Endgame

by pearl84

It's said that every hero needs a final, epic battle. Danny is about to discover his 'perfect ending' was only the 'calm before the storm'. But in chess, the endgame is what matters. And playing against your worst enemy, means relying on your arch-enemy to win. Sequel to Checkmate. One yr. after PP.

2. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Whew! At last! I thought I'd never get this up. But here it is! Time to visit the present and see how are hero's doing with his new life... heheh. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. And neither does Vlad muse, even if he refuses to accept it...

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Chapter one: New Beginnings

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Present Time—One Year After Disasteroid Incident:

Amity Park was a small town in the heart of Michigan. Only a year back, very few people had even heard of this place. In fact, those that had visited often categorized it as a back-water and washed-down town, with its best touristic places being an old-fashioned water park called 'Floody Waters' and a worn-down carnival park. Perhaps the only reason outsiders got curious enough to even visit Amity was because there were many rumors that it was haunted.

Some left disappointed when they found nothing to prove those rumors. But most left scared out of their minds, vowing never to return again after finding those rumors were truer than they could have imagined. Of course, outsiders that had never seen these hauntings first-hand never believed those that had. So, the haunting gossips always remained.

But all that had been a year ago.

It was almost unbelievable how a single event had literally and forever changed everyone's view of Amity Park. It was no longer a quaint little town full of rumors of hauntings. Amity was now the most popular and known place—not just in Michigan or even in the United States—but in the entire world.

And all because of that one single event that had happened a year ago. And this event, the world had come to know as the 'Disasteroid Event'.

Just a year ago, a large asteroid composed entirely of ecto-uranium—a rare anti-ghost element—had threatened all Existence. It had been on a direct collision course with Earth; and for a moment, the world had believed it would be its end.

But out of this insignificant town, the world's only hope had appeared:

A teenage ghost boy by the name of Danny Phantom.

The only son of two eccentric ghost hunters turned out to be more than human. He was half-ghost and had orchestrated the largest mission known to man to save the world; and with the help of all the ghosts in the Ghost Zone, he had prevented the Disasteroid from destroying the world—and the Ghost Zone—by turning the very Earth intangible.

A year ago, few people believed in ghosts. And a year ago, no one would have thought it remotely possible that there was such a thing as a human-ghost hybrid—let alone, three.

But that one single Disasteroid event had changed all that humanity believed possible.

And yet, this single event had not affected anyone more than that teenage ghost boy.

Or, as humanity had now dubbed him: 'the hero of the world'…

High in the sky, Danny zoomed like a jet, ignoring the squawks of a flock of geese he just weaved through.

It was unbelievable! Even after having his powers for close to three years now, the Box Ghost still managed to make him late for school!

"And he even got away!" Danny grumbled as he sped up, quickly becoming just a blur in the sky.

He gave his deeper voice no thought anymore. Thankfully, he had at last hit puberty. And his not-so-squeaky voice was just one of his gradual changes. He had hit a growth spurt and had gained five inches and was still growing. His body was a lot more defined now, though he was still on the slim side. And just two months ago, he actually used a razor for the first time.

He was almost seventeen, so he still had a few years to go before he could call himself a full-grown man; but… he was getting there.

Sadly, none of that helped the fact that he was late for his first day of class after Christmas break! After all, he was now a junior in high school, so being late wasn't something he could afford anymore…

Luckily, he was now close enough to use one of his more useful developing powers…

Closing his eyes for only a second, the ghost teen vanished into a puff of green smoke and appeared in one of his school's bathrooms.

The only good thing about the fact that he was late was that there was no 'mob' to greet him.

Quickly turning human, he sprinted out of the bathroom, heading for his homeroom. He didn't even realize his wild black hair was looking even more disheveled from his high-speed flight.

Screeching to a halt, the teen all put threw open his homeroom classroom door and practically fell inside the room. But he then froze when his teacher and classmates instantly turned to look at him and went dead quiet.

"Er…. Sorry I'm late," he said with an awkward smile.

Mr. Lancer, who happened to be his homeroom teacher, and apparently taught all grade-levels, frowned at the half-ghost teen.

"Let me guess. It was the Box Ghost again…," the teacher said dryly, clearly having heard the boy's excuses many times before. In fact, the man wasn't sure which ones bugged him more. The ones from before he had known the boy was Danny Phantom. Or, the ones he gave him now that he did know the truth…

"Actually…" Danny chuckled. "It was." But seeing Mr. Lancer was not amused, he blushed and said more seriously, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Lancer…"

The teacher reluctantly nodded and just waved at him to take his seat.

With a quiet sigh, Danny turned and began to make his way back to his seat.

It didn't help him feel any better about being late because he didn't even like homeroom this year since Sam and Tucker were not in it. The only consolation—if he wanted to call it that—was that he was now far from the loser outcast that he was before the Disasteroid incident.

So, as he passed by every single seat, Danny's sensitive hearing was filled with the buzz of quiet greetings and praises.

"Hey, Danny," came Paulina's flirty greeting.

"Ssup, Fenton!" Dash whispered, offering a low five, which Danny half-heartedly accepted.

"Hi, Danny!"

"How's it going?"

"Great job last night, dude!"

And just like he had been doing for the past year, he responded to them with weak smiles and polite 'thanks'.

"Okay, people, settle down," Mr. Lancer spoke up, clearly hearing the whispers around the classroom.

Danny finally made it to his seat and sat down with a tired sigh. He really should just start sitting in the front.

"As if that would stop them," he thought almost bitterly. He shook away the thought, and turned his attention to his backpack and pulled out a pen and notebook.

"As I was saying," Mr. Lancer said from the front. "—each and every one of you should take what remains of your junior year very seriously. This is the final lap of your third year, people. And it either makes or breaks most students, especially when college is just around the corner. Most respectable universities focus mainly on a student's last two years of high-school to consider whether or not they will accept him or her. So, although most other homeroom teachers allow students to do whatever they please during this time, I want to help you all to get ready for the rest of your lives. Therefore, starting today, we will be working on proper college essays and resumes!"

There was a chorus of groans around the class.

"Believe me, I will be saving you many groans of regret in your future by doing this," Mr. Lancer responded knowingly before he turned his focus on a stack of papers on his desk.

"If someone could help me pass out these mock college applications and outlines…"

A girl in the front quickly raised her hand. She ignored the snickers and whispers of 'dork' and 'teacher's pet' as she went up and then began to hand out the papers.

Danny frowned at the déjà-vu moment. It was unbelievable how people his age always found someone to pick on. And it was just as ironic how a year back that 'someone' had been him. And it would still be him if it wasn't for everyone finding out he was Danny Phantom.

"And all because of that asteroid," he thought right away.

Danny blinked. How long had it been since he even thought about the Disasteroid? Then again, it was hard to forget it when his entire life had changed because of it. And yet, he realized that for the past weeks he had been thinking a lot about it…

"Psst. Danny."

The teen looked over to his right and saw the girl who was helping Lancer standing next to his desk. She was staring expectantly at him, while extending some papers to him.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, and accepted them. But when she then discreetly placed two folded notes on his desk, too, he looked up questioningly.

But the girl just continued on her way without another word.

Raising an eyebrow, Danny picked up the first note and opened it.

Danny,

I know you're a super busy and super hot superhero and all; but I was hoping you could make time for pretty ol' me. My 'familia' is having a barbeque later today and, well, I told my 'cuzins' I was tight with the famous Danny Phantom. Could you stop by?

Your still number-one-fan,

Paulina.

The Ghost Boy frowned uncertainly before glancing over at the Hispanic girl; and seeing her batting her eyes at him, he smiled weakly before looking back at the note.

The teen bit his lip as he tentatively picked up his pen…

I appreciate the invite, Paulina, but I really don't know. I might be busy…

Danny paused as his conscience suddenly got the better of him; and with a reluctant sigh, he added to his note:

I'll try to make it, though. I just can't promise I'll stay long. And I'll probably bring Sam with me. I hope that's okay.

Danny.

The teen folded the note and then handed it up to his classmate sitting in front of him with a whisper to hand it to Paulina. The teen didn't even bother to look to see if she got it or not; otherwise, he would have seen how Paulina frowned with slight displeasure. Still, she seemed to accept his reply since she didn't write back.

Meanwhile, Danny opened the second note.

Hey, Phantom!

You don't mind if I call you that, right? No offense, but I like your ghost's last name over 'Fenton.' Anyhow, I'm sure you know how there's a basketball practice tonight for the really big game to kick off the basketball season. Well, me and guys were hoping you'd show up. You know, you're like good luck or something! Everyone does better when you're there! So, yeah, can ya come?

Dash.

Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes; and instead picked up his pen and wrote back…

Dash,

Actually, I prefer 'Danny'. I think I mentioned that a couple times before… Whatever. I can't make it tonight, but I'll try to come to the game Friday, okay?

Danny.

The teen quickly folded the note and handed it up. But just as he was about to tune Mr. Lancer back in and try to figure out what he was talking about, someone beside him handed him a third letter.

"I guess it's going to be one of those days…," Danny thought dryly.

He opened the letter.

Hey, Dan! It's Nathan. Can you come support the science club tonight?

Danny was about to reply, when someone else nudged him and handed him yet another note. The teen frowned, but before he could decide if to read the note, or start answering Nathan, he got yet two more.

Danny slumped in his seat, thinking, "Yeah, it's definitely one of those days…"

After homeroom, which he had mostly spent writing and passing notes, Danny was scheduled for Calculus.

However, before he could leave the classroom, Mr. Lancer stopped him.

"Danny. A word."

Danny suppressed the urge to sigh, and instead, replied, "Yes, sir?"

"Mr. Fenton," Lancer began with a sigh of his own. "I know you just got back from Christmas break, but I feel it is best I tell you this now. First, though, I want you to know that I have seen your improvement since your freshman year. It really has been in leaps and bounds, especially since your sophomore year after you came back from the private institute in Florida... I am quite amazed by your steady improvement, actually. Still… I am concerned about you, Mr. Fenton."

A deeper frowned melded into the teacher's face as he added, "And honestly, it has been a growing concern for quite a while now. I do understand your… unique life really makes it challenging for you to focus more on school, but… Danny, you really do need to focus more on school," the man stressed.

"But… I am. I mean, I have a high B-average now," Danny slightly argued, not understanding his teacher's concern.

