danny wants to be Phantom full time, kinda suicidal thoughts if you think about it, electric shock torture, Danny gets a hug, there's a lot of hurting and yelling first though, some blood, No electric torture yet but we're real close.

Chapter 2

Danny Fenton is dead.

It said the words so casually, almost proud. There was a buzzing starting in their ears and it wasn't just from the grid Phantom was held in or the protective circle they were in. It couldn't be true.

Jack gathered himself quickly even as his vision blurred.

“That’s a lie” He swept a hand out wiping away the words from the tainted air as Maddie seethed at the ghost slamming her fist against the shield.

Thud

But Phantom just shrugged at them and seemed to relax like a weight had lifted off its small shoulders. It was relieved. This creature had been so keen on telling them it smiled peacefully. The audacity, the nerve-

“It’s true,” the ghost said like it was a confession. “Honestly he’s been dead a long time. You guys just didn’t notice.”

What was that supposed to mean? Danny was such a happy kid. Even if he was busy these days with school and his friends they would have noticed if he was depressed.

Jack’s head spun and his vision blurred but whether it was shock or adrenaline or fear, he couldn’t tell. Was it an accusation? “We didn’t-”

“He isn’t dead.” Maddie said so stiffly that Jack knew it was because anger was better than tears and he agreed. Steeling himself, he swallowed and shook his head at the ghost finding his voice.

“This isn’t time for games, punk. You want out of there, you’ll tell us where he is.”

“You won’t find him.” Phantom gloated and the Fentons were again reminded of how much they hated ghosts.

“You’re lying. Tell us the truth or-”

“Or what?” Phantom’s smile fell to a smirk and it was just as bad, if not worse. “You’ll tear me apart molecule by molecule? Rip me to shreds? Torture me?”

Jack was almost ready to agree but the last bit made him stop. It wasn’t torture, really. Was it? If it came down to it, ghosts could feel pain, could scream. Would they be willing to do something like that to the ghost boy?

Maddie was undeterred.

“I’ll make you wish you were never born.” She warned him and Phantom barked a quick laugh.

“Don’t you mean ‘never died’? Honestly, wasn’t a huge fan of that part myself.” It said so easily and how could that aberration joke right now? The hunter grit her teeth.

“Phantom I swear to God, I’ll-”

“Then do it,” Phantom snapped at them with more bite than before. “You’ve been threatening me for years. You hate me for what I am. You hate all ghosts just for being ghosts!”

“You’re a monster.” Maddie snarled back.

“I’m also done here.”

Phantom held out a gloved palm and it glowed forming a ball of power in the center. The scientists tensed but the ghost pointed down at the ground and fired.

They had seen that blast before. That same burst of energy had blown holes in concrete, cars, but here it just fizzled out as it hit the floor. The grid held. Jack felt a rise of excitement but it wasn’t the time or place.

Phantom’s eyes widened then narrowed as it charged up again and fired with the same results. A loud growl and for a moment the couple tensed. Phantom grunted shooting more blasts at the ceiling, the floor, but nothing happened and the wards stayed. Theories whirled in Jack’s head and Maddie huffed a relieved laugh.

“You can’t break out.” The words came out as mocking and the creature bristled.

“What is this?” Phantom spun again looking at the containment field. There were no cracks, no weaknesses showing yet. “Let me go! I’m not helping you.”

“Yes you are,” Jack said and his wife stood tall. Together they had created something that could hold the most powerful ghost Amity Park had ever seen and it was not happy. “You’re gonna tell us everything you know about my son.”

“You can’t make me do anything!” Fists clenched and Phantom glared at them with burning green eyes. “I gave the human world a try and it’s not for me. Just let me go!” Two more blasts of green energy puffed against the floor eliciting another growl. Jack put a hand on the unneeded shield and spoke once the crackle of dissipating energy stopped.

“We just wanna talk.”

“I’m not talking,” Phantom snipped and crossed its arms. It twirled and legs turned to a whisp and it crossed thin arms like a petulant child. “I’ll just wait here until your Fenton-Whatever fails and you’ll never see me again.”

A long beat passed and Phantom was resolute. The words stuck in the air and energy buzzed between them.

Maddie took a shuddering breath.

“Please, Phantom. I’m a mother. I need to know what happened to my baby.”

That got the ghost to huff but the sound was grating as if it was making fun of the words.

“You don’t care. I already told you he’s dead.”

“He can’t be dead.”

“Then I’m lying,” Phantom snapped bitterly pulling its arms up higher, tighter to the chest. “That’s all I do anyway. I’m a ghost so I lie and cheat and why bother asking me? I’m better off in the zone.”

Jack looked at Maddie but the woman stood firm and refused to break eye contact.

“You know something. Tell us where Danny is.”

The ghost boy gave a short, horrid laugh.

“I’ll just lie anyway. I’m a foul, disgusting creature only capable of causing pain and suffering.”

Jack bit the inside of his cheek. Had they said that word for word at some point? Was it often enough for the ghost to memorize it or was that a summary of their thoughts on the matter? Phantom huffed and Madde huffed back.

“When was the last time you saw him?” Jack tried and Phantom shrugged.

“A thousand years ago.”

“Phantom-”

But the ghost cut her off, fed up with the same desperate question.

“It was at the park. That’s when you were chasing me, right?” That mocking tone returned in full force. “I disappeared and suddenly Danny was there but there was no time for him. You had to chase me, right? Too busy for Danny, always chasing after ghosts.”

That wasn’t true. Danny was their son, their baby. They had to chase ghosts to protect him, not to mention the rest of the town. Ghost hunting was a taxing, thankless job and Saturday was no different.

No.

“That was on Saturday,” Jack said slowly and Maddie was quiet. “That was the last time you saw him?”

“That was the last time you saw him, right?” The ghost turned and its tail puffed with the movement like smoke blown against glass. “Then you waited until Monday afternoon to report it to the police because the school had to tell you that he wasn’t accounted for.”

Guilt panged through them both but anger soon swallowed it.

“How do you know that?” Maddie snapped and Phantom scoffed.

“Who knows? Probably read about it in Parent of the Year magazine.” He said flippantly and her gloved fists slammed against the shield again.

“You son of a bitch-” she started a low growl. Her frame tightened and tensed and she glared at the creature ready to tear into it verbally.

What they didn’t expect was a laugh in response.

It was silent at first, a shaking of a previously still chest, then faster until its mouth opened and the ghost doubled over laughing.

Maddies fingers curled into fists and Jack took her hand in his. The fight drained out of her as he held on tight. Maybe they hadn’t been the most attentive but they would be damned if they didn’t try everything they could to get him back.

“Phantom,” he started slowly, “We know you want to protect others. That’s what we want too. Danny being safe means the world to us.”

The laughing slowed but the ghost didn’t seem moved by the plea. Phantom rolled in place leaving that wisp of tail, that inhuman puff curling around its waist. The green in its eyes was less playful but not exactly angry either.

“Please. Whatever happened we need to know that he’s okay.”

Phantom tilted its head at them studying them as if it could sense a lie or spot a tell. Maybe it could. Phantom has a wide array of powers they had tried to document over the years but both scientists doubted it was conclusive. Nevertheless, if Phantom was looking for honesty then that was what it would find. Jack swallowed tightly and Maddie laced her fingers into her husband’s. Those boyish features softened and the ghost finally asked in a small voice,

“And what if he isn’t okay?”

Throats dried, tongues froze but Phantom continued in that same voice.

“What if he’s not alright and you don’t want to hear it? Are you gonna shoot the messenger? Carve him up?”

“He can’t be dead." Jack started but there wasn't more to the sentence.

"It isn't what you wanna hear so it isn't true. How shocking." Phantom drawled but strengthened as it became defensive again. It frowned and curled its tail higher around its waist and the voice tightened with anger but it was different from before. "He’s fine. Better than ever and he’ll be home for dinner. Now are you gonna let me go or what? I have preparations to make, people- well, ghosts to see."

Maddie’s breath hitched at the words. It was cruel delivering the exact words she had been praying for in such a way. "Where are you going?" Maddie asked but the words were not as sharp as they could be.

Phantom smiled at them but it didn't reach those green eyes. "To the zone. It's called the Infinite Realms, ya know. I can spend my whole afterlife in there and never come back. Just me and all the other ghosts like me where they understand what I… Forget it. Point is I belong there." Phantom's mouth pressed closed into a thin line and Jack worked his jaw.

Maddie blinked back tears and Phantom did not look at her. "I will rip you apart," she said through grit teeth. "I'll destroy you. You don't care about my boy, you never cared about anyone but yourself. You're just-"

"A manifestation of human subconscious leftover from- blah blah blah, I get it." Phantom glowered at the ground and gloved hands clenched into fists. "I knew you wouldn't bother trying to understand."

"Understand what?" Maddie snapped back and the creature flinched back. "You're disgusting. An abomination. A freak,” The ghost stiffened and became so still. “You never should have been back in the realm of the living in the first place. When you died you should have stayed dead." The sound of her breathing filled the space as Jack held his breath.

"I know." the voice echoed in the quiet barely audible over the hum of electricity. "That's why you'll never see me or Danny Fenton ever again.” It closed its eyes. “Now let me go."

"That's not going to happen, ghost." Jack tensed as the air changed.

Phantom looked at them both and there was no joy there, no teasing or cruel glee as legs reformed and it stood on the grid bracing itself.

"Fine."

There was a scream and the world shook.

It was a horrible noise. It was like screaming, a pained, unearthly and frightening screech but there wasn’t anything human about the noise. Suddenly, glass showered around them. The long lights in the ceiling shattered from the frequency and rained glass. Jack raised an arm to hold over his wife as she recoiled, putting her hands over her ears.

Jack winced and his other hand went over his ear as he turned his head down away from the shards raining down and metal groaned above them. He grunted trying to block his other ear with his shoulder and leaned in over his wife.

The shrieking noise shook the lab and the foundation of the house. Things fell off of shelves and tables upstairs inaudible over the wailing. The hairs on Jack's arms and neck stood on end as it pitched up and down undulating and vicious.

It lasted for so long but then stopped with a deafening silence. Maddie ducked out from her husband's arms to find the shield still intact. Their hearts beat in their ears.

The long fluorescent light bulbs lighting the area were destroyed. Emergency lights embedded in the walls flickered on. Glass beakers and canisters on the lab benches had all shattered letting their contents leak on the counters and down to the floor.

The hunters straightened watching the scene before them with wide eyes.

Phantom stood in the middle of the circle not caring about the damage it had caused. Some shattered glass peppered on the black jumpsuit and glinted in white hair but that was the extent of it. The sigils were unbroken. It glared up at them, giving away every ounce of distrust and fury it felt in those eyes.

A delirious laugh surprised both of the hunters as it erupted from Maddie.

"You can't escape. That was your strongest attack and you can't get out." A smile grew on her face and Phantom looked less like a predator and more like a trapped animal. Visibly tired from the strain, the ghost swayed a little.

"Let me go to the zone." Came the low demand but it was tired, weaker.

"Not on your afterlife, punk." Jack felt that courage warm him and he smiled as well. They had done it. The odds had been stacked against them but they had done it. Phantom wasn’t going anywhere without their permission and all parties seemed to realize it in the same instance.

Maddie pulled free from her husband’s grip and stepped out of the circle.

Jack’s heart leapt in his throat but the woman was confident walking around the shield. She exited the protection circle but the array did not shatter or break. It pulsed with light and Jack felt a buzz of fine, lightning cold energy strike through his core. Their grid held with a bright pulse of light.

Free of the protection circle, Maddie took long purposeful steps toward the lab bench. She showed her back to Phantom and Jack let loose a breath. It was a show of confidence. They had done the impossible and now they could do whatever they needed to find answers without fear of Phantom getting free.

"I tried asking nicely,” she told the ghost boy. “I begged and you mocked me. Now you see I don't need to be gentle with you."

She looked over her shoulder and smiled with wild eyes. Phantom shrunk back. Those green eyes always looked so intelligent up close even while the mouth seemed to operate separately.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The question was probably supposed to be biting and harsh but it came out nervous.

Good.

A tool came off the table and she stalked back toward the summoning grid.

Maddie Fenton, mother of two, smiled at the ghost. She planted her feet squarely and looked at the monster in the cage.

“That means I can make you tell me. Now,” she glared at it and the ghost finally took them seriously. It sank to its knees. Purposeful or not, the gesture looked like submission.

Now they were getting somewhere.

“Where is my son?”

Look at this art by @saxonroa amazing, lovely, their expressions are perfect.

#invisobang 2022 #ASF Writes #ASF Wrote a Thing #Danny Phantom #Danny Phantom Fanfiction #I'm so happy yes yes yes #ao3 link #fanfic #fan art

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cookietastic · 2 years

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how about your favorite one? o:

Ohh that’s hard To say but Imma say Reality Trip is up there/ is one of the 5 I like a lot.

