AN- I know I shouldn't be writing another story/one shot when I have so many I'm working on or that are half finished… but this idea has been in my head for years (not even kidding) and I hoped writing it down would get it out of my mind. As always, I own nothing and all characters are Nickelodeon and Butch Hartman.
Two years after Disasteroid, and Amity Park had changed a bit. Ghosts still enjoyed their visits to the small town, but now they were usually only slight annoyances rather than truly dangerous. For the most part... Yes, many ghosts still took it as a challenge, to see what they could get up to before the Ghost Catchers caught up to them. Valerie was still a ghost hunter but now she worked with the Fentons. The biggest change, of course, was that Danny Fenton had revealed his moonlighting as local hero/perceived menace, Danny Phantom. A few people struggled with the reveal more than most.
After the initial reveal, Valerie was pissed at Danny and stopped speaking him for a few months, until she realized that he had his reasons for keeping his ghost powers a secret. She was furious and angry after the reveal but now things had calmed down and they were a team. Their relationship was getting better, even now. But the two were simply friends. They both realized that their sort of almost dating had complicated so much and that they were much better as friends anyway. She proved she a vital member of Team Phantom now.
Danny's parents were horrified that they had been hunting their son for over a year and had no idea it was him. As his ghost hunting duties adapted, they worried about him and his powers but they were always eager to lend a hand during patrols, especially if he had a big exam coming up. Jack loved having his son as 'his sidekick' and it let Danny have some more time for other things when his family could help. Dash Baxter couldn't believe that puny Fenton was Phantom the hero, but once Skulker attacked during a trigonometry exam, Dash was forced to get used to the idea. Now, Dash and the other jocks, did their best to help. Even Mr. Lancer was happy to offer the young man some extra help when ghost-fighting occurred during school. Danny didn't realize how helpful it was to have a teacher who encouraged his ghost fighting but now he kind of regretted not having Lancer know earlier.
Now, ghost attacks were as normal as the young man with snowy white hair and green eyes flying around. He was still under strict orders to not take advantage of his powers or his parents' trust in him, but he was happy that he wasn't hiding anything anymore, at least from his town. The Guys in White? The rest of the world? That was another story.
"So… are you two going to prom together or are we not supposed to talk about that?" Danny asked Tucker and Valerie while the four friends were hanging around the Ops Center, working on homework and patrolling. Tuck and Val were so on again/ off again, he could never remember when they broke up or when they were dating. Danny couldn't imagine that, and he was glad he and Sam were going strong.
"Well, obviously you and Sam are going together" Tucker teased his two best friends as he saw Sam lean against Danny's shoulder. "Everyone knows you two are going together" they'd been a couple since they finally realized their feelings for one another years ago, after the Danny, Sam, and Tucker had saved the world.
Sam snorted and grinned. "As long as this dance goes better than the last time we danced together" she teased her boyfriend lovingly.
Danny rolled his eyes and laughed "Yeah… as long as Sam doesn't turn into a dragon, prom will be perfect". With a playful shove, she pushed him off the couch and he landed with a laugh on the floor as Val shook her head at the two of them.
"But seriously, you guys! This is our last chance!" they hadn't been able to go to their junior prom because Casper High had to cancel it last year. So this was especially important to all the seniors.
"Last chance for what?" a younger female voice asked as she floated up from the floor.
Danny rolled his eyes at his adopted sister "Can't you use the door or the stairs, Elle?" he pointed out.
"Half the time you don't use the stairs either" she pointed out with a smirk. The girl had been adopted by the Fentons and she started going by Elle to distance herself as Danny's clone. She had even dyed her hair a lighter brown once she got to junior high, but her ghostly form still had her white hair. "But last chance for what?" she eyed the older teens suspiciously.
"We're just talking about prom stuff…" Tucker said and grinned "Ohhhh! Do you think we could get a limo?"
Sam rolled her eyes "Limos are boring, dumb, and horrible for the environment!"
"But I've never even been in a limo" Tuck whined as the goth scoffed.
"They're not that great…but if you want maybe my parents can set it up?"
But Tucker was already seeing the idea in his head of golden limos and fancy tuxes. "Do you think I could get one? You know… as former mayor?" the four other teens laughed at his expression.
