#linked to sam and tucker. so they are already on the way to jack

[tanglepelt]

Dc x dp idea 67

Danny is forced to revel himself at a gala.

Vlad had Danny do with him to a gala in Gotham. He threatened Jazz or something into behaving. Jack was more than ha to send Danny off with his god father.

Vlad had a plan to obviously properly take out jack. However he needs Danny out of the way. The gala was just an easy excuse to get Danny out of town. He can duplicate himself easy enough to not arouse suspicion.

He can’t simply trust Danny will stay in place. So he figured out how to reverse the ghost shield. So it keeps people in and ghosts out.

Vlad had to act that night. Maddie was going to be out of town for the night with jazz. Jack would be all alone.

It was far to easy to trap Danny with one of Wayne’s countless children. He did it as plasmius even stating he’d finally rid himself of Danny’s father.

He leaves whichever one of Bruce’s children behind as he flies off.

[raaorqtpbpdy]

The One

For the Phic Phight prompts: Soulmate Au where after your soulmate  dies, you can only see in black  and white. As in you see normal colors  until they die and then only in  black and white for the rest of your  life, so you only ever know if you  had a soulmate once it's too late.  Except Character A's (up to you who  you want it to be) soulmate is  Danny. While Danny is in Phantom form,  character A's vision is in black  and white, but returns to normal color  when Danny is Fenton. Character  A is going crazy trying to find their  soulmate who keeps dying and  getting resurrected. (from @ghostboidanny) and Wes is the first one to find out Danny's secret. No One Knows AU. (from @murphy-kitt)

Chapter 4: A Burst of Red

AO3 Link

[Warnings for minor violence]

This ghost hero shit was not easy. Hiding it wasn't easy either. Honestly, Danny had no idea why Sam and Tucker hadn't called him out on his bullshit excuses already. He wanted so badly to just come out and tell everyone what had happened, that the portal hadn't just spontaneously turned on, that he could turn into a ghost now. But then his parents had threatened to tear him apart—molecule by molecule.

He was never going to let himself go through that again.

So he hid. He told no one about what he could do. He spent more time making up excuses than doing homework. Schoolwork and friendships and family fell by the wayside as Danny was forced to dedicate more and more time to fighting the ghosts that came through the portal. He hated it. But if he didn't fight them, there would be no more school, or friends, or Fenton Works because the ghosts would destroy it all. If he didn't fight them, there was no one else who could.

Day after day, Danny had to fend off these invaders from the Ghost Zone. They weren't even especially malicious, Danny had come to think, but they just did not care about the consequences of their actions at all, because it was only the humans who had to deal with those consequences. On top of that, even though Danny was the one who was keeping those consequences to a minimum, he was still being lumped in with all the rest of the ghosts.

At least most of the people at school appreciated him, but adults were so ungrateful. They blamed him for everything, made him look bad in the papers, and even gave him the God awful moniker of Inviso-Bill. It was horrible.

"Some upperclassman was asking me about you earlier," Tucker told Danny in bio one day, tearing him out of his ruminations. "I don't remember what his name was. Tall, red-headed guy. He said he wanted to recruit you for the school newspaper because he heard your grades were good, and I told him he had the wrong Fenton."

"Why would I want to join the school newspaper?"

"I dunno." Tucker shrugged. "Apparently you get extra credit."

"Well, it's not like I couldn't use the extra credit. That purpleback gorilla project did approximately jack shit for my GPA."

"Alright class, please take out your homework and go over it with your lab partner before handing it in," their science teacher said, and Danny reached into his backpack for the lab sheet.

"Anyway," Tucker said as he did the same, "I just figured I'd warn you about that in case he comes to bother you again."

"Thanks man," Danny said. He frowned at his lab sheet. He hadn't had time to finish filling it out because he'd had to take care of a swarm of ghost mice that had infested his house the night before. "Speaking of my grades..." Tucker sighed.

"Yes, you can copy my answers. Just be sneaky about it or we'll get caught."

"You're the best, Tuck."

"I know." Danny started frantically scribbling the answers down, keeping one eye on the teacher to make sure she wasn't looking their way. "What I don't know is why your grades took such a dive when we started high school. Seriously, dude, is something going on I don't know about?"

"Nah," Danny lied, offering his best friend a pinched smile. "I just got lazy, I guess. You know I'd rather play video games than do homework."

"Oh! Did you check out the mods I sent you for Doomed?" Tucker asked, happily jumping on the change of subject. "The second one is freaking hilarious!"

"I only had time to look at the first one, but it was pretty sweet," Danny responded, and the subject of his suddenly poor grades was out of mind completely. 

Shortly after that, Danny started to feel eyes on him. Maybe it was a ghost thing, or maybe he was just being paranoid, but it felt like he was being watched. Whoever or whatever it was, it didn't set off his ghost sense. Hopefully, he was just being paranoid, and there was nothing dangerous following him around, but it put him on edge. It made him even more careful about keeping his identity secret. 

Nearly two weeks passed and that feeling rarely went away, and never for long.

Danny was fighting the Box Ghost again, and he actually had things pretty well in hand. After a couple months it was about time for him to get the hang of things. Now if only he could catch the Box Ghost without the grocery store's entire stock getting ecto-contaminated or destroyed, then he'd really be getting somewhere.

"Danny!" a voice shouted and Danny turned his head instinctively to see a red-headed teenager he'd never met before in his life, looking right at him. "I fucking knew it!" he shouted triumphantly.

"Who the hell are you?!" Danny shouted down to him.

"I'm—Look out!" he cut himself off, pointing behind Danny, who turned around just in time to get a face full of canned beans as a box of them was flung his way. "Ooh," the stranger cringed. "Sorry! How about we'll talk after you deal with this guy?"

"Don't even think about going anywhere!" Danny told him, hoping that he'd sounded threatening enough to actually keep the guy from running away, but not so threatening as to make the guy freak out and then run away. He got a thumbs up for his efforts, so apparently it had worked.

Returning to his fight with the Box ghost with renewed vigor, Danny started shooting off ghost rays, cutting off escape routes and keeping him away from anymore boxes until he had the Box Ghost cornered and captured him in the Fenton Thermos. As soon as he capped the thermos he whipped around to make sure that random ginger who somehow knew his name was still standing in the empty parking lot waiting for him. The ginger waved.

"Who are you?" Danny demanded as he flew over to the guy.

"Wesley Weston, but everyone calls me Wes," the stranger answered. "I'm your soulmate."

"What?" Danny's face wrinkled in confusion. "How can you possibly know that?"

"You're Danny Fenton, aren't you?"

"N-no."

"You turned around when I called your name, I know you are," Wes pointed out, looking supremely unimpressed. "I and I know you're my soulmate because I stop seeing color any time you're around, and when the colors come back, Inviso-Bill is nowhere to be seen." Danny groaned.

"Do not call me that, okay? It's Phantom, none of that Inviso-Bill garbage. That name is so stupid."

"Agreed. Phantom is much better." Wes nodded. "So how can you turn into a ghost? Are you dead sometimes and alive other times? How does that work?"

"I don't know, really," Danny shrugged, then realized what he'd just admitted to. "I mean, I don't know what you're talking about. No one can be both a ghost and a human."

"Come on, dude, take the L."

Danny held out for another few moments before Wes' smug expression wore him down and he sighed in defeat. "Guess it's time to give up the ghost, huh?" Wes snorted softly at the pun, and shielded his eyes from the bright white flash of those rings when Danny changed back. "So how'd you figure me out, anyway? Even if you knew Phantom was your soulmate, how'd you figure out I was him?"

"A lot of groundwork," came the answer on a heavy breath that spoke to just how much effort it had been. "A lot of comparing records. I talked to your friends, and I followed you around for a bit to see if I could figure out how you did it."

"It was you!" Danny realized, pointing an accusing finger at the other boy. "You're the one who's been watching me the last couple of days! I thought I was going crazy!"

"Sorry about that," Wes apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and offering an awkward smile. "I wanted to be sure I was right before I confronted you."

"So... you're my soulmate, huh?" Danny looked the boy up and down. He was tall; he had a good seven or eight inches on Danny. His skin was pale with a light dusting of copper freckles that matched his hair, and his eyes were emerald green, darker and richer than the sickening glow of ectoplasm that haunted Danny's nightmares. "I guess that means there's one good thing that came out of this whole disaster then."

"So... you wanna go get something to eat?" Wes offered. "Nasty Burger's not far from here. I'll buy."

"Sure," Danny agreed, and they walked side-by-side down the street.

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[kettlefire]

Chapter 2 for my story based on this post by @rainybyday ! The story isn't finished yet, but I figured I'd post chapter 2, but any further chapters won't be posted on here.

I've uploaded the story both on Fanfiction.net and Ao3, linked accordingly.

Here's for people who asked for tags: @lady-time-lord- @depressed-bitchy-demon @pikakaistudios @spideypoolalways

I hope I didn't forget anyone!

---

Danny isn't really one to complain. It's not like he doesn't have things he wants to get out, but he knows there isn't really anyone who could complain to. Everyone has their problems, and issues that they are dealing with. So why would he unload his own problems onto someone else?

So, he doesn't. Every time he's friends ask him how he's doing, it's always the same answer. Just fine. It's not like he really wants to, Danny never really has the urge to vent out his feels. So, it makes it easier if he just hides it from people. He didn't want to questions, or the probing, if he's having a bad day. He had enough of it his first year as phantom.

He settled into an easy routine. Working through the new life of being the Ghost King, keeping an eye out for any straying ghosts causing havoc, and trying to balance it all with his home life. It's not like his home has changed much in the last few years. Jazz was stressing about college, about to graduate and be off to one of her dream schools. His parents, however, have only gotten worse.

He assumed the changes he's implemented as king would help ease the Fenton's stress and worry, but it only made it worse. Jack and Maddie seemed more frazzle as every, building new prototypes on a daily, and mumbling about something big. What it could be, Danny had no clue. It was weird having a tighter leash on the ghosts, fewer interruptions during his day, but his life didn't settle down.

Not with being King. Not with his parents. Not with the few ghosts who only wanted to end of the world.

"Be home right afterschool, we don't want you wondering about with all these out of towners."

Maddie didn't like Vlad's events. It always rubbed her the wrong way that all these people that don't live there, or plan to, were occupying the streets for about a week. The way she regarded the business-men was to similar to the way people regard teenagers evading their state for spring break.

Not that Danny really blamed her, a lot of the men who came through hated Amity. They were there for one thing, appearances. They hated the small town for all it's oddities, and they didn't exactly treat the citizens with much respect. Thing was, they aren't dangerous. They aren't dangerous to your average civilian, so they weren't going to be dangerous to a super-powered being.

Jack, on the other hand, viewed it as an opportunity to get their name out there. It never worked.

"Danny, we still on for movie night?"

That was kind of the only times they hung out these days. Sam and Tucker still helped him sometimes, but Danny wasn't going to pull them into his supernatural world when they had other things to worry about. Sam was already prepping her college applications, looking forward to being accepted to a variety of colleges. NYU being her top favorite.

Tucker was holding off until the start of his Senior year before focusing on colleges. Even though he was doing plenty of extra-circulars that would look great on his application, it wasn't what he was aiming for. He was just finding things to fill his time, to engage in his love for tech.

Danny on the other hand, if he wasn't home, he was in the Zone. If it wasn't those two places, it was one of the few movie nights they have. He can't say he really minded. The few things he was passionate about he would just do when he was stuck at home. He didn't want a club, or group, to explore it with.

"Sorry, mom has me on a tight leash right now."

Stuck to a schedule isn't as bad as it might seem. Danny liked having more structure in his life, especially compared to when he first became Phantom, or when the ghosts started coming. The first two years were hectic. It was a good change that his third year was more relaxed. Less all over the place, he expects the trouble he ends up being in. He had time for the things he loves.

Like he's favorite pastime. Nightly meetings with Cujo.

It took some work, a lot of training, for Cujo to finally understand he couldn't come bursting into Danny's life whenever he missed him. They settled a compromise. Every night, at the same time, Danny would meet Cujo at their spot. Deep in the park, away from the streets, even with the unspoken curfew you could never be too safe.

After a taxing day, it was nice to know he had a chance to relax. To play with Cujo, and watch the small ghost light up when he arrived. Exacted and barely able to contain his powers.

If anyone asks, Danny didn't adopt Cujo. Cujo adopted him. Every since the first time they met, Cujo has always wanted to be around the halfa. Not that Danny minded, it was nice. Cujo was the only person in Amity Park that loved him for him. The puppy didn't care about Danny being a halfa, or his king status, all he carried about was making Danny smile. Being there for the human, his human.

Cujo was all Danny needed to get through his day. That was until the Cape Crusader.

Danny remembered the anxiety he felt when Batman first arrived, mostly scared that his secret was out. The justice League had found out about him. The relief he felt when he realized that wasn't the case was overpowering.

Then he realized, the hero was nothing like he expected.

Sam and Tucker had gone on hour-long debates and rants about the Dark Knight. He's friends were massive fans, and Danny was left to hear all about their findings. It was always a nice experience, watching the way his best friends could light up, and actually agree on somethings. However, because of this, he had a preconceived notion of what the vigilante would be like.

It wasn't what he found.

It wasn't a man who tried to stifle his laughs or smile. Someone who regarded Cujo with as much gentleness as one would approach a puppy. It was nice. It was comfortable.

Danny found himself relaxing in those moments.

He wouldn't want to admit it, but he was pleasantly surprised when Batman showed up the next time. Settling on the ground next to him, and greeting the hyper Cujo. It was strange how the night seemed to go faster with the older hero there. Danny found himself smiling more than he'd expected. Seeing the smile under the cowl was more than a surprise.

Then it kept happening.

Every night Batman would be there, arriving only moments after Danny settled down.

"No Cujo?" Danny glance up, smiling at the vigilante.

"Oh he's here, just fetching." Danny waved off in the distance. Cujo seemed a lot more energetic, Danny had settled for playing fetch.

Batman simply nodded. It was only their fourth night meeting up, and Danny already felt at ease with the man being there. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't know you. Didn't see you as the freak, or phantom, or a screw-up. All Batman saw was Danny, and he didn't seem to hate what he saw.

Why else would he keep coming?

It was comforting, unburdened. Batman never asked him about the strange things that occurred in this town, and Danny never asked him about his life in Gotham as a vigilante. They settled for easier topics. Danny would ask Bats about his family, if he had any kids, and life outside of his suit. Pulling back if he felt like he hit something he shouldn't.

Bats would ask him about school, his friends, and his family. Danny didn't realize how nice it was to have someone focus on you. Really focus on you. Notice when they are broaching a topic they shouldn't.

"I'm kind of worried I won't graduate."

Danny wasn't sure what spurred it on. Before he knew it, he was telling the man about one of his biggest worries. To be more specific, his biggest worry about his normal life.

"Why?"

Danny swallowed, glancing at the man. He wasn't met with what he's used to. Everyone at school, even his parents, always looked at him like he was an idiot. Like he's grades reflected his intelligence. Sam and Tucker used to always tell him that grades were stupid, they didn't mean anything. Thing was, they wouldn't get it. They'd get a very similar look when they tried to tutor him in something that was considered easy.

Tests, homework, all those things were just hard for him.

"My grades aren't great, my GPA is basically in the trash, and I'm in so many remedial classes that it's unlikely." Danny explained, picking at the grass as Bats took over fetch duty. "I'm thinking of just getting my GED, I'm not great at tests, but I think I'd rather take that ten times that redo senior year when the time comes."

When Danny looked back up, Bats was regarding him with a small smile. Completely open and understanding. In any other situation, Danny wouldn't be surprised if he teared up. But he didn't. He couldn't.

"I might have exceled in school, but plenty of my children didn't. Statistics and grades don't mean much when it comes to what you really do. You don't have to graduate to be brilliant. In this small time, I already know you're one of the smartest kids I know."

The way Danny's core hummed in his chest was almost deafening to his ears. It was strange, but completely comforting, to be able to do this. Talk about mundane things and not be greeted with judgement.

The amount of times he tried to mention it to others, he always felt judged. If it wasn't the question of how he was the stupid on of his smart family, than it was why he was so worried about it when he was a king. Halfa or human, Danny didn't want to drop his normal life. He didn't want to be absorbed into being a full-time ghost king until the day he finally died. Completely and wholly.

Danny didn't want to analyze why he felt strange when he left that night. The way his core thrummed in a different way the further he got from the vigilante. He didn't want to dissect any of it, because he didn't want to taint it. He has a large problem when it comes to overthinking things. He could twist things every which way and screw up a good thing.

He wasn't going to do that. Not this time. He knows Batman's time in Amity park was going to come to an end. Vlad only hosted for a week. It was already night four, and he expected the crusader to head back to his home. Danny knows obligations, Gotham was the place Batman haunts. Just like Danny haunts Amity Park.

Even as he settled into bed that night, he's mind was mostly on one thing. The destressing he got the past few nights. The long hours of just talking away as if the world didn't exist. As if they didn't have obligations, or reasons to step away.

He didn't feel like he was talking to a vigilante. Even when Bats choose his words carefully, not reveal too much about himself. Even when Danny caught himself just before he slipped a detail. It didn't feel like he was in the presence of a hero who has saved the world plenty of times.

It felt like he was just talking to someone else. Someone who wanted to get to know him. In a way a lot of people don't.

When Danny awoke later, just as his alarm blared, he didn't think about Batman. Instead, he actually thought about how he was going to hand school. He had input from someone who had know clue where he was in life, or academically. He actually felt like he had the strength to sit his parents down and tell them. Tell them that it was likely when his senior year rolled around he wasn't going to have enough credits to graduate.

The idea of taking the GED seemed a lot less daunting.

Danny wondered if Batman would be interested in playing tutor. The man had mentioned being relatively well in school, graduating from one of the golden universities. Mentioned having homeschooled a few kids, helping them with homework. If the vigilante didn't mind, Danny might propose the idea.

Thing was, Danny didn't feel scared to ask for help from Bats. Not the same way he felt when he had to ask his parents for something, or when he had to go to Jazz. He didn't feel like a bother. Not with the smile he was greeted with whenever he mentioned something, or asked for advice.

He felt easier getting through his classes knowing he had a back-up plan. He didn't have to stress that his life would be over the day he was denied his diploma. At least not for him. He still felt apprehensive of how he's family was going to take it.

[iamaghost-fearme]

Found Footage

DannyMay 2022 Day 4: Videotape

Word Count: 882

AO3 Link

“Jack, where did you put the camcorder?” Maddie yelled down to her husband who was still packing weapons in the lab. She had the rest of their bags packed and ready to go for their weekend trip with the exception of the camcorder. Hopefully the older technology would help them pick up ghostly interference on their trip. They still struggled to collect evidence outside of Amity Park.

With no answer from Jack, she decided to continue her search upstairs. She’d already checked the lab and the living room. Maybe one of the kids borrowed it.

The door to Jazz’s door opened onto a tidy and organized room. Her bed was made and her desktop was neat and Maddie could quickly see that she didn’t have the camcorder. Danny’s room, on the other hand, was a mess. Piles of clothes littered the floor and bed covers trailed off the bed and across the room. The top of the desk and everything on it was obscured by loose papers and random writing utensils. A vaguely camcorder shaped lumped on the desk caught her attention. Maddie hesitated in the doorway. As a rule, she didn’t dig through her kids’ things, trust was important. If he’d left it out and easy to find, she wouldn’t feel quite so bad. Decision made, she carefully shifted the papers out of the way to reveal the camcorder and returned to the living room with it.

“Hey, you found it!” Jack exclaimed, emerging from the basement stairs with an overflowing bag of weapons.

“Yes, it was in Danny’s room.” She turned the camcorder over in her hands, searching for the cassette eject. The compartment popped open with a click and she pulled the tape out. “This tape is half-used. I can’t remember the last time we used this. What do you think it is?”

“Let’s watch it!” Sometimes her husband’s enthusiasm was more than she wanted to deal with when they were on a schedule.

“We really should get going. It’s a long drive and we -” she was cut off by Jack bounding over to the TV and firing up the old VCR.

The screen lit up, showing what looked like their lab floor. The image was shaky, like whoever was operating the camera was still getting it adjusted.

“What are you doing with that old piece of crap,” a voice asked from offscreen. “If you want to record this, we could just use my phone.”

“This is more official, it’s a video camera. Plus, haven’t you ever heard those stories about how ghosts show up on film?” a female voice argued. It almost sounded like Danny’s friends, but what would they be doing with their camcorder?

“Guys, can we just get to the training session? I still have math homework to finish.” That was Danny so the other voices must be Sam and Tucker. Those three were rarely apart, but what sort of training session could Danny be talking about?

The picture bounced around some more and finally came up to eye level. Danny was fixed in the center of the frame with their lab equipment pushed back against the walls. Behind him, the portal stood open, the swirling green abyss contrasting starkly with the shiny metal of the rest of the room. They never left the blast doors open so why would the kids be messing with the portal? It was a dangerous piece of equipment. Both Danny and Jazz had never been banned from the lab, but they’d always taken every opportunity to talk about lab safety with them, including how to safely handle their weapons and equipment.

“Ok, I’m good to go,” Sam said from behind the camera. The TV screen whited out as though a bright light was shone directly into the camera lens. “Yikes. The camera did not like that.”

“What happened?” The picture started to clear and a silhouette slowly solidified out of the white light. Where Maddie expected to see her son standing in their lab, she saw a sight that chilled her to her bones. Danny Phantom was standing in their house where only a moment before her Danny had been. None of the kids seemed concerned despite the obvious danger and the recording kept going.

“You kinda broke the picture for a minute. It’s clearing up though,” Sam reassured, no hint of fear in her voice. “Tucker, are you ready with the targets?”

“Why am I always the one that gets shot at?” Tucker whined.

“You aren’t getting shot at, you’re setting up the targets that get shot at. If you’re still in the way when we get started, that’s on you,” Sam shot back.

“Come on guys, we don’t have all day. My parents will be back before too long. They can’t chase the Box Ghost all day.”

Maddie could only stare at the screen, unable to process what exactly was happening. Phantom was obviously talking about them, it was their lab after all. But why call them his parents? And where was Danny? She hadn’t seen or heard him since the camera malfunction. She glanced at Jack to see him sitting in stunned silence, mouth agape. Before she could ask him what was wrong, the squeak of their unoiled front door broke their trance.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home.”