Showing even more worry, Lancer replied, "Yes, I know. You're a bright young man, Danny. And you have proved that in many ways. But my concern is not on your grade-point average. It's about your priorities. I know you have more obligations than most kids your age, but as your teacher and vice-principal who has watched you grow in many ways, I feel it is my obligation to remind you that you have a life outside the whole 'hero thing'. Have you even thought what you are going to do after high school?"

Danny's eyebrows creased and he shook his head. "Not really…"

It wasn't true, though. He had thought about it. A lot, actually. In fact, it sort of scared him to know he had less than two years of high school left! But the career path he wanted to pursue after high school meant leaving Amity Park, and now more than ever, he couldn't do that.

"Danny," Mr. Lancer said, suddenly placing a hand on his shoulder.

The teen had not realized he had lowered his gaze until he had to look up at his teacher to see his face.

"You do have a choice, you know. The world has managed to do fine without 'Danny Phantom' for thousands of years. I'm pretty sure it can do without him for the amount of time it would take you to make a life for yourself once you are done with high school. Just think about it, Mr. Fenton."

Danny nodded and turned to leave; but he was stopped again.

"One more thing. You know your other teachers and I have been lenient with you in terms of due dates for homework and papers. However, as I told you before, I will only tolerate so much of your being late or missing class. There are other ghost hunters, Mr. Fenton. Maybe you should let them handle things during your school hours, hmm?" Mr. Lancer said sternly.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I'll try, Mr. Lancer. Can I go now?"

Mr. Lancer frowned but then he nodded. "Yes. Have a good day, Danny."

"Thanks. You, too," the teen replied before quickly escaping his teacher—

—only to be cornered by his peers.

"Danny!"

"Hey, Danny!"

"Hi, Phantom!"

"Walk with us to class!"

"No, man, he's walking with us, this time."

Danny backed away from his peers, who were slowly surrounding him, as he replied, "Actually, I need to get to my locker and then class…"

"Oh, then, we'll walk with you!"

"Yeah, us, too!"

"Me, too!"

Danny just slowly nodded before he tried to make his way to his locker. It wasn't the first time this happened to him, so he knew he would just waste more time trying to convince them he was fine on his own than just letting them follow him around.

But as more kids moved to hover around him, he found himself surrounded yet again and stopped in his tracks. No one seemed to notice how they were impeding his movements, too excited to get the latest scope on their half-ghost peer…

"We heard you were late. Who was it this time?"

"Yeah, what cool powers did you dish out on those vile ghosts?"

Danny looked around for an escape, almost tempted to turn invisible and run, but instead he answered nervously, "Uh, just the Box Ghost. And, well, he got away…"

"Seriously? No way! Oh, wait. I get it! You let him get away!"

"He's hot and clever!"

"Hey, think we could ghost hunt with you one of these days?"

"Yeah! What're the requirements to be part of 'Team Phantom?"

"Uh…," Danny began, though he drew a blank this time, realizing this was one of the worst 'mob episodes' he had had in a while.

Luckily, he was saved by an angel wearing black-and-purple and another wearing a beret and glasses.

"Positions are all full," Sam abruptly replied to the boy who had asked the last question. And pushing her way into the crowd, she grabbed one of Danny's hands and yanked him away from the growing mob.

"But here's the latest signed pictures of the Ghost Boy!" Tucker added, and suddenly threw a whole stack of pictures of 'Danny Phantom in action' at the students.

Danny's mouth gaped open as he saw his peers dive into a pile to grab one of the scattered pictures. In fact, a nearby teacher thought a fight was going on and ran towards the commotion, attempting to break up the mob with very little result.

Danny only stared for another moment before facing forward and continuing towards his locker with Sam and Tucker.

His two best friends hadn't changed much in terms of personality. Tucker was still the same techno-geek; but now as mayor, he got to show it off and was given all the technology he could want in his position. Of course, he had further learned to be more responsible thanks to his added obligations.

Sam, well, she was still that head-strong goth girl Danny loved; except now the feeling was deeper. They were about to celebrate their one-year anniversary as a couple, and except for the fact that they were more emotionally evolved, they were still the same best friends.

However, in terms of looks, Danny's friends had done a bit of growing in the past year, too. Tucker had also hit a growth spurt. In fact, he was even taller than Danny now. He looked pretty much the same, except he had changed his glasses for a more sophisticated-looking pair. Tucker said it made him look smarter or something.

Sam, well, she hadn't grown that much taller, but she was 'filling in' in all the 'right places.' Danny didn't think his girlfriend could have gotten any prettier a year ago—Boy, had he been wrong. Still, Sam continued to love her black and purple outfits; and the only other big change was that her hair was just a bit longer—but not by much.

They had all changed in some ways. Said changes, however, weren't as noticeable to themselves as they were to others. And, obviously, since the Disasteroid event, their social life had sky-rocketed, which was what had Danny in his current conversation…

"Geez, you would think after a year, they'd have enough pictures of me…," the Ghost Boy muttered.

"Well, you're without a shirt in that one, dude," Tucker answered with a snicker.

"What?" Danny exclaimed in horror.

"It's a necessary evil to save you from your many fans, dude. You're welcome," Tucker replied with a smirk.

Danny scowled, but then he dropped it and rolled his eyes. He smiled at his girlfriend, who was still gripping his hand in a vice.

"Sam, you can ease up. I think I'm safe now," he teased.

Sam's still intense look quickly melded into a surprised one. And realizing how they had moved away enough to escape 'the mob', she lessened her grip, though she still held his hand in hers.

"Sorry, Danny… it's just that…," Her frown returned. "People are so shallow. I mean, half of those people didn't even like you, and now they won't even let you breathe! You would think after a year they'd let up, but no! It's every. Single. Day!"

Danny smiled weakly, trying to hide the fact that it bothered him as much—or even more—than her.

"It's not so bad, Sam," he replied, trying to calm her down with some optimism. "I mean, it's gotten somewhat better. At least I don't get asked all the time for autographs by everyone we go by in the streets. Now they… just greet us… And I haven't been attacked by fangirls in a week! That's good, right?"

The three made it to Danny's locker; but when he opened it, a pile of letters fell out.

"Uh…," was all Danny could say.

"Yeah, it's a lot better, alright. Now, you just got fangirls breaking into your locker and stuffing letters into it…," Tucker answered with another smirk.

"This is ridiculous! Tucker, you're the mayor! Can't you do something to stop this? This is harassment and violation of privacy!" Sam exclaimed, seething.

"I doubt I can put a restraining order on almost every girl in Amity Park, Sam," Tucker answered, rolling his eyes.

"I think you mean on almost every girl and guy, Tucker," Danny corrected him when he realized the fan letters did not just have girl names written on the envelope.

But seeing Sam's hands clench into fists, Danny turned his attention to his girlfriend and said, "Come on, Sam. Don't let it get to you so much. They're just trying to be nice and supportive."

Sam frowned. It wasn't that she was jealous. Not at all. In the year that she and Danny had been together, it had been great and he was very attentive with her; but it bothered her that everyone was so set on sucking up every little bit of her boyfriend's privacy and time. It bothered her because she knew that it bothered him—and a lot more than he let on!

"Look, we still got our place and no one has yet to bug us there… We could go today if you want. Maybe tonight after ghost hunting..?" Danny suggested, grabbing her hands and squeezing them encouragingly.

Her scowl melded into a small smile. "I know… But it's not me I'm worried about, Danny." Her smile fell as she added, "I'm worried about you! I'm worried this is going to overwhelm you sooner or later!"

Danny smirked. "You give me little credit, Sam. I mean, I've handled an evil Ghost King, a ghost-controlling freak, a fruit-loop arch-enemy, an alternate jerky version of me, and a killer asteroid. You don't think I can handle a few fans? Trust me, I'm fine."

"Yeah, Sam, he's right! There're worse things than popularity," Tucker agreed.

Sam looked over at Tucker and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Then, why were you hiding at my house just yesterday, moaning and complaining about everyone wanting you to fix their problems?"

"Hey, that's different," Tucker replied defensively. "Being mayor of a town is hard work! That kind of popularity can get overwhelming! And yesterday was one of my weaker moments…" He smirked. "Luckily, I have devised a program to help me with all the citizen letters I get. They're received by my secretary and she scans them and uploads them to my PDA. And the program automatically stacks them into piles by dates, topics and urgency."

"Speaking of your secretary," Sam began with a small frown. "How is Valerie…?"

Danny, who was now trying to pick up all the letters off the ground, paused and quickly looked at Tucker.

The techo-geek frowned lightly but then shrugged. "She's fine. You know, the usual. And things are going pretty good between us now. We'll be hitting our six-month mark of being together on Friday. I definitely plan to do something nice for her…" He smiled at the thought.

He really was glad he and Valerie were dating now. And to think it all really started back then when Valerie had been in the hospital during the time Danny had been forced to be with Vlad because of Jazz. Somehow, a real spark had lit up then, and as time had gone by, they became close friends. But it wasn't until Valerie learned the truth about Danny that their friendship deepened—with no secrets between them, it really changed everything.

And yet, it had been rough at first. Valerie had even wanted to break off her friendship with Tucker when she found out he knew the truth about her and Danny, and had lied to her. But eventually, she forgave him.

Unfortunately, Valerie still refused to be Danny's friend. So, Tucker had found himself between a rock and a hard place. Plus, she was always working now that she didn't have her other job with Vlad. And with Tucker being the mayor and getting use to his own job, it had been really hard to find time for each other.

But though things were somewhat shaky from all those things, they really liked being together. And realizing this, Tucker took the initiative, and risked trying something more than a friendship with Valerie. Danny had been supportive about it, which was a relief to Tucker. And as the months went by, Tucker—and Valerie—were finding it easier and easier to work at their relationship.

What had really helped them grow closer, however, happened a month ago. There had been a secretary position open at Town Hall, and he convinced Valerie to apply for it. With Tucker's good word, she definitely got the job as the mayor's personal secretary.

Now, not only did Valerie make more working at Town Hall than the Nasty Burger, but they got to see each other even more. And Tucker was relieved for the help. Turns out his girlfriend was a whiz at organizing things—specifically, his hectic schedule! Thanks to her, he now had time to get at least two nights off—one to hang out with his best friends and the other to go on a date with Valerie.

