Chapter 3: Saved By The Bell
Titans Tower
1 day later
"I should be back in an hour or so." Danny said as he typed a system of commands into the computer, the large metallic doors sliding apart, revealing the swirling green portal.
Robin nodded as he walked over to the side of the portal, leaning on the cold metal as Danny transformed into Phantom, black hair turning a stark white, his clothes reverting into his newly refined Titan uniform, which was now a closer design to the original. It consisted of a tight black jumpsuit with a green DP insignia in the middle. Running down the sides of the uniform were bright white lines that stretched all the way down his arms and legs to the white boots.
"In the meantime, you need to go ask Starfire out for the da-the outing." Danny said, correcting himself as Robin gave him a hard glare, which turned into a pleased nod at the correct term. The pleased expression didn't last long though as Robin finally began to comprehend what his assignment was. He gulped and pulled at his collar.
Danny rolled his eyes and flew over, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Just relax and talk to her like you always do. It's not that hard." He muttered. Robin snorted. "Then how come it took so long for you to finally get together with Sam?" He asked with a sneer.
Danny narrowed his eyes. "Quit trying to change the subject." He growled as he turned back to the portal. "Look, either you ask her or I will for you. And trust me, you won't like how I do it." He threatened.
Robin rolled his eyes. "I'll take your word for it." He said as he walked out the door.
Danny smiled and turned back to the portal once more, diving headfirst into the swirling green light.
The Ghost Zone
The setting instantly switched from the high-tech lab to the dark rocky terrain of the Ghost Zone. Wisps of dark green ecto-plasm swirled around Danny as he flew, filling him with energy as the slimy substance made contact with his skin, his eyes beginning to shine an even brighter green.
Outcrops of rock lazily floated around him, varying in sizes and shapes from those as small as his fist to as big as Skulker's island. Along with the boulders, different doors could be seen, some pristine and shining while others seemed as though they had seen better days, rotting at the sides, burn marks around the edges as well as many dents here and there.
Lowering his gaze, Danny noticed he was currently flying over a long stretch of ground, the dirt housing many different graves and tombstones. He shuddered slightly as he remembered his first experience with the creatures below in the graves.
The objects in the Ghost Zone never really seemed to make any sense to Danny. A staircase leading to nowhere stood tall on his right while a lone stone wall lay flat below him, various shattered and broken windows laying in its features.
As he flew through the dark green sky, Danny made sure to watch out for other ghosts carefully. I really don't need any surprise attacks right now. He thought as he continued to fly through the dark sky.
Suddenly, one of the purple doors slowly creaked open. Thinking quickly, Danny dove behind one of the nearby outcrops of rock. Poking his head out from behind the portal, Danny could make out shining black armor and flaming purple hair. The Fright Knight. He realized as he watched the ghost exit the door and turn back. "Make sure you are ready when he calls. It is almost time, Be prepared." He instructed.
Danny narrowed his eyes as a shadow walked closer to the door and nodded. Too shrouded in shadow to see who the mysterious other figure was, Danny watched as the Fight Knight closed the door and turned away, flying farther into the Zone.
Flying out from the cover of the rock, Danny scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what had just unfolded. Whatever it was, he would have to deal with it later. he was getting close to the Fenton Portal.
After a couple more minutes of flying, Danny finally began to notice the landmarks becoming more familiar, landmarks he had flown by millions of times before. He smirked and pushed on until he could make out the bright light of another portal. Flying forward, Danny stopped in front of the portal and gently placed a hand up against the swirling green light. It was cool to the touch.
With a smile beginning to spread onto his face, Danny gently flew through the portal.
Amity Park
FentonWorks
Pushing through the swirling light, Danny felt the temperature change as he stepped onto the cold metal of the lab. Glancing around, he realized the room was empty, but he could also tell his parents had been very busy. The lab was barely recognizable.
The counters now stretched all around the room, various monitors and screens hoisted on top of or above them. Different beakers containing unknown liquids bubbled or fizzled on the tables, countless papers strewn about the floor. Blueprints for different inventions hung around the wall as Danny investigated. Even the portal he had stepped out of seemed different. The metal around it was shinier and sleeker.