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

fuck I still haven't done the rewrite of the Mutant Town AU that I specifically came off hiatus to write, like the Plant Witch Sam and Pharaoh Tucker posts were written to prep this au and I just got wildly distracted so uhhhh

yeah the concept is in the link but the gist is that the people and town becoming mutated by constant ectoplasmic contamination, we all know and love this concept right but I'm gonna expand on it

this is a direct result of the portal being opened, but they aren't getting infected from the portal, the issue is that creating a permanent opening into the ghost zone has weakened the veil between their worlds and Amity Park and the Ghost Zone sort of slip in and out of each other constantly

and because ectoplasm responds strongly to emotions (poltergeists being made from atmospheric emotions for example) it all tends to converge very heavily at the school full of hormonal teenagers

so Casper High becomes its own god damn cryptid, the teachers get so jaded about opening the door to a classroom and finding just a whole ass ghost zone on the other side that they just put a sign on the door telling kids to go to a different room, lockers swap contents with other lockers so kids have started putting their names on the inside so they know who's stuff they've just found

this also means the kids get super affected, like super affected, literally, they all get ghost powers, some are just physical mutations, some are just super abilities, or a general increase in natural ability, like a member of the track team getting super speed

it takes a while for Danny and co. to figure this out, Sam and Tucker should have been warning signs as they've spent the most time around ghosts and the ghost zone, but that's why the Witch Sam and Pharaoh Tucker posts are important

they have powers, but they thought they came exclusively from outside sources, they had no idea that their abilities were also strengthened and influenced by being highly contaminated by ectoplasm, which is why when one day Mikey sneezes and green acid shoots out of his nose and melts his desk, everyone is a little bit startled

the teachers have long since started using ghost detectors after the time Paulina spent a whole week overshadowed by Kitty, so Mikey gets a check over and other than the usual atmospheric reading Lancer gets nothing especially strong from him

there have been concerns about the gradually increasing ectoplasmic content in the air messing with ghost detector results, the devices have to be recalibrated constantly, so Lancer asks the one and only son of the local ghost hunters in the room if he has some other way to check

Danny's parents make him keep a few protective items in his schoolbag, so he tries some gear on him to see if anything comes flying out, but nothing does, Danny isn't too surprised seeing as he couldn't sense a ghost in the room anyway, but it definitely makes things a little concerning

even if it were a repeat of the Spectra incident and he wasn't being overshadowed, the Fenton's tech would have still gotten rid of whatever was causing this if it were an external influence

Mikey is sent home for the day and his parents are told to keep an eye on him

and then the next week, Star drops a pen off her desk and a strand of her hair whips out to grab it, she's also checked for ghost influence and sent home

a few weeks after that it happens again, a kid on the basketball team makes a leap to the net and stays in the air, they have to call in the cheerleaders to climb on top of each other to reach him and pull him down

Danny has been trying to figure out what's happening from the first moment with Mikey, and his parents have also been getting calls from worried parents who want to know if they can fix whatever's happening to their kids

over the next couple of months, every kid in the school has some kind of ability or mutation, Dash heals whoever he touches, which he discovers after punching Nathan in the face and curing his acne, Paulina turns invisible, which freaks her out at first until she realises it's great for eavesdropping, Wes can conjure fire (because I desperately needed him to have a polarising ability to Danny), Kwan becomes empathic and can feel and influence people's emotions

Valerie also had an early mutation that she didn't know about, when Technus gave her a new suit, her body pretty much just absorbed it as a part of her, Technus had not intended this to happen, and was pretty peeved about it, Valerie found out that she had stolen control over the suit when Technus had a big rant about it during a fight, and she put the pieces together once other kids started developing abilities

this whole thing causes a ton of chaos as kids are struggling to control what they can do, so Danny has to step in and help them out, he often has to run off to change into Phantom in order to protect everyone from an ability that's gone haywire, he ends up pretty much running ghost power training courses after school to help them control themselves

he's also gotten stuck in situations where he's had to step in and help someone without having the time to change forms, meaning he has to make up a cover story about having developed his own powers way before everyone else since he's been living on top of a portal for years, he only tells people about his ice powers

Jazz has always had a tendency to be able to reign in her emotions and keep a cool head, (the only ones who can really push her buttons are Danny and sometimes her parents, at school around other kids who look up to her she's often very in control) meaning she doesn't draw ectoplasm to herself all that much, and though Danny uses the excuse of having lived on top of a ghost portal to explain why he's already so familiar with using his power, it's actually not even remotely true, because the Fentons use specialised air purifiers to keep the atmospheric ectoplasm at a manageable level, the Fenton house ironically has the least atmospheric contamination compared to the rest of the town, that's how Maddie and Jack have had limited mutation to themselves (though they aren't wholly free, they've mostly just gotten physically stronger and tougher)

so even though Jazz develops her power a little earlier than everyone else's, it's not that far ahead, and she actually doesn't even realise she already has one until half the school has developed theirs

Jazz has the power to slow time in a little bubble around herself, she'd been using it without realising while studying, having gotten through hours of work in half that time, she always thought it was just her losing track of time or she was just getting faster at reading, she also spends a lot of time counselling other students and trying to help them sort out their problems, and they'd often comment that they felt like they'd been talking for so much longer than they had, again she just chalked it up to losing track of time

a lot of students had wondered why Danny developed a power early and Jazz hadn't, until someone walked in on Jazz helping a girl through a panic attack in the bathroom, and found them both talking extremely fast, a lot of her friends realised in hindsight that she'd been doing that unwittingly for quite a while, nobody had noticed because she always talked to people privately, so nobody outside her little time bubble had seen it happen

Sam and Tucker come clean about their abilities too, but they also don't give the full rundown, still keeping some things close to the chest to avoid standing out from everyone else

then there's the teachers

adults typically have a better time regulating emotions than teenagers, meaning much like Jazz they aren't drawing as much ectoplasm toward themselves, but this doesn't exempt them from developing something after a while, especially with the heightened stress of managing a school full of volatile super kids

Mr Lancer discovers that he can create shields, after an incident where he jumps in front of some students to protect them from another power gone awry

Tetslaff ends up with a sonic ability, able to project her voice like a megaphone (yes this is a Coach Boomer from Sky High reference don't @ me), Principal Ishiyama develops a physical mutation, growing to twice her size, she likes that she can tower over the students while delivering speeches, but she doesn't like having to stoop through doors all the time, she has the one to her office resized, along with her chair and desk

so as you can imagine, the town ends up erupting into chaos, a lot of kids very much misuse their abilities, Danny does his best as Phantom to teach people to be responsible, but sometimes he has to resort to literally kicking their asses to get them to straighten up

but for the most part, a ton of kids were already looking up to him, and are generally pretty happy to follow his example, especially the more popular kids, it's generally considered not very cool to get your ass kicked by Phantom, so weirdly enough a lot of kids get peer pressured into not causing any real damage or injury with their powers

this doesn't mean they don't absolutely misuse them, they're just more subtle about it

until a ghost shows up, a lot of the kids are more than happy to let loose to protect themselves and their friends, and Phantom for the most part is happy to let them, with some supervision of course, he still has to make sure nobody gets too hurt (including the ghosts)

the entire debacle makes Danny's life simultaneously a whole lot easier AND so much more fucking stressful

[flutteringdreams-matw]

Out of Time (3/?)

Link to Ecto-Storm Series

First/Last

Summary: Paradoxes are tricky things - especially when it involves a 15 year old half ghost and his dark future living outside of the timeline. Danny is faced with impossible odds, out of control powers, haunting visions and three possible outcomes in his battle against his ultimate enemy. Sequel to Making to Grade - can be read as standalone. Updates on Sundays and the occasional Wednesday.

Sam rang the doorbell at Fentonworks three times, bouncing on her feet in anticipation. She glanced up at the green dome around the town, reflecting the sun that shone higher above. It had been up for a few hours now according to the news, but no word about why the shield was up in the first place. That included the lack of response from her half-ghost best friend.

"Sam!" Tucker called from behind. She turned to see the teen running up the sidewalk toward Fentonworks, waving to indicate his arrival.

"Any word?" She asked as he came to the steps.

"Not since Jazz texted," Tucker said, frowning.

The door swung open, revealing a tired looking Maddie Fenton to the teens. "Sorry kids, I was in the lab," she told them, ushering them inside. "It's been a long night."

"Where's Danny?" The question was out of Sam's mouth before the door even closed. "What happened?"

"Upstairs," Maddie replied, pursing her lips slightly as she looked up the stairs worriedly. "We'll explain in the kitchen."

The Fenton's kitchen looked like a war zone; various books and papers were scattered across the table with multiple broken inventions and cups of coffee filling whatever space they could. Jack was on the phone, talking loudly and pacing back and forth. Jazz sat staring at her laptop screen, glancing at the pile of weapons at her feet every so often. Sensing the newcomers, Jazz looked up. "Oh good, you're here," she said.

"What happened?" Sam repeated, looking at the chaos.

"Danny had another dream," Jazz explained, her expression turning dark. "Dad managed to wake him after a while, but he freaked out. He flew up to the Ops Center and put up the shield using one of his deeper energy levels. We've been up ever since making sure all our weapons are prepared."

"For what, exactly?" Tucker asked, eyebrow raised.

"Dan."

Sam gasped, exchanging worried looks with Tucker. "How long?" she probed.

"That, we're not sure about," Maddie said, leaning against the counter with a sigh. "Danny passed out after telling us about him."

Jack hung up the phone with a sigh, looking displeased. "Mads, Vladdy's going live at 9am; we're going to need to figure out what to say about the shield. He's going against it."

Maddie frowned at the mention of the mayor. "Jack, that's in 2 hours. We still don't know why he put it up in the first place!"

"You're sure it wasn't just a bad dream?" Tucker queried hopefully.

Jack nodded grimly. "There's no question. Whatever Danny saw, he believed it was real."

The group stood in silence as that sunk in. Sam frowned worriedly as she saw the toll of the night on the other Fentons. Realizing what was needed, she looked over at Jazz. "What can we do?"

Jazz looked at the girl gratefully. "I only met him briefly after Danny got stuck in the future," she said thoughtfully. "You guys saw more of what he can do. Other the peeler, what should we focus on in terms of weapons?"

"I think defense should be the top priority," Tucker rebutted, bringing his hand to his chin in thought. "Danny's not going to be able to keep the shield up and fight; getting a strong ghost shield could help buy some time. Something for the rest of the town too in case the shield goes down. Remember the Ghost King? Those creepy skeletons caused a lot of damage."

"If we recalibrate some of the bazookas for blasting use over transferring back to the Ghost Zone, that may also help," Sam added. "Dan's strong; we'll need things that will pack a punch."

Jack frowned. "Hold on - we're treating this like the Ghost King invasion? Isn't that overreacting a little bit?"

"No."

All five occupants of the kitchen turned to Danny's decisive response. He was dressed, but pale and clammy, leaning heavily against the door frame for support. In one arm he had a USB key, the other his backpack. He grimaced slightly as sparks of green ecto-energy appeared to move through his chest before he managed to suppress them and walk toward the table, silence following him.

"I didn't think you'd be up so soon," Jazz said with a frown, eying her brother worriedly.

Danny dropped into an open seat heavily, sighing. "Neither did I," he replied honestly. He turned to his attention to the information scattered in front of him. He sighed again, putting his elbows on the table and brought his thumbs to the bridge of his nose, holding his head up.

"You look awful," Tucker stated.

"Thanks Tuck, tell me more," Danny replied cynically. Maddie frowned in concern, walking over to the teen and knelt beside him.

"Danny, you really don't look well," Maddie told him softly. "How do you feel?"

"You mean other than holding up a shield above the entire town and dealing with the fact your worst enemy escaped?" he asked drily. Maddie didn't answer and waited until Danny exhaled. "I've been better," he admitted. "The shield is taking a lot out of me."

Maddie bit her lip, unsure if she should press him further on the topic. She looked over to Jack worriedly, who answered her unasked question by shaking his head. "What happened last night?" Maddie questioned instead.

Danny scrunched his eyes tightly as another set of sparks went through his chest. Once it subsided, he exhaled loudly. "I went into my mindscape again. We were in Clockwork's tower, but Clockwork wasn't there. The thermos Dan was trapped in was cracked and then it exploded, he escaped and then that set of dreams came back," he explained slowly. "Next thing I knew, Dad woke me up."

"And then you put up the shield," Sam surmised. Danny grunted in confirmation. "Are you sure what you saw was real?"

"Yeah," Danny breathed.

Sam sighed. "How long until he attacks Amity Park?"

Danny finally opened his eyes and sat up in the chair, looking at his family and friends around him. "I don't know," he said solemnly. "But that shield will buy us some time when he does show up. It's not letting anyone in."

"Wait… you're planning on keeping that shield up?" Sam asked him incredulously. "For how long?"

"As long as it takes," Danny said. Remembering the USB stick, he handed it to his Mother. "Here. It's my ghost file on Dan."

Maddie frowned at the offered storage device. "I thought we already had access to all your files?"

"Not this one," Danny replied darkly. "It has all the information that we need to figure out how to beat him." Danny glanced at the clock, frowning slightly. "We're going to be late," he announced, standing slowly.

"You're actually planning on going to school?!" Sam exclaimed angrily. "Danny, you just had electricity running through your body a minute ago. Don't you think you should take the day?"

Danny frowned, about to argue, before his left eye turned green and he faltered, more electricity flooding his body. With a cry of pain, he grabbed the chair he was just sitting on for support, vaguely hearing his name being called.

The green shield shone brilliantly, holding steady before he felt it shudder. Someone was attacking… from the inside? His vision shifted and he saw the white cape, blue skinned ghost attacking with various forms of pink energy. Vlad? Why was he attacking-

"Danny breathe!"

Danny was brought out of his vision, gasping for air, by his mother shaking his shoulders. As he readjusted, he realized he had fallen onto the floor. Sam was next to him, Tucker and Jazz were in front, all looking very worried. "What… happened?" he asked through gasps.

"Your eye changed colour," Sam told him. Maddie nodded to Sam and the girl moved closer to support her friend. "Then you lit up like Skulker's suit when it gets hacked and collapsed. You just sort of stared into space until your Mom got through to you."

"Did you see something?" Tucker queried. Danny nodded.

"Vlad," he said simply. "He's attacking the shield."

Maddie paused from where she was in the kitchen and turned to her son. "Are you sure?" she asked slowly. "Your father was just on the phone with him – he's doing a press conference about the shield this morning."

"Plasmius," Danny corrected quickly. Maddie pressed her lips together at the swift correction but said nothing. "I think he's trying to test the strength of it and whether he could bring it down."

"Here we go!" Jack boomed as he ran up the stairs from the lab; Danny hadn't even realized the man had left until now. In his hand, he held a small silver device with the shiny green Fenton logo on it. "The Fenton E-Scanner! Good thing we finished it yesterday."

Maddie took the device from her husband and walked over to her son, who eyed the device warily. "It's just an ecto-energy reader Danny," she assured, showing him the device. "Whatever you're doing is taking more energy than you realize." Once he nodded his consent, Maddie brought the scanner to his forehead. After a few seconds, it beeped and Maddie read the readings. She frowned slightly as she looked at the teens in front of her. "No school for you, young man," she told him. "The last thing you need is to have another episode like this. We'll call Ethelwulf after we deal with that press conference – that way we can create an excuse to stop anyone attacking the shield."

Danny frowned, but nodded his confirmation to Maddie. "Just don't tell the school a ghost stole my face again, would you?" Maddie scowled at the reminder of the flimsy excuse but nodded all the same. She looked at Jack, glanced at their son worriedly, before they headed down to the lab, leaving the four teens in the kitchen.

Jazz sighed. "You guys want a ride?" she asked Sam and Tucker, standing.

"Thanks Jazz!" Tucker exclaimed happily.

Jazz waved off his gratitude. "Least I can do for calling you over so early." She turned to her brother in fake annoyance. "Don't do anything stupid while we're gone okay?"

Danny made a face. "No promises."

She gave a pointed look at Tucker before leaving the kitchen. Danny felt the eyes of his friends move toward him and readied himself for the double attack.

"You're using raw energy with the shield, aren't you?" Tucker accused.

Danny, to his credit, didn't deny it. "More like a combination of core and raw energy."

"I know Frostbite said to trust your instincts, but don't you think this is a little much?"

"You saw what he could do," Danny argued. "If I'm able to block him out, even for a bit, then I'm going to risk it."

"And what happens when you face him?" Sam asked, anger starting to lace her voice. "Are you going to try and keep the shield up too? Cause I hate to tell you, but you're barely able to stand without looking like a malfunctioning toaster oven."

Danny let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know okay?" he said. "I just wanted to make sure he couldn't get to Amity Park."

"Gee, if only you could ask world renowned ghost hunters to put up a ghost shield around the town," Tucker said sarcastically.

"Remember, the wail can go through shields," Danny told him, voice rising. "Managed to get through the one in the future at any rate. Besides, if I learned anything from Fear's little science experiment, I know that he'll have trouble with this shield."

"Right, the shield you put up when you had lost control of your powers," Sam reminded angrily. "The one where you were unconscious for almost a week after you defeated him. The one where you almost died after discovering those powers in order to save us."

Danny flinched at the unsaid accusation. Apologetic blue eyes found fearful violet ones before the boy sighed, all the fight draining from him. "I don't want to lose you," he admitted quietly.

Sensing her victory, Sam's face softened at the admission. "Well, we don't want to lose you," she said softly. "You're not alone. I'm here."

Danny realized how close Sam was to him in that moment, still holding him upright, vaguely understanding the weight of those words. He stared at her and she stared back, almost frozen with anticipation of who would say what next.

And then Tucker coughed, making both teens jump out of their thoughts. Sam let go of Danny and looked away, blushing, while Danny caught eyes with his other best friend. Tucker's smug smile made Danny's cheeks grow warmer as he cursed his friend's presence. "I'm here too, in case you're wondering," Tucker teased lightly. Danny glared half-heartedly before the dark skinned boy continued. "Your parents, Jazz, us – we have your back. Sam's right, this shield is going to take a lot of energy from you. If you want to defeat your older jerky self, you'll need to not have your raw energy powers in that shield."

Danny sighed as his sister came back into the kitchen, backpack in tow. He pushed himself upright, Sam hovering over him like a mother hen, as he sat back down at the table. He shot a grateful smile at the girl before frowning at the information in front of him. "I guess I'll go through this stuff," he said distastefully, gesturing toward the pile of weapons at the opposite end.

"Don't hurt yourself," Jazz warned, jingling her car keys toward their backdoor.

Danny smiled wryly. "That's the point, isn't it? The best weapons against him are the best weapons against me."

:-=-:

Dome Watch – Day Three

Three days since the mysterious shield went up around Amity Park and residents are wondering why here? Why now?

Word from City Hall yesterday confirmed that town hero Danny Phantom is responsible for the shield around the town. There is still no confirmation on what warranted the attack but it's brought many residents back to last year, where the town was taken hostage by the Ghost King and again in the summer when Phantom did this last. Unlike the previous domes, residents can leave the town, but require a more forceful approach before being allowed back in.

Resident ghost experts Jack and Maddie Fenton assured the public two days ago that the shield means no harm, but many of their critics, including Mayor Masters, have questioned their authority of the matter with the truce with Phantom being quite new.

More on page 7.

William Lancer frowned as the school bell rang, putting the paper down as he watched his English Class come into the classroom in various forms of enthusiasm – most of them low. This particular class had changed quite in the past year though he supposed the now constant ghost attacks contributed to most of it. Valerie Gray, for instance, sat herself in the front corner; away from everyone she once called her friend. She was a loner, keeping her head down, doing the work and working at least 3 jobs to start saving for college.

Dash Baxter and Kwan Wu's laughter brought the teacher's attention to the A-list of the grade. They were chatting openly about something, occasionally catching the attention of Paulina Sanchez. Lancer assumed they were either talking about the dome or about Phantom. Due to the look on the latter's face, he'd guess Phantom.

He scanned the room as the second bell rang, looking for any missing seats; Only one today. "No Mr. Fenton? Third day in a row," He mused out loud. His two friends at the back looked at each other worriedly. That got the man's attention.

Sam Manson's love of protests, nature, and veganism only amplified this year, but now that they moved onto subjects that peaked her interest, she was easily a top student. Tucker Foley seemed to buckle down a little more this year, getting in nowhere near as much trouble as he did last year and continued his A streak from the year before.

Daniel Fenton on the other hand? Almost two years in High School and he was still an enigma that Lancer still couldn't crack. The only clue the man had that something was going on with him was when his friends shared that look. The one where they knew more to whatever the Fentons claimed him to miss school. The excuses were rather ridiculous – sleeping in, stuck in the weapons vault, trapped in an alternate dimension. Lancer's personal favourite was when they claimed a ghost stole his face and went across town broadcasting him missing. Whether the Fentons knew what Danny was into, Lancer wasn't sure, but that exchange between Manson and Foley, the one of worry, concern and downright fear that they exchange when he's not in the room? There was definitely something going on with Danny Fenton.

"Pens out, desks clear," Mr. Lancer announced, brushing aside his thoughts for a moment. "Test time." The groans of teenage angst and lack of preparedness reach his ears. "Essay question is on the board people. Tell me if Macbeth's choices led to his downfall or if it was all fated to happen. You have the period."

The murmurings of the teens in front of him petered out as he passed out the test, and eventually the scratching of pens to paper greeted his ears. Once the group of sophomores were writing, Lancer sat back at his desk and absently looked down out at the paper once more. The truce between Phantom and the Fentons, however new it might be, seemed to help keep most of the attacks away from the school – it had done wonders for his curriculum delivery. Thankfully, there hadn't been a ghost attack since Phantom put up the shield, but there was no sign of the ghost in question since all of this began. Come to think of it, Lancer couldn't remember when he last saw the Fentons not on a news conference.

Looking up at the empty desk, Lancer sighed as his thoughts came back to his missing pupil. Danny's attendance was far from perfect, but the boy had made a large effort to be at school more often. His random disappearances were less frequent than the previous year, and his overall grades had improved. Even his general demeanour had improved; Danny's start to the school year seemed brighter than anytime the man had seen since the boy started at Casper. The weight he seemingly carried with him was still there, but wasn't as soul crushing as it appeared to be.

"Mr. Lancer?"

The teacher jumped out of his thoughts as Danny Fenton himself stood at his desk. "Mr. Fenton!" Lancer exclaimed, surprised. Right on cue, Manson and Foley's heads flew up from their tests, agape at the teen. "You startled me!"

"Sorry," Danny said sheepishly. Lancer frowned as he noticed the bags under his student's eyes and the paleness of his complexion. "My Mom told me to give this to you." He waved a piece of paper from his hand before he handed it to the teacher.

Lancer opened it and saw the neat handwriting of Maddie Fenton. "Please excuse Danny after first period due to illness." Lancer looked the teen over again; Danny did look very ill. "You know Mr. Fenton, I would've been happy to give you a makeup test once you felt better."

Danny smiled at the man, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Mom's overreacting," he said with a shrug. "Besides, I didn't want to miss anymore school. This was the compromise."

Doubting the boy's words, Lancer sighed. "Very well," he said, handing Danny the test. "Essay question's on the board."

With a small nod, Danny turned to get to his desk. Mr. Lancer watched his slow, staggered steps curiously. Danny moved liked he was injured, stiffly moving as if he favoured one side. Lancer glanced at his two best friends and almost gasped at their expression. Tucker looked almost exasperated but mostly concerned. However Sam… she had so many emotions on her face directed at the boy, Lancer wasn't sure how Danny could weather it. He must have given them some sort of gesture, because both teens softened their expressions slightly, but still looked extremely concerned as Danny took his seat.

Lancer glanced at the student once more as he started writing, before looking out the window. The shield illuminated the town in a sickly green, creating eerie shadows across the school. Lancer shuddered in remembrance of how the town looked during the Ghost King invasion.

