Changeling
By: Wilona Riva
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom
The Refuge
The bouncer looked the pale human up and down and tsked. "You haven't learned anything yet, dude, if that keeps happening to you."
The human rolled his ice blue eyes at the burly ghost in front of him. "You don't know my mother, Dash, and trust me, yeah, it bites to be warm."
The school quarterback removed the rope and waved him on in. "You can keep your mother," he said. "Pyro's waiting for you and your little brother sneaked on in ahead of you again."
"How he keeps getting in, I'll never figure out," Danny said, shaking his midnight black hair. "Thanks, Dash. I'll make sure he behaves this time."
The bouncer growled good-naturedly at him. "You say that every time, Phantom."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Well, not entirely unscathed," Ember greeted him, giving him the once-over. "Human's good on you."
"Just a perspective on coloring, cool cat, but you really shouldn't make your mother angry," Sidney Pointdexter said, looking up from the book he was reading. "What'd you do this time and how long?"
Phantom surveyed the Refuge's crowd and could not see his little brother. He sighed.
"Peace, he's helping the Lunch Lady in the kitchen with Box Lunch and Danni," Ember said, noting him scanning the crowd.
"Who is all here?" Danny asked.
"Me, you, Dash, Nerd-for-brains stuck in the 50's, Youngblood...the usual crowd."
"I object," Sidney said, glaring at the pop diva.
"Go suck an egg cream," she retorted. "Go, get me and Danny each a one, while you're at it." She tossed him some gold coins. Sidney grumbled good-naturedly and slid out of the booth.
"Meet in the back," Danny called after him. His blue eyes sparkled with anger. "And pass the word on."
"Righto!"
Maddie and Jack called a small meeting that evening of several families in Amity Park. When they told Jazz, she was angry, then curiosity took over. This was highly unusual for her parents.
The Baxters were the first to arrive, then after them, the Mansons and Foleys. Young Samantha and Tucker were best friends with Jazz. Neither of them looked happy to be dragged out of their warm cozy teenage dens this time of the night.
Family after family arrived; last of all was Vlad Masters, an old family friend of the Fentons. He looked peeved to say the least, but held his tongue. He kept shooting an angry look at Jack, who couldn't figure out what he'd done to make the tall lanky man mad.
"What is this all about, Fenton?" Jeremy Thurston Manson IV demanded. His wife covered her daughter's ears; angry blue eyes fixed on the Fentons.
"We made a trip into the Ghost Zone to locate any information on the whereabouts of our children," Jack began, outlining the events of the day before, ending the tale with the discovery of a ghost child who might or might not be their missing son.
"How sure are you of this information? " Mr. Gregory Baxter asked the orange-clad ghost hunter. "They took our little Dashiel at the same time."
"They took all of our children," Maddie asserted, punching one hand into her palm. "I know my little boy like the back of my hand. Our little Danny came back to us and that is all the sign we need. Who is with me?"
Everyone cheered, except for Vladimir Masters. He rose to his feet.
"There are two sides to every story," he began. "The ghosts invaded our world bringing death and destruction wrapped in the golden fleece of peace. That is the way we see it. Now, I want you to consider the ghosts' view of the story."
Phantom met the eyes of each and everyone in the room as he recounted the events of a few hours before. "They knew my name and recognized my mark," he announced.
"Dude, that's not possible," Dash called out from the front of the room. Sidney frowned at his horrible decorum.
"I could hardly make our what they were saying," Danny admitted.
"So you suck at speaking human," Kitty reminded him. "We already knew that."
"His last progress report was undeniable proof," Ember hooted.
"Do you mind?" Danny shot her a dirty look. Ember blew him a kiss in reply.
"Lovebirds, get a room!" Johnny catcalled.
"Johnny!"
"Phantom," came his brother's voice from the kitchen. "Mother just belled. She needs you home right away; you haven't taken your medicine yet."
"But I took it this morning!" Danny protested.
"King Plasmius decided it's time you started taking the yellow one," the parrot said, flying into the room. "He's says it's time to complete the change. Master Clockwork agreed."
Every ghost in the room erupted with cheers.
"No more little half ghost," Ember murmured, her lips hovering above his right ear. "No more being warm."
He looked back at her with sky blue eyes. "Finally," he murmured. "What made King Plasmius change his mind, I wonder?"
"No idea, babypop."
The room erupted in an uproar.
"Vlad!" Jack warned, "I know you want peace with the ghosts, but that is not possible. They stole our children."
"After you murdered theirs," his best friend reminded him. "You and these others present agreed to the exchange. The Sanchez's are not present, I see."
"Murder-suicide, Maddie noted sadly, "It was right after Danny's kidnapping. Vlad, will you help us get him back? We have to know."
"He grew up in the Ghost Zone, Mads," her husband reminded her. "He's one of them."
"Part of him is still human."
"He didn't know us."
"I saw something in his eyes just before he escaped," Maddie answered.
"Then by all means, make another foray into the Ghost Zone and kidnap the boy back," Vlad snarkily replied.
"That's a great idea," Pamela Manson said, clapping her hands. "We'll hold the fort for you while you're gone."
"Bad idea," Jazz Fenton declared from another corner of the room. "We should just leave him alone."
"This is your little brother, we're talking about," Maddie and Jack protested.
"Not like you cared," she whispered, "You let him be kidnapped; you didn't know he existed half the time."
"Jasmine!"