Welcome back, phans!

I bet you thought I'd forget about this day. Ha! As if! Happy 16th Anniversary, Danny Phantom! And a Happy Anniversary for my Season 3 fic. Whoo!

Special thanks to SuchTalesPhantasmic for being the ONLY ONE to review my story since BG224's back in Chapter 1.

Ver. 1.0.0 (4/3/20)

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. I almost did, but then I got a tasered in the back trying to get it. It was quite an experience and I never want to go through it again. I also don't own "The Heretic Anthem". Okay, let's begin the episode.

TRIGGER WARNING: Scene involving excessive blood/ectoplasm. Viewer discretion is advised. Warning will be alerted prior to scene. If you complain or I get some bullshit notice, there will be hell to pay. And it will come out of your pocket.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

In the forest, just outside of Amity Park, Danny, Danielle, and Trevor were standing in the middle of a clearing, all preparing for training.

"Alright," said Trevor as he walked away from them, "You two ready?"

White rings appeared around Danny and Danielle as they went ghost.

"We're ready," they smirked.

"Fair warning," said Trevor as blue rings traveled up and down his body, "No holding back. I won't, so neither should you."

The two Phantoms held out their glowing green hands and aimed them at Specter.

"What's the point in training if we don't push ourselves?" Dani smirked.

"Then it's not training, is it?" Logan replied before he spun around and waved his glowing blue hand towards them.

Danny glanced over and saw a large stump flying towards him and Dani. He fired a powerful ghost ray at it and the dead wood shattered into splinters and woodchips. Dani took her eyes off Specter for a brief moment and the halfa took the opportunity to blink up to her and punch her in the face.

*POW*

Dani was knocked back a few feet and she tumbled a couple times before she regained her footing and skidded to a stop. Danny turned his head and aimed his hand directly at Logan's head. As soon as he fired the ghost ray, the younger halfa blinked away and the attack blasted a bush away.

"Watch your back!" Dani taunted as she flew behind Logan.

He looked over his shoulder and fired a few ghost rays at her as she closed in on him. Dani spun around and kicked her glowing feet through the air a few times, unleashing waves of ecto-energy at Specter. He leapt around and ducked under the projectiles, avoiding any hits. He glanced back up in the air, but Dani had vanished from sight.

"Very clever, Danielle," Specter smirked before his eyes turned blue, "but I'm no spring chicken."

His eyes darted around the area until he saw a green aura flying underground.

"Found you," said Logan.

*WHAM*

Danny dashed in and punched Logan across the face, sending him flying through the air. Dani emerged from the ground and fired a ghost ray out of her hands, hitting Specter in the chest. The force of the blast threw him up and he came crashing back down into the ground on his back.

"Ow," he groaned.

His eyes shot towards Danny just as he fired a ghost ray at him. Specter quickly turned intangible and phased into the ground.

"Where'd he go?" Dani asked as she landed back to back with her 'brother'.

"I don't know," Danny replied, "Keep your eyes open."

"It's not a matter of what you should be looking for," said Specter as he shot out of the ground between the two half-ghosts.

The two Phantoms turned and gasped as Specter grabbed them by the throat and choke-slammed them into the ground.

"OOOF!" they grunted before glaring into Specter's eyes.

"It's a matter of using all your senses," he explained, pinning the two to the ground, "Take advantage of your surroundings and not rely solely on your eyes and ears."

"Oh, yeah?" Danny smirked, "Well, I've got a lesson for you."

"Really?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow, "And what might that be?"

"Never hold me down, face to face," Danny replied.

Specter's eyes widened, but before he could escape, Danny unleashed his Ghostly Wail.

*Whoo-oo-OO-OO-OO-oo-oo-oo-OO-OO-OO-oo-oo-oo-OO-OO-OO~*

Specter held his ground for a few moments until the force of the attack overwhelmed him. He lost his grip on the Phantoms' throats and was sent flying through the air until his back slammed into a large tree on the opposite end of the clearing. Danny ceased his attack and got back to his feet while Specter fell to the ground.

"Good thinking, Danny," Dani told him as he helped her to her feet.

"I'm actually impressed as well," said Specter as he got back to his feet, "Nice to see that you've gotten better with not burning yourself out with your Ghostly Wail."

He blinked over and joined the others. The moment he was in range, Dani threw her fist into Logan's face, knocking back to the ground.

"Ow…" he groaned, rubbing his bleeding nose as he sat up, "Was that for the punch in the face earlier?"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a lady?" Dani smirked, crossing her arms.

"Well, given that I've lived with three of them for most of my life, I'd like to think so," Specter replied as he got back up, "However… given that we are training to fight an indiscriminating murderer, you'll have to expect anything. Like… this."

Using his telekinesis, Specter threw a bunch of dirt into the air, causing dust clouds to appear and get debris in Dani's eyes.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as she rubbed her eyes, "That's cheating!"

Logan grabbed her hand and turned it and her body intangible, allowing the dirt to leave her eyes. Dani blinked a couple of times before turning to Logan as he turned her tangible again.

"Where I'm from, all's fair in war," he told her, "We fight using anything and everything at our disposal to survive. What makes you think your opponent's gender determines the way you fight? You think I'm gonna be nicer the way I fight Ember or Spectra compared to Technus or the Box Ghost?"

"I guess not," said Dani as she glanced down at her hand, "Can you let go of me now?"

Specter's eyes shift to the hand that was still in his and he quickly released it.

"Uh, sorry," he said, looking away as he blushed, making Danny smirk at his discomfort.

"So, what's next?" Dani asked as she punched and kicked the air, "Target practice? Sparring? Endurance test?"

"Actually, I was thinking of trying something new," Specter replied as he held out his right hand.

Nearby, leaning against a tree, the Ethereal Shield was surrounded in a blue aura and shot forward towards Specter. It landed in his hand and he briefly examined it.

"Let's see how strong this shield is," Specter smirked, "Ready for round two?"

"Always," said Danny as his hands and Dani's began to glow green.

*Cue Intro*

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Danny Phantom in: Unbreakable Bonds (Episode 65)

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

As the sun drew closer to the horizon, a young adult was lifting dumbbells at a gym in Amity Park. He had some muscle tone, but he wasn't as bulky as most other gym goers. His arms strained and sweat was pouring down his face. His arm fell and he gasped for air as the weight laid on the bench next to him.

"This is dumb," he muttered, "I've been coming her for six months now and I've barely gotten stronger or bigger."