About halfway through the period, Lancer started to walk through the aisles of desks, attracting wandering eyes back to their tests. Sure enough, his star students were already finished and just waiting for the end of class. As he got the final row, he sensed something was off. Sam was still writing, with the occasional glimpses toward Danny, whereas Tucker had completed the test and was staring directly at his friend, concerned. Frowning, Lancer moved to Fenton's desk.

Danny was writing, slowly, but his body was shaking. He was paler than before and ultimately looked like he might be sick. "Mr. Fenton?" Lancer asked quietly. The boy didn't answer. Some of the students looked up and toward the commotion in the back; Lancer could swear he hear Baxter snickering slightly. "Danny?" Lancer touched his shoulder and with a soft groan Danny fell sideways. "All the Bright Places!" Lancer exclaimed, quickly moving to catch the boy. His eyes were closed, breathing ragged as the teacher tried to rouse him. "Daniel! Are you alright!?" Lancer moved the boy back upright in his seat, holding him steady. Eventually, Danny opened his eyes, blinking a few times before his gaze settled on his teacher.

"Mr. Lancer?" he asked, confused. Whispers started around the classroom.

"Fenton fainted!" Dash exclaimed unhelpfully, earning laughter from a group of his peers in his direct vicinity.

"Thank you for that, Mr. Baxter," Lancer said curtly, still looking Danny over as the boy tried to regain his bearings. "Daniel, perhaps you should go to the Nurse's office." When the teen in front of him didn't register his voice, Lancer frowned; he doubted the boy would make it on his own.

"I'll go with him!" The teacher turned, eyebrows raised at the three voices. He had expected Manson and Foley, but Ms. Gray's outburst? She hadn't shown interest in her peers since last year.

Manson and Gray were glaring at each other from across the room, some sort of rivalry shining in both their eyes. The concern for the boy was evident, but Lancer could sense the anger, worry and concern that Sam felt for Danny ooze out of her body. Mr. Foley on the other hand? It was a testament to how dire the situation must be for the teen to volunteer to go to the nurse's office.

Glancing back toward the ill teen, Lancer sighed. They didn't have time for the teacher to be suspicious. "Alright Mr. Foley, as you've finished."

Tucker hastily got out of his seat, gathered Danny's items and helped the sick student upright. Danny faltered as he stood, but regained his balance and managed to get himself out of the room, Tucker following closely behind him. Mr. Lancer watched them go, frowning slightly. There was something nagging him about this situation, but he couldn't place it. Once the students were down the hall, the teacher sighed as he pushed aside his worry yet again.

"Back at it Sophomores. The more you dally, the lower the grade."

:-=-:

The world exploded as he finally escaped that foul prison. Dan stretched, moving his stiff limbs as he looked at his surroundings. "Finally," he said, looking around the burning lair around him. "Now, where is that infernal Time Ghost." Flying upwards in the tower, Dan started to launch ecto-blasts at various clocks, trying to goad Clockwork into appearing. "Clockwork!" He yelled dramatically as he continued to destroy the lair.

A large chime made Dan stopped suddenly, enveloped in the chaos surrounding him. His eyes drifted to Clockwork's time glass as various battles involving his younger self played back at him through the blue flames. Dan frowned. "Of course, new timeline." He floated in place, watching his past self grow stronger in the time he was detained. It couldn't have been more than a year. The flames cracked the orb, running directly through an image of Danny fighting what looked like a large plant ghost.

"Perhaps I should show him what it's like to have a blast from your past," he mused, a small smile appearing at his face. He chuckled darkly as his hands lit up with green energy and broke the time glass in front of him. "Or rather, his future." Dan Phantom flew up and out of the burning tower, leaving behind a fading image of fifteen year old Danny Phantom on Clockwork's broken time glass. A few seconds later, horrific sonic waves reverberated through the tower, enhancing the flames and making the tower itself rumble. With a final crash, Clockwork's Clock Tower imploded, engulfed in flames.

:-=-:

Danny stumbled into a series of lockers, gripping it tightly as he heard Tucker come up behind him. They were out of earshot from Lancer's class and halfway to the nurse's office.

"What the hell Danny!?" Tucker asked angrily, arms crossed and a dangerous glare on his face. Danny sighed as he turned to his friend. "You're lucky you only passed out in there!"

"We still haven't gotten a hold of Ethelwulf," Danny told him, standing up straighter. "It's been three days; the school would be looking for answers if I missed another one. I needed to make an appearance somehow."

Tucker sighed, the anger still not leaving his face. "Why'd you pass out this time? Someone trying to get into the shield or another vision?"

"Vision," Danny said, looking away.

Tucker frowned. "It's another of Dan escaping, isn't it?" Tucker accused. The teen in question stayed silent. Taking that as his answer, Tucker sighed again. "Danny, that's the sixth one since the shield began! Don't you think some of these are just dreams?"

"Maybe," he conceded, frowning slightly. "But it doesn't explain why I keep getting them, or why they're appearing at random."

The two teens stood silent, waiting for the other to make the first move. Tucker sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat as he walked closer to his friend. "Danny, you need to take the shield down," Tucker told him quietly, staring out the large window of the Casper High Hallway to their football field. Danny also turned his vision to the outside world. He felt the shield hum through his powers, frowning as he considered his friend's plea. "It's taking way too much energy to sustain and for what? Just a hunch that the worst villain you ever faced might be coming back?"

"Isn't that a reason to keep it up?" Danny refuted, eyebrow raised.

"Not at the risk to yourself!" Tucker exclaimed exasperatedly. "Let's say you're right, and he attacks the town. How are you going defend yourself? How are you going to fight?"

"It affects me less as Phantom."

"Bull," Tucker said angrily. "We both know it affects you regardless. You're using raw energy remember? There's a balance between you overextending the amount of core energy, which makes you relive the portal accident, and your base powers." Tucker's anger lessened a bit, trying to get his friend to see reason. "At least take back some of your energy; if you feel something attacking the shield then go nuts. This is too dangerous and there's no point in draining yourself."

Danny sighed, taking inventory of his powers. Tucker was right; he felt exhausted. He opened his mouth to agree, but gasped instead, doubling over in pain. Something was wrong. His eyes went green, mouth agape at an unseen foe.

"Danny!" Tucker exclaimed worriedly. The half-ghost looked up at his friend, alarmed.

"Duck," he gritted out, before the world was drowned out by a deep wail. The ground beneath them shook as Danny, biting back a scream, held the shield up. The windows shattered, leaving glass scattered around the teens as Tucker tried to keep his friend upright. After what felt like hours, the wail stopped, sending both teens crashing to the floor. Tucker looked at Danny with concern, watching his friend pant from exertion as the shield shuddered above them. Dread pooled in the pit of Tucker's stomach as he realized what that attack meant.

"Danny…" Tucker trailed off, wide eyed. Danny didn't answer; once he reclaimed his breathing, he gave Tucker a long look, causing the dark skinned teen's eyes to widen further in alarm. "Danny wait!" Tucker exclaimed, reaching out to his friend. It was too late; Danny transformed, grunting slightly, and took off, leaving his best friend behind in the destroyed hallway.

Tucker stood, watching him fly off in the distance before cursing. "Sam's going to kill me," he muttered, jumping up and running down the halls toward Jazz's homeroom.

[darks-ink]

Rewind - Ectoberweek 2020

Acknowledging canon episodes? In my fanfic? It’s more likely than you think. Also I’m experimenting by adding the links onto this post so lemme know whether this shows up in the tag or not.

Rating: Gen Warnings: - Genre: Hurt/Comfort Words: 2,834 Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Masters of All Time, Families of choice/Found family

[AO3] [FFN]

---

“What do you mean, you can’t?” Danny darted around Clockwork, refusing to let him turn away. “Clockwork!”

The ghost sighed, heavily and wearily, and looked down at Danny. “I cannot. It is that simple.”

“But that’s— that’s nonsense,” Danny insisted, gesturing wildly. “You’re the ghost of time! How can you not rewind this and fix it?!”

“I warned you, Daniel, that this would be a permanent change.” Clockwork blinked slowly, as if trying to convey some sort of emotion with his empty red eyes. “You did not heed my warning, or considered yourself above it. Now, you must live with the consequences.”

“But you’re—”

“Not all-powerful, no matter what you might think,” Clockwork cut in, narrowing his eyes. “You have altered the past, despite my warning not to. To travel back again would risk the stability of the timeline entirely. Would you rather see all of reality destroyed?”

Clockwork hummed before Danny could answer. “I would not, therefore I will not allow it to be so. The past has been set in stone, but the future is still malleable. Make it into something you can live with.”

“But…” Danny bit back his automatic response. There was no point. He’d tried fighting Clockwork before, and gotten his ass handed to him as a result. He sighed instead. “Can you at least take me back to Mom and Dad, then? The Portal looked like it blew up after I flew through it, and I don’t know where to find another.”

At that, Clockwork smiled. Or, Danny though it was a smile, at least. A small twitch of the ghost’s lips. “That, I can do.”

“Thanks, Clockwork.” Danny watched as the ghost swung his staff, a portal opening in its wake. “And… sorry, I guess.”

“Apology accepted.” Clockwork floated aside, waving a hand towards the portal. “Goodbye, Daniel.”

Danny nodded back, before flying through the portal. Welp. Time to face the music.

The portal spat him out in Amity Park, near his house. For a moment, Danny paused, considering the possibility that it brought him here because he consider Amity to be his home, no matter what. But then he realized that there was a car parked in front of the garage, one far too fancy for the neighborhood. His parents must’ve come this way, taking one of Vlad’s cars.

Thus satisfied, he flew down, phasing through the front door. No need to be secretive—both Jack and Maddie knew his secret already.

Still, he was surprised to find them both in the living room, apparently trying to clean up the place. Maddie saw him first, her body stilling. And how strange was it, that he found it comforting to see her here, in her cyan jumpsuit, with red goggles over her eyes? (That was weird, right? Danny felt like it should be weird.)

“Danny,” she said, quiet with surprise. “What are you doing here?”

At her words, Jack also looked up from where he was standing. He, too, looked almost exactly like his counterpart from Danny’s own timeline. Except with ecto-acne, of course.

“I, uh.” Danny shrugged, unsure. He felt thrown off by seeing his parents like this. It was almost right, but just slightly off. “Clockwork couldn’t undo it. Apparently the timeline is too unstable, or something. So I have to… stay in this world, I guess.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” She straightened up from her crouch, walking closer to him. “I— It probably won’t be easy, but you can stay with us for as long as you need to. Right, Jack?”

“Of course!” his dad immediately responded, nodding vigorously. “We’re… figuring stuff out, of course. But it’s thanks to you that we reunited in the first place. And you’re our kid!” He grinned, wide and loving, in that typical Jack Fenton way. “Even if the way you got here is a little weird, you’re still our family!”

“I…” He landed, noiselessly. Hesitated for a moment. Then closed the space between him and Maddie, wrapping his arms around her. “Thanks. Both of you. I’m sorry.”

The enormous warm arms of Jack Fenton came up around them. “Don’t be, kiddo. You have nothing to be sorry for,” he rumbled, underlined with an almost audible buzz of his core. It emitted a palpable feeling of family.

“No, but, I…” Danny sighed, crushing his head against Maddie’s shoulder. “It’s my fault. All of this is! I tried going back in time to change the past, to make it so Vlad wouldn’t get ecto-acne so he couldn’t infect my friends with it, but instead you became half-ghost.”

Danny drew a shaky breath, trying to fight past the emotions welling in his throat. They needed to understand. “It’s all my fault! Without my meddling, none of this would’ve happened!”

“Sounds to me,” his mom began, her thin fingers gently combing through his hair, “like you tried to help your friends, Danny.” She clicked her tongue. “Maybe not in the best way possible, but the intention was good.”

“I can’t imagine that Vlad would’ve dealt with being half-ghost much better than I,” Jack added, faint laughter in his voice. “Never mind the ecto-acne. But, of course! That’s how you recognized it!”

“Yeah, um.” Danny drew back from the hug a little. “I can… tell you guys, I guess? About my timeline. The differences, at least.”

“That’d be nice,” Maddie agreed, as Jack’s arms released them. She looked around, and Danny could read the reluctance in her body language, even despite the goggles. “We might have to clear some more stuff before we have the space to sit.”

“We could always sit on the floor?” Jack suggested, shrugging at her look. “Or Danny and I can float as ghosts.”

“Right.” Maddie shook her head, wandering over to the single chair not covered in debris and trash and reaching up to her hood. “If that works for you two, that might be the most convenient.” She paused, frowning at Danny, hood pulled off but still in hand. “But… if Vlad was the one who became half-ghost in your timeline, why are you half-ghost as well, Danny?”

“I, uh.” He shrugged, lifting his feet off of the ground to sit in mid-air. “Became half-ghost in an accident of my own.”

The frown he received from both parents very clearly asked for him to elaborate, so he did. “Okay, so. The point of divergence is the accident in college, obviously. In my timeline, Vlad got hit by the explosion, not Jack, so he becomes half-ghost and stuff. You two, Jack and Maddie, get together, especially since Vlad was cutting contact. You decide to become ghost researchers together and move to Amity Park.”

He paused to gesture to the house around them. “Specifically, you move here, to this specific house. You make it your place of business as well, called FentonWorks. Big neon sign on the front of the building, the basement downstairs becomes a lab, and at some point you two built the Ops Center at the top, which can also be used for inventing stuff. I’m… obviously not very informed of the details, since I was the second kid and you two talked very little about the past. Only,” here he made a face, “ghosts. Everything was always about ghosts.

“Anyway,” he continued, after a short pause to take a breath. “You two have Jazz first, and then me two years later. At some point after that, you start working on a new Portal, full scale, down in the lab. It takes forever to build, because you’re trying to be careful about it, I guess? But you finish it, eventually, when Jazz is sixteen and I fourteen.”

Maddie narrowed her eyes, darting them over his body. The question is clear as day: isn’t he basically fourteen?

“So,” Danny trumped on, ignoring the silent question, “After years of work, their Portal was finally finished! The ultimate proof that ghosts were real! And then it didn’t turn on.”

“It didn’t?” Jack gasped, clearly startled. Danny realized that, somehow, he’d missed the man shifting into his ghost form. “But—”

“It didn’t,” Danny interrupted, holding up a hand. “Because apparently, someone had built a secondary power switch inside the Portal, and they had forgotten to turn it on. So when they plugged in the power, the Portal didn’t turn on.”

There was clear calculation in the eyes of both of his parents, now. Danny continued his explanation before they could figure it out. Needed to tell his story to his parents, for once. He didn’t think he would ever get a chance to tell his actual parents, after all.

“Later that day, after Jazz convinced you two to take a break, my friends talked me into checking out the Portal. Just the three of us, since Tucker was interested in technology and Sam was interested in all things goth and occult.” He shrugged, almost fatalistically. “Sam suggested I take a closer look, and I did. Only, I didn’t realize that the power was still plugged in, so when I accidentally hit the power switch inside…”

“Oh!” Maddie gasped. “Oh, how terrible!”

“That must’ve hurt like hell,” Jack agreed, a painful grimace on his face. It looked strange, the genuine emotional expression with the blue skin, the pointed fangs poking out of his mouth. “Your parents must’ve felt awful, to know that they put their kid in such danger!”

“Well…” Danny made a face. “They kinda… didn’t know? They were both avid ghost hunters, both full of hate towards ghosts. I considered telling them, at first, but then they saw their first ghosts and…” Danny sighed. “I guess I was just scared that I’d be just a ghost to them. That they wouldn’t believe me.”

“That’s… That’s awful.” Jack floated over to nudge Danny. “Kiddo, if your dad was anything like me, I promise you, he would’ve cared.”

“I know.” Danny shook his head dismissively. “I know. That wasn’t why I was worried. I was afraid that they wouldn’t believe that I was me, that I was their son. That they would think that I had hurt or replaced their own kid.”

Maddie touched his shoulder, and Danny jerked, surprised. When had she stood up? Walked over? “Well… At least it is of no concern anymore, right? You’re here now, with us, and we believe you.”

It felt like something had crawled into his gut and died. “Yeah,” he said, with terribly faked enthusiasm. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s not much of a comfort, is it?” Maddie made a face. “I’m sorry. I guess I have very little parenting experience, compared to your actual mother.”

“Honestly?” He snorted. “It makes very little difference. Like I said, she and Dad spent most of the time in the lab, or otherwise occupied with ghost research.”

Maddie clicked her tongue, distaste clear on her face. “Well, isn’t that a waste. They have such a lovely son, and they don’t even enjoy his presence?”

“Well, y’know.” Danny shrugged, trying to ignore the pleased whirring of his core. “They try, now, but with all the ghosts we’re all kinda distracted. Them with trying to catch some for their research, and I with trying to protect the townspeople from the ghosts.”

Jack’s expression visibly brightened—as did the glow around his body. “You’re a ghost hunter! A ghost-fighting superhero! Just like I tried to be!”

“Uh.” Danny felt his brain skip over, then remembered. Somewhere in the blathering when he first arrived, Jack had mentioned that he’d tried using his powers for good. “Yeah, I guess so. But I had a little more success with it.” He grinned sheepishly.

“We should team up!” Jack exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Danny’s shoulders. “The two of us, and Maddie, if she wants to! We’d be a fantastic team!”

Danny laughed, a little uncertain. “Well, maybe. But we’ll need a Thermos to catch the ghosts, and a Portal to dump them back into the Ghost Zone, first. Those were kind of my major tools in managing. And Sam and Tucker, of course.”

“Oh?” Maddie asked, perking up. “Sam and Tucker? You mentioned them before, I think. Are those your friends?”

“Yeah, they… I guess they don’t know me, here.” He sighed, feeling himself drift down closer to the floor, away from his dad’s arm. “They… We were best friends, to the absolute end. Even after the stuff in the lab, the half-ghost stuff, the constant attacking ghosts and hunting them down, they stuck by my side.”

“I’m sorry, kiddo.” Jack landed as well, although unlike Danny, he landed on his feet. “But they’ll be around, right? It might not be the same, but they’re not gone.”

“Might as well be,” Danny huffed. He shook his head. “It won’t be the same. Without the years of shared experiences…”

Maddie and Jack shared a look—not quite as conversational as the ones his parents shared, but a good enough substitute—before apparently deciding to change the topic altogether.

“Why don’t we see if we can clear some rooms upstairs?” Maddie asked, clapping her hands together. “We’ll need at least two rooms clear enough for use, preferably three.”

“Three?” Danny echoed, frowning at them. “You’re not sharing?”

“We haven’t seen each other in years, Danny,” she pointed out, getting up from the chair. “We’re still reconnecting, never mind actually getting together.”

“Right,” he agreed, following her to the stairs. “But you are moving in?”

“Friends can share a house,” Jack pointed out, shifting back to his human form in a flash of white light, and reminding Danny to do the same. “And this way she won’t have to worry about getting kicked out of Vlad’s mansion while all the paperwork and stuff is happening.”

“And I never liked the mansion much,” Maddie admitted with a wry smile. “I liked the Vlad I knew, way back when, but over time it became clear that that wasn’t the real Vlad. I’d been thinking about divorcing him for longer, but… I don’t know. There was no one else I knew, nowhere I could go.”

“Not even to Aunt Alicia? I mean, she’s divorced as well, isn’t she?”

“I… didn’t realize she had married in the first place.” Maddie’s steps faltered for a moment before she continued up the stairs. “I guess I was afraid that she would judge me for marrying Vlad in the first place. I don’t know… It seems rather illogical, now, but I figured I could put up with Vlad well enough. And with his money I could afford my research, even if I had to do it behind his back.”

They stopped in the hallway upstairs, looking around. Danny resisted the urge to grimace. Somehow upstairs was even more of a mess than downstairs had been.

“Which room was yours, in your timeline?” Jack asked, sidling up to Danny.

“Uh.” He carefully stepped past the mess, stopping in front of his door. Or the door that belonged to the room that was his, in his own timeline. “This one. And Jazz had that one,” he pointed over to the room that his sister used. “The one next to mine was a guest room.”

Jack nodded. “Right, that makes sense! You can take that room if you want, Danny. Mads, you can take the other room if you want. The one next to here I used as a lab for a while, so cleaning…”

“Won’t be easy, got it.” She nodded as well. “I’ll take the other one. Let’s start with clearing out this one, shall we?”

“Let’s.” Danny pushed open the door, bracing himself mentally for the whiplash of seeing his room without it being his room.

As a result, he was almost toppled over by the cat that rushed past his legs.

“Jasmine!” Jack cheered, crouching down to pick up the fluffy white thing. “Is this where you’ve been hiding, honey?”

“Well,” Danny said, then stopped. He had no clue what to say. He didn’t even know what he thought of this.

“Well,” he tried again. “At least now I know who picked the name for Jazz, and who picked mine.”

Maddie snorted, gently pushing him into the room. “Personally, I think Danny is a great name, honey.”

“Thanks,” he retorted, eyes darting over the room. It was dark—the curtains were closed despite the time of day—but his night vision was pretty solid. “It’s short for Daniel.”

“And Jazz for Jasmine, then? That’s cute.” She ruffled his hair as she stepped past him, drawing open the curtains. “Hm. we certainly have our work cut out for us.”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, looking at the piles of he-didn’t-know-what lying around. There was a bed buried in one of the piles, which suggested it might’ve been a guest room at some point. Or used by someone else, before Jack moved in. “And we still need to clear yours, too.”

“Better get working then,” Maddie decided, shaking her head as she crouched down. “Things won’t get better on their own, after all.”

[ladylynse]

Revision: Maddie can’t deny it any longer. If ectoplasm can become blood, there’s more to this story than she ever realized.

Part 4 [FF | AO3]

(Previous)

-|-

“I tried tracking Danny’s cell,” Tucker said, “but he must’ve figured Vlad would do that and finally turned it off. Or it died. You know he never remembers to charge the thing.”

“I’ll head to Dora’s so you can stay out of the dead zone,” Sam said. “If you don’t want to challenge Skulker to see who can find Jack or Danny first, then head straight to Frostbite. That’s probably where Danny went. Dora can drop me off and pick up Poindexter and maybe Johnny 13 and Kitty if she can swing it.”

“Do you have extra Fenton Phones?” Jazz, being careful as always. Taking the lead, as she’d asked. Maddie stood back, holding the jet packs while the kids went over the plan. She’d checked everything over three times, knew these would work, but—

“Always,” chorused Danny’s best friends in unison.

They’d done this before.

They must have done this so many times before.

How could she and Jack have never noticed?

“Be mindful of the power supply on your jet packs,” Maddie said, hardly believing that she was handing them to two fourteen-year-olds and being perfectly okay with letting them go into the Ghost Zone on their own, virtually unprotected. “They should be able to draw on the ambient ecto-energy within the Ghost Zone, but you will have to stop somewhere to allow it to recharge or risk being stranded.”

“Don’t worry. We got this, Mrs. F,” promised Tucker as he shrugged on his pack. Sam was already tightening the safety straps on hers. Perhaps she hadn’t needed to tell them as much about these as they had; it might not be the first time they’d used this particular invention. “We’ll let you know if we find them. Any of them.”

