Chapter 10
Just then a ghost flew from around a floating rock and stopped short at the sight in front of him. The ghost was about Danny's height, tall but not quite six feet, but he was skinnier than Danny. He also had medium length midnight hair that was the type of messy from not combing your hair for a month. The Ghost Writer was just minding his own business going for a fly around the zone to get the creative juices flowing when he came across a large group of humans. It seemed odd, but only for a moment before he noticed the ghost boy standing sheepishly off to one side of the group. "Daniel!" The ghost bellowed, "Why are you carting humans!"
Just then Jack screamed, "GHOST!", over the top of the ghost writer. He and Maddie pointed various weapons at the ghost only to find their son in their way.
"No! Stop!" Danny jumped in front of them.
"Danny move there's a ghost!" Maddie shouted in panic.
Danny's voice was kind and soothing as he said, "I know it is mom, but trust me and lower your weapons."
Maddie would never know what made her lower her weapons when her son asked. Maybe it was the particular mixture of desperation and pity that he held in his eyes as he asked her, or maybe it was the odd sense of familiarity that sent a chill down her spine as she held the ecto weapon up to Danny. Either way she lowered the gun to her side at the same time as Jack. "O-okay." Maddie said unsurely.
Surprise, hope, and distrust ran through her son's expression almost before Maddie could see them, and it broke her heart to see her son so conflicted. Danny gave his parents one last measuring gaze before turning to the ghost. "Hello, Ghost Writer."
"You didn't answer my question, Daniel." The ghost growled in a low tone that terrified all but the secret trio. The Fentons found it difficult to keep their weapons pointed at the ground.
"Do you think I would do something like this on purpose? I don't like his anymore than you do." Danny retorted.
"Not the question I asked. Why are they here, Phan-" The Ghost Writer was cut of by Danny.
"That's Fenton, Writer, and the human's in charge of the school thought it was a good idea to send a class of students to the ghost zone for a field trip. I didn't have the authority or pre warning to stop it." Danny explained.
The ghost surprised everyone, minus the trio, by laughing so hard he was holding his stomach and curled into a ball. "BWAHAHAHAHAH! You have the worst luck!"
Danny's lips curled into a smirk, never seen by anyone outside team phantom before. "What clued you in? My parents profession, or my social standing inside and out of the infinite realms?"
"Hahah ah, you have a point, Ghost Child." The Ghost Writer sighed, "Well I suppose I'll be on my way then."
"Wait. I know this is a lot to ask, but would you let us stay with you." Danny quickly added, "It's only for a night and I'll make sure they don't wander beyond the area you allow."
"Why should I?" The ghost's eyes narrowed on the boy, "I own you nothing, and I will gain nothing from it."
Danny looked like he was contemplating something really hard. "I'll ask clockwork if he'll let you meet Shakespeare."
"I've asked, he said no." The ghost writer said, but he countered, "How about you introduce me to a human as interested in literature as I am?"
Danny blinked in surprise and said, "Really, why?"
"I'm starting to lose faith in my old species. If you can prove literate appreciative people still exist I'll let you and your group stay a night." The ghost proposed.
Danny looked back at his teacher, Mr. Lancer, and then back to the ghost writer. "Ghost Writer, I'd like you to meet my English teacher Mr. Lancer." Then Danny turned his back on the ghost to talk to his teacher. "Mr. Lancer, this is the Ghost Writer. He is the master scribe of the ghost zone. I know he's a ghost, but if you could just look past that I'd imagine you'd find you have a lot in common with each other."
Mr. Lancer paled in fear that his student was sacrificing him to this ghost. The ghost regarded him with cold green eyes that chilled the teacher to the bone. Then the ghost spoke to him. He said, "A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy."
Mr. Lancer recognized he Aesop quote immediately and finished it, "Let a man be one thing or the other and then we know how to meet him."
The ghost smiled and then turned to Danny, "You did it. I didn't think you could, but perhaps humanity is not lost yet." Then the ghost's eyes turned back to the English teach and he said, "Thank you, Mr. Lancer, for rekindling my faith." The ghost turned abruptly and a path formed behind him as he walked. "Follow me." Danny wasted no time following the ghost, and though Sam and Tucker were the first to follow him everyone was surprised that Mr. Lancer was only a step behind.