And, of course, with this new program on his PDA, he hoped things would get even better and he could have more 'free' time soon…

Still, the pressures in Tucker's own life were nothing to the ones he knew Danny was dealing with. But if his half-ghost friend could do it, Tucker knew he could handle his newfound responsibilities, too.

"Has she… mentioned me?" Danny asked hesitantly as he gave up with trying to stuff his fan-mail back into his locker and just turned his full attention to his male friend.

Tucker's frown returned as he was pushed out of his nicer thoughts and forced to deal with the hardest topic between him and Danny…

"Sorry, dude. I don't even try bringing up the topic about you anymore. Last time I did, we almost broke up… And, well, you understand, right?"

Danny just nodded.

But Sam scoffed. "Whatever. If Valerie wants to hold a grudge, then let her, Danny. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, you've apologized for not telling her the truth on multiple occasions in the past year. If she can't get over something so insignificant, then you're better off without her friendship."

"Well, you gotta understand Val's point, too, Sam," Tucker defended. "How would you feel if someone you trusted turned out to be someone you thought you hated and on top of that he never told you?"

"Are you defending her over Danny?" Sam asked indignantly. "Danny's been your best friend since you were both little kids, Tucker!"

"No, it's not like that, Sam!" Tucker argued, getting a bit angry now. "I'm just saying we gotta look at things from her point-of-view, too!"

"Well, I don't see it!" Sam snapped.

"No, you think everyone is wrong but you!" Tucker hissed.

"Whoa!" Danny finally stepped in. And when his two friends just continued to glare at each other, the Ghost Boy sighed and said, "Guys, come on. Don't start arguing over Valerie again. Look, I'm sorry I even asked about her. Can we forget about it?"

Tucker frowned. "Yeah, sorry, Danny." But then he shook his head and added more quietly, "I'm gonna go to class. See you guys at lunch…"

Danny opened his mouth to stop Tucker, but he had already turned and walked off.

"Sam!" Danny said in a slightly reprimanding voice.

"What?" she answered defensively. But when he frowned at her, she sighed and said more submissively. "Okay, I'm sorry, but… Valerie makes me so angry!"

"Sam, you know how much Tucker likes her," Danny reminded her with a worried frown. "It hasn't been easy for him being caught between the tension between her and me. Don't be so hard on him. Besides, he has a point. And I can see why Valerie doesn't want to be my friend…. She doesn't trust me." He lowered his gaze at the letters on the ground. "I just had hoped she'd at least forgiven me by now…"

"Danny…," Sam began helplessly; but then she just shook her head. Her boyfriend was too good sometimes. She smiled instead and said, "Come on. Let's get to Calculus. It isn't good to be late for classes the first day back after winter break."

Danny scoffed. "Too late. Box Ghost made me late for homeroom, and thanks to that I had to endure another lecture from Lancer."

Sam smirked. "He's probably the only teacher who doesn't care that you're the world's hero. Didn't he give you like three detentions last semester?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Four, actually. Two for being late; one for starting a food-fight, which was technically started by the Lunch Lady; and the last one for destroying school books. As if having GhostWriter attack me at the library was my fault…"

Sam smirked. "As much as that reeks for you, I'm glad to see at least one of our teachers not conform to the masses."

"Actually, I think I would prefer Lancer as a fan…," Danny answered dryly. But then looking down at the letters still on the ground, he added, "Then again, I don't think I'd want him leaving me fan-mail. I rather take his detentions. It's less creepy."

Sam laughed and grabbed Danny's Calculus book from his locker, ignoring how more letters fell on the ground. She then just slammed the locker shut and handed her boyfriend his book.

"Yeah, well, I think it's time for Danny Phantom to get to class before he gets a detention for being late and ends up cleaning up his own fan letters off the ground after school," she teased.

"Hilarious, Sam," Danny replied dryly. But then he instantly smirked mischievously as he raised a hand to the mess of letters on the ground and added, "Then again, I better be on the safe side and clean up now instead of Mr. Lancer finding this mess and making me stay after school."

Sam chuckled as she watched her boyfriend blast the pile of letters out of existence before she replied, "That's one way to recycle!"

"Heh. I'll have to 'recycle' the rest in my locker later," Danny replied with a grin as he took his girlfriend's hand.

"And you'll probably find more letters to 'recycle' in your mailbox when you get home," Sam added, rolling her eyes.

Danny cringed in response.

---

One very good thing about the trio of friends was that they got over arguments very quickly. It did help that Sam had apologized, which, of course, smoothed things over between her and Tucker. And now, they all easily slipped back into their regular conversations as if nothing had happened.

"So, what do you guys want to do after school?" Tucker calmly asked as they headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

Danny shrugged in response. "I'm planning on taking TJ to the park after school, but I'm open after that… Well, if a ghost doesn't show up, that is," he added with slight annoyance.

Sam smiled smugly "Ghost hunting it is, then."

Danny instantly frowned. "Geez, Sam, you really know how to kill the 'if' in a sentence, don't you?"

Tucker laughed, while Sam shrugged, amused.

But then Danny's eyes widened slightly as he remembered something from that morning. "Oh, crud. I do have one other thing for today. Paulina asked me to come by for some party she's having, and well… I didn't want to blow her off, since I've done that the past two times…"

Danny looked significantly at Sam, clearly pleading at her not to get upset.

Sam scoffed in response, and replied irritably, "She really can't take a hint, can she?"

"I told her I was taking you," Danny added with a smile. But then looking at Tucker, he added, "You can come, too, Tucker. I'm sure Paulina knows by now we're all kinda a package deal."

"Yeah, dude, count me in! I mean, I have to do some stuff at City Hall; but Valerie's going to eat out with her dad tonight, so I have no problem crashing Paulina's party!"

"I do," Sam finally spoke up. "Danny, if it's all the same to you, I rather skip out. You know Paulina and I aren't… compatible."

"But, Sam!" Danny instantly protested. "You can't leave me there by myself! She'll suffocate me!"

"You'll be fine, Danny. Plus, Tucker's going with you," Sam said with a small shrug.

Danny frowned, clearly unhappy; but he knew when it came to 'popular people parties' Sam rarely went—if at all.

"Fine, but you owe me," Danny said with a sudden smirk.

"Oh yeah? I don't see how I do," Sam challenged with her own smug look.

And knowing where this was going, Tucker rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, this is a good time for me to go find Valerie. I'll see you lovebirds in a bit."

Danny and Sam didn't argue with the 'lovebird' title, and just watched as Tucker walked off. They then looked at each other and laughed.

But then, Danny added with a grin at Sam, "Come on, my lovebird, let's continue our conversation at our table."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Did you just call me 'your lovebird'?"

"You know you liked it," he replied cockily, raising a teasing eyebrow.

Sam rolled her eyes, but smiled, unable to deny she liked Danny's sweet talk, even when it was cheesy sometimes.

"Whatever. Go get your food before you say anything else to embarrass yourself, Romeo," Sam answered sarcastically.

"Romeo, eh?" Danny grinned. "I didn't think myself as poetic, but if you think so…"

Sam laughed outwardly this time. "Okay, you definitely need to go get some food now."

"I've already got it," Danny answered smugly before pointing at their table.

Sam was surprised to see another Danny already seating there with a food tray. He winked at her before he vanished from the seat, and the Danny beside her glowed green as his clone returned to him.

"Seriously?" Sam asked, though she was trying not to smile.

"Gotta use my ghost powers to help myself out from time-to-time, too, you know," Danny answered.

"Speaking of which," Sam said as she and Danny finally reached their table and sat down. "I'm surprised everyone's not begging you to eat lunch with them as usual."

"Like I said, Sam, I gotta use my powers to help myself once in a while, too," Danny repeated before pointing in another direction.

Sam raised an eyebrow when she saw a 'Danny Phantom' in the distance being crowded by their peers. Obviously, it was a clone, but the kids didn't seem to realize it as they followed him to the farthest lunch tables like lost puppies.

"You've really got the duplication thing down, don't you?" Sam muttered, impressed.

"It's easier with two, but I can manage four if I need to. But yeah, it's gotten a lot easier to control my copies," Danny answered before digging into his lunch.

"As long as it buys us some peace and quiet for our lunch period, I think I'm okay with this," Sam said with a smirk.

"I should have done this sooner, right?" Danny agreed after swallowing a piece of burger.

Right then, Tucker returned. But he wasn't alone. Danielle was with him, all but dragging a reluctant Valerie with her.

"Hey, Dani," Sam and Danny greeted the younger girl as she got close enough to their table.

But then the couple turned their gaze on Valerie who had stopped a few feet behind Tucker and Danielle, and seemed to be trying to avoid everyone's gaze.

Sam just frowned in displeasure; but Danny hesitantly said, "Uh, hey, Valerie… Um, how are you?"

Valerie finally looked at Danny and then at Sam. But seeing the goth girl's calculating stare, Valerie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Seemed some things would never change…

Deciding to play it cool, the dark-skinned girl nodded. "I'm doing good; uh, thanks." But she then looked at Tucker, and said, "Listen, I'm not eating lunch today. I really need to go talk to one of my teachers about something, and I rather do it now instead of after school. So, I'll just see you at City Hall, okay?"

Tucker frowned, but before he could reply anything, Valerie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she smiled at Danielle, and said, "Later, Dani. Call me when you get home." She lastly glanced at Sam and Danny, but said nothing else, and walked off.

Danny watched her leave before lowering his gaze and sighing.

And having nothing to say, Sam just placed a hand on one of her boyfriend's own and squeezed it slightly in support.

Tucker and Danielle sat down; but seeing Tucker place his food tray down and just frown at it, instead of digging in as usual, Dani sighed loudly.

"Okay, we really gotta figure something out!" the younger girl said seriously. "There's gotta be some way to get Valerie to forgive you, Danny!"

"Can we just talk about something else?" Tucker muttered quietly.

Danny glanced at his troubled friend, and felt even worse. He knew this was hardest on Tucker—more than Danny himself, actually. But he had done all he could! He had tried to get Valerie to accept him as a friend again so many times in the past year! But she would either make a quick exit, or get uncomfortably quiet.

"So we're just going ignore the huge elephant in the room each time Valerie's around?" Danielle asked, somewhat annoyed. "Sooner or later, we won't be able to do that! Come on! She's my best friend, and Tucker's girlfriend!"