Love how when Danny’a identity was relieved The while school became ride or die for the trio especially the popular squad

LOVED the parents bickering about whose fault this all is and who to blame .Jack and Maddie honestly being confused on why Danny would never tell them he’s a ghost and Jazz explaining like they talk about haunting ghost that he was scared too and they just FEEL bad cause they made their son feel that way and aren’t like trying to put some blame on Danny for this cause at the end of the day they love Danny!

I love that each place they went to focused on what the Trio was really into/ gave each other their own time to shine. Like it was so cool to See Danny get super excited about being in space and literally screaming he’s an Astronaut + Trio friendship time :’))!!

Also love the last speech his parents gave before he erased their memory saying how like they totally understand why he would be scared shitless of them and that they love him no matter what cause I feel it’s something a lot of people forget happens.

Plus like the way it ended could have just ended the show there- Legit would have been a perfect ending to it all. Pretend season 3 doesn’t exist

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flutteringdreams-matw · 3 years

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Out of Time (6)

First/Last

Read on AO3

Word Count: 6032

Previously: Vlad and Maddie talk about cores. Clockwork gives some answers and proposes more questions. Dani shows up at Val's.

Now: Some exposition before Dan and Danny round 2 - ghost zone edition. Fight scene (T rated, cw for choking)

Link to the next chapter will be in the replies once posted. As always - please let me know what you think!

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"Let me get this straight," Valerie started, eying the young girl across from her from the stovetop. She turned the pancake over in the pan and nudged it slightly. "You just happened to show up a few days ago from the Ghost Zone and just… hung out in the town when Phantom put the shield up? All on your own?"

Dani nodded, putting another piece of her pancake in her mouth. "Yep," she said, mouth full. "Not hard really – ghosts don't need to eat much. With that shield up, none of the natural portals have opened in the city – and I wasn't just going to leave."

Valerie put another pancake on the table before pouring more batter into the pan. "And you didn't reach out to your cousin because…"

Dani frowned. "Something's wrong," she said worriedly. "This isn't like Danny; this shield … whatever reason it's up is because he wants to protect the town. He and the Fentons must be facing something big and I don't want to get in their way."

Valerie turned the stove off, adding the last pancake to the stack between them, before she plopped herself at the table. Putting her head in her arm, she looked across at the young girl with a frown. "I don't think Phantom would mind. He seemed pretty worried about you the last time you were here."

Dani smiled. "Of course he wouldn't," she agreed. "The Fentons would love for me to stay too. But they've done so much for me and I don't want to be a burden. Or Danny worrying about me on top of everything else." She grabbed another pancake from the stack between the teens and helped herself. "Besides, other than the Fentons… my only options were you, a Ghost Hunter, or Vlad. I figured I'd chance it."

Valerie frowned in disgust at the mention of the mayor. "Yikes."

Sensing the girl's conflict, Dani waved her off. "It's fine. Vlad gets all of us at the beginning. Besides, you and Danny worked together to save me; figured you couldn't be all bad."

Valerie opened her mouth to argue that she didn't regularly team up with the ghost kid but stopped herself. This kid was all alone and was worried about Phantom, the only tangible relative she had. While Valerie had her opinions about the ghost teen, she couldn't burst this girl's bubble. Besides, if she managed to get information from the girl, it'd be a bonus.

"Sorry about dinner, Dad's working the night shift and pancakes are my go-to in times like this."

Dani grinned. "Are you kidding? Pancakes are the best! I mean… I didn't even know what they were until now!"

Valerie chuckled; she knew she liked this kid. The two girls sat in a comfortable silence for a little bit, before the news bulletin from earlier that day repeated with sharp shrill. Dani whirled around, the grin sliding off her face as she watched the fight from earlier. "Danny…" she whispered worriedly. The half-ghost turned around, distraught. "Is he okay?"

Valerie sighed; wincing again as she watched Phantom fall right after his last attack, Lance Thunder appearing to a repeat of what he witnessed. "I don't know," she answered honestly.

"We need to help him!" Dani exclaimed, a ring of light appearing at her waist. Valerie stared at it for a moment, remembering how the ghost girl transformed, before running and putting her hands on Dani's shoulders.

"Hold up - That was hours ago," the older teen replied soothingly. "There's no way of knowing where he would go if injured. Or if those ghosts were on his side."

Dani pouted, the light disappearing. "But –"

Valerie sighed. "I know you're worried, but Phantom's – and I can't believe I'm saying this – strong. I'm sure he'll be fine. The blasted ghost just doesn't stay down. If he's not back to his insufferable self by tomorrow, then you should worry."

Dani stared at the girl, a look of confusion dancing across her face before it lit up in realization. "Oh," she exclaimed softly. "He didn't tell you, did he?"

Valerie frowned in confusion. "Tell me what?"

"Nevermind," Dani replied quickly, brushing her off. She smiled gratefully. "You're right – I'll call the Fenton's tomorrow. If anyone knows where Danny Phantom might be, it'd be them." Valerie's face went from curious to uncomfortable very quickly. "What?" Dani asked, worried that she might have upset the girl.

Valerie looked away from her. "That'll be all you," she said, cheeks turning red. "My only contact with the Fentons is through Danny. He and I might be civil, but I really don't want to talk to my ex about this. He gets enough ghost stuff from his parents."

Dani was silent for a moment, before smiling from ear to ear. "Hold up….Danny Fenton is your ex?" she asked sneakily. Valerie nodded, bewildered as the two teens stared at each other. Finally, Dani burst out laughing, pointing and making noises.

"What!? He's scared of ghosts!" Valerie continued over the girl's laughter. "If we stayed together, ghosts would use him as bait to get to me!"

Dani laughed harder still, tears in her eyes. Valerie sighed glumly, watching as her new house guest laugh herself to the floor.

:-=-:

Everything hurt. Everything. The raw energy that now flooded him was only just holding Dan at bay. The evil ghost yelled something over the strong crackles of electricity and howls of the wind. Was this what Clockwork warned him of? Was this all he could do? It couldn't be.

He was tired – run ragged from everything he endured. He let his own powers push outward, feeling not only raw but core energy expend out of him.

The Ecto-Storm released – pain….the world exploded in pain.

Green eyes met a pair of fearful eyes in a distance – two pairs? –

An explosion and it all went dark…

Danny gasped as he awoke, looking around widely as he readjusted from his nightmare. He was sitting with his back against his door, looking inward into his room. Did I just pass out? Everything seemed so much bigger from down here, so far away. Danny frowned as he remembered his conversation with Clockwork and Ethelwulf. Was this another glimpse of the future?

Danny stood slowly, grabbing the door quickly as his knees buckle. He felt his core shift violently at the sudden movement. "Come on," he muttered, shaking his head. Almost as if responding, his core quieted and he felt stronger, standing up on his own. Danny frowned -There were no sparks violently going through him, his base powers were holding. If Sam was right… then what he just saw will happen. Danny shuddered as that thought went through him, bile rising from the back of his throat. "Get a grip," he muttered. "It could be worse."

Sure – keep telling yourself that Phantom voiced from the back of his mind.

A small explosion from downstairs erased his rebuttal. Danny furrowed his brow as he opened the door cautiously. Another sound, this time from an ecto-gun, came up from the lab. "Hello?" Danny called from the top of the stairs. When no response came, he sped down the stairs and down to the lab. "Mom? Dad?" As he reached the bottom he stopped, suddenly taken aback by the commotion in the lab.

His parents were at opposite ends of the lab; his Mom was facing off against Jazz and Sam with various weapons and tactics while his Dad, Ethelwulf and Tucker were hunched over at the main console in deep conversation. He looked at both ends of the lab, half amused, half relieved at what he was walking into.

"Overwhelming – isn't it?"

Danny jumped as Clockwork appeared beside him, his time staff resting on the ground softly. Blue eyes met red for a moment as the world continued beyond them. Danny chuckled slightly. "Nah, I'm used to it," he replied with a genuine smile as he turned back to the multiple activities of the lab.

Clockwork stared at Danny, regarding him in pity. "That's not what I meant," the old ghost told him. Danny's smile fell slightly, but he didn't look at Clockwork. "I would be surprised if it wasn't overwhelming; you're only fifteen. You've had to deal with Time in ways none of us have before. Just remember you are not alone; you do not have to suffer through these visions on your own."

Danny said nothing, standing in silence next to the Time Master as he watched his friends and family interact with each other. "You're right," he said, finally turning to Clockwork. Clockwork raised an eyebrow, inviting the boy to go on. "I had another vision. Whatever these things are, the one thing I know is I'm going to face Dan." Danny crossed his arm and frowned in thought. "If only there was some way to find out –"

"No," Clockwork interrupted sternly. Danny jumped, wide-eyed at the tone. "Even if there were, the less you learn about the future the better." Clockwork floated lower to the half-ghost's eye level. The harshness in his eyes softened slightly. "Trust me Danny, having the knowledge of time is one thing; having to make decisions based on that knowledge? It is the greatest burden of all." The boy's blue eyes met the tired, sad red eyes of the ghost and saw the turmoil behind the words. They stood staring at each other for a few moments, before Clockwork sighed, looking upward. With a small nod, Clockwork disappeared abruptly, bringing Danny's attention back to the occupants of the lab.

He looked between his parents again, realizing none of them had noticed his entrance. Deciding that he didn't want to be hit by a stray ecto-blast from Jazz, Danny made his way over to his father, mentor and best friend.

Sensing movement, Jack looked up from the screen briefly, before beaming. "Danny! Perfect timing!" he boomed, waving him over. "We were just going over your files."

Danny frowned apprehensively. "The ones on Dan?"

"No- the other secret Ghost files," Tucker said sarcastically, not looking up from the screen. Danny glared half-heartedly in his direction, but gestured for him to continue. "I've been pointing out the attacks we know he has for sure – this way we can figure out how to defend ourselves." He typed something into the computer, hitting the final key emphatically. Blueprints for a large ghost shield appeared on the main monitor. Finally, the dark skinned teen turned to half-ghost. "Your parents have a large shield schematic ready to go – they're just missing one thing."

Danny blinked. "Which is?"

"Dan's ecto-signature," Jack replied. Danny looked at him wide-eyed. "If we can specify the difference between you and him, we can adapt the shield's programming to keep Dan out and not hurt you in the process." The larger man put his hand on Danny's shoulder, making him stumble. "If we can get that shield up and running, you can heal up properly."

Danny shot him a grateful smile. "That's a great idea!" he exclaimed. Danny's eyes ran over the screen, recognizing some of the data on the screen. When he realized what was missing, he frowned slightly. "This isn't going to be easy – while Dan has half of my ecto-signature, he also has half of someone else's."

"Right," Ethelwulf confirmed, yellow eyes scanning a different screen. "Though from your files, you indicate that Dan had shifted forms to look like you and that he has a heat core. However, ghost cores don't change much at a molecular level – even when altered."

"Think of it like water," Jack continued. "Molecularly, stays the same but its form shifts; Even when frozen or as a gas."

"We believe that this secondary ecto-signature was a catalyst for your core to shift," Ethelwulf explained. "If this alternate version of you had an ice core during the time of the merge, then it changed into a heat core during this process but did not drastically change your ecto-signature."

Danny looked between Ethelwulf and his father in confusion. "Doesn't that mean we have the same ecto-signature?"

"Not quite," Jack said. "Remember, Jazz sent the boooo-merang into the zone to find you. It keyed into you – not the other you. Don't you see?"

Danny looked at Tucker for assistance. "Not really," he admitted.

"Basically even though it might be small, there is a difference between your ecto-sig and Dan's," Tucker answered determinedly. "All we have to do is figure out what aspect is more like Plasmius' ecto-signature, reverse the coding to prevent that ecto-signature being the one kept out of the shield and we'll be all set."

Jack blinked, before turning to Danny suddenly. "Wait - Plasmius is the other ecto-signature!?" he asked incredulously. Tucker flinched under the glare Danny sent his way. Danny sighed, nodding but did not elaborate further. The boy's demeanour changed; reserved and subdued. Jack frowned as his son stared at the schematics, hardened blue eyes lost in thought. "Hey – this is a good thing Danny! We have all the pieces we need to create the shield." He nudged Danny slightly, smiling reassuringly at his son. "It's a solid plan. You just have to trust us."

Danny shot his father a small smile. "I do," he said gratefully. Jack clapped Danny on the shoulder once more before turning back to Ethelwulf in conversation.

Tucker chuckled. "You seriously need to lighten up," he joked. "Between your Dad, Ethelwulf and this Techno geek, this shield will be up no problem!"

Danny smiled at his friend's enthusiasm and attempt to make him feel better. "I don't doubt it," he said. Danny looked his friend up and down, finally realizing something was different. "Tuck…. What are you wearing?"

