Castle

"Make sure to open SANTA'S gift first Danny."

Danny Fenton let out a miniscule sigh before shooting a small pleading gaze to his Mom. She caught it closing her mouth and offered a very thin tense smile. "Actually Dad, I was thinking I would start with the family presents first."

This made Dad glum for a second and his Mom puff out in glee. After so long of the same song and dance, one learned how to keep things somewhat peaceful during the holidays. And the fact was that Dad didn't hold grudges like Mom did. At least Jack and Maddie were trying this year. They loved their children they really did but…

Danny shook his head briefly and focused on the present he was opening. This one was Jazz's, nice and neutral. Danny unraveled it to find a sweatshirt from Jazz's college. He shot her a smile and thanks. Jazz accepted it before opening the gift Danny gave her. Inside was a cookbook of sorts. It was a binder with printed paper in laminated sleeves. Inside were all the recipes the two cooked together. Some he had added to, and at the very end was a section for ghost food recipes. Jazz smiled and thanked Danny back. Maddie and Jack opened their gifts at the same time. Maddie revealed a pair of fuzzy socks and a yeti coffee mug. Jack received a heated chair cover.

They didn't burst into an anger-filled rage (a world record) and the teens opened their next set of gifts. They got halfway through the presents before the facade broke. Mom's idle comment about science being the purpose of disclaiming the impossible set Dad off.

Jazz and Danny calmly packed up their gifts, both unwrapped and wrapped, and headed downstairs to the portal.

"How long do you think it will last this year?" Danny asked casually. Surprised at how he wasn't upset with his parents fighting. As much as he loved them and they loved him, he had successfully distanced himself enough that this yearly spat didn't tear at him like it once did, or maybe he had simply grown.

"I'm going to say the next few days." Jazz said whimsically. "They have ghost stuff to investigate and they have been arguing more than enough to get it all out of there system." Thank all higher beings that was all she said on the matter. Danny had been subject to enough of her rambling thesis of why their normally loving and devoted parents chose this one time of the year (dedicated to peace and joy for all) to fight nonstop.

Once on the other side of the portal door, the two moved along the ice platform. As they neared the edge a wooden painted black door appeared before them. It had white highlights along its door frame and the metal handle was painted white. On the front of the door, dead-center stood a familiar white D with a P insignia. The Danny Phantom emblem.

Jazz had a free hand and opened the door and held it open for her brother. Once the two walked through and the door latched shut and faded from existence. Inside the lair was a welcomed sight. Sam and Ellie were in the kitchen finishing up the last of the cooking before they all ate. Tucker was on his computer talking adamantly to Phantom who was looking over the Technogeek's shoulder at the screen. There was no sign of the infant clone but Danny could feel the little guy safely tucked away upstairs sleeping soundly.

"Your back!" Ellie exclaimed joyfully from the kitchen.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Danny joked though a hint of sadness in his tone.

If they saw it, it was ignored. "Well, it's going to be a couple of minutes to dinner," Sam called.

Danny and Jazz placed their presents (wrapped and unwrapped) under the small ecto tree in the living area. It was one of the furs that they had taken from the Ice castle before they let it go. By the time the party was over everyone was exhausted and done with the castle. They went back one more time to strip it of everything they could, the decorations that survived the ghost party, the machinery keeping it from drifting, and the portal they built. Then they left. The castle was still laced with tons of ectoplasm but now it floated freely with the wind, going wherever.

"So what are you two conspiring about?" Danny asked coming up to look over Tucker's other shoulder.

"We're researching names for Phantom." Tucker said glancing at his long-time friend.

Danny looked to his clone pleasantly surprised. "Really?! What brought this on?"

Phantom gave him a look he hadn't seen in a while, one that highlighted his more jerky nature. "It seems that other ghosts can tell our ectoplasm is similar so I'm still getting confused for you despite how different we are." The ghost clones expression became very, very sly, something that reminded Danny briefly of Vlad but he brushed it off. Phantom hadn't been this animated for a long time. "and lord knows being confused as you, will only hinder my apprenticeship so it is best I do everything in my power to prevent that mistake."

"APPRENTICESHIP!" Everyone stopped, dropped and turned their attention to the ghost.

"What apprenticeship? When did this happen?" Jazz asked in astonished delight.

"Clockwork offered it at the party." Ah, so that's why he had been asking about CW. "and I've decided to accept."

Jazz squealed like a little girl jumping in place before leap-hugging Phantom-soon-to-be-named something different. "I'm happy for you little brother."

There was a beat of silence. Jazz pulled away suddenly looking at Danny guiltily. Everyone was surprised but Phantom looked alarmed. Danny only smiled and walked forward. "That's great news bro," Danny said pulling him into a shake, part hug, part pat on the back. "Seriously this has made my day." He said locking eyes with Phantom and projecting his happiness for the ghost. Something shifted in the full Ghost's eyes and he relaxed.

Feeling a shift in the lair Danny looked to see Ellie standing very still hands clenched on the strainer that held noodles. Without a second of hesitation, Danny called out. "Careful sis, your dripping." Ellie didn't react at first, eyes glaring down at the ground. Water still seeping off the noodles and onto the floor. At least until Sam elbowed her.

"He's talking to you."

Ellie started and looked up. "What?" She asked looking around.

"He said your noodles are dripping little sister." Jazz answered for Danny

Ellie paused for a second longer looking shocked her eyes finding Danny's. He answered with a smile. "Seriously sis, do you need help?"

"No." she answered quietly putting the noodles back in the pan they came from. Sam gently took over. The girl looking to be 13 turned away from the food flying across the room and tackling Danny into a hug.

"Merry Christmas Ellie"

-)(-

Short and Sweat

…or is it?

"What do you mean I'm hosting the next one?" Danny exclaimed loudly.

It was New Year's day. Danny had been invited to the Great Between's New Years Meeting. It was the day they all got together to figure out who hosted what for the new year. As well as talk out disputes. He had already managed to fully befriend Ghostwriter and arranged for Jazz to comb through his selection of books. Danny accepted Pandora's request of biweekly fight training. He had somehow been cajoled into providing some snowfall for Ember's next show in the Infinite Realms. Kitty and Johnny had roped him to go to a concert with them in New City, they somehow got him to agree to ask Sam to go too.

On less happy notes, Skulker had been trying to rope Danny into a discussion on where his pelt should rest after he catches the halfa and skins him. Walker gave him a scroll almost two feet long filled with all of his offenses over the last year and a half along with how much time in jail he owes him. Fright Knight had been trying to flag him down for the last hour. Spectra tried to convince him to let her come into his territory and depress people promising to only touch his enemies. Desiree was offering him his 'greatest wish' in exchange for free reign of his town. The only reason others hadn't tried to do the same was because everyone was called to the Holiday talk.

"Ghost child, you created a floating Christmas ice castle, complete with ghosts food, and music; in one month. I can't wait to see what you'll do with a full year's notice." All the ghosts murmured in agreement.

Danny let his forehead hit the table top in front of him and groaned. He could feel Vlad doing a 'told ya so' look from wherever he was.

'Well,' he thought to himself. 'at least as long as I'm hosting the Winter Holiday Truce party I'm not allowed to host any other parties.'

-)(-

Edited 12/29/18

Okay, now we're done.

This is a stand-alone story in a mega-crossover that I am currently planning. This and 'lair called home' are going to be 'origin stories' so they take place before the actual crossovers. The crossover world will be called 'Alliance'

The first story of the crossover will be 'Detention Island'

There will probably be other 'origin stories' from the other crossover worlds before I get to that so keep an eye out.

I do not own 'Danny Phantom'