Ghostly Attributes
A Danny Phantom Fanfic
YAJJ
Special thanks to all who read, reviewed, or favorited my other new oneshot, Weapons, though I wish more people had...
Summary: In which Danny realizes that, somehow, his ghost powers are hereditary.
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, but I do own Lilith and Blaine Fenton, as they are my OCs.
Danny held tight to his little son, clutching him tight. The boy was nearly three years old-two months away from it, actually-and was growing bigger everyday. Little Blaine was an excitable little boy who had inherited his mother's violet eyes and his father's messy raven hair. He curled against Danny's chest and watched the same photo and bit of wall go back and forth all over again.
Danny was pacing again.
Had been for twenty minutes straight.
"Daddy?" asked Blaine, big violet eyes wide with innocence and curiosity.
Danny looked into his eyes. He spent every day looking into those eyes, at least four times. Checking once more for the unearthly glow that hadn't been there, ever. "Yes, Blaze?"
Blaine smiled a gap toothed smile and leaned against his strong father. "Mommy and Baby gon' be good. Mommy promised, so that means it'll happen," he said simplistically.
Danny offered a smile to his boy and kissed his head. "I know. But it never hurts to be careful."
Suddenly, a scream tore through the building. Danny grew tense immediately. Was it a ghost? Not now! His ghost sense hasn't even gone off!
"Get this thing out of me!"
"Sam!" Danny cried. Was his wife being overshadowed? What if she was? What would happen to the-
Oh. Maternity ward. Giving birth. Right.
Blaine giggled at his father. "Daddy, you're dumb." He leaned on the man and watched as Danny started pacing again.
"Too long doing this, baby boy."
Blaine just nodded, as though he understood. He yawned widely. "Dun' wanna go to sleep, Daddy," he protested, "wanna see baby."
Danny stopped pacing. He hefted his child high. "Sorry, Blaze. Daddy's nervous. Wake up. Should we play hide and seek? I'll even let you hide this time." He set the kicking Blaine down, turning away. "I'll count to twenty, okay? You hide. Go on." Hearing Blaine scramble off, he quickly turned and called, "don't go too far!"
"Won't!"
As if that was reassuring.
Danny counted aloud, giving his son far more than the twenty seconds he'd said. Blaine was easier to find than Vortex, and Vortex made giant tornados with faces ravage everywhere.
He needed to think.
Okay. So, his lovely wife (of six years, thank you very much), was pregnant. No, not just pregnant. She was giving birth. Today! Five weeks early! He had eventually been forced out of the room, because he asked too many questions and got in the way. So here he was, keeping himself calm by chasing his son around the building.
He must have waited too long, because a little hand tugged at his pants. He looked down into large violet eyes.
"Daddy, you don't know how to do the seeking part good, do ya?" asked little Blaine, his bottom lip protruding in a heavy pout.
Danny sighed and crouched. "Sorry, Blaze. Daddy's really distracted. How about you seek?"
"Nuh-uh. You always go unbisible!"
"Well, I won't this time. Promise."
Blaze looked him over rather critically for a child of almost three. Then he nodded. "Okay! Go, Daddy! One, two, fwee, fouw..."
Danny took off for a hiding place, leaving behind heavy footfalls, easy for his son to find. He turned a few corners and found a plant, sliding behind it. He dropped and pulled his knees to his chest.
A thought overcame him. Small at first, but terrifying. What if his child was born? And he wasn't there to greet it? God, what was he doing? He needed to be at Sam's room! He needed to see his little boy or little girl greet the world!
He found himself jumping to his feet and ran back toward where his wife's room was. A terrified squeal sounded as he ran over someone with ebony hair. Who was it?
A tiny, frustrated sigh gave way, followed by tiny feet getting themselves back under their body. "Daddy, when you're the hider you gotta hide. Mommy's better at hide and seek even with Baby in her tummy."
Danny covered his face. "I'm sorry, Blaze. Daddy's nervous for Mommy and the baby. Maybe we shouldn't be playing."
The oldest Fenton child pouted. "But, Daddy! Wanna play! Is boring waiting for Baby. When will Baby come?"
"It's coming. Just gotta wait."
Blaine put his arms up and curled in his father's warm embrace. "Dun' like waiting."
Danny managed a gentle smile. He carried his son towards his family's room and collapsed into a chair bouncing the happy toddler on his lap. "Yeah, I can tell you where you got that from."
"Where?" Blaine innocently started looking around his body, as though searching for a place that the impatience came from.
Danny rubbed his child's head. "Never mind, little man. Heh, maybe we can play I Spy while we wait for Mommy, yeah?"
Blaine squealed and nodded. "I spy, with my little eye..." He searched around himself and squeaked in joy. "Something white!"
Danny looked around, looping his arms around little Blaine. "Something white... something white... like... this?" He teasingly tapped his head and let his hair change from black to white.