Tucker smiled widely, puffing out his chest. The red beret was still there, but instead of his street clothes, Tucker was in a mustard yellow jumpsuit with dark green gloves and boots. Over his chest, he had two straps creating an X full of small pouches. "You parents thought it was time we had our own jumpsuits in case we have to be in the field. We got to design some of those jumpsuits that your Dad didn't have a chance to dye orange yet."

"We?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. Tucker rolled his eyes exasperatedly, muttering something under his breath before pointing to the other side of the lab. As Danny's eyes followed, he noticed his sister in an almost identical jumpsuit as his Mom's with the same X pattern as Tucker's on her back.

When his eyes found Sam, his breath hitched in his throat; her jumpsuit was a deep purple with black boots and gloves, with a small black flower on her back. She too, had straps along her torso, but most had a few ecto-guns attached at her back. She flipped gracefully in the air, a smug smile on her face as she dodged his Mom's staff and released the Jack-o-Nine tails, leaving the older Fenton unarmed. He couldn't keep his eyes off her; the world's sound disappeared as she became the only thing he could focus on. She was… he couldn't even describe what he was feeling right now. Vaguely, he heard Tucker talking at him, but it was drowned out by his heart pounding in his eardrums.

"Come on Space Cadet," Tucker said, smirking as he pulled the boy away from the console and toward the sparring women.

"What?" he replied dumbly, blinking owlishly at his friend.

Tucker chuckled. "Oh man," he murmured to himself. "Sam better appreciate this."

"What!?" Danny asked again, his voice going a bit higher in pitch.

Maddie waved her hand in the air, stopping the sparring match as the two boys approached. "You girls are getting much better," she said confidently, putting a hand on her hip. "Jazz – your weapon control is steadily improving. You might be able to handle the weapons that require higher precision now!"

"Finally!" the red head exclaimed in triumph. She wiped her brow and turned to Sam. "You've got to teach me that sliding tackle you used on Mom – it was wicked."

Sam smiled proudly. "Definitely." Noticing her two best friends on the sidelines, she turned slightly toward them. "Next time, we can give these two a run for their money."

Tucker held up his hands in surrender at the girl's suggestion. "I'm all for training, but not for getting destroyed by you. You do that enough in video games. Right Danny?" The boy in question did not answer, continuing to gape unbecomingly at Sam. Tucker sighed and locked eyes with an amused Jazz.

Before Jazz could comment on her brother's state, Maddie tugged her arm away from the group of teens. "Come on Jazz, let's help your father with that shield," she teased, a small smile across her lips.

"Mom!" Jazz whined, watching her opportunity to tease her brother move farther away as her Mom dragged her from the teens.

Sam watched them go, confused, before turning back to her friend. "What's with him?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. Tucker shrugged, looking exasperated. Sam waved her gloved hand in front of Danny. "Hello? Earth to Danny?"

Danny blinked as he stepped back. "Purple!" he blurted out, startled. Tucker covered his face forcefully and groaned at his friend's lack of control.

"Purple?" Sam repeated, confused. "Oh! You mean this!" She gestured to her jumpsuit. "Pretty cool right? I was going to use black, but it'd look too much like yours." When Danny didn't say anything else, she frowned. "What? Not Goth enough?"

Finally shaking out of his stupor, Danny shook his head. "Just… purple's a nice colour on you," he said. Sam blinked, before her face turned slightly pink, making Danny's go slightly pink as well.

Tucker looked up at the ceiling in exasperation as his two best friends continued to stare awkwardly. "Hopeless," he said with a sigh. "Utterly hopeless." Deciding that it was time to break whatever spell they had on each other he turned to the half-ghost of the group with his hand on his hip. "How are you doing after today?"

Danny made a face. "It's… a lot," he said after a while. He turned away from his friends, staring at the portal as memories flashed before his eyes. "You guys weren't there – at the end I mean. How close it was. Now… it's a whole lot bigger than just beating him."

Sam frowned. "The time visions?"

"Not just them," Danny admitted, looking briefly at his family at the console. "If I was him-"

"Which you're not," Tucker said pointedly.

"Which I'm not," he agreed sardonically. "I wouldn't want to recreate the accident. I would want revenge." Danny started pacing, frowning in worry. "That battle this morning? He was toying with me – trying to see what I can do. Now he's somewhere in the Ghost Zone planning who knows what and I have no idea how to stop him."

Tucker and Sam looked at each other before turning back to their now worried friend. Tucker moved first, grabbing Danny's shoulder and stopping him in his tracks. "We don't know his plan," he started determinedly, "but we might be able to find him." The dark skinned teen gave him a triumphant look as he pulled out what looked to be a small gaming controller with a screen on it. "Meet the Fento-drone."

"A video game Tuck?" Sam asked deadpanned.

"Not a video game – the best invention ever!" Tucker exclaimed. Danny rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, bemused. "Mr. F and I developed it. We can send in a couple of these bad boys into the Ghost Zone and have them look for your older jerkface of a self. When this is hooked up to the main system, we can control where they go." Tucker turned to Danny. "Your Dad said he wanted to add a couple things too – give it the ol' Fenton charm."

"That… actually might help," Danny said excitedly. "How many of those are done?"

Tucker opened his mouth to answer but shut it quickly as shrill, loud alarms suddenly came to life around them. The trio of teens turned back to the console, watching as the red lights flickered across the faces of the Fentons. A computerized voice sounded from above.

"Ecto-Exdous Alarm activated. Prepare to kick ghost keister!"

A flurry of movement appeared at the other end of the lab as both Fenton parents turned off the alarm pulled up the Ghost Zone Radar. The little ghost icons seemed to be in waves, the largest in the middle.

"I haven't seen that many ghosts since the Ghost King!" Jack exclaimed. "Tucker! Lend me a hand!"

"On it!" Tucker yelled, running toward the larger man, Sam at his heels.

Danny stayed back, watching the radar worriedly. If this is anything like the Ghost King, the ghosts are evacuating. He glanced at the waves, seeing a few icons break away from the large mass of ghosts toward the back and front. His eyes found the group the furthest away from the portal and the lone figure at the back. Dan - He was sure of it.

"Are any of the Fento-drones ready for launch?" Tucker asked, frantically typing in code through the system.

"Only two," Jack replied. He turned to his wife. "Mads, what's the containment system like?"

Maddie looked up from her screen to Jack. "95% - but that's nowhere near enough to house that many ghosts!"

Danny frowned, watching the screen from afar. No one seemed to notice his presence anymore, the radar attracting their complete attention.

"What will you do?"

Danny jumped as Clockwork appeared beside him. "Don't do that!" Danny exclaimed angrily. "If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of something here!"

Clockwork rolled his eyes. "If you haven't noticed, time has slowed down." He replied, deadpanned.

Danny's eyes widened – Clockwork was right. Everything moved in slow motion around them, from the typing keyboard to running for weapons. He looked at the Time Master in confusion, but Clockwork cut him off.

"What will you do?" he asked again. "Time will not be slowed for much longer."

Danny looked back at the radar screen; one sole ghost moved quickly, gaining momentum as the rest of the ghosts slowed. His hand curled into a fist as time started to move normally.

"The first wave of ghosts should reach us any moment," his father yelled.

Danny looked toward his friends and family, all questioning their next move – if he was going to act, it had to be now.

"Should we close the portal?!" Maddie yelled back. Suddenly she stood up straight. "Wait…. Where's –"

Steeling his resolve, Danny locked eyes with Clockwork for a moment before he took off. He jumped up and he transformed, illuminating the lab in white light.

"Danny!" he heard his Mom yell after him as he flew quickly, diving into the portal.

The vast, empty space of Ghost Zone swirled magnificently as he flew toward the crowd at top speed. They didn't deserve this. No one deserved to be part of this. He had to get to them before -

"BEWARE!"

Danny stopped suddenly, taken aback at the ghost's sudden appearance in front of him. "Box Ghost?" he exclaimed, confused. Remembering why he was here in the first place, he shook his head. "Where is he?" he asked seriously.

The Box Ghost looked at the young Phantom in front of him. "Runaway Ghost Child!" he said with wide eyes, grabbing Danny by the shoulders. "The other Phantom is too powerful. He's destroyed many realms with his sonic attack!"

"Ghostly Wail," Danny corrected impatiently. "Where is he Box Ghost? What's holding him back?"

The Box Ghost frowned worriedly, looking away. "The Far Frozen started to form ice shields as we ran," he started. Danny could see the larger crowd getting closer. "But he broke them suddenly. We thought we were getting away but he came toward us out of nowhere. Skulker and Ember told us to head for your portal; they're fighting him now."

Eyes narrowing in frustration, Danny broke away from the startled ghost. "Listen Box Ghost," he started, looking at the amount of ghosts headed his way. "I need you to lead those ghosts through my parents' portal and up into Amity – just like when the Ghost King attacked. Tell my parents to be ready to close the portal as soon as everyone gets through."

"Me!?" the Box Ghost exclaimed incredulously. "What about you?!"

Danny ignored him. "Go!" he yelled, taking flight again as he headed deeper into the Ghost Zone.

As he passed over the crowd, he heard calls of "Great One!" from below. A quick scan found a large group of yetis flanking the outer perimeter of the mass of ghosts, Frostbite among them. He flew down towards them, floating in place. "Get to the portal," he ordered quickly. "I'm going to hold him off long enough for everyone to get out safely. Find Ethelwulf – he and Clockwork will explain." He took off again, ignoring any of the calls from the group of Far Frozen workers. As he passed the last of the escaping ghosts, he stopped. In the distance he could see a lot of debris, islands that used to house ghosts turned to rubble.

How could he cause this much damage so quickly? He asked himself, distraught. He gasped, brought out of his musings by explosions up ahead. His hands balled into fists and eyes narrowed in anger. Danny shot forward toward the fight. Dan was not getting to Amity Park – not today.

:-=-:

Skulker fired another round of rockets from his suit's armour before dodging behind a floating piece of debris toward Ember. The rockstar ghost scanned her green eyes over her boyfriend's bodysuit as she quickly restrung her guitar.

"Remind me again why we're risking our necks to help the others get out of here?" she asked bitterly.

Skulker reloaded his blaster and a few more rockets quickly, chancing a small glance around their hiding spot. "Because nothing can get past the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter and Ember McLain," he replied. "I don't see him."

Ember scoffed, turning the dial on her guitar up. "Who is this guy anyway? He has the dipstick's little symbol on his chest but that is definitely not Phantom. Not unless he aged himself up."

Skulker's eyes narrowed. "No, but his head will make an excellent addition to my collection." The ghost hunter turned to Ember. "We'll move on my signal. Three – Two-"

"One," Dan's snide voice came from above the pair as a strong ecto-blast came barrelling toward them. Skulker and Ember flew sideways, in opposite directions, dodging as the blast hit the large floating rock they hit. Ember jumped on her guitar, surfing through the zone and sending a flurry of blue flames to the spectre as she passed. Dan merely put up a shield, watching with a grin as she came to a stop a few yards away. The flames petered out, making him drop the shield. "What? Can't stand the heat?" he asked menacingly. Blue flames appeared in his hands as he flung them outward, a set of flames thrown in the shape of an X toward the ghost diva. Ember jumped off her guitar, grabbing its neck as she dodged. Pulling the guitar close to her, she played a loud chord, sending two ectoplasmic fists back at the evil spirit. Dan flew upward, flipping over the attack as he sent his own ecto-blasts back. He landed forcefully on a floating rock, laughing slightly as he felt his boots sink into the earth.

His ghost sense flooded his nose as he sensed the robotic ghost behind him. Dan turned, bringing his right knee upwards and into Skulker's abdomen. The ghost grunted in pain as Dan grabbed his arm and swung him around, throwing him straight into Ember. The two ghosts cried out in pain as they tumbled through the air. "Too easy," Dan gloated, igniting his hands in green ecto-energy one more time. He threw another ghost ray at the pair. Skulker flew out of the way quickly, but the ray hit Ember sending her flying, her limp body rolling through the air.

"Ember!" Skulker called out to her, stricken. Her body came to a stop, floating in place, unconscious. With a roar of anger, Skulker flew towards Dan, two large blades appearing from his forearms. "You'll pay for that abomination!"

Dan waited, evil grin still plastered on his face as he waited for the emotional ghost in front of him. As Skulker aimed for his stomach, he created an opening, letting the blades go straight through with no injury.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" Dan asked, eyes narrowing. Skulker gasped as Dan grabbed his shoulders, lifting him above the ghost. "I think you have your priorities wrong here tin can." Dan threw the ghost, sending another blast towards the hunter. It hit Skulker straight on, sending him flying upward. He managed to steady himself just as he heard Dan speak again. "Why face me when your girlfriend is the one in danger."