He grabbed the towel the was lying next to him and wrapped it around the back of his neck as he got up and went for the changing room. A minute later, he came out and stormed out of the gym.

"Waste of money and time," he grumbled as he walked past a dark alleyway, "All this just to impress some girl. I wish I was the biggest and the strongest human in the world."

A pair of red eyes appeared from the shadows of the alley before they floated into the light, revealing the genie-ghost as she eyed the young man.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be," Desiree smiled as she waved her hand around over her head.

Green sparkles trailed her hand as a large wisp of magical green ecto-energy danced towards the wish maker. The man continued walking down the sidewalk until the energy floated around him.

"Huh!?" he exclaimed as his body was surrounded in Desiree's ecto-energy.

He began to shake as his wish became reality; his arms and legs slowly began to grow, followed by his eyes turning red. Up above, Danny, Dani, and Logan were flying over the city, heading back to the Fenton Works as the day was coming to a close.

"How's your arm, Logan?" Danny asked over his shoulder.

"It's fine," Specter replied, "The shield holds up pretty well."

"Don't you have the Deadshot though?" Dani asked, "Why use a shield?"

"Reaper's scythes," said Logan.

"Oh."

"Even then, I won't know if they will be of any use until I face him again," Logan continued, "For all I know, he might cut through it as though it was wet tissue paper."

"Hope that doesn't happen," said Danny.

Suddenly, the two Phantoms gasped and a blue mist escaped their mouths.

"Specter…" said Danny.

"Yeah, I see it," he replied as his blue eyes stared down below, "And it's a big one."

Down below, a hulking ghost with burning red eyes and slightly tattered shorts stomped around the streets, flexing his muscles.

"Look at me!" he shouted, "I'm amazing! I have become the strongest man in the world!"

People turned and ran away screaming as the ghost walked over to a school bus and lifted it up by one hand with ease.

"Look at what I can do!" he exclaimed, "Look at how impressive I am!"

Behind him, the three heroes floated down and hovered inches above the ground.

"He doesn't appear to be a threat," said Dani, "He just wants to show off."

Specter's eyes remained blue as he squinted at the ghost.

"Something's strange about this one," he muttered, "I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like I've experienced something like this before."

"What should we do?" Dani asked.

"Leave him to me," said Danny, "I'll see what he's doing and send him somewhere else."

Phantom flew over and revealed himself in front of the ghost.

"Uh, hi," Danny waved.

"Hey there," the ghost replied as he dropped the bus to the ground with a heave thud.

"Look, not to sound rude, but you seem to be scaring everyone away," said Danny, "Mind telling me what you're doing?"

"I'm just walking around and showing off my sweet body," the ghost smirked, flexing his arms, "Got my guns right here."

"That's, uh… nice, dude," said Danny, "Why don't you go somewhere else and compare muscles with other weightlifters?"

"Compare my body to those weaklings!?" the ghost laughed, "What's the point when I'm the strongest man alive!?"

"Uh, dude?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow, "You're a ghost."

"I'm a human, shrimp!" the ghost exclaimed, slightly irritated with what Danny told him.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Danny asked, "You're green and radiating ecto-energy. You're a ghost."

"Are you saying I'm invisible!?" the ghost exclaimed, "You think you and everyone else can ignore me!?"

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked, "All I'm say is-"

*WUMP*

The ghost punched Danny in the face and sent him crashing into a clothing store.

"Danny!" Dani exclaimed.

"Phantom!" Specter exclaimed, his eyes back to their neon green color.

The two flew in front of the ghost and landed before him.

"What's your beef, muscles!?" Dani shouted, "Lost looking for Muscle Beach!?"

"More likely he got that buff using steroids," said Logan.

The ghost's red eyes began to glow in anger, and he unleashed a loud scream before reaching over and picking up a car in each hand.

"You do realize that gravity has no effect on ghosts unless we're stunned, right?" Specter asked, "We can literally pick up a 100-car freight train and not break a sweat."

"Wait, we can do that?" Dani asked.

"I dunno," Specter shrugged, "I just wanna see why this guy thinks he's the strongest person in the world."

"Because…" the ghost explained as he lifted the cars over his head, "I made a wish and it was granted."

Dani's and Logan's eyes widened as the spun their heads toward the ghost.

"Wait, you did WHAT!?" Specter exclaimed.

"HRAAAAAA!" the ghost shouted as he heaved the cars at the young half-ghosts.

Dani instinctually went intangible as Specter held out his hands and telekinetically grabbed one of the cars, halting it midair. The second car was too much strain on him and he wasn't able to grab it as well.

"I got it!"

A green glow surrounded the second car as it stopped in place as well.

"Huh?" said Dani as she turned to see her male counterpart floating out of the clothing store's broken window, holding his hands up, "Danny! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered as he and Specter reoriented the vehicles before putting them back down on the street, "And now the owners of these cars won't have their insurances go up."

"HEY!" the ghost shouted as veins started bulging through his skin, "Pay attention to me! I'm not some useless slab of meat for you to just ignore! I'm a person too!"

"High blood pressure, short temper, excessive muscle density," Specter listed out, "If I didn't know better, I would definitely say this guy is juicing."

"Specter, can we not upset this guy and try and deal with this situation with ease?" Danny asked.

"I think that went out the window the moment he threw you into the store," Specter pointed out before his eyes turned blue again, "You two keep him busy while I go and search for a certain ghost genie."

Peaking around the corner from the alley, Desiree watched the event unfold before her as Specter began scanning the area. It didn't take long before his eyes locked on to her. She let out a gasp when Specter blinked in front of her and glared at her.

"Found you," he muttered.

Danny and Danielle turned their attention back to the bulky ghost and prepared for him to make the first move.

"RrrraaaaAAAAHHHH!" the ghost shouted as he charged them at inhuman speeds.

"Whoa!" the two Phantoms exclaimed as they jerked aside, barely avoiding getting rammed.

The ghost barreled his way through the wall of a local market, leaving a bit a destruction behind.

"Jeez, people actually act like this when using steroids?" Dani asked as she and Danny floated toward each other.

"I think that whole 'roid rage' thing is a myth," Danny clarified, "I hope… Come on, let's try and get him away from the people and keep him in place long enough for Specter to deal with Desiree."

"How about I just beat you two up instead?"

"Huh!?" Danny and Dani exclaimed as they looked down.