The Ghost Writer lead them for about half a mile to what looked like a large white mansion, not unlike the white house. The path ended at the ghost's door step, and the ghost invited them in. The ghost lead them through the doors, and the group was surprised to see a bigger library than any of them could have imagined. Maddie and Jack were beginning to relax against their better judgement in their excitement at being inside a ghost's lair. Being in the Ghost Zone was one thing, being inside the home of a ghost was another thing entirely.
The class was walked down a long hallway to a room at the end which looked like Sam's theater except with more sofas. "This is my study for when I have groups. You can stay here for the night." The ghost writer said mostly to Danny. Then he added, "You can wander this room as much as you want, but if you want to go anywhere else you have to ask."
No one noticed Mr. Lancer biting his lip in contemplation as Danny said, "Thanks Writer. I'm grateful for your hospitality and I won't let the other humans take advantage of it."
"Bene venisti. (You are welcome.)" The Ghost Writer replied in Latin before he turned to leave.
"Wait." Mr. Lancer stopped the ghost, who turned his green eyes to the teacher. "Can I look at your library?" The class and the Fentons were surprised that Mr. Lancer was trusting this ghost so much, but Sam and Tucker rolled their eyes, and Danny smirked. It was obvious to the trio that Mr. Lancer and the Ghost Writer would be friends, and Danny had mentioned more than once that he wished he could introduce the two to each other.
The Ghost smiled kindly and said, "Of course, as long as the Ghost child doesn't mind?" The Ghost Writer looked to Danny for an answer.
Before Danny could answer Dash interrupted, "Why is the ghost calling you, Ghost child, Fenton?"
Danny sighed and answered Dash first. "That ghost has a name, Ghost Writer, and the ghosts of the zone have many names for me. Ghost child is just because I'm one of the only humans in the entire world who has ever helped a ghost, and I was the first human to make friends with ghosts."
Suddenly the Ghost Writer broke out into laughter and said, "You are too good at that child." Then he split to Latin and said, "Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt. (Men readily believe what they wish.)"
Mr. Lancer recognized the quote from Julius Caesar and replied with a question in as much Latin as he could remember, "Saepe mentitur? (Does he lie often?)"
Danny answered in fluent Latin, "Quotidie, sed custodi tibi. (Every day, but keep that to yourself.)"
Mr. Lancer only understood the words, 'keep', and, 'to yourself', but he got the jist of it. He didn't have a chance to respond to that because Maddie cut in. "Wait. Was that Latin, Danny!?"
Danny looked at her nervously but the Ghost Writer cut in, "Not that this isn't interesting and all, but I believe I asked Daniel a question."
"Yes, Mr. Lancer can go with you, just remember he has to sleep at some point." Danny finally gave the his ghostly acquaintance permission to lead his teach off through his library.
"Thank you." Ghost Writer said, and then he turned to Mr. Lancer. "So you wanted to see the library?" Mr. Lancer nodded. "Follow me." The ghost lead the teacher out the door.
Maddie turned on Danny and opened her mouth as if to question him, but before she could Sam interrupted. "It's getting late we should eat, and then maybe get some sleep." Sam's sentence reminded Jack that he was hungry and he distracted Maddie with his want of food. The rest of the group knew that Sam was just avoiding questions directed at Danny, but they gave in to the idea of food and didn't push the questions, yet.
Danny sighed and shot a grateful look to Sam. "Thanks. I didn't want to deal with my mom's million questions." He was speaking in Esperanto so they wouldn't be understood by everyone around them
Tucker nodded in agreement with Danny and followed his example speaking in Esperanto. "That was quick thinking on the food thing."
Sam smiled at the compliment, they were rare from Tucker, he bigger on the teasing. "Thanks, Tuck, but you know it won't last. At most they'll wait until tomorrow morning." Sam wasn't as good at Esperanto as the boys, but she was good enough to say what she wanted.
Danny frowned and said seriously, "I don't know if I'll be able to keep my secret from everyone on this trip."
"Whoa whoa whoa! What are you saying Danny? I said you wouldn't be able to stop ham from asking questions no that you had to answer them." Sam said.