Skulker's green eyes widened as he realized what the ghost was about to do. Skulker rushed over to his fallen comrade, covering her with his own body as he felt the blast connect with his armour. He gritted his teeth, biting back a cry of pain. Skulker turned back to glare at the spectre, parts of his battle suit falling into the abyss of the Ghost Zone as the blast subsided. Ember stirred briefly, but didn't awaken. Holding the pop star's form close, Skulker held out his right arm, taking aim with one of his rockets.

Dan smirked, crossing his arms. "Oh please," he said. "You can't defeat me; you had 10 years to, what, put my pelt as a throw rug? I know your whole playbook Skulker – there's no way out of this."

Skulker lowered his weapon, wide-eyed. "Ghost child?" he questioned, confused.

Dan chuckled. "Not quite," he drawled, red eyes shining gleefully. "Not since I ripped out my humanity." He flew up to Skulker's level but still had lots of space in between them. "Now, time to send my younger self a message."

He inhaled deeply before releasing his sonic attack, ripples of energy erupting from his mouth. Skulker closed his eyes, hugging Ember tighter as he braced for impact.

It never came.

Skulker's eyes flew open as merely three feet away Danny Phantom, the one he knew, held a large ecto-shield in front of them, holding the attack at bay. "You!" Skulker yelled over the older Phantom's attack.

Danny's arms shook from strain as he held the shield against Dan's wail for a few moments. He turned his head slightly toward the ghost behind him. "Get to the portal," he told him as he wail pushed him backward. "I'll distract him until then."

Skulker frowned, looking between the two Phantoms in confusion. "How…" he started, before looking down at Ember worriedly.

Danny followed his gaze guiltily as Dan stopped his attack. The younger ghost turned his attention back to the older, dropping the shield. "Hurry," he said, watching Dan apprehensively. Skulker didn't need to be told twice; he took off toward the human portal, leaving the two Phantoms facing off.

"I see you got my message," Dan told him snidely, watching in amusement how Danny's face contorted in rage. "Now, now – don't get all worked up."

"You're not getting to that portal," Danny told him coolly.

Dan laughed at his naivety. "You always did have such childish motives." Dan flew, standing upright as he got closer Danny. The half-ghost bristled, ready for an attack. "You think I want the portal Danny?" he asked, floating beside Danny's left. Dan moved around the teen, appearing again at Danny's right. Danny's head whipped to the other side. "Let me let you in on a little secret – I can take the portal anytime I wish." Dan's wrist came alive with an ecto-blast, launching it directly at the teen.

Anticipating the attack, Danny teleported away from the blast's trajectory - reappearing at one of the destroyed land masses. "I think you missed, old man," he taunted, throwing a series of ecto-blasts toward his older self. Dan growled, dodging the attacks with ease and flying directly for the teen. Danny braced himself as Dan collided with him, blocking Dan's flurry of punches the best he could. Going on the offensive, Danny brought his knee up to Dan's chest, pushing him away from the spectre. They flew at each other again, matching each other's blows evenly. Eventually, they broke apart, Danny slightly panting from exertion while Dan merely stood, crossing his arms.

"Tired already?" he provoked with a small smile.

Danny's eyes widened slightly as he looked Dan over; the evil Phantom showed no sign of weakness. Time to rethink this distraction. Danny took off toward the portal, flying through the destroyed islands that littered this part of the zone. Looking back, he saw Dan following closely. Danny's eyes and hands lit up blue, sending a set of icicle spears toward Dan. Dan merely swatted the icicles away, gaining speed toward the younger boy. Slightly panicked, Danny teleported again, trying to get as much distance as he could away from his future self.

Dan continued to fly toward the boy, eyes watching as Danny continued to teleport away from him, using the floating rubble as cover. He smiled, identifying a pattern as Danny continued to move. Dan waited until Danny teleported again, disappearing as he teleported to where he anticipated his younger self would end up. Arriving at the same point at the same time, Dan grabbed a hold of Danny, pinning him against a rock. One gloved hand moved to the boy's neck, squeezing tightly as he struggled under Dan's grasp. Danny glared at him as he struggled, attempting to break free and breathe easier. "It would be so easy to kill you now," Dan hissed, squeezing tighter. Danny's eyes widened as he started to gasp for air, legs kicking desperately to break free.

As Danny's vision started to fade, he heard a charging of an ecto-weapon before Dan was blasted off him. Danny gasped; coughing as he finally was able to breathe again. Dan was thrown a few feet away, stunned slightly at the two sleek saucer-like robots, each proudly displaying the Fenton logo on the top. Finally regaining himself, Danny floated up to one of the robots, smiling gratefully. "Thank you Fento-drones!" he exclaimed. Turning to his future self, he sent a stream of ice to the stunned ghost, freezing him in place.

Nodding determinedly at his work, Danny leapt up in the air and headed straight for the portal. It only took him fifteen minutes but he saw it – the swirling green hexagon that led to the lab. Relief only started to sink in before he heard a roar of anger behind him. Glancing back, he saw the burly ghost sending streams of ectoplasmic energy outward, aiming for the Fento-drones and him in the distance. Danny frowned, stopping on a small floating island close by. He watched as Dan lashed out, sending one of the Fento-drones into stone and ripping through the other one with ease. Red eyes locked with green, hungry for vengeance as Dan once again moved, blasting through any object that stood in his way.

Danny sighed, digging white boots into the ground as raw energy bubbled up inside him. His right eye lit up an electric blue as energy poured out of his fingers. He held his hands up; creating an electrifying green shield of energy that covered not only the portal, but it's surrounding areas. Dan stopped, watching the shield grow in disgust until it engulfed the portal.

Danny dropped to his hands and knees, panting as his eyes slowly returned to their normal green. Blue white sparks of electricity surrounded his aura as he gritted his teeth, glaring up at his future self. Try getting through that he thought vindictively.

The last thing Danny saw before he teleported was a slow, deliberate smile spreading across Dan's face.

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bigowlenergy · 4 years

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doors

Next chapter of How to Raise the Dead

Jack gets back late from the grocery store. 8 pm. He usually goes at 7 am on Saturday, but. Well.

Danny is asleep in the living room like Jack left him, their latest quilt bunched up around his small form. No backing. Hasn’t even been pressed yet. Fresh and new and covered in tiny strings.

It’s been a while since they worked on a project together.

Granny squares of cartoon ghosts with happy faces ring a large, detailed paper piecing of the Fenton Portal. It’s done all up in floral pastels. True soft quilt colors. Jack’s grown to prefer bright neons and the signature Fenton green, but an old fashioned quilt is good, too. It near matches the much smaller one framed on the wall. Danny’s first quilt, though of course Jack did most of it at the time. The picture beside it is Danny holding up the finished project, smiling big, missing some milk teeth. About third grade, if Jack remembers right. Or was that the year he skipped ahead? Well, whatever it was, it was Danny’s First Quilt Year.

And this one, now, with the door to the land of the dead lovingly rendered as the centerpiece, will not be the last.

3 AM. The Fenton Phones buzz with a silent alarm. Maddie sleeps through it, Jack wakes up. Lays there for a while. Listens to the shower run, the lack of footsteps in the hall upstairs. Danny’d disappeared around 11 pm. Vanished from his room in the usual way.

Jack eventually falls back to sleep, relieved his boy is home. For the night, at least.

He wakes at 5, as usual, then comes down to find Danny sitting on the davenport, wrapped in one of the new fabric bolts like a blanket and very much asleep. His hair is the special kind of mess that tossing and turning with wet hair makes. The bags beneath his eyes are so deep they look painted on. True bruises. Jack sets a slippered foot on the wood floor under the stairs and Danny jolts awake. Instant reaction. Too tired to know what to do with it. Squints at Jack in the early morning dark and interrupts himself with a huge yawn. Damn does he have some chompers.

“How ‘bout some coffee, son?” Jack offers.

Danny slurs out a positive, then snuggles back down. Jack gets a single cup brewing and watches the sun rise with his son.

They’re working on tracing pattern pieces when the girls come down the stairs. Both dressed for the day, Maddie about two hours early. Oh, Jazz’s tour is today. That’s right. Jack’s been distracted.

“Are you coming, Dad? Danny?” Jazz’s tone shifts slightly as she leans around to catch Danny laying on the carpet, half asleep and up to his elbows in wrinkled pattern paper.

“Danny, are you alright, honey?” Maddie asks, looking less drastically tired, but equally glassy eyed and unhappy with the hour. Like mother like son.

“Oh, you know how quilting goes, Mads!” Jack intervenes. “We were up late last night, early morning, too. I’ll stay and keep him company. Unless you need me to be there, Jazz?”

Maddie blinks once, slowly, looking intently at Jack for a moment before yawning and heading to find her purse. Jazz looks away from her open appraisal of Danny. Jack doesn’t want to turn and look, make them suspicious or anything, so he’s left wondering what she’s looking for. If Danny’s giving her some kind of code, begging for her to stay, to take him with, not to leave him home alone with Jack. Whatever she sees must be positive. Or maybe unconscious. She doesn’t take her eyes off Jack when she says, all innocence and honesty,

“No, it’s alright, Dad. It’s just one tour. I’m staying to talk to the career councilor afterwards, anyway. No reason to make you all wait.”

“Alrighty then, Jazzy. Let me know how it goes. See you later, dear.” He kisses his tired wife goodbye. Passes a note into her pocket. Waves them both out the door for their own early morning.

Normally, he’d go to the supermarket at this time, but Danny’s dead on his - absolutely exhausted, and Jack would rather keep him home safe for a change. He deserves it.

The front door clicks shut, and it echoes. Jack lets out a heavy breath.

“Want some breakfast, Danno?” He asks, turning to find Danny blinking heavily, eyes scrunching like it hurts. But he’s sitting up, mostly, and clutching the cup of decaf Jack slipped some ectoplasm in like he’s forgotten about it.

Jack kneels down beside him and sets a hand on his shoulder, gently straightening him up.

“Come ‘ere,” He offers his arm, taking the cup in his other hand. Danny flops on to his shoulder immediately. Mumbles, “I’m not a baby,” but yawns again and doesn’t even try to stand on his own. Jack lifts him easily. Calling Danny 90 pounds would be generous. Jack might not be into weight training any more, but he’ll always be strong enough to support his kids. It’s been a while since he’s gotten to cart either of them around. It’s nice. He hadn’t realized he missed it.

He puts the cup on the kitchen table and sets Danny in his seat.

“Alright, what’ll it be, bud?”

“Pancakes,” Danny mumbles, blowing on the cold coffee. Looks a little more present now.

Jack readies the ingredients and gets Danny stirring. Pulls the old pan out from the pantry. Pauses. Maybe they shouldn’t use this anymore. It was a gift from Vlad, freshman year, half gag gift, half honest peace offering to end the Prank War. A novelty Halloween pan with two large, pancake sized sheet ghosts. It’s a bit dented and well loved from the years, but it’s a good pan. Jack’d loved the thing, and did what any good best friend would do and bought Vlad the hard stuff he liked, but couldn’t really afford, as thanks. He only got to drink half of it.

Vlad’s his best friend. But. No more missed connections. No more distance. No more silence between loved ones when one is hurting. No more carefully closed doors. He sets the pan on the stove to heat.

After breakfast, they sit together in the living room and finish cutting out the quilt pieces. Danny’d always liked that part the best; tracing from the straightedge and making everything square up. It’s quiet, but peaceful. They work together just as well as they did - what, last year? Has it really only been that long since Danny had last joined him in the early morning? Has Jack gotten that lax, as a parent, to not notice? Attributing all the odd little changes Danny’s gone through to puberty and growing up and new school all sounded so sensible at the time. They still do. Of course they do. Who in their right mind would ever put money on what Jack’s betting on?

But Jack’s got eyes for a reason, his grandmama used to say. So he’d been using them. Took her good words and true voice, but set the rifle back on the shelf to cool. Not everything breeds fear. Not anymore. Not when Jack’s studied ectoplasm for long enough to understand that the instinctual fear ghosts bring out in humans is nothing more than smoke and mirrors, nothing that they can help doing. Danny isn’t a menace on purpose, not in this at least. Jack sets some quiet music up to cancel out the white noise and does his best not to let Danny in his peripherals.

Honestly, it’s getting easier and easier. Looks like there’s an acclimation period followed by a threshold shifting. If Jack just keeps aware around his son, he’ll stop being afraid altogether. He’s glad.

By the time dinner rolls around, poor Danny looks fit to collapse. He’d stubbornly powered through, pretending he’d slept last night and didn’t need to head up for a rest. Now he’s holding the edge of the quilt while Jack handstitches in a few details. Jack didn’t trust him with a needle. Is glad of it when he reaches over and gently pushes Danny back and he goes down like a sack of rocks. Stays down. Passed out instantly. Jack snips the last thread and lays the quilt top over him, smoothing his wild hair gently.

