Hello my superb Phamily,
Well, the time has come, this is the last part of Chapter 13 Family Moments, but not the story.
A long time coming I know, but I had a lot of trial and error with this part so it took WAAAAY longer to get it just right.
Welcome to the Phamily: 2000girl,Ithic Ascendant, ShadowHunter219,crow and the butterfly,Demon Lord727,haha92,hrestrepootero925,Firearcher27805,koala123453,Draconspire,mikewha,Tenshi,Tamagotchi,ignis1553,Aoburrage42,
Noma-san,Annabell242,Carnage1215,kingcloud,Martin Corral,DarkXDShadow,Arytec13,aqwordovic,chaosbringer666,daemonenkind666,MasterRoku 1776,Way-nin2012,Alialena,KurtWaterDragon,Alex7067,Musical DragonRider,djs1998,lovetohug35,zacharybresette,Chrizzie1,
Hunter of Nightmares, Natelevy,riptide9, and tomasalejandro.(mata).
After this chapter, S#IT is going to hit the literal fan for the halfa's and you don't want to get caught in the mess.
I'd like to thank my friend DevilKnight86 for the suggestions for dinner and the upcoming chapters.
(Danny's POV)
When Amanda and Danielle walked out of the kitchen, I went right to work and started reading the book for all that I would need. Thankfully Jazz had been so kind as to highlight the recipe in different colors to it was easy for even my parents to follow. I kept the book open as I walked back over to the fridge to grab the chilled ingredients. I grabbed the 10lb package of chicken tenders, milk, eggs, and the ranch dressing. I wanted to try making Lunch Ladies recipe for barbeque sauce and now seems like a good time to try it and as she always told me while we were cooking together:
"Homemade meals always taste better when you put your heart into it,"
I've never actually made it from scratch before, but I have tasted it and she could turn the Barbequing world on its head with her recipe. I could only hope that I can do it half as right as she could and hope that everyone likes it.
After I grabbed everything from the fridge, I made my over to the cabinets and pantry to grab all the spices and seasonings that the recipes called for: Salt, Pepper, brown sugar, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and red wine vinegar. I then grabbed the bread crumbs, flour, grated parmesan, garlic powder, and dried parsley for the chicken.
To make sure that I didn't screw anything up, I prepped each different part of the dinner in separate bowls. The tricky part about doing this is that once you add an ingredient you cannot take it back, so I took my time and carefully read the measurements of each ingredient, and added them in slowly.
The whole prep work only took about 15 minutes, a bit longer than usual but I wanted to make sure that everything was right for dinner and have it be both delicious and nutritious for everyone. I was about to start coating the chicken when I almost forgot to grab a side for dinner. I rushed back to the fridge and opened the fridge, scouring through it I found a medium-sized bag of mixed vegetables; (Normany Blend).
"This will do, I think even Danielle will enjoy these. I know I do." I thought as I took the bag out of the freezer.
I put the bag of vegetables on the counter away from the bowls and went to grab a big pan the steam stack that went with it. Now that I had everything in place I could start making dinner.
10 minutes later.
/
"Alright, the chicken is ready to go in the preheated oven. The vegetables are about to steam, the grilled cheese and tomato soup can wait until the chicken's halfway cooked since I can make it quick. Now, where did I leave that timer?" I thought.
I looked around the whole kitchen before I spotted my parent's "modified" timer. I'll never get why they thought that a ghost would try to control their timer, but at least it still works, even though I can't touch it when I'm in ghost mode.
Setting the timer for 15 minutes, I put the chicken in and hit start. Looking at the clock, it was half an hour till six. I hope that I have plenty of time before Jazz shows up to finish cooking dinner.
The chicken was starting to smell so good, the still lingering smell of spices was still fresh in the air. If it tastes as good as it smells than everyone's in for a treat.
I thought that now I should start prepping the grilled cheese and tomato soup. If I need to I can just keep them in the oven on low heat until everything was ready. I was about to start the prep work when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, turning my head I saw Danielle and Amanda walk back into the kitchen. I gave them a small smile before I spoke.
"Hey, you two. Already done?" I asked.
"Almost, all that's left is downstairs and the whole house is clean," Danielle said.
"Yeah, the house wasn't that messy anyway. So how's dinner coming along, we can smell it all the way upstairs." Amanda said.
"I just put it in the oven now, shouldn't be too much longer. I was actually about to start the grilled cheese and tomato soup before you both came down." I said.
"So how long will that take Daddy?" Danielle asked.
"About five minutes for the grilled cheese and three minutes to prepare the tomato soup," I said.
"Sounds like you got everything covered," Amanda said.
"Well...almost everything," I admitted.
Amanda and Danielle looked at each other and then to me with their heads tilted to one said confused.
"What do you mean Daddy?" Danielle asked.
"Dessert, I think after today. I think we all earned something sweet. Don't you think?" I asked.
I saw Danielle's face lit up like a star, her smile bright and beaming.
"What's for Dessert?!" Danielle asked excitedly.
"It's...a surprise," I said.
"OH WHAT, COME ON DADDY TELL US!" Danielle said now begging me for an answer.
"You sure you want to know?" I said.
"YES, YES, TELL US," Danielle said.
Now Amanda's interest was piqued, what could Danny be making for dessert that was so good that he couldn't tell them?
"You're sure you want to know," I said now egging on Danielle a bit more.
"YES, COME ON!" Danielle said in full excitement.
"Okay, we're having..." I said building the suspense.
"Yes," Danielle said her smile getting even bigger as she and Amanda both leaned in to hear Danny better.
"Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies...with vanilla ice cream," I said.
There were no words, the sheer look of happiness on Danielle's face could say it all. Amanda had to admit, that sounded pretty good right now, especially since that chocolate is almost every girl's weakness and it so happened to be hers.
I had an idea, something that would make this night special and make some good memories for Danielle and Amanda.
"Would you two like to help me make them?" I asked smiling at both of them.
"That would be awesome! Making them is almost as good as eating them, well almost." Danielle said with a giddy laugh.
"Well, if you hurry. You might even get a chance to lick the bowl afterward." I said.
Danielle immediately raced out of the kitchen, stopped and turned to Amanda.
"Come on, Come on. Let's get the downstairs done!" Danielle said jogging in place impatiently.
Amanda turned to Danielle, "I'm coming sweetie, don't worry. You're Evil." Amanda said whispering the last part to me.
I just gave Amanda a smile that mouthed back, "I know,"
With that Amanda followed after Danielle who now had a second wind of energy. I gave a small chuckle as I turned back and checked on the vegetables in the steamer.
(END OF POV)
After hearing about dessert, Danielle was like a child with a sugar rush, zipping around the whole living room like a bolt of lightning in a bottle.
"Slow down sweetie before you hurt yourself," Amanda said.
"I won't hurt my...ow!" Danielle said as she accidentally ran into a wall face first. A picture on the wall fell to the ground, miraculously the glass didn't shatter.
Amanda rushed to her side. "Are you okay Danielle?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Danielle said as she rubbed her face to relieve some of the pain. Looking down, something caught her eye. a picture fell off the wall. Turning it over, Danielle saw that it was a picture of her daddy's family back when she first met him.
"Hey Amanda look at this," Danielle said holding up the picture.
Amanda walked over and looked at the picture, she felt nostalgia wash all over her.
"This was probably taken back when Danny was still in high school, maybe even before he became Danny Phantom." Amanda thought.
She recognized Danny and his sister from their old battles in the past, but his parents were another story. She remembered his parents as victims from her previous attempts to rule the world with her music as Ember. It made Amanda think about how she is going to apologize to them; if she gets the chance to that is since according to Danny, they are in DC right now. Hopefully, when the time comes they will give her a second chance just like Danny has.