"I know, but it's just this gut feeling, and I don't think everyone will figure it out, but the nerds are really observant, and Mr. Lancer is in the dark most of the time because he's so oblivious to what goes on around him. He's stayed ignorant simply because he believes my lies, but my lies are being strained here, and it will only take one good clue for him to get it." Danny explained.
"But, Dude, what is someone calls the Idiots in White?" Tucker asked.
"I don't know." Danny sighed and put his head in his hands to try and stave off the headache he was forming.
"Hey at least your parents are still oblivious." Sam tried to cheer up her boyfriend, and it worked, but not for the reason she thought it would.
"Yeah they are." Danny smiled as he said, "But I'm actually not as worried about them figuring everything out."
"What!?" Tucker and Sam exclaimed at the same time and Tucker continued, "What happened to 'they want to rip me apart molecule by molecule'?"
"They still do, but just look at them. They're not attacking the Ghost Writer and they let Mr. Lancer walk off with a ghost. They trusted me when I asked them too, and they were receptive to the idea that not all ghosts are evil." Danny rambled, "I mean they're still oblivious, and they can't see beyond the end of their noses, but they're able to learn." Danny stopped himself there.
Sam and Tucker were quiet for a moment and then they smiled, and Tucker said, "Maybe they will be able to learn your secret one day."
Danny chuckled in quiet amazement. "I never thought I'd think about telling them. After Pariah Dark when they still couldn't see Phantom as anything other than a ghost to be destroyed I just kind of gave the idea up."
Sam pulled Danny into a hug. "I'm glad your family has a chance to be your family again. Just remember that Tuck and I will always be here."
Danny smiled back at his friends and said, "My family never left me. You guys are my family. Don't get me wrong, I'll be ecstatic if I can include my parents in my family, but you guys, and Jazz and Elle are my family, and I don't need anyone else."
Finally Tucker couldn't take it anymore and said, "Man, why do you have to be such a sap? Yeah we're here, but there's no need to weep."
"Shut up, Tucker!" Sam and Danny yelled at him and both punch him.
"Ow! Why am I the one that always gets abused!?" Tucker complained in English while Sam and Danny laughed at him. (AN: I decided not to do what I did with the Latin all the way through this conversation because it would just take to long, and it's not like Google Translate is that accurate anyway.)
Once the trio switched back to English the nerds broke out in chatter. "What was that?" Nathan asked.
Mikey looked wide eyed at his two friends and said, "I don't know. I didn't even know Danny and Sam spoke Esperanto."
"I taught Tucker some when we were working on a project in web design." Lester admitted. "Maybe he taught the others."
Mikey looked skeptical, "We've been using that language for years, and none of us are half as good as them. I didn't even understand most of what they were saying."
"How did they get so good do you think?" Nathan wondered. He'd looked up classes in Esperanto, but he never stuck with it long enough to get good.
"I'm more interested in What they were saying about family. we all know that Danny's secretive." Mikey said and Lester snorted.
"That's the understatement of the century." Nathan said.
Mikey ignored them and continued, "But is he really so secretive that he doesn't even know if he can consider his own parents family." Nathan and Lester squirmed uncomfortably at the thought. "You heard him. He said, 'I'll be", I'm guessing the next word was happy, 'if I can include my parents in my family, but you guys, and Jazz and Elle are my family, and I don't need anyone else'. He told Sam and Tucker they were his family, not his parents."
The nerds were quiet for a moment and then Nathan said, "What do you think his parents did to lose his respect? They used to be really close as far as I can remember."
"But they still look really close when Danny's parents come to school." Mikey pointed out.
"Th-they're not a-abusive, are they?" Lester asked quietly.
"No." Mikey stated, "I know they're not. Just look at Jazz, and those two can't even hurt a ghost." Mikey's statement relieved the tension that came with Lester's question, but it didn't answer the original one. Mikey considered for a moment what he knew about Danny and what he'd heard, and he had an idea. "Maybe we have it backwards." Mikey said.
"Backwards?" Nathan's eyes squinted trying to follow Mikey's thought train.
"Yeah," Mikey explained, "maybe instead of Danny hiding things from his parents because he doesn't consider them family is actually Danny not considering them family because he's hidden too much from them."
Nathan's eyes widened with understanding and Lester nodded as Nathan said, "That has to be it. Danny kept a secret so big he feels his parents don't know who he is anymore."
