Whispering

As far as Dan's return went, nothing happened for almost two weeks, though Danny was too smart to let himself relax into the unforeseen break. Upon the original Team Phantom's arrival at Vlad's mansion, they settled into designated rooms (that is, after Tucker went through and deprogrammed the fruit loop's hidden traps). Danny figured out the whole separate room thing wouldn't work for him the first night, though, when Phantom kept waking him up with nightmares.

'I'm sorry,' Phantom's voice had been sharp and fragile - freshly broken.

"What is it?" Danny gasped, hands hugging himself tightly. While Phantom insisted on keeping the content hidden, Danny could still feel the pain and hurt and danger and death, pure death rolling off of the dream. "What was that about?"

'I can't tell you—'

"Damnit, Phantom, what the hell is this!" Danny yelled, shaking breaths racking his body painfully. He felt like he was going to be sick. Phantom continued spinning in his chest, trying unsuccessfully to contain his anguish.

'I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry Danny...' Phantom soothed Danny gently, finally beginning to draw some of the emotions back into himself. Danny relaxed just a little, letting his limbs sprawl out a bit.

"That's the third one tonight," Danny's cheeks were wet with tears, head falling back to his pillow. "What's going on? What are you dreaming about?"

Phantom's momentary silence made Danny nervous. He prodded his cores, pulling back when Phantom pushed back against him. 'I don't think I should tell you.'

"Why not?" Danny's voice betrayed his disappointment. "I just want to help."

'That's—!' Phantom cut himself off, taking a moment to calm down. 'That's exactly the problem. You can't always help, and you definitely can't help with this.'

"But—"

'No. That's final. You're staying out of this.'

Danny opened his mouth to say something else, falling quiet when a soft knock rasped at his door. Sitting up in bed, he wiped away his tears, gasping a few quick breaths.

"Come in!"

The door opened slowly, revealing Sam, a dark purple quilt wrapped firmly around her shoulders. "Hey, I uh...kinda heard you yelling," she chuckled, tugging on the quilt. "Are you ok?" her eyes were on him, deep brown rimmed with tired red.

Danny nodded instinctively before biting down on his lip. "Uh, no, actually..."

Sam walked to his bed, sitting down and tossing her quilt around Danny's shoulders. "A nightmare?"

"Sorta," Danny grunted, looking down quickly. He was crying again.

"Do you wanna talk—"

"No," Danny's eyes shot you to Sam's in a quick, panicked movement. "Please, god no."

Sam nodded, bringing a hand to his face and brushing his tears away. "Then we won't. Can I...?" Sam's eyes moved down to the blankets, a silent question rolling off of her features.

Danny nodded, chuckling as she slid under the covers, leaning against Danny with her head in the crook of his neck. Her hands found his above the covers, rubbing circles into his palms.

"I missed you," Sam sighed, closing her eyes and smiling.

"Yeah?" he chuckled softly, eyes falling closed as he settled into Sam's warmth. "Me too..."

Danny didn't know it when he fell asleep that first night, but that was how the two would sleep every night. Phantom still had nightmares, but Sam was quick to wake Danny up before they got too bad. Sure, she would kick him in her sleep and steal all the blankets, but he was still happy to have her next to him when he woke up.

He told her what he knew about the dreams - which wasn't much - and she kept the knowledge between the two of them, which Danny appreciated. Tucker and Valerie didn't need to know about the development, and Jazz would only get worked up, which Danny definitely didn't want. He'd already put her through too much, he decided.

Besides, the rest of the smaller Team Phantom seemed to have their own problems. Valerie, for one, was absolutely heart broken over her breakup with Meg. She was good at hiding it for the most part, but Danny had caught her crying while training a few times, somehow sobbing and hitting punching bags or practice dummies simultaneously.

"Hey, you ok?" Danny peaked in and asked a few days after they'd arrived, tensing when she turned frighteningly quick. "Oh, uh, stupid question, I guess."

Valerie sighed, shaking her head and dropping her fighting stance. "What do you want?"

"I just...wanted to make sure you're ok..." Danny trailed off, watching as Valerie's features hardened.

She sighed, unwrapping her hands and grunting a bit upon seeing early bruises forming. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are," Danny chuckled stiffly. "And I'm fine too. You believe me?"

"Hell no," Valerie rasped, rolling her eyes quickly.

"Ok, well..." Danny shook his head, laughing a bit more. "Where does that leave us?"

