Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom copyrights, I own story copyrights!

Nyaa!

=^'w'^=

Chapter 21

"Ya know, you should really crush on a nicer girl, Tuck." Samantha Manson crossed her arms as she watched her friend stare longingly across the schoolyard. "You're starting to drool and it's gross, plus the whole 'not blinking while you stare' thing is kinda creepy."

"She's totally a nice girl!" Tucker Foley adjusted his red beret. "She's just got a tough exterior, that's all. It's called spunk!" He grinned.

Sam rolled her eyes. If 'spunk' meant a mean witch of a girl who actually picked her own fights rather than relying on Dash and Kwan like the other popular girls did, then yes, Valerie Gray had spunk. "She doesn't have spunk or a tough exterior! She's just mean…" The young Jewish girl snorted with a shake of her head. "I will never understand what you boys see in popular girls. They look like Barbie dolls – plastic and fake."

"And pretty!" Tucker interjected. "Don't forget pretty! That's the most important part."

"Of course it is." Sam frowned at Valerie, Paulina and Star as they giggled about boys that they liked but wouldn't date.

She was glad she wasn't like them.

"S-Stitches? I-I d-d-don't think Dad'll l-like this…"

"Well, this is a good lesson for you. I'll take a little of Vlad flipping his wig." She turned and looked at him. "Just a little farther."

Danny gulped, running forward and grabbing the witch's hand. She was in her human form for once, which meant that this was a very important lesson. Still, he was in a cave. Underground. He didn't like it, and he tried to stay as close to the bright, oddly-colored orange light of the fire she held in her hand.

"Do not press him too hard, Stitch Witch." Wulf whined in his throat with worry, watching Danny. "His mind is fragile. This is no hut's closet."

"Danny's mind is not fragile, it just has… chips. Cracks in his mental armor." Stitches smiled down at the boy, hugging him to her side. "You know what part is coming, right?"

"I know…" He was trembling, clutching at her purple tank top. "But… do we have to? Here?"

She hushed him softly, leaning down and kissing his forehead. "You're going to be okay, Danny. Wulf is here, and I am here. But there is something down here that I know you can find, and someone very important that I want you to meet. Then we will go back to the surface, and you can spend the rest of the day playing, and I will tell Vlad it is a way of accumulating energy, alright?"

His large, blue eyes stared up at her imploringly. "…You promise?"

"Of course I do, Danny." Stitches smiled, smoothing out his hair. "You are Wulf's best friend, and you are my dearest child, like a son. I love you most. Nothing bad will happen to you while I'm here."

"Okay." He squeezed his eyes shut, letting go of her as she knelt next to him. He felt her grab his hand, and there was a gentle woosh as the fire disappeared.

He opened his eyes to pure darkness.

"Relax, Danny. We're still here."

"I hope you know what you are doing."

"I know what I'm doing, Wulf. I've done this thousands of times before." Stitches turned her attention back to Danny. "Danny, if you want, you can sit down. I want you to close your eyes and focus on your breathing, like when we meditate."

Danny nodded shakily, knowing full well that both of the ghosts could still see him. He sat down and crossed his legs. Something to his right shifted, and a moment later he was arm-to-arm with a wall of fur. He relaxed at just knowing Wulf was so close by. He was worrying over nothing. They would never leave him down here.

Stitch Witch listened for awhile. "Now, Danny, as soon as you're comfortable, I want you to focus on your heartbeat. I know that may seem a little hard at first, but I know you can do this."

He closed his eyes and focused. It took a great amount of effort, but he was able to maintain calm breathing. Stitches had hidden with him in closets and dark rooms before – this was just like those other times. He was doing this because he felt scared somewhere that his two present friends felt safe, and he wanted to know why. They had worked him up over a few years.

His heart pulsed calmly in his chest. He could feel the blood in his veins, much like he could feel the ectoplasm when his ghost side wasn't subdued, especially if her was trying to use a power, like a blast or a ray. Yes, he was alive; there was nothing to fear. He could even feel Wulf and Stitch Witch's pulses against his arm and holding his hand.

But then he perceived something bigger, something in the cave around them. He wondered if he should be worried… he didn't feel worried, so long as his friends were here…

"I'm going to move on in this exercise, Danny." Stitches said softly. "I want you to merge your energy with the earth just below where you're sitting. You know the instant that you meet the earth's energy, that it doesn't want to hurt you. In fact, it wants to give you strength. This is the energy of Mother Gaia, or Mother Earth. She loves all of humanity because she knows the good that they're capable of, and right now, right here, her sole focus is you, Danny Masters. The human you. Can you feel her heartbeat?"

Danny felt a strange warmth wash over him. Sure enough, even in his human form, he felt his energy reaching down into the earth below, and in return the earth reached back. Rather than overpowering him, it felt like it was giving him a solid anchor, keeping his mind from spiraling away from him and making him think that something could go wrong.

