I do not own Danny Phantom. Michelle Durante however is mine. This is the second remake of an older story on my deviantART. To read about it and Michelle, please refer to my deviantART. I also have oneshots on here about Michelle's general role in the DP universe.


"Being a senior meant a lot of things. More freedom, more privileges, not to mention the day we graduate is the day we start our lives the real way. I was more than ready to start it, eager to see what was next for me." - Michelle Durante

It was a late, Friday afternoon in the city called Amity Park. The sun began its descent as the town buzzed in excitement. It was the first week of June; and the younger citizens were more than ready for their summer vacation to begin. The seniors of Casper High especially were ready to leave their old lives behind and begin anew.

The local hotspot, The Nasty Burger, was filled to the brim tonight with friends and couples chattering away. Four teenagers in particular waited eagerly for their food.

"Order 273 is ready!" An employee with short black hair called as she placed a full tray on the counter.

Michelle Durante hurried over to the counter, picking up the tray. "Thanks, Nat." she responded to her younger sister.

"No problem, hey, mind if I can catch a ride home?" Natalie asked, leaning against the counter with hopeful eyes. "My shift ends in an hour."

Michelle snorted. "Find your own ride, I'll be elsewhere." She turned on her heel, flicking her long hair to whip Natalie in the face. She walked away as her sister scoffed and whined in annoyance. She chuckled as she neared her table, where Danny, Sam, and Tucker were waiting.

"Wow, don't you two ever get along?" Danny asked, his voice trembling as he held back a laugh.

Michelle rolled her eyes, taking her seat next to him. "Sure we do, just about as much as you and Jazz do."

"Yeah, but she doesn't give me attitude." Responded Danny, raising an eyebrow.

"That's because they're both girls," Sam added. "Girls are nastier than boys."

"Ain't that the truth," Tucker grunted as he chewed on some fries. "Girls can be heartless sometimes."

"And yet, you still chase after them like a lovesick puppy." Michelle snickered.

Tucker opened his mouth to respond, only to have his face contort into an expression of confusion, and then defeat. "Okay, you got me there." He sighed heavily.

The other three laughed as they began to eat. Danny swallowed a bite of his burger before speaking, "Hey Tuck, I know you'll get lucky one day."

"That's easy for you to say, you've been with Michelle for four years!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Uh, not necessarily-" Michelle began.

"Well, besides breaking up in junior year. Regardless, you guys got back together." Tucker interjected.

"And what does that have to do with your lack of romance?" Danny inquired.

"Why are we even bringing up Tucker's love life?" Sam sighed, resting her head on her hand, looking incredibly bored. "I mean, he is the Mayor. He could have anyone he wanted."

"So could either of these guys!" Tucker gestured with a sweep of his hand, toward Danny and Michelle. "They saved the world, anyone would want to jump their bones."

Danny snorted quite loudly, spewing droplets of the Cola he was drinking.

"So, wait. How did we go from talking about Tucker's lack of dating to our love life?" Michelle quizzically pointed out. "What do we have to do with anything?"

Tucker huffed in annoyance, leaning back and folding his arms. "You guys are lucky, ya know. How often do you see high school couples lasting very long? You two are very different, but you two still love one another."

Michelle and Danny glanced at one another, before turning their attention back to Tucker. "So?" they said in unison.

"And that's my point!" Tucker said. "You're super lucky, but I'm not so much. Every date I've been on has led to dead ends. Girls are interested in me because of the power I have, not because of me as a person. Either that, or they're freaked out by the huge amounts of tech I'm carrying- shut up," he added with a small scowl as the couple gave him a look, "But you guys already have each other, instead of going for any one of your mass amounts of fans."

Michelle blinked slowly. "So, you are jealous."

"Yes!" Tucker whined. "I want to have a relationship like you do."

Danny chuckled at that, wrapping an arm around Michelle's shoulders. "It's not based on luck, Tuck. It's based on fate."

"Fate?" Sam repeated, her lips curling into a smile of amusement. "What are you, a fortune teller?"

As the others laughed, Danny added, "What I mean is, the right girl could be right in front of you and you may not know it until the right time."

"When did you get all wise?" Michelle giggled, giving her boyfriend a light smack on the shoulder.

Danny laughed in response. "Just saying."

"So, does that mean Michelle is 'the one'?" Tucker asked with an air quote. "Plan to marry her and have kids with her and all that?"

Michelle felt her cheeks burn, and turned her attention to her food below her. The table went silent.

"Maybe." She heard Danny say, his response light. She looked up at him, blinking in surprise. His eyes met hers briefly.

"That's cute," Sam chuckled. "So sweet I could get cavities."

The teens chuckled for a moment before the table went silent again, replaced by the sounds of them munching on their food.

Upon finishing, they threw out the remnants and headed out of the restaurant, towards their cars. It was twilight now; the last rays of the sun slowly disappearing beyond the horizon as stars twinkled faintly above. The air was warm and dry, a gentle breeze stirring up Michelle's hair as she walked toward her truck. They were headed to the movies next.