Valerie let out a long sigh, dropping her wraps next to her water bottle. "You don't have to check up on me, you know. It's normal to be sad after a breakup."

"Sure...but you seem..." he paused, thinking of what exactly to say. "I don't know. You'd tell me if anything else was going on, wouldn't you?"

Danny wished he could have ignored the way her body tensed, but he couldn't. She nodded hastily, grabbing her things and pushing past him without another word. He didn't check on her after that, deciding she would be ok. After all, he found out soon enough she wasn't dealing with everything alone.

"You still haven't texted her?" Danny overheard Jazz ask one morning in the halls. He stopped just outside the living room, letting invisibility wash over himself and his half drank energy drink. He didn't mean to snoop, but Phantom's protective curiosity was hard to resist, especially when it was pushing against his scar, like a hand on the scruff.

"Well...no..." Valerie's voice was quiet, and Danny had to strain to hear it from outside the room.

"Why not?"

Silence echoed off the walls for a few moments. There was an audible sigh. "I don't know."

Danny shook his head, washing away Phantom's temporary grasp over him. He zipped past the living room, retaining his invisibility until he was floating above his bed. "Phantom, you can't just do that."

Phantom stayed silent for a few moments until Danny tapped his chest in defiance. 'What?' he snapped back, flushing Danny's senses with anger for a second.

"You know it's not ok to listen to other people's conversations. And you...what did you even do back there?" Danny demanded, eyes closing as he tried to steady his growing nerves.

'It's important we make sure everyone's alright and—'

"You can't just take over whenever you want," Danny forced the words through clenched teeth, shaking his head. "You can't do this to me!"

'Do what? I'm just trying to—'

"You're hiding something from me," Danny's hands shot to his ears, ghosts of nightmarish whispers echoing against his skull. "Why can't you just let me help you. We could help them together, but you're shutting me out!"

Phantom fell silent, this time refusing to respond to any of Danny's prodding. With a final sigh, he gave up, leaving the ghost alone.

Tucker's problem was easier to understand, but far harder to deal with. Of course it was; it was political.

"So your connections that go all the way up...?" Danny confirmed, Tucker's words finally sinking in. The two boys were sprawled in one of the many living rooms in Vlad's mansion, having just finished training.

"Yeah, I'm talking all the way up," Tucker's voice took on a dangerous edge as his face fell into a serious expression. "Like, presidential."

"The president..." Danny's tone was quiet. Tucker has connections that went all the way up to the president, somehow. He didn't know quite how to process that. "What...how are they handling all of this on that level?"

Tucker sucked in a sharp breath, shaking his head quickly. "They're not."

"What?"

"They're waiting for the threat to present itself or something," Tucker's head fell into his hands. "I wish they'd just listen. At least Amity Park's taking action. If Dan decides to go after any major cities, we're screwed."

Danny gulped back his panic, nodding a bit while Tucker looked back up again. "That's why you left the mayor's office."

"They're in good enough hands. At least they're being proactive. What I need to focus on are the people at the top who won't listen."

"And how're you gonna do that?"

Tucker shrugged, smiling a little. "I don't know, I was hoping I'd get some help from earth's greatest hero?"

Danny pursed his lips, considering his next words very carefully. "I'll talk to whoever you think I need to, but...we've gotta be careful. The GIW are already involved, and—"

"And they won't hurt you," Tucker cut in. "I made sure of it as soon as I started networking."

"But they want to," Danny shuddered, thinking back to his past of evading them. "That's all that matters, at the end of the day."

Tucker sighed, hanging his head. "I know. And you're right, there are a few corrupt officials who would love to see you locked up. You're sort of an enigma, and not exactly in the best sense of the word."

Danny chuckled a little, shaking his head at his best friend. "When did you get all wordy?"

"Since I took a political internship," Tucker chuckled back. "It wouldn't hurt if you learned how to be a little more articulate, you know. You've got a reputation to uphold."

At the mention of his reputation, Danny's chest fell, the memory of his scared peers flashing in front of his eyes. Tucker noticed, sitting up and looking at his friend.

"I'm sorry, did I say something...?"

"Ha, no," Danny rubbed his neck nervously, slumping over himself. "I did. I mean, my reputation is already kinda ruined..."

"What do you mean?"

"I scared them," Danny's voice was hardly a whisper. "I freaked out because I'm stressed and...I mean, you saw it."

Tucker elbowed his friend jokingly, frowning as he phased through. "Dude, you're fine. Even if they are a little scared, that doesn't mean they trust you any less. You saved them. All of them. All of us. Nothing's gonna change that."