Sam tensed with worry since Danny still hadn't said anything yet, and Tucker seemed to be holding something in. No, she did not want another argument like this morning, and like the many others because of Valerie. It was the main reason Sam disliked Valerie now. She was just this shadow over everyone, and she hated how it upset her friends every time her name came up!

"Look, it's been a year, Dani," Sam finally spoke up for everyone. "Valerie's not going to change her mind; so we just have to keep on dealing with it."

Danielle scoffed, but said nothing else. There was a brief silence before the younger girl sighed, and asked reluctantly, "So, how has everyone's first day back from break been so far?"

Danny looked up at his cousin. She had also done some growing. Not so much in height, but she was now a few months shy of turning fifteen and she had now taken to wearing white skirts and a red top.

She had also grown out her bangs and now her black hair just cascaded to her back and she had added red highlights to it. She still liked wearing hats, though, which the current one she had on matched her outfit well.

Danielle's biggest change, though, was the course of her life itself. After the Disasteroid event, Danny had shared many things with his parents, and one of them was of the existence of a girl version of himself. Naturally, his parents at first had been disgusted and disconcerted about finding out just how far Vlad had crossed the line in his obsession to get Danny on his side. But they eventually accepted it, and further realized that it wasn't Danielle's fault.

But when they found out the girl lived in the Ghost Zone, Jack and Maddie had refused to allow 'a Fenton' to live in such conditions—especially a young girl.

Danny loved his parents; but the day they told him that they wanted Danielle to live with them and that they wanted to adopt her into the family, his love and respect for his parents grew twice as strong.

Soon after that, Danny had gone into the Ghost Zone in search of his cousin. When he found her and told her about his parents' offer, she had been unsure at first, saying she didn't want to be a burden to anyone, because she wasn't their responsibility. But Danny had eventually convinced her, and since then, Danielle had been living at FentonWorks and going to school like a normal human girl.

Fortunately, since they had managed to stabilize her way back before the Disasteroid event, she had had no further problems using her powers—even though there was something odd about them. In the two years that she had now had her powers, she had not developed any new ones and her energy level was still the same level since Vlad had cloned her.

Also, Danny didn't get as lonely with his cousin around since Jazz was now gone for most of the year since she had started college.

He smiled with his brief thoughts before sighing them away, including his previous ones about Valerie.

"Well, my homeroom class reeks," Danny finally answered. "Mr. Lancer is forcing us to write-up entry essays for college and fill out mock applications. It's like having another class to worry about now."

"Oh, man, that does reek," Tucker spoke up at last, clearly eager to focus on this new topic. "I'm so glad I don't have Lancer for homeroom!"

"I have Tetslaff for homeroom," Sam added, almost pouting. "—and she insists on making us spend our free time on a morning workout. Don't get me wrong; I love physical activities, but not at eight in the morning! I'm still trying to wake-up at that time! So, Danny, I'd gladly take Lancer's essay assignments over Tetslaff's cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Yeah, well, guess what I get to do?" Danielle then said. "Prep work for the CAT. I gotta take it before the end of this year. It's SO boring and confusing."

"Heh. The CAT test," Tucker said with a nervous smile. "Word of advice, Dani: don't cheat on it."

"Hilarious, Tucker," Danny dryly said, rolling his eyes, though he ignored the slight pang in his heart at the memory of that.

But that's all it was: a memory.

Sam smacked Tucker's arm, earning a protest of 'What?'

But she ignored it, and said to Danielle, "You'll do fine. It's not as hard as all your teachers make it sound. We all past it on the first go and got pretty decent scores."

But not having missed the exchange between the trio, Danielle raised a questioning eyebrow. She did not know about that 'future timeline'.

"In any case," Danny said before the younger girl could ask, "I can always help you study; and Jazz is going to be around for another two weeks, since she doesn't start her next semester in college until the end of the month. She could help you out, too."

Danielle smiled and nodded. "Yeah, thanks, Danny."

"Speaking of Jazz, how's she liking her first year of college?" Sam asked with a smile. "As you know, I haven't had a chance to really talk with her with all the holiday stuff and with… everything else."

Danny rolled his eyes, but a warm smile curled his lips, too. "It's like she was born for college. She loves her psychology major. But she's considering a double major, and adding pharmacology to her endeavors."

"I'm still shocked she picked Wisconsin University. I mean, she could have gone to Yale or Preston!" Tucker said.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know why she picked that, either. I think it was just the closest pristine university to Amity Park she liked. My parents are thrilled she chose their alma mater, though."

"Well, it doesn't surprise me at all," Sam answered. "We all know Jazz could never move too far from you, Danny. She's too overprotective to leave you alone more than necessary."

"Got that right!" Danielle agreed with a laugh. "When she started college last August, she called every day and then chatted with him on-line every night. She even left me text messages on my phone, asking me about Danny and about the ghost activity. I'm surprise she did so well her first semester when she had been so busy checking up on Danny."

"She wasn't that extreme," Danny argued weakly, though he blushed.

"Yeah, she was! And Danny would always run to get the phone or get on his computer, too," Danielle continued with a mischievous smirk. "Everyone knows he missed his 'big sister' more than she had missed him—and that's saying a lot! Oh, and you should have seen how excited he got when she got home for Christmas break!"

Tucker and Sam laughed and cooed at their half-ghost friend, who grew even redder.

"Go ahead and keep it up, Dani. I can always wait 'til we get home, you know," Danny threatened playfully, and the younger girl giggled.

The four continued to chat throughout their lunch break, and then continued the rest of their school day as usual.

Danny had only stepped out once to deal with a ghost near Casper. He then had to escape 'the mob' after school. Though this time, it had been harder than in the morning.

And yet, this was all part of Danny's now daily life as a famous superhero.

By three in the afternoon, Danny and Danielle had gotten home. And while Danielle went to the guest room, which was now her own room, Danny headed to his room, with TJ wagging his tail after him.

The one-and-a-half-year-old Dalmatian had reached his full fifty-pound weight and size now. And though he was better behaved now, the young dog was as hyperactive as always. Difference now was that Danny had learned the best way to expend his dog's large amount of energy:

Frisbee and fetch at the park!

Dumping his bag on the ground, Danny then fell back on his bed with a spent sigh. TJ quickly jumped up and stuck his nose in his master's hair before licking his face.

"Gah! TJ, stop! Gross!" Danny protested, pushing the dog's face away from his.

The dog didn't seem put off in the least and instead sat down on the bed, his tail still wagging as he stared down at his grumpy master.

Danny wiped his face clean with his shirt sleeve, while grumbling, "Two words for you, dude: breath mints."

The young half-ghost closed his eyes and smiled slightly as the thought of a nice nap began to buzz around his groggy mind. It was nice to be alone in his room, where his hectic life didn't exist. It was like for a moment he could just forget everything except the relaxing feeling of his bed as his body slowly eased into blissful slumber…

"Knock-Knock!"

The boy startled awake just as he heard an all too familiar voice ask, "Danny? You in there?"

And without waiting for a response, the person opened his door.

Danny groaned as he rolled to his side, ignoring how TJ stood and began to mess with him again.

"Jazz, go away. Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"

But his sister strolled further into the room, as she said in her cheerful voice, "Sleep? I'll only be here for two more weeks! We need to make the most of my time before I head back to Wisconsin!"

"And we will do that after my nap," Danny grumbled, wagging a hand at TJ to get him off again before covering his eyes with an arm.

"So, I finally finished planning your schedule all out," Jazz said, ignoring her brother's words as she sat next to him on the bed. She opened an agenda in her hand as she continued, "First, don't worry. I've already programmed your school schedule to meld with your other schedules. So, now that you're back from school, we can go on patrol right now and make sure there's no ghost problems. That way, we have the night off. The reason for that is because Mom and Dad want to check you over to make sure you're ghost half is healthy; and we can further use the time to also check out your powers' progress. Oh, and I'm sure they'll want to check Danielle, too. We can make that work…,"she added, quickly scribbling something down in the agenda.

Danny finally sat up and looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow, "Uh, Jazz?"

"Wait, let me finish," Jazz quickly interrupted. "Tomorrow, while you are in school, I'll work on setting up that photo-shoot Tucker's been begging you to do at City Hall. I'll schedule it right after school for you. Then, we'll set up that appointment with the Guys-in-White Sam says you've been holding off on. But we'll have our parents go with us because I don't trust those crazy hunters."

"Jazz, you really don't—" Danny tried again, only to be interrupted.

"Furthermore, we received some international calls. They want to set up some appointments with you, too. One of them is a simple meet-and-greet. Another wants you to be in some festival; and there is also one, in Greece, that wants you to be there when they sign some treaty. I talked to our parents already and we thought we could fit a few of them this weekend. We'll go through the Ghost Zone to make our trips faster, of course. Oh! Which reminds me! We need to head into the Ghost Zone. Perhaps pay visits to some of your allies, and you know… it would be good if you made more; that way…"

"Jazz!" Danny finally exclaimed, cutting her off.

The girl looked up from the agenda and blinked at her brother, "Yeah?"

Danny stared at her for a moment, trying to decide how to say what he wanted without hurting his sister's feelings.

He sighed before rubbing his tired eyes. "Listen, Jazz. I appreciate that you want to organize my schedule and all, but… I doubt we'll be able to fit everything I need to do in just two weeks. Plus, you have your own things to worry about…"

"Don't worry about me, Danny," Jazz dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I know how to keep a good schedule for myself. It's you I'm worried about. And I don't except you to have all this done in two weeks. It's why I've wrote everything you need to do down in an agenda and set up dates for all of it. All you gotta do is just go by the this schedule and you'll be fine for the next three months, which by then I'll be back for Spring Break."

"But I—"

"Danny, I'm just trying to help," she cut him off with a frown, placing the agenda on her lap. But then Jazz lowered her gaze as she added more quietly, "I'm not around all the time anymore, so I can't be there for you like I want. It's why I'm trying to do what I can for you. I know how much harder and busier your life has gotten since everyone learned your secret. It's why Mom and Dad are doing all they can for you. As for me… Well, I figured this is the best way I could help you…," she muttered, fingering the pages of the agenda on her lap.

Danny's eyebrows creased before he sighed and said, "Okay, Jazz…" When his sister looked up, he smiled weakly and added, "And I appreciate all you and our parents do. I would have gone crazy by now without you all helping me—and Sam, Tucker, and Danielle, too, of course."

"We're all happy to help, Danny," Jazz said, returning the small smile.