*BAM*

The ghost erupted from the ground and became tangible just before smacking the half-ghosts away with a back hand, causing Danny to slam into the wall across the street and Dani to tumble along the road.

"OOOFFF!"

"Uuuggghh…"

Danny glared at the ghost and floated back into the air.

"Alright, now I'm getting angry," he said as his hands began to glow green.

Danny fired a barrage of ghost rays at the ghost, peppering him from the front.

"Grrr…" the ghost growled as he shielded himself behind his arms, "You call that an attack? This is nothing but a tickle!"

"Try this one on for size!"

"Huh?" the ghost muttered as he looked over his shoulder to see Dani flying towards him, ready to punch him.

Unfortunately, Dani gave herself away too soon and the ghost reached out with one of his hands, grabbed her by the wrist as she threw her punch, and launched her at Danny, propelling Dani with her own momentum.

"Danny!" she shouted, "Tag team!"

"Got it!" Danny replied and flew towards her.

The two reached out a hand to each other just before passing one another and grabbed on. Danny spun Dani around him and launched her back at the ghost before rocketing behind her.

"Keep your eye on the birdie!" Dani smirked.

"You think I don't see you coming?" the ghost laughed, "I'll just toss you away again!"

Dani held her arms out in front of her and fired a powerful ghost ray at the ghost. Again, the ghost blocked it with his arms held up as he kept his eye on her. At first it appeared that Dani intended on trying to punch him again. But just before the ghost was about to go for the grab, Dani pulled up and flew over the ghost. He kept watching her, unaware that the older halfa was flying right behind her.

*POW*

Danny punched the ghost across the jaw, staggering him back a few feet.

"Nice hit," said Dani as she and Danny stopped and floated in the air.

"Yeah, but it'll take more than a punch to stop him," Danny frowned as he looked over at the ghost.

The enemy glared at the two half-ghosts before glancing over and pulling a streetlight from the ground.

"Uh oh," Danny moaned.

"Batter up," the ghost grinned as he readied the streetlamp like a bat.

The two Phantoms quickly turned intangible just as the ghost began to swing the weapon towards them. It passed right through them, but it also made a huge impression into a bus parked on the side.

"What do we do now?" Dani asked as the ghost pulled it out from the warped metal.

"Distract him with a few ghost rays," Danny told her as they became tangible again, "I'll get in close and try to get that streetlight out of his hands before he causes anymore damage."

Dani nodded and flew up a few feet above the ghost and began firing a few ghost rays around him while Danny turned invisible and flew around to get behind the ghost.

"You're irritating to no end!" the ghost shouted at Dani as she continued distracting him.

His eyes began to glow, and a pair of ghost rays shot towards Dani. She gasped as she quickly dodged them, watching them disappear into the distance. Danny then shot forward with a glowing green fist ready to punch the ghost but didn't realize that his reflection was coming off the window from the building between him and the ghost. The ghost saw the sneak attack and spun around with the streetlight out.

*WHAM*

Danny was sent flying through the air before he skidded across the street on his back. A faint trail of ectoplasm followed him as soon as he hit the asphalt.

"Danny!" his little 'sister' cried out as she flew down towards him.

She knelt down beside him and helped him sit up.

"Are you okay!?" she exclaimed before gasping, "Your back is bleeding!"

"Ah… I'm fine," Danny replied.

"Not for long," the ghost chuckled as his shadow loomed over the two, getting their attention, "Time for some more punishment."

"Not happenin', pal!"

Everyone turned to where the voice came from and saw Specter holding a Fenton Thermos in his hands and a downed Desiree on the ground.

"I wish you would turn this man back to the way he was before he made his wish and I wish for you to go into the Thermos," Specter told Desiree.

"Oh, shoot," Desiree muttered as her hands began to move on their own, granting Specter's wish.

A strange green mist appeared around the ghost, causing him to be alarmed.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, "What's going on!?"

"You've caused enough trouble today," said Specter as he fired the Thermos, "Get over yourself."

The ghost disappeared inside the magical cloud as Desiree was pulled inside the Fenton Thermos.

"Nnoooooooooo!" she shouted as Specter slapped the cap on, "I will return! People will get what they desire!"

"Careful," said Specter, "Last thing we need is for you to give Reaper the advantage."

"No! I'm getting… weaker!" the ghost exclaimed as his silhouette began to shrink and morph back into that of a man, "I don't want to be weak! I hate being weak! I'm the strongest person in the world!"

The mist vanished, revealing the young man in only his slightly shredded shorts.

"There, back to normal," Danny smiled.

"NO!" the man bellowed, "I had finally achieved my dream! I was the strongest man in the world."

"Yeah, man," said Specter, "Doesn't really mean anything when you're a ghost."

"I… what?"

"Uh, you turned into a ghost," Dani explained, "You were green and had ghost powers."

"Oh…" the man moaned, looking around and seeing the damage he had done, "Oh, what have I done?"

"I wasn't entirely your fault," Danny explained, "You wish was granted by a genie ghost, but she likes to twist the way the wish was made."

"You don't need to feel guilty about it," said Specter, "You should get out of here. Might give people the wrong idea with you just wearing shorts in the middle of the city."

"My clothes!" the man exclaimed, "I need to get home!"

He ran off panting, leaving the two Phantoms watching with slight confusion.

"Weird way to react when someone says you became a ghost," said Dani.

"Well, at least everyone's safe," Danny smiled before he groaned in pain and flinched.

"You okay, Phantom?" Specter asked, slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Danny replied.

"You've stopped bleeding," Dani told him.

Specter walked over to check Phantom's back and saw that the wounds had already begun to close, although his suit was still slightly damaged.

"Healing factor sure does wonders for us," Danny smiled.

"Yeah," Specter scoffed, "I'd rather avoid any injuries, thank you very much."

"Hey, it's not like was trying to get hurt," Danny responded, getting irritated.

"Wasn't saying you were," said Logan, "But don't take your fast healing for granted. Not everyone can heal as fast or well as you can. Just be glad this isn't the worst injury you could have gotten."

"I've had worse," said Danny, "And hopefully you won't have to experience pain like I have."

Specter's eyes turned blue and ecto-flames began to flicker from his right eye as he glared at Danny.

"That's a dangerous thing to assume, Phantom," he growled, "You think you know pain? I guarantee you that no matter what you've gone through, it's a papercut compared to what I've gone through."

"I find that very hard to believe," Danny replied.

"Can we not fight, please?" Dani asked nervously as she stood between the two, "It doesn't matter who's gone through more pain, can we just move on."