Amanda took the picture from Danielle's hands and carefully put it back on the wall as straight as she could.
"Well, let's get the downstairs done and this time let's not try to run into any more walls, okay?" Amanda said.
"Right," Danielle said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head.
So off the went, Amanda went around and straightened up the living room, while Danielle picked up any loose trash that had collected from Kitty and Johnny's visit. There wasn't much to do, so cleanup was a breeze. All that was left was the vacuuming and the downstairs would be done. The problem is that they left the vacuum in Jazz's room by accident. She didn't want to race back up the stairs and drag the vacuum down the stairs. If only she could just fly through the ceiling and...
"Oh Duh, I can!" Amanda thought.
"Going Ghost!" Amanda said out loud.
When Danielle heard that, she turned towards Amanda and was shocked to see twin white rings travel up and down Amanda's body, just like when she and her Daddy when they transformed. She saw Amanda's hair turn snow white and her outfit now changed into a suit similar to Danny's, except she had the letter "A" on her's.
Inside the Kitchen, Danny's ghost sense went off. He was about to go ghost himself when he recognized the ghost scent, it was Amanda's, burning ember's and...
"Just what is that other scent, it's on the tip of my tongue," Danny thought as he continued making Dinner.
Back in the living room with a now shocked Danielle and Amanda Phantom.
"Your half-ghost!" Danielle exclaimed.
Amanda turned to Danielle with her now electric-green eyes. "Yeah, I still can't believe it either sweetie. What do you think of Amanda Phantom?" Amanda asked.
Getting out of her stupor, Danielle shook her head and finally looked Amanda up and down.
"You look...so cool," Danielle said excitedly.
"Thanks, sweetie, stay put for a second. I'll be right back." Amanda said as she slowly floated up towards the ceiling.
Concentrating, she soon turned her body became intangible and flew threw the ceiling at the same time. Once she was completely through, Amanda, still intangible looked were she ended up. It was in the Master Bedroom.
"Wrong room," Amanda said as she phased out the door of the room and into the hallway, down to Jazz's room.
"Now where did I...found it," Amanda said as she flew over and grabbed the vacuum, on contact the vacuum became intangible too.
"Well that's new," Amanda said.
When she grabbed the vacuum, she thought it would go up a few inches off the ground, but with one hand she lifted it way above her head.
"Wow, super strength. I guess being a halfa has its advantages," Amanda said as she lowered the vacuum down to knee level.
Still intangible, Amanda floated this time through Jazz's door and back downstairs, not wanting to phase into the downstairs bathroom or even the kitchen, plus she didn't know how long she could hold being intangible for. Once she was outside Jazz's door, her intangibility wore off, but she still held onto the vacuum.
"I still got to work on that, let's just get the vacuum downstairs," Amanda said as she flew with little down the hall and downstairs. Once she was down, she landed and transformed back into her human form.
"That still feels a bit strange, I guess it just takes time before I'm fully used to it," Amanda thought, plugging in the vacuum in a nearby outlet.
So it went, Amanda started in the living room. Danielle generously moved the coffee table around so that Amanda could vacuum underneath it. They occasionally stopped to move and put back the couch and single chair. There was a collection of dust bunnies underneath the couch, but the vacuum made short work of them. Five minutes of work later and the living room was sparkling, the rest of the house was child's play. Keeping a careful eye on Danielle, Amanda let her vacuum since there wasn't much left to do and it gave her something to burn off that excess energy. A few minutes later and Danielle turned off the vacuum and both her and Amanda took a good look at how clean the downstairs was.
Danny, hearing the vacuum shutoff, washed his hands and walked out of the kitchen, only to be surprised by how clean the house looked. It looked better than it ever did in years, there wasn't a spec of dust anywhere in sight.
"Wow!" Danny said.
Danielle, hearing her father's voice rushed up to him and almost tackled him to the ground.
"What do you think Daddy, we did a good job huh?!" Danielle said excitedly.
"You both did a great job my little phantom, I'm proud of the both of you. I think your Aunt is going to flip when she sees this," Danny said patting his daughter on the head and looking at Amanda as she walked up.
"Not too shabby if I do say myself. A lot better than you could ever do huh Mr. Hero," Amanda said.
Danny let out a small laugh, "Oh yeah, a lot better. Thank's you two. Now, how about those brownies I promised," Danny said.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Danielle said as she ran into the kitchen.
"Come on, you two coming?!" Danielle said.
Amanda and Danny both laughed as they both walked into the kitchen.
"We are Danielle, start without us now," Danny said.
So it went the three halfa's went to work to make dessert. After washing their hands, Danny grabbed the book and started to read aloud the recipe.
"Alright, so we're going to need..." Danny said.
(AN: For the recipe and full instructions, search:best-fudgy-cocoa-brownies.)
"Alright, now that we got everything together and measured, now comes the fun part, putting it all together, ready?" Danny asked.
"Yep/Ready," Amanda and Danielle said, both eager to start.
"Okay, let's start with the wet ingredients. First the butter and sugar, we'll cream them to create little air pockets in the butter so our brownies are nice and fluffy," Danny said.
"How do you cream butter and sugar?" Amanda asked.
"Watch, I'll show you," Danny said.
Using a fork, Danny slowly incorporated the sugar with the room-temperature melted butter, being careful to not overbeat them so that way when they add the dry ingredients the brownies will have that nice cake-like texture that makes brownies taste so good.
"There, just like that, that's how to cream butter and sugar," Danny said.
Amanda and Danielle were impressed, Danny looked like and sounded like he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Danny, how many times have you made these?" Amanda asked.
"Let's see...by myself, this would be the first time. I used to make this with my mom all the time when I was little. I'd usually just mix the bowl and lick the spoon. After that Dad would come and sit by the oven and wait for them to bake like he was watching a football game." Danny said, chuckling at the last part.
"This is your first time making these. Then how come you look like you've been doing this for years?" Amanda asked.
"Well...I've taken lessons, from Lunch Lady," Danny said.
"Who's Lunch Lady?" Danielle asked.
"She's a cafeteria Lunch Lady ghost, she told me that all she wanted to keep an order of things in the cafeteria she worked in, just so happened to be my old high school back in the '70s. She um...had a little accident in the cafeteria and passed away a day before she retired," Danny said trying to be mindful to not go deep in detail for Danielle's sake.
"So she regrets not being able to serve the kids one last meal before saying goodbye, that's kinda sad," Danielle said.
"That's how it was for most of the ghosts in the ghost zone sweetie, some just never got to live a full life and their regret turned into hatred and malice," Amanda said, now a bit depressed and slightly angry.
Danny, noticing Amanda's tone, put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave a slight smile as he whispered into her ear, "Some ghosts just want to be heard and some people are just don't have the time to listen. There's a saying: "The path away from inner turmoil begins with a friendly ear. Whenever you're ready I'll be here to listen,"
(If anyone can guess that quote WITHOUT looking it up, I'll give them a special shout out in the next chapter.)
"Thanks, Danny," Amanda said letting a small tear fall before wiping it away. Now a smile on her face.
"Alright, now that's cleared up. How about we finished the brownies, huh. They're not going to make them themselves," Amanda said.
Danny nodded as the continued making the brownies. Now the rest of the wet ingredients, mixing them in and putting them to the side in a separate bowl. Now working on the dry ingredients was easier Danny told Danielle that she could do it all by herself, being a careful eye on how she poured them in so that way there wouldn't be a mess and flour would make them all as white as ghost's in classic cartoons.
"Good job Danielle, now all that's left is to combine the wet with the dry and put it into the oven," Danny said grabbing both bowls, handing the wet to Amanda and the dry to Danielle.