“We’ll even ask Clockwork,” Sam put in. “I don’t think he’ll tell us anything, but we’ll try. Assuming we can actually find him and he’s not just pretending he’s not home again.”

Maddie didn’t know the names of half the ghosts they mentioned, let alone have any concept of where in the Ghost Zone they could be found.

She nodded anyway, pretending. Pretending to understand. Pretending to be strong. Pretending that this didn’t feel as wrong as it did, letting these kids do what she could not. Adults were supposed to protect children, and she felt like she was asking them to run into fire for her sake.

But they’d tread this path before, gone this way far more often than she, and were much wiser than her for it. She had to trust their judgement. They knew better than she did. They knew more than she did. It was as simple as that.

And if it meant protecting Jack and having a chance of finding Danny and Danielle….

“Thank you.” She wouldn’t be able to say it enough. “Good luck.”

The two flashed her grins and thumbs up, all signs of their earlier tiredness gone by now. They’d been given a mission, and they were ready for it. More than. She waved as they raced each other to the portal and dove into the Ghost Zone.

“You don’t have to pretend,” Jazz said softly. “Not with me, anyway.”

She had to. She had to, or she’d be curled up on the floor of the lab again, crying until she had no more tears. She couldn’t give up on this semblance of sanity. If she let her guard down, if she allowed herself to remember exactly what she’d done and who she’d done it to and—

Jazz walked over and hugged her, and Maddie felt her resolve crumbling.

“We’ll get through this,” Jazz reassured her, tightening her hug. “I know what I said earlier, but Dad will come back safe, and we’ll find Danny and Danielle, and then we’ll figure things out from there. This isn’t going to ruin us.”

It might have already, and she had no way of knowing.

Because she’d never listened.

Jazz waited a moment more before pulling away and stepping back. “Did you have any luck with the Booo-merang?”

“I reassembled it,” Maddie whispered, “and fed it the copy of Phantom’s ecto-signature that we had on file.” She wasn’t sure if it was perfect. The Booo-merang was more Jack’s invention than hers, and she knew he’d made tweaks that weren’t in the blueprints. She’d done what she could. If Vlad—

“We can tie a note to it,” Jazz said as she took out her hairband, “so that Danny knows it’s safe to come home even if we lose sight of it. I’ve done that before. It will get to him eventually.” She moved to the computer desk to get a pen and paper and began to write. After a few moments, she looked back up at Maddie. “You should write something, too. So Danny knows he can trust my word.”

Maddie moved slowly, finally reaching out to take the pen from her daughter with a shaking hand. She imagined accusations—accusations she deserved—and couldn’t think of the right words to say. What could she write to convey what she felt? The depth of the wrong she’d done?

I’m sorry, she wrote. It looked trite. False. I hurt you both. It was an understatement, but at least it was an acknowledgement. I want to do better. She couldn’t ask for forgiveness, not without doing anything, and even then…. Even then, she might not get it. She wasn’t sure she’d deserve it if she did. Please let me try. She could imagine an offer of help being turned back on her, Danny spitting that they didn’t need her kind of help, but…. But she’d rather that than write a plea that they come home and have him tell her this wasn’t home for him anymore and wouldn’t ever be again.

She had always thought she hunted monsters.

She hadn’t realized when she’d become one.

Jazz gently nudged her hand aside and slid the paper away, neatly folding and then securing it to the Booo-merang.

“What if he doesn’t want to come back?” Maddie asked. “What if he gets our note and ignores it?”

“He won’t ignore it forever, even if he doesn’t act on it right away.” Jazz turned the device on, and Maddie saw the light at its head begin to blink. “That’s not who Danny is.” She flashed a grin. “Are you ready?”

She wasn’t remotely ready, but there wasn’t time for her to be mentally prepared for all that this would entail. “We have no way to follow it if it goes into the Ghost Zone,” she said, “and even if we try to follow in the Fenton Ops Centre, we’ll still need to be able to keep it in sight for that.”

“Which we can. Dad added that tracking feature, remember? We’ll link it to the Booo-merang. Just like the Spectre Speeder. And if it goes into the Ghost Zone, we can put Sam or Tucker onto it.”

Maddie let out a breath. “Okay.” She couldn’t afford to argue. She didn’t know enough to argue.

Jazz drew back her arm and threw the Booo-merang. It spun, making a quick loop of the lab.

And then it made a second loop of the lab.

And a third loop.

A lazy fourth.

And then it crashed into the dissection table, skittering across it before falling to the floor.

Something was squeezing the breath from Maddie’s lungs, and she couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t do anything. She just watched as Jazz frowned and walked over to the device. She checked it over and tried tossing it again.

This time, it made two and a half loops before catching on one of their shelving units. Maddie winced as glassware shattered. Jazz fetched a broom and dustpan, sweeping up the pieces while Maddie watched in silence. As Jazz dumped the remains into the shards discard bin, Maddie summoned the strength to walk over and pick up the Booo-merang from where Jazz had placed it on the top of the workbench.

“What’s wrong with it?” Jazz asked softly when she was finished.

Maddie looked at the Booo-merang’s blinking light. “Nothing,” she whispered. “The copy of Phantom’s ecto-signature just isn’t sufficient.”

Jazz furrowed her brow and leaned closer, though Maddie knew there was nothing more to be seen. “What do you mean?”

“Ecto-signatures aren’t like fingerprints; they don’t stay the same unless some change is forced upon them. They change slightly over time naturally, to reflect the changes within each ghost.”

“But it’s always locked onto Danny. That’s never been a problem before.”

“That’s why it hasn’t been a problem. Because it could update its signature to evolve its records. Now, it’s been entirely reset, and the ecto-signature I gave it is just too different to be recognizable as the same one Danny currently has. I….” So much must have happened to cause that change, and she’d been blind to all of it. “I’m sorry. This isn’t going to work.”

Jazz huffed. “It’ll work,” she said, snatching up the Booo-merang and hugging it to her body with one protective arm. “We’ll just have to get the ecto-signature from Vlad.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Vlad. Like I said, he’s obsessed with Danny. Trust me, he’ll have a recent copy of Danny’s ecto-signature.”

“So you wanted to shoot him earlier, and now you want to work with him?”

“Oh, I still want to shoot him. Taking a blast from an ecto-gun in human form won’t do as much damage as when he’s in ghost mode, but it’ll still hurt.”

Human form. Ghost mode. It was jarring to hear Jazz talk about molecular fusion so offhandedly, to the point that she could mention it like that. She must have discovered and accepted this idea ages ago. And Danny—

“But whether I like it or not, it looks like we need him. At least until we hear from Sam and Tucker.”

Maddie took a slow breath. The idea of working with Vlad…. It didn’t sit well with her now that she knew the truth. There was too much of Plasmius in Vlad. He wasn’t the same person she’d known in college. She had to stop thinking of him as such. “I don’t think I can pretend to be ignorant of everything you’ve told me.”

“You don’t need to. Vlad would probably see through an act anyway. He won’t be happy that I’ve told you everything, but he won’t be surprised after what’s happened. He’ll take what he can get.”

Maddie frowned and glanced at her daughter. “Meaning?”

“Meaning this would still give him the opportunity to spend time with you, and that might be enough bargaining power.” Jazz hesitated. “I know that sounds bad. It is bad. I just…. I don’t know if we can afford to wait for Sam and Tucker. Vlad definitely won’t be waiting. And whatever Skulker says, he’s really not the Ghost Zone’s Greatest Hunter. He’s not going to be a better option when it comes to asking for help. Vlad might have him looking already anyway.”

Skulker. The ghost that used a mechanical exoskeleton. She’d seen Phantom—and Danny?—take it down multiple times. It made her want to question Jazz more about all of this, about halfas, about the consequences of which she was currently aware, but there wasn’t time. She couldn’t afford to distract herself that way. Not when Danny…. Not when Danielle….

“All right. Let’s go.” She was afraid that if she didn’t commit, she’d find a way to talk herself out of going. Convince herself that they could find another way, whatever Jazz thought. The idea that Plasmius might have convinced Vlad to—

But Jazz was right. Different, albeit just as unscrupulous, options were out there to explain Danielle and her true relationship to the Fenton family. And Maddie wasn’t in a position to point fingers when it came to unscrupulous behaviour. Not after what she’d done.

You don’t understand.

She was convinced she’d never forget the cries.

I’m not just a ghost.

She didn’t deserve to forget.

I’m human, too.

She couldn’t just pretend this hadn’t happened, that she hadn’t done what she had. In order to do better, she had to remember. She couldn’t allow herself to fall into old patterns and risk repeating the same mistakes, even unintentionally. She wouldn’t be able to ease her guilt right away, but maybe, with time, with enough changes, with enough effort, she could…. She could accept what she’d done, if not forgive herself entirely. She didn’t think she’d be able to forgive herself unless the others forgave her, and they….

They had good reason not to.

She could ask for it, but she knew very well she might not receive it. That hurt, too, just thinking about it, but—

“Come on,” Jazz said, wrapping her free arm around Maddie and steering her towards the stairs, “I’ll drive. I left a note on the fudge in case Dad comes back before we do. He’ll see it there.”

-|-

Vlad had not intended to come back after a quick change of clothes, whatever he’d tried to make it sound like. Maddie realized that now. Still, it only made standing on Vlad’s stoop this early in the morning even worse.

When the door finally opened, Vlad himself was there to greet them, looking like he’d recently stepped from the shower. “Ah, Maddie, how delightful. And Jasmine. I hadn’t quite made myself presentable for—”

“You can drop the act,” Jazz said as she elbowed her way past him. “I told Mom everything.”

Vlad raised his eyebrows. “Everything about what?”

“Phantom and Plasmius,” Maddie whispered. She had to force herself to meet Vlad’s eyes, and she saw motions flicker across his face until his features settled into a careful mask. Practiced. Polite. The same one he used to wear while convincing the higher-ups at the university that they should be allowed funding and space for their projects.

“Ah.”

He didn’t say any more. He simply stepped aside and let her in.

“We need a copy of Danny’s ecto-signature,” Jazz said. “I know you have one, so don’t bother denying it.”

“Showing your hand so early?”

Jazz rolled her eyes and looked pointedly at Maddie. Vlad glanced in her direction as well and then sighed. “I am doing what I can to search for Daniel. Whatever your implications, my involvement isn’t a farce.”

“Then prove it by giving us a copy of Danny’s ecto-signature. You ruined ours, so if it was purely accidental and not on purpose, what’s the harm?”

“Jazz,” Maddie said, a warning in her tone. They could only push Vlad so far. They were still asking for his help.

And she didn’t particularly want to meet Plasmius right now.

It…. She couldn’t see him. She’d thought she would, now that she knew. She’d thought there would be something behind Vlad’s eyes that she’d be able to identify, some little piece of Plasmius. Not because she doubted the truth of Jazz’s words, she didn’t; rather, she wanted to think that she could pick apart which being was more in control of Vlad, Plasmius or one of her former friends.

But all she saw was Vlad.

The same Vlad who’d stood up for her and Jack when they’d made their first group presentation on the paranormal. The same Vlad who’d stayed up late with her to pore over Jack’s last-minute changes to their blueprints. The same Vlad they’d met again at the reunion and seen so frequently since.

“Surely you know I would hardly impede your investigation when it came to finding the little badger—”

“Which is why you deliberately destroyed the Booo-merang?”

“—but I’m afraid I really don’t have a recent copy of Daniel’s ecto-signature. He, ah, deleted my files just last week.”

Jazz narrowed her eyes. “Fine,” she spat. “Say I believe that. Say you really don’t have a copy of Danny’s ecto-signature. Why ruin ours?”

“I never intended to ruin it. I merely wanted to try to obtain a copy of it for myself.”

Jazz pursed her lips and met Maddie’s eyes. Maddie knew that long-suffering look on Jazz’s face. It was the one she made when she was barely restraining herself from parroting back Danny’s words in a mocking tone, trying to convince herself that she was an adult and above such childishness. Jazz was quite mature for her age, but she was still a teenager. Even…even if she knew as much about the world—and the Ghost Zone—as she did.

“I’m sure I could be of help in other ways. If Maddie and I—”

“You’re not getting hours of alone time with my mom,” Jazz interrupted. “What about Danielle’s ecto-signature?”

“You really believe Daniel would allow me to keep that?”

Jazz’s smile was sudden and triumphant. “Then you admit it. You know who she is.”

“She’s a ghost who’s passed through this town,” countered Vlad. “Whatever you and Daniel think, I do try to protect Amity Park. Keeping tabs on ghostly activity is merely part of that.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Vlad,” Maddie said softly, “please. Even if you don’t think it’s important, anything you could tell us would be appreciated. I’d never seen that ghost before, and I know Jack would have told me if he’d had an encounter with a ghost so like Phantom.”

“My dearest Maddie, I can assure you that I harbour no ill will toward Daniel. I want to see him back with us as much as anything.” Vlad spread his hands. “I simply do not have the resources Jasmine thinks—”

“Shut it, Plasmius. We’re not buying that you’re the good guy. If you won’t give me the copy of the ecto-signature, I’ll find it myself.” Jazz turned and stalked away. Vlad, surprisingly, let her.

Or was it Plasmius who had? That’s what she’d called him, but Maddie still couldn’t—

“I’ll make tea,” Vlad said, putting his arm around Maddie and steering her towards what she knew was the kitchen. She managed not to flinch at his touch. Any other night before this, before knowing, she would have been so grateful for the support, but now— “Or coffee, if you’d prefer. We could do with something right now, I daresay. We’ll catch up with Jasmine in a few minutes. I change my security codes daily.”

“So it’s all…true,” Maddie managed. “You and Plasmius—”

“We really don’t need to talk about such things right now.”

Of course they did. How could they not? Vlad and Plasmius. Because of the proto-portal accident. It had to be. Months of hospitalization, bankrupt at the end of it, dropping out of college and—

And turning around and making millions. Billions.

Vlad had been skilled, but not—

“Please,” she repeated. “Please, just…. It’s really true? You and Plasmius? Like Danny and Phantom? And…and Danielle?”

Silence.

Vlad’s steady steps never faltered. She was desperately trying to think of a way to broach the conversation again. She didn’t want to let it go, to let it die, to let it lie between them unspoken. She couldn’t. Not after what she’d done with Danny. And….

It’s not that she felt comfortable with Vlad. After what Jazz had told her, she couldn’t, and it made her realize that she hadn’t been wholly comfortable with him before that, either. She’d wanted to think that maybe it was just her reacting to Plasmius’s presence, but since she’d realized that she couldn’t tell who was in control—

She wished Jack were here.

She wished he hadn’t gone to search the Ghost Zone alone, but she wasn’t sure there had been another choice. If it hadn’t been him, it would have been her, and he never would have let her go alone. But one of them needed to stay on this side. If Danny decided to call—

Maybe they shouldn’t have left the house.

She could have called someone to stay while she and Jazz came here. Or she should have come by herself. In case Danny phoned. He had their cell phone numbers, of course, but she wasn’t sure how many of those numbers he had memorized; she knew he knew the home phone, but if his cell phone really was dead—

“Every situation is different,” Vlad said at last. He led her into the kitchen and left her to lean against a counter while he busiest himself with preparations. There was no table to be had in here, oh no. Counters, islands, workspaces of all sorts, but nothing small and cozy, nothing intended for anyone to sit down and have a bite to eat or something to drink. This was a kitchen meant to be fully staffed, and—

It occurred to her that she had never seen Vlad’s butler.

Or a maid.

Or any staff, really.

They were always mentioned, and she knew he must have someone—he could hardly keep a place this large clean by himself on top of his mayoral duties—but it always seemed to be their day off whenever she came by.

She only ever saw Vlad.

“What…what do you mean?”

“I doubt the girl is quite like the others.”

“Her name is Danielle.”

“Yes.” His words were a whisper. “It is.” He turned around and presented her with a warm cup of— Coffee, by the look and smell of it. Black.

She took a hesitant sip.

He’d sweetened it with sugar.

He remembered how she drank her coffee, even after all these years.

“I—” Vlad paused. “Daniel and I, our circumstances aren’t quite the same.”

He was admitting it, then. She hadn’t thought he would after his earlier denials. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or terrified. A denial she could have spun into truth for herself, at least for a time. Long enough for her to find some steady ground to stand on. Long enough to make sure she wouldn’t have her feet knocked from beneath her again.

“How do you know?” If she didn’t ask, if she kept talking, she’d lose the opportunity entirely, and she knew she couldn’t afford that.

“I’ve spoken with her. The ghost girl. She’s come to me for help in the past. As I daresay you’ve realized, she’s as much girl as she is ghost.”

I’m human, too.

“And you and Plasmius—”

“I’m stable. Daniel is stable. Poor Danielle is not. Or she wasn’t, the last time I had her in my lab.”

“You still have a lab, then?”

Vlad smiled. “Oh, Maddie, I could never give it up. It reminds me too much of the treasured moments I used to spend with you.”

“And Jack,” she added pointedly, remembering Jazz’s words. Vlad has an unhealthy obsession with you.

“Yes, of course.”

The words came quickly, smoothly, but she wasn’t sure they were honest. How could she? Jazz hadn’t had the slightest bit of doubt in her voice when she’d said Vlad hated Jack. Hated. It was such a strong word. Maddie hadn’t noticed anything herself, but she’d never looked for it, either. Jack’s enthusiasm about his friendship for Vlad had always been her lens for their relationship, and Vlad had always been friendly towards her.

But recent experience had certainly taught her that there was so much she could miss—even from people close to her. If she’d never realized the truth of Danny and Phantom, she hadn’t much hope of seeing past the façade Vlad put up around her.

Maddie took another sip of the coffee, buying time to collect her scrambled thoughts. “And Plasmius doesn’t…hinder you?”

“Far from it.” Vlad flashed her a smile she could no longer call genuine. “The situation has grown on me, and I do find ways to make the best of it.”

How much was the honest truth and how much was a carefully scripted truth? Perhaps things had changed, but Vlad had rarely told direct lies in their college years, even little white ones. He’d delighted in misdirection and obfuscation. He had always been quite proud when he’d managed to convince someone of something false, telling perfect truths riddled with oft-unseen holes where he’d lied by omission. It was never in his papers, of course—he’d been far too credible for that and wouldn’t dare risk being accused of falsifying results—but he had always loved a good verbal battle, to match wits with someone he considered worthy.

She’d seen him to do it so many times.

She wondered why she hadn’t thought she could be on the receiving end of it until now.

Best to change tack, then. It was unlikely that she could catch him off his guard—he clearly knew so much more of the situation than she, and how could he not?—but she had to try. She had to know. “Why does Jazz think you have a copy of Danny’s ecto-signature?”

“She is, no doubt, aware of the tracking I do, as is Daniel.”

“So when you say Danny destroyed your files—”

“I’ll admit I don’t think it was Daniel directly; it’s far more likely to be his friend Tucker’s work.”

Vlad said he kept tabs on ghosts to help him protect Amity Park, but Phantom fought those ghosts routinely. Phantom fought Plasmius routinely. Plasmius couldn’t be helping Vlad protect Amity Park—unless Phantom simply saw him as another ghost and acted accordingly? She still didn’t understand how much influence the ecto-entity had over the human host, but it would surely be greater when the ecto-entity was in control, and—

No. She couldn’t make assumptions. She had to stop doing that. She didn’t know how much was Vlad and how much was Plasmius, just as she wasn’t sure how much was Danny and how much was Phantom. The notes she and Jack had accumulated on both ghosts were surely wrong; they had never accounted for human ties, and that would skew their results terribly. They knew nothing. She knew nothing.

Which meant she couldn’t believe everything she was told, whether from Jazz or from Vlad. Each would have their biases, just as she had hers, and what they told her would be coloured accordingly. And there was always the chance that what they knew was wrong, even if they believed it to be true, just as she and Jack had been wrong.

Except….

Vlad was a primary source, and though Jazz’s knowledge was second-hand, it would all come from Danny. She didn’t want to mistrust either of them, but what they told her didn’t always line up, and—

Maddie set her coffee down on the counter and took a steadying breath. “May I speak with Plasmius?”

Vlad spluttered, losing his composure and nearly choking on his own cup of coffee. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’d like to speak with Plasmius. Is that possible?”

“I— Yes, of course it’s possible, but—”

“Then let me speak to him. Please.”

Vlad set his cup aside in favour of closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I should have realized you were taking this awfully well. I am sorry, Maddie. I didn’t doubt Jasmine when she’d said she told you everything—she’s no reason to pretend otherwise, blatant as she’s being—but I hadn’t realized that you didn’t yet understand.”

His words chilled her. “What do you mean?”

He opened his eyes to look at her. For the briefest instant, red replaced familiar blue before it was blinked away. She started and took a step back, only to hit the counter. Vlad looked resigned as he said, “You’re already speaking with Plasmius.”

(see more fics | next)

[five-rivers]

Glass Beetle

Based on a prompt by 2fruity4u for the Phic Phight! Might be sort of... fragmentary, in parts.

.

Danny frowned at his hand as it flickered in the evening's fading sunlight. He'd been having trouble with his invisibility lately. Nothing so obvious, for the most part, but both Sam and Tucker had noticed him 'blurring' or 'fading' around the edges this past week. He'd been able to correct himself so far, pull himself back into focus, so to speak, but, if that flicker was any sign, this was getting worse, not better.

He wondered if a new power was coming in. Sometimes his other powers acted weird when that happened. He hadn't noticed anything like that, though.

Either way, there wasn't all that much he could do about this. It wasn't as if he could just ask anyone what was wrong with his ghost powers.

Actually, that wasn't quite true. He did have a few ghostly allies. Sadly, they all lived (resided?) in lairs that took hours and hours to get to from the Fenton Portal. Lairs that also moved. He didn't really have the time to go find them.

Honestly, with all the schoolwork that had been heaped on him and his friends, he didn't have time to go do anything that wasn't absolutely necessary. Including sleep. He would give a lot to just be able to go to bed now, rather than whenever he finished his math homework. His extra math homework, assigned in lieu of detention. But, no, Skulker had to show up again, this time with ghostly hunting dogs, and completely waste Danny's afternoon.

But maybe that was the real reason he was having trouble with his invisibility. Exhaustion. And embarrassment. The two seemed to go hand in hand.

Just that week... Ugh, he didn't want to think about it.

He perched in a tree in the park, resting, and, inevitably, thought about it.

He really hated the people at his school sometimes. Dash for dumping glitter all over him and calling him a fairy... as if that insult wasn't so old it was fossilized... all the other people in his class for staring at him... Mrs. Hall for calling him out for 'disturbing the class'... the inevitable interruption of said class by ghosts... the detention... and everyone staring at him and giggling behind their hands.

Not to mention the toilet paper and what Dash and his cronies had done to his locker. Carrying his waterlogged books around and trying to explain to the teachers had been... painful.

In other words, the A-list had been in a bullying mood this week. No wonder he wanted to be invisible.

He sighed and drifted out of the tree. He had his breath back, as much as he had it as a ghost, and it was time to go home and do math.