"Whatever," Logan scoffed as he rubbed his left shoulder, "I'm heading back to Manson's. You can send Desiree back to the Ghost Zone yourself."

He tossed Danny the Fenton Thermos and turned around as Phantom caught it.

"I'll meet up with you when I find something on the Orbs," he said before he took off into the air and flew away.

Dani looked worriedly over to Danny and saw him frowning as he prepared to fly off the opposite direction.

"Danny?" she asked.

"Come on, let's go home," he told her, "I'm not in the mood to argue."

"… Okay," Dani sighed and followed her 'brother' home.

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The next day, Danny was walking with Tucker and Sam to school, telling them about what had happened the day before.

"I don't get why Trevor was so worked up over me getting injured," said Danny.

"I think it was more about the fact you assumed he doesn't know what pain is like than the fact you got hurt," said Tucker.

"Well, how much pain could he have ever gone through?" Danny asked, earning him a look from Tucker and Sam, "What?"

"Remember when you got your powers?" Sam asked, frowning at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, not a fun memory," Danny sighed, "But we don't even know how Trevor got his powers."

"Regardless, I think you're both being childish," said Sam.

"Hey, look over there," Tucker interjected, pointing over towards the front of Casper High.

Danny and Sam looked over and saw Valerie slowly making her way over to the school entrance. She looked exhausted and she appeared to have bags under her eyes. She stretched out her arms and yawned as she made her way up the steps.

"Looks like Valerie's still taking late night shifts hunting ghosts," said Tucker.

"She's also got her father to worry about now that Vlad knows his secret is known to her," Sam added.

"She could use some help," said Danny, "Come on, let's catch up with her and talk to her."

The three teens hurried up the steps and entered the halls. They glanced around but didn't see Valerie anywhere.

"She must already be in class," said Tucker, "We'll try talking to her another time."

Just down the hall and around the corner, Valerie continued walking as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. She didn't notice that she had walked by a group of A-listers.

"Hey, isn't that Valerie?" Kwan asked the others as he thumbed over his shoulder.

"What's with her?" Paulina asked, "I thought her father was rich again. If she's not working anymore, why is she so pale?"

"Maybe she just had a bad night and couldn't sleep," Star suggested, "Oh, I know what we should do! We should let her back in the A-listers."

"That's not a bad idea," said Dash, "Let's talk to her later and see what she thinks. Besides, better than hanging out with the losers."

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

A few miles away, Dani Phantom was flying through the air, heading for the Manson residence.

"I hope Trevor doesn't mind if I ask for some extra training," she said to herself.

Sam's house came into view a couple seconds later and Dani began to descend. She landed in front of Sam's greenhouse and took a moment to look around to make sure she was alone before she reverted back to human form.

"That's a lot of plants in there," said Danielle as she peered inside the greenhouse before walking away, "Never would have thought Sam had green thumbs."

As she approached the backdoor, her ghost sense went off and her head whipped around as she searched for the ghost. The door opened, causing her to jump.

"Oh, Dust, it's just you," Danielle sighed, putting a hand over her chest.

"You okay?" Dust asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Danielle as she entered, "You just made my ghost sense go off. Is Trevor here?"

"Yeah," Dust replied as she morphed into her raven form, "He's in the guest room. He's, uh… not in the greatest of moods."

"He still irritated about yesterday?" Danielle asked as Dust flew into the other room.

"You hear that?" Dust asked over her shoulder.

If you're 555, then I'm 666

If you're 555, I'm 666

"Yeah? Why?" Danielle asked as they went upstairs.

If you're 555, then I'm 666

(What's it like to be a heretic?)

"The only reason he plays this song is when he's angry," Dust explained.

"Plays?" Danielle asked as she opened the door.

If you're 555, I'm 666

(What's it like to be a heretic?)

She was surprised to see Trevor playing on a set of holographic drums. The music was so loud that she had to cover her ears and hold her beanie in place while the vibrations in the air blew her hair back.

Yeah!

Heretic!

Yeah!

Trevor's hands and legs went nuts on the drum set as Danielle fought her way inside.

"Trevor!" she shouted, but her voice was a mere whimper compared to the music.

Thirty seconds, sixteen, eight, four, lemme tell you why

I haven't the slightest, I'm teaching your brightest

"Trevor!" Danielle shouted again before tapping his shoulder.

"Huh?" Trevor exclaimed as he stopped playing and looked over his shoulder.

They're listening, clamoring

All the money in the world can't-

Realizing that Danielle was there, Trevor pressed a button on one of the drumsticks, stopping the song and removing the drums from sight.

"What?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"Sorry," Danielle apologized as she readjusted her beanie, "Danny told me you played drums, but I never knew you played that well."

"Why are you here?" Trevor asked as he folded his drumsticks and put them in his pocket.

"I was wondering… would you like to train with me right now?" Danielle asked.

"Oh?" Trevor asked over his shoulder as he got up from his seat and turned around, "Is this your way of trying to get me in a better mood or are you genuinely worried about being unprepared for Reaper?"

"… Both?" Danielle shrugged with a nervous smile, "Unless you've got something more important to do…?"

Trevor took a deep breath and sighed.

"She does bring up a good point, Trevor," said Dust as she landed on the bed and ruffled her feathers.

She glanced over to the desk and saw the laptop open with a bunch of windows open, each with research results of the Orbs of Power.

"I can handle the researching for a few hours on my own," she pointed out, "You and Danielle can spend some quality time together."

Trevor gave her side-eye while Danielle raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Quality time?" she asked.

"Training, of course," Dust replied innocently, "There's nothing wrong with that. Right, Trevor?"

A blue ring appeared around Trevor's waist.

"Come on, Danielle," he said to her, "Let's head outside."

"Are you okay?" Danielle asked, "If you don't want to, we can do it another time. I know you're still a bit irritated about what Danny did yesterday."

"No, no, it's fine," Dust interjected, "Go on, it'll be good for his health."

"Dust…" Specter growled telepathically, "Shut up."

He turned around and floated toward the wall. He turned intangible and phased through it. Danielle was still confused but shrugged it off before going ghost and following Specter outside. Dust chuckled to herself as she floated over to the desk and morphed into her normal form.

"He's so easy," she smirked to herself.

"Oh, am I?" Specter asked into her ear as he made himself visible behind her.

Dust's eyes widened and she gulped nervously.