"Man, upgrade much?" Danny said to himself as he walked through the lab. Suddenly, he heard a crash downstairs and the loud thumping of footsteps as they trampled down the stairs. "Who's there?! I got the Fenton Creep-Stick and I'm not afraid to use it!" A booming voice shouted as two shapes rounded the stairwell and leapt out into the open.
One was a large man dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit, while the other was a petite woman in a teal jumpsuit of her own. Both held versions of the Fenton Creep-Stick as they glared around the room, their eyes falling on the intruder.
"Danny!" They shouted, dropping the bats as they rushed forward, embracing their son in a hug. Danny smiled and pulled away. "How have you been, sweetie?" Maddie asked as she placed a hand on the boy's cheek. "How are things in Jump? Are you okay? Do you need to come back home?" She asked quickly.
"I'm fine, mom." Danny said as he gently placed his hands onto her arm, lowering it back down. "And Jump's fine. I don't need to come home." He explained.
Maddie sighed. "I know. I just miss having my baby boy around here." She said with a small smile.
Danny smiled slightly and gazed around the room. "So what happened here? This lab looks a lot different from the last time I saw it." He said as he gazed around at the room once more. Jack chuckled. "Turns out having your son be one of the most nationally known heroes has its perks for business. Our inventions have been selling like crazy." He explained.
"Seems people want to be ready in case of any more invasions." Maddie said. "Guess they finally realized out inventions really do work when they found out about you." She said with a small sigh.
Jack scooted closer. "So what do you need, son? It's been a while since you visited."
Danny nodded. "Actually, I came to see Jazz and the guys." He explained. "Thought it was time they visited Jump again."
Maddie nodded. "Well Jazz and the others are still at Casper High. Actually, they should be getting out in about a half-hour." She explained.
"Okay. I'll head over there." Danny said as he turned away, only to feel a hand on his shoulder. Turning back, he was met by two pairs of concerned eyes. "Are you sure, Danny?" Maddie asked. "People would see you." She warned.
Danny nodded. "I know. but I think it's time to stop hiding. I'm totally done with that." He muttered as he turned back to the door. "I'll be fine, don't worry. Although, you might want to keep the door unlocked just in case we need to make a quick escape." He smirked.
Jack beamed. "No problem, Danny-boy!" He shouted.
Danny shook his head and smiled as he flew up the stairs. Thankfully, the interior of the house hadn't seemed to change like the lab had. Not that he had really been worried. Knowing his parents, they would want to keep the actual house the same.
Phasing through the front door, Danny took a deep breath and flew up higher into the air, above the roads and buildings. Closing his eyes, Danny sighed in content as he spread his arms and gently flew through the clouds, feeling the cold sensation as the wisps glided around him. The breeze blew around his hair, small white hairs licking against his face as he flew. He smiled as he felt the sensation of the sun's warm glow on his skin.
He loved flying.
Opening his eyes once more, Danny dove down from the clouds and lower to the buildings. He noticed people beginning to notice him in the streets, people pointing up and shouting to their friends. Some even waved. That was a first. Normally, the adults shook fists up at him, not waves. It was a nice chance, nonetheless.
Flying past the buildings, Danny noticed the people inside looking up from their work to watch the boy fly past. He smiled and waved to them before diving down once more. His eyes then made out a small elementary school. He chuckled as the kids on the playground stopped and stared at him. Leaping from monkey bars, swing sets and slides, the kids ran to the edge of the fence that kept them in the school perimeters and waved. Danny laughed and waved back, flying closer to the fence.
Hovering over the kids, Danny raised his hands and moved them together, a blue orb beginning to form in the middle of his palms. The kids watched with excited faces, even the teachers watching them staring and watching the events. Danny turned back to the kids. "Ready?" He asked.
He was greeted to many loud cheers and the nodding of several heads. Raising his heads, Danny opened his palms and shot a blue blast into the sky above the playground. The clouds became darker in color as flecks of white began to fall. The kids stared in awe at the falling snow, cheering loudly at the new weather that seemed to only be falling over their playground.