Tacks a note to the table right in front of his face and heads down to the store. He’ll probably sleep through it.

He does. Jack makes up something quick for himself and sets three portions in the fridge. His girls’ll be home late, like he asked. He probably should have talked with Maddie first, but the opportunity came too quick. He’s sure she’ll understand. Maybe she even got something out of Jazz.

Nah, probably not. Jazz is one tough cookie. He’s rather proud.

Of both of them.

He turns the lock and gently lifts Danny from the davenport. Expects him to stay down, but he squirms and squints up at Jack.

“Hey, Danno.” He greets the face that’s too tired to be suspicious properly. “Was gonna take you to your room for the night. Is that good?” Jack pauses, considers his words, his hold, carefully, says, “Or do you wanna go downstairs?”

Danny’s eyes slip closed again, and his hand curls into the quilt. “Downstairs,” He mumbles.

Jack takes him down to the portal. Tugs the seat out from under the stairs and drags it closer to the vortex in the doorway. Gets Danny down for the night. He looks so relaxed. So green.

It’s still a strange thing, this boy of his. But just this one nice day, this little bit of trust Jack’s painstakingly wrangled from him, feels like a victory. Like a door that’s been firmly locked has been eased open a crack. There’s less between them. Less distance, even if only a little.

Jack kisses his son’s forehead and leaves him to sleep in the lab.

#ok but jack is a davenport kinda guy #and u can pry that from my cold dead hands.#dannymay2020 #doors #may 19 #fenton family fun times #jack fenton #maddie fenton #jazz fenton #danny fenton #fanfiction

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arashikitten · 4 years

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Danny Phantom things

Ok, so I love Danny Phantom with all my heart. Like, seriously it’s a great show, it should be way more popular than it is. However, there are some things that... irk me a bit, when it comes to some of the characters and how they were handled. Of course there’s the general complaint of “Danny Phantom should’ve been darker, it’s premise is literally about a 14 year old who halfway died in his parents basement!” And while I do agree that it could’ve been darker than it was, I don’t believe that making the show dark and gritty would’ve been a good idea. The reason that episodes like Reign Storm and The Ultimate Enemy stand out is because they are INCREDIBLY dark episodes surrounded by more lighthearted fluff. They provide a sudden gut punch of emotion and angst and, in the case of The Ultimate Enemy, a reminder that death is something that should be taken seriously in the show. Just because the main character gets powers from being dead doesn’t mean everyone else does. In that regard, I think the show does a good job.

That being said, I do have some issues with the characters and their interactions with other characters.

Let’s start with Valerie Gray. I quite honestly believe that she was a great love interest for Danny (I am a diehard GrayGhost shipper), much better than Sam was. They had some really good chemistry between each other, with Danny being the first person to really try to help her after she got kicked out of the A-listers, and Valerie being one of the first people outside of Sam and Tucker to not judge Danny for his parents.

On that note, why does the show always treat Danny’s parents like complete idiots? I mean, they built a PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION IN THEIR BASEMENT. IN THEIR BASEMENT. That’s ridiculous. That has to take a crazy level of genius to be able to build that with limited resources and money, while also taking care of two kids. I get that neither Jack nor Maddie have a lot of common sense or tact, but they are by no means stupid. Like yeah, they didn’t notice that their son was an actual ghost, but that doesn’t make them complete idiots. They just lack social awareness and deductive logic.

And then there’s the villains. While some, like Vlad and Dan are done very well, I think that some of the others could stand to be better developed, or just. Have more screen time? Instead of it just being Skulker all the time? Like, where’s Ember? What about Poindexter? Or even, like, Pariah Dark! I would’ve loved to see him come back! And then, there’s Dan. We got that one sort of tease in end of The Ultimate Enemy, and then we never see him again! I think THAT would’ve been a much better series finale than Phantom Planet, Dan just coming back, realizing he’s no longer in the timeline and therefore won’t be affected if he kills Danny, Dan taking out Clockwork with ease to show that yea, this is some serious shit.

And then Dan shows up at Vlad Masters doorstep, with Vlad barely making it out alive. Danny is at home, and is worrying about telling his parents due to Jazz’s insistence that them knowing he’s phantom won’t make them hate him, that it’ll improve their relationship, that Danny needs to relieve himself of all that stress, that he should tell them to just get it off his chest.

And then Vlad shows up, battered and beaten on Danny’s doorstep. Usually, Danny would be suspicious, but then Vlad describes a ghost with a white cape and flaming white hair and that insignia on his chest, and Danny knows. And he’s terrified, because Dan’s back, Clockwork was supposed to stop that from happening, did Dan defeat Clockwork somehow?

So Danny decides to help Vlad, and Jack and Maddie show up and freak out about Vlad while Danny has a silent breakdown. The only ones who notice are Jazz and Vlad. The only one who knows why is Jazz. Jazz now redoubles her efforts to get Danny to talk, who is now even more adamant about not telling Jack and Maddie about him being phantom. Because then he’d have to tell them about Dan, and Danny doesn’t know if he’ll be able to handle his parents being afraid of him. Of what he might become.

And then Dan shows up.

All hell breaks loose as Danny has to fight for his life, for his future, against a ghost he knows is so much more powerful than him. Danny is trying, desperately trying, to keep Sam and Tucker and Jazz and his parents as far away from the fight as possible. This is his problem. He won’t let anyone get hurt trying to fix it.

Meanwhile, Vlad is on the sidelines, still recovering from his run in with Dan. He’s close enough to see the fight between Danny and Dan, but far enough away so that he won’t get hurt.

And that’s when he realizes.

The Costume, the ghostly wail, the stylized D on this strange ghosts chest. The name. Danny’s panic attack when Vlad described him. The sheer, raw terror that now lights up Phantom’s eyes, that Vlad has only ever glimpsed. Clockworks disappearance.

That’s Danny. Danny is fighting a future version of himself. Danny, that scrawny teenager who gets d’s and c’s in all his classes, who is barely 5 foot 3, who is still a child

Is fighting for the lives of his family, his friends, even his enemy.

Fighting against a ghost who took out Clockwork, a ghost who destroyed Vlad without breaking a sweat.

And he’s holding his own. This skinny teen, who Vlad has firmly believed was nothing more than a nuisance, was fighting against his future, against his fate, all by himself.

And that is the moment that Vlad realises that Danny is far stronger than he believed. That if Danny were to actually fight him one on one, no schemes or interference, Danny would kick his ass.

#danny phantom #fuck phantom planet #the ultimate enemy #dan phantom #vlad plasmius #Angst #Danny Phantom angst #someone please write this #i beg you

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going-dead · 5 years

Text

What if..?

Hey back from months of making zero DP content, hyper fixation is back and here for a while. So here’s my entry for Danny phantom angst day as well as Ectober day 1 prompt: What if? (list by @fruitloopghost ) I wrote this in one sitting instead of doing something productive like homework so sorry for any errors, I’ll comb through and edit when I have time. Click the read more to read it.

What if they hate him, try to capture him, or just shoot him? What if he gets thrown out, allowed to live but not around them. That would somehow be worse Danny figured. “Well are you going to say anything?” Danny asked, staring at his parents. He would settle for anything talking, questions, yelling, any type of reaction just not silence. Transformation rings split once more leaving a dark haired boy in their wake. Jazz was nervously looking between their parents. Danny didn’t know what she was nervous about, it was his half-life at stake.

Maddie’s hands were shaking as she lifted them as if to ward off her son. Her face steeled. “No. Jazz take Danny upstairs and make sure he gets to his room. Your father and I are going to work this out, we will solve this Danny don’t worry. You’ll be rid of Phantom soon”

Danny’s face twisted in a mixture of hurt and confusion. “But there’s nothing to get rid of? I’m me still, kinda human still, I just have a bit extra tacked on. But that bit is still me, Phantom is me as much as I am Phantom. It’s not a ‘we’ scenario it’s me.” He tried to explain, turning his hand invisible as if to prove a point. He looked to his father pleadingly who had yet to speak up,

“It will be okay Danny, but we’re scientists. We observe the world with facts. And the fact is that we just found out our son as you put it is ‘half ghost’. This is an unknown and we are going to have to be wary until have the facts.” Jack gave a smile, but it was obviously forced. The man smiles so much it’s easy to tell when it isn’t genuine. He gave Jazz and Danny a shooing motion. Leaving no room for argument as he and Maddie descended into the lab with hushed argument.

Jazz rested her hand on Danny’s shoulder, a gesture of comfort, and led Danny upstairs. “Don’t look so glum Danny. Look on the bright side, they didn’t shoot you or try to take you into the lab!” They stopped outside his bedroom door.

“Honestly I’d rather have them try to attack me, at least that way I’d know how they felt about all of this.” He shrugged. Just because they were tolerant of him at the moment didn’t mean that their attitude won't change at any moment. He didn’t have to alert Jazz of that though she had enough worries.

“I’m sure they just need some time, they’ll see that your ghostly half doesn’t make them any less their son.” She gave him a hug before going to her own room. They had school tomorrow, it would give their parents time to adjust by themselves.

Danny gave a weak smile before retreating into his own room. He fell face first onto his bed and hugged his pillow. No matter the end outcome of this his relationship with his parents would never be the same as before. He let his thoughts fade as he drifted into sleep.

Danny didn’t wake up strapped to a lab table or connected to a bunch of instruments, so that was a plus. Did normal teens have to worry about that? Probably not Danny mused. He threw on some clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast. He was surprised to see the table set and filled with food. His brows knitted in confusion, usually he would have to make himself breakfast, his parents still asleep or already down in the lab. Jazz would cook occasionally if she woke up a bit earlier but nothing like this.

Jazz herself came down a few seconds later, confusion evident on her face as well. The question of who was answered shortly after when Jack and Maddie stepped into the kitchen. “Ah good you’re both up. I was starting to worry you wouldn’t have time to eat. Your father and I decided it was time we had a family breakfast for once.” Maddie smiled clapping her hands together.

Danny and Jazz looked at each other in suspicion, but sat down all the same. Food was loaded onto everyone's plates, everyone except Danny started to eat. He poked his pancake with his fork, as if he expected it to explode. Jack was already halfway done with his food when he noticed Danny’s plate was still full. “Come on Danny-bo… Danny, the pancakes aren’t going to bite you.”

“Biting isn't what I’m worried about.” He mumbled, though food trying to eat the Fenton family members wasn’t unheard of, ecto-radiation was no joke. All the same he slowly took a bite of his food. He waited a few seconds, not passed out or hunched over in pain, he shrugged and continued to eat. That wasn’t to say he was comfortable, the moment the food passed his lips his parents seemed to watch his every move, studying him. He suddenly felt like an animal in the wild being observed by researchers.

Not soon enough it was time for Danny and Jazz to head to school. Jack had already excused himself, Danny not sure to as where he went. He shouldered his bag walking with Jazz towards the front door. “Bye mom, I love you.” He called over his shoulder.

“Goodbye Danny.” Danny pretended it didn’t hurt when she didn’t say I love you back, she always said I love you back. But it was fine, teenagers aren’t supposed to tell their parents they love them anyway. Right? It didn’t matter, he had to get to school. At least that way he wouldn’t have to see the disappointment in his parents eyes everytime they looked at him. At least his teachers had a reason to look at him in disappointment.

School was uneventful, other than Sam and Tucker being relieved to see him okay. He was pretty sure the whole school could feel how nervous he was as the school day drew to an end. He didn’t want to go back home and have his parents treat him like something other. His teachers didn’t call him out when he fell asleep in class, even Dash stayed away from him that day. It wasn’t until he was in the car with Jazz did he figure out why.

“Um Danny are you okay?” His sister asked almost warily.

“You mean other than the fact that our parents could turn on me at any second? Just peachy.” Danny snapped. He was surprised to see Jazz almost flinch.

“Can you tone whatever you’re doing down a bit? I’d rather not get frostbite and feel an overwhelming sense of terror driving. It’s just not safe. You can talk to me you know that right?”

Tone it down…? He looked down at his hands and saw his ghostly aura flicker around him, much brighter and far reaching than usual. And while the green and blue mixture was pretty to look at, that isn’t the case if a human comes in contact with it. Of course they can’t see it, but they sure as hell can feel something wrong. He flinched. “Oops sorry Jazz, didn’t even notice I was doing it. It’s probably just because of nerves. I really don’t need to figure out a random new power while mom and dad are watching my every move.”

Jazz nodded her head in agreement. Shaking the effects of Danny’s aura off her she pulled out of the school parking lot. “If you want, I can spend the day with you. That way you don’t have to be alone in a room with mom and dad.” She offered glancing at Danny out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah that’d probably help.” Danny answered. Secretly relieved and happy she offered. When they entered the driveway he took a deep breath, scaring his parents with his aura or ‘scary eyes’ would not help his situation.