"You will not entice my feelings again, understand?" Specter ordered, "Otherwise, I will force you back into the medallion after plucking all your feathers out, one by one. Got it?"

"You have no power over me," Dust smiled without turning away from the screen.

"Logan?" Dani called out, poking her intangible head through the wall.

"Coming," he replied and went off to train with Dani.

Once outside, Logan and Dani floated high above the Manson residence and looked around.

"I think this will be fine," he announced, "As long as we don't damage anything below, I doubt Sam's parents will throw me out."

Dani raised an eyebrow, which Specter noticed when he turned to face her.

"What, Dani?" he asked.

"Since when did you start referring to us by our first names?"

"If I answer that question, will I be presented with Reaper captured in a Fenton Thermos and my brother unharmed, all on a silver platter?"

"Uh-"

"In other words, what does it matter?" Logan asked, "Now… what do you want to do today?"

"Hand-to-hand combat," Dani replied, "Since you mentioned avoiding causing damage, better to try something that won't destroy homes."

"… Honestly, using your fists against Reaper is not something I'd recommend…"

"But if I have no choice?" Dani asked, "I must be prepared for anything, right?"

"Heh," Specter smirked, "Alright."

The two halfas floated away from each other a couple of feet and readied themselves to fight. Logan's began to glow blue and he rocketed towards Dani.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

At the Fenton Works, Jack and Maddie made their way downstairs to the Fenton Works' Lab, with Jack holding a Fenton Thermos in his hands.

"Phew," he sighed, wiping his forehead, "That ghost sure gave us a fight."

"I can see why Danny had trouble with him before," Maddie sighed, "No wonder all the electronic stores have been missing inventory and have been damaged in the past year."

"Well, now there's only one thing to do now," said Jack as he approached the Fenton Ghost Portal, "Send this ectoplasmic scum back to where he came from."

"Ectoplasmic scum!?" Technus exclaimed from within the Thermos, "I am Technus, you oversized buffoon!"

"Blah, blah, blah," said Jack as he opened the Portal, "Empty words from an evil ghost."

"I will return!" Technus exclaimed as Jack fired the Thermos into the Portal, "You hear me!? I WILL RETUUUUuuuuurrrrnnnn…!"

"And that is how Jack Fenton deals with mouthy ghosts," he smirked.

"My hero," Maddie smiled, giving Jack a gently pat on the cheek, "Now, where were we before we were interrupted by that ghost sighting?"

"I believe we were working on additions to the Ecto-Skeleton," said Jack, "What exactly, I do not know…"

While the Fentons were discussing their latest project, they didn't notice an ectopus that was nearly ten times larger than normal squeezing its way through the Portal and entering the lab. It quickly noticed the ghost hunters and quickly turned intangible before phasing through the ceiling.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jack exclaimed as he turned his attention to the Ghost Portal controls, "I better close the Ghost Portal before trouble escapes into our world."

He pushed his thumb against the scanner and the Fenton Ghost Portal doors closed.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Noon had arrived and Team Phantom was sitting in the cafeteria, having lunch. Danny and Tucker began gorging away at their Sloppy Joes burgers while Sam was eating a salad she brought with her.

"Ugh," Sam groaned, "You are definitely not getting a kiss goodnight from me later."

"What? Even if I brush my teeth?" Danny asked with his mouth full.

"You'll need a tanker's worth of toothpaste and mouthwash to clean that mouth of yours," said Sam as she took a bite of her salad.

"Have you ever considered eating meat in a life or death situation?" Tucker asked before taking a large bite out of his burger.

"Remember the first time Danny fought the Lunch Lady Ghost?" Sam asked, "What do you think?"

"Shame," Tucker sighed, "More pork Sloppy Joes for me!"

"Uh, Tucker? You do realize that Sam can't eat pork, even if she did eat meat, right?" Danny asked.

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Sam."

"Hey, as long as it's not an animal and it's edible, I'll eat it," Sam smiled.

The three silently ate their lunch for a few moments before Danny spoke up again.

"Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Trevor…"

"Like I said before, Danny," said Sam, "I think both you and Trevor were acting childish."

"I guess you're right," Danny sighed, "I should apologize to him later."

"Yeah, much later," said Sam, "I walked by his room this morning and he was in a very bad mood."

"He said something to you?" Tucker asked.

"No," Sam replied as she took another bite of her salad, "but the choice of songs he played on the drums was a good sign that he was mad."

"That bad?" Danny asked.

"Songs? No, they're great," Sam smirked, "His mood? Understatement."

Danny groaned in displeasure.

"If you want, I could try and talk to him later," Sam offered, "He's not doing anything today, as long as nothing comes up."

"Thanks, Sam," Danny smiled.

Over by the cafeteria serving line, Valerie grabbed her tray of food and made her way over to the tables. She distanced herself from the A-listers' table and looked for a place to sit. Her eyes stopped at Danny, Tucker, and Sam, stopping her dead in her tracks. She glanced away as she remembered all the things she tried to do to Danny before learning his secret. A moment later, Danny and Tucker saw her standing alone and waved at her. Sam turned around and joined them. Although their smiles were welcoming enough, Valerie hung her head and walked over an empty table, away from everyone.

"Man, she's still upset with herself about before," said Tucker as Valerie sat down.

"It's been over a month and ever since we got back to school, she's been walling herself away from everyone. I figured she'd have joined us by now," Danny sighed.

"Some things take longer to get over than others, Danny," said Sam, "It's not like we can force her to join us."

"No," said Danny before a smile appeared on his face, "but we can help her in another way."

"You mean have her join our friend group instead of our ghost hunting group?" Tucker smirked.

"Great minds think alike, Tucker," Danny replied as the two high fived each other.

"Come on, you dorks," said Sam as she stood up and picked up her food, "Let's give her some much needed company."

Valerie sighed as she rested her head on her hand while poking her finger at the burger bun.

"Are you gonna eat it or take it home and give it a name?" Danny quipped as he sat down across from her.

"Uh, Danny!" Valerie exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, we're here too, ya know," Tucker laughed as he sat down next to her and Sam next to Danny.

"Oh… hey, guys," said Valerie, feeling slightly uncomfortable, "Why are you guys…?"

"We've noticed how lonely you've been lately and figured to give you some company," Sam explained.

"That's nice of you guys to worry, but-"

"Valerie," Danny interrupted, "It's okay. Really."

"For you," said Valerie, "I'm still getting over the fact that you're… you know, Phantom."

Danny turned to Tucker for help, and he nodded.

