Chapter 29

"Checkmate. Ha!" Aunt Alicia grinned widely after she placed her queen to check his king.

Danny looked up from his homework then groaned when he saw she was right. "That's the fifth time you've beaten me!"

"Not too shabby, eh?" His aunt grinned as she reset the board.

After the funeral, Danny tried to spend some of his time with his aunt before she had to leave. With school, homework, tutoring Elle, and his late night adventures hunting for his sister's killer, he had a small window in which he could talk with his aunt. She said she didn't mind, understanding Danny couldn't simply put his life on hold just for her. But when Danny continued to look guilty, Aunt Alicia suggested they play chess while Danny did his homework. Danny wondered if she knew he and his father would play chess a lot. He still hadn't beaten his father once in all their years of playing.

In the background, Danny had the news playing. He glanced at the television, and his mouth curved downward as Lance Thunder talked about the vigilante "Specter" terrorizing the town. The name still bugged him, but Danny wasn't sure how he could get the reporter to call him by the name his friends and he decided on: Phantom. But what had him more annoyed was the lack of clues he had found so far. Since his first outing as Phantom, Danny had stopped another burglary and prevented some jerk from stealing an old lady's purse. Now it was Tuesday afternoon, and Danny hadn't seen any evidence of the people robbing medical facilities for their drugs.

"We have got to do something about this," Lance Thunder yelled at the screen. "We can't allow these costumed crazies to run free in our city. What do say you, Officer Walker?" The reporter turned to the man next to him, holding his microphone out for the officer.

Walker was a tall man, but despite his board shoulders, his face looked gaunt and worn, skeletal almost. He glared at the camera with a severe expression. "These vigilantes might think they're doing good, but they are hindering police investigations. They have taken the law into their own hands, and for that, they are no better than the criminals they tie up or kill. But the people of Amity Park have nothing to fear. We, the police, shall apprehend these vigilantes soon enough."

The television clicked off then as Aunt Alicia huffed. "He only chose to speak with that bonehead because Walker would share his same view on these so-called vigilantes."

"You don't share their opinion?" Danny blinked as he glanced toward his aunt.

"Who am I to say?" With a shrug, she moved a pawn two spaced forward on the chessboard. "These people must have their reasons for doing what they're doing."

"Ah, Danny," his father peeked in from the kitchen, "can I have a word with you?"

An icy cold lump of dread settled in the pit of Danny's stomach. Could his father know? No, that was silly. But his father's appearance felt too well timed while Danny and Aunt Alicia talked about the masked vigilantes. Danny climbed to his feet and followed his father into the kitchen. "Um. You wanted to talk to me?" Danny tried to smile, but it was forced and he winced partly.

"Your mother and I talked." His father stood with his arms folded over his wide chest. "And do you feel like going to the pound today to pick out a dog?"

Danny's brain ground to a halt, the words slowly digesting before fully registering. "Wait. Are you being serious?" He almost didn't dare to smile. "You're going to let me get a dog?"

"Well, we decided you're a mature young adult now. We think you're capable of taking care of a dog. However," his father stared sternly as he pointed a finger at his son, "if you ever neglect your responsibilities, we won't hesitate to return the dog to the pound."

"No! No, no! I'll take care of everything." Danny bobbed his head, grinning madly. "And I know just the dog I want."

"Then," his father pulled out his wallet, "I guess I can trust you to take care of everything without your dad holding your hand the whole time." He held out a credit card for Danny to take.

"Thank you!" Danny jumped forward to hug his father. "I promise I'm going to take care of everything and you're going to love the dog." He hoped his parents would like Cujo, at least. He wouldn't know for sure until they actually met the puppy. After he took the credit card, he gave his father another hug. "I'll be back before you know it!"

Danny darted back into the front room where his aunt had taken to flipping through the television stations for something decent to watch. He grabbed his coat to throw on over his hooded sweatshirt as the weather began to grow colder each day. His excitement was hard to contain, but when he glanced at his aunt, he felt a bit guilty for interrupting the short time they had together.