Of course, to put a cherry on top of this already horrible week, he was immediately shot. He tumbled head over heels, and instinct took over. He went invisible, hard, erasing his light even in the infrared and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum, the chill of the power washing over him. He didn't know what had hit him, after all. A lot of ghost hunters had special goggles for seeing ghosts only transparent in the visible spectrum. Ghosts could often see through invisibility.

He reoriented himself, scanning the area for his attacker, one hand on the thermos.

Valerie. Very confused Valerie, judging by how she was whipping her head back and forth, scanning the ground and the skies.

Danny didn't want to deal with her. He hid himself behind a tree and went human in order to confuse any ectosignature tracing equipment she might have. He never knew what she'd get from Vlad, the jerk, but he probably wouldn't have included anything capable of tracking a half-ghost in human form.

He let out a breath as Valerie flew away. Now it was really time to get home.

He let go of his invisibility.

The cool feeling on his skin didn't go away. He looked down. Still invisible.

He let go of his invisibility.

Still, he only saw a faint outline of his limbs, visible only to his eyes.

Oh, this was going to be bad.

.

Danny had snuck into his house while invisible before, but usually he had a choice about it. He couldn't just walk through the walls, because his parents had coated most of the ground floor with something that blocked phasing a couple months ago (and was also a truly hideous orange), and he couldn't climb through his bedroom window because they had rigged it with a special anti-ghost alarm after noticing an ectoplasm stain on his windowsill.

He decided to go around to the back door, so no one would notice the front door opening and closing on its own. From there, he'd go to the lab and use the portal. Hours of flying and missing his math homework were preferable to being stuck invisible indefinitely. If only his parents had invented something to counteract invisibility... But, no, they were too focused on making things that hurt.

Yeah, maybe he was a bit bitter about that.

Okay, the coast was clear. Good. He padded down the back hall, unwilling to go ghost to fly. The security system was set to ignore him in human form, but sometimes it still picked up his ghost.

He turned the corner into the kitchen and froze as he heard the hateful beep of the Fenton Finder. His father's head snapped up, away from his plate of (unsanctioned by his diet) fudge.

"There is a ghost ten feet in front of you."

Jack leaped from his seat, and slammed the button to activate the Fenton Anti-Creep System. Lights strobed, some of them green with ectoenergy. Danny yelped and dodged a laser, then a laser sword, then a metal-backed cutout of his dad's face.

He ran.

By the time he got out of Fentonworks (the deathtrap) he was out of breath, slightly singed, and definitely bruised. He also felt, weirdly, more invisible.

He frowned. Was he diving deeper into invisibility without realizing it? Why? Because he'd been startled?

He turned to Sam's house.

.

"Okay," said Jazz, over the speaker on Sam's phone, after he had explained his current predicament. "It sounds like a confidence problem. Just, tell yourself you want to be seen- No. You have to want to be seen."

"I do want to be seen," said Danny. "I've been over this with Sam and Tucker. I don't want to be invisible."

"You know that," said Jazz, "but do you feel it?"

"Trust me," said Danny. "I feel it. Can you not get them out of the house for a bit so I can sneak in?"

"Afraid not," said Jazz. "They've put us on lockdown until they find, well, you. Or tomorrow morning."

Danny groaned. He'd already called them to say he was staying over at Tucker's. He'd wondered at the time why they were so happy about that.

.

He hadn't managed even a flicker of visibility by midnight. Even his transformation rings, usually blindingly bright, went unseen. Stuff he picked up turned invisible, too. Anything he wore turned invisible.

Also, the constant invisibility was draining him. Ghost powers took energy, especially when he was in human form. He was exhausted.

Maybe he would spend all his energy and wake up visible. He could hope. In the meantime, he'd sleep in one of the Manson's guest rooms.

.

He did not wake up visible. He woke up just as exhausted and unable to so much as see his own outline anymore. That was new. Before, he'd always been able to see himself while invisible.

He had to ask Sam to call Jazz, because he couldn't hold and see the phone at the same time.

"It should be safe to come home, now," said Jazz. "I turned off the security system, and Mom and Dad are off chasing ectopuses near the mall."

"Oh, good," said Danny, sluggishly transforming. "I'll be there in a few."

He took the same route in as before, but, this time, only Jazz was waiting for him in the kitchen.

Since he was a younger brother, he snuck up on her and poked the back of her neck. She jumped about a foot, and glared at a bit of air several inches above his eyes.

"Danny," she said, "would it kill you to take things seriously for once?"

"It already did," said Danny. "And, honestly, you sort of walked into that one."

Jazz rolled her eyes, and pushed open the door to the lab. "Do you want me to come with you?" she asked. "We can take the Specter Speeder."

"Better not," said Danny. "I should be fine. None of my enemies are going to be able to see me, after all."

"Well," said Jazz, as they stopped in front of the portal. She looked over a foot to his left as she said, "Be safe, Danny."

"I will," he said, and launched himself into the Ghost Zone.

.

"Your sister thought you had a what?" asked Frostbite, amused. He, also, wasn't looking quite where Danny was. In fact, Danny kept having to dodge out of the larger ghost's way.

"A confidence problem," said Danny. His voice sounded weirdly quiet, even to himself, and he wondered if his voice would also be affect by whatever this was.

The large ghost suppressed a toothy smile. "While your current condition may respond to your emotional state, great one, and your powers are linked to your emotions, they are not the cause."

"Then what is?"

"You have a parasite," said Frostbite.

Danny didn't say anything for a moment, half-convinced Frostbite was joking.

"A what?" he squeaked.

"A parasite. Don't be concerned, it is relatively harmless." Frostbite paused. "For ghosts. I have never heard of a human or half-ghost getting one."

That was comforting. Not. "What kind of parasite?" asked Danny. "What does it do? I mean, other than force you to be invisible."

"Well," said Frostbite. He turned to face the dizzying array of screens and other technology embedded in the icy wall of the cave. He brought up a image that made Danny blanch.

"It's that big?" he asked, one hand kneading his stomach, as if he could thereby force the many-legged thing out.

"Yes. Actually, it's a rather small example of this species. This must be its first breeding cycle."

Danny's eye twitched. "Breeding cycle?" he asked, feeling even sicker.

"Yes," said Frostbite. "The malaperas eraro is very sensitive to light during its breeding cycle, but they are also very weak ghosts, unable to become invisible for long periods of time. So they find a host and use their host's abilities. Once the breeding cycle is complete, all of the parasites will leave the host, and symptoms will stop almost immediately."

"And how long does this take, exactly?" asked Danny, voice cracking.

"Ah, it varies, great one," said Frostbite. "From the point that the ghost is unable to become visible, no longer than a week, depending on the strength of the host ghost."

"I can't be invisible for a week!" said Danny, alarmed. "I have school! My parents will notice I'm gone! I'm already exhausted from being invisible for this long. I can't take a week of this!"

"Ah, yes. The fatigue," said Frostbite. His eyes flicked from side to side. "That is, actually, the reason for the variable time. The malaperas eraro cannot finish breeding while the host is awake. It waits for the forced invisibility to drain the host and drop them into a sort of hibernation. It takes longer for stronger ghosts to reach that point."

"Oh," said Danny. "Great."

"We will be more than happy to have you stay with us while you recover. We will provide everything you need, and keep close track of your condition. This is more of an inconvenience to most ghosts than anything else. Similar to, say, the common cold or chicken pox for humans. It is difficult to be reinfected."

That was something, at least. He didn't want to do this again. "You're sure it will be safe for me? I mean, I'm not normal. Maybe we should just... take it out?" He mimed pulling, even though Frostbite couldn't see him.

"That is a matter to consider," agreed Frostbite. "Due to your unique physiology there may be... unforeseen complications. That is another reason for you to stay here, where we can monitor you. If it becomes necessary, we can remove the parasite, but doing so is an invasive and rather dangerous procedure."

Danny briefly considered flying to Clockwork, who could probably do something about the time problem, but exhaustion weighed heavily on his shoulders. "Okay. Fine, I guess. Just- Could you- If it isn't too much- take a message to my sister for me?"

.

The room was cozier and warmer than the norm for the Far Frozen, in deference to Danny's smaller stature and warm-blooded human form. There were also a number of nice, safe nooks and crannies that were attractive from a ghostly perspective, and a large number of paper-wrapped items.

"What?" asked Danny, leaning back into Frosbite's fluffy fur. On the way over, they had come to a compromise regarding how not to run Danny over. It involved Danny holding onto Frostbite (teenage pride required that he refuse Frostbite's offer to carry him) and Danny had enjoyed the contact more than he wanted to admit.

"Ah, gifts from your admirers, great one. We all wish for you to recover swiftly."

"So I don't freeze everyone again and leave quickly?" joked Danny.

Frostbite chuckled. "Nothing like that. We enjoy having you here, great one. It is an honor."

Danny hummed and let Frostbite guide him to the nest-like bed.

.

Danny felt like he was sleepwalking the past couple of... whatevers. Honestly, he didn't know how long he'd been in the Far Frozen anymore. It was all sort of blurring together, and Danny found it difficult to focus on anything.

Frostbite was doing another body-scan on him today, to check where the parasite was and what it was doing. Danny wasn't enthusiastic. The table for the scanner had been built for someone much larger than him and was distinctly uncomfortable.

Right now, Danny was sitting in a chair across the room, a blanket wrapped around him, waiting for Frostbite to wave him over. It was useful, he had found, to announce where he was going to be and then stay there. People wouldn't trip over him as much, if he was where he was expected to be.

"Alright, great one," said Frostbite. "We are ready to take your scan."

"Okay," mumbled Danny. He stood up, walked halfway to the table, and then collapsed under a wave of dizziness and fatigue.

"Great one?"

Danny only managed to make a pathetic sort of mewling sound. His vision was all grey around the edges, but he could still watch Frostbite grope along the floor, searching for him, and hissed when Frostbite bumped into him a little too roughly for comfort.

After that, Frostbite picked him up, and Danny stopped forcing his eyes open.

.

He woke up cocooned in sadly invisible blankets. There were voices. Deep, rhythmic ones. He sighed and tucked his chin down against his chest. He was safe here.

.

He woke up again, hungry and grumbling. He complained until he got food and went back to sleep.

.

When was the last time he opened his eyes? It was dark.

.

"... have finished?" said the voices.

"... reconsider the surgery..."

"... preparations..."

.

Danny woke up.

He could see his nose. Huh. He'd never really noticed how visible his nose was before he'd been stuck invisible. Really. It was right there.

He went back to sleep.

[luv4fandoms]

Earth Angel (GabrielXOFC) Part 2.1

Part 2 is finally here!! I had to split it into 2 parts because of Tumblr's limit but the link to the 2nd part can be found below.

I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this story! I loved all of the comments and asks I got on the last chapter ❤. Sorry this one took so long to get out, my mom and I are trying to kinda start a small business so that has been my focus lol. But as I say in all the chapters...

This doesn't fully follow the Supernatural timeline, somethings have been changed (like Gabriel's death in the au world cause it was stupid and I refuse to accept it lol) so just a heads up. This is also inspired by @askpsychocas 's Angel Courting Ritual post (which I use in my story. Askpsychocas if you want me to take those parts out let me know and I will). This story also has a Scott Pilgram vibe lol.

If you would like to be added to the story taglist let me know

Part 1...Part 2.2...Masterlist

Pairings: Gabriel x Original Female Character, (hint at Destiel)

Warnings: Killing, Adultery, Gabe being a charming/fluffy lil sh*t

Word count: (total) 8,724 (this part) 4,199

https://ko-fi.com/luv4fandoms

(From @askpsychocas 's Angel Courting Ritual)

Step Two: Make your intention known.

Sometimes your intended will not recognize your intent straight off. There are a number of ways angels would seek to subtly inform their intended.

Making eye contact is essential.

Make sure your intended recognizes your impressive plumage and strength.

Personal space must be intruded on as often as possible.

If all else fails an angel might simply tell their intended.

Traditional courting outlines this, and if the intention is accepted you may proceed to the next step. An angel may also receive a courting trinket as a sign of intent and goodwill if they accept the courting. Angels can only court one other at a time. Neither the wooer or the wooed are allowed to accept advances, or give advances to another.

Modern courting is more direct, in which an angel would simply ask to go out on a date, perhaps with a smile. Smiling and good humor are not necessary for any courting, but most are apt to use it when trying to woo a human, as they get confused without such things. Exclusivity is not necessary.

Earth angel, Earth angel, the one I adore

Love you forever, and ever more.

I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you.

I hadn't planned on living with the boys, stay a few days sure, then back on the road...But here I am, a week in, still at the bunker and helping them look for a new case. It was actually really easy living with them, growing up with older brothers probably helped, that and the fact Sam and Dean were just easy to get along with. I had met their friend, and Gabriel's brother,Castiel a few days into my stay, a very quiet guy who would randomly appear out of nowhere, which I noticed Gabriel did often as well. The thing was-Castiel didn't have wings,or at least if he did, he didn't show them off like Gabriel. I also noticed that most of the time when Cas would show up, Gabriel would be gone, and if he did show up Cas would excuse himself quickly. Speaking of Gabriel, he had been acting...odd? Or maybe it was normal for him? I noticed that Cas often stood extremely close to Dean a lot, so maybe invasion of personal space was just a family thing? Either way I noticed Gabriel seemed to always find a way to be very close. Reading some lure in the library? Gabriel plops himself in the seat next to me. Looking up some cases on my laptop while on the couch? Gabriel appears out of nowhere right next to me, causing me to almost throw my computer.

One time I was even baking a pie as sort of a thank you to the boys and when I turned around Gabriel was right there, causing me to jump and almost fall backwards, and of course him making a joke about me "falling for him" when he caught me. Another thing was the fact that Gabriel was always the first one to help if I needed to get something out of storage for the boys that I didn't realize would be as heavy as it was, or anything needing a lot of strength really. I would have joked about not being a damsel in distress, but it seemed he already knew that as he would only help when he knew I would really need it. He also seemed to be almost flaunting his wings more, or at least happily stretching them often, I had noticed that they seemed much fuller than they did back on the hunt, they were still the same beautiful golden color, but they seemed...Healthier? They were impressive really, but I tried not to get caught looking at them, I still didn't know what the custom was since no one talked about them. Another thing Gabe did was a lot was eye contact, which for someone like me who usually never held  eye contact for long, it was different-or maybe it was cause Gabriel had such pretty eyes that one just had to look away from them or you would be lost forever. Either way when I spoke I always seemed to have his full attention,which, after growing up around guys that would just brush you off cause you were both a girl and the youngest, was nice. It took a couple more days before we got a new case, a bunch of women being killed by their boyfriends, fiance, husbands, all of who claimed they didn't remember doing the killings. The case came in from the boy's friend Jody in Sioux Falls,so right away we were loading up our cars and heading out. Jody had emailed the police reports to Sam who in turn emailed them to me, which Gabriel read while I followed the boys. 

"So, first up we have the lovely Mr and Mrs Tucker. Married for thirty years, two kids, and a dog...Is that just the thing to do? Kids leave the nest, the house is empty,it's finally you and your wife again after eighteen plus years and you think, what do we do now? I know! Let's get a dog!" Gabriel laughed.

"One, dogs are awesome" I started with a smile

"Oh don't get me wrong, I love them, used to have a little Jack Russel myself, but it just seems to be what people do" Gabe added

"That is true...I wonder why that is...Dangit Gabe now you have me wondering why old people insist on pushing their love onto animals instead of focusing on this case" I laughed, which caused him to chuckle as well before he turned back to the computer.

"Always ready to be a distraction sugarplum"

"So what did the lovely Mr Tucker have to say for why he slaughtered his wife?" I asked.

"Well, it says here that he said, and I quote, I don't know what came over me, I loved my wife, she was my everything, sure we had our problems but doesn't every couple?" 

"Not problems that are bad enough to kill over"

"Says he doesn't remember the act, just before and after the deed" 

"And all of the men say this?" Gabriel quickly scanned the files before replying

"Yup, everyone is a blank" 

"So we have how many couples?"

"Six, three happily married, one engaged, and two dating" I thought about it for a moment, couples that seemingly had no problems but the woman always ended up dead, at the males hand.

"I can see the gears turning in that pretty little head of yours" Gabriel spoke, breaking the silence of the car.

"Come on" he added, closing the laptop and giving me his full attention. I looked over for a moment and almost wished I hadn't, there he went with the eye contact again-had they always had an almost gold color to them? Like they could match his wings? As if sensing my fascination a grin spread on his face before he spoke again.

"Like a buddy cop movie, you can be the serious one who's all about the job"

"And which one are you?" I asked with a smile, finally able to break my gaze away.

"The loveable comic relief of course!" He smiled.

"Now come on Sugar, you're already thinking something"

"Well for one, these couples weren't as happy as they said they were"

"Duh"

"And it's the men who kill the women"

"Correct"

"As subconsciously I bet, a brutal way to get out of said problemed relationship.

"Ok, I think I am picking up what you're putting down"

"What is probably the number one thing that can put the final nail in the coffin on a man  ending a relationship?" 

"A beautiful woman"

"Exactly my lovely partner, throw in a little supernatural flair to that and we may have men forgetting just what they were doing"

"Don't let anybody ever tell you that you're just a pretty face" he smiled.

"Oh Sweetheart I am so much more than just a pretty face" I replied with a wink, watching as his wings ruffle a bit at the action.

"I also have enough issues to fill Texas" I laughed, watching as he laughed as well, one which I hadn't seen before, this one looked far more..Relaxed.

"Don't we all Sugar, don't we all"

A couple of gas stops later and we were parking outside of the Sioux Falls police station. I had changed into more of a "detective" style outfit consisting of a white button up top, black blazer, black pencil skirt and black heels at the last gas stop. Though keeping my focus on the road after that was hard since Gabriel had also changed, and boy did he pull off a suit. The black button down tucked into black slacks and partially hidden under a black blazer and tie, ZZTop's words never rang so true until that moment, every girl really was crazy about a sharp dressed man. I tried to keep my eyes on the road as much as possible, especially after getting caught twice by those golden honey eyes, but if the extra confidence in his walk on our way into the station said anything it was that he had noticed every glance. 

"There you two a--" a woman's voice spoke behind us but stopped suddenly, I turned towards the sound, noticing a woman who appeared in her late thirties, or maybe early forties.

"Jody, this is Liz and Gabriel" Sam told her while making his way over to her, followed by Dean.

"Oh right, yeah sorry you mentioned them on the phone, it's been a crazy week" she sighed.

"You ok?" Dean asked, his hand resting on her shoulder, she smiled at him and patted his hand.

"Yeah, just...I knew these people, they were all happy...Normal" 

"Nothing out of the ordinary?" Sam asked

"Unless you count Jamie not going to the bakery the night before she...she was forever bugging Cathy about how her wedding cake was coming along" 

"That's why I called you guys, it doesn't look like it's up your alley, but something's not right here" 

"And Claire?" Dean asked sternly

"I told her to stay out of this one but you know how she is" 

"Alright well we're gonna need to talk to the husbands" Sam told her.

"Well we have three of them here, the other two were cases Donna sent over"

"So this thing started someplace else?" I asked, seemingly making the trio remember Gabe and I were still here.

"Over in Hibbing Minnesota" Jody replied before smiling.

"Sorry, I'm Sheriff Mills, Sam and Dean told me about you two" She added, shaking both of our hands.

"Pleasure to meet you Sheriff" Gabriel smiled, and I couldn't stop myself from looking over at him. He really could go from playful to professional if the situation called for it couldn't he? 

"Right well, come on there are already two of the men in the interrogation rooms" she told us before leading the way. Dean and Sam took Martin Cowell, boyfriend to Stacy Young. While Gabriel and I took Jason Smith, fiance to Jamie Wilde. The man seemed regretful enough upon first glance, around mid thirties, black hair partially hiding brown eyes that were red from crying. 

"Hello Mr.Smith I'm Agent Rose and this is my partner--" shit, I realized quickly, Gabriel and I hadn't talked about his fake FBI name.

"Agent Speight" he added, seeming realizing just as soon as I had. 

"I think you may already know why we're here" I stated as we both sat on the other side of the table.

"Because of what I did to--I didn't mean to,"Jason stated, soon falling into tears.

"We just want to understand, we need you to tell us what happened," Gabriel explained,easily falling into his role. After a moment Jason started talking.

"We were out with our wedding planner, she was showing us a venue, this really fancy mansion, hell, it almost could have been a castle" he stopped to collect himself before continuing. 

"Jamie always wanted to be a princess, so this place was perfect, even if it was expensive. We booked it and made our way home--We ate, went to bed...Jamie was still talking about the place" he laughed, seeming to remember how excited she had been.

"The next thing I know, I'm standing over her body..I don't…I don't know what happened" he trailed off into a whisper.

"Did you ever become irritated by Jamie wanting expensive things?" Gabriel asked calmly.

"I mean, she could get crazy but...I guess I kinda knew what I was getting into, Jamie came from a well off family...They always said she was too good for me...Guess they were right"

"Did you ever think about leaving Jamie?" I asked 

"No never I-I mean…"

"Never looked at another woman? Never thought maybe life would be easier with someone else,maybe someone with a cheaper taste?"

The room went quiet for a moment before he sighed.

"There was once, Jamie had been getting crazy with all this wedding stuff..I just...I needed a break. So I said I was going to have a guy's night, and I went out of town, alone. I went to a bar, and met a girl there and...I'm not proud of what I did ok, but I would never have killed Jamie, if I didn't want to be with her I would have just left."

Before I could say anything a knock sounded at the door, Dean peeked his head in and motioned for us to come out.

"So do you think I'm guilty?" Jason asked when we stood up.

"Of killing your fiance, I can't share that. Of being stupidly unfaithful simply because times got hard, yeah, you're guilty of that" I stated before walking out, Gabriel following. 

"You ok?" He asked as we made our way to Dean and Sam.

"Yeah just-long story" I sighed.

"So what were you able to find out?" Sam asked.

"Well he doesn't remember doing the deed as far as killing Jamie" Gabriel told him

"What do you mean as far as?"

"Well he did confess to getting it on with a random girl at the bar one night" Gabe added

"Really?" Jody asked, shocked. 

"They seemed so happy"

"Martin confessed to cheating on Stacy as well" Dean added 

"So we have two unfaithful men" Gabe stated

"I wonder if the others were able to keep it in their pants?" I wondered out loud.

"Right, why don't Dean and I go talk to Larry Tucker, Jody, if you could call Donna and ask them if there is any way to find out if their two cases were ever unfaithful or if anything odd happened before the killings?" Sam asked.

"Yeah I'll get right on it" Jody nodded before heading to her office to make the call.

"Jason had mentioned checking out a venue the day he killed Jamie, maybe we could check that out?" Gabriel asked with a shug.

"That's actually a good idea, maybe someone there saw something or someone suspicious" I nodded, before looking back at the boys who nodded as well. I stopped one of the officers who was walking past to get directions to a mansion in town that could pass as a castle like, lucky for us there was only one. Willington Manor, a spacious 20 bedroom 10 bath home that had a pool,hot tub, tennis court, large outdoor garden, and an extra 20 acres of green grass.

"Ever feel like you're in the wrong line of work?" I asked as we parked in front.