"Valerie, why don't you hang out with us after school today?" Tucker suggested.

"Huh? Really?" Valerie asked, "I'm not sure it would be a good idea for me to go hunting ghosts with you."

"Who said anything about hunting ghosts?" Danny asked, "We're just asking a friend if they'd like to hang out with us."

"I don't know," Valerie sighed.

"Valerie," said Danny, "I promise, no ghost hunting. We'll just hang out at the Nasty Burger after school and talk."

"Care to put money on that, Danny?" Sam smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"About what?" Valerie asked.

"Anything," said Tucker, "School, life, anything you want."

"Well… I guess it would be okay," said Valerie, "We haven't even talked in a while."

"Hate to say it, but I won't be there," said Sam, "I need to have a… talk… with someone…"

Valerie raised an eyebrow, wondering why Sam said it like that.

"So, what do you think, Valerie?" Tucker asked, "Got some free time later?"

"Sure," she replied, "I can't keep feeling guilty and wall myself off forever."

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

"Ha!" Dani exclaimed as she threw her fists at Specter.

The two were training high in the air. He held his arms out in front of him, blocking each blow as they came. Dani then spun around and swung her heel out to perform a spin kick. Logan quickly descended out of the way and threw an uppercut at Dani. She quickly drifted aside, barely dodging the attack before Specter went full offensive. His fists began to spark with blue electricity as Dani avoided every punch thrown at her.

"You're getting better at dodging," Specter noted, "Keep this up and you might be as fast as your brother."

Dani grabbed his fists and the two were stuck in a stalemate. As they strained to overpower the other, Phantom reared her head back and then slammed her forehead against Specter's.

*BAM*

"Owwww…" Dani groaned as she released Logan's hands and floated back a couple feet, gripping her head in pain.

"Yeah, don't do that," Logan deadpanned, unfazed by the attack, "It's a lot harder to perform correctly than you think."

"I can tell," Dani muttered, still wincing in pain.

"You okay? We can take a break for a few minutes and wait until the pain goes away."

Dani glanced over to Logan and was about to answer when she gasped and her ghost sense went off.

"Oh, why now?" she complained as she and Specter glanced around for the ghost.

"Over there!" Logan exclaimed, pointing down below.

Dani looked over and saw a giant ectopus chasing after scared civilians.

"That's one giant squid."

"Ectopus," Logan corrected, "And, yeah, that thing is huge."

The ectopus grabbed a couple of people with its tentacles and lifted them into the air. It flew up into the air and held the two captives in front of it.

"Let me go!" they exclaimed.

A creepy smile appeared on the ghost's face and it let them go.

"No, wait, not like THIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiissssss!" they screamed moments before they began to fall.

Two black and white blurs shot through the air and caught the screaming individuals.

"Don't worry," said Specter.

"We've got you," Dani added as they reached the ground.

The two half-ghosts put them back on their feet and watched them run to safety.

"You up to fight it?" Logan asked as he and Dani turned their attention back to the ectopus, "I can take care of it by myself."

"A headache's not gonna stop me," Dani smirked, "Let's go."

The two flew back up towards the ectopus and prepared to fire ghost rays at the ghost. The ectopus glared at them and inked at them with ectoplasm.

"Whoa!" they exclaimed as the ectoplasm flew between them.

"Careful," Specter warned, "That stuff is like tar; it'll take forever to get that stuff off most things."

"Good thing we have intangibility," Dani smiled as she and Specter started firing ghost rays.

"Uh, that doesn't work with this stuff."

"Really?" Dani asked.

The ecto-energy pummeled the ectopus for a few moments before it turned intangible and flew towards them. As the ghost rays phased through it, the ectopus made a pair of its tentacles tangible again and grabbed Dani and Logan.

"Urgh!"

"Urk!" Dani exclaimed, "H-hey… I can't turn intangible!"

"Me neither!"

The ectopus turned the rest of its body tangible and pulled them close to its face.

"Uh, sorry?" Dani smiled nervously.

The ectopus' red eyes glared at them.

"Oh, no," Dani groaned.

The ghost lifted the two over its head and then threw them down towards the ground. Specter and Phantom couldn't recover in time and gasped when they saw that they were heading straight for the side of Sam's house. They shut their eyes and instinctually turned intangible at the last second, phasing through the wall. Specter managed to regain control of his flight and grabbed Dani's hand, stopping them both in the middle of the room.

"Phew," Dani sighed, "Any later and Sam's parents would have put restraining orders on us."

"I think I would have been more worried about what Sam would do to us," Logan said as they turned tangible and he let go of her hand.

Dani looked around and realized they were in Sam's room.

"Oh, yeah… wow," she chuckled, "That would have been bad."

An eerie growl got their attention and they watched the ectopus slide the window open and squeeze its body into the room.

"Why didn't it just go intangible?" Dani asked.

"I don't know," Logan shrugged, "Another important question, I fear, that may never be answered."

The ghost launched its tentacles at the pair and Dani and Logan responded with a barraged of ghost rays. Unfortunately, they did nothing against the tentacles as one grabbed Dani by the leg and another grabbed Specter by the throat.

"Oh, not ag-AAAAIIIINNN!" Dani shrieked as she and Specter were lifted from the ground.

"This is actually getting really irritating," Specter growled.

The ectopus glared at the two halfas and growled in their faces.

"Jeez, get a breath mint," Dani grimaced before she held her hands out and an orb of green ecto-energy formed between her palms.

A moment later, she released a power ghost ray at the ectopus, hitting it directly in its left eye, causing it to roar in pain.

"Yeah, that's right!" Dani shouted, "How does that feel!?"

The ectopus glared at her with its good eye for a moment before it swung her around and slammed her into the ground.

"OOF!" she exclaimed.

"Dani!" Specter shouted.

The ectopus lifted her up and then slammed her into the ceiling.

"Hey!" Specter exclaimed, "Put her down and leave her alone!"

The ectopus grinned and threw Dani across the room, slamming her face first into the wall. Her body slowly slid down the wall as she lost consciousness and landed flat on her back. A white ring appeared around her waist and she reverted back to human form. Logan's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. He turned his head back at the ectopus and his eyes began to burn blue.

"Alright… now I'm pissed," he growled and grabbed the tentacle that was wrapped around his neck.