Danny swallowed hard and nodded, eyes traveling down to his hands. In his anxiety, he must have kick started his cores, Phantom's silvery energy washing over his fingertips. He scowled, pushing Phantom away. He was still mad at his ghostly counterpart for being so secretive.

"Yeah, ok, well it will change if I can't save them this time," Danny clenched his fists, replacing silver with ectoplasm green. His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked back up at Tucker. "Tell me what I need to do. Dan's not winning."

The federal government all but rejected Tucker and Danny, telling them again and again that they wouldn't pursue action until the threat was confirmed, and apparently the 'ramblings of a fifteen year old', as they put it, wasn't enough confirmation. The original Team Phantom continued training, nonetheless, preparing for the worst. Tucker stayed in contact with Meg to ensure the new Team Phantom had an open line of communication, and Jazz texted updates back and forth with the elder Fentons.

"Star and Paulina?" Danny asked one morning, finishing a piece of toast. The teens had gathered in the main dining hall, sharing a quick breakfast before training for the day.

"They're doing fine," Jazz assured, finishing her third cup of coffee that morning. "Mom and dad have got Star's levels stable, and she's working with a treatment center. She's gonna be ok."

Danny let out a deep breath, letting himself relax a little as he took a sip of his orange juice. "Good. I can't believe it's almost been two weeks since..."

"I know," Valerie agreed, feet stretched out on the table. She leaned back in her chair, picking a bit of food from her teeth with a long ghost hunting knife. "I'm glad to hear she's doing better, though. Star's actually always been pretty chill."

Sam nodded, arm pressed flush against Danny's side as she finished her oatmeal. "But they're both staying there, right? Isn't that a little...weird?"

Tucker nodded, humming in agreement. "Yeah, I mean, aren't their parents worried at all...?"

Jazz's face paled, shaking hands bringing her coffee to the table. "Everyone's parents are freaking out. Even the ones who's kids didn't run away from home. Amity Park is in total lockdown."

Danny's senses tingled, Phantom listening with intensity. He growled at the ghost silently, trying unsuccessfully to get him to back off. "Well, it won't be for long. Dan will come, and soon. It's good they're ready for an attack."

Jazz nodded, still flushed. "Sure, but this much panic is a lot. There's—"

"I don't care," Phantom took over Danny's voice against his will, body going rigid. "S- stop!" Danny gasped, blinking his eyes a few times as his vision faded to black.

"Danny?" Sam's voice was right next to him, but she'd pulled back, probably due to the frost crawling over his skin.

"N- no, not h- him," Phantom's voice was a hostile hiss, fighting to stay in control. Danny thrashed against his cores, but their grip was too tight. He was starting to lose control of his body.

"What's going on?" Sam's voice was low. She was the only one who knew how tense things had gotten between Danny and Phantom. "Why are you talking over Danny?"

Phantom grunted, settling into his control over the Danny's body. "He's not listening to me."

Someone sputtered, clanging echoing through Danny's ears. If he had to guess, Jazz had knocked her coffee over. "Shit," his sister hissed quietly.

"Leave it, I can't hold on too much longer," Phantom pressed, gritting his teeth against Danny's will. "But you have to know—"

"Have to know what?" Sam snapped at him, tone defensive. "You won't even tell him what's going on! What do you mean he isn't listening to you? You're not telling him anything!"

"He has to know what's going on. He wants to respect privacy or whatever, but we both need to know how to protect them," Phantom explained quickly. "Dan's coming. He's coming and Danny's not ready."

"Like hell he's not!" Sam stomped, and Danny was guessing she'd just stood up, judging by the scraping sound of a chair. "What's wrong with you, Phantom?"

"Oh," Phantom's voice was so quiet now, cores twisting in agony, "there's a lot wrong with me. But that's not the point."

'Phantom—' Danny struggled against his cores' grasp. He didn't know if he wanted to hug the ghost, or slap him.

"Let me finish, Danny," Phantom closed his eyes, voice breaking a bit. "Please."

Danny pulled back a little, Phantom's sincerity vibrating over his skin. 'Fine, just...hurry.'

Phantom nodded, eyes opening once more, though Danny's vision stayed black. "If his parents intervene, if that Team Phantom gets too close, if anyone puts themselves in danger," Phantom's breath hitched as Danny's cores screamed in pain at the idea. "If any of that happens, he won't be able to do this."