But before she could say anything else, her brother's cell phone rang.

He raised a finger at her, signifying this would only take a moment, before he pulled out his cells phone from his pocket and opened it.

"Hey, Tucker, what's up?" Danny asked, having already seen on the caller ID it was his male friend.

"Hey, Danny… Um, listen," Tucker said over the phone, and by his tone of voice, the young half-ghost already knew what his friend was going to say next."An emergency came up at City Hall, and it's probably going to take me all afternoon to get it resolve, and I still have to do my homework… So… I'll have to bail on you for Paulina's party. I'm really sorry, dude…"

Danny's smile fell, even when he wasn't surprised by the news. The trio's plans to hang out seem to be more often canceled than they ever got the chance now-a-days.

Still, keeping his voice light, Danny answered, "Don't worry, Tucker. I wasn't going to stay long there, anyways. I'm just going to show up, take a picture or two with her family, and then go. Plus, Jazz tells me I have more things to do today than I thought…"

"Yeah, I'm sure… So, see you tomorrow at school, then," Tucker answered, sounding a bit put down.

"Yeah," Danny replied back, his own voice falling, too, before hanging up the phone. He turned his eyes to his sister, and wasn't surprised to see her looking back at him with a troubled and thoughtful frown.

"So, you have plans to go to Paulina's?" Jazz asked, though Danny was sure it wasn't what she wanted to ask.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, she said her family's coming over and she wants them to meet me… I guess I couldn't say 'no' this time since I've blown her off like two other times before… You know there's no way Sam is going; and Tucker just canceled on me…"

He paused and frowned, thinking how he did not want to go alone to Paulina's house. The girl got way too overzealous with her 'support' for him.

Danny suddenly turned his focus back on his sister with his next idea.

"Hey, Jazz… Could you go with me? I just really don't want to go alone. You know how Paulina gets…"

Jazz smirked. "On one condition."

Danny scowled. "What?"

"You have to promise to keep to the agenda I've made for you no matter how much you hate it," Jazz compromised.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. I promise. Just at least tweak it a bit to also let me get a minute to breathe, okay?"

Jazz grinned. "Of course I already added that. I even added times for you to take care of TJ, eat, and even a small afternoon nap here and there."

Danny's lips curled hopefully. "Really? And when do I get a nap?"

"Right now, but it's about to be over in one minute…."

"Aw, come on!" Danny protested, but Jazz just laughed.

Danny had been about to throw his pillow at his sister before a banging sound came directly from below.

"Danny! Son!" he heard his father's muffled voice. "You up there?"

Another loud bang came from the boy's floor, and Danny rolled his eyes, realizing his dad was hitting his floor with something from the basement directly below—again.

"You coming, Jazz?" Danny muttered as he stood up from the bed and morphed.

Jazz smiled in a mixture of amusement and sympathy as she replied, "I'll meet you down there in a sec."

Her brother nodded before he turned intangible and phased right through his floor.

He landed right next to his dad, and changed human again. His father jolted slightly with the flash of white light, but then grinned as he threw the broom down he was using to get his attention.

"There you are, Danny Boy!" Jack beamed. But then he frowned as he looked up at the cracked ceiling. "You know, we need to do something about that… Hey! What if we rip down the ceilin', so your room and the lab are one big area? That way I wouldn't have to keep callin' you down 'cause you'd already be in here! Ha!"

"Dad, I don't think—" Danny began, only to be interrupted by his mom.

"Jack, Danny's a growing boy. He's almost a man, honey. He needs his privacy," Maddie reminded him in her calm voice.

Danny instantly blushed; but before he could even think of what to say, he finally noticed his cousin was down in the lab when she suddenly laughed.

"Not to mention," Danielle added with an amused grin, "I don't think Danny wants the ghost portal to be next to his bed…"

"Are you kidding?" Jack replied. "I would sleep with that glowing baby if I could!"

Danielle and Maddie giggled, while Danny stared weirdly at his father.

"Anyways, what's going on?" Danny asked, deciding to change the subject.

Right then Jazz walked into the lab with TJ right behind her… But everyone only noticed her.

"Oh, didn't Jazzy tell you?" Jack quickly questioned, but readily added, "We gotta check out your powers, Son! You know, make sure you're in top-notch condition to help us kick ghost butt!"

Danny smiled with amusement. The teen knew all too well how his father was convinced that he ran the ghost-fighting business in the family, while everyone else—including Danny—was just his helpers.

"Oh, yeah, Jazz told me. But we're doing that later tonight, Dad," Danny answered. "I have this party I need to go to since I promised I would. Not to mention, we gotta go on patrol."

"Yeah, Dad," Jazz spoke up. "Remember the schedule I talked to you and Mom about?"

Jack pouted, but didn't protest since he had just remembered.

"Are we splitting up like last time?" Danielle suddenly asked Danny. "You know, you, Sam, and Tucker take the south and west side of Amity, while your parents and me take the north and east?"

"It worked well the last time," Danny said with a shrug. "But Tucker won't be on patrol with us today. He's busy with some mayoral stuff."

"Well, okay, sweetie," Maddie then said with a smile. "We'll wait for you to return from your party."

"Well, don't take too long!" Jack said before he grabbed a huge weapon off one of the lab tables and showed it to Danny. "I made a new ghost weapon and we can test it on the vile spooks we hunt down—no offense, Son!"

Danny raised a dismissing hand, and his father grinned as he continued, "I call it the Fenton PARA-normalyzer! If it works right, one zap from this baby will temporarily paralyze any spoke within a fifty-foot radius!"

"But, like all our weapons now, we have programmed it to bypass yours and Danielle's ghost signatures," Maddie added sweetly.

"Huh," Danny replied, but then nodded. "Yeah, okay. We'll try it out later."

"Why not now? It would only take a few minutes…," Jack said, wagging the weapon suggestively.

"Sorry, Dad," Danny answered with a small smile. "I'm going to go walk TJ before heading to Paulina's. So, I'll see you all later."

"Aren't you going to eat something, sweetie?" Maddie questioned, as Jack put down the ghost weapon with a disappointed pout.

"Naw, I'll grab a hotdog at the park or something." Danny answered before he morphed again. He then looked at his sister and added, "I'll be back in like fifteen minutes. Be ready so we can head to Paulina's afterwards. Bye!"

TJ perked up; but before he bolted out of the lab, he grabbed something without anyone noticing…

Everyone watched Danny fly back up to his room before Jack suddenly grinned and ran over to Danielle, "Want to see what my new weapon can do? I captured the Box Ghost this morning!"

"You mean Mom captured the Box Ghost this morning," Jazz corrected him.

But Jack ignored her as he ran over to where his new weapon was—only to find it gone.

"Uncle Jack, I don't know if it's safe to try it inside the lab, especially when Danny's not here…," Danielle answered warily.

"Honey, this lab is ghost-proof!" Maddie said, not bothered by her husband's suggestion. "Ghost Weapons won't cause any major damage."

"Weird. I thought I put the Fenton PARA-normalyzer right here," Jack muttered, scratching his head.

"Why don't you both use this time to check out Dani's ghost energy and progress?" Jazz recommended.

"Danny?" Jack asked, looking at his daughter. "But he just left."

"Dad, I meant the other 'Dani'—Danielle? She's right here," Jazz corrected him dryly.

"Oh! You meant 'Squirt'!" Jack answered with a chuckle, before wrapping one of his arms around the small girl's shoulder and pulling her towards him. Obviously, he had forgotten about his missing weapon.

Danielle yelped, but managed to stay on her feet even as Jack ruffled her hair.

"That's actually a great idea, Princess!" Jack beamed.

"Wonderful!" Maddie exclaimed, running to another part of the lab. "I'll start setting up the computers!"

"And I'll set up the exercise stuff!" Jack added excitedly, quickly releasing Danielle and running to the opposite side of the lab from his wife.

"And I'm going to keep watch, since clearly I'm still the only responsible adult around here," Jazz muttered, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"And I'm just going to go along with all this since they're clearly stuck in 'kids in a candy store' mode again," Danielle added with a resigned sigh.

---

Danny reached his room, but found TJ was not in his room where he had left him; and that was because, of course, he had not noticed that the dog had been in the lab.

Shrugging, Danny floated over to his dresser, searching for his dog's leash and Frisbee. He moved around the clutter on top of dresser, but all he found was the leash.

"Where did the Fenton Frisbee go?" he mused out loud, turning around and scanning his room.

But still not seeing anything, he walked over to his bed and got on his hands and knees. He reached under the bed and felt around for the dog toy, hoping it had somehow ended up under there.

He felt a few boxes before his hand touched cold glass. He blinked in confusion before he finally poked his head under to see what the heck it was.

Green ghost eyes widened a bit when he realized it was a certain water globe…

"Oh, that," he muttered with no real emotion in his voice.

He had forgotten he had stuck Vlad's gift under his bed—a while ago if the layer of dust on it said anything about it.

But spotting the black Frisbee with the word 'Fenton' in green on it very close by, Danny smiled and quickly grabbed the toy before getting off the floor.

Right then, TJ walked in shaking something within his mouth.

"There you are! What? TJ! No!" Danny quickly exclaimed, floating over to his dog and pulling his father's latest invention out of his mouth.

Danny cringed as he inspected it and saw it was smoking slightly from all the slobber that got into its motor, plus it had a few wires pulled out from the inside somehow.

"Darn it, TJ! What's with you and ghost weapons?" Danny said with an exasperated sigh.

To this day, the boy had no idea where his dog had learned the bad habit of destroying every ghost weapon he could get his mouth on. Then again, before his parents learned his secret, his dog's little quirk had saved him from a lot of close ones.

Danny chuckled helplessly before he bent back down and pushed the weapon under his bed. He then got back up and said, "So, okay. You covered for me; I guess that means I gotta cover for you…"

TJ just wagged his tail. But then his master raised his Frisbee, and the Dalmatian began to bark, excited.

Danny smirked and gave the dog the toy before he stretched out his arms and said, "Come on. We're taking the 'scenic route'."

All the more excited, the dog quickly jumped into the boy's arms. The dog settled down a bit as Danny floated off the ground, making sure to hold his dog and the leash tightly before he turned them intangible and flew out his window.

As if in a car, TJ wagged his tail and sniffed around as his master took them higher and higher. It was surprising the dog didn't drop his toy from how excited he was. But then again, the Dalmatian was use to this form of transportation after so long.

