This story takes place immediately after Phantom Planet. What happens when Danny finally comes home? Read to discover!
"Cool statue. Personally, I would have made it out of recycled materials, but you know, that's just me." Sam said to Danny as he was carrying her through the sky bridal style.
"Yep, that's my Sam." Danny replied.
The night was perfect; the breeze was gentle, the sky was free of clouds and gave way to millions of gleaming stars, and there were no ghosts attacking. Wait…no ghosts are attacking? Danny thought to himself as he was flying. He remembered Skulker's last words to him before returning to the ghost zone: "I will never stop hunting you. And now that you've saved your world, you're a much more valuable prize."
It wasn't like Skulker to make a threat without attempting to follow through. Danny immediately began to panic. When will he attack like he promised? What if he attacks now?! I can't fight while holding Sam forty feet off the ground! His body started tensing up until it was taut like a guitar string, and Sam must've noticed this because she asked with a puzzled expression on her face, "What's with you? Your ghost sense hasn't gone off."
Danny didn't want his new girlfriend to see him as weak and paranoid, but this was Sam after all. She had been involved in nearly every ghostly encounter he'd had. She'd always fought with his parents' gear or her own wits. Taking a deep breath, Danny admitted, "I'm scared." Sam just laughed, which wasn't helping to control his panic that was starting to bubble up. "Scared? Scared of what?" she managed to gasp in between gasps of laughter. "You, Danny Phantom, have done everything. You've defeated your future evil self, put down the ghost king, saved the world, and you've finally worked up the nerve to ask me out! What can you possibly be scared about? That Vlad will come back? Your father abandoned him in space!"
Even though her reaction chipped away at his pride, there was logic behind her words. What was there to worry about? He could handle anything. Besides, didn't Skulker have to go wash all of his victim's pelts or something? Surely he wouldn't attack so soon after Danny's heroism, right? Right.
"Ach-HEM!" came the sound of Sam clearing her throat loudly and deliberately. She was impatiently waiting for his answer. The more he thought about it, the more the reality of Skulker attacking now seemed ridiculous. "Well, if you must know," he lied, "I'm worried that my dad will want to celebrate the Earth being saved by serving ham." He shuddered, remembering the emergency ham in the fridge in the OP Center. That thing was vile. "Yuck!" Sam said, remembering those unfortunate times when she had to use the fridge to travel through the house. "If he offers, just tell him you want to order a pizza instead. There are no risks in that!"
Danny smiled at the thought. Mmm pizza. His stomach started to growl, and he realized he didn't have dinner yet. But it was getting late, and he had to get Sam home before her parents formed a mob again in search for her. Besides, he never believed that they actually lifted their restraining order. The two coasted on air cushions for another mile until Danny phased them through through her window and set her down gently on her bed. The goth's room was dark and eerie, yet oddly relaxing with its candles.
"Good night, Danny, and thanks for everything you've done and will do for me!" she said happily. "Anything for you, Sam. I'll always be there for you. I promise." Danny told her as he took off for Fenton Works.
When he got inside, it was eerily quiet. That's odd. The last time the house was this desolate was when Nocturne attacked. I would at least expect Jazz to be home by now. She hates crowds because nobody wants to talk to her. Frankly, sometimes I don't either. He thought, picturing Jazz without a mouth. Much better. Jazz even talks too much in my imagination.
A rustling noise in one of the cabinets brought the teen's senses back to alert mode. "Nice try, Dad!" he called out. Jack was always trying to spook him some way or another, and he always cried out a variation of, "Darn, you found me! Oh, well, it's time for fudge!" But, unlike the other times, there was no response this time. Instead, the rustling steadily grew louder. "Dad?" Danny called again, his voice cracking a little. The rustling abruptly stopped, when all of a sudden a loud SLAM! came from behind Danny. The halfa whirled around, startled, but didn't see anything. Panic was rising in his throat as he started to scream, when a glimpse of a black shadow and green fire through his peripheral vision cut him off. A voice confirmed that Danny was not the only one in the house.
"I warned you, ghost child, I will never stop hunting you." it said. A second, deeper voice joined the first. "And now, finally, your nightmare will truly begin." That was the last thing that Danny heard before his vision became blurry and dotted with black holes, which steadily yet rapidly grew until the darkness completely engulfed him.
A/N: Wow, that was fast! Those ghosts didn't even leave Danny alone for twenty four hours! What will happen when Danny wakes up? Wanna know? Please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of Danny Phantom or any of the characters in this story. I only own the plot and the computer that I am typing this on.