AND A BIG HAND TO JEANETTE9A FOR THE IDEA BEHIND THIS CHAPTER

As the very dysfunctional family was stewing in the corner at the hateful thing called voice mail, Dash Baxter was simmering lightly. His posse were all whispering about 'those weirdoes in the corner' and wondering who they were. He scrunched up his nose.

This was his turf. He was the popular one, not some family of freaks that came from nowhere. It was their job- everyone's job- to know he was in charge! And these guys just got fired.

"Hey, you!" He hopped up and loomed over their table. Dani, the one who'd thought to wear sunglasses over her very bright eyes looked up as the other two focused even more on the phone.

"What's up?"

"Who are you guys, just walking in here like you own the place?" He cracked his knuckles as Kwan called out behind him,

"YEAH!"

"We don't own this place. We're just here to eat. Is there a problem?" Danny spoke quietly, keeping his face down at the screen of his phone.

"You bet there's a problem! This is where my gang hangs, got it? Freaks like you don't belong here!"

"Looked in a mirror lately?" The Dad spoke up, his face also down, hiding a smile.

"Dad!" For once, Dani spoke correctly.

"You're embarrassing us, Dad! This is why we don't take you with us when we go out!" Danny grimaced. He really hoped that this wouldn't escalate.

It did.

"Yeah, you're embarrassing them! So why don't you and your boring kids just hightail it out of here?"

Danny slid his phone back in his pocket and answered in a voice just loud enough to carry to Dash's ears.

"Cause I'm still hungry." He got up and kneeled in the seat, facing over towards Dash's table, and without opening his eyes, called out. "Hey, you! With the black hair and jacket like this guy!" Kwan pointed to himself. "Yes, you! Look, if this guy is done with his sandwich, can I have it?" The co-coach of Casper High Football then did the stupidest thing anyone had ever done.

He picked up Dash's still unwrapped burger and threw it across the room.

Straight.

At.

Dash's.

Head.

It splattered across his blonde hair and made him as angry as a hornet, unfortunately. Kwan sank into his seat, hopefully out of the star's range. The Phantom family wasn't that lucky. He grabbed the collar of Danny's coat and yanked him up. Danny scrambled to keep his eyes and hair out of view as Cujo caught whiff of danger and reappeared next to them.

"Ha! Lookit! The dork's dumb dog is trying to save him!" Dash laughed, and the other popular's joined him.

Cujo grew full size and Dash's face was the definition of recognition.

"Wait, a minute!" Paulina jumped up. "That's Ghost Boy's dog!"

"So that means this is . . . " Dash yanked back Danny's hood, who went limp in defeat and opened his eyes slowly at the shocked teens.

"That's right, Danny Phantom. And I would've gotten away with it, too, if I hadn't been for you meddling kids." Dash dropped him back to the floor and he straightened up, running a hand through his hair. He looked back at Cujo, who was growling loudly. "Down, Cujo. Good boy." The now much smaller puppy jumped into his arms and he scratched behind his ears.

Valerie twitched. The ghost boy was so close! And he had to show up in a place she couldn't transform. Well, if she couldn't attack physically, she'd do it verbally.

"So, if you're the Ghost Boy," She spoke with his least favorite nickname, "Who are the others?" She was pretty sure the girl was Dani, but she wasn't sure.

"That's up to them if they want to tell you. Guys?" He turned to the others. The hopped up and stood next to him, pulling down her hood with one hand and the other taking away her sunglasses.

"Hi! I'm Dani Phantom. That's Dani with an I, so's to not make it very confusing. I'm his kid sister!" She grinned brightly and, as everyone was marveling at her sweetness, she slid Cujo away from Danny. Valerie raised an eyebrow at the kid sister part, but if he promised to take good care of her (At least he was feeding her.) then she could understand. Danny picked Cujo back and turned slightly so that Dani couldn't reach him. As she prepared to pounce, Dan stood between them and pulled of his hood.

"Hey, I'm Dan Phantom. Though you'll probably remember me as Danny Phantom's dad." He clapped a hand down on Danny's shoulder and grinned. The Nasty Burgers entire mass of people's jaws dropped.

"DANNY PHANTOM HAS A FAMILY?"

"That's our cue!" Danny put Cujo down, yanked his hood back up, and motioned for the others to do the same. Once their hair back in place. He waved and called out over the roar, "SEE YOU GUYS LATER!"

"No, wait!"

But the family had already taken off, sending off sparks of harmless ectoplasm as a bit of a side effect.

Later, after having arrived back at Phantom's Keep and relaxed in the room across from the library, which they'd dubbed the 'Family Room', Dani finally spoke.

"That went well."

And then Danny's phone rang.