Chapter 4: Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or associated characters

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Fentonworks - Living Room
December 3rd, 2010
10:40AM Pacific Standard Time

It took over an hour for Danny to finally convince his folks that he didn't know why the mysterious ghost knew his name, but they relented. Unfortunately, the ghost was now long gone, and there seemed little chance of finding it again today so the rest of the morning was dedicated to unpacking and cleaning the Fentonworks. By noon, most of the RV had been unloaded, and the building was slowly becoming habitable. The five years of inattention had allowed massive amounts of grim to build up, which required every surface in the house to be painstakingly hand-scrubbed clean. By mid-day, only the kitchen, Danny's room, and parts of the lab had been restored. However, by three o'clock, an unexpected visitor showed up.

DING! DING!

Danny, get the door!"

Dropping the spray bottle in his hand, Danny made his way from the kitchen, and obediently opened the door as his mother asked him to. He wasn't expecting who was on the other side of it.

"T-Tucker!"

"Hey Danny. Long time no see."

It was the first time in five years either of them had seen each other. Tucker had grown another four inches, although he was still shorter then Danny. His hair was still short, hidden under an orange cap, and he was wearing a yellow shirt, and a pair of grey slacks. He looked like a taller carbon-copy of the Tucker from five years. It was at this moment Danny's throat suddenly decided to stop working correctly.

"It's ... good to see you ..."

"Yeah ..."

"Um, how'd you know I was here?"

"I saw the RV pass by the Nasty Burger this morning. I would have come by sooner, but Lancer caught me trying to cut class."

"Lancer still teaching? I'm surprised he didn't have a mental-breakdown by now. Anyway, where's Sam?".

Tucker's expression changed from one of happiness to concern.

"Sam ... is busy ... and dealing with her own issues. I don't think she'll be around much anytime soon".

"Oh ... I see"

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Amity Park - Somewhere Over Downtown
December 3rd, 2010
11:26PM Pacific Standard Time

A sole figure flew across the night sky, remembering the city he lived in his past. In all honesty, not a lot had changed. Sure, Casper High finally got its larger library, and the mini-mall did get renovated, but beside that, it was a quiet, and cool December night.

Danny's mind was currently catching up with everything he heard today. Seeing Tucker again brought back a lot of memories he rather left forgotten. Sam hadn't been happy when he left, but he didn't realize how bad it had affected her.

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Fentonworks - Entrance
July 11th, 2005
11:39AM Pacific Standard Time

"Come on, Danny, get a move on!"

"Yes, Jazz ..."

Obediently, Danny picked up the taped cardboard boxes, and handed them to the movers. His mind was still reeling on how fast everything was moving. His parents had been slowly moving everything out and mailing it to unknown locations. He finally understood why: they were leaving Amity Park. It had been a total surprise, and dissipate his complaining, there was nothing he could to stop it. The only thing left to do now was to pack up what was left of his belongings, and tell his friends that he was leaving them behind, with little chance of seeing them again anytime soon.

As he looked down the street, he could make out Tucker and Sam's outlines walking towards him.

'Time to get this over with ...'

"Hey Danny, what's up with the big trucks?"

"Hi Sam, Tuck ..."

A moment of silence passed ...

"Danny?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you ..."

Sam's face instantly changed to one of concern.

"What is it, Danny?"

"Well ... I hate to say this ... but I'm leaving Amity Park ..."

"How long are you going to be gone"

"Errr ..."

Sam's expression a state of confusion, but Tucker instantly caught on. He remained silent for a moment before responding.

"Your ... not coming back, are you, Danny".

"No, I'm not".

"How ... how could you do this to us, after everything we've been through!".

"Do you think I want to go! No, I rather just stay here, I have no desire to leave here".

"No, of course not! You just waltz off, and leaving everything to us, just like you to do that too!"

"Sam, that isn't fair, Danny wouldn't leave if he had a choice!"

"Of course, you always take his side Tucker!"

Before either one could respond, she turned off, and began to run away. For a moment, Danny swore she had a tear in her eye ...

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Amity Park - Above Casper High
December 3rd, 2010
11:57PM Pacific Standard Time

As he completed his third circuit around town, he wondered if he should held home soon. There wasn't anyone waiting for him, and a sense of loneliness was lingering around him. His conversation with Tucker brought up a lot of unsettling memories which Danny was reviewing in turn as he flew around the city.

Danny's relationship with Tucker had become strained over the years. While they still remained friends, today really showed how they had changed from the people he remembered. Tucker was the same in many regards: he was still geeky, and always on the lookout for a quick buck, but now he seemed less energetic, and more reserved. He was less talkative, and unwilling to go into details about many of the subjects they talked about including Sam.

He couldn't help but get the feeling that something major had happened while he was gone, and while the issue seemed to have resolved itself, Danny couldn't understand why Tucker was being so evasive. Perhaps he just needed time to get used to have Danny around again, or that Tucker blamed him for being along for so long. As he thought, Parker's words rang in his mind:

'Danny, your still young, so I don't expect you to completely understand this. It's just ... that as people grow and change, they are no longer the person you remember, and sometimes, they aren't who you want to be around. I want to wish you luck on seeing them again, but I must also warn you that you might not like what you see'

As he dwelled on these words, he decided that truer words have never been spoken.

Glancing downward, Danny realized he lost his bearings. Stopping and looking around, he quickly located himself, and noticed that he was directly above Sam's apartment, and vaguely wondering if some hand of faith pushed him here.

'I should try and talk to her ... but not tonight, it's late already, she's probably asleep ...'

Quite suddenly, and without warning, a bluish vapor shot out of his mouth.

'Damn it ...'

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End of Chapter 4

A/N: I'm working on Chapter 5 as we speak. It was going to be apart of chapter four, but I rather post a shorter chapter then keep my fans waiting. Also, I will write other flashbacks into the story like this one so keep close attention to the date of each scene. This chapter has not been pre-read, but I did go back and make corrections on many of the previous chapters :-). Please continue to read and review, and please criticize, so I can help make this one of the best fan-fictions I have written.