"It's just a theory." Mikey said.
Nathan scoffed, "Well you're theory is right, and we still don't know what Danny's secrets are." Then Nathan changed the topic, "Speaking of things we don't know about Danny, I still want to know where they learned Esperanto."
Lester looked thoughtful, but stayed silent. Mikey said, "Maybe they took a class?" It was a big maybe and Nathan raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"It's possible, but they also knew Latin." Nathan wasn't able to help the bit of awed respect that entered his voice as he said that.
"Maybe they learned it from ghosts." Lester finally said.
"What are you talking about?" Mikey asked the fellow geek.
Lester looked up to Mikey and Nathan like he'd had an epiphany, "Latin and Esperanto are dead languages, and Danny is friends with the dead. What if Latin and Esperanto are more common amongst ghosts, and they taught Danny, who taught Tucker and Sam?" I made perfect sense and the group of geeks looked at each other excited at the new information. They knew two things about Danny. Not only was he secretive and great at lying, but he also didn't consider his parents family. He was also trilingual, and he had been taught by ghosts. If he learned two languages from ghosts what else did he know? They looked to Danny to see him glanced worried at their group and then look away almost too quickly for them to see, but the did see it. Did that mean Danny had heard their conversation?
Danny was relaxed after talking to Sam and Tucker. They always knew how to help him, and they would always help him. He started up a less stressful conversation a little later about the plan for tomorrow. Tomorrow they were passing through the edge of Walker's lair, and most likely nothing would happen, but there was a chance for things to go wrong. They were just agreeing to give the group weapons the next morning when Danny heard something that made his blood run colder. "We've been using that language for years and none of us, and none of us are half as good as them. I didn't even understand most of what they were saying."
How could Danny have forgotten that Esperanto was used as a secret language by the nerds and geeks of Casper High? Of course Nathan, Mikey, and Lester would be able to understand them, but Mikey said he didn't understand most of it, and Danny remembered Tucker saying he was one of the people who was best at the language. Did that mean none of the nerds had heard anything too incriminating. Danny strained to hear more, ignoring the questions Sam and Tucker were asking. His friends got the point that he was focusing on something and they sat silently waiting for him to finish. Then he heard the conversation turn back to what he'd said about family and he paled.
Mikey came to the correct conclusion about why Danny didn't think of his parents when he thought of his family. Then Lester correctly guessed how he came to be trilingual. The nerds stopped talking and Danny turned to see their expressions. They all looked amazed in their discoveries, and then in unison they turned to face him. Danny turned around quickly, but he could tell it wasn't quick enough because his eyes met theirs briefly as he turned. By the time Danny turned back he was ashen, and his friends couldn't stand not knowing any longer.
"What is it already?" Sam asked while Tucker unconsciously nodded along.
Danny spoke quietly, "We forgot the geeks speak Esperanto. Thankfully they're not too fluent, but they heard enough to know I don't consider my parents family."
Tucker and Sam mimicked Danny and paled. Sam was already so white before hand that after her skin didn't look dissimilar to Walker. "What do they know?" Sam finally whispered.
Danny fought the urge to look over at the group of nerds and answered, "They know I'm secretive, and that I'm a pro at lying and misdirection. They know I don't consider Jack and Maddie family even though they are my parents, and they know I'm trilingual and probably learned from ghosts."
Tucker created a new document and listed the nerds and what they knew as Danny spoke. Then Danny stopped and Tucker whistled as he continued to fill out his list. He added some of the general information the entire school had been discussing over the week and the list became extensive. It was full of little fragments of the pieces of the puzzle. There weren't even full pieces, but there were clues to what the pieces might be. "Well at least if your secret is revealed here you have time for some crowd control."
"Crowd control?" Sam raised an eyebrow at his phrasing.
"You know with the whole Freak Show incident Danny was revealed to the entire world at once. This time we have time to explain a few things to people." Tucker elaborated on crowd control.
Danny snorted, "So what I'm just supposed to say please don't tell anyone and expect them to listen? I don't see that happening."
Sam smiled, "It worked pretty well with the A-list and the geeks when you were revealed on stage."
"If worst comes to worst you could always point out that you've can point out that you've saved the world," Tucker paused trying to count out how many times Danny had saved the world, but he only got to six before he remembered Vlad would rule the world if ever he gave up on hunting Danny, and he gave up settling on, "too many times to count."