The Ghost Boy looked below at the busy streets of Amity Park. Besides the increase in population and popularity, not much had changed. There were a few new buildings popping up here-and-there; but nothing really significant.

Well, he supposed the biggest change was the huge statue of his ghost-half near City Hall. That thing attracted more tourist than Floody Waters and the Amity's downtown carnival.

A small frown melded on the boy's face at the thought of his fame. It was a life he had never wanted. At least, not after experimenting it once… a long time ago with an all-but-forgotten older hybrid… But the teen had also had a similar bout of it—and the riches—when his parents had momentarily come across a large sum of money thanks to the Guys-in-White.

Danny knew how empty the life of fame and fortune was all too well. And though he promised himself he would never let all this stuff go to his head, he felt… it was still slowly consuming him even when he didn't want it to.

Danny's eyebrows furrowed and his lip tightened at his thoughts before he shook his head, banishing them. It was pointless to think about it. What was he supposed to do? There was no changing the past now. So, he just had to deal with this new life the best he could.

Seeing the park quickly approaching, Danny turned invisible and moved lower, searching for a secluded place. The last thing he wanted was to be seen by anyone…

He would never even get to throw the Frisbee once for his poor dog otherwise.

Finding an opening surrounded by large trees, Danny quickly flew down and landed.

He dropped his invisibility just as he put down TJ. He then placed the leash down on the ground beside him before taking the Frisbee from the expectant dog that was now in front of him.

Turning human, he threw the flying toy for his dog and just took pleasure in doing something so simple. Nowadays, it was these quiet and calm moments that helped the boy relax and wind down.

He still loved flying, but… he now had to do it very high up or while invisible. Otherwise, there were always people looking to take pictures or shout out praises at him as he went by.

He could rarely take Sam flying anymore, either. The air was too thin for her as high he would need to go to stay out of anyone's 'attention radar', especially when the media just loved using helicopters to take 'surprise' pictures of him. And intangibility and invisibility only did so much when there were companies, like Axion, who sold ghost equipment to the public—and the media. Seemed invisibility-detecting goggles and cameras were 'all the rave' now-a-days.

But simply ignoring all the attention was out of the question, since Sam was even more annoyed by the fans than the media itself.

"Oh crud! Sam!" Danny exclaimed, quickly pulling out his cell phone. He told his girlfriend they would go up to their 'private hangout' place tonight… but now with his parents wanting to check him, he wasn't sure if he'd have time. After all, they had school the next day!

Ignoring TJ, who returned with the Frisbee in his mouth, Danny speed-dialed Sam's number. As he waited for her to pick up, he grabbed the toy from the dog and threw it again.

"Hey, hotshot, what's up?" Sam greeted him.

Danny smiled as he replied, "You mean I need a reason to call my cool and pretty girlfriend?"

"It depends. Is my 'boyfriend' complimenting me because he's being nice, or is he buttering me up to ask me to go with him to Paulina's because Tucker canceled on him?" she retorted smugly.

"You already know about that?" Danny asked, surprised. But then he frowned. "Actually, that's not why I'm calling…"

"Oh, so you were just being nice? That's sweet. I'll have to 'thank you' when we see each other on patrol this evening. Or, since your folks and Danielle will be there, maybe we'll leave it for our private meeting afterwards…"

Danny would have grinned if it didn't remind him of what he had called to tell her.

"Actually, Sam… we'll have to reschedule our date," Danny answered soberly.

"Oh…," Sam replied. But then she added, "That's okay, Danny. We'll do it another time then…"

In spite of the carefree tone of voice, Danny could tell Sam was disappointed. And he didn't blame her. This was the third time they canceled their date. In fact, they hadn't been on an actual one for almost three weeks!

"I'm really sorry, Sam," Danny said with a sigh. "My parents want to check my ghost-half again. And you know I've been holding off on that, too. And with Jazz here, she's trying to get me back on schedule and you know how she gets about trying to 'help me' in any way she can."

"Seriously, Danny. It's fine. I understand. When we decided to start dating, we agreed we would make it work around everything else. Remember? So, don't think I'm mad. I'm not. I mean, I do want us to spend some time together, but we'll find a day soon."

Danny was quiet for a brief moment before he said sincerely, "What would I do without you, Sam?"

It amazed him even until now how much this girl supported him and put up with him. The care and admiration he felt for her could only be described by few words—ones, he knew he would utter to her someday soon.

Sam fell quiet for a few seconds, but then with a more emotional voice—one pretty rare for the tough goth girl—she replied, "Don't worry. You'll never have to find out. I'll always be here for you, Danny."

Danny smiled warmly.

"So, when are your parents running these tests?" Sam asked, her voice changing back to her normal one.

"Well, as soon as I get back from Paulina's, we're going on ghost patrol. Oh, and speaking of Paulina, Jazz is going with me to her house."

"You know, I do trust you, Danny. You don't have to—" Sam began more seriously.

"Yeah, I know, Sam. And thanks," Danny cut her off. "But I want to bring Jazz along. I'll feel better that way. Anyways, after patrol, we're going to do the tests."

"Oh, then count me in. Well, as long as it's not too late, since we have school tomorrow and I don't want my parents flipping out. It's a miracle they're still letting me continue ghost hunting with you from how overprotective they are!"

Danny chuckled. "Well, they do like me now. And me being a hero and all, I'm sure they trust me to keep you safe."

"Pfft. And what happened to all the times I've kept you safe, Mr. Hero?" Sam retorted playfully. "And I'm not sure if my parents 'trust you' as much as you think. Or, did you forget they have banded you from coming into my room again?"

Danny pouted. "Hard to forget. And though I understand why that is, I can't say I'm happy about it."

"Well… what they can't see won't hurt them," Sam said mischievously. "And last time I checked, my boyfriend can turn invisible…"

Danny rolled his eyes. Typical rebellious Sam.

"And last time I checked, your boyfriend doesn't want his girlfriend's parents on his bad side again. So, he'd rather stick to their rules."

Sam sighed. "Such a 'hero' answer…"

Danny laughed. "Okay, well, I'll let you go. I'm at the park with TJ and then I gotta get going… Heh. I'll tell you how it went with Paulina when I see you on patrol."

Sam agreed and said her good-bye before the couple hung up.

But right then, a soccer ball rolled between the trees into the area Danny was. And not a moment after, a woman ran in, searching for said ball...

However, she instantly spotted the boy and his dog, and froze. What followed next was sadly not surprising to Danny anymore.

"Look! Danny Phantom is here!" the woman screeched in amazement, and a large commotion could be heard, followed by numerous footsteps racing towards the covered area.

Danny gasped before he called over to his dog. "TJ!"

The boy morphed just as several people circled around him and began to take pictures.

"Sorry, good citizens! I gotta go do… uh, 'hero' stuff! Later!"

Danny grabbed his dog, turned invisible, and fled the scene.

He frowned when he saw from above how more and more people were running towards the area he had once been.

Danny smiled weakly at his dog which was holding his Frisbee in his mouth again.

"Would you mind too much if we finish this game in the backyard?"

And getting a whine in response, Danny Phantom sighed tiredly and flew off back to his home…

But he never noticed the white-claded agents watching him through binoculars from a nearby building…

---

It has been said that no one is more dangerous than the man with nothing left to lose. He is one to be feared, for he is capable of anything.

So, then, what is there to be said of a man who has lost everything, yet still possesses unspeakable power…?

Deep underground in a secluded area of Wisconsin there was such a man. And although just a year ago he was considered one of the most famous, wealthiest, and successful men on the planet, a single grave mistake had turned him into the most infamous and wanted man in the world.

His fame had turned into disgrace. His fortune into misfortune. And his success into failure.

All because of one single choice.

Then again, his destruction had not come as suddenly as most believed. There had been a series of events that had led him to make such a foolish decision long before any asteroid had come his way.

It had started long ago with the lost of a family. And in his need to flee from the pain and sorrow, he unknowingly ended up falling into a series of events that had granted him unimaginable power. It was as if Fate had placed him in a cruel game, like a pawn on a chess board, meant to lose in one form or another no matter what move he made.

Imprisoned within a hospital for years, he had let his sorrow fester, which turned to hate. Hate for his own decisions. Hate for the world. And hate for the one whom he had once considered a brother and had then abandoned him to fate's cruel hand. He gained supernatural powers, but lost the possibility to have a new family for himself. He gained money and respect amongst humans and ghosts alike, but in his heart he was all alone.

And yet, twenty years later he had been presented with a chance. A chance to change. A chance to veer from his own path of destruction.

A single boy. The son of his most hated rival. The only other being like him—with the same unimaginable powers.

Another series of events had placed the child within his grasp—forced by the man's own hand, yes. But all the same, their time together had been fated, for this boy had given this man the one thing he was missing.

And for a fleeting moment, even with the darkness that consumed his heart, this man had seen it—he had seen the light within this child and how it had been offered to him. He had come to realize that the only one like him could indeed save him from his destructive path. But even more grand was that this man further saw how a chance at love had been presented to him for a third time—love in the form of a son.

And this man had reached for it, like a dying man reaching for one last intake of air. And he had been so close to reaching that life-line—that love from a son that would have given him hope once more. His heart had brushed this chance at love. He had tasted what it would be like to have the boy as his on for a single moment…

But all too soon, betrayal had pulled this chance out of his grasp.

Or so, that was what the man had convinced himself about.

Consumed with sorrow and hate once more, he had been unable to understand that this boy with a heart so pure had been meant to be shared with others—that he was also needed by the world. But the man had refused to share the boy.

His own selfishness and inability to forgive had broken the bond he had made with this child—it was through his own choices that he had forsaken his second chance.

Overtaken, then, by something worse than hate and revenge, the man retaliated against the world, determined to bring it to his feet for ripping love from him for the third time. But this man's vengeful grief did not stop there. It extended to the very beacon of goodness he loved.

With the feeling of betrayal driving him, he had been determined to make the only other one like him pay—and pay through the means which hurt this child most: snuffing out 'his light'—the hope and goodness which drove the boy to do good.

It had been easy, actually. After all, the child's own goodness was his greatest weakness. He chipped away at all he had believed true, and also at his heroic nature and his need to save those in need. The man had ruthlessly set out to disprove all the boy's beliefs and twist his morals… And though the child had never stopped being the hero he was, the man knew he had scarred his heroic heart forever…

A man with nothing to lose is dangerous; but a man with nothing to lose yet wields unspeakable powers is a tragedy waiting to happen.