"I'll be back by dinner," Danny assured her as he tucked his father's credit card into his wallet then stuffed the wallet back into his jeans pocket. "Then we can have our rematch. I'm going to beat you this time."

"Ha!" Aunt Alicia's mouth curled at one corner. "You'll need a few more decades of practice to beat me."

"Just you wait. When you least suspect it, I will rise up and win!" Danny let out an evil laugh, which was ruined when he coughed in the middle of it. The evil laugh irritated his throat. How did villains do it? "See you when I get back!" He waved then jogged into the front hall.

After he stepped outside, Danny still had trouble believing his parents were actually allowing him to get a dog like he had always wanted. The smile remained plastered on his face as he walked down the street and he knew he probably looked ridiculous, but he didn't care. His parents were letting him adopt Cujo! He was way too happy about that to let looking stupid get him down.

As he grew closer to the spot where he ran into Cujo the night he confronted Spike, Danny realized he had no idea how to contact the hooded man. How was he going to find them so he could tell the man the good news about being able to adopt Cujo? Danny raked a hand through his hair and sighed. He really hadn't thought any of this through at all. Strolling around the area, he glanced around for any sign of the puppy. Then he heard a familiar bark, and a smile broke across his face. Cujo bounded past him, skidded, then spun back around toward him. Danny laughed as the puppy barked and balanced on his back legs as he jumped up on Danny.

"Hey, Cujo." Danny crouched down and scratched behind the puppy's ears.

"You shouldn't hang out so close to a dangerous neighborhood."

Danny twisted his head around and stared up at the man, catching a smirk under the shadows of his crimson hood. "I didn't know where else I could find you."

"Oh?" The man's mouth twitched in another smirk. "You were looking for me?"

"Well, I was looking more for Cujo." Danny couldn't help a teasing smirk when the man frowned, bordering on a pout. "Okay. Maybe a little to see you too. But the good news is, my dad said I could adopt Cujo."

"That's great!" The man smiled, a big, wide, happy smile. "You hear that, little guy? You get to go home to a great family?" Cujo barked in response.

Danny noticed a leash attached to the collar Cujo wore. He guessed the man must have gotten them to take Cujo on walks, and when he saw Danny, the man released the leash so Cujo could run over to greet Danny. Picking up the leash, Danny stood. "Say, um-" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward. "You don't have to, but you've been keeping an eye on Cujo all this time, so if you want, you could come with me." He looked away, tugging at one ear as his cheeks warmed against the cool afternoon air. "But you can say no. It'll probably be boring."

"It can't be that boring if you're going to be there."

Danny ignored the twist in his gut when the man smirked again. "Um, okay then." He expected the man to say no outright. "Then I guess just follow me." He kept a tight hold of the leash as he walked down the street. Glancing to his side as the man fell into step beside him, Danny pulled out his phone to look up a good veterinarian near his house and the directions to get there. "You're always wearing your hood up," he noted then felt like kicking himself for even speaking.

"Ah." The man reached up and touched the top of his hood like he was going to tug it down farther. "I don't like the sun too much. Sensitive eyes."

Danny tilted his head forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man's face. But the shadows made it impossible to see anything, to his disappointment. They walked for several blocks in awkward silence, Danny uncertain of what else to say. He bit the inside of his cheek, wondering if the man didn't like him asking about the hood.

"So your parents finally let you adopt," the man said, breaking the silence.

"Yup." Danny bobbed his head. According to the directions on his phone, they were a few minutes away from the veterinarian. "My dad kind of surprised me with it. He said they decided I was mature enough to take care of a dog."

"That's great for you." The man reached over and ruffled Danny's raven locks.

Danny ducked his head with a small smile. "Um, so-" He shrugged awkwardly. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble. Watching Cujo."

The man shook his head. "It was fun. Me and him. We bonded. It was good."

Danny laughed. "Dogs are good for bonding. Oh, look. We're here." He reached to open the door, but the man beat him to it, pulling the door open with a small bow. "How gentlemanly." He entered the veterinarian, and the man followed behind him. He guessed it was a slow time for them because the place was quiet as he stepped up to the desk where a woman sat.