"Okay, now Danielle I want you slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet. Amanda as she's doing that mix them until it's all combined with no visible flour showing," Danny said.
"Here goes," Danielle said as she started pouring, with Danny's help of course.
"That's it...keep it coming," Amanda said as she started mixing it.
Danny was watching with a smile on his face. Seeing this brought back so many good memories with his parents and sister before he became Danny Phantom. It was like they were...
"A family," Danny said a bit louder than he hoped he did.
"You say, something Daddy?" Danielle asked turning to her father.
Danny shook his head, "Its nothing Danielle, how are those brownies coming?"
"I think they're ready for the oven, what do you think?" Amanda asked.
Danny looked at the bowl and saw that the batter looked right, so it was ready for the oven.
"Looks good, now we just need to pour it into the pan and bake it," Danny said as he grabbed an 8 X 10 square glass casserole pan and coated it with a tablespoon of coconut oil and a sprinkling a bit of flour over it.
"Alright. Danielle, as Amanda pours it, I want you to help it out with this rubber spatula," Danny said handing Danielle the spatula.
"'Kay," Danielle said.
"Here goes," Amanda said as she slowly started pouring the batter and Danielle helped it along by scraping at the sides.
This continued until the batter was an inch deep in the pan, spread evenly with Danny's help of course. Giving it a good look over, Danny decided that it was ready to go in the oven, but not until they all indulged in a Fenton Family tradition.
"Alright, it's almost ready to go in the oven, there's only one thing left to do," Danny said.
Danielle and Amanda were confused, didn't Danny just said after they poured it in the pan it would go in the oven to cook.
"Um Dad, aren't we just going to put it in the oven?" Danielle asked.
"We could, but I think we all earned a taste of how our hard work has paid off don't you," Danny said as he took his index finger and wiped a small amount of the batter on it before putting it in his mouth.
"Hey leave some for me!" Danielle said as she did the same as her dad and tasted the spoils of victory.
"OH MY GOSH, IT"S SOOO GOOD!" Danielle exclaimed excitedly as she went in for another swipe of batter.
Amanda, now curious, decided to try some. She gingerly swiped her finger across an unclaimed part of the bowl and gave the brownie batter a taste. Her eyes immediately lit up at the richness of the batter, it also was the right amount of sweetness she'd come to expect from homemade brownies instead of store-bought ones.
"This is good, Danny what do you think?" Amanda asked.
"I think... this is one of the best batches of brownies I've ever made. Well, this is the only batch of brownies I"ve made by myself, but it tastes just like how my mom and I would make it, it's delicious." Danny said.
"You got that right!" Danielle said as she was about to go for another taste, but Danny stopped her.
"Hey, save some room for dinner Danielle. You'll ruin your appetite if you just fill up on brownie batter." Danny said.
"But Daddy!" Danielle said with a whine.
Danny just chuckled a bit, this reminded him of the first time he and his mom made these. Danny said the same thing to his mom and got the same lecture that he's giving his daughter.
"I know it's good, but you still need to eat dinner, afterward you can have as much dessert as your little tummy can have," Danny said tickling his daughter on her stomach, getting a small laugh out of her.
"Fine, but you better keep your promise," Danielle said still giggling.
"When haven't I?" Danny asked.
"Never," Danielle said.
"Exactly, now I'm going to put these in the oven as soon as the chicken is..." Danny said as the timer went off.
"Speak of the chicken, it's done," Danny said as he rushed over to the oven, putting on two ghost-shaped oven mitts and opened the oven, the aroma of the chicken filled the kitchen.
"What do you think?" Danny said.
Amanda and Danielle walked over towards Danny, Amanda now carrying the brownie coated pan over so that way Danny wouldn't have to.
"Careful, it's still hot," Danny said showing them the chicken.
They were amazed by how the chicken came out, golden brown, and still glistening from being baked in the oven. It truly was a sight behold.
"That looks awesome dad, smells good too," Danielle said.
"Thanks, Danielle, I bet it tastes as good as it looks," Danny said now placing the pan on one of the counters to cool.
"I bet it will, after all, if Lunch Lady taught you then it's gonna be great," Amanda said with a smile.
"Yeah, but it's still going to be Jazz's call when it comes to her favorite dish, she can be very picky," Danny said taking the brownie pan from Amanda and placed it on the top rack of the oven.
"How picky can your sister be Danny?" Amanda asked.
Danny let out a nervous laugh as he closed the oven door. "Well let's say that my parents didn't get it right on the first attempt, or the second, or the third. Eventually, they got it right...last year." Danny said.
Both Amanda and Danielle's mouth's dropped.
"Your sisters what 20 by now? It took them 20 years just to get this one meal perfect, I don't believe you," Amanda said crossing her arms.
"Well, if you don't believe me then you can ask my sister when she gets here. The stories she can tell you," Danny said closing the oven door.
Danny grabbed the timer on the counter and set it for 24 minutes. The brownies would be soft and chewy just like his sister liked them, but not total mush where you can't hold them in your hand.
"So when is your sister getting here Daddy?" Danielle asked.
Danny thought about it as he looked at the clock, It was just about 6 o'clock. A normal drive from Yale to Amity Park was about a 15-17 hour drive depending on traffic, but since that Jazz "upgraded" her car then he would guess that she would be here in half that time or maybe even less with how persistent she is.
"She said she'd be here tonight and knowing your Aunt, she's always punctual. When she says "tonight" it usually means just before the sun sets and before the stars come out, so maybe 6:30 pm-7:00 pm," Danny said.
Amanda looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:00 pm. "So she'll be here in 30 minutes," Amanda said.
Danny shrugged his shoulders. "As I said, it could be 30 minutes or she could knock on the door right now," Danny said.
"Well she isn't here now, so what else can we help you with Danny?" Amanda thought.
Danny thought about it and then it hit him when he caught a glimpse at the table.
"Well if the two of you don't mind, the table could be set," Danny said.
"Alright, I think we can do that, right Danielle?" Amanda said.
"Yep," Danielle said.
"Great, the plates are in the cabinet next to me and the silverware is in the second drawer. If you want the "Fancy' napkins are in a box on top of the fridge. My mom sent them to me a while back thinking I would need them, I guess she was right," Danny said with a laugh.
Amanda walked over to the fridge, but she could hardly see anything on top of it, even on her tiptoes she couldn't see anything. Danny looked over and saw Amanda struggling, so he walked over and placed his hands around her slender waist and with ease lifted her so that she could see over the fridge.
Amanda was startled when she felt herself be lifted, she turned around and saw Danny lifting her with his strong arms.
"T-thanks," Amanda said with an embarrassing stutter.
"No problem, you see the napkins?" Danny asked.
Amanda, who now could see over the fridge saw the napkins. Reaching for them she saw just how 'Fancy' they are. The napkins were a royal blue color with a thin gold inner border and on each was a monogrammed 'F' in gold in the center of the napkin.
"Got 'em," Amanda said.
Danny knew that was his cue to put Amanda down, so he carefully set her down.
Amanda turned to Danny and said, "Thanks."
"Anytime," Danny said.
Amanda's face turned rosy pink of the thought of Danny holding her in his strong arms again.
"Y-yeah, Ahem. Come on Danielle we got a table to set," Amanda said trying to hide her embarrassed face from Danny as fast as she could.
Amanda walked over to the cabinet and grabbed the plates and bowls in one and the cups in the other. While Amanda was doing that Danielle grabbed the silverware, being mindful of the knives so she couldn't accidentally cut herself. After everything was gathered, the two began to set the table.
Going around the table, Amanda would place the plates, then the bowls and cups since they were all glass. Then Danielle came around with the napkins and silverware, giving each place a set of silverware. While they were doing this, they could hear Danny at work finishing dinner and it began to smell good in the kitchen. The sweet smell of tomatoes with the creamy scent of melted cheese and the sizzle of the bread hitting the pan was tantalizing.