Silence fell over the other teens, Phantom's labored breaths falling over them. "...Ok," Jazz was the first to speak, voice low and quiet. "I promise, we'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"But—" Valerie spoke up.

"We promise," Jazz repeated, tone pointed, "that we'll keep ourselves safe. For Danny's sake."

Phantom nodded, letting go of Danny's body in a rush. He slumped to the side, Sam catching him hastily. "Woah there," she breathed lightly, helping Danny sit up straight again. Upon opening his eyes, he smiled at his returned vision. Phantom had retreated back into his chest, for now.

"Thanks," he gasped, coughing a few times. He cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak before letting loose another volley of angry hacks. Liquid dropped from the left corner of his lip, falling below his chin. Rubbing it hastily, he choked a little when he looked down at bright, silvery metallic liquid. "Oh...my god..."

"Danny?" Valerie looked ready to leap into action, her eyes darting towards a nonexistent enemy. "What's going on?"

"I—" Danny tried to speak, but it came out gargled from under the silver fluid dripping from his lips. There was so much of it now, pooling as if being poured from somewhere. Where was it coming from?

'I'm sorry,' Phantom wheezed, and with a start, Danny realized that he had been attacked, somehow. They had both been attacked. 'I thought I could hold him off long enough, but I think—'

"Hold who off?!" Danny would have been shouting if not for the leaking, dripping, oozing stuff, now threatening to flood his nose.

'I wish I could explain- I wish I could, I can't- he's trying to- I need to go—'

"Phantom!" Danny hacked twice more before his senses cleared, the fluid ceasing to flow. His chin dropped, spitting the thick liquid down onto his shirt along with the rest, which had already dripped down.

Clearing his throat, he looked up at his friends with scared eyes, attention landing on his sister hesitantly. "Phantom's being attacked."

"Again?" Sam's voice was hardly a whisper from next to Danny, his attention snapping to her in an instant.

"Hang on a second, again?" Valerie shot to her feet, though Danny kept his focus trained on Sam.

"You think the nightmares were—"

"Maybe not, maybe just a warning—"

"Oh, will you two please actually say something?!" Valerie snapped, finally drawing both Sam and Danny's attention. She looked like she was on the brink of a panic attack, chest heaving quick puffs of air.

"Phantom's been having nightmares. He won't tell me what they're about, but just now..." Danny squeezed his eyes shut, dragging his fingers across his wet chin. "Now he was just attacked...somehow. He took the brunt of it for me, and..." his eyes snapped open, darting around as a sickening realization settled across his chest. "He isn't here. He's gone, I can't feel him, I can't—"

"Danny—" he couldn't comprehend who's voice it was. His eyes wouldn't stop darting around the dining room.

"We were just fighting. It was just a stupid fight and now he's gone and I want him back, please goddamnit give him back!" Danny was yelling now, a shaking sob escaping him.

"Hey!" Sam's hand was on his shoulder. He turned to her too fast, full attention on her. "I need you to breathe."

"But I don't need to—"

"You're right, but I need you to breathe," Sam assured with a small smile. How could she be smiling? Phantom was gone.

"Where is he?" Danny rasped, voice quieting as he let himself gasp in a few shallow breaths.

"Dunno," Sam was quiet, keeping her composure light. Ah, she wasn't smiling, she was comforting. Danny let himself relax into that.

"Will he be ok?"

Sam's she's darted to Danny's chin and shirt, swallowing hard and quick before painting on another small smile. "I don't know, but he's strong, right?"

Danny nodded, letting his eyes close tight. "Powerful."

Sam hummed in agreement, grabbing Danny as he swayed dangerously. He leaned his weight against her, senses buckling under the weight of his waning panic. "Take a second, if you gotta. I've got you."

Danny nodded, body falling limp against Sam. He hummed solidly just before the darkness overtook him, pulling him into a heavy sleep.

Hey all! What do you think?

This is my longest chapter by far - I almost split it up but then it would be two of my shortest chapters which I didn't really like...

Anyways! The plotline I'm setting up here is one I've been thinking about since I came up with the idea for this story, so I'm ver excited to see what you all think :)

As well, I did get a comment asking about Wes - I definitely could've been more clear, but this is Wes Weston from fanon. He's reading a little ooc right now, but he does make sense here in a few chapters, and ends up going on to be a bigger character than I was initially planned.

(I was actually only going to include him as a little fan service, but oh well! I like this better!)

Thank you for reading, favoriting, following, and of course, reviewing :) it really means the world to me

Until next time,

~Ash