"Hello," she greeted pleasantly with a smile on her face. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No," Danny answered, "we found a stray dog that I want to adopt. And I thought it would be a good idea to get him looked at before going home. Is there a vet available? Or do I need to make an appointment for later?"

She typed at the computer for a moment, brushing back her orange-red hair behind an ear. "It looks like Doctor Sanders is available right now. If you'll wait just a moment." She stood then disappeared through a door, leaving Danny and his mysterious friend to wait at the front desk while Cujo sniffed around at the cream colored carpet. Luckily, the woman didn't leave them hanging around for long. "Right this way," she said when she reappeared.

Danny followed after her, leading the way as Cujo barked happily. The puppy nearly tripped him when he danced around under Danny's feet, but the hooded man caught him by the arm and helped to steady him. The woman showed them to one of the exam rooms, saying the veterinarian would be in to see them soon.

"Sorry this isn't the most exciting thing ever," Danny said with a wince as he took a seat in the plastic chair in one corner of the room.

The man leaned against the wall, standing next to where Danny sat. "I've had worse dates," he admitted with a shrug.

"Date?" Danny's voice cracked, and his eyes widened as his head jerked up to stare at the man.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Sanders," greeted a woman as she entered the room. She wore a cheery smile upon her dark brown face, her brown eyes twinkling behind her glasses. "And who is this adorable fellow?" She crouched down to give the puppy a pat on the head.

Danny sat numb, until the man gave him a small nudge on the shoulder. "Cujo!" he answered, a bit louder than necessarily. He winced. "Cujo," he said at a more normal speech volume. "I'm adopting him. He was a stray. Or at least, I assume he is since he didn't have a collar when I found him. So I just wanted to bring him in to get checked out and make sure he's healthy and stuff."

Doctor Sanders nodded as she picked up Cujo and lifted him onto the examining table in the middle of the room. "You should definitely start him on something to protect him from fleas." She ran her hands through his fur, occasionally stopping to part sections of the fur and leaning in close to examine the puppy. "I don't see any signs that he has fleas, and he doesn't seem to be scratching at all, so that's good."

Danny watched the woman as she examined Cujo to make sure the puppy was healthy, but his attention kept straying to the man next to him. He glanced out the corner of his eye, trying to subtly observe the man. Did he actually consider this a date? Or was the man just teasing him? Danny wasn't sure what answer he wanted. Technically, they were still strangers, as he didn't even know the man's name. Besides the man was way older than he, which wasn't necessarily a big deal except Danny was still only seventeen. But Danny felt a little depressed thinking the man would tease him like that.

"Well, Cujo, it looks like you're in good health." Doctor Sanders turned to them.

Danny got up from his chair then ruffled the top of Cujo's head. "Isn't that good news? All healthy!" He grinned widely, happy to know Cujo wasn't sick or had anything else wrong with him.

"Lily will print you out copies of the paperwork for your own keeping," Doctor Sanders explained, making some notes in her own file. "And of course, paying for the visit."

Danny nodded, wincing internally. He hoped his father wouldn't be too angry with the bill for the visit to the veterinarian. But it was better to have the puppy checked out right away instead of waiting and discovering something was wrong down the road. "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice."

Doctor Sanders shook her head. "It's quite all right. We get walk ins often enough." She closed up the folder with the file and tucked it under her arm. "I hope I won't have reason to see this cutie," she scratched under Cujo's chin, "again other than regular checkups. You can make arrangements with Lily for that." She smiled and nodded to them. "Have a good day."

"Thanks," Danny said as Doctor Sanders left them in the examining room. Then he turned to the man, still leaning against the wall. "Uh, well, I guess we better go pay for this little visit. Uh, though you're free to go if you don't want to hang around for that boring stuff."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily." The man pushed away from the wall and stepped over to where Danny stood at the examining table. "Besides, who knows when I'll get to see this little guy again?" He lifted Cujo from the table, holding the puppy up in the air over him but somehow keeping his face hidden.

