Well. I enjoyed writing this. It was hard, yet it was fun. I liked the outcome.

This is a plot bunny idea courtesy of sapphireswimming, the wonderful author who gave me permission to do this. (:

I just wrote it. The idea wasn't mine at all.

You know the drill: I don't own Danny Phantom, blah blah blah. (But there are rumors going around that it's coming back in production! I'm trying not to get my hopes up... It's not working)

GENERAL POV

Danny peered out from behind the brick wall of a building, clenching his teeth in agony. His left hand was wrapped tightly around his torso and all of his weight was currently on his right leg. He could see Fenton Works down the street, but he wasn't sure he could make it before collapsing.

He muttered a quiet curse under his breath, directing it at the idiotic ghost hunter that was trapped in the Fenton thermos in his right hand. He couldn't believe he had gotten this messed up because of Skulker, especially when it wasn't even light out yet.

Danny sighed and glanced up and down the street, making sure that no one would be able to see him when he stumbled out of the alley he was in. He seemed to be in a lot of them recently.

The raven haired boy slipped carefully onto the sidewalk, limping heavily down the road. He knew for a fact that his pant leg was starting to soak through with blood, and the only reason that it wasn't running down his leg yet was because he had taken a t-shirt from a clothes line to bind his wound.

He flinched every time he put weight on his left leg. He would fly, had he not been so exhausted that his powers were all but drained. He had been out all night, after all.

Danny finally made it to his front door, and he leaned heavily on the solid oak, relieved to have something firm to lean on. He reached for the doorknob and sighed when he found that the door was locked.

He slipped his hand into his pocket, his eyes widening ever so slightly when he couldn't find his house key. He gave his other pocket a try and groaned softly.

Great. Now he was bleeding, bruised, and locked out. And his cell phone was next to his bed, so he couldn't call Jazz to let him in. Perfect.

Danny pressed his left hand against the front door, concentrating like mad. Even if he could only be intangible for a few seconds, it would still be enough to get him inside.

But he barely managed to flicker and Danny knew he wasn't getting in that way anytime soon.

The boy stumbled down the steps and headed around back, his eyes surveying the fence that went around his tiny backyard. It was too high to climb ever since Tucker had fallen off of it and his parents had gotten it built so that it was taller, and of course this would be the one time his dad had remembered to lock the fence.

Danny sighed and shook his head. In doing so, he caught sight of the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle (aka the GAV) sitting in the driveway. He paused, and then decided that it was at least worth a shot.

The door opened easily under his fingers and Danny suppressed the annoyed groan that was rising in his throat. It only made sense that his father would lock everything but the one thing completely filled with deadly weapons.

Danny yanked himself into the GAV, almost screaming in pain as he landed on his left leg. He shut the door as carefully as he could behind him and slid into the backseat, locking the doors.

The boy sank heavily onto the bench in the back and rolled up his pant leg, wincing as he did so.

Skulker had had a new glowing green sword with him, and he had gotten a nice swipe to Danny's leg before he had been able to roll away. That was what was bleeding so heavily and causing him so much pain.

Danny pulled away the blood soaked shirt that was wrapped around it, gasping in pain as he dropped it into a plastic bag they used for trash in the GAV.

The wound had stopped bleeding, luckily, but it was difficult to look at. It had already begun to scab over due to Danny's quick healing, but he could tell that it was deep. Not deep enough to need stitches, luckily, but deep nevertheless.

Danny reached above his head and pulled the first aid kit out from where he and Jazz had stashed it. He clicked it open and rummaged around inside, pulling out a bottle of peroxide and a washcloth.

He set the first aid kit down next to him and pressed the washcloth to his leg just underneath the cut. He gritted his teeth, uncapped the peroxide, and let it trickle over the jagged slice.

His breath caught in his throat as white bubbles popped up all over the cut, rapidly cleaning out the festering wound. Flecks of green ectoplasm floated amongst the red and Danny grimaced slightly.

He pulled out another washcloth, this one dry, and carefully patted his leg dry. He repeated the process again to make sure that he had completely cleaned out his cut, and then dried it once more.

He tucked the peroxide back into the first aid kit and set the wet washcloth on top of the drier one. His fingers reached back into the kit, pulled out some ointment and gauze, and Danny quickly and professionally wrapped his leg up.

He sighed in relief when it was done, and then turned his attention to his ankle, sliding his sneaker off with a wince. He knew by twisting it that it wasn't broken, merely sprained. It would be fine in a day or two as long as it didn't get worse.

However, it still needed to be wrapped, so Danny pulled out a few tongue depressors and bound them to his ankle with the leftover wrapping gauze, leaving himself with a fairly functional splint. He slid his shoe back on over it and hoped for the best.

His right leg was ok, save for several bruises, so Danny ignored it for now. He glanced down at his arms, covered in scratches from when Skulker had thrown him into a tree. The smaller cuts were already closing up, and the larger ones didn't need any immediate attention.

Danny gulped and gripped the hem of his shirt. He carefully pulled it up and over his head, his breath coming in short gasps as he tried not to scream at the top of his lungs.