About a few minutes later Danny had just finished making the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Danielle and Amanda were just putting the final touches to the table when...
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK"
"VAI front door identification please," Danny said as he shut off the stovetop.
"Identity confirmed, Jasmine Fenton. Shall I turn off the Phan Protocol?" VAI asked.
"Yes, let her in, but reactivate it as soon as she closes the door," Danny said.
"Request Acknowledged, Danny," VAI said.
"Chink" The door unlocked and slowly the door opened and revealed a 20-year-old Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton with a black, rolling suitcase in her left hand and her lavender purse crossing her left shoulder to her right side.
Instead of her black, long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. She now wore a mocha brown business casual jacket with a periwinkle blue dress-shirt underneath and a pair of charcoal black slacks.
Jazz's life has changed after graduating Casper high and entering Yale University, Jazz had grown into a confident 5' 7", but now that Danny was taller than her it made her a peeved to have to look up at her "little" brother.
When Jazz first started her college career, she decided it was time for a new look to start her new ghost-free life, so after a few shopping sprees at various locations, she had found a look that matched her "mature" and "intellectual" personality.
Speaking of mature, adulthood had been kind to Jazz as she grew into a beautiful woman. Her body was now more curvaceous, her..ehm chest area now a bit larger. That, in turn, attracted the wandering eyes of more men and even some curious women on and off-campus. However, those who dare tried to "cop a feel" would be severely punished by her martial arts and self-defense skills.
Don't worry though, most of the injuries that Jazz would inflict were nonlethal, but still inflicted pain for several weeks. Jazz hasn't let anyone push her around then and Jazz won't let it happen now.
Now that she was home for vacation, she couldn't wait to see how much Danny has changed since she last saw him.
"Welcome Home Jasmine Fenton," VAI announced.
"Thanks, VAI. Where's Danny?" Jazz asked.
"In the kitchen sis'!" Danny announced.
Jazz set down her luggage next to the door and looked at how clean the house looked.
"The house looks great Danny, when do you find the time to keep it so clean?" Jazz asked.
"Well... I had a little bit of help," Danny said looking at Amanda and Danielle with a smile.
"Really, who?" Jazz asked.
Danielle, who couldn't contain her excitement any longer, she set down the last spoon and ran out of the kitchen and collided into Jazz.
Jazz startled looked down at what hit her and saw a little girl smiling brightly at her. Strange thing though, this little girl looked almost like Danny, but that couldn't mean that she was his...
"HI AUNT JAZZ!" Danielle said excitedly.
"A-aunt?" Jazz asked now a bit nervous.
Danny and Amanda walked out of the kitchen. Jazz saw the woman standing next to Danny and then looked back at the little girl.
"D-Danny?" Jazz asked.
Danny cleared his throat, "Jazz, I'd like you to meet Danielle. She's my...daughter, so that makes you...her aunt," Danny said.
"D-daughter...Aunt...Me!" Jazz thought as her eyes went wide.
With the combination of long travel and this shocking information being thrown in her face, Jazz couldn't stay awake long enough fainted, landing on her back with a thud.
"Jazz!" Danny exclaimed as he rushed to his sister's aid.
Danielle was a bit confused and scared, she didn't mean to scare her Aunt enough to have her faint. Did her Aunt not like her?
"D-daddy is Aunt Jazz okay?" Danielle asked nervously.
Danny looked at his daughter with a small smile as he picked up his sister into his arms bridal style.
"She'll be fine Danielle, I think that she was just a bit too shocked to find out that she's now an aunt that's all," Danny said as he carried his sister over to the couch.
Danielle still looked a bit unsure but followed her daddy over to where her now sleeping Aunt was. Amanda walked over and stood next to Danielle.
"It's alright sweetie she'll wake up pretty soon, I bet your Daddy has a way to wake her up in no time, don't you Danny?" Amanda said.
"Yeah, there should be some smelling salts in the first aid kit under the sink. Would you mind grabbing it, Danielle?" Danny said.
Danielle gave a nod as she quickly ran into the kitchen and found the first aid kit. Taking it in her hand, she made her way back into the living room and handed the kit to her daddy.
"Thanks, baby girl, now let's see..." Danny said as he opened the kit and searched for the smelling salts around the layers of gauze, bandages, sanitizing and other various basic medical supplies.
"Here it is," Danny said holding up a small brown bottle.
Popping off the cap, Danny wafted the smelling salts underneath his sister's nose in hopes of bringing her around. It took a minute before Jazz started to stir, her eyes slowly opened.
"D-Danny?" Jazz asked as her eyes focused on her little brother above her.
"Have a nice nap sis?" Danny teased.
"I had the weirdest dream... a little girl...called me her Aunt," Jazz said as she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Danny looked over and motioned for Danielle to come over. Danielle was hesitant but she slowly made her way over. When Jazz saw the same little girl again, her eyes went wide.
"I'm sorry about making you faint Aunt Jazz," Danielle apologized solemnly.
Jazz calmed down and got a good look at the little girl.
"She looks just like Danny when he was younger, so cute," Jazz thought.
"It's fine...uh," Jazz said.
"Danielle," Danielle said.
"Danielle right, Danny is she your..." Jazz said.
"Yes Jazz, she's my daughter. That makes you her Aunt," Danny repeated this time, slowly.
"I'm an Aunt, I'm an AUNT!" Jazz thought excitedly with a smile on her face.
"Danny when did..." Jazz said as her eyes caught Amanda standing next to Danny.
"Um, who are you?" Jazz asked.
"Well...I'm um...Danny?" Amanda asked a bit nervously about how Danny's sister would react.
"Jazz, don't freak out, but this is Amanda McClain. She um... used to be Ember McLain," Danny said.
Jazz's eyes went as wide as they could go and her jaw dropped, a million questions now racing in her mind.
"How...When...Why?" Jazz asked.
"I'll explain later, but for right now; welcome back home. How about we have dinner?" Danny said changing the subject.
"Alright, what'd you make?" Jazz asked.
"Your favorites," Danny said.
"You didn't?!" Jazz said incredulously now getting up off the couch.
"Sure did come on," Danny said walking into the kitchen.
Jazz immediately followed behind her brother. Amanda and Danielle, on the other hand, were still a bit hesitant around Jazz, but once she was in the kitchen they followed after.
In the kitchen, Danny was grabbing the large pot of tomato soup and placed it on the nicely set table next to the grilled cheeses.
Jazz was caught in awe by how everything looked and how Danny was presenting it.
"Danny, did you make all this?" Jazz asked now sitting at the table.
Danny looked over at his sister, then at Amanda and Danielle who just entered the kitchen.
"Most of it. Dessert, on the other hand, I had a lot of help with," Danny said pointing at the two.
Jazz looked over at Danielle and Amanda with a smile.
"Well then I can't wait to try it," Jazz said.
Danielle and Amanda smiled as they headed towards the table and sat down. Danielle sat on the right side of Jazz and Amanda on the left.
After grabbing a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge, he started to serve dinner. He started with the appetizer of the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Once everyone was served Jazz took the first bite and her eyes went wide.
"Danny this is good!" Jazz said as she went in for another bite.
Danny didn't show it, but as he was pouring everyone a glass of lemonade, he was felt extremely proud of himself, all those lessons paid off, especially now that his sister was enjoying it.
So dinner went on in awkward silence, during each course of the meal the other not sure what to say to each other. Danielle didn't want to eat her vegetables, but with some convincing (IE not having desert if she didn't eat them) from her Daddy and Aunt Jazz, she scarfed them down as fast as she could.