"If only you could have it all right?" Gabe asked as we stepped out.

"If only" 

"Would you really want something like this?" He asked while we walked up the stairs.

"Eh, maybe not this, too many rooms to clean. But this much land would be nice,"

"You seem like a farm girl" he smiled before knocking on the door. 

"Grew up with chickens and stuff but sadly never on an actual farm" I laughed before we heard the door opening, an elderly woman standing there.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked

"Hello ma'am, I'm Agent Rose, this is Agent Speight, FBI, we were wondering if we could ask you some questions about a couple that came here a few days ago, they were looking at your home for a wedding venue"

"Oh yes I remember them, such a lovely couple, terrible thing that happened, they seemed so happy" she told us as she stepped aside for us to enter.

"Yes is it, so nothing seemed...Off about Jason while he was here? Nothing that would have raised any flags?" Gabriel asked while glancing around before his attention rested back on the woman, who seemed to blush under his gaze.

'Welcome to the crowd' I thought.

"No he seemed perfectly lovely, seemed very compliant with everything his soon-to-be wife wanted, and between you and me, boy did she want a lot" she told us. 

"Do you employ anyone ma'am?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I have a chief,a butler,  two maids, and two grounds keepers," she replied, her eyes never leaving Gabriel, even as he looked over at me.

"And who all was here when Jason and Jamie was?" Gabriel asked her.

"Everyone was" she told him.

"Is everyone here now?" I asked

"Yes of cour-actually no, one of the maids that worked then I had to let go" 

"Let go? How come?" Gabriel asked.

"Well I caught the little hussie trying to steal some of my jewelry, they were my great grandmother's, priceless heirlooms" she explained.

"You wouldn't happen to have employment papers would you? Or a name and description?" I asked

"I don't have papers, but I can tell you her name was Delilah"

'Probably a fake name' I thought

"and she was about five foot seven, long red hair that she kept up in a bun, pale skin. She was quiet,kept to herself but I noticed her often trying to make advances towards both of the grounds keepers...didn't work for her of course" 

"How come?" Gabriel asked

"Their both gay" she chuckled.

"That will do it" I smiled

"Well thank you for your time ma'am" Gabriel smiled.

"If you think of anything else please contact the sheriff, she knows how to reach us" he added, charmingly, making the old woman grin like a teen.

"Most certainly Agent" she replied watching as he headed towards the door. She stopped me when I went to move.

"Are you two...You know?" She asked, stunning me for a moment.

"Ah, no we are strictly-"

"Well then, don't be afraid to send him my way dear" she replied with a wink, I let out an awkward laugh and nodded before heading over to the door. Once outside I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head while we headed to the car. 

"Care to share with the class sweetheart?" Gabe asked once we got in.

"You are never to be left alone around old ladies" I chuckled.

"Oh? Did I not play the part well?" 

"She asked me if we were together, and when I said no she told me not to be afraid to send you her way" 

"Sharing is caring" he laughed

"No thank you" I replied with a small laugh.

"No threesomes?" He chuckled.

"Na I'm good, I don't like other people touching what's mine" I replied, glancing at him when I heard him inhale sharply. His wings seemingly wanted to stretch out but he held them down. 

"Never pegged you as the possessive type" even his laugh sounded forced right now.

"Not possessive, like I wouldn't tell a guy what he could or couldn't do, I just draw the line at sharing him with someone else" I explained as we pulled up at the motel Dean had texted that he got two rooms at. 

"Can you honestly say you would be completely fine with sharing a girl with another guy?" I asked as I shut the car off.

"Well I mean-" he started, wiggling his eyebrows, which only caused me to roll my eyes.

"If you really loved her, like head over heels"

"If she wanted to-"

"Never mind what she wanted, would you be comfortable watching another man put his hands on the woman you love?"

"No" he answered quickly, the gold color coming back to his eyes for a moment, before it was gone.

"See, we all have that in us, that feeling of wanting someone that is yours, just yours-"

"A mate" he answered quietly, almost as if he didn't mean to say it

"Yeah, a mate...I bet all these women thought they had found theirs...They never would have thought they would get cheated on and later killed by the ones who supposedly loved them so much" 

"If they loved them so much, would they have fully given in to whatever influenced them?" 

"No, I guess they wouldn't have" I sighed.

"This is why it's always us women who end up with a broken heart" I added while getting out of the car, missing the odd look Gabriel gave me. I knocked on the boy's room door, announcing myself, and waited only a few seconds before Sam opened the door.

"So what were you two able to figure o-" I stopped when I noticed a young blonde girl sitting on the bed looking beyond done with the boys.

"Ah Liz, Gabriel, this is Claire" Sam explained.

"Ooooh this is Claire" Gabriel nodded, leaving me completely clueless aside from remembering that the boys mentioned her while talking to Jody.

"Claire was working the case even though Jody told her not to" Dean replied while giving Claire a stern look.

"Ok and what have you all figured out?" She asked, but all of us stayed quiet, unsure if we should share information with the young huntress.

"How about this, tell us what you know and we'll tell you what we know" I stated.

"Liz" Dean started.

"She's a rebellious teen who is gonna work this case whether anyone likes it or not, at least this way she won't be running in blind" I explained, Sam and Dean shared a look, both not wanting to get Claire involved but knew I was right.

"Well it seemed Larry wasn't too faithful either, said he needed something exciting in his life since his marriage had gotten stale" Sam started. 

"Did you talk to Peter Jones? He was Becky Davis's boyfriend, dude was a total creep" Claire added.

"He didn't try to-"Dean started but Claire just rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle, trust me"

"Ok so all of the men were unfaithful, that plays into my theory" I sighed, sitting next to Claire.

"Theory?"Sam asked.

"Sweetcheeks here pretty much hit the nail on the head before we even got to the police station. Theorizes these men weren't happy, subconsciously wanted a way out, and something influenced them to find a way out" Gabriel explained, biting into a chocolate bar he made appear, I had noticed he did that a lot. He handed both Claire and I one, at first she seemed hesitant but then took it with a nod. 

"So you think some supernatural babe is convincing these guys to kill the women they're with?" Dean asked.

"Does it seem that far fetched?" I asked 

"Not compared to some other things we've faced. 

"And I think we may know what she looks like, if she's not some sort of shifter anyways." I stated before eating some of the chocolate.

"The Madame of the mansion our lovely engaged couple were looking into, had recently fired a maid that had been working the day Jason was visiting. Said she was about five foot seven, red hair, and pale-Oh and kept flirting with the male employees" Gabriel told them.

"Wait that sounds like the woman people said they saw Peter flirting with the night he killed Becky" Claire stated

"Yeah it matches with what Jody just sent me too" Sam added while looking at his laptop.

"The two from Donna, both had been unfaithful in the past, and both had witness accounts of them talking to an unknown red haired female the day and night before each of them murdered their wives." 

"So a chick who can influence guys, siren?" Claire asked.

"That would fit," I nodded.

"Not with what Jody just sent, this was found in Larry's house, I bet there is one in each of the houses" Sam stated spinning his laptop around to show us all.

"Is that?" Claire stated.

"A hex bag" Gabriel finished.

"Man I hate witches" Dean sighed.

"Should we call Rowena? Ask her if it's someone she knows?" Sam asked but Dean just shook his head.

"At this point after what she's cause, I don't care if Rowena does know her, she has to be dealt with"

"So how do we lure her out?" I asked

"Well she goes after couples right? Where is there a lot of couples right now?"Dean asked

"The fair is in town right now"Claire started

"But more people show up at night"

"Looks like we're going to the fair"Dean nodded, looking over at Sam who looked terrified.

"Don't worry Sammy, I'm sure it's clown free" he chuckled, earning a bitch face from his brother. We each went our ways after that to prepare. Jody picked up Claire, stating she would meet us at the fair later. I went to the room the boys got me to take a quick shower and the boys seemed to have the same idea.

Once night fully fell we headed out to the fairgrounds, hoping we could find this witch fast and end the case before someone else got hurt. But once we got there Gabriel turned to me, a smirk on his lips before he proposed his question.

"Why don't we up the ante? Try to lure her out ourselves while we're here?" 

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Let's make this a date"

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! It only gets better from here. And as I said before you can find the link to the 2nd part of this chapter

Here

Also some little facts, I gave Liz the agent name "Rose" because if I would have been born a boy my mom wanted to name me Axl Rose because she was a GNR superfan lol.

Also here is Gabriel in his suit for your viewing pleasure ~_^

Taglist

@sydknee624 @studentdoctorstark @ilearnedthatfromethepizzaman @ambivertedcroissant @sunny-shine44

[mr-lancers-english-class]

The Rescue

Vengeful Babes, Dissection, & Identity Reveal

AO3

Word Count: 3753

Dani wasn’t sure how she was going to explain this to Valerie. She was flying as fast as she could and it wasn’t fast enough but she also needed to think but she needed to focus to be able to think and couldn’t focus on that right now, no, because she didn’t need to crash into another jet and so she had to fly first and brainstorm second but there wouldn’t be time to brainstorm later so she needed to think now!

A bird squawked angrily off to her right, shocking Dani out of her thoughts and forcing her to slam to a halt. She glared at the bird as it gave her the stink eye before flying off. 

“I’m stopped anyway. I need to catch my breath. I’ll think of something right now,” she muttered to herself. “Alright. What do I know? Danny’s been caught. Danny needs my help. Sam and Tucker are out of town. Jazz is at college. None of the three of them know. Vlad’s minion contacted me to tell me. Because Vlad was caught too. The Fenton’s managed to catch them both. ” Dani took a moment to scream internally. She had thought she’d been free of Vlad, that he couldn’t ever find her. Danny had said he’d changed, that he was becoming more of a crazy uncle figure than a fruitloopy asshole, but Dani was loathe to trust the man. “Vlad knows how to find me. No, if he actually has changed, maybe he doesn’t but his minions do. Skulker definitely does. That’s probably it. Skulker’s always been able to find me, and now maybe this time it’s because Danny and Vlad need help and not because he wants to hunt me for sport.” She barked out a sharp laugh. “Why is my life so weird?”

With a quick inhale, Dani took off flying as hard as she could towards Amity Park. It was only a few more minutes away. She could feel the ectoplasm in the air grow thicker, and her speed increased accordingly.

“Danny and Vlad are caught by the Fenton’s and everyone who knows their secrets are out of town except Valerie. And Valerie doesn’t really like either of them, though maybe not as much.” Dani thought back to the last phone call she’d had with her girlfriend. Valerie had mentioned that she and Phantom had a truce, that they had started to work together more to stop the ghosts, and that, for the first time in the three years she had been the Red Huntress, she was getting enough sleep and finishing most of her homework. Though she hadn’t talked to Danny in a while, Dani was pretty sure the same could be said of him. It had taken too long for both of them to be willing to work with the other.

“But Valerie doesn’t know. She knows about me, but she doesn’t know about Danny or Vlad.” Dani slowed down as she entered the Amity Park airspace. The air was practically glowing with latent ectoplasm. “The less she knows about halfas the better, but also Danny should have told her forever ago and it would have made life so much easier for both of them. Agh! Why is he such an idiot?!” She veered off to the north and turned invisible. After a minute of scanning the identical apartments, she was pretty sure she had found Valerie’s. Lowering herself to the window, Dani knocked four times, paused, and knocked twice more.

The door inside slammed open. Valerie dashed across the floor, dove over her bed, and crashed into the wall with enough force to shake the ceiling lights. Throwing open the window, she whisper-shouted “Dannielle!”

Dani took that as her cue to re-enter the visible spectrum and slide through the open window. “Valerie! It’s so good to see-” She was cut off as Valerie smothered her in a hug. Dani melted in to Valerie’s arms and was very disappointed when the other girl pulled away. Disappointment was immediately replaced with a warm kiss. Valerie held Dani’s face, while Dani brought her hands up into Valerie’s hair and kissed back. It had been months since they’d seen each other in person and Dani never wanted this kiss to end.

And then she remember why she was back in Amity Park.

Dani pulled away from Valerie with a sharp inhale. Valerie tilted her head and gave her an odd look.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Valerie let go of Dani’s face and found her hands instead. “Something tells me you’re not back just to visit.” Dani shook her head miserably. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced herself to hold them in, at least until she could explain what was going on. Crying was so messy. It made life difficult when you had to worry about leaking eyes and hitching breaths, Dani decided.

“I need your help,” Dani whispered.

“Of course, Dani. You know I’m always here for you,” Valerie whispered back.

“It’s a, uh, it’s a ghost thing.”

Valerie’s eyes hardened into something dangerous. “Who’s ass do I need to kick?” Dani giggled once through the slow tears that were now streaking down her face.

“The Fentons’?” She tried to smile, but it was difficult.

“The Fentons? What did they do?”

“They got Phantom.” Dani could practically see the gears turning in Valerie’s head as she mouthed ‘The Fentons have Phantom’ a few times. “And, and Plasmius, but he’s not really my priority.”

“They have Plasmius too? The Fentons caught Vlad and Phantom?” Valerie quickly maneuvered to the other side of the room to close her door. It wouldn’t do well for her dad to get home and see her plotting with Phantom’s identical clone.

“Yeah, a few hours ago. Skulker found me to tell me and- wait, I never said Vlad. I said Plasmius,” she said slowly. Valerie knew Dani wasn’t exactly a full ghost or a full human, and also that Dani was literally a clone of another being who happened to have a hodge-podge mix of memories from said being. Valerie did not know that Danny and Vlad were halfas, or really even about the existence of halfas. Unless-

“No, I know that’s what you said, baby. But, well, Vlad Masters is Plasmius and oh you already knew-” Valerie saw the look in Dani’s eyes and put it together faster than Dani would have expected. “He’s like you, isn’t he? Plasmius?”

“Sort of. He’s more human, and he’s not a clone. We’re called halfas, but Vlad is mostly just a human infected with ghostliness and I’m technically a clone of a halfa and not a full halfa.” Dani paused. This was getting closer to Danny’s secret than she would like. Unfortunately, Valerie was smart, and Dani knew she already had theories.

“I take it Phantom is a halfa?” Dani nodded. “And the Fenton’s have caught him. And they’re probably going to experiment on him.” Dani nodded, smaller this time. “So we need to rescue him. And Vlad,” Valerie added as an afterthought. “Do you have a plan?”

Dani took a deep breath before speaking. “Sort of. Maybe. I sneak into FentonWorks while you cause a big distraction somewhere, something that looks really dangerous. The problem is that, according to Skulker, there’s a ghost shield around the house that basically puts a full stop to anything ghostly inside. No powers.”

“Then I should be the one to sneak in to FentonWorks. It’ll be easier for me to escape, and I don’t want you to get caught too,” Valerie suggested. Dani shook her head.

“You’d be just as powerless as me. Your suit is powered by ectoplasmic energy, and is possibly psychically linked to you, though I’m mostly guessing on that one. You would be weaponless, and also, if they saw you, the Fenton’s would definitely recognize you. I at least have some anonymity. Plus, I can escape into the Ghost Zone easier. You’ve got a big target on your back in there.”

“Makes sense. So I need to make a distraction” Dani nodded. “Okay. I have an idea.”

Exactly six minutes later, Dani was crouched on a roof opposite FentonWorks in her human form. Valerie had split off towards the park with a quick kiss three blocks back to enact her part of the plan. Right now, she would be off launching flash grenades in the middle of the park, making a big light show with some loud noises, but little property damage. Dani was waiting for the Fenton’s to notice and leave. It was taking too long and it was stressing her out and they needed to go because her cousin was in there and she needed to get to Danny and-

“Let’s go Maddie! There’s a powerful ghost in the park! Phantom will be here when we get back, and we can get a third strong ghost.” Jack Fenton had slammed the front door open with enough force to crack the wood. Maddie Fenton was right behind him carrying three thermoses, a vacuum, and at least seven ectoguns ranging in size from finger-gun to military-grade rocket launchers.

“To the RV!” Maddie shouted with easily as much enthusiasm though likely twice as loud. Dani winced at the volume. The neighbors might wake up, which would cause problems. As it was, she appeared to be okay for now. 

Dani watched as the RV screeched down the street and turned the corner towards the park. She fired off a quick text to Valerie, JF and MF are on their way, be safe <3, before jumping down from the roof to land lightly on the empty street. It was almost two in the morning, so every other streetlight was off. She would have to make sure to thank Vlad for that later. It made it significantly easier to see the Fenton’s shield.

“And now I just walk through, make sure I’m not using any powers, no powers, all good…” She scrunched up her shoulders in anticipation of the sting that came with crossing a shield, and was through in half a second. “Alright, the door. Is it unlocked? Nope! Okay, so, um,” She didn’t bother searching for a key, preferring to aim the Fenton Wrist Ray Valerie made her wear at the look. It melted to nothing in a single shot and the door swung open. “Right then, now down to the lab!” She whispered with mock excitement.

Every single light on the first floor was turned on. Dani imagined that the Fenton’s hadn’t left the basement since they captured Danny, and so probably had no idea it had gotten so late. Danny would occasionally tell her about his parents, how obsessive they could be. 

She found the door to the basement laboratory easily. It was right next to the kitchen, which seemed like a potentially very dangerous idea, and was covered in bright yellow warnings about ectoplasm, radiation, and general danger. She quickly snuck down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible despite knowing she was alone in the house. If she got caught, well, from a purely selfish note, that would be very bad.

The stairs led into a large cluttered room that was surprisingly open. On the far wall, the closed portal sat menacingly. In the middle was a table. Lying on the table, limbs and head strapped down with glowing leather, was Phantom. His black suit with trademark logo was missing from the waist up, where a gaping hole showing his innards was instead. Thankfully, he appeared to be asleep. Dani almost threw up then and there. She settled for light gagging instead.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to see Valerie’s reply.

The Fenton’s haven’t figured out it’s me yet. They’re still running around the park.

It buzzed again with a follow up.

You be safe too babe.

Dani almost smiled before remembering where she was and who else was in the room. She glanced up to find Danny staring at her over his open stomach and yelped, dropping her phone. It clattered to the floor with a distressing sound.

“Danny?”

“Hey cuz!” He was way too enthusiastic, Dani thought, given that he should be even more dead. “How are you?”

“Are- are you okay?” she whispered.

“Oh yeah, no I’m fine, I think. I mean, there’s this,” He glanced down at the dissection. “And whatever they strapped me down with is biting and I can’t phase through it, but other than that, I think I’m okay.” Dani bent over to pick up her phone. The screen wasn’t cracked, thankfully, but the case had a sizable dent in one corner.

“So, um, how do I get you out?” She looked back at Danny, pointedly ignoring the gaping wound.

“There’s a button on the side of the table. It’ll turn off the phase-proofing part, and I can get out from there.” Dani found the aforementioned button, and was distressed that it required a DNA sample.

“It, well, it needs DNA. I guess so other ghosts don’t come and break their cousins out.”

Danny laughed incredulously. His intestines jiggled. Dani swallowed bile.

“Everything in here is DNA coded to my parents, Jazz, and I. You’re the same DNA as me, so it should work.” Dani tried the button, and with a sharp prick of her finger to draw blood, it depressed. There was a generic powering down sound, and suddenly the leather stopped glowing.

Danny sat up as he phased his head and arms through their straps. After taking a second to rub his wrists and try and get the blood flowing, he reached into his chest and removed a few metal devices. He then took the clamps holding his skin open and released them, folding his chest back into shape. Once everything was starting to heal correctly, he hopped down off the table.

It had been at least six months since Dani had seen her “cousin” in person, and she was a bit shocked to see that he was now at least an inch and a half taller than her. She was tall by human standards, almost six feet, but Danny had shot up. He was going to be close to his dad’s height, she thought numbly, trying to ignore the green stains on Danny’s chest.

“...back soon, so we need to go,” Danny finished saying. Dani blinked as she realized he’d been talking. “Dani? Dannielle?”

“I’m here. I’m good. Um, can you repeat what you were saying?”

“We need to dash. My parents will be back soon. At least something we just did will have triggered an alarm. “

“Oh, yeah, that. Um, we could go out the front, but I don’t have my powers right now so that’s riskier. The best option is the portal.”

“Seeing as I’m a bit stuck as Phantom right now, you need to open the portal. Same DNA lock, that sort of thing. Shouldn’t be any harder than the Fenton Ghost Straps.”

“You’re stuck as Phantom?” Dani asked, maneuvering around the vast piles of who-knew-whats to get to the portal.

“Well, not really, but I heal a lot faster as Phantom and ectoplasm stains are significantly easier to get out of clothing. Also, if it comes up, I don’t want to have to explain blood stains. My parents ask more questions when it’s blood,” Danny said. He was poking at the Y-shaped incision on his chest that was now at least no longer flapping with each step. Dani looked away.

“How come you have your powers at all right now? The ghost shield is shutting me down pretty heavily.” Dani asked, keeping her back to her cousin, because god that was a disgusting sound and would he please just stop?

“Weird thing I discovered about shields. The more time you spend around them, the less the affect you. And it’s not just me. Dora, Johnny, Kitty, and Amorpho are all significantly less affected by shields now that I’ve been inviting them into town sometimes.”

“Huh. Weird,” Dani said. “So, which button is it?”

Danny came up next to her at a large control panel. “It’s this one here. Same thing as before, it’ll need a small blood sample, but you’re blood is identical to mine, so my parents won’t know.”

Dani pressed the button, and the portal slid open. Green energy shot out with a quiet roar as the basement turned the same shade as Danny’s organs. Dani was saved from this thought by her phone buzzing again, this time insistently.

“Give me a sec. Gotta take this,” she said over her shoulder. Danny nodded. She answered it.

“Dannielle? Are you there? Get out now!” Valerie’s voice was almost drowned out by the sounds of high winds. “The Fenton’s are coming back quickly. They’re like, two blocks out.”

Dani was proud that she didn’t panic. High stress situations were far too common in her young life, which, as disappointed as she was by this, helped in future high stress situations.

“On our way out. Phantom’s fine. We’re going through the portal. See you in a few minutes.”

“Sounds good. Love you.”

“Love you.” Dani smiled as she hung up. She turned back to Danny and was greeted with pleasant surprise. “I’ll tell you once we’re safe in the Ghost Zone.” Danny laughed.

“The Ghost Zone is never safe.” And he dove headfirst into the open portal. Dani heard the door upstairs slam open with no lock to impede the Fenton adults. Oh well. That’s what they get for kidnapping her cousin. She followed Danny through the portal without a glance back.

Immediately, she could feel her powers flow through her. She transformed giddily into her own ghost self and did a few loop-de-loops. Danny was waiting for her with a smile.

“So… you’re dating someone?” Dani groaned.

“Yeah, I am. We’ve been dating for almost a year now.”

“Do I get the honor of knowing how this person is?” The two halfas flew deeper into the Zone. 

“We’re about to meet up with her.” 

“Is she a ghost?” Danny did a barrel roll over top of Dani so he could fly sideways, on his stomach with his legs crossed in the air behind him and his chin resting on his hands. Dani rolled her eyes.

“No, she’s human.”

“So I take it she knows? About you? Does she know about me?” Danny rolled onto his back so he was looking at Dany upside down.