"Ahh!" Blaine giggled and shook his head. "Pretty hair, Daddy! But that's not it! Give you a hint, Daddy! 'T's over there!"
White hair was swapped with black as Danny continued searching for his son's chosen item. He looked toward his wife's room, and-
"D-doctor!" Danny swooped his son into his arms and shot to his feet. "'Sup? How's Sam? Is she okay? Is the baby okay? Is it a boy or a girl? When can we take it home? Soon? A few hours? Days? Weeks? Months?"
The doctor chuckled at Danny's questions. "Mr. Fenton, if you would settle down."
Blaine swung around in his father's arms and looked into his bright blue eyes. "Good job, you found it! Your turn!"
The oldest Fenton turned Blaine around and held him to his chest to silence him. "Sorry, doctor. This whole thing has been a roller coaster ride from the start."
"Don't I know it, Mr. Fenton. Got three little ones at home. My first one was a terror before she was born." The doctor smiled warmly. "Now then, I believe that you could answer many of your questions if you would just relax, and come with me."
"Me too! I want to see Baby!" Blaine turned his head and leveled his amethyst eyes at the doctor. "Please! Pretty please! Pretty please with a cherry on top! Pretty please with two cherries on top! Thwee! Fouw! Pretty please with more ice cream on top!"
"Blazie, hush!" Danny pressed Blaine back into his chest. "'Course you can come." He smiled at the doctor innocently, who had a knowing smirk on his face. "Lead the way...?"
Sam looked tired beyond belief when Danny stepped inside her room. But she looked relieved at the same time, holding a tiny baby wrapped in a pink towel. "There you are, Danny," she said tiredly, "and Blazie, huh?"
"Mommy!" Blaine scrabbled down from his father's arms and scrambled to his mother. "Mommy, is Baby okay? Are you okay? When can we go home? Now, right?"
Sam smiled at her boy. "You're just like your Daddy," she purred. She brushed a hand through his soft ebony hair. "probably not at least until tomorrow, sweet pea. Do you want to meet the baby?"
Blaine nodded happily, putting his arms up. Danny lifted him up and let him crawl to her and the baby. "Wow, Mommy, he's such a pretty baby! What is his name? Can it be Diego? I like that name. Then he can have a cousin with a monkey! And I can have a cousin with a monkey!" Blaine started bouncing excitedly at the prospect, making both proud parents laugh.
"His name won't be Diego, sweet pea, because he is a she."
"Then her name can be Dora!"
"Her name will not be Dora," Sam sighed and kissed her son's head. "Her name's Lilith..." she looked to her husband sheepishly, "if that's alright. Ever since the flour sack project with Tucker, I've wanted to name my little girl that."
"Well, heheh, sure." Danny shrugged. "I can call her Lily anyway. Cute name. Lilith what?"
"Rhoda. Lilith Rhoda. I figured I had an ancient biblical thing going on, why not continue?"
"Lilith Rhoda Fenton," Danny tested the name on his tongue and stroked his daughter's head softly. "I love it. You gonna say hi to your baby sister Lilith, Blazie?"
"I'm gonna call her Dora," Blaine said simply. "She's pretty, Mommy. Can I hold her?"
Sam rolled her eyes but clutched her youngest tightest. "I'd rather you didn't, kiddo. Lilith is too fragile for anyone your age to hold her. But maybe Daddy would...?" the goth blinked up at Danny, and there was something akin to fright in her eyes. "Daddy and I have to talk about something anyways. Maybe Dr. Salisbury can bring you to the playroom so Daddy and I can talk in private?"
"But Mommy! And Dora! And Daddy! We gotta go home!" Blaine cried.
Danny easily read the fright in his wife's eyes. He put his hands on Blaine's sides and set him on the ground. "Sorry, Blaze, but maybe Mommy's right. Lilith will have to stay around here for a little longer, anyway, so maybe you should go make friends with other new big sisters and big brothers."
"But... Mommy!" Blaine begged, big manipulative eyes looking into his father's bright blue ones.
"Sorry, kiddo, why don't you run on down?" Danny looked to the doctor. "Would you mind running him down?"
"I need to stay on this floor, to keep an eye on Lilith. But I can call Nancy." Dr. Salisbury pressed the 'call nurse' button and left the room for a moment to check on his other patients.
It took only a few moments for Nancy to arrive. She smiled at Danny and Blaine and looked to Sam. "Anything you need, honey?" The elderly woman asked kindly.
"Can you take Blaze to the playroom? Danny and I need to talk about... er, something important, and I'd rather if we had the chance before we spoke to him about it."
"Sure, honey." Nancy smiled and picked up Blaze easily, clearly much stronger than she looked. "Come on, sweetie. How about I even buy you a smoothie from StarBucks? I bet Mommy and Daddy will get you something later, too."