During dinner, Jazz would occasionally look up from her meal and look over at Danielle, internally squealing with happiness about how she was now an Aunt to a pretty little girl. Jazz could see much of her little brother in Danielle, with some features that made Danielle different than Danny. When Jazz took a glance at Amanda she couldn't believe that she used to be Ember McLain, she looked so...human.
About another 15 minutes went by and everyone was taking their last bites when...
BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP!"
Danny, on cue, stood up and walked over towards the oven, put on a pair of ghost oven mitts, and opened the oven. The smell of dark chocolate filled the kitchen. Jazz immediately recognized the smell as she stood up and walked over towards the oven and watched as Danny pulled out the now cooked brownies from the oven.
"Danny you didn't!" Jazz said.
"Yep, Dark chocolate Fudge brownies. What better way to end a good meal than with a good Fenton Family classic." Danny said with a smile as he set the pan down.
"All we're missing is Dad racing from the Lab as mom cut up the brownies." Jazz said.
Both Fenton's started laughing at the memory of their father stopping whatever experiment he was working on just to get the first bite of fudge/fudge brownies fresh out of the oven.
"Yeah...anyway these are still a bit too hot to eat. Why don't I get the dishes taken care of while you get to know your niece and Amanda." Danny said.
Amanda and Danielle overheard this and stood up and walked over to Danny.
"Danny, why don't you let me and Danielle take care of the dishes so that you and your sister can catch up," Amanda said.
"Are you sure, I mean you both already did such a great job on the house and you both are still getting used to your new forms and..." Before Danny could finish Danielle finally spoke up.
"Daddy we got this. You just go sit down. You've earned it," Danielle said with a smile.
"Are you..." This time Amanda glared at him, stopping Danny mid-sentence.
With a sigh, Danny gave in and walked right out of the kitchen. Jazz stayed behind and looked at the remains of what was a good dinner. She had an idea, walking over to the cabinets and if her hunch was right Danny didn't move any of the food saver containers. Her hunch was right, she pulled out a few containers that could hold the remains of the soup and vegetables.
Amanda and Danielle turned around and saw Jazz putting away the leftovers in two containers, confused Amanda asked what she was doing.
"Oh, I just want to help out. It seems that Danny has grown up since the last time I've seen him, now he's cooking like he's been doing it forever. It's like he's a completely different person..well half ghost-human person." Jazz said with a small laugh as she continued to put everything away.
Even though Amanda hasn't done her dishes in a long time,
It didn't take long before everything was put away nice and neatly inside the fridge. Surprisingly, Danny kept everything in the fridge very well organized and Jazz didn't want to ruin it.
"Alright that's done, you two need any help with the dishes?" Jazz asked.
Amanda didn't want to admit it, but she kind of forgot how to do dishes, when your a ghost you don't exactly have to eat and in turn don't have dishes to wash.
"Well if you wouldn't mind, I could use a quick refresher," Amanda admitted.
"Oh sure, here's what you do," Jazz said as she walked over to the sink.
Jazz began to give Amanda and Danielle a crash course on how to do dishes. Danielle had fun making lots of bubbles in the dishwater, making both Jazz and Amanda smile. Eventually, the three had a system. Amanda would wash, Danielle would rinse and Jazz would dry off and put away. With three of them, the job only took a few minutes and the brownies had finally cooled off.
"Well the dishes are done, can we have dessert now?!" Danielle asked.
"We sure can baby girl," Danny said walking back into the kitchen and heading towards the fridge.
Danielle was excited, she and Amanda had a pretty good idea of what Danny was going to pull out of the fridge and they were right. A gallon of Country Rich vanilla ice cream.
"What's fudge brownies without vanilla ice cream?" Danny said.
Danielle was the first one to rush over, bowl and spoon in hand, eagerly waiting for her daddy to open it.
Danny looked down at his daughter and with a laugh, he said, "Hold your horse's little lady, you'll get some. Hey, Jazz you wanna cut up the brownies, I know that was always your favorite part."
With a smile Jazz walked over towards the knife drawer and pulled out a small pairing knife, she didn't need a large knife, but it needed to be sharp. Amanda watched as Jazz ever-cautious stared cutting the brownies into 12 individual portion-sized brownies. Once she was done Danny came over with a serving spatula in one hand and Danielle's bowl in the other.
"Nice work sis'," Danny said as he grabbed a brownie for Danielle.
When Danielle saw the brownie in her bowl, her eyes lit up. She couldn't believe how good it looked and was proud that she had a hand in making it even though her daddy showed her how to do it. To her, it looked perfect and she couldn't wait to take a bite, well after getting some ice cream to go with it she could.
After Danny handed her a brownie he grabbed the ice cream scoop and served Danielle three scoops of the rich vanilla ice cream next to the mouth-watering brownie.
"Why don't you go wait for everyone else in the living room baby girl, go see if there's anything good on TV," Danny said.
"' Kay!" Danielle said happily as she walked into the living room, being careful to not drop her bowl.
Jazz with a smile on her face walked up to Danny with her bowl.
"She's exactly like you when you that age, it's adorable," Jazz said.
"Really?" Danny asked as she scooped some ice cream into Jazz's bowl.
Jazz nodded, "You might not remember but you were the little ray of sunshine in our lives growing up. Whenever something wasn't going right or we were feeling down, you'd walk in and just make everything better. When one of Mom and Dad's experiments failed, you'd run down to the lab and give them a warm hug to make them feel better. Whenever I had a bad day at school, you'd come into my room and we'd start playing a game or you'd have me read you a book and suddenly I forgot what made me upset." Jazz said.
"I did all that, wow," Danny said.
"Yep and even after all these years, you still make everyone's day better. As either Phantom or Fenton, you do make a difference," Jazz said.
"Thanks, sis. All those psychology classes are paying off," Danny said.
"I'm glad, but Danny if you ever need to talk to someone about any of this. You come to me first alright?" Jazz asked.
"Sure sis', why don't you go join Danielle in the living room. I'm sure she has a lot of questions for you, just like you do of her," Danny said.
Jazz retook her now filled the bowl and with a nod walked out of the kitchen. Now that just left Amanda and Danny. Amanda walked up next to Danny with her bowl.
"So you were always Mr. Goody Goody even before you became half-ghost," Amanda said with a light chuckle.
"You heard all that huh?" Danny asked.
"Hard not too, but that doesn't answer my question," Amanda said now handing Danny her bowl.
Danny took her bowl and started scooping some ice cream into it.
"I guess so, I just liked helping people out. I guess it stuck with me," Danny said.
"Yeah and you became a major pain in the butt as you got older," Amanda teased.
"Hey, I wasn't that bad!" Danny said.
"Oh come on Danny, you go to admit. You had a bit of an ego when you were first starting," Amanda said with a giggle.
"Well...I...uh," Danny said now speechless.
Amanda now starting busting up laughing.
"HEY!" Danny said.
"Danny, I'm just messing with you. All the ghosts you fought in the past, myself included had a big ego. Between you and me Technus has the biggest one out of all the ghosts in the ghost zone, then Skulker of course." Amanda said, now both she and Danny laughing.
"You got that right!" Danny said now scooping the last scoop of ice cream into Amanda's bowl.
Danny handed Amanda her bowl and walked over towards the brownie pan and grabbed himself a brownie and headed back to give himself some ice cream. Amanda waited until Danny was done and put the remaining ice cream away, they both walked out of the kitchen where they could hear Danielle and Jazz's laughter coming from the living room. Jazz and Danielle saw the two come into the living room and turned their attention to them.
"Hey you two, what's going on?" Danny asked.
"Look at the TV!" Danielle said still laughing.