"You were Mayor. For. ONE. month!" Sam laughed as Danny and Val snickered.
"One month longer than you were ever mayor." he retorted as she tried to remind him his mayor duties had strictly been ceremonial and for appearances only. Basically, because he had been the tech-genius behind the whole OPERATION PHANTOM PLANET and he had been instrumental in saving the planet. But Mayor Foley didn't have any duties beyond speeches and appearances, any actual mayoral duties had gone to the adult mayor that Tucker was filling in for those few weeks after Vlad's term ended and while the town was working out the replacement mayor.
"I don't want to be mayor." Sam announced, because this had been a familial taunt. Tucker boasting he'd been in charge of the small town and Sam reminding him that he really wasn't. While she did try to get him to pass some laws to aid her agenda, the then-sixteen year olds had discovered Tucker was just a figurehead.
"…Way too many responsibilities…" her boyfriend agreed with her as he kissed her cheek.
"Says the guy who pulled an all-nighter down by the docks last night during patrol" Val reminded him skeptically.
Elle smiled watching them. "Back to prom…Will we get to dress up fancy?" she asked excitedly and the others all shared a glance. "What?"
"You can't go… It's only for us" Val pointed out to the girl she loved like a sister. Danielle's face fell as she closed her eyes. She wanted to be included but lately there was so much she couldn't do with her friends. She didn't have any friends her own age, well the age she seemed to be, so she hung out with her 'cousin' and his group. Elle aged differently due to some of Vlad's failed DNA experiments, so she was in her freshman year. But now this was just another reminder they'd be leaving the younger girl behind.
"Fine" her voice was hollow as she slammed the door and ran downstairs. They tried to call after her but the girl ignored them. They heard another door slam and then choked back tears.
As the weeks passed, prom was the only thing the students could talk about and since it was now only days away, the teachers knew they lost control of the lessons. Lunch was chaos as expected. The seniors were excited for their future and for the prom. "Why can't we just fly?" Danny asked for the hundredth time. "It just makes things easier… I can fly me and Sam and you can take Tuck on your hoverboard thing"
"No way!" Tucker yelled loudly, firmly shaking his head.
"He's afraid of heights…" Val reminded Danny, knowing he and Sam enjoyed flying a lot.
"So?... can't you just like fly a foot off the ground?" The halfa asked "That way it's still faster…"
"No!" Tucker cut in, stubbornly.
"You're higher up when driving" Sam pointed out. "Besides, flying's nice! It's safe…"
"It's not the height thing… it's the falling thing" Tucker frowned.
"When have I ever fallen off my board?" Val asked. "It's got hundreds of safety mods…"
"Yeah but no seatbelts" Danny added with a laugh as Tucker nodded in agreement with his best friend.
"So yeah, my parents can get the limo… they'll be thrilled I'm taking a limo to senior prom" Sam muttered, in annoyance. "Hopefully that'll get them off my back for a while" They were not happy about their daughter's chosen prom date but Sam loved her boyfriend and didn't care. That was just another thing she'd fight about with her parents.
"So limo… done!" Danny announced "Tuxes… rented! We'll pick them up on Friday. You girls have your dresses yet?"
Sam nodded and grinned and Valerie laughed "Oh, Danny… there is so much you don't know about being a high school girl."
Danny stared at her and Tucker and Sam burst out laughing. "I don't even know how to respond to that..."
"But yes! We have our dresses… if we didn't we'd be in trouble because the stores sold out!" Sam added and grinned. She had designed her dress herself and she didn't have to worry about any store.
Tucker grinned "Cool… now on Saturday morning, we'll just pick up… Danny what are they called again?" Tucker joked, the four had talked about the flowers the day before.
"The flower wrist thingies…" Danny replied automatically, taking a fry from Sam's plate.
"Yeah… but what are they called?" Sam asked, picking at her tofu-burger while the rest of them ate hamburgers. She knew what Tucker was getting at and figured the little group could use a silly moment.
"Plumages!" Danny said after a moment, feeling proud of himself for remembering what the guy said at the tux rental place. He'd been so focused on the tux part that the accessories slipped his mind.
Now it was Valerie's turn to look at him skeptically and hesitantly. "You mean corsage?"
"Plumage is for birds, ghost boy" Sam pointed out with a smile as she kissed his cheek.
