A/N Next chapter! This one has some padding, but it does have a point. As for what's in the video Danny was making… well, you'll find out later. *evil chuckle*
Danny didn't even keep track of how long he kept talking, but quickly wrapped up when the light showing how much time there was left began to blink red. He pressed the small green button that ended the recording with a sigh, ejecting the disk. He opened his closet, let the blanket fall, and flew up, then placed the disk in a small shoe box that held a few secret objects that he'd never shown anyone. No one would find it until he gave it to them. Checking his clock, the blinking red light informed the halfa it was 8:52. Jumping back on his bed, still ghost, Danny decided to morph back. Like before in the lab, it took more energy and time then he liked, but he was back to his human form quickly enough. He took a second to consider before picking up his phone and dialing Tucker's number. He knew the techno geek would still be awake. He picked up on the second ring.
"Hey dude. Where were you after school? Home?" Danny started playing with his shirt, noticing the black trim on the bottom.
"Yeah. My folks wanted to do a few tests to help with finding a cure. Say, Tuck? Do you think we could… you know… just hang out tomorrow?" There was dry silence for a moment before Tucker answered, somewhat hesitantly.
"I'd love to, but wouldn't you want to be working on the cure?" Danny waved it off.
"My parents are the scientists. I'll give them some samples. It'll only be for a few hours. So you will?"
"Sure, but-" Danny quickly interrupted.
"Dude, just trust me. I want to enjoy this time as much as I can, okay?" Danny knew Tucker would be nodding.
"Okay. Want me to tell Sam?"
"Sure. Meet at the Nasty Burger at… say, nine o' clock?"
"Sounds good. I'll see you there." Danny clicked the 'end call' button and let his head drop down unto his pillows. He hadn't really realized how tired he was until now. He sighed, curling his fingers into the mattress. Maybe he'd just rest… for a second…
"Danny? Danny! Wake up!" Danny squeezed his eyes shut as his sister's voice assaulted his ears. Couldn't he rest for five minutes? Was that a crime? When slender hands started shaking him, Danny realized that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep and reluctantly pried his eyes open.
"Whaaat?" He whined. When the teen rolled over, he saw his entire family staring at him. "Woah! Personal space, guys!" He realized that someone had pulled his covers over him, and gripped them tightly. "What's with the wake-up party?" Jazz was the one who answered.
"Danny, we've been trying to wake you up for ten minutes. You've been out like a light for almost eleven hours." At that, he shot straight up to a sitting position, hitting his skull on the headboard.
"What?" He started rubbing his head. "No way! I knew I was tired, but…" His mother jumped in.
"Your father and I figured it probably had to do with the chemical in your bloodstream altering your normal patterns. Since it disrupts your powers, it's only natural it should change your natural habits as well." She said very matter-of-factly. Seeing his mom, Danny suddenly remembered what had happened the night before and felt slammed with guilt for making her cry. He dropped his head, gripping the sheets even tighter.
"Mom… about last night… I'm sorr-" Maddie cut her son off by grabbing him in a tight hug.
"Don't be. I'm sorry too. Even if I don't agree with it, I shouldn't have… tried to force you like that. It's your choice… even if I do wish different, you have every right to choose either side of you." Danny hugged her back.
"And you had every right to say what you did. I guess I didn't consider your feelings when I decided, but I'm sorry. Can we forget it ever happened?" He could feel his mom nodding next to his shoulder.
"Of course, honey." Danny reminded of another similar scenario and grinned.
So you have wished it… and so it shall be. He added inside his head. He slowly pulled away from her. "What time is it?"
"It's…" His father paused for a moment before responding. "8:40." Danny quickly slid out of bed, about to rush over to his closet until he realized he was still in his clothes. He started flipping his head around quickly, looking for his shoes.
"I told Tucker I'd meet him by the Nasty Burger at nine! I'll be late!"
"Danny, you can fly there in two minutes, remember?" Jazz reminded him, suppressing a laugh. Danny blushed as he stopped rushing around.
"Oh yeah… right." Jazz quickly ushered their parents out and sat down on Danny's bed. She sighed.
"If mom and dad don't find the cure…" She looked up at her little brother, her teal eyes pleading. Danny walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll be here as often as I can. That's the whole reason I was going to stay ghost. So I can protect the town and stay as close to you guys as I can." Without warning, she grabbed him in a tight hug,
"Thanks, little brother."
"Anytime, sis." He fazed through her arms, smiling at her the whole time. "Even if I can fly, I don't want to be late." She nodded, also remembering a similar time that they had been like this, although much different from Danny's.
"Go." He ran down the stairs, noticing his dad eating Jack Fenton toast. He walked in, opened and opened a cabinet, then grabbed a cereal bar and took a bite.
"I'm going to hang out with Sam and Tucker. I'll be back in a few hours." He said around the food in his mouth before swallowing. "Do you guys need a blood sample?" His dad was about to respond, but Maddie shook her head.
"No, it's fine sweetie." Realizing she just didn't want him to be uncomfortable, Danny sighed.
"Mom, it's fine. The more I can do to help, the better."