It was a shame this man realized too late, though, that in trying to destroy this boy, he had been destroying himself…

He had caused his own tragedy. He had lost at his own game.

Vlad Masters had thought he had lost everything the day the love of his life married the man responsible for his unique condition. Vlad Masters had further believed he had lost his last chance at 'love' through a son the day Daniel Fenton abandoned and betrayed him.

He had been convinced that there was nothing left for him, for all he had ever wanted had been love; and each time it was near enough, he would only shatter it if he so much as touched it, as if it were a fragile treasure never meant for him.

And so, he gave up on it. He gave up on love.

It had been the single choice that led to his destruction.

By giving up on everything that had once mattered to him, he had convinced himself that he had nothing left to lose.

He had been so very wrong…

His destruction had not come quick; but deep within, he had known it had been inevitable. After all, what other fate is there for a mere… villain?

It was what he turned into the moment he lost the young hybrid.

The truth was that though all his plans had been cruel and calculated, they had been unperfected by his emotions—those dark emotions that sought out retribution. In his clouded mind, he had sworn that if he could not have love, he would have everything else—he would have the world! But in conquering the world, he would also teach the boy a lesson he would never forget—a lesson that would be a stake to the boy's good heart!

But the plan the man had thought to be flawless, had turned out to be disasterous.

He had set himself up to lose from the very beginning.

By the time the fog in his mind vanished and allowed him to think clearly, it had been too late. He realized too late he had taken things too far—that he indeed had had many things left to lose.

And now, he was in the darkest place any human being could be.

He had truly lost everything now.

A year seems insignificant when compared to the decades people normally live. But for a man who had lost even his freedom, a year might as well have been a lifetime.

It was particularly painful for Vlad Masters, though. His previous experience of having been restricted to a hospital bed for years had left him fearful of confinement. In fact, he almost had a phobia of it. But that was only part of the problem.

From the day he had gained ghost powers—from the day he had been given the ability to defy all laws of nature and granted true freedom—confinement was unthinkable for the powerful half-ghost. His mind simply could not wrap around it.

So, now that he was being forced to hide away—being forced to confinement in fear of being captured and put under a worse imprisonment—Vlad felt like he was a fish being asked to breathe air.

And after a year of it, he was quickly suffocating.

And yet, it was his need to be free again that kept him sane—kept him focused. It was his experiences of being restricted that ironically now gave him the tolerance to bear it…

But no matter how strong he was, he knew his mental strength would only last so long—and, honestly, he was close to his end…

So, for the past couple of months, Vlad Masters had been doing what he did best:

He had been devising a plan.

Currently in ghost form, there really wasn't any real difference to him after a year. He held the same appearance; the same calm and analytical look; and the same wisdom and coldness in those red orbs.

His eyebrows creased as he stared at the mainframe in front of him. It was nothing compared to what he once had, but it served its purpose.

He typed something into the computer and it beeped once in response.

"Where are you?" he muttered, glancing at the watch-like device on his wrist. Luckily, it told time, amongst its other more advanced features.

But, unfortunately, knowing the time of day didn't exactly answer his question. And he no longer had the means of finding out its answer like he had in the past. His limited resources and lack of simple freedom made even the simplest things hard now-a-days.

Plasmius floated over to a lab table, which had two things on it. The first was a simple plant; but it was wilted.

And the second item…

It was pretty much his only lifeline—or, rather, his only chance to regain his old life again. Or, at the very least, some normality in it.

Unfortunately, this second item worked in balance with a third item, which he did not have. And even if he did have it, the third item would be of little use to him when the only one who could use it wasn't… around, per se.

Plasmius brushed his fingers above the second item—the object of interest— watching as it disintegrated into red ashes with his touch.

It seemed odd; but even before he had lost everything, Vlad had learned this reaction to his touch was just this object's safety mechanism. Well, just one of several safety mechanisms of this object.

After all, the Spirit of Order had made certain not just anyone could use her… Order's Crystal.

Indeed Vlad had learned many more things about the crystal since his time with Daniel; but… not all. He wasn't completely sure how to use it. And just as important, he wasn't sure all it did.

But he knew enough to be sure it was the solution to his current problem. What better way to 're-order' his chaotic life than the Order's Crystal?

"Shame it insists on Daniel's presence near the other half of the crystal to allow me to properly use my half," Vlad commented in a mixture of annoyance and bitterness. But then his eyes narrowed and a hint of a dark smirk curled his lips. "It's a good thing I plan ahead, then, isn't it?"

He ignored the small voice in his mind reminding him that even when he had planned ahead it had not prevented his current predicament…

Instead, he focused on the matter at hand.

He knew he needed to time this just right. The crystal wouldn't even allow him to touch it unless its specifications were met…

At first, it had baffled him why the Order's Crystal—once shaped like an egg and held in the claw-molded stand—had cracked right down the middle and had been released by the talon. It had occurred shortly after Daniel had left during the time he had been with him. It was like the crystal had broken, like their bond had broken all that time back.

Even stranger, though, was how its gold glow had vanished and the two broken pieces of the crystal had turned another color—one red and the other green.

And while the red one turned to ashes with his touch, the green one would burn him—but from how cold it was!

So, after some research and thought, the older hybrid had come up with a theory—a theory he put into motion the night he had returned Daniel's belongings a few days after the boy had abandoned him.

Vlad's smirk curled higher. "You never did find out that I destroyed the original water globe from Germany, did you, Daniel? Otherwise, you probably would have learned the truth a long time ago. But as always, you remain oblivious, which is just fine with me." A flash of hate passed through his eyes as he whispered darkly, "Your cluelessness has always been to my advantage; and even when I couldn't care less what has become of you, you at least still serve your purpose."

Three beeps suddenly sounded from the computer system, and Vlad grinned at it.

He then quickly looked back at the crystal, and touched it.

And this time, it didn't turn to ash.

He had also long since proven his theory right. One of the Order's Crystal's safety mechanisms was that when its chosen wielders were in some kind of discord—which he and Daniel had become—it broke to weaken its power. After all, in perfect order, the crystal required two beings to balance its power.

Naturally, the hotter part of the crystal belonged to Plasmius—though it had taken him longer to figure out why it turned to ashes with his touch.

And the green one, the cold-based side of the crystal belonged to its second master:

Daniel.

So, of course, Vlad had to make sure the young hybrid unknowingly held in his possession the part of the crystal that belonged to him…

But even then, the crystal could not be used.

Vlad had further discovered the second safety mechanism of the crystal. As mentioned before, the pieces were untouchable by either of its wielders while they were in discord, unless both its masters were near the crystal. It's why the red stone turned to ashes with Vlad's touch—as the green stone would turn to ashes if Daniel were to touch it without Vlad being close to his part of the crystal.

However, should either of the two masters attempt to put the two pieces together to try to make the crystal work, they wouldn't be able to. Instead, the piece that they had no command over—which was the green one when it came to Vlad and the red one for Danny—would burn them as soon as they would touch it. That was the third safety mechanism. It was designed to keep them from commanding the crystal's full power individually.

Therefore, the reason Vlad could now at least touch the red piece of the gem meant only one thing:

Daniel was close to his own half of the crystal.

Of course, the boy had no idea. And it had been that way for over a year-and-a-half.

Vlad had never stopped trying to unlock the secret and power of the Order's Crystal. It was too alluring for him not to. But now with his predicament, he was more determined to gain full control of it.

He had heard rumors, mostly from Skulker, that the crystal could change one's very fate. Its master could pretty much change the order of any event—rearrange its sequence. And… it could even change the order of happenings in human and ghost minds…

Skulker had told him that the Order's Crystal had once been used to place Pariah Dark under the spell of Forever Sleep and had reordered the Ghost Zone, freeing it from the chaos the Ghost King had placed over it.

It was why no one truly knew of the terror during Pariah Dark's time, except that it had happened. No one could recall what the Ghost King had done exactly because the Order's Crystal had completely erased the chaos from the actual zone and from its inhabitant's minds. All they knew was that it had happened—like a part of history people knew existed but did not know it fully.

But there was more.

Because it was a spirit artifact, it could also be used against spirits.

A power like that was surely the answer to his own chaotic and broken life now!

Picking up the red broken crystal, Plasmius carefully placed it on the talon, and watched with satisfaction as the claw instantly closed around it, holding the piece of the crystal in place.

Plasmius glanced at his beeping computer frame to make sure all was in order before closing his eyes and imagining what he wanted. In fact, the crystal worked very similar to the Infi-Map. You visualized it, and the crystal fulfilled your request.

The red energy within the crystal began to seep out and curled around the older hybrid before it penetrated his core. Plasmius tensed and opened his eyes as a fume of red smoke eked past his lips.

Spirit energy.

Somehow, he could sense it. And he honestly did not know how that was. Not to mention, it raised a lot of questions from the past…

But having done before what he was currently doing, he remained calm, even as the red energy came back out of his core and penetrated the crystal again. However, as if it were a conductor, the crystal shot the red energy back out of it and hit the plant next to it on the bench.

Vlad watched with bated breath as the wilted plant began to move before its leaves slowly brightened and it bloomed. However, it quickly passed over that stage and the leaves began to curl into themselves, getting smaller and smaller, and its stem shortening until… it was complete gone.

Vlad then turned his hand intangible and reached into the pot's soil.

He pulled out a small seed.

Vlad smiled as the crystal did exactly what he had wanted:

reversed the order of the plant's growth…

Suddenly, the beeping on the mainframe slowed and then halted.

Vlad gasped as the seed in his hand suddenly began to shake and just as quickly it began to expand and germinate. And all too soon, he had an unrooted plant in his hand.

"Blast!" Vlad suddenly exclaimed, throwing the plant on the table. "The spell became undone again!" He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm down and think. "How? How can I make it permanent? There just has to be a way to bypass this crystal's safety mechanisms without Daniel's direct involvement in it!"

Removing his hand from his face, he sighed tiredly and looked at his quiet mainframe. He thought about how he had set up the computer system to detect Daniel's presence. It actually was a similar device to the black bracelet he had made long ago for the boy.

Of course, that bracelet had been destroyed. But he had had the blueprints for it. So, it had been easy to make a similar device to detect not only Daniel's energy, but, also any movement near said device.