"Well not everyone volunteers at the zoo like you do" Danny added but smiled, squeezing her hand.
"Danny! Tucker!" Maddie yelled up the stairs "You boys ready yet? The girls will be here soon" she wanted to get pictures before…the doorbell rang. Too late "Elle! Can you grab the door?" Sam, Valerie, and Val's dad, Damon, heard from where the three were standing.
"Hey, Elle" Val said trying to hide her own excitement from the girl, knowing she was feeling left out.
"hmmph" came her mumbled reply as she threw open the door before floating back up to her room. Elle could do the basics of floating and going intangible and invisible, and occasionally ectoblasts, but her powers were stunted by the experiments Vlad performed on her.
"What's gotten into her?" Tuck and Danny asked as they walked down the stairs as Maddie squealed in that proud mother way.
"Jealousy" Jazz pointed out from her spot on the couch. She was home for the weekend from college. She was happy to be able to see them off to prom and help their parents while the teens were taking the night off. Her response got Danny to study her critically.
"Really? The girl who is studying some extreme form of psychology that I can't even pronounce boils it down to a one-word answer?" He teased in brotherly fashion and she ignored him, instead turning to the next page.
"You both look so beautiful!" Maddie said and that got Jazz to put down her thick textbook. "Red is definitely your color, Valerie!"
Valerie was wearing a strapless red dress with her hair cascading down her back in waterfall curls. She smiled, holding her small black clutch that matched her red heels. "That's probably one of the few good things Vlad ever did" she joked "Was make my suit red… and for Elle" she said the last part louder, hoping the girl heard.
Sam was wearing a purple ballgown dress with a corset back, covered with black lace overlay. In true Sam fashion, she was wearing purple and black fingerless gloves that went way past her elbows. Her hair was an elaborate roped French braid twisted up.
The boys were each wearing tuxes that had a matching tie to their dates. "JACK! GRAB THE CAMERA!" Maddie yelled and he appeared not too long after from the basement. "We need to get pictures of all the lovely prom attendees!" Valerie glanced at her dad and he seemed almost as excited as the Fentons.
Valerie and Tucker took their couple pictures first… while Danny and Sam were leaning against the wall, tongues intertwined. Tucker smiled happily but he was even happier when he slipped on his red beret. Val stifled her giggles as he looked so goofy in that hat, but it made him look like Tucker. "My parents will absolutely kill me if I got pictures in this… but it feels better… my head isn't…lonely" He seemed to stumble over his explanation and Val just grinned, knowing he felt much more comfortable in that old thing than without it.
"Okay… time for …Danny! Sam!" both teens gave their best innocent smiles and Tucker snorted.
"Fake out make out, yeah right" Tucker muttered and Valerie just laughed at the other couple's faces. "Will you two stop shoving tongues down each others' throats long enough for us to actually take pictures?" Tucker teased and they both glared at him. They weren't nearly as handsy as everyone claimed, but they just enjoyed their chances to show affection after everything they've faced.
The goth and the ghost smiled for their couple pictures. A few times, Danny would make his eyes glow green and Maddie would be forced to retake the pictures. Sam laughed and Tuck and Val had to hide their smiles or risk facing the wrath of a 9th degree black belt. Not wanting his mom to get too exasperated with her son's antics, Danny quickly ended his 'goofing off' after a few pictures.
"Okay! Sam! Val! Girls pictures" Damon instructed, and the two former rivals turned friends smiled. The boys then presented the girls with their 'plumages' and Jazz smiled, glad her brother and his friends were enjoying themselves already. She excused herself to go up to talk to Elle. Sam grinned when she realized Danny had added one of the little Fenton WristRays to her corsage.
When it was time for the boys' picture, Danny waved before floating down to the basement. He materialized three point four seconds later and yelled "Catch!" to Tucker before lightly tossing a ecto-gun to his best friend. Tucker grinned proudly as he admired the weapon. Jack of course, was worried about the two boys messing with the unfinished weapons, destroying the furniture or breaking a lamp, or hurting themselves… in that order. The boys posed like they were some of the youngest 'Guys in White' and they were very excited to have more than just the typical poses. But the fun was cut short when they heard honking outside. The limo! The Fentons and Mr. Gray had already promised they'd keep an eye out for ghosts so the four could enjoy their night. "Bye, Mom! Bye Dad!" Danny yelled as they walked out.