Danny and Amanda turned their attention to the TV and both their eyes went wide, on-screen: a really over the top Squash and stretch version of Danny fighting Vlad Plasimus and with a massive punch he launched him into space followed by Vlad saying,
"Curse you Danny Phantom, I will return!"
(For reference, lookup Justice League Unlimited, "Only A Dream" Flash's Nightmare)
Danny facepalmed, he didn't do the actual voice of his character since he couldn't find the time or energy to do it. He gave his approval and they made a few short cartoons of Danny's best fights told from the spectators(Phans) point of view. Now, this was the first time he has ever seen them, so he didn't know how they would draw him.
At this point, Amanda started giggling up a storm.
"Oh my god, Danny. Ego much?" Amanda asked.
Danny sighed, "I didn't make the cartoon, all I did was say "yes". I didn't know it would look like THAT!"
"Oh come on Danny, it's just a cartoon. It's supposed to be over the top. Its probably targeted for a younger audience," Jazz said.
"I think Daddy looks cool, especially beating up Vlad," Danielle said her eyes not leaving the screen.
Danny watched as the cartoon ended with Danny Phantom taking off and the end credits song playing. (Danny Phantom end credits
Jazz cleared her throat and got everyone's attention.
"Danny, I think you still owe me some answers," Jazz said.
Danny turned to Amanda and Danielle, with a nod from each of them Danny started.
"Well here's what happened..."
Jazz intentively listened as Danny began explaining both Amanda and Danielle's stories with their commentary along the way. After twenty minutes, Danny finished the story, her jaw now dropped, and her eyes wide.
"And that's what happened," Danny said.
Jazz couldn't believe that all this happened and Danny seemed to just be okay with it, but knowing her little brother, he is probably freaking out on the inside and just trying to keep everyone calm. This isn't over with their discussions, not if she could help it.
"Aunt Jazz, you okay?" Danielle asked.
Jazz turned towards her niece and after composing herself she said, "I'm fine sweetie, just a bit baffled is all."
Danny looked at the clock, it was still too early to call it a night, and with no alarms blaring or phone calls, it looks like he might get a good night's rest. That's what Danny was thinking before his phone went off.
Reading the caller ID, it was Tucker, and knowing him at this late an hour it had to be an emergency. Answering quickly, Danny quickly went into "professional hero" mode.
"Yes, Mr. Mayor," Danny said.
Danny's tone quickly changed from formal to concerned.
"Wait, Tucker, slow down. What happened?" Danny asked.
Everyone now had their attention on Danny who looked like something was going wrong. That all changed when he started laughing.
"I'm sorry, but Tucker now you know how I felt all those years ago. It'll be fine man, just have a good time and try not to blow it on the first date," Danny said.
Danny moved the phone away from his ear when the sound of soft screaming wailed from the phone.
"Alright, I'm sorry, geez. Anyway, I'll talk to you later okay. Oh, and Tucker; don't have too much fun on the first date." Danny said.
Danny immediately hanged up the call and turned towards the three in the living room.
"Uhhh...what was that about?" Amanda asked.
"Oh, it seems that Alicia asked Tucker out on a date. About time," Danny said.
"Dang she did it, I'm proud of her," Amanda thought.
Danielle and Jazz were both confused, they had no idea who this "Alicia" person was. Jazz couldn't believe that Tucker had a date, much less a girlfriend. She guessed that miracles do happen...eventually.
"Um, who's Alicia?" Jazz asked.
Danny turned to his sister and cleared his throat.
"Alicia's Tucker's assistant. She moved into town a few months after you went to college. You remember when I called you and said that Tucker was in the hospital?" Danny asked.
"Yeah," Jazz said.
"Well, Alicia was the one who helped encourage Tucker to keep on going and exercised along with him. She's been supportive and motivated Tucker to do his best in both life and his work," Danny said.
"That's great, she must be a good influence on him to get him off his lazy butt," Jazz said with a light giggle.
"Oh she has, I didn't think she would ask him out though. That surprised me," Danny said.
"Well duh, it's Tucker you're talking about. He'd more of a chance of getting a girlfriend than Vlad ever did when he tried to win over mom," Jazz said.
"You got that right," Danny said now laughing.
Amanda and Danielle didn't quite understand the joke, so they asked.
"Vlad wanted your mom?" Amanda asked.
Danny turned and looked at Amanda. "Yeah, long story short. He was jealous of my dad for marrying her and thought that being successful and rich would somehow entice her to leave my dad for him. It got to the point where my mom started to hate him just like I do and after he revealed his plan to my Dad, that's when he lost the only friend he had left in the world...well on earth." Danny said.
"He was a fruit-loop," Danielle said.
"You got that right baby girl!" Danny said now laughing.
Jazz turned to her little brother with a smile, it was good to hear him laugh again after all these years. It was like being around these two was bringing back good ol' Danny that Jazz knows and loves. If Ember...Amanda was making Danny happy then she is going to give her a chance to prove that she has changed in her eyes and hers only because trust isn't just given, it's earned.
This is how the rest of their night went, Jazz and Danny shared stories and memories. Amanda and Danielle listened intensively and in awe about Jazz's college career and Danny's heroic acts not only in Amity Park but across the world.
Danielle would ask her Daddy some questions if she didn't understand who or what Danny was talking about and Danny would answer her. Amanda, wanting to strike a conversation with Jazz asked her more about how she decided to become a psychologist and why she chose Yale.
Jazz briefly explained that, like Danny, she liked helping people who were troubled or in pain. Since that she didn't want to follow in her parent's ghost hunting footsteps, she decided to pursue a career that helps people with words, not actions alone.
So far she has helped most of the students at the university with her advice and suggestions, in a dark case she prevented a student from ending their life. Through it all, Jazz hasn't once doubted herself and with much courage, she strives on day after day, and soon enough she hopes to be one of the most accomplished psychologists in the world.
Danny and Jazz continued reminiscing for a while until Danielle's quiet yawn caught their attention.
"Sounds like someone's ready for bed," Danny said.
"What, no I'm not tired!" Danielle said trying to stay awake.
"Danielle," Danny said now a bit stern.
Danielle, try as hard as she could, couldn't help but let out another yawn.
"I think your Daddys right sweetie, you do look tired," Jazz said.
"But..." Danielle said with a whine.
"No buts Danielle, your Daddy, and Aunt Jazz are right. Besides, I think we all could use some shut-eye after all this, don't you agree Danny?" Amanda asked.
Danny was surprised by how quickly Amanda took control of that situation and got Danielle to listen.
"Okay," Danielle said defeated.
This got Danny thinking, where are they all going to sleep? He knew his sister was going to take back her old room, but where would he, Amanda, and Danielle be?
After thinking it over, Danny came up with the answer. Amanda could have the Master Bedroom and Danielle could sleep in his room. Danny could just grab an extra blanket and pillow from the closet and sleep on the couch. It wasn't comfy, but either that or sleeping in the OPs center with all the noisy security devices armed and online. Between the two the couch won by a landslide.
"Well, why don't I go and see if I can find you a pair of pajamas for tonight. Tomorrow we'll get you some clothes that fit you better than my hand-me-downs," Danny said.
"Really, awesome!" Danielle said.
"I knew that shirt looked familiar, didn't this used to be your favorite shirt, Danny?" Jazz asked.
"Yeah, I was kind of surprised to see it again after all these years, gotta love mom and dad for saving some of our old clothes," Danny said as stood up and he gathered all the bowls and spoons from everybody.
Heading for the kitchen Danny quickly washed, rinsed, and dried each of the bowls and spoons. After he was done, he walked back into the living room.
"Jazz why don't you go get settled, if you still remember where it is," Danny teased.
"Ha Ha, don't give up your day job Danny, your no comedian," Jazz said as she stood up and walked over to her luggage.