A large green burn covered the extent of his chest and stomach, the edges blistered and crisp. Danny didn't know what kind of weapon Skulker had used, but it was effective, to say the least. According to the metal ghost, the weapon would burn him until he either burned to a crisp or turned human again. Of course Danny had chosen the latter option.

But the burning had happened quickly and Danny was just grateful that his back was spared. At least he could still sleep. He was also grateful that as Skulker had cackled, he had been able to move enough to suck him up.

Danny could think of nothing else to do but put burn ointment on the wound and cover it. He would just have to hope it would heal as quickly as everything else.

The boy sighed as he cleaned up the first aid supplies and threw away the used items. He was still bone tired and there was no way he was going to be able to get into the house unless he got some sleep. Or unless Jazz realized he was gone and unlocked the door for him.

Danny slid down on the last bench in the GAV and tucked a hand under his head, fingering a nice bump that was growing from where Skulker had hit him. He might as well just sleep there.

He shut his eyes tightly and was asleep in seconds.

Maddie Fenton traced her finger idly around her coffee cup rim, staring at the dark liquid inside of it in thought.

Gentle footsteps on the stairs made her look up to see Jazz walking into the kitchen sleepily, her arms stretched over her head. "Morning Mom," she yawned.

Maddie nodded as her daughter sat down at the table. "Morning hon. What are you doing up so early? It's only half past six!"

Jazz shrugged. "There was a bird outside my window that wouldn't shut up. I figured I might as well wake up."

Maddie smiled gently, and then jumped as the phone rang on the kitchen counter. She and Jazz looked at each other curiously.

"Who's calling this early?" Maddie wondered.

Jazz shook her head. "I don't know. Unless something happened to a family member, or Sam and Tucker," she said slowly.

Her mother frowned and scooped the phone from its cradle quickly. "Hello?"

"Maddie Fenton?" said the female voice on the other end.

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"There's a ghost down by the wishing well at the park."

The woman's eyes widened. "Wait, what? Who are you?"

The dial tone rang in her ear and Maddie slowly set the phone back down, turning around with crinkled eyebrows.

"Who was it?" Jazz asked curiously, watching in confusion as her mother scooped up an ecto launcher.

Her father walked into the room before she could answer and cocked his head. "Yeah, Mads, who was on the phone? I heard it ring, but it stopped so I figured that you had gotten it."

Maddie nodded. "It was an anonymous tip. There's a ghost in the park."

Both parents missed the look of automatic concern on Jazz's face as she peered discreetly up the stairs.

"A ghost? Well, then what are we doing standing around here for?" Jack asked, a smile creeping up his face. "Let's go get that scum!"

The adults ran for the door, Maddie calling over her shoulder, "Jazz, don't wake your brother! He's looked really tired lately!"

The door slammed and Jazz sprinted for the stairs, darting into Danny's room. His bed was rumpled, the window was open, his phone was on his dresser, and he was nowhere to be found.

Jazz frowned, grabbed an ecto-lipstick from Danny's desk, and ran for her car, her cell phone already open in her hand.

Danny woke up in confusion as the GAV went over a bump. He had almost sat up when he heard his parent's voices from the front of the vehicle.

"So, they said in the park?" Jack said eagerly.

Danny could tell that his father wasn't driving from the location of his voice. But what was in the park?

"Yeah, the ghost is supposed to be by the fountain. Doesn't that nutty wishing ghost always hang out over there?" Danny's mother questioned.

Danny hesitated. Yes, Desiree was often by the fountain, but he had caught her at two in the morning. He had also caught the Box Ghost and Skulker, so those two were out. What ghost were his parents going to go fight?

He sighed quietly and stayed where he was. As much as he wanted to help, he still wasn't fully recovered. Plus, if his parents saw him back here, they'd probably kill him for leaving the house.

The GAV stopped and Danny heard his parent's doors close, and it was his assumption that they were probably in the park parking lot.

He struggled to sit up, his burn screaming at him, and peered out the window just as his ghost sense went off-twice.

Danny frowned. Two ghosts? The only ghosts he could think of that went in pairs were Johnny and his shadow, Youngblood and his horse/parrot thing, and…

"Oh no," Danny muttered.

He forced himself out of the GAV and ducked into the woods that surrounded the park, pushing himself quickly towards the fountain.

He stumbled multiple times on his ankle, which was basically telling him to stop moving and lie down. And of course, his torso was burned like there was no tomorrow. But despite this, Danny pressed on until he reached the middle of the park.

His parents stood back to back next to the fountain, looking around curiously, their weapons pointed out. They looked slightly confused, but Danny knew the ghosts were there. He could sense them.

Danny's father looked to his left, and then his right, and then he cried out in surprise as an enormous green lion leapt out and tackled him to the ground. Maddie whipped around, only to come face to face with…

"Spectra," Danny hissed softly, his eyes narrowing.

Said ghost cackled as she floated above Maddie, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses. "Ah, the Fenton's. Nice of you to finally respond to my call."