"Bye Daddy!" Valerie added as the group walked to the limo. She was grateful that they could enjoy prom and just be teenagers tonight.
Once at the restaurant, they small gang talked and ate as laughed. Sam had wanted to pay because she knew it was expensive and she normally paid when the group ate out because it wasn't a big deal to her parents like it was to the rest. But Danny and Tucker were quick to announce, rather forcefully, that since they invited the girls out to fancy dinner before prom they'd pay. Sam knew they both had to do a lot of saving to be able to afford this, but with Danny getting a little bit of extra money for patrols in addition to the other 'human' job he and Tucker both worked, they were excited to have dinner with their prom dates.
Danny teased Tucker that he saved even more money because Sam didn't eat meat. "Save money on meat… save money for meat" he joked and grinned. Sam rolled her eyes playfully, but smiled. Sam didn't try to get Danny to eat her ultra-recyclo-vegetarian food and he wouldn't try to get her to eat meat.
"As long as you don't make me eat it…same deal we have already" Sam said, knowing he wouldn't ever risk his life or afterlife on getting the goth some meat.
"A toast!" Valerie announced, "A toast to prom and a ghost-free evening!" The other three grinned and raised their glasses, happy for the night off.
At the high school, the four eighteen-year olds were ready to hang out and party. The music was starting and it seemed like half the school was already on the dance floor. Danny was just about to kiss Sam when a thin blue smoke came out of his mouth. The halfa scowled and turned to hear screaming and snarling.
Then he heard one half of his least favorite ghost-couple. "That nerd was right… there is something going on at the high school today" Johnny Thirteen laughed, seeing some of the students cowering. "But it doesn't look like much of a shindig, does it babe?" The green-haired Kitty just smirked as she surveyed the room.
"I'm sorry…" Danny said looking at Sam imploringly and she just laughed. He knew she loved fighting ghosts with him just as much as she did doing anything else, because it was with him.
"Wouldn't be our prom if no ghosts attacked" She grinned and lightly shoved his shoulder "Go"
"What is this?" Kitty asked, nearly purring as she saw Dash.
"P-prom…it's prom…" he stuttered and her eyes lit up.
Johnny smiled at his ghostly girl "You want a prom, baby?" he clicked his tongue flirtatiously "I'll get you a prom… Ghost boy!" he smirked seeing Danny.
"Why are you here Johnny?" the halfa demanded.
"The geek said something was happening at the high school… we figured it might be some fun… you know how it is" He smirked seeing Sam "You and…. Spook… as long as the lady's happy, you're happy"
"Get out of here!" Danny ordered and Johnny just laughed.
"No way… because it annoys you, we're staying" he smirked. "Shadow… play" and the spirit flew away from his master, spitting ecto-slime. Kitty laughed and just then the entire building shook with the sound of loud rock music filling the air as Ember appeared beside her friend.
"Somebody call for real music?" she sang out, glaring at the DJ who was currently hiding behind his equipment.
"TUCK! VAL!" Danny yelled "Little help!"
"Are you insane?!" Valerie stared at her friend, eyeing Shadow suspiciously. He continued spilling punch and snacks and causing the electricity to go haywire, as he slimed more and more of the gym. "I am in a prom dress!"
"And I'm in a tux!" Danny yelped, jumping out of the way of a falling light.
"Ghost guck does not wash out!" Valerie said firmly and Danny sent her an annoyed glare, knowing that all too well. "You're on your own!"
"Fine!" Danny called after her as his eyes glowed bright green. "But the next ten ghosts are on your own!"
"Ten?!" She scowled "There's three!"
"Four counting Shadow and it's prom… I got ectoplasm on my tux… and it's a rental!" He looked up at Johnny and Kitty, both of whom were grinning gleefully. "Going ghost!" As the familiar white rings spread out and Danny was floating now as Phantom. "EMBER!" he yelled and the singer looked up from where she was terrorizing the DJ. Sam was fighting with Kitty, trying to get the ghosts to leave. "Get out of here!"
"Not a chance, dipstick" Ember said eyeing the crowd. "These are my people!"
