Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom, I'm a big fan and was feeling nostalgic.

Note (5/11/2020): This is the second time I've daydreamed ideas for this oneshot so since I couldn't sleep I decided to go ahead and write it down. Basically it's another small preview of what's to come as well as some more of the aftermath from defeating Dan.

Nowhere To Run (Oneshot): Convalescence

3rd Person POV

"This is Tiffany Snow reporting in with breaking news! So as many of you know about a week ago we were attacked by a big, scary, and very evil Danny Phantom look-a-like that caused enough damage to rival what Amity Park sustained when we were attacked by the Ghost King and his army of spooky-scary-skeletons. Numerous witnesses claim to have even seen the real Danny Phantom fighting on our behalf once again to protect our fair city. And he was helped, surprisingly, by the same ghost seen fighting both with and against the ghost-fighting hero several times before...

"The eye-witness reports also say they were both gravely injured during the fight and we've seen no sign of Danny Phantom or his ghostly companion since then. So now we must ask ourselves, does this mean that Danny Phantom will be making a triumphant return someday? Or did they fade into ghost goo after sacrificing themselves to save us from this threat? Who can say? But one thing I can safely say is that we owe them our thanks and thanks to Vlad Masters who supplied us with ghost shield technology before his departure from Amity Park after retiring as mayor which greatly helped reduce the number of injured civilians caught in the middle of this evil ghost's rampage.

"Ever since ghosts became a major safety concern in Amity Park, emergency aid systems were put in place by both previous mayors, including Vlad Masters, to not only help our town rebuild, but to also protect our homes, schools, and businesses. Thanks to these emergency funds and relief efforts, reconstruction is continuing at a steady pace and before long we'll be able to recover from the damage and return to our normal everyday lives. However, this brings me to my next report-

"Amidst all this chaos and tragedy, a silver lining has appeared since the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of local resident Daniel James Fenton has finally been solved! In an alarming and unexpected turn of events, it was revealed that the ghost who kidnapped the young teenager was none other than the evil Danny Phantom look-a-like who attacked the city and was defeated through the combined efforts of the Red Huntress, Damon Gray, Jack & Maddie Fenton, Danny Phantom along with the unknown ghost from before, and to everyone's shock Vlad Masters himself.

"In an interview with the former mayor, Mr. Masters confirmed that his investigations led him back here where this evil ghost planned to use Danny Fenton as blackmail against the Fenton family whom the ghost had sworn revenge upon. Jack and Maddie have also been interviewed and verified that this ghost matched the description of the one they injured after he invaded their home now that the case is closed and their son has returned safely. Sadly we've been unable to interview Danny Fenton directly since he is still recovering from the traumatic experience at an undisclosed location.

"Damon Grey, the head of security at Axion Labs is also recovering and has refused to give us an official statement at this time about the attack. That being said, at least we now know what caused all of this and have come full circle. And in response to the complaints about their involvement in this whole mess, Danny Fenton's parents had this to say-"

Turning towards the monitor, Tiffany Snow switched to the playback of the recording taken of the interview with the ghost hunting duo who still looked pretty battered themselves. But knowing it really was their fault this happened, Maddie began:

"I know that I can't even begin to apologize for everything we've put all of you through. And I know this happened because we acted rashly which not only put our family in grave danger, but also your families and loved ones too. We've always known how dangerous ghosts can be, long before anyone else knew they were real, but until we faced a situation we couldn't handle ourselves the danger they pose never struck as close to home as it did a few months ago when our son was taken from us...

Holding her husband's hand for support, she continued, "We told ourselves we've been studying ghosts all this time to find new ways to protect everyone else from them, but the truth is we were just being selfish and were completely blinded by our desire to learn more about ghosts for our scientific studies. That's why outside of a real crisis, it wasn't us protecting you, it was Danny Phantom. All we did was get in his way. And because of that we nearly paid the ultimate price for our stupidity and could have lost our son Danny forever.

"Up until our son went missing around the same time as Danny Phantom we never realized how much the ghost boy did for us, and when we were faced with an enemy we couldn't defeat alone, he fought beside us despite the fact that we've only seen him as the enemy just like all other ghosts. And because we were desperate to get our son back we kept picking fights with any we came across which only put a bigger target on our backs. But when we faced down the ghost that kidnapped our son, nearly dying in the process until the ghost boy and the Wisconsin Ghost protected us, we finally realized how wrong we've been all this time.

"Now we realize that there are good ghosts and bad ghosts, just like there are good people and bad people. And we've been the worst kind where we genuinely thought we were helping when actually we were doing more harm than good. That's why...that's-" faltering a bit when Maddie couldn't go on because of the crushing reality that the person she hurt most was Danny himself, Jack pulled her close and tried to finish the rest of the interview for her.