Blaine looked a little upset, but he curled against the woman and nodded. "'Kay! But me and Dora wan' ice cream later, too!" he said. He let Nancy carry him out with chuckles all around.
"Ever the master negotiator." Sam smiled at her intelligent boy.
Danny sat on her bed and stroked Lilith's head gently. "What did you want to talk to me about, Sam? Something wrong? I mean, if there's any extra expenses, I'm pretty sure we can cover it. Between your inheritance and my side job and parents, it'll be like nothing, right?" he said.
"Right. That's not the problem. Dr. Salisbury would like to keep her overnight-she still came pretty early. But that's not what I'm worried about." Sam shook her head and hefted her daughter up. "Come here. Look at her eyes." She shifted Lilith, holding her out to her father. "Take her."
Danny carefully cradled his daughter, holding her head up. Bleary baby eyes blinked open, and Danny jerked back in shock.
Glowing green eyes smiled at him from a tiny, baby girl face. "S...Sam...?" For a second, Danny's thoughts went bad, and then they went worse. "What...?"
"They change." Sam sighed. "They were blue when she was born. And then they started glowing. She went intangible earlier, I and the doctors almost lost her." She wrapped her arms around her stomach, looking lost. "I... heh, I guess your ghost powers are hereditary. Lucky us. We've been parents for three years and already we've failed..." Tears pricked the corners of her amethyst eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen."
"Hey, now..." Danny sat beside Sam and swapped Lilith into one arm, wrapping the other carefully around his love. "Don't cry on me, Sam. We'll figure this out. I can help her. I know what I'm doing with this. At least she'll be prepared for this as she ages; she'll have someone to help her. I was stuck with no one."
Sam nodded a little. "I know. I know... but we were supposed to be done with this. You closed all the synthetic portals to the Ghost Zone; there weren't supposed to be anymore ghosts in Amity Park!"
"Well, it looks like there's one more..." Danny bounced Lilith carefully. "Half of one more, I guess. I can help her, Sam. I'll teach her how to use her powers for good."
"But what if the other kids tease her? She's not fully human!"
"No one would dare pick on the kid of Danny Phantom!" Danny grinned. He lifted Lilith with both arms. "Look out, world! There's a new, kickbutt half-ghost superhero, and her name is Lily Phantom!" He laughed and rested her on his shoulder. "That is, if she wants to superhero alongside her old man. Or wants to take the name Phantom. I wouldn't be offended if she didn't, but it's up to her." Danny's bright blue eyes softened at his wife. "We'll figure this out, Sam. I promise. We've got a while before we really have to figure it out, anyway. For now, Lilith is only a baby and won't have to meet other kids besides Blaze for a while. Mom and Dad can watch her when we can't."
"I'd ask my parents, but... they never really liked you, I can't imagine they'd like a half-ghost destroying their home." Sam smiled softly and kissed her husband. She leaned against him, her tiredness catching up with her once more. Twenty hours of labor could do that to a girl.
"Why don't you go to sleep, little girl? I'll watch Blaze and Lily for a little while. And then we can go on home."
Sam smiled again, shifting a little as Danny softly laid her in bed. "I think I will. Tired, you know? Heh, 'course you don't..." she yawned, and soon conked out on the pillows.
Danny smiled at her, and then to his little daughter, who was looking up at him with now-blue eyes. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, slowly attempting to tuck in his wife with one hand. Once the task was done, Danny brushed back the blanket covering Lilith's head, smiling a little when he uncovered a tuft of white hair, which looked as though it were slowly turning black.
Tears of pride pricked his eyes momentarily. Despite the uncertainty that Lilith's halfa status brought, he couldn't help but be proud. Though Sam had chosen the baby's name, he had gotten to pick Blaine's, and there was just so much of Danny in Lilith. His eyes, his hair, and the biggest part: his ghostly attributes. He was lucky to be blessed with such a sweet little girl for a daughter.
Look at him, getting all mushy after merely ten minutes of setting eyes on her. As much as he would never wish the confusion of being a halfa on his worst enemy, he had kind of been hoping this. To have someone to pass on his ghostly knowledge to. Dani had learned from Vlad, Vlad had been around long before Danny, and those two had been the only other halfas... until Lilith. Now Danny had someone to really be proud of, to show how to do things like no one else could... and it was his little girl.
This, he knew, would turn out just as it was supposed to, in the end. Amity Park would be safe under the watch of two protective Phantoms.
Maybe he should check in with Clockwork, just to be safe. After all, a Dan Phantom repeat was the last thing that he wanted.
Thanks for reading! Please review! All reviews will be answered via PM!
Also, if you'd like to hear more about Danny training Lily to be the next duly deputized protector of Amity Park, let me know! I'll gladly type up a quick sequel/another chapter. I'd just like to know if it'd be worth wasting the time on, or if I can focus on some of my other stories.
Thanks again!
~Until next time,
YAJJ