Flying up into the air once more, Danny waved down to the kids, the children and teachers waving back as he flew away, back on track to Casper High. Finally after a few more minutes, Casper High came into view. Flying down, Danny landed gently on the nearby lamppost posted next to the school's courtyard and transformed back into Fenton. Hoisting himself up, Danny swung his legs up over his body and suspended them above him as he began to hold a handstand on the top of the post, making sure to focus on his center like Robin had instructed him.
As he pushed himself up and down, he occasionally would switch from one hand to the other, practicing using only open hand to carry his weight. He chuckled slightly. Whenever he would do these at the tower, Robin would always make sure he did them as Fenton. Guess it would be too easy as Phantom to conduct these. Flipping over once more, Danny brought himself around to sit down on the lamppost top, the light bulb on top between his dangling legs as he perched his elbows up on top of it.
Glancing sideways, Danny stared silently at the doors to the school. It had been a while since he had opened them himself and seen the people inside. Wonder what they think now? He wondered to himself. glancing down at himself, he realized he had changed much over the past months. He had grown taller, if only slightly, but still. His muscles were now leaner and more defined now that he didn't have to hide them, and the scars on his face also showed just how much he had changed. Even though most of them were just faded lines across his face, you could still see them if you were close enough.
Even his clothes were different. He now wore a dark red shirt, his DP symbol in the middle of his chest in black. Underneath that, he wore a tight long sleeved black shirt, as well as darker blue pants. Guess I am different from the last time I saw them. He thought to himself. Right as he finished his thought, the sound of a bell ringing made him raise his head.
The front doors slammed open as kids began to walk out. None of them seemed to have noticed him yet as they continued to talk to their various friends as they walked. He watched as more kids began to walk out, some that were more memorable than others, including Dash, Kwan, Paulina and Star as the group walked together.
Finally, Danny made out the four kids he had been waiting for. A smile spread onto his face as he flipped himself around and dropped down from the post. Walking across the grass, Danny noticed kids beginning to stop their conversations and stare at him. Suddenly, Danny watched as the bracelets on the arms of his friends began to glow and flash red. They narrowed their eyes and whipped around until their eyes landed on a certain halfa. "Danny!" Sam smiled as she and the others raced over and enveloped him in a giant hug.
He noticed that they looked different as well. Sam now wore the purple crop-top she had worn before with the titans, long skin tight pants and grey combat boots with purple laces. Also she wore a thin silver belt, her Titans communicator securely fastened to it.
Tucker now wore a tight yellow v-neck with two thin orange lines stretching horizontally across it. He still wore his signature red beret but he now wore long dark blue pants. Danny noticed he had also grow slightly taller and had more muscles, no doubt from the more intense ghost-fighting.
Jazz's black shirt had now become sleeveless and she had traded in her long blue pants for a black mini-skirt. Underneath, long blue tights stretched down to her feet, which were covered by long black boots that stretched up to her knees. She now had a long blue scarf wrapped around her neck that draped down to her thigh as well as bright blue ribbons tied into her hair.
The only one who hadn't changed too much was Valerie. She still wore her dark orange headband, which kept most of her hair out of her face, apart from a small section that draped over part of her eye. But she now wore a dark orange tank top and short yellow skirt, black tights underneath, leading to small orange boots.
Pulling away, Tucker placed his arm around the boy's shoulder. "Dude! How's it been?" He asked with a smile.
Danny chuckled. "It's been fine. Actually, it's been pretty peaceful." He explained as he turned to Sam. The girl smiled as Danny pulled her into a hug, placing a quick peck on her cheek. " So how have you guys been?" He asked as Jazz gave him a hug as well.
Valerie shrugged. "It's pretty normal around here." She said. "Still have daily ghost attacks we need to deal with." She explained.
Jazz nodded. "But it's way easier to deal with them now that people know about what we do." She said.
Danny tilted his head in confusion. Sam stepped forward. "Well now that we're 'Titans North'..." She said, quoting the air around her. "People expect us to deal with the ghosts around here. So we had Tucker make us some new equipment, including these little trinkets here." She said, raising her arm to reveal the shiny silver bracelets attached to her wrist, as well as the other teens as well. "Tuck made them to detect whenever a ghost's nearby. Kind of like your ghost Sense." She explained.