"That's why we're going to be working with Vlad's company from now on to do this town some real good! We're not going to be selfish anymore!" Jack nodded, puffing up his chest to look more determined than he felt. "We want to make up for our mistakes and repay Vladdy for bringing our son back safely in a way that helps everyone. We owe it to all of you who have loved ones who were put in danger or injured because I-because we were too stubborn to listen to reason before. It probably won't make up for all our mistakes over the years...but it's a start. Vlad gave our family a second chance, so we hope you'll see it in your hearts to give us one too."

Ending the playback, Tiffany faded back into view and continued, "And there you have it! It looks like many new beginnings are around the corner not only for the rest of us, but also for the Fenton family. Despite the dreadful experience, he has no doubt been through during all this time held hostage, thanks to the brave, combined efforts of the ghost boy, Vlad Masters, and many others, Danny Fenton has finally returned home safely.

"And in light of these events, Mr. Masters has also promised to renew his efforts to ensure that we'll be better prepared for the next disaster and have full protection all over Amity Park as the development of better ghost shield's continues now that his best friend's son is safe. There is also a rumor floating around that plans to form an official anti-ghost protection force are currently underway and are being discussed in great detail by the acting mayor and the former in the event that Danny Phantom is unable to return and we can no longer rely on his protection. But only time will tell! So this has been Tiffany Snow, action news!"

Danny's POV

I knew going back wouldn't be easy, but after we recovered from our injuries Vlad went with me and my parents to visit Casper High so they could discuss my future. In the end, I understood this was a good thing, but at the same time, I was having a hard time trying to calm my nerves. Especially since I've been sent here so many times as punishment and after being accused of doing something that was obviously a ghost's fault...

Not to mention how many times I've been attacked by said-ghosts here.

Everyone was still in shock after what happened with Dan honestly so to me it was weird that one of the first things they reopened was Casper High. Then again, this was probably the safest place in town right now thanks to Vlad's advanced Ghost Shield that used to belong to Axion Labs before they switched to a spare. But even knowing that I couldn't relax here because my every instinct was wired to constantly be on alert at school since it was the other place besides my house I was targeted the most...

I was sitting next to my parents while they talked to the principle and Mr. Lancer about catching up on everything I missed while I was, well, missing, about getting trauma counseling, and more importantly about making Vlad my legal guardian and what it meant. We've been talking about it a lot with all sorts of people ever since my injuries healed enough for Vlad to agree to get started with the process, so right now it was all just white noise. I was there, but only physically. Mentally I was scanning the room, extending my senses for possible threats, and trying to control my breathing.

Despite knowing he was gone for good I couldn't help but remember the alternate timeline where Mr. Lancer called my parents to talk about me cheating on the C.A.T. Which got the three of them along with Sam, Tucker, and my sister killed. I wondered if the version of me from that timeline felt like this when his Vlad had to do all this when he became an orphan? Did he feel this oppressive weight on his chest too...?

I didn't even realize how tense I was until Vlad gently put his hand on my shoulder to tell me it was time to leave and I jolted in surprise, flying out of my chair to my feet and barely catching myself before I took up a battle stance. Everyone was staring at me with a mixture of surprise and worry so as a knee-jerk reaction I hastily apologized and tried to come up with an excuse for my behavior...

"You don't have to apologize Danny," Mr. Lancer smiled sadly, "Considering everything you've been through I'm not surprised being here isn't bringing back fond memories for you. I guess you didn't hear me before but we feel we owe you an apology too. Now we know a lot of things we put on your record was actually a ghost's fault so we're going to discuss removing them. You still have a lot of catching up to do, but I sincerely hope you'll be able to excel in a safer environment. As your teacher, I should have been fairer to you too."

"I-um, I mean it's ok you didn't know any-" I stammered but Vlad swooped in to save me with that silver tongue of his.

"I agree that mistakes were made on all our parts but what matters is correcting them for his sake," Vlad assured him, resting a hand on both of my shoulders and lending me his emotional support. "And to be fair, perhaps it was a bit too soon for us to bring Daniel out to meet with you both in person so I suggest we end the meeting here for today. I trust everything is in order otherwise to transfer his school records to Wisconsin?"

"Yes, it will take some time since we're still waiting for the rest of the paperwork now that you'll be his legal guardian but otherwise the rest is in order. This came as quite a shock given everything else that's happened, however, I agree that this is in his best interests," the principle nodded before turning to my parents. "I know this must be hard for you but off the record, I would just like to say that I'm proud of you for doing what's best for your son in light of what he's been through and left his care to someone more capable. As for Jasmine, I can assure you she's a capable young woman and should do just fine here in Casper High until graduation. And I trust you will do your utmost to protect her and do your part to make sure nothing like this happens to anyone in your family again?"