As the trio laughed and joked ahead of her, Michelle's mind was elsewhere. The thought of marriage. The way Danny responded to Tucker's question. Did he really think about marrying her? She'd never given it much thought before; she was always focused on the future, her life and career after high school. She told Danny that she'd be going back to Texas for college, and they discussed the idea of a long distance relationship. The thought of being far from him unsettled her, however he assured it would be fine. She trusted his word, and it hadn't been a topic for a while.

She'd reached her truck, and her hand hovered over the handle as she hesitated, more thoughts popping into her mind. Could they last that long? And after college, what then? Was marriage a possible step in their life? She envisioned herself in a long, white dress, standing opposite of Danny, who was wearing a handsome tuxedo. Speaking their vows, exchanging rings, taking his last name…

"Hey, Michelle?"

Michelle jumped slightly, her train of thought snapping and bringing her back to reality. She turned to see Danny standing a few feet away, looking mildly concerned. "Yeah?"

"You alright? You look a little off." He pointed out.

Michelle shook her head. "Yeah, no, I'm fine. Sorry." She murmured, opening the door.

Before she could climb in, a flash of heat shot up her spine, forming in orange smoke that poured out of her mouth. She glanced over at Danny, whose blue vapor slid out of his mouth. They locked eyes, and, without saying a word, sprinted out into the opening area of the parking lot.

"We'll catch up with you two later!" Danny shouted towards Sam and Tucker, who were in the process of getting into Sam's car. Without waiting for a response, Danny launched himself into the air, a familiar flash of blue energy surrounding his body, transforming him into Danny Phantom.

Michelle followed suit, the pull of gravity releasing her as she joined Danny in the air. "What now?" she groaned in annoyance.

"I don't know," Danny sighed. "Let's hope it's an easy battle, the movie starts in twenty minutes."

Before Michelle could respond, a shrill scream cut through the air. The two hybrids turned their attention to its source just down the street. People sprinted towards them with looks of pure terror plastered on their faces. Just mere seconds later, the thuds of large footsteps followed. Danny and Michelle flew closer to inspect.

What they saw was unlike any ghost they've fought before. It was huge; towering over the three-story buildings lining the street. Its body was lean and completely pitch black, aside from the bright, slit red eyes and the green aura. The one feature that caught Michelle's attention was a long, spiked tail that swung idly behind it.

"What the-?" Danny gasped. "What is that?"

"Hell if I know, but let's beat this thing so we can catch our movie!" Michelle hissed.

The monster was swinging at people, trying to grab them as they frantically tried to get away. It had its head turned from her. Taking the chance, she pelted toward it, forming fire in her fists and thrust her arms out, shooting out flames like bullets that sprinkled its body. The monster roared, turning its attention toward her. Raising one large arm, it tried to swing at her with a backhand motion. She halted and dropped a few feet, only feeling the rush of wind against her face as its hand passed by.

"Gonna have to do better than that!" she taunted with a grin.

The monster was about to swing again when a beam of green ectoplasm met its arm halfway. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Danny flying in, his hands lit with pure ectoplasmic energy.

The monster began to swing wildly at Danny, who wasn't as quick to dodge. He was smacked by its massive hand, swatted away like a fly. Danny smashed into a nearby building, leaving cracks before sliding down to the concrete below. Michelle winced in sympathy and quickly turned back to the monster, only to be met by its other hand.

The wind was knocked out of her by the sheer force, her body only soaring through the air for a split second before meeting the asphalt below. Stars erupted in her vision as the back of her head cracked against the blacktop. She opened her eyes, the world spinning for a moment before settling and clearing again. The monster began its chase on the citizens once again.

"Hey!" Michelle bellowed, levitating high. "That hurt!"

The monster turned its head toward her, and she shot a beam of ectoplasm directly at its eyes. It screeched and stumbled backward, tripping over a couple of cars. It rubbed its eyes.

"Quick, while it's distracted!" Danny screamed from a few yards away. She could see he recovered from this knock back as he flew up next to her, looking a little roughed up, and quite annoyed.

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Michelle responded. They flew closer, throwing ectobeams all over its body. The monster swatted at them, failing as they dodged its limbs easily.

As many attacks as they threw, they couldn't seem to create any damage to the thing. It continued to swing at them like someone swatting away at mosquitoes. After a moment, it ceased and vanished before their eyes, leaving no trace in its wake. Michelle froze, looking around wildly.

"Keep your guard up!" Danny commanded, flying backwards from the spot. Michelle nodded, flying up higher, allowing a bird's eye view of the block. Her purple eyes darting back and forth. Everything was eerily silent, nothing moving except for the remaining citizens darting into buildings.

A chill ran up her spine, the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. Something felt very off. It was rare when they'd come across a ghost that's set off a high level of uneasiness. Despite the warmth, her body shivered involuntarily, goosebumps erupting on her bare skin. She swung her head left and right, turning around completely. Nothing. Her eyes met Danny's who was just a little ways away. His look of confusion quickly turned to that of panic. His eyes widened and he reached out to her his mouth opening.