"Nothing will go wrong." Could Stitches read his mind? "I am here. Wulf is here. Any God or Angels that you believe in are here. They are protecting you. They are keeping anything bad from happening to you. They are working with Mother Earth to lend you her strength, her calm."

Gods? Angels? Stitches was always reading stories about them, but she never brought them up in this sort of meditation. Dad never really mentioned anything, either, other than a casual brush-off here and there. Danny had to wonder… what did he believe? He felt safe, even in this great hole, because Stitch Witch and Wulf were there, as was the motherly pulse of the earth all around, even in the darkness.

Danny realized he had opened his eyes half-way. He felt strangely pleasant.

"You have a lot ahead of you, starting a few weeks from now, Danny." Stitches murmured softly, looking up at the cave ceiling. She could feel and hear the same maternal pulse that Danny was picking up on for the first time. "But you're going to face it head-on. You have your family. You have your Dad, Wulf, Ember, Skulker, and me, but there are also those outside of just us. When we cannot be with you, there are the energies of the world. There are Gods, Angels, whatever you choose to believe in and walk with. As long as you let only the good ones in, then the bad ones will not get you. You will overcome even the most difficult of choices, the mightiest obstacles."

He believed her. He didn't know why, but he felt like even if he had to go to his new school tomorrow, he wouldn't even feel shy. He could march into the classroom and make friends and even impress the teacher, no problem! His spirit felt relaxed, and yet it vibrated enthusiastically.

In the darkness of the cave, Danny giggled a little.

Wulf relaxed, gazing down at his young friend, and then at Stitch Witch. He didn't know of unseen forces, but then, perhaps he was naturally aware of things that humans weren't. Raising his nose to the air, he inhaled the scent of coolness, dampness, and dirt and rock. It may have been cold in the cave, but he felt the presence of nature there. They were in the womb of the earth, and though she would love to keep her cubs, she would let them go, for she knew they could not grow below the ground.

"Okay, Danny, when you're ready, give my hand a squeeze, and I'll turn the lights on. We can go, and you can play with Wulf. How does that sound?" Stitches asked.

All she got was a hum in response. Danny felt dreamy, like he was between awake and asleep. An odd sense of wanting to do something arose. He wanted to make his dad proud. He wanted to help people. Why was he so young and so small? …But, it was okay. All things in good time…

She chuckled and ruffled his hair, and he snapped out of it with a laugh of his own. He rubbed his face as the orange flame returned, casting its warm-colored light all around. Suddenly, the cavern room didn't seem so ominous, nor did it feel like it was closing in on him. There was still a tingle of fear in the back of his mind, but it wasn't as strong as it normally was.

"Come on, Danny. Your father is already going to skin my kitty hide for bringing you down here." Stitches helped him up and held onto his hand, leading him back the way they had come.

Danny felt a question arise. "Do you ever get really scared?" He looked at her. "Like, so scared, you think you're going to die?"

"Of course I do. I've felt that way plenty of times. I still feel that way about things, even though I'm very old." she replied, as though they were talking about the weather.

A grown-up who admitted she was afraid. "But… But you don't act like a coward." He frowned.

She chuckled, silvery-blue eyes contrasting brilliantly with the dim, orange light. "You're not a coward if you have fear. You're a coward if you obey fear. But if you acknowledge the fear, and you move on instead of letting your mind dwell on it? Then, my child… Then you have courage."

"Courage… courage means you're not afraid."

"Stupidity means you're not afraid. Courage means you're afraid to do something, but you do it anyway because you know that you have to." Stitches shrugged. "Like standing up to a bully, or the popular kids at school. If they're picking on someone, or telling you to do something that you know is wrong, you'll get a voice that tells you that they're wrong, but you're scared because you don't want to fight, and maybe you even want them to like you. Courage is the thing that makes you stand up for yourself, or stand up for others."

"And you had to stand up for yourself?" Danny looked at her, hoping for an answer that felt right. Affirmation.

She paused now. They were just within the mouth of the cave. Slowly, a pained look came across her face, and she let out a sigh the way an old woman might, despite her youthful appearance. An exhausted smile crept across her face as she looked down at him, then wrapped her arms around his small shoulders in a warm hug.

He felt guilty suddenly, and quickly hugged her back because of it. Had he said something wrong? Maybe she hadn't stood up for someone and they hated her for it?

Stitches pulled back, keeping her hands on his shoulders. "Danny, can you keep a secret?"

"Is it a bad secret?" Danny asked cautiously.

She shook her head. "No. In fact, I promise that if your dad asks you for this information specifically, you may tell him. But please, please don't tell him if he doesn't ask. I'm begging you."

"If I can tell Dad, then okay. I promise."