"Yes ma'am, we'll never make the same mistake again. Never ever!" My dad agreed a bit too eagerly, his gaze meeting Vlad's and it was like they were having this whole silent conversation so Vlad's hands tightened protectively on my shoulders.

I'm sure mom noticed too but she didn't say anything, at least not until it dragged on for a solid minute and she said now was probably a good time for me to clean out my locker while everyone was in class. Classes were still cut shorter than usual for safety reasons but that still meant Sam and Tucker were probably here too. And that's when I realized that maybe that's the real reason why I was so uptight. It's because I wanted to see them and tell them everything that happened in person so they'd finally know why Vlad had my full trust...

He saved my life, not only this time but so many other times I never knew about, and more importantly...Vlad gave me the second chance I needed. The chance we both needed. And I wanted to give my friends the same option after what happened between us when I first made the hard decision to leave and stay with Vlad.

"Excuse me, but is it ok if I talk to my friends Sam and Tucker?" I asked Mr. Lancer since he knew perfectly well who they were without having to mention their last names. "I know it's a lot to ask taking them out of class-"

"Danny..." my mom argued gently, "I don't think now's the best time sweetheart. You look really pale and I'm worried we stayed a little too long as it is. But tell you what, I'll call their parents to ask if it would be alright for them to visit you alright?"

Figuring that's the best I was going to get, I nodded, "Ok mom. Thanks. I just...really miss them after everything that happened and I want them to see for themselves I'm ok." And I also want to say...goodbye.

Seeing Sam and Tucker in person went about as well as expected, there were lots of tearful hugs and a bombardment of questions so I told them everything without holding back this time. I HAD to make them understand exactly how bad things were because of Dan and how powerless I felt, not to mention weighed down by guilt among other things.

Thankfully they already knew now how bad things had gotten given the fact that I...nearly committed suicide or attempted it anyway and Dan took advantage of that by overshadowing the very first duplicate I've ever been able to make. I told them about creating my own ghost portal and getting sucked in and fighting a rare ghost; about how that before that my ghost core nearly killed me too when I couldn't handle the sudden change while still recovering from my gunshot wound; about all the good things Vlad has done for me; and most of all about how Dan rigged everything and nearly killed Valerie, her dad, and my parents.

At this point I've told so many versions of these stories while leaving things out here and there it was nice to finally tell them everything. It was a lot to swallow, but they were just happy it was over and that I could finally come home. But that's where things got depressing when I told them that I...wasn't coming back.

"What do you mean you're not coming back? You won dude! Heck we might even be able to get Valerie on our side once she accepts you," Tucker argued but I shook my head, smiling softly.

"No, it's enough that she doesn't hate me anymore. I can't ask Valerie for any more than that when my mistake nearly got her and her dad killed too. I'd be surprised if she even keeps ghost fighting after all of this either because Valerie decided to stop or her dad made her for good this time," I sighed, "I just hope my parents really will be able to handle my enemies once I'm gone even with Vlad's help and the people at Axion Labs."

"If you really feel that way then please don't go," Sam sniffled, trying not to cry. "This isn't like last time. I'm not saying this just to be selfish. You're my best friend Danny, both of ours, and it just won't be the same here without you! You already left once and we just got you back so this is...it's so unfair! Can't you convince Vlad to move back here and just not fight ghosts yourself anymore unless you really have to? Isn't that enough? You don't have to move so far away-"

"Sam, I know how you feel but...I think he has to," Tucker explained, surprising both of us. "You heard him, what Dan put him through...? That was literal hell for him. And after everything he's done for us, don't you think Danny deserves to finally do what's best for him without us getting in the way?"

Turning to me with a huge grin though he added, "Just promise me one thing Danny, you totally have to invite us over some time. And we still want to talk to you so we'll video chat just like before, only now we don't have to hide it! You're a free man Danny, and if anyone deserves it, you do my man."

"Tucker..." I smiled, finally laughing a little, "Oh sure, now that I might actually inherit all of Vlad's money you wanna cozy up to me huh? Too bad the last guy who tried that got a verbal lashing by yours truly! You should have seen the guy's face when I-" cutting myself off, I turned to Sam and added, "You know Sam...Vlad has a ton of actual spell books he might let you borrow. I know you don't like bribery buuut, I could hook you up with a few."

Rolling her eyes but still smiling fondly after hearing me joke around like before, Sam finally replied, "Fine, you win. We'll come to visit you someday but Danny, I expect you to do the same got it?"

"I will," I smiled, pulling them both into another hug, "I promise, from now on, I won't let anything tear us apart again..."