Disclaimer:

I'm not sure that I really need to bother anymore, but… I do not own Danny Phantom, etc, etc, etc.

Author's Note:

Wow, chapter 10! I've never written so much without getting the dreaded writer's block. Thanks to all of the reviewers and everyone who took the time to review the story. I hope you like Chapter 10!

Chapter 10: Returned

"Hi Sam, why'd you go off so unexpectedly earlier?" Danny immediately asked. It was something he'd been wondering about in the back of his mind.

"Oh, what? That? No… it was… nothing Danny." she replied. Danny wasn't convinced, he could hear her panting slightly.

"It doesn't sound like nothing to me." Danny said stubbornly. "You're panting and you went on a sudden and unexplained absence, was it a ghost? Come on, spit it out."

"No, I told you it was NOTHING!" said Sam, who now sounded annoyed. "Now where were we before I had to go?"

"I was asking you what else you did in Australia, I think." Danny replied, struggling to remember where their last conversation had stopped.

"Nothing much actually." said Sam. "I thought this would be a little more exciting but most of the time we just stay inside the damn hotel because my parents are to scared that something will happen. Honestly it's a wonder that we even took the plane, they'd be too worried about crashing." Sam finished with a bitter laugh.

"Wow, so incredibly exciting for a trip halfway across the planet." Danny said sarcastically. "Any idea when you're coming home to Amity?"

"Let me check." said Sam, putting down the phone to go and find out "I think it's… Wow, it's tomorrow, I better get my stuff packed, I wonder why my parents went out to some café when we're meant to be going home tomorrow. Never mind, I'll come over not tomorrow, we'll still probably be on the plane, but the next day."

"Great! Any idea about Tucker?" said Danny with pleasure and remembering that he hadn't been able to speak with Tucker since he left for his holiday in Italy.

"No, I haven't heard from him." Sam said sadly. "ALL one hundred or so of his mobile phones are off, I took the time to check all of them. I wonder if he's alright…"

"Well… It does make you wonder." Said a puzzled Danny; Tucker never had even just one of his cell phones turned off. "But I'm sure he's fine. I've got more news, but I'll wait until you get home, okay?"

"Oh, no, tell me now!" said an impatient Sam. "Please…?"

Suddenly the huge figure of Jack Fenton re-entered the room.

"Nodad'sheresorrySamgottagobye!" Danny said, speaking as fast as humanly possible and hanging up.

"Now that you're finished talking to your friend, how did you get back Danny?"

Danny looked blankly at his father, unsure of what he should say.

"I… er… um… no I… he… umm…. Hmm... The, err... ghost kid teleported me back first because I... umm… was in… more… danger?" he said, daring to believe his dad might accept the horrible attempt at a cover up.

"Wait a minute… What happened to Vladdy?

"Well that's good enough for me!" said Jack happily in his oblivion. "I'm going to have to stop hunting that Phantom Kid!" At that Jack ran out of the room to start doing something else.

Danny breathed a big sigh of relief. "I'm so lucky to have such an oblivious dad…" he said under his breath. Suddenly he realized he had the "Dalv" Thermos in his hand. This was such an obvious rip-off that the only thing changed around appeared to be a Dalv sticker. Danny wondered whether or not Vlad had changed anything and made a mental note to himself to try it out the next time a ghost appeared. If it was Vlad himself, it only gave Danny all the more pleasure to try out his own invention on him.

Having nothing of importance to do, Danny gazed out of the window when suddenly Tucker came up and knocked on it, smiling and holding up a small parcel and shaking it. Danny ran to the door, dropping the weird Thermos in excitement to let his friend in, so pleased that one of them was back.

"Tucker! You're back!"

"You bet!" Tucker said with happiness to see his friend again. "And I got you a little something I found in Italy!"

"Cool, can I take a look?" said Danny with interest.

"Of course not!" Tucker said sarcastically with a smirk. "Here you go dude!"

Tucker passed the package into Danny's hands. He was just about to start opening it when Tucker stopped him.

"This has stuff to do about ghosts, so… not here, okay Danny? What about your room?"

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Danny replied, leading Tucker up the stairs and into his own room. "Can't have mum and dad finding out about it, otherwise I'll never see it again!"

"You're not wrong there, now go on, open it!" said Tucker, sitting down on the floor in unition with Danny.

Eagerly, Danny didn't bother to tear apart the brown parcel and merely reached through it, pulling out a small, purple and glowing pointed stone.

"Weird… What does it do…?" Danny asked Tucker, puzzled at the object.

"Well I don't really know." Tucker replied, frowning. "I found it after I met a ghost in Pompeii, you know, that place that was completely buried and frozen in time after Mt. Vesuvius literally blew it's top off. It seemed friendly enough, it looked like one of the people encased in rock. I talked to it for a little while, then it gave me this glowing stone as a present for not screaming and running. Then it said 'See if you can figure it out, you will be rewarded if you can.' and disappeared."

"Wow, cool. Now I really want to know what's inside." said Danny, his natural inquisitive and curious nature overcoming him.

Author's Note:

Well, my computer didn't overheat like I thought it would, but with Summer almost here, it's going to get harder and harder. However, nonetheless, I will try. Thanks for reading and please review everyone! D