She didn't get to find out what he was going to say; as something heavy smacked her across the back. Everything around her was a blur as she hurtled toward a brick building, smashing face first into the solid wall. Pain shot through the front of her body as her back stung and burned wildly. Blood rushed through her ears as-no, it was a roar.

Peeling herself off the building, she spun around to see the monster had reappeared, its tail swishing back and forth, reminding her of a dragon. Danny had taken charge to attack it, ectoplasmic beams flying as it swatted once again. It caught Danny on the side, sending him spiraling to the ground. Once Danny hit the pavement, the creature turned around once again to resume its terror.

Michelle shot over to Danny. The ghost boy groaned and slowly sat up from the small crater that surrounded him. He rubbed the side of his head, looking extremely irritated. "What does it take to beat this thing?" he exasperated.

She stared at it, observing its features once again. Her lips pursed in thought. She exhaled as a last puff of smoke released from her mouth. "None of our attacks are working, we might have to try a different approach."

"You got anything in mind?"

Michelle began to think hard. The skin was impenetrable; that was obvious. She eyed the upper torso. The shoulders were broad, yet the joints themselves appeared very weakly connected. A light bulb went off. "Let's tear its limbs off."

Danny didn't question it. He stood up, brushing the debris from his body as he took off toward the monster, determination and anger plain in his face. Michelle was only a millisecond behind him. They flew at it side by side, splitting into opposite directions as the creature attempted to swing at them once again. It tried to go after Danny, however, Michelle was quick. She snagged at one of its wrists, its skin felt cold and scaly. Her muscles bulged as she held on tight, resisting the drag of its arm. The monster struggled to free its arm, just as Danny caught the other. With the two pulling as hard as they could, the monster screeched once again. It wriggled in their grips, trying desperately to free itself.

She could hear the gruesome sound of flesh tearing within the creature's arm, and the tension began to give way. Michelle pulled harder, her own arms beginning to grow sore. With one final yank, the arm ripped free from the body, just as Danny did the same on the other side. Green ectoplasmic blood splattered from the gaping sockets, a few droplets landing on her and more staining the surrounding the area.

The screams of the monster did not subside. As its now severed arms lay limp on the ground, it swiftly turned on its feet as the tail swung around, its spiky end catching Michelle in the gut. A searing, burning pain erupted in her abdomen as she was once again tossed like a ragdoll, hovering for what only felt like a millisecond before slamming into something else. Glass shattered and the metal crumpled around her from impact as an alarm began to wail, telling her a car had broken her fall. Her head pounded, her skin stung from the razor sharp glass shards, although her stomach felt worse. With her vision hazy, she turned her attention to the source of the pain in her stomach.

Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she could see it was a spike. Up close, the surface was not smooth; it was serrated with many smaller spikes sticking outward, and it oozed a sickly green substance. The larger end was broken clean off. She couldn't tell how deep it was, nor if it ruptured her organs.

She gripped the spike, the rough edges poking her fingers as it burned more into her skin. She cried out in pain and bit her lip, trying to pull it out as it clung to the tear in her skin. With a deep breath, she yanked it out in one go. A squelching sound followed, and almost made her sick to her stomach as she let out a strained cry. Tossing the spike aside, she looked down at the damage. A gaping hole about the size of an egg sat just above her belly button, ectoplasmic blood steadily pouring out of the open wound. The green ooze from the spike surrounded the wound and slowly seeped in, painfully stinging the inside.

The sight of it and the pain combined sent her head reeling, and she could feel her meal rising up her throat again. Swallowing hard, she pushed herself out of the wrecked car. Knowing that the wound could heal fairly quickly, she tried to push it in the back of her mind. Now, it was time to help Danny.

The sounds of the fight rang in her ears as she turned to see Danny having more luck than she was. He was able to dodge the tail and he continued to hammer the monster. He doubled back and shot forward, slamming his fist into its face with such force that it teetered backwards on its feet.

Michelle grinned, eager to jump back into the battle. However, another sound stopped her in her tracks. It was strange; crackling sound that emanated from the creature's body. And before her eyes, a new set of arms quickly regrew from the sockets. It stood up, letting out a roar that almost sounded as if it was laughing.

From above, Danny looked horrified. Michelle's eyes widened, and her fists clenched. This thing had regenerative powers?

Her fists erupted into flames as she brought her arms up, ready to throw a fastball of fire. However, her arms collapsed at her sides, the fire burning out. She tried to lift them back up, only to realize she could no longer feel them.

"What…?" she croaked, her mouth dry. Numbness was spreading throughout her entire body. Her legs crumpled beneath her as her knees hit the ground awkwardly, and then fell to her side. Her head spun dizzily as her vision began to grow dark. She tried to move her lips, only to find they were numb as well. She struggled to move even an inch as the last thing she saw was Danny tackling the monster, before she was engulfed in total darkness.