“Yes she knows about me. No she doesn’t know about you, but I think she suspects something.” Dani stopped and watched as her cousin went speeding by.

“And where exactly is she?” Danny asked, making his way back to Dani.

“In the human realm.” Dani reached her hands out into the air infront of her, and with less concentration needed than the last time she tried this, opened a rent in the fabric of reality.

The small portal, no larger than a bean bag, was swirling green and purple and smelled vaguely of cinnamon and apples. Danny whistled.

“You’ve gotten strong. I haven’t been able to do portals at all.”

“Well, I can’t hold them for long, so please do enter.” Danny flew through the hole in the fabric of the Ghost Zone. Dani took a deep breath and followed suit.

They emerged above Valerie’s apartment. Dani alighted on the gravel roof, and detransformed. Danny stayed hovering at her shoulder height. Within a minute, Dani could hear the whine of Valerie’s hover board, and soon spotted her girlfriend flying high above the city.

The Red Huntress circled the apartment once, before slowly lowering and retracting her hoverboard. She landed on both feet, and Dani lept forward to hug her. After far too short, Dani pulled away, because her cousin was spluttering behind her. She turned back to look at him, and was very releived to see that his jumpsuit had reformed. That’s good, she thought, because that was disgusting and I almost lost my lunch, and that would have gone badly for both of us.

“You’re dating Valerie?!” Danny practically shouted. Both Dani and Valerie shushed him equally as loudly. “Why didn’t you tell me? What? You’re dating Valerie?”

“Yes I am,” said Dani, at the same time that Valerie said “And just how do you know who I am?” They looked at each other and had a quick wordless conversation. It ended with Valerie retracting her full suit. Dani leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“You know who I am, Phantom.” It almost sounded like a question, but Danny had spent too much time around Valerie in the last four years of high school to mistake it as such. “You’ve known for a while now. And I suppose, I know who you are too.” Danny remained silent, so she continued. “I’ve known for a while, I just didn’t want to think about it.” Dani reached for Valerie’s hand and gave a light squeeze.

“I should have told you a while ago, Val. Sorry about that,” Danny muttered, landing lightly on the roof. “If I may ask, what gave it away?”

“You mean besides the name?” Danny nodded with a laugh. “How much Dani looks like you. Both sides of you. You guys do mention clone a fair amount, and even I’m not that blind.”

Danny let his transformation rings wash over him, and although she knew, Valerie was still a bit surprised to see Danny Fenton standing on her roof.

“So, then, now that all this is in the open, does anyone want food?” Danny asked, changing the subject. He stretched his arms up over his head. “Being dissected takes a lot of energy, and I am starving!” Dani smiled at her cousin. Valerie barked out a laugh.

“I guess, yeah.”

“Well then, to the Nasty Burger! Dinner is on me!” Danny transformed back and began to fly off. Dani and Valerie followed close behind.

“It’s four in the morning, Danny,” Dani yelled into the wind. “I think this counts as breakfast.”

“Time is irrelevant. Burgers normally means dinner, so dinner it shall be.” All three teenagers laughed.

“Are you guys just going to go in like this?” Valerie shouted.

“Wouldn’t be the first time, Val. Minimum wage workers tend not to ask too many questions about ghosts at ungodly hours.” 

They flew for a minute, trading light banter, before Valerie came to a screeching halt. Dani and Danny circled back around and hovered with her.

“Um, guys, did anyone get Vlad?”

[boltofnightshade]

TA:D Ch.1 Previously On: Chaotically Stupid

The Ghost Zone, my parents were always obsessed with it. My twin and I were standing inside the so called portal, nothing was happening. I brush my hair back, securing it in a tail. I turn my eyes to Danny. 

Danny questions, "Tuck, Sam do we have to do this?" 

I move closer to him, linking my arm with his, "This is what you get for making that bet." 

“Danny, this is going to be great. Do it! I’m sure I can get Alex to give me better blackmail on you than I already have,” Sam teases. “If something happens we can make a killing. If not then, no harm done, right?” Tucker encourages. 

I bump his shoulder lightly ignoring Sam's teasing. Danny turns pulling me with him. 

I lock eyes with my twin, he shrugs, smiling. He pulls me closer, tugging on my ponytail. I bat his hand away. 

“Charlie’s afterwards?” Danny asks. 

"Duh. Whatever happens we'll be fine, we always are," I reassure him. 

At that moment I felt a sharp tug on my arm as Danny trips. He caught himself against the wall one hand steadying me as well. I give Danny a small smile when a bright light fills the room, burning my eyes. 

*A foreign and yet familiar energy surrounds us. My arms, reaching out for Danny, finding him grab on tightly. I feel a shock hit my very being as a foreign energy invades my body. A scorching, sizzling heat consumes and ravages my very being. Sharp pain lights my nerves aflame. All at once it’s as if my hands, arms, shoulders, and chest are being sliced open and cauterized repeatedly. Where was it? Where was he? Danny! Danny! I can’t...I can’t feel him anymore. Danny! A wail of agony tore itself from my throat. He’s gone...I can’t feel Danny anymore. He is there beside me on the floor...where’s the floor I can’t feel that anymore either. Danny, please please. No! No! NOOO! Danny, this is my fault. I’ll find you again. And this time I’ll save you. Not Danny, please please PLEASE DANNY PLEASE be okay. *  

As suddenly as the light and agony came, it disappears and I with it. 

I try opening my eyes, but a harsh blinding light sears them making me close them once more. I’m lying flat, on something rather lumpy. Several noises assault my ears from all sides. 

The low hum of electricity intermixed with a consistent beeping, several machine made sounds all combined into an irritating drone. I strain my ears to hear more......

'Wait!!! Where is Danny? Is he okay? Move dammit! Come on, get up do something!! Find Danny! I have to. Go get him! Find him! Danny, please please please be okay!'

All these thoughts fly through my head echoing and getting louder and louder making the beeping louder as well. 

I jolt upwards but a hand gently pushes me back. I try to open my eyes once again not caring about anything but Danny. This time they flutter open. I blink against the harsh light a few times. Squinting to see past it. 

"Alexandria! You're finally awake," mom's voice gushes in concern next to me.

Her eyes hold gallons of unshed tears in them, their violet hue shimmering.

"Mom? Where's Danny? Is he okay?" I shout. 

My throat feels as though it was scrubbed clean with bleach and a bit of steel wool. Mom hands me a glass of water. I sit up slowly and reach out to take it. I look down at my arm it's covered in bandages and gauze. Flexing my fingers sends pain up my arms. I take the glass shakily, ignoring my pain, well trying to. It sloshes against the glass  as I bring it to my mouth. I take a few small sips not knowing how long I was out. 

As I'm handing the glass back, a loud voice booms, "Maddie, why didn't you say Alexandria was awake? Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?" 

My dad enters the room with two cups of coffee. 

"Jack lower your voice we're in a hospital," Mom reminds him sternly. 

"Dad? Is Danny okay? Mom never answered. What happened? I'm fine," I croak out as fast as possible. 

"You're not fine, but we're glad you're awake,” mom says smiling as she sets the glass down. 

Dad walks over to the bed as well. He hands a coffee to mom and ruffles my hair. I glower. 

"Danny tried to wake up yesterday, he didn't. He's in bed on your right, behind your father," Mom murmurs. 

"Really, Alexandria, we're so happy you're both still alive. But what were you doing near the portal?" Dad asked, sounding serious. 

"Portal? The ghost portal in the basement? I...I..I don't remember it's all a blur. I'm sorry dad, mom." I'd rather not lie to them but I have to know more about Danny first. 

I go to get up and mom reaches out to grab my arm. Her fingers brush the gauze and she lowers her arm looking pained. Weird but okay, I ignore it, I stand up wobbly, getting a glimpse of my twin lying in his own hospital bed. 

I gingerly make my way to him biting back groans of pain. I settle next to him on the bed carefully. I trail my fingers across his face gently, relieved that he's here, alive. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. 

Danny whimpers, opening his eyes slowly. I help him sit up, wincing myself. He looks down at my arms both covered in wrappings and holds my hand looking up at me. I wrap my other arm around him giving him a light squeeze. 

"How are you? Mom is bringing you water," I choke up, tears I've been holding at bay constricting my throat. 

Danny smiles at mom and dad, taking his own cup of water and drinking it slowly. Setting it aside. He brushes his hair out of his eyes. 

"I'm okay, you? Honest mom, dad we'll be fine we're Fentons after all," Danny says. 

Dad goes off about our last name and how no Fenton would go down so easily as mom tries to calm him down. 

"I'm alright, Danny. Things are a bit of a blur, yeah?" I ask nudging him lightly. 

Danny laughs softly, "Yeah, a bit." Whispering, he asks, "What are we telling Mom and Dad?" 

I shrugged, "We'll figure it out later if, well more like when they leave." 

Danny slumps down in the bed. He gently tugs my hand to follow. I lay down beside him, smiling. 

"I'm really glad you're okay Alex," he mutters. 

"Mmm, I'm glad you're okay as well Danny," I say, watching as his eyes close. My own follow shortly. 

My eyes snap open, my shoulders rise and fall with a prick of metallic cold invading my lungs. I feel a warm tap against my arm. 

"Mom and Dad are asleep we should be quiet," Danny murmurs pressing his arms around me. 

"You feel warm." 

"Yeah, well you feel like ice." 

I snuggle closer to Danny, enjoying the feel of our energies entwining. Danny looks down at me brushing hair out of his eyes. 

"Holy Shit and Spirits above! Danny! Danny! Danny, your eyes their green, like glow in the dark green!" 

"I'm not the only one then. Your eyes are glowing too, Alex."

"What? Why?" 

"I can't say. But they're yellow." 

"It's not....You don't think..."

"It's because of the accident, yeah. I mean what else could it be from. Charlie never mentioned our eyes would change color." 

"Shit! It'll go away though, right?" I tilt my head to the side gazing at my twin. "Danny, your energy is off. It feels colder than before." 

"Does that mean yours is too? It must be and it's likely to be hotter than before. So, is that why I feel hot and you cold?" 

"Mmm, must be. So, we tell Mom and Dad that we were in the basement" 

"And the portal started glowing and next thing we remember is waking up here, yeah?"

"Exactly." 

‘We’ll be okay, we always are,’ I thought to myself listening to Danny’s heartbeat as we fell asleep. 

[dannyphantomisameme]

DNA Test (One-Shot)

Genres: Family and Drama

(Links to Fanfiction and AO3)

"Please do not open the packets unless instructed to do so!

"Dash Baxter,

"Tucker Foley,

"Star Fredrickson,

"…. I said, do not open the packets…" Mr. Smith (haha basic name) groaned as he saw his students begin to open the packets after strictly instructing them not to. Danny reluctantly sat in his seat, waiting for his name to be called. Biology was a boring class, he often felt the need to just make up an excuse to get out, but he needed the attendance for his grade. It was on the verge of failure. Currently he was balancing his pencil on his finger, the lead pressed against his skin.

"Daniel Fenton" Mr. Smith shouted over the commotion of the classroom as Danny's pencil fell. He sighed and hopped out of his seat, shuffling towards the front of the room. He grabbed the paper from his teacher's hand and returned to his desk. His eyes roamed the object, but he could not gather any new information from it.

Finally, after Mr. Smith finished handing out all the packets, he instructed the students to open them. Danny flipped through the pages slowly, looking for possible information that would free him of his boredom.

He stared at the numbers, not comprehending the message they were conveying. He looked over to Sam whose eyes darted from side to side as she read her packet.

"Now class, let's go through it together. On the second page you will see your ethnicities. Such as 15% German or 25% Chinese." Mr. Smith paused for a moment, giving students the opportunity to read their results.

Danny turned back to his own sheet. 35% British, 30% German, 25% Irish, 5% Italian, and 5% unknown. Ok, so now I know I'm white. He chuckled a bit at his own joke. It wasn't like he was going to find any shocking evidence from this packet. It was only a DNA test. Unless his ghost half decided to screw things up.

He glanced over at Sam's paper on his right, but he couldn't read the small font. He then switched over to Tucker who was reading his paper thoroughly. He wanted to talk to his friends, but they seemed preoccupied. Danny eased back in his chair, waiting for the teacher's next direction.

"On page 3 you will find the DNA sequences that matches your mother as well the traits you two share. One page four you will see the DNA sequences that match with your father. Go ahead and look through the rest of the packet if you want. It includes any specific details or abnormalities the test may have found. After you're done, work on your assignments till the end of class." With that final declaration, Mr. Smith sat down on his desk chair with a soft thud.

Danny flipped to the next page and eyed his and his mother's matching genotype. There were tons of similarities, including skin color, nose shape, body traits, etc. About 45% of Danny's DNA matched with his mom. He flipped to the next page and immediately furrowed his eyebrows. Barely any of Danny's DNA matched his father. Other than the hair color and the eyes, he was nothing like his father. The test gave him a 10% similarity between the two.

Danny clutched his papers in his hand and stood up, walking towards the front of the room. He stopped at Mr. Smith's desk and slid the paper onto its surface. "Mr. Smith? I have a question…"

"How can I help you Daniel?" the teacher said as he swiveled away from his computer to face his student.

"This doesn't make sense." Danny said pointing to the page with his and his father's DNA. Mr. Smith pushed his glasses up his nose and picked up the packet, scrutinizing it thoroughly. He placed the papers down and slid them towards Danny.

"I don't know what to tell you Daniel. I'll look into the testing program and ask them." Mr. Smith said with a smile. Danny just nodded and returned to his seat in the back of the classroom.

"What was that about?" Sam asked as he sat down.

"Nothing… I just didn't understand something." Danny said avoiding telling the entire truth. Sam simply nodded in reply and returned to her paper. Danny flipped to the next page in his packet. There were no outstanding abnormalities, other than a few never before seen pieces of DNA. Probably my ghost half, he thought.

As Danny continued reading the rest of the packet the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. The trio filed out of the classroom with the other students, each member going to their respective lockers. They grabbed the materials they each needed to take home and met up at the front door.

Danny shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked down the stairs and out of the school. The leaves on the ground crunched under their footsteps as the chilly fall wind flew through their hair. Sam zipped up her jacket as Danny lifted the hood of his sweatshirt and placed it upon his head, hiding his face under his bangs.

Sam and Tucker chatted about their classes as they walked while Danny kept silent. He stared at his muddy red converse as they strolled. The other two didn't bother to question his silence, already sensing he wouldn't tell them even if they asked. When they reached a fork in the sidewalk, the members said their goodbyes as they each left for their respective houses. Today was Wednesday, meaning they wouldn't hang out after school with all the homework they received.

Danny took out his phone from his pocket and plugged in his earbuds. He needed to redirect his thoughts and he knew music would help him do just that. He placed the earbuds into his ears and pressed the shuffle button on his Spotify playlist. He nodded his head to the rhythm of some super catchy theme song. Yo Danny Fenton he was just 14 when his parents built a very strange machine… (I swear it isn't young, Bitch Fartman is a liar) Surprisingly, the lyrics matched his life accurately. Even the song was about a dude who had the same name as him. Haha… wait… uh...

 Never mind.

He looked around at his environment. A group of children were playing in the driveway of a house across the street. Two of them were chasing the other three in circles and holding their hands up as if they were guns. Danny chuckled at the scene, reminding him of his childhood. He, Tuck, and Sam used to play cops and robbers all the time. Danny turned and saw an elderly woman gardening in her front lawn. When she noticed him, Danny waved as a smile crawled across his features. Danny recognized the woman, one he had saved after a ghost attack at the mall. She waved back in reply. He strutted along the gray sidewalk until he reached his house. The trees in the front yard displayed vibrant colors of red and orange in their leaves; few leaves littered the dying grass.

Danny walked up the stairs and brought his house keys out from his pocket. Unlocking the front door, he slammed it shut once he was inside. "MOOOOOMMM I'M HOME!" he yelled as he chucked his backpack onto the couch. He entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. He immediately closed the fridge. Yesterday's dinner was reanimated again. He sighed and went to the cupboard, grabbing some bread and made a quick PB and J sandwich. He didn't necessarily like toast, but it was the only food in the house that was edible.

He chewed on his sandwich as he entered the basement. He really hated this place. It terrified him with the possibilities of being dissected. His gut twisted within him, the feeling he always got when entering the lab.

"What did I tell you about bringing food into the lab?" Maddie scolded without lifting her head. She was in the back corner working on a new ghost weapon. Danny walked up to her, her face was painted with concentration.

"Fofwy.." Danny mumbled through his mouth full of bread. He quickly chomped down the remains of his sandwich and stood near his mother. He wiped his hands together, lettings the crumbs from his snack fall onto the cement floor.

"Danny you're not going to believe what this weapon can do! It's going to finally allow us to bring down Phantom!" Maddie excitedly exclaimed as she held up the invention. Danny hesitantly took a step back, hoping his mother didn't notice. "I've calibrated this gun to shoot ectoblasts so powerful that they exceed his ecto entity level! He'll never see it coming!" Maddie held up the machine and cocked it, as if ready to shoot, peering through the eye hole with one eye open.

"That's great mom…" Danny said off to the side. He did not want to get in the way of that. "Uh mom, I uh- can you take a look at this?" Danny fumbled through his pocket and grabbed the crumbled-up packet. He handed it over to his mom as she pushed her goggles up onto her head. She raised an eyebrow at him before accepting the packet and looking it over. Danny quietly waited for a response, fidgeting with his hands behind his back. The only noise within the lab was the sound of paper being flipped to the next page.

Maddie's eyes went wide for a moment as she placed the papers down. She stared at it intently, her body going stiff without motion. A minute of silence passed as Danny looked at his mother questioningly. Multiple emotions clouded her face as she tried to understand. She suddenly glanced at Danny, her eyes a hazy violet.

"I-" she choked up as tears threatened to emerge from her eyes. "I'm sorry Danny. I – I didn't know…"

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Danny said anxiously as he took a step forward. His mother burst into nonsensical mutterings.

"I didn't mean to! It – it wasn't supposed to mean anything! I didn't think to check. I – I" She stuttered as her hands flew up to her face, covering her emotions effectively.

Danny stood there uselessly, unable to comprehend his mothers' words. "Mom you're not making sense!" He shouted over her mumbling.

"I thought you were Jack's!" She exclaimed as her hands immediately jumped to cover her mouth. Danny felt his world crumble upon him, the weight of his mother's words heavy upon his shoulders. He felt his heart skip a beat within his chest. The dread rose up within his being, enveloping his mind.

"Who's my father…" he whispered in the silence. He couldn't even look his mother in the eye. He glared at the papers, the source of this new revelation. His mothers' sobs were the only thing audible in the quiet.

"It was a one-time thing! He said he would in exchange for some crucial parts… We needed them Danny! Jack would have been devastated!"

"Who's my father!" Danny said furiously as he lunged forward and grabbed his mother by her hazmat suit. He was taller than her now, easily towering over her. The fabric felt uncomfortable bunched up in his hands. He suddenly let go, realizing the brute of his actions and taking a step back. He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the ground, a nervous habit of his.

Maddie stood there dismayed, staring at her son with wide eyes. The word reluctantly rolled off her lips, crushing her son into a million pieces. Maddie suddenly felt weak, her knees buckling as she dropped to the ground. Her hand ran through her hair as she held the table for support with the other hand. She closed her eyes for a moment, but before she could say anything, he was already gone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Danny raced up the stairs, eager to be anywhere but the lab. His heart pumped in his chest rapidly, the thumping drowning out all his thoughts. The name that had escaped from his mother's lips reverberated in his ears, increasing in volume until he collapsed just outside the front lawn. Silence ensued as he was on his knees, his head in his hands with the inability to comprehend exactly what happened.

He knew he should go and find him.

Did he know?

What would he say?

Did his da- Jack know?

The thoughts raced through his mind like a blizzard, destroying any positive emotions as it went. Sitting on the gray pavement with tears pricking his eyes, Danny knew what he had to do. He shot up and ran behind the house. The fall leaves plummeted from the trees as his blurred figure passed by. He searched within him for that all familiar icy feeling and latched onto it, bringing it forward and calling upon his transformation. Leaping into the air, his spiky raven locks transformed into snow white as the blinding halo descended his body. Red sweatshirt and jeans were replaced by the iconic black and silver jumpsuit. Finally, his eyes opened in a flash, revealing neon green orbs instead of the usual baby blue diamonds.

Danny flew through the air at max speed, recklessly thrusting his arms forward through the autumn air. The sun had begun to set, leaving behind effervescent colors of orange and pink painted throughout the sky. His mind was only set on finding one thing: him.

He traveled the familiar path to his destination, using the buildings as guidelines. Finally, he dropped down onto the huge white building, plunging down with his foot outstretched as if about to kick. The white-haired teenager intangibly passed through the dome like structure, and with a thud reached the carpeted floor crouched down. He looked up, eyes narrowed in a quest to find this man. He spotted him. Siting in a chair and typing away at his computer. Vlad.

The teenager stood up slowly, his jet-black bangs shadowing his facial features and giving them a hollow look. He walked towards the man, his eyes glowing a ferocious neon green with a hint of bloody red. The boy glared at the man as he walked, taking in his full appearance.

"Daniel, can't you see I have mayoral duties to attend to? I don't have time for your ghostly antics." The man said without glancing up once. Danny had gotten uncomfortably close to the man and took the opportunity to attack.

He lunged forward grabbing, the man by the collar of his pristine black suit. The teen towered over him, a sign of his growth spurt from 3 years ago. Vlad let out a growl from being disturbed as he writhed in the arms of the teenager.

"Why? Why did you have to do that?!" Danny shouted at the middle-aged man. His voice quivered slightly as his eyes turned hazy with tears. The elder halfa teleported to the other side of the room and sighed as he straightened his now wrinkled suit. Danny immediately fell onto his knees as he lost grip of the Fruitloop, sobbing silently. He stared at the floor unsure of whether to tell the man or not.

"Use your words child! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important business to attend to. Please see yourself out the door before I call the Guys in White." Vlad said mockingly, turning his back towards the younger halfa and walking towards his desk once more. Danny sat amidst the rich carpet and stared at his biological father. Was he the reason I survived the accident 4 years ago?

"Wait!" Danny called out his arm outstretched in front of him. Vlad swiveled around and looked at the boy questioningly. He finally noticed the tears escaping his emerald eyes. Daniel never cries, this must be important, he thought.

"I-" Danny paused. Where should I start? Sitting on the floor he called upon his transformation and once again into his human form; the flashing circle of light descended down his body. He shoved his hands in his jeans pocket and retrieved a crumpled-up ball of papers. He held out his hand for the older man to take as it shook with nervousness.

Vlad snatched the ball of anger from the teen and smoothed out its wrinkles. The title caught his attention. DNA test results? Did his ghost form mutate his DNA? Did someone discover his secret? He read the pages carefully and thoroughly, until his eyes widened at the sight of the fourth page. No, it can't be… he thought.

Everything hit Vlad at once. He stood there in shock, his body frozen at the realization. He glanced down at the boy, who had now brought his knees towards his body and placed his head in his hands. The reason Daniel came to me is because… I have a son?