The ectopus looked confused, wondering what its prey was planning. Blue arcs appeared all over Specter's body for a moment before he unleashed a surge of electricity out of his body, electrocuting the ectopus. The ghost cried out in pain and released the half-ghost, causing him to land on his back. The ghost screamed in pain for a couple moments longer before it inked the entire room with ectoplasm, including Danielle and Specter. As he sat up, Logan wiped his face and watched the ectopus squeeze through the window and fly away.

"Oh, no, you don't," he growled as he swiped his glowing blue hand out towards the bedroom door.

In the guest room, Dust was sitting on the bed, busy researching on the laptop while listening to music on a pair of headphones. Under the bed, the Fenton Deadshot began to glow blue and it flew through the air. The bedroom door began to glow blue as well before it opened by itself and the rifle flew through the entryway. Dust glanced over and saw the door opening.

"Huh?"

Back in Sam's room, the Deadshot darted across the room and landed in Specter's hand. As soon as his hands were on the weapon, he began to charge it with blue ecto-energy and his electrokinesis. He blinked over to the window and aimed down the scope at the ectopus as it flew off.

"Eat this."

Specter pulled the trigger and an electrified blue energy beam shot through the air at a blinding speed. Just below the bedroom window, Sam opened the door and entered her home. The ectopus glanced behind just as the beam made contact, blasting it further away and shocking it with an even more potent electrical attack. Through the scope, Specter watched as the ectopus disappeared into the horizon as electricity coursed through its body.

"Uhhh…" he sighed as he let the stock hit the ground and leaned against the Deadshot.

"Ow," Danielle groaned as she sat up and rubbed her head.

She glanced and saw the sticky mess the ghost had left behind.

"Oh-"

"I know," Specter muttered as a blue ring appeared around his waist, "I know…"

"What happened!?"

Trevor and Danielle turned and saw Dust standing by the door, looking around in disbelief.

"Well, besides the fact that I forgot to telepathically ask for your help," Trevor deadpanned, "an ectopus the size of a bus showed up and basically kicked our asses."

"You guys are soscrewed," Dust said.

"Only if Sam finds out," Danielle noted as she wiped some ectoplasm out of her hair.

"Only if I find out what?"

"Goodbye, life," Danielle whimpered.

Dust turned around and stepped aside, revealing Sam, who had just arrived home from school. She entered her room and looked around. Her bed, ceiling, floor, desk, even a couple of clothes left on the ground and the closet was covered in ectoplasm.

"Umm… I can explain…" Trevor said calmly.

"Let me guess… a ghost showed up?" Sam asked.

"Uh, Sam?" Danielle asked.

"Guys, it's fine," Sam laughed, "This shouldn't be too much a problem to clean up. This isn't the first time something like this has happened."

"Yeah, about that…" said Trevor, "Ummm… Danielle? Dust? Cover your ears."

Sam arched an eyebrow as the two did as they were told.

"We got inked by an ectopus. A large one," Trevor explained.

"And?" Sam asked.

"Ectoplasm inked from ectopuses is like tar," Trevor continued, "Not even intangibility can get it off easily."

Sam's eyes widened.

"Wait… are you saying…?"

"It won't stain, but-"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?"

Trevor removed his hands from his ears and turned back to Sam.

"Done?" he asked.

"Trevor, if you, Danielle, and Dust don't clean this up right now…"

"Yeah, that will take us some time," Trevor muttered, "Also, it was my fault, not theirs."

"I might know a spell that can clean this up," Dust offered.

"I'd rather not risk making things worse, Dust," said Danielle.

"I don't care who's fault it is," Sam seethed, "I want this mess cleaned up! NOW!"

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Across town, Danny and Tucker were sitting across from Valerie at a booth at the Nasty Burger, prepared to eat their food.

"It was sweet of you guys to invite me to hang out with you," said Valerie.

"It's nice to talk to you again, Valerie," said Danny, "It's been kinda…"

"Awkward having the same classes?" she asked.

"Exactly."

"So, what's been going on in your life, Valerie?" Tucker asked.

"Not much. Ghost hunting, school, trying not to worry my father."

"He knows you're still hunting ghosts?" Tucker asked.

"He's not exactly supportive of my line of work… not that I'm getting paid anymore," said Valerie.

She noticed the worried looks on Danny's and Tucker's faces when she said that.

"Not that we're not financially set now," she clarified.

"We know," said Danny, "Um… are you and your dad safe?"

"Eh," Valerie shrugged, "So far, so good. But if Vlad does anything to my father, oooh, boy, is he gonna get it."

"Remind me not to hurt your father," Danny joked.

"I'll be glad to remind you," Valerie smirked, "even after you hurt him."

"Um, I don't think it'll go that far," Danny nervously smiled.

"Better hope it never does," Valerie playfully threatened.

"You and your dad must be close, huh?" Tucker asked before taking a bite out of his burger.

"Yeah," Valerie sighed, "For as long as I can remember, it's always been just me and him. I don't know what I would have done without him."

"No mom?" Tucker asked.

"No," Valerie answered, "She passed away when I was very young. I don't have any memories of her."

"Sorry to hear that," said Danny.

"My father took her loss pretty hard," Valerie explained, "Mostly focused on his work whenever he wasn't taking care of me. But he always found time to be the best father he could."

Danny's face fell as he sighed.

"Sorry for getting him fired, Valerie," he said.

"Huh?"

"When Cujo broke into Axiom and caused all the trouble that got him fired," Danny clarified.

"Danny, I don't blame you for that anymore," Valerie smiled, "I was just angry and thought Phantom was the one at fault and… wait, who's Cujo?"

"That's what Danny named the ghost dog," Tucker smiled, "I wanted to call him 'Banner', but I didn't have any say at the time."

"So… why did the dog attack Axiom?" Valerie asked.

"He was just looking for his chew toy," Danny explained, "I think when he was alive, he was a guard dog for Axiom. After he passed away, he turned into a ghost and wanted his toy again."

"Like an obsession?" Valerie asked.

"Exactly," said Danny.

"What's going on, dweebs?"

Danny groaned in annoyance as he, Tucker, and Valerie looked over and saw Dash, Kwan, and Dale standing next to their booth.

"What do you want, Dash?" Danny asked.

"Well, besides your face at the bottom of my foot," Dash smirked, earning him a glare from Tucker and Valerie, "Me and the guys want to talk to Valerie."

"Well, I don't want to," said Valerie, "Why don't you and your other friends go away and let us eat and talk in peace?"

The A-Listers were surprised by the response.

