First Meeting

A Danny Phantom Fanfic by Cori

At two and half, Jazz didn't really understand what was happening to her little family. She was trundled off to Gramma Fenton's for a few days and left there, teddy bear hanging from one hand and her special blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "Daddy?"

The older woman had swooped her up, held her close, and rambled on and on about some sort of brother that would soon be coming to stay with her. Jazz wasn't entirely sure what a 'brother' was or what sort of work that would entail – would it be like a new teddy bear?

Three days of Gramma's hugs and kisses and treats and sleeping on a strange bed were more than enough for young Jazz. So when her father appeared back in the doorway, she flung herself at him. "Pick me up! Pick me up! Daddy!" She snuggled close to him as he chuckled and rubbed her back.

It was only a few minutes before her father had collected her things and wrapped her up in her coat and loaded her into her car seat. Jazz noticed her seat had moved from the center of the car to one side, and another car seat had been added. She was confused by that – she certainly didn't need two car seats. "Why?" she asked, pointing to the car seat.

And again, that word came up. Brother. Only this time, there was another word attached: Danny.

What was a Danny? The question kept Jazz's mind occupied for several blocks before she noticed that Gramma Fenton had snuck several cookies into the pocket of her jacket. She munched happily on them until the gentle purr of the car lulled her to sleep.

Warm hands unbuckled her from her seat and lifted her into strong arms. She surfaced from her dream just enough to push her nose into the crook of her father's neck. Then there was quiet talking. The sound of her mother's voice made her sit up blearily. "Mommy?"

"Sweetie," came the soft reply.

Jazz reached for the voice, the world still blurry from sleep, and hands appeared to pull her close. This body was softer and smaller and smelled of apples. "Miss you," she said.

"I missed you too," her mother said gently. The arms held her close and fingers trailed through her hair. "Do you want to meet your new brother?"

Brother. Jazz sat up in her mother's arms. She was curious to find out what this creature was – and now it seemed as though she would get the chance. "Yes!" she cheered.

Her mother shushed her. "Quietly, now. He's just gone to sleep and we don't want to wake him."

Wake him?

Jazz found herself being carried towards one of the empty rooms of the house, her father two steps behind them. She watched curiously as her mother pushed open the door and walked in.

The room wasn't empty anymore. The walls had been painted blue. A new dresser was in the corner, and some of her old baby toys were on the floor. And there was her crib – she didn't use it anymore, now that she had a big girl bed – why was it here?

The question was soon answered as her mother walked over to the crib and they looked inside. There, with a thin blanket covering him, was a fat, soft-looking doll. "Dolly?"

At the sound of her voice, the doll moved. The fingers clenched into fists and little blue eyes opened. Jazz stared at the doll in wonder as the arms moved. What sort of doll was this?

"Oh, Jazzy, you woke your brother up," her mother said softly. "Here."

Jazz was set on the ground. She bounced on her toes as her mother lifted the strange, soft doll from the crib and held him gently in her arms. When her mother settled onto the floor, holding the doll so that Jazz could see him, Jazz quickly hurried over.

"Careful," her father cautioned, crouching down behind her. "He's very young."

With all due care, Jazz reached out a finger and touched the doll's arm. It was warm and soft and felt like her own arm. Blue eyes peered up at her, clear and beautiful, and strands of silky black hair curled on his head. This wasn't like any sort of doll Jazz had ever seen before. "Brother?" she asked, trying out the new word.

Her mother smiled. "Yes, Jazz. This is your brother, Danny."

Jazz sat down too, reaching out a curious hand to touch the brother's face. She was nearly there when a flailing, fist-like hand reached out and snagged her finger. Little, warm fingers curled tightly around hers. She froze, startled. As if he was pleased with this new development, the brother smiled and started to make noises. They weren't words – just noises.

She found herself smiling too. "Hi, Brother," she said.

The brother giggled at her words and shook his fist, making her hand move. Somewhere behind her, a camera flashed.

"You're going to help me take good care of your brother," her mother said, "right? He's so very small that he'll need a big sister like you to help look after him."

Eyes wide, grin on her face, Jazz nodded solemnly. "Promise," she said.