Jazz picked up her luggage and headed up the stairs. Once Jazz was out of sight, Danny turned to Amanda and Danielle.
"Well until I can get the old guest room cleaned out, Danielle can take my room and Amanda you can have the master bedroom," Danny said.
"Then where are you going to sleep, Daddy?" Danielle asked.
"Oh, I'll take the couch," Danny said.
"Are you..." Amanda said before Danny stopped her midway.
"I'm sure Amanda, this isn't the first time I've slept on the couch and it certainly won't be the last," Danny said with a smile.
"Alright then," Amanda said as she turned to Danielle.
With a nod from Danielle, the two made their way upstairs. Once Amanda and Danielle were upstairs, Danny turned intangible and phased through the floor into the lab below.
Landing on the lab floor, he turned tangible and made his way back to the closet. This time he looked for a box of Jazz's old clothes that would fit Danielle. Most of Jazz's old clothes were a bit big for Danielle, but luck was on his side as he found a matching set of light blue, plaid button-up pajamas that looked like they might fit her for now.
Putting the rest of the clothes back up and resealing the bags, Danny with the pajama's in hand flew back into the living room and headed towards the stairs. Heading upstairs he made his way towards Jazz's room to get her opinion on the pajamas. Knocking on Jazz's door got her attention as she saw Danny walk in as she was unpacking her luggage.
"Hey, Danny, what's up?" Jazz asked.
"What do you think?" Danny asked as he showed Jazz the pajamas.
Jazz put down the shirt she had unpacked and took a closer look at the pajamas Danny had in his hands. From the look of them, they were her old ones back when she was younger. It was kind of nostalgic for her to see them again after all this time.
"They look like her size, but it's what your daughter...I still can't believe I'm saying that. How are you handling this Danny? I mean aren't you... I don't know afraid of being a parent," Jazz said.
"Well...I wasn't expecting to be a father at 18 but Danielle, she needs me and I'm going to try to be the best father I can be. Right now it's getting my little girl some clothes to wear for tonight," Danny said.
"Well, in any case, I think Danielle will like them," Jazz said.
"Let's hope she's not as picky as you are," Danny teased.
"Hey, I'm not that picky!" Jazz retorted.
Danny gave her the "are you sure about that?" look.
"Okay... maybe I am a little bit picky," Jazz admitted with a nervous laugh.
With a smile Danny, he rolled his eyes.
"Thanks, Jazz. Goodnight, Danny said.
"Night Danny," Jazz said.
Danny walked out of Jazz's room and closed the door behind him. While he was making his way to his room he heard Amanda and Danielle's voices from the bathroom. Without making a sound, he walked over to the door and peeked inside.
"Alright, teeth are brushed and flossed. Ready for bed Danielle?" Amanda asked.
"Yep. Hey Amanda?" Danielle asked.
"Yeah?" Amanda said.
"Well...um," Danielle said nervously.
"What is it, Danielle?" Amanda asked.
"Do you think that Daddy's parents will freak out the same way that Aunt Jazz did?" Danielle asked.
"I don't think so, I mean... they might yell at your Dad for having a kid at a young age, but I think they'll love you just the same as most grandparents do and even if they didn't it'll be their loss for not getting to how much of a sweet little girl you are," Amanda said.
"Really?" Danielle asked.
"Really," Amanda said.
Danielle wrapped her little arms around Amanda's waist. Amanda returned the embrace with her arms around Danielle's shoulders.
"Thank you," Danielle said, a smile on her face.
"You're welcome sweetie," Amanda said.
Danny decided to let the two have their little moment as he walked away from the bathroom door and towards his room.
Opening his bedroom door, he saw that his room wasn't right for Danielle. Putting down the pajama's, he as quickly as he could without using his powers, he cleaned up the room and made his bed. As an added touch, he went into his closet and pulled out a small, star-shaped night light that his parents bought him when he started having nightmares.
"Wonder if this thing still works?" Danny thought.
"Only one way to find out," Danny said as he walked over to an unused outlet just across from the bed.
Once he plugged it in and flipped the switch, the bulb lit up. Pleased to see that it worked, he walked back over to his bed and fluffed the pillows. Just as he put the pillow down Amanda and Danielle walked into the room.
"Hey, you two. Look what I found," Danny said showing Danielle the pajamas.
"Are those for me?" Danielle asked.
Danny nodded as he handed Danielle the pajamas.
"These were your Aunt Jazz's when she was your age, hopefully, they fit you alright," Danny said.
"I'll try them on right now!" Danielle said.
"Alright, let me just grab mine before you do baby girl," Danny said as he went to his dresser and grabbed a pair of black silk pajamas with white trim on the cuffs and collar.
(Authors note: For those wondering, YES the pajamas were based off Danny's old ghost costume. He had a line of pajamas based on himself and some of his old ghost foes; Ember included.)
With his pajama's in hand, he and Amanda walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind them. After a minute, Danielle called out to Amanda.
"Amanda?" Danielle asked.
"Yes, sweetie?" Amanda said.
"Um..can you help me with the buttons please?" Danielle asked.
Amanda turned to Danny, with a smile and nod from him, Amanda reopened the door and saw that Danielle was having difficulty aligning the buttons. Amanda gave a small giggle as she helped Danielle finish put on her pajama shirt.
"There we go," Amanda said.
"Thank you," Danielle said.
"No problem," Amanda said.
"Can I come in now?" Danny asked outside the door.
"Yeah Daddy," Danielle said.
Danny walked in and saw Danielle run up to him.
"They fit okay Danielle?" Danny asked.
Danielle nodded as she did a 360 turn.
"Good, now I think it's someone's bedtime," Danny said.
"But I'm not...(Yawn) tired," Danielle said.
"Could've fooled me, come on. I'll tuck ya in," Danny said as he picked up Danielle and walked over to the bed.
Amanda pulled back the freshly made covers and Danny put Danielle in bed and after Amanda covered her up, Danny tucked Danielle in.
"Daddy?" Danielle asked.
"Yeah baby girl," Danny said.
"Can you...can you sing to sleep?" Danielle asked a bit nervously.
"Well...alright, but don't laugh when you hear me sing deal," Danny said.
"Deal," Danielle said with a sleepy smile as she got cozy under the covers.
Danny thought about a good lullaby to sing for Danielle and one came to mind.
"Alright...here goes.." Danny said as he took a deep breath and started to hum a melody.
(AN: To listen to this song yourself, Follow this : watch?v=1tNteadOLoo)
As Danny softly finished the song, Danielle was soon fast asleep with a smile on her face and heart.
"Good night Danielle, sweet dreams," Danny said as he kissed Danielle on the forehead.
Danny turned to Amanda and with a finger to his lips, the two walked out of the bedroom and as Amanda turned off the lights and left the door slightly ajar, she turned to Danny with a surprised look on her face.
"I didn't know you could sing," Amanda said.
"Neither did I, guess I'm full of surprises," Danny said walking away.
"What song was that?" Amanda asked following after him.
"I'll always be with you, by Sheena Easton and Jesse Corti. Sometimes after I fell asleep I could hear mom wish for me to have good dreams," Danny said with a smile on his face.
"And now you passed down that song to Danielle," Amanda said.
"Yeah, I guess I did," Danny said.
The two stopped as soon as they realized that they were in front of Amanda's room.
"Well...um...goodnight," Danny said as he started to walk away.
However, he only got a few steps away before Amanda grabbed his wrist.
"Amanda?" Danny asked.
"Um...well...do you mind if...if we just talk some more, you know...until I fall asleep," Amanda said her face now slightly red.
Danny thought about it. Even though he was getting tired, a couple more minutes talking wouldn't hurt him. Besides maybe now they can talk about who or what had Fright Knight attack Amanda.