"That's probably why it started going off when you got close." Jazz clarified.
"Anyway, whenever that goes off, we're excused from class as we try and find the ghost." Sam finished. Danny chuckled. "Man, that would have been so much easier than what I used to do." He smirked.
Sam smiled and gazed back at him. "So what did you need, Danny? Is something wrong?" She asked.
Danny shook his head. "No, actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about..." He trailed off as he noticed they were now in the center of a large crowd of gawking kids who whispered excitedly to themselves. Danny shifted his eyes nervously towards his friends. "Does this happen a lot?" He whispered.
Tucker shrugged. "Not much anymore." He explained.
Turning back to the crowd, Danny gave a nervous smile. "Umm...hi?" He said awkwardly.
Suddenly the crowd surged forward, asking frantic questions, pushing pieces of paper into his face or trying to grab at his clothes. The group backed into each other as they tried to fend of the rabid crowd. "Not much, huh?" Danny muttered, Tucker giving an awkward shrug of his shoulders and a nervous smile.
Suddenly, the sound of a bullhorn cut through the noise as a familiar shout made its way to Danny's ears. "Lord of the Flies children! What's gotten into you?!" Lancer shouted as he walked through the crowd, freezing as his eyes landed on Danny, who nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Mr. Phan-Fenton?" Lancer asked, quickly correcting himself in the middle of his question.
Danny gave a nervous smile. "Um..hi, Mr. Lancer." He said awkwardly. "Hope you're not to mad about my absences." He chuckled slightly.
Mr. Lancer blinked a few times and shook his head to clear away the shock. "Um, no. It is alright, Mr. Fenton. Don't suppose you'll be joining us back here?" He asked.
Danny shook his head. "Sorry, Mr. Lancer. I'm needed back in Jump." He explained.
Lancer nodded. "I expected as much." he said quietly. Glancing back to the crowd that still surrounded the group, Lancer cleared his throat. "Nevertheless, children, I suggest you give Mr. Fenton and the Norths some space." He muttered.
Silence enveloped the area, before all chaos broke out once more as Mr, Lancer was swept off of his feet by the bustling crowd. Turning back to his friends, Danny gave them nervous looks. "Okay, what are we supposed to do now?" He asked.
"Didn't you expect them to be like this?" Jazz asked.
Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't think they'd be this bad!" He growled as he grabbed his friends wrists and transformed into Phantom, the bracelets on their wrists beginning to flash a bright red. At the transformation, the crowd roared even louder as they watched the boy fly into the air. "Great, get them even more crazy." Sam muttered.
Danny glared behind him. "Do you want me to leave you here?" He growled.
Sam rolled her eyes as Danny flew the group over the heads of the crowd and land a few yards away. "Why are you landing?" Valerie asked as the group began to run, the crowd behind them giving chase. "Because we'd be easily spotted from the air. At least on the ground, we should be able to lose them." He explained.
"Why don't you just turn invisible?" Tucker asked as they continued to run down the sidewalk.
"He can't." Sam shouted as she turned down to look at her bracelet. "Our bracelets glow whenever a ghost makes contact, or overshadows us. Even invisible, the bracelets will still flash, leading them right to us." She explained.
Danny sighed. "So much for that plan." He growled as the group continued to run. As they rounded the corner, a pair of strong hands grabbed the halfa's shoulders and dragged him back into the large bush that sat perched on the corner of the sidewalk, his friends receiving the same treatment as they too were dragged into the bush.
The teens huddled together as the mysterious figures advanced closer.
Titans Tower
Robin paced back and forth, stealing glances at the shut grey door from time to time, then back down at the ground. The sound of his shoes hitting ground echoed throughout the hall, filling him with frustration.
Ugg, why is this so DIFFICULT?! He snarled to himself as he continued to pace back and forth in front of a certain Tameranian's door.
It's not like I've never talked to her before! Why is this so hard? He asked himself, stopping his stride as he dwelled on the question. Because now I'm facing something I'm not sure of. And I HATE being unsure of things. He realized.
Rolling his eyes, the boy continued to pace back and forth. Man, guess those late-night talks with Danny really do work. He muttered to himself with a small smile.