"You think I'm never going to let you see him again?" Danny raised an eyebrow at him, letting out a short laugh of amusement. He led the way out of the exam room and back to the lobby of the veterinarian.

"Well, our meetings seem to be of the chance variety," the man said, setting Cujo down once they reached the lobby so the puppy could continue his sniffing and exploring while Danny dealt with the paperwork.

"I'll be walking him," Danny said, handing over his father's credit card to pay the bill. "I could always bring him around-"

"Not to my neighborhood." The man shook his head when Danny glanced at him.

"How about the park then?" Danny suggested. He turned to smile at Lily as she place a paper before him to sign. "I can take him there on weekends, and you can pop by whenever you're free to visit him." He handed the paper back to Lily.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a little odd?"

Danny stuffed the credit card back into his wallet then shoved it into his pocket. "Um, I don't know what to say to that." He forced a smile to Lily. "Thanks." He gathered up his copy of the paperwork then turned around to the man and Cujo.

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing," the man assured him as he stood up. "You're a little odd, but I like that about you." He grinned under his hood as he handed over the leash. "Most people probably wouldn't want to keep hanging out with me." His grin remained, but there was something sad about it.

"I haven't seen any reason not to want to meet you again," Danny admitted, trying to play the comment off as cool with a shrug. "And anyway, you took care of Cujo for me. If Cujo likes you, you can't be all bad."

The man laughed. "They say animals are a good judge of people, don't they?" His hand dropped onto Danny's head and ruffled his raven locks. "So," the man pulled back his hand, which then disappeared into his hood as he rubbed the back of his neck, "you probably have other things to do and stuff, but I still have some of that puppy chow left over. If you want it. I won't be needing it anymore."

Danny blinked. Was the man trying to make excuses for them to spend just a little more time together? "Yeah!" he answered before thinking too much about his response. "That would be great."

The man's smile almost seemed relieved. "Great. Um, follow me then." He opened the door and held it for Danny as Cujo happily tried to race ahead. The puppy probably would have run off without a care in the world if Danny hadn't kept a tight hold on the leash. They walked down the street, the man directing where they went. "Uh, I'll warn you up front. My apartment doesn't look the greatest.

Danny shrugged. "That's okay."

He didn't expect a five star hotel or anything. From the way the man dressed in plain hooded sweatshirts and jeans. Danny glanced the man over critically and noticed the somewhat raggedness of the jeans. They frayed along the seams, and he had a tear around the knee. No, he had no doubts that the man couldn't afford a room at a five star hotel.

"So," Danny grinned, "do you do this often? Take care of strays for random strangers who confess they plan to adopt them?"

The man shook his head. "Never. But," he tilted his head downward, his gaze falling to the puppy, "I guess I felt a kinship with the little guy. I couldn't just let him wander the streets alone."

"Thanks." After a moment, Danny snapped his head around to the man. "I should pay you back. You know, for taking caring of Cujo, and the dog food, and you got him the leash and collar. How much was all of that? I'll pay for it."

"No, no!" The man shook his head. "You are not paying me for any of that."

Danny huffed. "Now you sound like Kwan." The jock wouldn't let him give him anything in thanks for being the nice guy he was and stepping in to avert some of the other jocks' attacks.

"Kwan? Should I be jealous?"

Danny laughed. "No, he's just a guy at school that's helped me out a time or two." More like dozens upon dozens of times. "You just reminded me of him a bit just now."

"Ah." The man nodded. "Well, here we are." He turned to Danny, stretching out one arm in gesture to the building behind him. "My humble abode."

"Nice." Danny smiled, but he had to force it when he stared at the building. It looked about as bad as the apartment building where he confronted Spike. He shouldn't be surprised when both buildings were in the same neighborhood.