"Sure," Danny said.
Amanda released his hand and opened her door.
"You go on ahead, I'm going to change real quick, be right back," Danny said heading towards the bathroom.
Amanda walked into the bedroom closed the door behind her.
Five minutes later
Danny walked out of the bathroom with his day clothes under his arm. Now donned in his pajamas he was ready for a good night's sleep. With a quick stretch and yawn, he made his way back to Amanda's room.
When Danny made his way to Amanda's door a wave of doubt crossed his mind. His hand frozen above the door.
"Come on Fenton, you can do this. Just knock on the door and she'll let you in. Simple."
Letting out a calming breath, he steadied his nerves and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Amanda said from the other side of the door.
Hesitantly, Danny opened the door. When he walked through and saw Amanda sitting on the bed, his eyes went wide and his jaw nearly dropped. Amanda was no longer wearing the "borrowed" clothes from Jazz. She was now wearing crimson red, silk pajamas. The pajama's hugged every single curve of her slender body perfectly. Danny couldn't help himself and just stare before he finally asked.
"W-where did you get those?" Danny asked.
"Well..." Amanda started.
(15 minutes ago Amanda's POV)
"Well...um...goodnight," Danny said.
As Danny turned and walked away, I started feeling...alone. This feeling almost consumed me when I heard a voice call out to me.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, STOP HIM!" The voice said.
Without thinking grabbed his wrist stopping him.
"Amanda?" Danny said.
Now that I had him, I didn't know what to do. The voice on the other hand did.
"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE, GET TO KNOW HIM BETTER!" The voice said.
"Um...well...do you mind if...if we just talk some more, you know...until I fall asleep," I said nervously my heart now beating a mile a minute.
I felt my heart race a mile a minute as I stared at Danny, his eyes never left mine as he spoke.
"Sure,"
I was relieved, I carefully let his hand go and put it on the doorknob. I was about to open the door when Danny said, "You go on ahead, I'm going to change real quick, be right back,".
I gave him a nod as I watched him briskly walk towards the bathroom door with his pajamas under his arm. Once I saw that he was gone, I closed the door behind me and let out a relieved sigh as I slid down the shut door. I could feel my heart start to slow down with each breath I took. I thought I was in the clear when I heard someone knocking at the door.
"There's no way Danny could've changed that fast...could he?!" I thought.
I got up and nervously opened the door. When I saw that Danny wasn't on the other side I got really confused. I was about to shut the door again when my eyes caught something. Looking down there was...a note and Pajamas? I was really confused, but when I read the note it made sense.
I thought you could use these.
-Jazz.
"Jazz I owe ya," I thought.
I was about to get a better look at the Pajama's when I saw that there was more on the back of the note, my face turned red.
PS: These are silk, please don't leave any stains.
AN:(Get your mind out of the gutter everyone, silk stains are impossible to remove)
(End of Flashback Amanda's POV)
Amanda couldn't tell if Jazz was being honest or just messing with her, but nevertheless, she didn't tell Danny THAT part but finished her story with somewhat of a straight face.
"Well it sure was nice of my sister to loan you a pair of Pajamas," Danny said.
"Yeah, it was," Amanda said.
There was an awkward minute of silence before Danny finally broke the ice.
"So...you wanted to talk about something, is something wrong?" Danny asked.
"ALRIGHT, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. ASK HIM ANYTHING!" Amanda's Inner voice said.
So back and forth Amanda would ask Danny questions, like his favorite foods, hobbies(except for ghost hunting), and others. Danny would answer and each time he would ask her the same questions and included his own, EX: Favorite Music(besides hers), type of movies she likes to watch, and stuff like that. They continued this session for about 15 minutes before Amanda asked a question she was hesistant to ask.
"Well...How do you do it?" Amanda asked.
"Do what?" Danny asked confused.
"Live," Amanda said quietly.
"What was that?" Danny asked.
"How do I...live?" Amanda asked.
"What do you mean, how to live?" Danny asked.
"Danny, After being a ghost for so long that I don't know if I have any humanity left in me. What if... I'm not alive?" Amanda said her head drooping.
Danny in shock didn't have an answer. He had asked himself that same question after the accident that first made him half-ghost. Was he really still alive or was he just lucky that he hasn't passed on? Sure, after a while he had gotten used to the idea of being half-alive, but Amanda she has only a day of this new experience and she was just supposed to be okay with this. No, that isn't fair to her. She'll need time and training to get used to all this, but right now she needs his support.
Grabbing Amanda's hand and tilted her head towards him, he looked her right in the eye.
"Amanda, I don't think I can answer that. Life happens no matter where you are, whether you make it or not. If anyone has truly lived, it's you." Danny said.
"Me, really?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah, think about it. You became an international musician in just a few hours than it takes most to do in their whole career. You have the initiative and drive to pursue your goals, so what you really think you're not living." Danny said.
Amanda finally looked up at Danny and met his gaze with wide eyes.
"You mean that?" Amanda asked.
"Yes, I do Amanda. In the short time that I've gotten to know you better, I now see who you truly are, you're strong, caring, smart, funny...beautiful. And that's what makes you human. That's what makes you..." Danny said as he got lost in Amanda's eyes.
"You're so..." Danny said as he slowly leaned in and grazed his lips against Amanda's in a chaste kiss.
Amanda's eyes went wide as Danny pulled away. When Danny saw what he had done, his eyes went wide and his face turned red.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I just got caught in the moment and..." Danny said before Amanda stopped him by putting her hands on his face.
"Danny," Amanda said.
"Yeah?" Danny asked nervously.
"Stop talking," Amanda said as she pulled Danny towards her and their lips once again met, this time much more intense as their eyes closed from the sensation.
Amanda looped her arms around Danny's neck and Danny wrapped his around Amanda's waist and back. After what seemed like hours, the two broke away both completely out of breath only a lips distant apart.
"Wow," Danny said.
"Didn't know you had it in you babypop," Amanda said with a smile.
"Neither did I, but...I'm glad I did," Danny said with a smile of his own.
The two just stared into each other's eyes for a while before Amanda broke the silence.
"Hey, Danny?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah?" Danny asked.
"Do you think this is okay?" Amanda asked.
"What do you mean?" Danny asked.
"Well...us. I mean don't get me wrong Danny I do like you and all, but I don't want this going too fast. You know what I mean?" Amanda asked.
Danny nodded.
"I do, I was kind of thinking the same thing. I know that both of us have had rough relationships in the past, but that doesn't mean that we don't deserve happiness. So for now we'll take it slow and if one day we decide to go further then it'll just bring us even closer together," Danny said.
"Danny...Thank you," Amanda said laying her head on Danny's chest and wrapping her arms tighter around Danny.
"Your welcome," Danny said.
After a while, Amanda's eyelids started to get heavy and her body started to droop. Danny saw that Amanda was starting to fall asleep, so he slowly started to get out of Amanda's grip, but Amanda stopped him.
"NOOOO, STAY!" Amanda said with a tired whine.
"But..." Danny said.
Amanda looked up at Danny with tired "Puppy dog" eyes. Danny never could find it in him to say no to that face to anyone.
"Fine, you win," Danny said with a sigh.
"Yes!" Amanda's internal voice screamed in victory.
Danny readjusted himself so that way he and Amanda were both laying comfortably on the small bed. As Danny watched Amanda slowly fall asleep, he couldn't help but smile something about this just felt right and for the first time in a long time, Danny felt at peace.
Finally, they kissed. The question is what will tomorrow bring for the new couple. Find out this and more in the next chapter of When Core's collide, Chapter 14: Day out and Drama.
Stay tuned my Phamily,
Mr. Rolyac.
(Oh and To AvenegedReader. I didn't forget about you. LOL.)