Finally, he shook his head and took a deep breath, turning to face the door in the process. Raising his hand, he reared back, ready to knock when the door swung open to reveal Starfire. Both Titans jumped twenty feet into the air in shock, settling down when they both took calming breaths.
"Robin?" Starfire asked, a hint of confusion in her voice. "Do you need something?" She asked.
The boy in question nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay, umm...Star? I wanted to ask you something." He started. "I...um...would you...um...maybe..." He stuttered as he pulled on his collar, the temperature rising considerably to him.
Starfire gazed at him in confusion, unsure of what was really going on. The last time she had seen him so nervous was when they were on that alien planet together and she had asked him why she wasn't his girlfriend and...OH! Her eyes widened slightly in realization as she watched Robin continue to try and come up with a coherent sentence.
Clearing his breath, Robin took one more deep breath and continued. "Okay...um...Danny is back in Amity and he's bringing his friends back here..." He stared, watching as Starfire began to smile with glee. "Wonderful! It has been much too long since we have last seen our friends!" She squealed in delight.
Robin nodded as he began to rub the back of his neck. Man, I really HAVE been hanging out with Danny too much. He realized. "Anyway, Danny is taking Sam on a da...an outing to the...to the...BOARDWALK." He quickly said, leaving a mental note to remind Danny where they would be going.
"Anyway, he invited me and said I could bring somebody else." He continued, Starfire watching curiously how this would play out. "So...I was wondering...if...mayybbbeeee...you'd come with me...on this...outing." He said, stressing the last word.
Starfire smiled as she watched Robin shift uncomfortable on his feet. Flying forward, she placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to quickly look up. "I would love to accompany you on the outing." She said with a large smile. Robin quickly sighed in relief and returned the smile, watching as Starfire flew past him and began to travel down the hallway, casting one last glance over her shoulder at the nervous boy.
She giggled slightly. Wait till she told Jazz!
Amity Park
Danny narrowed his eyes as he transformed into Phantom and got into a defensive stance. He could hear his friends doing the same behind him as he raised a hand and lit it up with ecto-energy, illuminating the area around them, as well as the four figures in front of them.
He gasped as the light revealed four teens he never expected to face again. Lowering his defenses, Danny glanced back to his friends, who each gave him confused looks that mirrored his own. Turning back to the other teens, Danny cleared his throat and hesitantly reverted back into Fenton.
"Man, after all these months, it's still hard to believe..." Dash trailed off as the last of the white rings disappeared from Danny's waist.
"Well...thanks for the save, guys." Danny said as he gazed back at Paulina, Star, Kwan and Dash, who each gave him awkward glances. "N...no problem, Danny." Dash stuttered.
Valerie placed a hand on her hip as she stared at the teens. "So...what exactly are you guys doing here?" She asked.
"Yeah, shouldn't you be a part of that rabid mob?" Sam said, a look of suspicion clearly visible on her face. Paulina rolled her eyes as she watched Sam turn her suspicious glare towards her. "Relax, Manson. We aren't gonna try anything." She muttered.
Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, well you guys haven't really done anything that would warrant our trust." He muttered.
Dash rubbed the back of his neck. "That's kind of what we're here to talk about." He said as Kwan stepped forward. "yeah, once we saw you at the school ,we knew now might be our only chance to try and talk to you, seeing as you don't really come to Amity anymore other to see your friends." He explained.
Danny tilted his head. "Alright...talk about what?" He asked.
Dash sighed. "Okay...a couple months ago...when you were revealed...nobody could have been more shocked than me. I mean, the nerd I wailed on every day turning into my all-time hero? It wasn't possible! I mean, there was no way that the most incredible super-teen was in-fact that nerdy, weak, useless..." He said as he continued to list all the offensive names.
"Um...alright!" Danny said as Dash continued with the list.
"...dopey, stupid, cowardly..." he continued.
"Okay, there was an apology in there somewhere, right?" Danny sighed.
"...freaky, annoying, and overall-"
"OKAY! We get it! Continue." Danny muttered.
Dash took a deep breath before continuing. "Listen man...I'm really sorry about the way I treated you before. If I knew who you really were, I never would have pounded on you every day." He explained. "I mean, you're my hero!" He said with a smile. "I never should have treated you like I did. None of us should have." He said, gesturing to the others, who each wore similar guilty looks.