Entering the house his parents voices immediately called out from the lab “Danny? Could you come down here for a second?” Danny shot a panicked look at Jazz. She motioned for him to breathe, grabbed his hand and walked slowly down the stairs and into the lab.

Jack looked up hearing footsteps descending down the stairs. “Oh hey Jazzy-pants, you don’t need to be down here. Just going to confirm some things with Danny.” Seeing Jazz’s glare he quickly backpedaled. “Not saying you have to leave though! More the merrier right hun?”

“Of course dear. No need to look so worried Danny, we’re your parents we wouldn’t ever hurt you intentionally.” Maddie walked over to her kids. “Nothing bad, we just need a few samples. Hair, saliva, vitals those sort of things. Only blood if you allow it of course.”

Danny shifted on his feet uncomfortably, he couldn’t really say no now could he. Plus he was a bit curious about what they’d find. They led him to the chair near the computer and sat him down. Jack grabbed the hair, saliva, and blood samples, with Danny’s consent. While Maddie started on taking his vitals. “So what we were thinking was: What if we could find out what is causing your ghostly abilities. Could we remove them? Make you normal again?”

Danny was about to speak up about being ‘normal’ but Jack interrupted. “Maddie come look at this!” He was leaning over a microscope. Danny took off the blood pressure cuff and followed his mom over to where his father was. Jazz was on her phone looking up occasionally to make sure Danny was fine. “It’s incredible, I haven’t put it through the scanner yet but I’d bet my fudge that is ectoplasm mixed in with his normal red blood cells. There that word was again normal. What if Danny didn’t want to be normal.

Maddie took the samples and carefully put them into the scanner. She tapped her foot waiting for it to finish. She jumped to attention when the results showed up on screen. “DNA...blah blah blah...fifty percent… Oh no.” Maddie staggered away from the machine, looking absolutely crushed. “Oh Jack!” She pulled her husband into a hug. “There’s ectoplasm directly entangled with his DNA, we can’t fix him. Our boy Jack, he’s never going to be the same baby boy we held in our arms.”

Danny looked at his parents, not in fear or anger, no it was in defeat. “Does that really change the fundamental aspects of who I am? I’m still me still Danny, i’m still a teenage boy who sleeps in class and likes video games. I’m not a broken toy you can just throw out because I'm no longer what you want. I’m your son! You’re supposed to love me and accept me for who I am unconditionally.”

Maddie looked at Danny confused. “Of course we still love you. This is just a hard thing to accept, it’d be one thing if it were something like you and Tucker decided to date, we would support you fully. But you have to understand this from our perspective. We found out that our son who we’ve cared for since he was born, is part ghost.”

Danny shook his head. “I understand just fine. I’m the one who had to come to terms that I pretty much died. That I was the only one actually qualified to fight ghosts without obliterating them. I’m the one who had to figure out ghost powers while still going to school, alone except for Sam and Tucker. I’m the one who had to stitch wounds closed and hide the pain of broken bones, that thankfully only lasted a few days. Injuries I got trying to save people all while the government, my classmate, and my own parents tried to kill or tourture me. But no, you're right, finding out your son happens to be different, that has to be so much harder.” He gave a dry laugh. “I’m going to my room. I can figure dinner out myself. Come get me when you’re done mourning, not all that or that you’re the reason I’m like this in the first place, but a son who is still here.”

#ectober #ectober day 1 #danny phantom #My fic #Danny Phantom angst day #fanfiction #ectober 2019

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dp-pastandpresent · 5 years

Text

Past and Present: Chapter 3

It had been a few weeks since Phantom had begun saving people and appearing on the news, and it was all Sam could think about.

The media could barely catch a glimpse of the boy: he wasn't too keen about being caught on tape. Maybe that's what intrigued Sam. Or maybe it was that she was finally starting to feel lonely. Maybe even more than lonely. Depressed. Anxious. Ready for something new. But every time the cameras caught a decent glimpse of Phantom, he looked lonely also, and she'd feel at least a bit better.

The loneliness had really come into existence come a few days ago, when the banners began appearing in school for the upcoming Homecoming Dance.

Sam was known as the school goth, by her own choice of course, but that title came with assumption that she was some depressed, emo girl.

And maybe some days she was, but that didn't mean she couldn't go to a dance and enjoy herself.

Sure, she could go with Tucker, but that would just be weird, and if word got out about it… well, frankly, there were better alternatives.

So yes, she was beginning to feel a bit lonely. But in seeing that boy on TV, she'd perk up a little; he looked even worse off than she was.

Phantom sat atop the local record store, watching as people came and went from within it's ultra-modern glass doors, yet never daring to step inside himself: The part of him that was drawn to this store didn't want to change the faint memories it held. However, seeing so many different people all coming together in the pursuit of music made him smile. And lately there hadn't been much else to smile about. Saving people all the time had become rather tedious. Local authorities had started to assume he'd show up, so they wouldn't even worry about doing anything anymore.

Having spent his former life in Amity Park, being resurrected to this place was only natural, and really the only perk to all this. The town had changed a lot, and it was enjoyable to see what had happened over the years. He had never planned on saving people when he came back, but the situation had arisen and he had been up for the challenge…at least in the beginning. Now, though, he was bored.

Even his daily check-in on the Fentons couldn't relieve the boredom, despite the fact that something new was always happening in that lab. Whether it be another portal experiment, a new weapon or one of Jack's stupid mistakes, the Fentons were always up to something. Phantom knew that he needed to keep an eye on them, even if just to learn more about their research, so he found himself invisibly watching on a daily basis.

He had popped in earlier that morning, just to see if anything was happening, only to find Jack alone at the desk, punching away at some high tech device, starting at a luminous screen.

"Stupid computer. I should have just let Maddie handle this!" he grumbled as he angrily typed something else on the keyboard. "I don't even know how to work this thing half the time!"

Curious, Phantom floated a little bit closer to see what Jack was up to.

"There's gotta be something in here about ghosts and genetics!"

'Ghosts and genetics?' Phantom found himself thinking. 'What could he possibly need that information for? And how is he going to get that from in there?'

He had come to realize in the few days he had been out that society was not the little bit he remembered. All these modern devices that were supposed to make life easier were nothing more to confusing for the ghost boy.

'Shouldn't he be looking in a book?'

"Mom always knew he was out there, somewhere, and now that this portal is open, there's a chance to find out. If I could only figure out the genetic aspect of it all!"

A small knot formed in the bottom of his stomach as a few memories began to come back. He had known there was a connection between him and Jack, but he hadn't been told much more than that upon his resurrection . Now that he was hanging out in the lab more, he was realizing how deep the connection actually ran.

Phantom had heard enough, and honestly couldn't stomach much more. As much as he needed to know about what Jack was up to, he just didn't think that watching him punch away at something he didn't understand was going to solve that problem.

Vowing to return when the lab was empty to search for more clues, he invisibly floated away.

Reflecting on that morning, he had yet to come to any more conclusions. He had a connection to the Fentons, something he had been told from the start. But the exact connection had yet to become clear. He had hoped that by visiting the lab on a daily basis, things would come back to him, but so far all he had felt were painful hints of memories past.

Of course, he had contemplated going back to the Ghost Zone. The Fentons were always opening that portal for testing, so it wouldn't be hard. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he was better off out here. He didn't know the Zone well, having only been resurrected the same morning of the portal's opening, so it may not be the safest choice.

'If only there was some way I could just remember everything and be normal again…'

Sam's days were always the same. Go to school, learn "something new," eat lunch with Tucker, listen to Mr. Lancer's lectures on something boring, then walk home alone, thinking about why she put up with everything she did. Today was no different.

Everyone was talking about the stupid dance, which happened to be that night. Meanwhile, she was trying to hide the disappointment as best as she could.

She had finally caved and planned to ask Tucker (as a friend!) to the dance that day at lunch. But before she could even take a bite of her turf-wich, Tucker had come skipping up to the table.

"Guess what Sam!?" he said, sounding a lot perkier than usual.

"Hmmmm… New PDA?" she asked jokingly.

"Oh I wish! This 300gig I just got is ALREADY FULL!"

"Really Tuck? That much heavy metal music?" she joked.

That was the type of relationship they had. He'd mention technology and she'd throw in a good joke. They had come to expect that at their little lunch table.

Sam picked at her food, waiting for Tucker to tell her the news so she could finally ask him about the dance.

"Heavy metal, I mean really? Sam you can think of way better jokes… Now what was I saying? Oh yea!" His eyes got bright and his smile widened.

"Valerie asked me to the dance!"

Sam swallowed her grass a little too hard, and needed a large sip of water before she could respond. And when she could speak again, she had to hide the pain in her voice.

"Really Tucker!? That's awesome! I know you've been eyeing her for awhile. I wonder what made her come around?"

"Oh you know, my good looks for one," he responded as he pretended to pop his collar.

"Haha, right…" Sam looked down at her meal, suddenly not hungry.

Sam kept walking, thinking about the day and Tucker's excitement. She was truly happy for her friend – and that's all she knew they would ever be – but if someone could ask him, why hadn't she found a date yet? She was goth, not the plague. And she knew for a fact some of the nerds eyed her from behind on the days she wore the shorter skirts.

'Not that I want to date a total perv… but…'

Even just having someone to walk home with would have been nice.

Phantom's day had been just as boring as Sam's.

He had managed to save at least three more people from the usual – car accidents, muggings, etc - maybe more. He wasn't counting anymore.

It was while he was taking a break on top of the local burger joint, about to head over to the Fentons', when he saw her.

She was walking alone, head down, carrying a purple backpack; school must have just ended. She wore a black tank top with a black and green skirt, purple socks and black combat boots. Something about her had caught his attention, but it wasn't until she looked up randomly, as if she knew she was being watched, that he was trapped. Her eyes were a deep violet, and there was something extremely familiar about them. He remembered those eyes, as if they were…

'Why does she seem so familiar,' he thought, another knot forming in his stomach, telling him he should remember something he wasn't. 'Maybe I should go talk to her. She looks lonely.'

He got up and was about to fly down and strike up a conversation when a boy came running up behind her, causing Phantom to stop dead in his tracks.

"Sam! Hey, Sam!" the boy called.

Upon hearing her name, Sam turned around to see none other than Dash Baxter.

"Dash," she said through her teeth, "what do YOU want?" She turned away and started walking again.

"Well, I don't have a date for the dance tonight, and well, ummmm… I was wondering…" He was shuddering.

"You mean Paulina finally realized that she deserved better?" Sam asked him curtly, turning around. She knew where this was going, and wasn't sure she liked it.

"Well I wouldn't have put it that way, but I guess. Anyway, do you want to go to the dance? I really need a date," Dash asked. Dash was not the brightest guy, so what Sam had said barely seemed to faze him.

"So you're asking me out of pity," Sam concluded.

"Huh? Well I need a date, if that's what you mean," Dash said, his intelligence level definitely showing.

Sam just rolled her eyes. She hated how shallow Dash was, but she also really wanted to go to the dance; that dress in her closet was gathering dust.

"Fine, pick me up at six," she told him before turning around one last time and heading home.

Sure it was Dash, but it was still a date for the dance, and that alone put a small smile on Sam's face.

The ghost had really wanted to talk to that girl, and he would have if that boy hadn't come along.

The rest of the day, she was all he could think about. There was something about that girl that was different, yet very familiar.

He had honestly not found any purpose in sticking around Amity Park, but now maybe he could. If only that girl were available… He was not about to steal her from someone; he wasn't that type.

And so he would wait. Wait until she needed him. And until then, he'd just continue to do what he had been doing, but now with more enthusiasm.

#danny phantom #danny phantom fanfiction #danny phantom fanfic #phanfiction #fanfic #sam manson

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freshwater--mermaid · 6 years

Text

Ersatz Ch 21: Earthbound

Both Danny and Vlad stood in the small guest bedroom of the Fenton household, the sounds of everyone else having breakfast coming in through the closed door.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the blank-faced man before him, the seconds dragging on in continued silence.

Finally, Vlad blinked, his expression turning into one of disapproval.

"Daniel, I will not be showing up any time you wish just to distract your parents so that you can go into the Ghost Zone alone."

"I didn't say you had to come over all the time! Just visit occasionally, like you do now." Danny argued. "How else am I ever going to discover everything in there? I don't get a lot of opportunities to be in the lab for hours without my parents noticing."

"First, I don't think you fully appreciate just how large the Ghost Zone actually is." Vlad said. "Second, have you forgotten how dangerous I said it was to venture around in there while alone?"

"Oh please, there wasn't a single ghost in sight." Danny replied. "Even that big castle I got to was completely empty."

Vlad sighed. "You're very lucky that whatever creature guarded that territory was not around."

Danny threw his hands into the air in frustration.

"Well how else am I supposed to learn more about the Ghost Zone if I can't explore it?"