Maddie scowled and aimed her weapon at the ghost. "You called me? Why would you tell me where you are?"

Spectra laughed lightly, as if this was all a game. Maddie looked worriedly at Jack, and Danny followed her gaze, only to see that his dad was holding his own against Bertrand. Maddie saw this as well, and turned back to Spectra.

"Hon, I needed you. You're bait," the ghost said, absently picking at her nails.

Maddie fingered the trigger on her ecto-blaster, but, without even looking, Spectra knocked it out of her grasp. "Now, now, none of that."

"Who are we bait for?" Maddie asked angrily, her fingers moving to her pockets, where Danny knew she kept extra weapons.

Spectra grinned. "Why, the ghost boy, of course. Phantom."

Danny narrowed his eyes. So this was a trap. He shouldn't have been surprised.

He also shouldn't have been surprised when his sensitive ears picked up the sound of slamming doors, and Tucker's, Sam's, and Jazz's voices.

Spectra heard it too, and she looked up with a smirk. "Looks like we're about to have company."

Jack had finally pinned Bertrand, but the ghost merely melted out of Danny's father's grasp and tackled him once more, a bear this time.

"Jack! Are you ok?" Maddie called, whipping out a Jack-o-Nine Tails and firing at Spectra, who dodged it easily and yanked Maddie's feet from under her.

Danny clenched his fists and told himself that he couldn't interfere, not this time. He couldn't even transform, for Pete's sake! At least…

Danny hesitated and shut his eyes, smiling thinly as the familiar rings washed over him. It took a lot of energy, but he was able to maintain the form for now.

"Maddie!" Danny heard his father scream.

The boy's eyes flew open, electric green, and he saw Bertrand flying through the air and turning into a saber tooth tiger. Jack was defenseless on the ground, and Tucker, Sam, and Jazz were still across the park, though they could see everything.

Danny narrowed his eyes and leapt from his position, flying through the air at light speed and tackling the tiger just before it could attack his mother. They landed heavily on the ground and Danny dug his fingers angrily into Bertrand's fur. "Don't touch her," he growled.

He was vaguely aware of his mother helping his father up, both of them staring at him suspiciously.

Danny's senses flared and he whipped around, Fenton thermos already activated as Spectra tried to sneak up behind him. She was gone in a second, and Danny turned back to Bertrand, his eyes menacing.

"Don't ever touch them," he hissed.

Bertrand smiled wickedly, and brought his claws down heavily on Danny's already burned stomach. The ghost boy gasped in agony as the claws dug deep into his skin, and he collapsed backwards onto the grass, gulping heavily, the Fenton thermos a mere two feet from his fingers.

Bertrand snarled and leapt onto Danny, digging his claws into the boy's shoulders. Danny finally screamed at the top of his lungs, and he could hear, vaguely, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz calling his name in horror as they raced towards him.

A mere second later, however, the weight disappeared from his body and he opened his eyes, gasping and clawing at the grass, to see that his father had pulled Bertrand off of him and was now holding him down as Maddie sucked the tiger up into Danny's discarded thermos.

She capped it and turned quickly back to the ghost boy. Danny could see his friends and sister stop on the other side of the fountain, their jaws hanging in shock.

Maddie knelt gently next to Danny, her eyes full of…was that concern? She winced as her fingers brushed his bloody shoulders. "Why did you do that?" she whispered, her eyes staring in disbelief at the red and green blood that now flecked her fingers.

Danny let out a harsh chuckle. He could feel his energy draining. "I should be asking you the same thing," he said softly.

Maddie bit her lip and looked up as Jack knelt on the other side of Danny. "You helped me, Phantom. I don't know why, but you did. And you're seriously hurt. I didn't even think…"

She shook her head and glanced away. Jack looked at the ghost with confusion. "I still don't get it. Why'd you help my wife?"

Danny gulped heavily and winced, placing a hand to his heavily bleeding and burned torso. "I…I had to. He would have killed her. And you."

He let his eyes wander until they landed on Sam, Tucker, and Jazz. The three of them were trembling, their faces pale, and Danny gave them a grim smile. They returned it with gentle nods and he glanced back up at his parents.

"I just…I have another question," he whispered, struggling to maintain his form.

Jack and Maddie nodded slowly. "What is it?" the woman asked.

Danny coughed, and felt a cool hand brush his cheek. "You'll forgive me, right?"

The adults looked so confused that it was almost comical. "What on earth for? You should be forgiving us," Jack protested softly.

Danny smiled thinly and shook his head. "No, I shouldn't."

Danny was officially drained of energy, and the last two things he saw before he fell unconscious were the white rings passing up and down his body.

And now you're going to kill me when I say: that's it. It's just a one-shot. I wanted to let you picture for yourselves what Jack and Maddie's reactions were. You can think they're mad, or happy, or sad, or proud, or disgusted, or all of the above. But I won't write anymore for this. Sorry!

Thanks again to sapphireswimming! I hope you liked it! (:

Review! (Tell me if I should write more Danny Phantom; I have an idea that I really enjoy and want to do)