The man entered, holding the door for him, and Danny followed, cringing when the lobby's floorboard creaked under their feet. The wallpaper peeled away in some sections, revealing a gross browning yellow color underneath it. They walked up the stairs, as the building lacked an elevator, to the second floor where the man's apartment was. Inside the apartment wasn't much better than what Danny had already seen. The man only had a ratty looking recliner with the stuffing spilling out from a tear on the seat and an old television sitting on a rickety table.

"Charming," Danny mumbled at the lack of furnishing.

"It isn't much, but it's home." The man shrugged as he walked over to a small kitchen area of the apartment. He crouched down, picking up the bowls he had bought for Cujo's food and water. After dumping what was left in the water bowl into the sink, he carried the bowls and a bag of dog food over to Danny. "Oh, I have something else."

"Oh, you don't really-" Danny sighed when the man disappeared through a door, which he guessed led to the bedroom. He crouched, setting the bowls and food and the floor. Then he scratched at Cujo's belly when the puppy rolled onto his back. "Well, you at least seemed to have enjoyed your stay here." He smile as Cujo's tongue lulled out the side of his mouth.

"Here we - Not again."

Danny twisted around to find the man flipping the switch up and down with a frown. "What's wrong?"

"The power went out again." He turned to Danny. "Now I know this place is pretty much a dump, but the landlord is pretty good about keeping up with the electrical bills. Now the power seems to go out like crazy." He gave up on the light switch with a sigh. "Anyway, I thought you should have this. Cujo seems to like it. He wouldn't sleep without it." The man held out a small stuffed toy, vaguely human shaped dressed in black and white, which looked hand knitted. When the puppy saw it, Cujo immediately flipped back onto his feet and grabbed onto the toy, digging his teeth into it.

Danny chuckled. "Okay. I guess I have to take it if Cujo likes it so much." He gathered up the bowls and bag of dog food then stood. "Um, are you sure I can't pay you back for this?"

"I already told you, you don't need to. So stop asking."

"Okay. Okay." Danny sighed dramatically. "But really. Thanks. I really appreciate that you took care of Cujo for me."

The man shrugged, looking away like the thanks embarrassed him. "I liked looking after the little guy. So you don't have to keep thanking me."

With a laugh, Danny shook his head. "Well, I'm going to thank you whether you like it or not." Then he sighed. "Okay. I should probably get going. My parents will be expecting me to be home soon."

"Ah, yes." The man smirked a little. "Can't let you get in trouble when your parents finally let you adopt this little guy."

"Yeah," Danny agreed with a nod. "Well, um, I guess I'll see on a weekend if you decide to stop by the park."

"Catch you around later, kid." He walked Danny to the door and yanked it open, almost ripping it off its rusty hinges.

"Bye." Danny waved with the hand holding the leash before he turned to walk down the hall. He was half a block away from the apartment building when a thought occurred to him. "Ah!" He nearly smacked himself in the forehead after the missed opportunity. Why did he seem to always forget to ask the man what his name was? After he released a sigh, he glanced down at Cujo. "Well, are you ready to see your new home?" Cujo barked in response, and Danny smiled. Maybe next time he would remember to get the man's name.


Poohbearmorris: Poor Danny! He needs to find some clues! D: Aw, thanks! =D I haven't had him do too many slip ups yet though. *strokes chin* He probably should though.

BringbackDannyPhantom: The wait definitely has me shaking the computer like "see each other in costume already!" XD Thanks! =D I'm glad you think so! Poor Danny. He has trouble with the media getting his name right in every universe! XD

Ie-maru: XD Right? Danny, sweetie, calling yourself Danny Phantom is a dead giveaway. He's pretty lucky that Amity Park apparently doesn't have the brightest people. XD;;

Tetractys: Tucker and Sam will probably smack him if he lets the obsession get too bad. XD;; It's good that his friends are there to anchor him.

YumiStar: Team Phantom is officially a go! 8D Aw! I'm sorry to hear that. D: I lost my mother, and not too long afterward my grandmother, a few years ago. And it still hits hard some days that they're gone. orz

avater4eva: XD Whoops!

HawkeyeLover: Kwan hugs are the best! 8D

simplegay me: How'd you guess? XD