Vlad smiled, only adding to Danny's annoyance.

"Now I never said that."

The man's smile grew into a smirk, giving Danny the all-too-familiar feeling that he was being laughed at.

"Don't misunderstand me, Daniel." Vlad continued, ignoring the teen's frown. "I'm very impressed with your initiative. Deciding to map out the Ghost Zone is a smart idea. Doing it alone is the part that I'm in disagreement with."

Vlad walked around Danny, heading toward the door as he spoke.

"And besides, I myself have been charting the ghost zone for years now."

"You what?" Danny couldn't help but raise his voice in surprise.

"But I will be more than happy to go with you when the next opportunity arises." Vlad said, opening the door. "After all, I haven't explored this particular area yet."

With that, the man walked out of the room, leaving Danny with a mix of curiosity and frustration, which had become the norm after their conversations.

Sighing to himself, Danny walked out of the room as well, entering the living room. Vlad had joined with the group in the kitchen, choosing to stand at the counter rather than try to find a place at the over-crowded table. He politely refused Maddie's offer of food.

Danny chose an empty seat crammed between Sam and Jazz. The former was listening to Jack and Tucker discuss one of Jack's inventions, and the latter was trying to ignore everyone as she read from a small book.

"Hi, sweetheart." Maddie greeted her son, retrieving a plate of bacon and eggs. "I saved some breakfast for you. Now eat up quick; you kids will need to leave soon."

Danny glanced down at the plate as it was set before him, pushing it away slightly.

"Not hungry, Mom." he said.

Maddie frowned down at him, but was overtaken by Tucker and Jack, who halted conversation long enough to lunge at Danny's plate, devouring its contents.

~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*

School was mostly a blur, which was nothing new. Danny passed his classes in silent thought, interrupted only twice. Once when Dash 'tripped' while exiting a classroom, causing him to grab Danny's head and slam it hard onto his desk. The second break in Danny's mental wandering came in the form of a text from Vlad during Study Hall.

It read simply: Meet me in your parents' workshop this evening.

Danny knew it could only mean one thing; a trip into the Ghost Zone.

It was honestly exciting, the thought of traversing about with someone who had actual knowledge and experience of the otherworldly realm. Danny spent the remainder of his final class wondering what locations might be nearby that he hadn't discovered yet. It felt so much like something out of one of his favorite sci fi space adventure movies. He wished Tucker had left behind his recording equipment so Danny could film it all.

'Maybe he'll be able to run home and get his things before too much time passes.' he thought, the bell sounding loudly overhead.

Gathering his things, Danny was up and out the door in moments, making it outside to wait on his friends before the first sprinting students burst out the front doors.

After several minutes of waiting impatiently, Tucker and Sam finally appeared amid the crowd of faces. He waved at them, gaining their attention, and they wore relieved expressions as they walked toward him.

"Where were you?" Sam asked.

"Waiting out here." Danny answered, as though it were the most obvious thing.

"You didn't stop by our lockers." Sam continued. "We thought something might have happened."

"Like what?" Danny laughed, leading the way down the sidewalk.

"Hey man, with all the weirdness seeking you out lately, you can't really blame us." Tucker reasoned.

Danny mentally conceded to their point, choosing to change the subject with a question.

"Hey Tuck, d'you think you could bring over your camera and things to my place?"

"Why?" Tucker asked.

"Me and Mr Masters are going through the portal again and I figured you'd want-"

"Woah wait, what?" Sam interrupted. "Danny, I don't think that's a good idea."

Danny sighed audibly, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Sam, come on, you can't keep assuming he's bad news."

"I just don't think it's smart to go wandering the Ghost Zone with that guy."

"As apposed to wandering it by myself. Yeah, much safer."

Sam frowned heavily at him, crossing her arms defensively.

"Well either way," she said, "We already made plans for this afternoon, remember?"

Danny's expression blanked out, his mind casting about for the answer, and coming up dry.

Now it was Sam's turn to sigh harshly. "Our Halloween project? The little fruit jack o' lanterns? Any of this ringing a bell?"

Danny's eyes widened "Oh! I…forgot."

The three shared an awkward silence as they continued walking, the turn toward Sam's street approaching. Finally, as they reached the end of the block, Sam spoke up.

"Just head home, Danny." she said. "Me and Tucker have this. It's just carving up fruit."

Danny gave her a smile before running quickly across the crosswalk before its light changed, waving his goodbye over his shoulder.

"Be careful!" Sam called after him.

She shared a quick glance with Tucker before the two turned and continued down their own path.

~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*

Danny walked down to the lab, bracing himself to once again see the ghost woman laid out on the table, or something equally unsettling. Instead, he saw only Vlad, reading through notes at his mother's desk.

"Where's my mom and dad?" Danny asked as he stepped fully into the room. "I thought they were taking a break from ghost hunting nights to work on upgrading their weapons?"

"They are." Vlad answered, not looking up. "And it's very interesting what information they've gathered just from the few encounters they've had recently. And of course, their study of subject o-one has been a great benefit."

"O-what?" Danny asked.

"O-one. The name they've given to their one and only captive ghost." Vlad elaborated, looking up at the teen. "I was told that they have you to thank for her capture."

Danny wasn't sure how to react to that statement, and so settled for looking down at his mother's notes and blueprints.

"Why are you going through her research?"

"To get a better idea of how these new weapons they're creating will operate. You should do the same whenever you can."

Vlad set the notebook down upon the table, once again looking at Danny.

"I do think you're squandering a great opportunity, Daniel. As I've said before, having access to this lab and all of its contents, as well as your parents' knowledge, is something that could only benefit you."

Danny walked away from the man, toward the closed portal.

"As much as I love standing around getting lectured, I think we should get moving before my parents come back from wherever you sent them."

"No need to worry about that." Vlad smiled, pulling back a sleeve to glance down at his watch. "By my estimation, we should have a little less than fourteen hours before your parents are awake enough to notice our absence."

"Awake enough?"

"A simple sedative, as before. Nothing to fret over."

Danny wanted to be mad about Vlad once again drugging his parents, but found that it wasn't that much of a bother. It wasn't as if the extra sleep would hurt them, after all.

With that affirming thought, Danny pushed the activation button, watching the portal doors slide open. The white room became awash in a green glow, Danny and Vlad casting pale shadows as they stood before the portal.

~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*

Sam removed the basket of various fruits from a kitchen cabinet, setting it on the counter before turning to Tucker.

"Alright, which one do you want to carve up first?" she asked.

"The orange." he replied. "I could use a snack."

"You can't peel it, Tuck." Sam replied.

"I can scoop its insides out and eat it that way." the boy smiled at his own logic.

Sam shrugged, opening a drawer filled with knives of different sizes.

"Okay," she continued. "Pick your weapon."

Tucker deliberated momentarily, before grinning and pulling out the largest knife in the drawer.

"You can't carve an orange with that." Sam smiled, taking the knife and giving him one that was notably smaller.

"Not with that attitude. Where's your Halloween spirit?" Tucker joked, looking over his orange and thinking of where to start.

Sam set her own knife on the countertop, closing the drawer and selecting a tiny watermelon from the basket. It took her longer than Tucker to cut open the top. When she finally had it removed, she took a spoon and began scooping out the pale red insides, dropping them onto a plate.

"You gonna eat that?" Tucker spoke through a mouthful of orange mush, gesturing at the plate.

"Help yourself." Sam rolled her eyes with a smile.

~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*

"So there's really nothing worth it behind any of these doors?" Danny said, disappointment clear in his voice as he looked around at them all.

"I assure you, my boy, nothing of any real interest lies beyond any of these doors." Vlad assured, gesturing for Danny to follow him as they continued away from the Fenton Works island.

"They are home to ghosts too weak to conjure anything more than a room or two from faded memories. In fact, anything that you take from these rooms would simply dissolve into pure ectoplasm in minutes."

Any further questions Danny had were halted as Vlad pointed ahead.

"I believe that's the castle you visited before?"

"That's the one." Danny confirmed. "Don't get excited, though. It's a lot farther away than it looks."

"Then we'd better pick up the pace." Vlad said, rocketing away in almost the blink of an eye.

Danny started in surprise before taking off at full speed. He caught up to Vlad in seconds, the elder of the two remaining several feet ahead.

After continuing on this way for a while, Danny cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

"Hey, slow down!"

Vlad instantly halted flight, and Danny dove to the side. His leg still clipped Vlad's side, and he was sent spinning. Vlad quickly grabbed him by the arm, and Danny held his eyes shut and waited for the dizziness to pass. He grimaced at the pain in his leg and arm.

"I said slow down, not stop." he griped. "And how can you go that fast for so long, anyway?"

"It all comes from practice, Daniel." Vlad answered, keeping his grip on the boy and continuing forward at a slower rate.

Danny soon stopped seeing stars, and pulled his arm away. He was glad to see that they were almost at their destination.

"So how many years did it take to get as fast as you are?" he asked.

"Not too many." Vlad answered over his shoulder. "About ten, I'd say."

Danny groaned, his shoulder slumping down.

"Man, it's gonna take forever before I can do anything as good as you can!"

"You'll soon find that time holds little weight." Vlad said. "The years begin to feel like weeks."

"Wow, really?" Danny asked. "So…it doesn't feel like that long ago since you died?"

"At times it feels like only yesterday."

Vlad then held up a hand, bringing both the flight and the conversation to an end. They were still many yards away from the castle walls. Danny looked at it for a moment before glancing toward Vlad, surprised by the intense look on the man's face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Vlad didn't answer, but instead became tense, looking around with a hard expression before his gaze fell on Danny.

"Do not go near this area again."

With those short words, he turned left and began flying away. Danny looked back at the castle before catching up with the elder ghost.

"So, let me guess," he began, keeping abreast with Vlad thanks to the slow pace. "You're not going to tell me what spooked you about that place, you're just gonna expect me to follow your every word."

"I told you that I have spent years charting every location in this realm, remember?"

"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"

"I haven't told you this yet, but your little island occupies a far corner of the Ghost Zone." Vlad said, searching the landscape as he spoke. "That is why you see so little activity where you are, and why everything is so far away."

Danny thought for a moment, taking in the information.

"So, in terms of ghost realty, I got placed in the countryside of the Ghost Zone? And there are, like, ghost cities packed with wall to wall ghosts and their homes?"

"Yes," Vlad answered. "I'm not sure what causes certain territories to manifest where they do. It seems to be entirely random, and in your case bad luck."

"Bad luck?" Danny questioned. "Yeah, I guess. Living around other ghosts would be cooler than being in the middle of nowhere."

"Actually, that works to your advantage." Vlad countered. "Being so isolated means that the more intelligent spirits are less likely to find your home. If you lived among them, you would likely be fighting them from your territory often. What I meant by bad luck is the fact that you live so near to that fortress."

"The castle? I wouldn't exactly call it near."

Vlad frowned at the teen. "I meant my earlier words, Daniel. Do not go to that place anymore."

"Then tell me what's so bad about it!" Danny exclaimed, throwing his hands out in frustration.

"It belongs to a very powerful and very malevolent creature." Vlad replied. "Let's be thankful that you didn't wake it when you first stumbled around inside its lair."

"So its asleep?"

"In a sense, yes. Now come on, I see something ahead."

Vlad flew forward, staying in front as he led the way toward another building.

~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*

"Now hold it still for a few seconds." Sam instructed.

"I know how glue works."Tucker replied dryly, but with a smile. He had to admit internally that this was turning out to be more fun than he had originally thought when he'd suggested the idea.

Sam lightly hit him over the arm for his quip, causing him to lean away from her.

"Hey! Watch the glue, Sam." he said mockingly.

"How about I just glue your mouth shut and give myself some peace and quiet." Sam shot back with a grin.

"I'd like to see you try."

Sam gave him a threatening smile for his bold words, waving the glue around before using it for one of her own tiny jack o' lanterns. She hoped that she would be able to clean all the glue off of the fancy platter once Halloween was over. If her parents found out she was using it for the display, she'd be grounded. But she decided to worry about those details later.

"This is starting to look really good." she said, looking at the little pineapple and squash that were already set in place. "It really was a great idea, Tuck."

"I'm a genius, I know." Tucker smiled, before certain thoughts has his bright expression falling.

"You think Danny's okay?" he asked after a brief silence.

Sam's face also dimmed, her eyes remaining on the platter.

"Yeah, he'll be okay." she said.

Another silence followed, both friends' concern mixing in the air between them. Finally, Sam broke through it with a smile, looking at Tucker.

"Either way, he's missing out on a great time. This is a lot of fun."

Tucker returned her smile, gluing the final piece onto the display. They both gazed at it proudly.

"Hey, wanna make some popcorn and watch that new horror flick?" the boy asked.

"Night of the Shewolf? You've seen it like ten times already." Sam replied.