"But...I also never got a chance to say thank you." Dash continued. "I never got to thank you for saving the town so many times. For saving me, even though sometimes I didn't deserve it. Even though I was always a big jerk to you, you would save me anyways. I guess that's why you're the hero and not me." He sighed with a smile.
"Also, I think I finally understand all those mysterious pranks that would always happen to me." He said with a smile.
Danny chuckled, stopping when Dash held out a hand. "So...can we...start over?" He asked with nervous look.
Danny glanced at the hand for a moment, then turned back up to look at Dash, a smile making its way onto his face. "Sure, Dash. No hard feeling." He said as the two bumped fists.
As soon as they finished that, Paulina pushed past the jock as she came nose to nose with the boy. "So now that that's out of the way, maybe now I'll consider finally going out with you." She said with a smile as she puckered her lips.
Danny stuttered nervously as he turned intangible, the girl falling right through him as she face-planted into the grass. Quickly righting herself, she turned back to stare incredulously at the boy. "Sorry, Paulina. But I think I'm going to have to pass." He said with a smile as Sam walked forward, the boy placing an arm around her.
Pauling rolled her eyes, playing off her shock with disdain. "Fine. I always knew you two lovebirds would get together." She muttered as she walked back over to Dash, who rolled his eyes at the girl's antics.
The sound of frantic kids made its way through the bush as the group finally remembered why they were hiding in the first place.
Jazz groaned. "Great. How are we supposed to get past these guys?" She asked the group.
Dash and the others stepped forward. "I think we can help with this." He said as the four began to walk over to the bush. Turning back once more, Dash smiled. "Good luck in Jump, Phanturd." He smirked as he jumped through the bush. Kwan turned back and smiled. "See you guys!" He called, jumping through as well.
Paulina flipped her hair as she walked towards the bush. "Oh, Danny! When that relationship eventually falls through, I'll be waiting!" She called over her shoulder as she pushed her way through the bushes. Star sighed and began walking towards the bush as well, pausing to glance back at Danny. "Bye, Danny. Nice seeing you again." She called as she too pushed through the bush.
The sound of yelling could be heard as Dash and the others got the kids attention.
"Hey guys! I just say Danny Phantom and the Norths! They went this way! Hurry!" He shouted as the sound of loud footsteps departing left the sidewalk silent. After a few more moments of silence, the group decided it was safe to come out. Pushing through the bushes, Tucker chuckled as he brushed himself off. "Well that was unexpected. Never though Dash would be one to apologize." He smirked.
Danny chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Guess anyone can change." He said with a smile as he glanced down the street at where the large group of kids had disappeared.
Sam tapped his shoulder, drawing his attention back to them. "Alright, Ghost Boy. You didn't come here without a reason. You wanted to talk about something." She said, remembering that Danny had been about to tell them something before they were mobbed.
"So...what is it?"
Finally, I'm done with this chapter! YESSS!
Man, it felt like distraction after distraction with this one. I'm sorry I couldn't get it out sooner. But oh well, it's here now, isn't it? Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. I always wanted to see how the people of Amity would react to Danny returning, if only for an afternoon.
So those who wanted to see how that would pan out, here you go! Hope you enjoyed.
Alright, hopefully the next chapter will be out soon, but be prepared for a wait because I have a SUPER busy month. I will be in Panama City for at least a full week for the softball world series. yayyyyyy
l:(
So, I'll make sure to bring my laptop, but don;t expect me to be able to work on it too much.
Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter of The Ghostly Titan II: The Order Of Apparitions!
(P.S. if Danny's relationship with Sam ever did fall through, I'm not so sure he would go to Paulina. Just saying...I think he might choose someone a little closer to Jump City. *cough, cough* Maybe someone with more superhero experience... *cough, hack, hack, cough* Maybe...even someone with...oh I don't know...spiky black hair...? XD
I'm just saying. Maybe I'll create a spin-off RobinXDanny one-shot. I know some of you are DYING to see something like that. but for now, you'll just have to settle with them being brothers. Oh, well. You can always dream.