"Well, if you insist, it would help." His mother sighed. Danny ran down the stairs to the lab and quickly spotted a needle. He cleaned it off and, sucking in a deep breath, lightly slid it into his arm. He filled it almost all the way before gently pulling it out. He was a little worried out by how much green was in there- the combination of dark red and touches of glowing green looked like some sort of demented Christmas decoration. Shaking it off, Danny walked back upstairs, nibbling on the bar. He set the syringe on the table in front of his dad, who immediately grabbed it.
"Here you go." He noticed his shoes next to the couch and pulled them on before the teen walked out the front door. Checking his watch, the halfa looked both ways before quietly muttering "Going ghost." to himself as he morphed. He quickly took to the air, keeping a sharp eye out for Valerie or any unfriendly specters. Luckily, he made it to the fast food joint without incident.
After reverting back to human, Danny rechecked his watch, seeing that the time was five to nine. He headed out to the front of the restaurant, and grinned to see that Tucker was already heading up, with Sam right behind him. Tucker was messing with the stylus for his PDA and talking to Sam, and Sam was scanning the front of the restaurant, obviously not listening. Her eyes widened as she spotted Danny and she grabbed Tucker by his shirt, dragging him over to their friend.
"Hey, Danny!" She called. He waved at her.
"Hey, Sam, Tucker!" As they got nearer, Tucker tucked his PDA in his backpack. The action was almost touching for Danny, as Tucker rarely did it out of school unless they were fighting ghosts. Tucker suddenly pointed at Danny's chest.
"Nice shirt, dude." Looking down, Danny realized that his shirt was black, but with red rings on the sleeves and a red oval in the middle. It actually looked pretty cool.
"So, Danny. You wanted to see us?" Sam said, her voice curious. He nodded.
"Yeah. I just wanted to have some time to hang out before… you know…" He rubbed his neck nervously. Both of his best friends instantly caught his drift and nodded.
"So, what should we do? Video games? The mini-golf course? The movies?" Tucker asked. Danny shrugged.
"I really don't care. Mini golf sounds good." Sam nodded in agreement.
"Okay, let's go. If we hurry there we can be finished in time to make it to the mall for lunch."
"Sounds good to me!" Tucker said, grinning when Sam had mentioned 'lunch'.
"Shall we take the 'Phantom Express'?" Danny asked them, smiling at how easily they'd decided. Sam waved her hand in the air loosely.
"No, I'd rather walk." Danny looked to his male friend.
"You, Tuck?" The African American teen thought for a moment.
"Nah, I can walk too." Sam started walking towards the course, and the boys followed her.
"I bet I can beat both of you!" Tucker boasted. "I beat Sam before."
"No you didn't!"
"That was because Danny was messing with the ball!" Danny laughed, lightly elbowing his friend.
"You should've seen your face then, Tuck!"
They joked the whole way there, making the mile walk seem like nothing. Sam had to pay for all of them because Danny and Tucker forgot money, and they quickly got a game going.
Seventeen holes later, it was a tie between Sam and Danny, with Tucker two points behind. Tucker had already gone, and was quietly moping over his defeat while Danny set up his yellow ball.
"I've totally got this." Danny promised himself out loud as he swung the putter. The ball flew from the fake grass, just above the windmill, then hit the cup and bounced about an inch away from the hole. "Beat that, Sam!" She stretched her arms up and grinned, her teeth glinting in the sunlight. The goth set down her grass stained purple ball and took aim.
"Gladly." She hit the ball, and it slid through the windmill, hitting Danny's out of the way and rolling into the cup. She spun up the putter in her hand and blew the grass off the base. Danny was staring at it with his mouth hanging open.
"How did you…" He shook off his shock. "Aw, come on!" He ran over to the hole and tapped his ball in, sighing in mock sadness but grinning. "Great game!" Sam smiled back.
"Yeah. Should we go have lunch now?" Tucker jumped in.
"Now you're singing my song! Let's go!" He grabbed Danny and started pulling him away. Danny laughed and grabbed Sam's hand, who lightly blushed and started running with them.
One greasy lunch (In Tucker and Danny's case, Sam had a veggie burger) at the Nasty Burger later, Danny couldn't have been happier. He didn't have days like this with his friends very often anymore, and he treasured them.
"That was fun." He said out loud. Tucker and Sam both nodded. They'd enjoyed it too- fun time with Danny with no ghostly strings attached was scarce nowadays.
"We should do it more often." Tucker commented, until he remembered what was going to happen. He shrank a little in his seat, but Danny didn't really hear him.
"I want you guys to know… thanks. For everything. For always sticking by my side, no matter what." Sam leaned forward and grabbed his hands.
"We're your friends Danny, whether-" Danny grinned and finished her sentence with her, their voices mixing.
"-kicking back or kicking butt." He nodded happily. She let go of his hands and continued.
"We'll always be there for you. Whether you're Danny Fenton or Danny Phantom." Tucker nodded his approval.
"Always, dude." Danny flashed a big smile at both of them, and Sam started laughing.
"What?" She pointed at his mouth, holding a hand over her own to surpress her laughter.
"You have a big piece of tomato in your teeth."
A/N: Phew. Finished. Okay, I wanted to finish this before tomorrow, because I'm going to a cousin's wedding for a week halfway across the country. So, if you review after tonight, I probably won't respond for a while. So, what did you think? The exciting stuff restarts next chapter, but I admit it's kind of fun to play with the trio just relaxing and having fun. Please rate and review, I love hearing your opinions and the little bits of advice are always cool. See you!
~Shadowdib.