"Yeah, but werewolf ladies, Sam." Tucker argued, his voice becoming dreamy.

"You've got some messed up taste, Tuck." Sam said, shaking her head.

"So is that a yes?"

"It's a yes. I'll start the popcorn."

~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*

The building before them was tall and square, with a flat roof and little windows set in perfect rows all around. It reminded Danny of the old abandoned buildings in downtown.

"Be careful." Vlad cautioned in a quiet voice, slowly approaching the double doors at the front of the floating building.

"Why are we going in?" Danny asked. "I thought you wanted me to avoid these places."

"Creating an accurate map of this area requires knowing what kind of spirit lives in each territory. Now, keep behind me." Vlad answered.

Reaching a hand out, he slowly pushed open one of the doors, its hinges screeching out loudly, as though they hadn't been disturbed in decades. Danny peered over Vlad's shoulder as the man gazed cautiously around inside, both of them trying to see through the thick darkness.

A scraping noise caused Danny to jump, and Vlad fired a single shot of ectoplasm into the shadows. The pink glow cast a pale light from where it stuck to a far wall, and the two were able to distinguish the figures of old wooden boxes and crates. They sat stacked in neat rows, as if they were a library. Some of them wore labels with no words printed upon them.

The sound was heard again, and this time they could see the cause. A single, small box shuffled only a few centimeters out from behind a distant row, as though it were trying to peer around the corner at them.

Vlad held up his hand once more, liquid ectoplasm churning in his palm.

"Wait, don't!" Danny exclaimed, grabbing onto Vlad's arm. "We can't just go around blasting ghosts that haven't done anything. It's probably just some ghost of a rat or something."

"Here now, I am no mere rat!" cried a voice from within the room.

The box from before opened up, a blue glow coming from within. The glow then shot up into the air, quickly taking form. In moments the figure of a short, fat man hovered in the centre of the room, arms crossed and looking down at the pair with an indignant glare.

"I am not some filthy rodent; it is I, the great and powerful Box Ghost!" he gestured widely as he spoke. "Why have you awoken me from my slumber?"

Danny couldn't help but chuckle at the strange spirit's antics. His clothes and accent made the teen guess he was from the forties, but the way he spoke so dramatically reminded Danny of a high school kid trying to quote Shakespeare.

Vlad also seemed rather unimpressed, holding the unspent energy in his hand still and raising an eyebrow at the ghost's theatrics.

As silence dragged on, the self-proclaimed Box Ghost slowly fell out of his dramatic pose, looking down on the intruders with confusion.

"Why do you not tremble in fear at the sight of the mighty Box Ghost!" he demanded.

"Because you're anything but scary, dude." Danny said with a shrug.

The teen was honestly relieved that at least one of his distant neighbors wasn't a monstrous creature to be avoided.

"How dare you slander me!" the Box Ghost cried, rising higher into the air.

Vlad didn't wait to hear the rest of the speech that was obviously about to come. Instead, he sent out the gathered energy in his hand, sending it out in a sweeping gesture. It collided with the Box Ghost and sent him crashing into the far wall. The pink liquid stuck around his middle, pinning his arms and holding him against the wall. The short ghost struggled against his bonds, but the ectoplam held strong.

"Now that that is over with, let's move on." he said, straightening his shirt with a sigh before turning and exiting the building.

Danny watched the ghost continue to struggle and mumble curses and threats, before he turned and followed after Vlad.

"Uh, is he going to be able to get out eventually?" Danny asked as they flew onward.

"He will." Vlad answered, a self-satisfied smile curving across his face. "Eventually."

"I'm going to mark that location as an 'avoid at all costs'." the man added after a moment, annoyance painted clearly in his tone, earning a grin from Danny.

The boy began looking around, wondering what other strange locations and bizarre inhabitants they would come upon in the hours to come. Suddenly fourteen hours felt like far too little time, and Danny wished there was some way to remain in this realm for as long as he wished. He wanted to explore every corner.

#ersatz au #danny phantom #vlad masters #ghost zone #danny fenton #vlad being a mentor #sam and tucker bonding #both those dynamics are a lot of fun to write

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kappucinno · 4 years

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this blog is 3 years old today, and so, here is my third post ever (wooowwww)

So. It’s been a few years. I’m 21 and a senior in college. Is it cool if we make a time jump? Cool. I’m still Kathleen, but a bunch of other stuff has happened, and I’ll try to sum it up in bullet points: • Depression and anxiety hit me pretty hard spring of my freshman year. • I actually ended up making some more friends that spring, too - a pretty & cool girl named Jenae, a goofy and quirky girl named Emily, and a bearded dude named Zach, who was a couple years ahead of us in the art program. • I couldn’t find a job, so I spent all summer of 2017 hanging around my house and occasionally driving into a nearby town to get coffee and sketch the apple trees. • I lived in a single dorm in what was once the attic area of the oldest dorm on campus. I had three windows and a slanted roof and string lights, and it was the coziest place ever. • I go on an overnight trip to Portland with my two best friends from high school, Kaylee and Emily. • I ended up becoming better friends with Jenae, and met some of her friends, two dudes named Jon and Luis. • I arranged to move into my older sister’s old apartment in the fall with Jenae and her roommate Jordan. • I became infatuated with Jon, to no avail. Although, once, he did invite me over to his and Luis’ apartment, and just Jon and I hung out while he cooked me dinner. I still don’t know if that was a date or not. • I suffered major FOMO because they would all hang out without me, since they’re all from the same town. • I got my first summer job! I was a camp counselor at a YMCA day camp, and it was a wild ride. • I bought my first car! She’s an old Chevy Blazer that I named Monica, and half the stickers on the back aren’t even mine! • I played D&D with my summer camp coworkers/friends for the first time out of curiosity, and it was actually really fun! • I went to my first house party. I was the only sober person there. I kind of hated it. It was the same night someone hi-jacked an empty plane at the nearby airport and crash-landed into a nearby island that was, thankfully, uninhabited. • I took a week off work to move into the apartment with Jenae and Jordan. Jon helped me move my stuff in (I asked because I was still infatuated with him, and he lived in town year-round). I drove across the mountains and cried to Alaska by Maggie Rogers, although I don’t know where the tears came from. • I started my junior year of college, and re-connected with Emily, who I was friends with spring of freshman year. • I turned 20! And then a week later, I found out Jon had a think for my friend/co-worker Kaitlyn, which really bugged me, because she was the person I wanted to talk about it with the most. • I go on a youth ministry retreat and become better friends with Luis and our friend Annie. • I start to develop a crush on Luis, which Jenae and I agree is not ideal. I decide to not act on it, and just focus on becoming better friends with him. Which I do, because we have a bunch of stuff in common. • Jon comes back from winter break with a girlfriend, and I start to not really care. • I become better friends with a bunch of people in our social circle through Jon and Luis’ small group, like my friends Haley, Heather, and Katie. • Jordan decides in with her boyfriend, and so Heather agrees to move in with us for senior year. • Luis starts showing an interest in me, but then he changes his mind, all in the course of a week, which honestly breaks my heart, and I throw up because my emotions got the best of me. • Luis starts dating some random girl, which doesn’t amount to anything, but it still sucks for me. • I get a design internship down in Sacramento for the summer, which means I will live with the family of one of Dad’s best friends from high school and college, whom I have never met in my life. Oddly enough, this doesn’t scare me at all. • I continue to hang out with Luis while he’s dating that random girl, and try to push past my feelings for him. • By the end of the school year, I feel so low and under appreciated by the people I hang out with, I literally pack up all my stuff and go home in less than 3 hours. I say goodbye to Jenae, who is hanging out with Luis, so unfortunately, I have to say goodbye to him, too. He doesn’t know the reason I’m leaving, and thus skipping the graduation and grad parties of a bunch of my friends is because I can’t stand to be in the town where he lives any longer. • I go home for a week, and then my mom and I make the two-day-long drive down to Sacramento. We both feel like we should be having some deep talks, but we can’t think of anything, so we just kind of hang out and enjoy the drive southwards. • We arrive, and I meet the family I’ll be staying with - the Harlow’s - and I immediately bond with their two youngest kids, a 22-year-old girl named Maddy, and an 18-year-old girl named Emma, as well as their 19-year-old friend Molly. • After making sure I’ve settled in, my mom flies home, and it’s just me with the Harlow’s in California. • I start my internship, and I’m the youngest person in the office, but I work as hard as everyone else. • I spend the summer eating mint chocolate chip It’s-Its, floating around the pool fully-clothed on a large flamingo floaty, being fairly stressed out by work, hanging out with Maddy and her friends, drinking cold-brewed French press, watching Studio Ghibli movies, and talking to my sisters on the phone. • The area I lived in is home to the largest number of millionaires and billionaires in California north of Beverly Hills, so I watch the wealthy through both the lenses of my own experience and curiosity. A lot of people look down at me because of my car or the things I own, but a lot of people ask me a ton of questions, like have I been to Forks or Twin Peaks? (I have, but both are just regular towns, no vampires or serial killers that I know of). • In my last week, I visit Facebook and San Francisco, and my dad flies down that Friday night to drive back with me. • We drive back home, and I leave my pillow in a sketchy Holiday Inn in Oregon, which saddens my greatly. • I hang out at home for 3 weeks, and then I head back to school. • I start my senior year of college, and I become closer friends with two girls in my photography class (whom I’ve hung out with on and off throughout college), Riley and Jordyn. • Luis and I are actually really good friends! We play lots of Mario Kart and hang out a couple times a week to binge-watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine. • I turn 21, and instead of going out, my roommates and I stay in and do homework because we all have a butt-ton or homework. I drank one beer over the course of 3 hours. It’s pretty low-key, which I liked. Luis brings me balloons, even though him and Jenae hadn’t been getting along very well. • I start to get physically sick and anxious because I can’t tell where I stand with Luis, so I finally tell him how I feel. He says he’s not interested in me like that, but he wants to remain friends, which I agree too, because that was the main thing I was worried about. After telling him, I honestly just feel really relieved to know where I stand. We just promise that it won’t be weird. • I become closer friends with Jenae and Heather, and we all agree this is the best living situation we’ve had during the entirety of our college careers. • Luis avoids me for two weeks with out explanation, so I get anxious and spiral and freak out, and he dodges my questions. I apologize for spiraling, but he doesn’t seem to care. • I go home for winter break and come back, and his and I’s friendship is basically non-existent. • I take a yoga class and become better friends with my friend Arthur, whom I also know through Jon and Luis’s small group. • Heather has more free time, so her and Jenae and I hang out more. • I become better friends with my friend Bethany, who is also my coworker, but I knew her before through Jenae. • I apply for a butt-ton of jobs, and I either get a “we’re going in a different direction” or no response at all. • Luis hangs out with Jenae at my apartment, and things are so icy between us, I don’t feel like I can sit on my own couch. • Slowly, we start to get along a bit better, and we hang out a grand total of 3 times throughout the quarter, but he still doesn’t seem to care. • COVID-19 breaks out in Washington state just in time for finals, which I do online. • The guys use coronavirus as a reason to avoid me, but still hang out with Jenae, so I decide to use social distancing to cut them out of my life. And now we’re caught up. I’m currently at home, and I’m probably going to go back to school next week, if it ever stops snowing in the mountains that I have to cross to actually get to school. Heather texted the roomie group chat a few days ago and announced that she’s going to have to pull out of the lease because of coronavirus and her parents not being able to afford her rent with their jobs up in the air, so we’re on the hunt for a new roommate, which seems kind of futile with all that’s going on in the world. It’s definitely not how I wanted this year to go, and now that I’m looking back over the past few years, I got kind of obsessed with Luis. The way he treated me is super unhealthy, and unfortunately, I’m just one of a large group of people he treats like that. I was talking to my mom the other week - she drove over to my younger sister’s college to help her move out since all her classes are online and the campus is closed, and on the way back, she stopped in my town to get breakfast with me - and she told me she’s excited for me to graduate so that way I can find a better group of friends that actually value me, that I don’t have to doubt so often. I know I’m gonna be friends with Heather and Jenae after college - I’m going to Heather’s wedding this fall - but I know it’s gonna be a lot harder to see them, since we all don’t really know where we’re gonna be after June. But I agree with my mom. I’m pretty eager to find a group of friends that I actually know are my friends. To be honest, I forgot about this blog. I forgot it was here, and why I started it in the first place. I guess it’s kind of Caroline Calloway-inspires in that it’s sort of a living memoir, this blog. Maybe one day, after I’ve written a bunch of other books, I’ll make this blog an actual book, because now I know it’s here, I want to be here a lot more. If anyone in the digital void is reading this, hi! Thanks for spending a bunch of time looking at the summary of my college career, exactly three years after I started this blog. It’s not super exciting, I know, but maybe it’s interesting to watch a life take it’s course. I’ll be back! -Kathleen

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