"It's not your prom" Danny practically growled and Johnny grinned.
"Not yet, ghost boy."
"One Night! I WANT ONE NIGHT OFF!" Danny glared at the rebel ghost who seemed all too happy to keep the teen from enjoying himself. He had thought prom would give him a chance to be like every other Casper High Senior, but obviously not.
"Wanna dance, ghost boy?" Kitty purred as Danny created ectoblasts in his hands. He knew better than to try and use his Ghostly Wail around the students because that could cause more injury.
"With you? No! With my girlfriend? YES!" Two blasts hit her and she yelped. "Get OUT!"
"Tell you what, you get my kitten a prom and we'll leave yours alone" Johnny said, looking around at Shadow's damage approvingly.
"Ghost prom? Of course!" Sam said quickly, a terrifying smile on her face as she grinned, imagining the perfect gothic prom for the ghosts.
"Wait… what?" Danny asked as Sam blasted at Shadow with the wrist ray in her flowers. She was weakening him, but she knew it wouldn't last.
"Yeah! It'll be great!" Sam was already putting together ideas. "We'll invite the ghosts and they can party…"
"I don't wanna go to prom in the ghost zone!" Tucker frowned as he helped Danny.
"Who said you'll even be invited, human?" Ember laughed, blowing kisses towards the boys.
"Sam's going!"
"Tucker!" Danny yelled before shooting rays of ecto-energy towards the singer. "Not the time! Duck!"
"I am SO NOT going to any party in the ghost zone" Valerie asserted and Johnny scowled. She was the only one of the four of them who refused to set foot in the Ghost Zone, no matter what. Even Jazz was more willing to go than Valerie and the college student had her own reservations about the creepy place.
"You're not going, Huntress. We don't want to worry about being captured…"
"And Danny's thermos is just for soup?"
"He's a halfa… you're just a human" Kitty taunted, knowing the girl couldn't attack tonight, not without her weapons. "He's one of us…sorta"
"Invite Elle," Sam added to Danny, grabbing the microphone to challenge Ember "She'll be thrilled to go to a prom… especially with other ghosts. Oh! Especially…Dora!" she added in between her mocking of Ember's song lyrics.
"Dora? Dragon Dora?" Danny scowled as he felt something on his shoulder.
"Do you know any other Doras?" Sam pointed out as she ducked from Ember's guitar before trying to strike the ghost singer "She just wants to be included... that's all Dora ever wanted."
"Since we are having one dragon, why not two? Invite your dragon husband?" Danny said as he sucked Ember up in the thermos. "Aha!"
Sam frowned at her date "There's room for a halfa in the thermos if you want" She challenged with a smirk and he laughed in response, loving that she could hold her own whether it was a ghost brawl or a battle of wits with him.
"Danny! Sam! Little less party planning and a little more butt-kicking?" Tucker said as he was trying to track Shadow, knowing the ghost couple wouldn't leave unless Shadow was taken care of.
Sam looked around and saw the damaged speakers, following what Tucker was thinking. Danny continued fighting the ghosts high above the dance floor. Her violet eyes settled on the strobe light. "Perfect" She smiled "Danny! The light!"
"Kinda busy here!" Her boyfriend answered, still in a duel with Johnny and Kitty. The three ghosts were flying around in the gym, blasting each other.
But Sam didn't mean for him to do it. She ran over to the DJ's equipment and saw him cowering. "Oh great… we got the one DJ in Amity Park that's afraid of ghosts…" but she knew this guy wasn't from their town, he was too afraid to have been someone who has ever seen ghosts before. "I need this" She hissed, grabbing at his controls. "Light! Which one is the light?"
"That's expensive…" He blurted out, the first words she'd heard him speak since the ghosts appeared.
"I know!" Sam snapped. "I'll make it up to you. I need the strobe lights!"
"The lights?" He repeated and she wondered if he was hit with falling equipment or just dazed.
"Yes!" she snapped and she knew she'd get nowhere with him. So the goth did the next best thing and started pounding buttons. Music blared, lights flashed, and suddenly she heard shrill screaming and the suction of the thermos.