The water globe had been the perfect cover, too. Vlad had learned the crystal almost forced feelings of allurement to it into the boy—just as it allured the older hybrid. It was the crystal's need for both its masters to be in accord. So, that feeling prevented Daniel from doing away with the water globe—and unknowingly to him, with destroying the crystal hidden inside.

But the boy was also too sentimental to throw or break the gift he had given him in their special time in Germany. Or, he had been at first. Vlad was sure if it wasn't for the crystal's allurement, Daniel would have thrown that water globe away by now…

The man tried not to think about it; just like he had forced his fatherly feelings he once felt for the boy away. Now, he just focused on finding a way to fix his own life.

It's all he wanted now.

So inserting the Order's Crystal green half and a cube-like device within the water globe's large base had been the best thng he could have done. Then again, he had taken a lot of precautions since he decided to… 'play the villain'. He knew he had risked it all for nothing. But back then, because of his grief and resentment towards the young hybrid, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

Now, he regretted it.

But at least in his moment of insanity he had had the foresight of securing his more… precious assets.

Vlad frowned, realizing he was straying away from what he was trying to figure out.

The energy-and-movement-detector he had hid within the water globe was highly advanced, but its functions were very limited in comparison to the bracelet he once made for Daniel. So, he had no means of knowing all that much about Daniel, except when he was within his home or in his room. He could also deduce by the amount of movement the device detected whether Daniel was awake or asleep or out of his room.

It was tricky because he knew from experience that at times when the crystal was being touched or used, it lit up. Luckily the globe's own fiber optics hid the side effect. Still, Vlad had not wanted to risk Daniel discovering what hid within the seemingly harmless gift. So, even to this day, the man always made sure to attempt to use the crystal when either the boy was asleep or when he was at his home but away from his room.

Luckily, with some help, Vlad had learned that the boy had the water globe under his bed which made it all the more easier for him to experiment with the Order's Crystal without being found out.

Vlad wondered if bringing the boy closer to the crystal would somehow allow him to create stronger, lasting spells…

But the question was how to do that without the young hybrid's finding out…

"Well… there is one way," Vlad muttered, rubbing his chin. "I wonder, though, if it would raise the boy's suspicions…"

He did not want Daniel or anyone close to the teen to know he was alive. He had gotten his hands on newspapers after all, and most papers and tabloids were convinced the man was dead. 'His evil lost forever in space' as many put it.

However, it wouldn't surprise the man if Daniel didn't believe that. After all, the child knew how their half-ghost bodies worked. They didn't need as much oxygen in their ghost forms as they did in human form. So, surviving an hour or so in space without a mask wasn't that difficult. Furthermore, Daniel knew from their time together that he somewhat had the ability of creating portals; of contacting his allies; and many other tricks up his sleeve to prevent a sure demise for anyone else.

The point was, though, that he didn't want Daniel to know he was 'back' for the lack of a better word.

After all, he had been back since that very day Jack had purposely abandoned him out in space…

Vlad's eyebrows creased as he once more recalled that day. It was hard to forget about it. In fact, he probably thought about 'that day' almost every day since. He just… didn't understand…

It had been strange. One minute, he had been sitting on a slab of space rock trying to be optimistic and convince himself that things could be worse, and the next, a large asteroid had smashed into him.

Or, he had thought it was going smash into him and turn him to dust.

In reality, right when the rock had been about to collide with him, a portal had formed in front of it. He had not even seen it, since he had closed his eyes to activate his teleportation powers after thinking he was about to be hit by the asteroid.

But when he had opened his eyes, he had found himself… in the Ghost Zone instead of a different place in space.

It was after he concluded that a portal had somehow formed in front of him and he unknowingly went through it, instantly disappearing from space and ending up within the relative safety of the Ghost Zone.

To this day, he wasn't certain what had happened. Even if he had teleported to safety, it did not explain how he ended up in the Ghost Zone. From what he knew, he could not teleport between the ghost and human planes—just distances in one or the other. What if he had instinctively opened a portal along with teleporting to avoid being hurt or killed that day…? Or, could it have been plain luck, and a random portal opened in the nick of time. After all, temporary portals formed anywhere and without warning. So, it was possible. Unlikely, but possible…

The man sighed and glanced over at his mainframe. He had been depressed for a good month after that. He had even wished he would have just died in space. But like the many times in his past when he had hit rock bottom, he just couldn't lie down and die. Something within him just urged him to fight. And now, finding a way to be at peace again—to just be able to go wherever he wanted without fear of being hunted and captured—was what kept him going.

He glanced around his rocky home—or, what had been home for a year now. He had never thought that the hidden cave on his property in Wisconsin would now be his only refuge. It was a cruel irony. He had once thought of using it for more daring experiments and secret projects—which is how he had a mainframe and other equipment here.

Now, it was the only safe haven he had in the 'Real World'.

But even then, he didn't dare come out of the cave. He would only do so here-and-there so he wouldn't forget what the sun and sky looked like. The only other place he went was the Ghost Zone. It's where he got all his supplies from. And yet even there, his freedom was limited. He simply couldn't risk one of Daniel's allies or even the boy himself spotting him. So, he usually traveled stealthily there, too.

In spite of all his allies, though, Plasmius didn't have many left to rely on, either. With nothing to 'buy' their services, he had quickly discovered who his true allies were. Honestly, though, it didn't surprise him. He had known that for most of the ghosts who worked for him, it was strictly a business thing.

The vultures and ecto-pusses were nowhere to be found. As for Fright Knight… his relationship with the knight was growing stale. The ghost was 'programmed' to follow and serve the most powerful being; and as of late, Plasmius didn't have much 'power' to show the ghost. The man was sure it was only a matter of time before the Fright Knight betrayed him for a more powerful master—as the medieval ghost did to Pariah Dark for him.

As for all his ghost servants… Well, they were somewhere safe, and he was sure they were well taken care of. Still, they were useless to him.

Really, now-a-days, he had only one ally left to truly rely on…

Vlad glanced at the swirling portal at one end of the cave, wondering if he should pay said ghost a visit and perhaps have him help him with this whole 'Order's Crystal' bit…

But it was actually late. Very late.

"It will have to wait until tomorrow…," he muttered.

With another sigh, he floated back over to the mainframe and shut it down. He then grabbed the Order's Crystal and its stand and floated deeper into the cave, following a long narrow passage.

He soon came to a junction and took the right entrance, where there was a small secluded section. Inside was a simple 'bedroom'. Really, just a small bed, a table, and a TV.

The man sat on his bed, before placing his part of the Order's Crystal and its stand on the nearby round table. He then picked up the remote and turned on the TV. But instead of it having normal programming, a set of surveillance images came on the screen.

With a flash of black light, Vlad Masters replaced Plasmius. However, his human appearance was now slightly different. He still held his hair in the same ponytail. But other than that, he seemed like a different man. His skin was very pale and he had lost a noticeable amount of weight. His regal posture was all but gone, and he no longer even wore a suit. Simple white slacks and a black polo shirt had replaced it.

His sunken eyes stared at the TV as he flipped through the surveillance cameras, searching for something in specific. But when he found what he was looking for, a bit of light returned to his eyes and he smiled sadly.

It was a shame that he had realized too late what he had had. But he supposed that was how it went: you don't value what you have until you lose it…

If he regretted anything, it was how foolishly blinded he had been…

Why? Why had he left Florida? Why did he ever befriend Maddie and Jack? Why had he ever allowed himself to develop a fatherly love for the young half-ghost?

The Fentons might as well have caused his demise. They had destroyed him in every way possible.

He cursed the day fate ever put them in his path! It was because of them that he had lost the only good things—or should he say, people, in his life…

"You are both as beautiful as I remember," he whispered, staring at the image of the woman and her daughter curled up on what once use to be his entertainment room belonging to what was once his castle.

Oh, how he missed them.

He wished he could visit them. He wished he could ask his childhood friend to help him find a way out of his predicament—as she had helped him so many times before.

But whatever selflessness there was left in him kept him from letting them know he was so close—yet so far.

He had ruined their lives and hurt them enough. The last thing they needed now was to be aiding a wanted man.

He wasn't even sure how they would react to his presence. It was possible they hated him—especially Annabelle who surely knew all the evil he had done… who now knew how he wasn't the upstanding man she had believed him to be.

No, he had lost Stephanie and Annabelle and didn't deserve them—not that he ever did.

Still, being able to see them—even through a TV screen—from time-to-time helped him make it through each day.

He was certainly fortunate that Stephanie had kept his castle instead of selling it… Otherwise, he would not be able to see them at all now.

He watched the two sleeping forms for several minutes. Clearly, they had accidently fallen asleep on the couch together. But Vlad didn't mind. It was an endearing sight. Actually, the best sight he could have hoped for before he also went to bed. Perhaps he would dream of them tonight….

He could only hope.

His eyes saddened as he whispered, "Good night, my dears." And with that, he turned off the television.

He lowered his hand from the remote as well as his now sober gaze. He really hoped he would dream about them. Perhaps it would be of a time when he was still with them. Or perhaps it would be of what never was…

In any case, he just wanted a nice a dream…

A dream in which he was free and he wasn't imprisoned within this dark and cold cave.

A dream in which he had never met Daniel or Jack Fenton…

---

And there you all have it! Man, this chapter was hard to write. There's just so much going on and so many things have changed because of Phantom Planet. Geez! Heh! Well, this is only the beginning. Next chapter should be fun since we get to dive a bit into what's coming... heheh.

Anyways! I got news for you all! So, not sure if you all know, but there are two other club sites on DA aside from 'The hidden Pearl'—all founded by fans, like you all! XD In specific, the DP-Checkmate club is having a contest! Now, just because it's DA doesn't mean you gotta draw, and this contest is also taking 'written entries'. The contest is called, 'Season-three tie-in Contest'. Quoted by the club site: Basically: Find a way to tie in a scene/theme/etc. from Checkmate to a scene/theme/etc. from Season Three.

There will be prizes to choose from: Free DA subscription; one-chapter beta by me; Spoiler from one of my stories; or a drawing by Metaltrude!

So, if you haven't joined the club, so join and then join the contest! It should be fun, and I always enjoy seeing all you guys come up with! :D

This is the club site just remove () and spaces:

ht (pp) : / / dp-checkmate. deviantart . c om

Okay, well, that's all I have! Let me know what you think as always! Ta for now!