Stitches smiled again, brushing his hair from his face. "Danny, my secret is… my father was very different from your father. My father was mean, and crazy, and he wanted power more than anything else in the world. He wanted me to be a strong fighter, but he wanted it too badly. He got mad a lot. He hurt me and my mother. That's why I have these stitches. They hold me together."

Danny gave her a dumbstruck stare. "Your… Your own dad…?"

"Yeah. He was the first person to ever die and become a ghost." She sighed. "Then he met my mother."

"Wait, your dad was already a ghost when he met your mom?" His mind buzzed, pulse quickening from its previous lull. "But… if your dad was a ghost, and then he met your mom… and he was the first ghost ever…"

She watched his brilliant little mind solve the puzzle, eyes growing wider as the brain behind them quickly pounced on the answer. "Your… Your dad was Pariah Dark?"

"He was. He is." Stitches shook her head. "He was a terrible father and a terrible king. Pretty crummy husband, too, but he was actually nicest to my mother until she sacrificed her life to stop my bad training. That's when she became a ghost."

"You're a halfa?" The ten-year-old was ready to drop to the floor, his mind reeling at the insanity of the story he was being told. "You're a halfa, your dad was Pariah Dark, and you're like, a thousand years old!"

"Several thousand, actually, but that's besides the point." Stitches ruffled Danny's hair as he gave her a mad, exasperated expression. "That's an interesting look."

"Your dad's a big jerk! How could he do that to his own kid?" he growled, clenching his fists tightly. "I hope my dad wakes him up and completely wallops him!"

"You're sweet, Danny." She smiled at him. "But I got over my anger a long time ago. I stood up to my father, and I helped other, stronger ghosts lock him away, even though I didn't want to at the time. I kept thinking, 'If he finds out and catches us, I'll be in so much trouble'. My friends would all be in trouble as well. And most importantly of all, he was my dad, and I loved him even as he grew crazier and crazier and meaner and meaner."

"But why? Even after all of the mean stuff he did? Your neck stitches go all the way around!"

"I know, and yes, he did that towards the end of the battle. But there were 13 years of evidence before that, and it all told me that, even at his worst, he truly believed he was doing things that would help me. They just weren't the right things."

Danny grimaced in disgust. "So you forgave him?"

Stitches smiled coldly. "Of course not. He hurt me. He killed my mother for trying to protect me. The very thought of Pariah Dark makes me want to spew acid and bleed lava from my veins. I hate him in a way that no person should ever realize. I got past the anger of how he hurt me, Danny, but I will never, ever forgive what he did."

His eyes were round again, searching her for an answer. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Sometimes we have to stand up to people who we really love, and people who we're absolutely terrified of." She kissed the young halfa's forehead, lingering there as she recalled a faint memory from her own childhood. "Sometimes, those people are one in the same. But, we can't let that stop us from doing the right thing. We need to let our voices be heard, even if it's just once, and then we have to be prepared to fight for what we think is justified. You'll realize that we won't have to fight as often as we expect…"

Clockwork groaned, massaging his forehead as he floated before his portals showing the different time stream aspects. Four definite futures had presented themselves, and while two of them were good, two of them were also very bad, and he didn't wish them on the pure-hearted child.

Stitch Witch certainly gave the young boy more credit than most others would, refusing to treat him like some Ming vase out of fear that he would become that very item. If she treated him like he was soft and weak, then he would always be soft and weak. Still, she ran the risk of utterly destroying Danny Phantom before he ever really had a chance to be a hero or a villain.

He gazed at the elder, future Danny; a young man with a wife, and children. He looked happy with the woman in his arms. Next to that portal was a deranged ghost of Danny, his mind warped and gone as he destroyed everything in his past.

The Master of Time felt the faintest hint of sadness, for if Stitch Witch fumbled and Danny ever became a deranged, super-powered lunatic, then both she and Clockwork would have the boy's blood on their hands.

=^o.o^=

ZOMG! Okay, okay, let's all calm down now. Breath in through the nose, hold it, and out through the mouth… Settle down, relax, and pet the kitty too soothe the jitters. That's right, don't strangle the kitty for suddenly going deep; it's all for your entertainment in the end! Here, I made some tea for you. And lemon squares! Chocolate chip cookies for those of you who don't like lemon squares. There, there.

Nyaa.

So, Sam and Tucker had a little intro. Yes, Tucker has a crush on Valerie. After all, he tries so hard to be a stud, who else is going to be able to keep him grounded as he gets older? Sam can't babysit both boys 24/7, and she's gonna have her hands full with Danny as it is!

Nyaa!

And I also went a little spiritual on y'all. Sorry for those of you who don't like it. I respect all denominations, and that aside, Sam is Jewish, since she celebrates Hanukkah in the show. For anyone curious, that's a mostly Wiccan or Pagan ritual, but really, anyone who believes in a good higher power can use the meditation walkthrough. That's why Stitch Witch stayed pretty open-ended on the subject. Sorry again! Hope someone liked it!

Nyaa!