"Thank you, Sam" Danny smiled, wrapping his arms around her, momentarily forgetting that she was in a strapless gown and his ghost form was freezing. "God, I love you so much"
"Hey I just hit the lights" She teased as she looked into his glowing green eyes before she kissed him. When she opened her eyes, she was looking into his blue eyes and his tux was tattered and torn.
"Think I can get my deposit back?" He joked and she just laughed, kissing him again. Happy that there wouldn't be any more interruptions.
Tuck approached them and both he and Val seemed highly amused as the rest of the seniors looked the damage. "Of course Sam had to destroy the sound system…" Tucker laughed and Valerie smirked.
"Would you rather Tucker give us a private concert?" Sam's dry wit made her friends start laughing as they saw the looks on the rest of their classmates. "I take it prom is pretty much over?"
"Not until midnight" Val grinned and glanced at the clock on the wall. Fighting the ghosts had taken up most of the dance and it was nearly midnight "Oh…So much for one day off from ghosts."
"Speak for yourself… I saved prom… do you think they'll make me prom king?" Danny said giving his friend a reproachful look before his eyes gleamed as he joked.
"I thought you liked to sit on the sidelines sometimes? You wouldn't make a good prom king… now ghost prom king? Definitely." His girlfriend laughed as he pulled her into his arms. "Let's just get back to your place…This isn't really much of a prom anymore… since the speakers got hit with ghost guck." She smirked, ignoring Tucker's murmuring that it was her fault.
Word got around that Paulina would be hosting an 'after-prom' party that quickly became the actual prom since the real prom was ruined by Kitty, Johnny, and Ember. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie went back to Fenton Works instead, wanting a break from the popular crowd. The adults were surprised to see them home so early, they'd been expecting the four to try to stay out later. But as soon as Danny walked in, he flopped onto the couch and Jazz glanced at her brother's ruined tux. "Ghosts?"
"Ghosts" he confirmed and she glanced towards their parents and Mr. Gray.
"Ghosts stopped your prom so you couldn't go? Too bad…" Elle said though she didn't sound too sorry. "Who was it? Skulker?" She asked, grabbing the remote, knowing the news would be talking about the prom 'incident'. "Why didn't you let us take care of it?" Though Elle's ghost form was weaker than Danny's she still did a lot to help.
"They were at the school. It was just easier if we did it" He added to his parents, but glanced towards the tv where the ghost sighting was being reported on, along with some silent clips of the battle. Everything was recorded with shaky cell-phone video but he knew his town was proud of him and his best friends. Even when the town recorded cell videos of his transformations.
"So… what happened to prom? Looks pretty bad" Valerie's dad looked at his daughter and Sam snorted.
"Are you kidding? It was awesome! Much better than any prom could have been" She grinned and laughed before sitting next to Danny on the couch, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Well are they still going to offer some like make-up prom? Just because those ghosts interrupted yours…" Maddie asked and it was Tucker's turn to laugh.
"Danny and Sam are the new prom committee" Tucker grinned and Valerie tried to hide her laugh. Jazz and Elle both stared at them. Danny would avoid going to football games and he'd usually shirk any part in deciding anything unless threatened with excessive force, but he was volunteering for a planning committee?
But Danny and Sam just grinned, both already having big plans for the party in the Ghost Zone. "Oh by the way… Elle?" Danny grinned, glancing at her. His eyes dancing in mischief that she'd come to hate because it typically meant he'd done something that caused her trouble. She studied him suspiciously but by the way Sam was smiling, she knew that he wasn't a total idiot.
"Huh?" She asked, remembering the excitement on the four's faces as they walked out the door earlier that evening.
"How would you like to go to a ghost prom?" Sam grinned. "It'll be the most gothic prom because it's just for ghosts…"
"Really?!" The girl asked excitedly as Valerie laughed at her excitement. "I can go?" She started floating in excitement.
"It is in the Ghost Zone" Danny added "Or it will be… when we have it. Sam and I have a lot of planning to do but it'll be fun. I don't think we've had a big Ghost Zone party since Christmas" Danny joked and his sisters laughed. "Speaking of…Sam… don't eat any of the food… Even if they say it's edible, it's not." She just laughed, squeezing his hand.
He glanced at his girlfriend and jumped to his feet, pulling her into his arms. "…And I think there's time for one last dance...?" Danny offered as she laughed.
"Or one first dance."