"I'm not going to bribe them Tucker." Danny frowned at his friend.
"Sam, did I say blackmail? I didn't hear me say blackmail." Sam smirked at Tucker's sarcasm. The tech geek didn't wait for a response he just said, "Listen Danny, I'm not saying you should hold anything over their heads, but remind them of who you are. As selfish as some of these people are, no one would intentionally hurt the guy who saved their life over and over again."
Danny sighed and said, "Okay. You're right." It made sense. Even if everyone here learned who and what he was there was a good possibility that they'd agree to keep his secret anyway, but if even one of them didn't the consequences would be so great. First the news would spread, probably just around the school, but then around the entire town. Then someone, probably the GIW would come to test the rumors see if they were true, and this time when the ghost trackers went off around him he wouldn't be able to brush it off as a glitch. They'd discover what he was, and he'd be hunted in his own town and home. He'd probably dodge the various ghost hunters for some time, but eventually he'd be forced either into the ghost zone, or clockwork forbid, as a lab rat somewhere where he'd live out the rest of his life being tortured until it killed him.
Sam burst through Danny's ever so happy thoughts with a kiss. It was gentle like their first had been, but longer and lowly Sam deepened the kiss until they both heard, "Danny! When did this happen!?" Danny's mom was staring at them with a shocked expression. The rest of the class was either snickering at Danny getting interrupted, or Tucker's grateful expression.
Jack said, "Congratulation Danno! I always knew you and Sam would end up together."
Maddie continued, "I'm so happy you two are finally together, but when were you going to tell us?"
Danny by now was blushing pink. "We just got together Wednesday mom, and it's not like I made a conscious decision not to tell you, I just forgot." Danny's mom raised and eyebrow in her skepticism, and Danny defended, "I really did forget. This weeks been really weird, and that's saying something." The last part was muttered, and even those who heard it ignored it.
Maddie still seemed skeptical that Danny just forgot to tell them, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "It must have been some week to make you forget to tell us?" It was a statement, but the way she said it made it sound like a question.
Danny dodged the question like always and just said, "Yeah, well when a week starts with the school being taken hostage, and ends with your entire class plus your parents getting trapped in the Ghost Zone things, like telling you me and Sam admitted our feelings, slip your mind."
Tucker butted in to save his friend from more questions, "Speaking of busy we have a long day tomorrow, so we should sleep."
Danny nodded and then addressed the whole group, "Tucker's right. Tomorrow we're walking longer and farther than today, so you need your rest." Danny then turned to his parents and said, "Night mom, night dad."
"Good night, son!" Jack said loudly as Maddie smiled lovingly to Danny. Danny ignored the class and smiled back before he joined Sam and Tucker on two of the sofas at the far back of the room. Paulina and Kwan fell back into their mindless chatter, and Jack and Maddie started talking about ghosts again, but everyone else was becoming painfully aware that Danny didn't talk to his parents. All of Casper High knew of Danny and Sam's relationship the day it happened, but his own parents were just learning of it now. There was something wrong with that, and even Dash couldn't ignore it.
Danny walked over to the sofas with Sam and Tucker and flopped on one of the sofas in the far corner. Tucker took one that was directly across from his, and Sam curled into Danny's chest. Right at that moment, with Sam in his arms and Tucker by his side Danny felt safe for the first time in a long time, and sleep found him easily. Sam and Tucker followed the team leader's example, and soon after everyone in the room began to sleep.
AN: Wow I'm so sorry it took me so long to post. I got lazy and then had some internet issues... but enough excuses. I've been doing really well this month that I've been away. I know I worried some of you, and it's nice to know you guys care that much. Just so you know I've been really good. I got a job, started learning spanish and esperanto, and have been writing. I haven't written a whole lot more for this fan fiction, but I've got another couple chapters after this already written. Mostly I've been working on a different fanfic I've got mostly finished. It's a trip into Danny's mind fanfic, so I'm taking my time making sure it's complete before I post it, but you can look forward to that if you like those fanfics. Anyway, I'm really sorry for the wait, but I'm back now, so I just want to finish up by saying thanks for sticking around. :) Remember to R&R and thanks for reading!