"Little Badger is this a… joke?" the middle-aged man said softly, the words barely escaping his mouth. Danny shook his head from his position, mumbling something inaudible to the older halfa. Vlad crouched down towards his biological son, hesitantly patting the boy's back. He wasn't sure if comfort would help the hormone-driven teenager.

Vlad remembered the time when Maddie had come to him for money, exchanging one thing for another. It wasn't necessarily an affair, but a mother willing to do whatever it took to make her husband happy and keep her family together.

What had happened next was unexpected.

Vlad embraced his son, squeezing the boy with over-filling joy. "There, there Daniel. It's all right…" the boy sniffed quietly as he sat in surprise, being hugged by his number one enemy wasn't a daily occurrence. Come to think of it, having your number one enemy turn out to be your father was as surreal as an episode of Star Wars (I'm not sure if this connection is accurate, I've actually never seen star wars, but I only know about the famous "Luke, I'm your father" line).

"Wh-why?" the boy rasped out as he wiped the droplets at his eyes. His face looked hollow with helplessness and his cheeks blotched from crying.

"It was a one-time thing. An exchange. Nothing was supposed to come out of it… but, here you are." Vlad said softly as he returned his arms to his side and sat down next to Danny. The father and son held eye contact for a moment until Vlad erupted into a wide grin, causing the teen to turn his head away and stare at his shoes. The elder halfa inched towards his son and placed his hand around him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the invisible wall between them overwhelming with tension until Vlad spoke up.

"Does Jack know?" He said turning towards Danny, his eyebrows furrowed.

"No." Danny replied shortly, not in the mood to have a conversation right now.

They may have sat there forever, listening to the sounds of each other breathing, if it weren't for the clock that stroked 6. Danny flinched at the noise, surprising both. He stood up and glanced down at the man, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face.

"You're still a Fruitloop…" But before Vlad could protest, the boy was gone.

[lilaclily00]

Apologies (2)

Reposting this part separately since I think most people missed it... Well, I’ve learned my lesson on reblogging to old chapters.

Danny Fenton secretly sort-of joins the family business.

Here’s Part 1!

AO3 link

@goinggoblin​ @pigte​

Part 2

Danny didn't know how it happened, but one of the shots he fired went into the portal and got it to start up. He stumbled back and blocked the burst of light from his face. He had finally adjusted and put his arms down by the time the footsteps bumbling down the stairs had stopped at his side.

"What's happening down he--" His mom paused as she stared into the green abyss in the wall.

"You fixed the portal, Danny-boy? You fixed it! It works!" Danny grunted as his father crushed him in a hug so suddenly he dropped the ecto-gun, which broke apart on impact with the ground. "That's my son!"

"How'd you do that?" Jazz asked, a little too skeptical, earning a glare from Danny as he was finally let go.

"Now, Jazz, you know your brother's very smart, too. It runs in the family." Their mom ruffled Danny's hair; he was still a little too focused on that ghost girl to appreciate it. He had no idea if she was still in the lab, or had run off to somewhere else in town, or made the escape back "home" through the portal the second she could. "Perhaps I should start having you kids help us in the lab more!"

Their dad patted the portal's rim affectionately. "Oh, it'll be a snap to get a new grant once we tell 'em this baby's on and running!"

"Now, Jack, we don't know if it even goes to the Ghost Zone yet," their mom chastised him gently, though excitement sparkled in her eyes. "Would you kids like to help run the tests?"

"Later. I think I'll head up to my room for a bit," Danny said, rushing up the stairs. He did not have the energy or patience for that right now. He also had to go inform Sam and Tucker about the ghost girl--he could count on them to help him deal with her if he ran into her again. No, when--he was not going to let her go without any consequences.

She had no right to ruin their lives. It only seemed fair to ruin her afterlife right back.

"Dude, are you sure about this?" Tucker peered over his best friend's shoulder, scrunching his nose at the otherworldly smell wafting from the box. Sam glanced back at the door of the shed, impatiently tapping her foot.

"What, you don't believe me?" Danny muttered, not quite hiding a bitter tone as he pulled contaminated, broken contraptions out from the next box. Where was that little laser, he swore it was in here...

"We do!" Sam protested, pulling at the wrists of her gloves. "I just--"

"Can't condone the use of violence, I know. It's not like it'll really hurt her, she doesn't have nerves," Danny reminded. He'd heard his mom say that about ghosts a while ago. He grinned when he recovered the laser at the very bottom, holding it out like a trophy then setting it aside.

"Well, yeah," she assented, frown forming, "but it also just seems a little too dangerous to use old equipment to hunt her down."

Tucker kneeled to help Danny throw the scraps back in. "Yeah, man. Your parents, the leading experts in ghost-hunting tech, thought this stuff wasn't worth keeping anymore."

"Because they don't have the time to fix them, not with trying to get their grants again, which are all for their newer projects." Danny slapped the top flaps of the box down and carefully laid the "CAUTION: ECTOPLASMIC WASTE" tape back over. "We, however, do have the time."

"Yup, time to contaminate ourselves for a senseless need for revenge." Sam crossed her arms, defiant as Danny stood up to face her, gloves tensed up into fists.

"You don't get it, do you? You don't even care, do you?!" Danny didn't notice his friends flinch. "We pretty much lost everything because of a ghost! They had all the anti-ghost systems on, but she somehow got through all of them! We can't take a ghost to court, and--" Danny closed his eyes and let out a huff. His friends didn't deserve to get yelled at like this. He opened them again, gaze fixed on his hazmat boots, then continued quieter, "And all the credibility my parents had is wiped out. The fact that the portal started will help, but still." He dropped down to the concrete floor of the shed, sitting as he pulled his glove off to scratch at his hair. "I haven't ever been into ghost-hunting, you know that, but my parents really don't deserve this. It's the only way I can help, you know?"

"Is... that why you haven't told them about the ghost girl?" Tucker shuffled to sit by his friend.

Danny nodded, glancing between his friends' wide eyes. "Yeah. I want to take her down myself."

School was surprisingly normal, except for Dash. Dash was acting weird.

With how distracted he had been on Monday, he hadn't noticed that Dash never bothered him, but it became increasingly noticeable over the next couple days. Danny passed by him and Kwan wailing on other kids in the halls, but he wasn't even acknowledged.

"Why is Dash ignoring me?" Danny whispered to his friends at Tucker's locker. "It's driving me crazy! I don't know what this means!"

"I'd take it as a stroke of luck and not question a good thing," Tucker shrugged as he poured notebooks into his backpack.

"But what if he's planning something big? Is there something I don't know about? What's going on?!" Danny cried out, pulling at his hair.

Sam swatted at his hand before he made any more of a scene. "I'm a little suspicious too. Nothing's ever stopped Dash before, though I wish you'd try harder to defend yourself." She glanced over at the bully himself, strolling down the hall towards them. "But I doubt there's enough room for big plans in his tiny brain."

"Hey, Foley!" Dash slammed Tucker's locker closed, leaning on it as he towered over the trio. "I've got a bad English grade to take out on you."

Danny was startled by how he nearly felt... offended. "Am I not good enough to be your personal punching bag anymore?!" he blurted out. Sam facepalmed as he put himself in front of Tucker to confront the blond.

Dash scrunched his nose as he studied Danny, a strange emotion in his eyes. "I made a deal to stop picking on you for a while." The three gaped, frozen. He continued with a smirk, "But it didn't say anything about your loser friends," as he side-stepped to grab Tucker's collar.

"With who? Why?" Danny asked as the shock wore off, but Dash was already dragging Tucker away, to Sam's protests. Why would someone do something like that for him now? Why would Dash go with it?

Oh. Danny swallowed, mixed emotions settling in his chest. Maybe more people knew about the lab accident than he thought. This very well could've been not just an act of kindness, but an act of pity. He didn't like that.

He opened his bedroom door with a sigh, ready to dig out the ghost weapons from under his bed and work on possibly getting them to function. He frowned when there was a box waiting on his desk. "I'd rather not have another surprise today," he groaned as he walked over. His interest was piqued by the note laying on top:

"For your ghost troubles. -V"

He cautiously opened the box, eyes widening at the goodies inside. "Maybe this is a good surprise," he corrected himself with a growing grin as he pulled out ghost-hunting equipment--new, clean, intact equipment, all painted black and icy blue.

"Look out, ghost girl." He playfully pointed one of the guns at the window. "You're gonna be sorry you ever messed with the Fentons."    

[thesoulspulse]

undefined

I already made a post about this here on my Danny Phantom tumblr, but this is my first attempt at an animatic/parody with fan lyrics so hopefully, there won't be a problem with using the song since it falls under fair use over on my art-centered youtube channel. (Just in case there is a problem though it should be safe to share it here too) Also before you ask, yep, I drew all the characters myself for this! And most of them are for the first time but there's plenty more like it on my Deviantart page! I'm also going to share a link to the story too in case you want to read it if you’re new here because it's been a huge undertaking and I'm very proud of it. Without further ado though please enjoy and be sure to spread the love!

(P.S. I didn't end up drawing Danny for his part of the song since I forgot and I've been drawing him a lot lately so I got a little burnt out. Just want to let you know why he's not there too)

Fanmade Lyrics for my fanfic “Nowhere To Run.” (Original song by “Good For You” from the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack)

Maddie: So you found a place where the grass is greener And you jumped the fence to the other side Is it good? Is Vlad giving you a world I could never provide?

Well I hope you’re proud of your big decision Yeah, I hope it’s all that you want and more Now you’re free from the agonizing life you were living before

And you say what you need to say So that you get to walk away It would kill you to have to stay trapped When you’ve got something new Well I’m sorry you had it rough And I’m sorry I’m not enough Thank God he rescued you

So you got what you always wanted So you got your dream come true Good for you Good for you, you, you Got a taste of a life so perfect So you did what you had to do Good for you Good for you

Sam: Does it cross your mind to be slightly sorry? Do you even care that you might be wrong? Was it fun? Well I hope you had a blast while you dragged me along

Tucker: And you say what you need to say And you play who you need to play And if somebody’s in your way Crush them and leave them behind

Tucker & Sam: Well I guess if I’m not of use Go ahead, you can cut me loose Go ahead now, I won’t mind

Jack: I’ll shut my mouth and I’ll let you go Is that good for you? Would that be good for you, you, you?

Sam & Valerie: I’ll just sit back while you run the show Is that good for you? Would that be good for you, you, you?

Sam, Tucker, & Valerie: I’ll shut my mouth and I’ll let you go Is that good for you? Would that be good for you you, you?

Danny: All I need is some time to think But Dan’s about to bring me to the brink Can’t erase what connects us through this link Tell me how would you change the story?

Sam, Tucker, & Valerie: I’ll just sit back while you run the show Is that good for you?

Good for you?

Danny: All the words that I can’t take back Like a train coming off the track ‘Cause the rails and my bones all crack I’ve got to find a way to Stop it, stop it! Just let me off!

Sam, Tucker, & Valerie: So you got what you always wanted So you got your dream come true Good for you Good for you, you, you Got a taste of a life so perfect Now you say that you’re someone new Good for you Good for you Good for you Good for you So you got what you always wanted

Story: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12861681/1/Nowhere-To-Run Tumblr Post (Original): https://thesoulspulse.tumblr.com/post/184541813863/good-for-you-from-the-dear-evan-hansen-original

[darks-ink]

buddy pal,,, u cant just tell me ur still open for requests and then n o t expect me to come bug u. hb u continue the snow//reveal fic?

Listen… it was a very deliberate choice, ok. I wanted to write Snow as a full reveal, but I ended up not going there because I didn’t want it to end up too long. Which, as it turns out, was a good decision! Because this one ended up even longer than the original, whoopsie. (for people looking it up in my fic archive or on AO3/FFn later - it’ll be listed as Avalanche)

[Snow can be read here, or check my fic archive for links to AO3 or FFn]

—

“Danny,” Maddie said,gently, as they approached him. He’d been watching them the wholetime. Since Jack had caught him in the act of forming a snowball withhis ghost powers, really.

It was painful, seeing hisown son look at him with such clear suspicion. With so little trust.

God, they’d reallymessed this up, hadn’t they?

“Yeah?” Dannyeventually replied, warily. “I thought we were in a hurry? What wastaking so long?”

“We were just…”Maddie looked over at him, but he had nothing to offer and shrugged.“Just… talking.”

“About what?” heasked, now even more openly suspicious.

Jack stepped closer toDanny, but stopped when the boy flinched back. Rather than wrap anarm around his shoulders like he really wanted, Jack held out hishands. Showed him that he was unarmed, that he didn’t mean harm.

“About how proud we areof you, Danny-boy.” He made sure to pour all his love, his care,his adoration, into his words. He wasn’t sure if ghosts could feelpositive emotions like they could feel negative, but god, hewanted his boy to know how much he meant those words. “You’vedone so well, and we’re so, so proud of you.”

“Oh,” Danny said,weakly, pressed against the RV. “I– oh.”

This time, he didn’tflinch away when Jack reached for him. He curled his arm around theboy’s narrow shoulders, pulling him against his warm side. His hairwas still white with snow, and he idly brushed some of it out,leaving it a mix of black and white.

“No matter what, we loveyou, Danny.” He could feel the boy shaking against his side, and hewondered how genuine the emotion was. How diluted were Danny’semotions? How much of his boy was left? “You’re our son. You’llalways be our son.”

“You’ve done so well,”Maddie added, stepping closer so she could join the hug. “Youmust’ve been so scared, and it must’ve been so hard, but stillyou’ve done so well. We’re so proud of you, Danny.”

“Mom,” the boystuttered, shaking between them, “D-Dad.”

“Shh,” Maddie shushed,one hand nestled in his white-black hair. “Shh, it’s okay now.We’re here. You’ll be okay. It’ll all be better now.”

They pressed closer toeach other; Danny trapped in-between him and Maddie, like they couldkeep him safe from everything that had happened to him in the lastfew years.

“I– I’m sorry.”Danny sniffled, trying to covertly wipe a hand past his eyes. “I’msorry for not telling you. I– I–”

“Shh.” Jack rubbedDanny’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We understand, Danny. You must’vebeen so scared. Being a ghost, after all the things we’ve said –and continued to say.”

“I– Yeah.” The boyhuffed out a laugh, his breath cold against Jack’s cheek, and theman spared the tiniest thought to wonder about Danny’s ability toplay human. How far did it extend? How had it fooled them for solong? “Yeah, it was… It was a whole thing.”

“It’ll be better now,sweetie, we promise.” Maddie looked at Danny, her eyes as watery asJack’s felt. “We’ll help you figure this out, okay? Whateveryou’ve been doing to stay true to yourself despite… despitebecoming a ghost, we’ll help. Okay?”

“Um.” Danny blinked,then wiped a hand past his eyes with more force. “Wait, what do youmean?”

Jack felt a chill crawlover his spine, completely unrelated to the cold.

Maddie glanced over athim, but must’ve seen that he would be no help, because she settledfor trying to explain herself. “The… The staying true toyourself? That you haven’t changed, haven’t become malevolent,despite what happened?”

“Why would I… becomemalevolent?” Danny frowned, looking between them. “I mean, Iguess ghosts tend to be a bit fickle, but I’m not…”

His eyes widened. “Oh.You think I’m… Oh.”

“We think you’re…what?” Jack hesitantly asked, hoping that this wasn’t going theway he thought it was. If Danny believed that he wasn’t really aghost, if he’d gotten this far by pretending, blowing thesecret could be disastrous.

Danny shook his head, thencovered it with his hands and groaned loudly. “I can’t believe–I should’ve known, dammit.”

“Language, young man,”Maddie corrected, then looked startled at having done so. Dannyrolled his eyes, but it seemed to have broken him out of his moodagain, at least.

“You think I’m…dead?” he guessed, cocking his head. They nodded, and he noddedback. “Yes, well, I’m not.”

Maddie glanced over atJack, and he grimaced back. He didn’t know how to deal with this.How do you tell a ghost that he’s dead, that he’s a ghost,without risking him turning violent?

“Danny, sweetie,”Maddie finally tried, “You have ghost powers.”

“Well, yeah.” Dannyraised one hand to his neck, starting to rub it in that way he’dalways done, ever since he was young. “But I’m not a ghost, notreally.”

Jack raised a skepticaleyebrow at the boy, and he started spluttering immediately.

“I’m not, I swear!It’s– Alright so it’s kinda complicated and I don’t reallyunderstand it because the only guy who’s got the same going on is adick, but–”

“Language!” Maddiesnapped again.

Danny waved a dismissivehand, then picked up right where he’d left off. “Alright, so theother guy is a bastard who refuses to share. Anyway, as I was saying,I’m not really a ghost. I’m only half ghost.”

“Half?” Jackreluctantly asked, his heart clenching at how frantic Danny looked.God, had his boy really constructed this whole lie, just so he couldpretend he wasn’t a ghost? Was this what he’d told Sam, andTucker, and Jazz, to make them believe that he wasn’t hurting?

If Jack figured out whatbastard had made Danny believe this, or god, who might’ve even madeit up in the first place, they were gonna have words.

“Well, yeah!” Dannymanaged to wrench himself out of the hug, which had loosened over theconversation, and moved a few steps away. He gestured at himself, butJack wasn’t sure what they were supposed to see. “See, totallyhuman like this! Well, okay, not completely 100% human, but mostly!”

“Danny–” Maddie said,her voice heavy with emotion.

“No, no,” the boyinterrupted her, holding up his hands. They were still red with cold,starting to turn blue near the tips of his fingers. “I just gotta–Wait, you’ll understand it if you see it. Jazz did too!“

“See what?” Jackasked, even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.Danny and Phantom were one, they were pretty sure of that, but thatdidn’t mean anything. Ghosts didn’t necessarily have setappearances. Danny could’ve made two distinct forms for himself,especially if he thought he was something ridiculous as half-ghost.

“This!” Dannyexclaimed as a white spark burst from his body. It circled around hisbody, forming a halo, searingly bright and almost impossible for Jackto look at. The light seemed to sweep over Danny, replacing his thickjacket and loose pants with an oh-so familiar black jumpsuit.

God, and how often had heand Maddie wondered about how familiar Phantom’s suit seemed? Howoften had they looked at it, its design that exactly matched theirown, and not recognized it?

“See?” Danny gesturedat himself again, his boots as white as they snow they were buriedin, his black suit stark against the backdrop. “And now I’mmostly a ghost! But still not 100%, just I wasn’t 100% human inthat form!”

Jack shared a pained lookwith Maddie, a silent conversation on how to tackle this. Theycouldn’t… They couldn’t let their son lie to himself like this,right? Even if he was… Even if he likely would be hurt, knowing thetruth. A white lie, an untruth, would only hurt more. Right?

“Danny,” Jack finallysaid, as gently as he could. “Son. Who told you… Who told you youwere half-ghost?”

“I, uh…” Dannyshrugged, his eyebrows scrunching together like he hadn’t expectedthem to so easily accept the whole Phantom thing. “I mean, I cameup with it, initially? Or, well, me and Sam and Tucker, I guess.Since things didn’t quite check out? But I got plenty ofconfirmation after. Just ask the ghosts, or Plasmius.”

“Plasmius?” Maddierepeated uncertainly. Jack frowned at this, too. Plasmius soundedlike a ghost name, but it wasn’t one he’d heard before. Had aghost been in repeated contact with their son without them realizing?

Well, it wouldn’t beimpossible, he supposed. There might’ve been moments whenPhantom went unnoticed, when he wasn’t fighting. He easily could’vemet with other ghosts during those times.

“Yeah!” Danny nodded,leaning back a little as he lifted off of the ground, floating likehe’d always done so. Jack, with pain in his heart, added anotherstrike to his “Danny actually being a ghost” list. Floating camenaturally to ghosts, to ectoplasmic beings, not gravity-bound humans.“He’s the other half-ghost I mentioned! But like I said, he’s ajerk, so he refuses to tell me much about it. Most of the stuff Iknow I figured out myself, or some things I was told by otherghosts.”

“Sweetie… Don’t youthink those other ghosts might’ve lied to you?” Maddie made acomplicated face, clearly trying to get Danny to figure out the truthslowly. Without having to break his heart directly. “You don’texactly get on well with them, after all.”

Danny shook his head.“Nah. I mean– You’re right, I don’t get along with most of theghosts, but that’s not… There’s no point in them lying aboutthis. Believe me, it was already pretty clear that I was onlyhalf ghost before I ever even met another ghost. And I’vegot allies – friends – among them too, and they… they wouldn’tlie to me about this.”

Light flashed, blindingwith all the snow around them. Danny landed easily, his sneakerssinking into the snow. The snow, which hadn’t been present inPhantom’s hair, was still in Danny’s. Still a mix of black andwhite.

“I mean, I was alwaysconfused why no one connected the dots before. I mean, most peoplearen’t looking to connect a human identity to Phantom, but Ifigured that you two would figure it out sooner or later.” Heshrugged easily, even if his expression didn’t match the casualnessof the motion. “But based on your confusion, I guess you two didn’tthink it was possible? Or, uh, still don’t think that it’spossible, I guess. But I promise you, it’s true. I’m half ghost,and half human.”

Jack and Maddie sharedanother uncertain look. They didn’t just think it wasimpossible, they knew. Years and years of research intoghosts, into ghostly illnesses and the effects of ectoplasm on thehuman body, it all taught them one thing: you couldn’t combine lifeand death in one body. One couldn’t be alive and dead, living andghost, at the same time.

“Danny,” Maddiefinally said, voice pained. “Please, just listen to us.”

“No!” he snapped back,his eyes turning a vicious acid green, their glow casting eerieshadows on his face. “You listen to me! You’realways acting like you know so much about ghosts, but youdon’t! You never listened to me as Phantom, when I tried to tellyou that I was good, and you’re not listening to me now,when I’m telling you that I’m okay!”

“You are okay,Danny,” Jack tried, gently, holding up his hands. “Ghost or not,you’re still our son, and you’re still you.”

But Danny vigorously shookhis head. “No, you need to listen to me! I’m not dead, andI’m not a full ghost! And if you refuse to believe me because ofyour damn research, then– then–”

He halted suddenly, eyesgrowing wide, the green leeching out. So soft it was barely awhisper, he said, “Your research…”

Again, Jack shared anuncertain look with Maddie. But before they could come to anyconclusion, any discussion, Danny stepped forward, towards them.

Jerkily, he stuck out oneof his bare hands. Pulled back his sleeve to bare his wrist.

“Test it,” he said,voice flat. “Your research says that ghosts can’t replicate aheartbeat, no matter what, right? So test my pulse.”

Jack licked his lipsuncertainly, then pulled one of his gloves off. Slowly, he put themassive fingers to his son’s wrist. He knew what he would feel, ofcourse. There would be no pulse. Because his son… his son was dead.A ghost. And ghosts didn’t have heartbeats, no matter what theybelieved.

A thump. Jack froze.

Another thump. And thenanother. A steady, if somewhat slow, rhythm.

“No way,” Maddiegasped, and he easily moved when she shoved him aside. She laid herown fingers on Danny’s wrist, and must’ve felt the same, becauseshe grew wide-eyed.

“Uh,” Danny said, hisother hand rubbing his neck, “Surprise?”