"What's with you, Gray?" Dash asked, "I know you used to date this loser, but now that you're no longer living in the slums, we figured you'd like your spot back with the A-Listers."

"Aw, that's sweet," Valerie replied deceitfully, "You want me to rejoin a group of bullies and jerks who do nothing all day but have others do our homework, cheat on their tests, and pick on others just because you're bigger and stronger? I think I'll pass."

"Are you joking?" Dash asked.

"Am I laughing, Baxter?" Valerie glared.

"Come on, Dash, leave them alone," said Kwan, "What's one less person?"

"Hold on, guys," said Dale before he turned to Valerie, "Valerie, come on, why not hang out with us again. You had no problems with us when you were with us before I moved away*. I heard how you moved back to your old place with your dad when I got back a few weeks ago. What changed in the past year?"

"You really want to know?" Valerie asked.

Dash, Kwan, and Dale nodded.

"What happened was I found some friends, real friends, who showed me how cruel and awful I really was to everyone," Valerie explained, "And the sad thing is, I was just like you."

"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Dash exclaimed.

"It means you're all nothing but bullies," Valerie hissed, "I was blinded by popularity and wealth for too long, Dash. So, no. I won't be rejoining your bully group. Now, unless you want to start trouble, I suggest you leave me and my friends alone now."

"Ha!" Dash laughed, "You're just like Fen-turd! You're a loser like the rest!"

"If anyone's the loser, it's you, Dash," Valerie glared.

"Whatever!" Dash exclaimed, "Come on, guys. Let's leave get out of here."

He turned around and walked back over to the table where Paulina and Star were sitting. Kwan and Dale looked at one another and shrugged before following him. Kwan paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder.

"Uh… take care, Valerie," he told her.

"You too, Kwan," Valerie smiled.

Kwan made his way back to the A-Listers as Valerie sighed in relief.

"Took them long enough to leave," she muttered.

She turned to Danny and Tucker and was a bit surprised to see them staring at her with wide eyes and mouths hung open.

"What?" she asked.

"Did… did you just stand up against Dash?" Tucker asked.

"For us?" Danny added.

"Well, duh!" Valerie laughed, "I'm not gonna let my friends be pushed around by them."

"Where were you when school began?" Tucker smirked.

"You didn't have to do that for us, Valerie," said Danny, "It's not like Dash would actually hurt me here."

"I had to do something, Fenton," said Valerie, "Doesn't it get tiring being pushed around by Dash all the time?"

"Honestly, it's been like this for so long, I reached about three different levels of being tired of it," said Danny.

"How long?" Valerie asked.

"Pretty much since we were little kids," said Danny.

"'We'?"

"I've Danny's best friend since kindergarten," said Tucker before he turned to Danny and smirked, "Remember the time he took your toy rocket ship?"

"Space shuttle," Danny corrected, "But, yeah… I do."

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

10 Years Ago

"Hey! Give it back!"

A young boy with messy black hair wearing a white t-shirt with red sleeves and a red rocket ship on the front, faded blue jean shorts and grey shoes** was jumping up and down trying to grab his toy space shuttle that was being held over his head. They were in the middle of a playground, surrounded by a dozen other kids.

"Or what?" the taller boy holding the toy taunted, "You'll cry to your mommy?"

Danny continued to try and get his toy back, but the blond boy wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and white shoes just smirked and dangled the toy over the shorter boy, just out of his reach.

"Come on, Dash," said another boy, "Give it back to him."

Dash glanced over his shoulder and saw another boy wearing glasses, a red baseball cap, dark blue t-shirt, dark green cargo shorts, and black shoes.

"Why should I, Foley?" Dash sneered, "You gonna tattle on me? Is that what you are? A tattletale?"

He reached over and took Tucker's glasses off his face.

"Hey!" Tucker exclaimed, "Give me back my glasses!"

"Make me, four eyes!" Dash laughed, "You two are losers!"

The other kids began to laugh as Danny and Tucker jumped up and down to try and grab their things from a laughing Dash.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Present

"Remind me, why am I helping again?" Dust asked as she scraped a chunk of ectoplasm off the ceiling with her hands.

The ectoplasm was removed from the ceiling but tore off some of the finishing with it. Dust lifted her left hand and a purple rune appeared around it as she began to chant a spell. The small fragments that were embedded in the ectoplasm moved out of it and shot back into place on the ceiling.

"Because we must appease the empress," Trevor replied flatly as he aimed a Fenton Thermos at the ectoplasm in Dust's hand and absorbed it inside.

"Well, if someone didn't bring an ectopus inside my room," Sam growled as she laid out the clothes on her bed that Danielle had cleaned, "you three wouldn't have to do chores."

"I'm actually half tempted to use my time medallion to show how it was an accident and we didn't intentionally bring it here," Trevor muttered.

"Don't even think about it, Trevor," Dust warned.

"Hey, I promised not to time travel with it," Trevor retorted, "I never said anything about using it to show other points in time."

"Less talk, more work," Sam ordered.

"Sam, I can do this on my own," said Trevor as he kneeled down next to more ectoplasm, "And Dust wasn't even involved with the fight."

Sam looked over her shoulder and gave Trevor a death glare.

"That doesn't work on me, Manson," Trevor deadpanned.

"Shut up and clean up this mess," Sam told him.

Trevor rolled his eyes and scooped more of the tar-like substance from the floor. As he stored it inside the Fenton Thermos, he caught sight of a large book that was leaning against Sam's desk. He wiped his right hand on his shirt before reaching over and picking the book up. He arched an eyebrow as he began flipping through the pages.

"Huh," he exclaimed, "I didn't know you had a scrapbook, Sam."

"Oh, did you find it?" Sam asked over her shoulder, "*Gasp* Tell me it's not ruined!"

"Relax, it's miraculously unscathed," Trevor said sarcastically, "Jeez, this whole thing is basically a visual diary."

"I call them 'memories'," Sam smirked as she reached over and took the scrapbook from him.

She began flipping through older photos and sat down on the bed.

"Ooh, can I see?" Danielle asked as she sat down next to Sam and leaned over, "Wow, there are so many photos."

"Well, there are plenty of things I want to remember and look back on," Sam smiled as she turned a couple pages.

"Awww, it's little Team Phantom," Danielle chuckled, "Is that you in a pink dress?"

Sam glanced over and saw a photo of Danny, Tucker, and herself when they were in kindergarten.

"Oh, god, I hated that dress," Sam groaned, "I literally wanted to burn it and bury it at sea."

"So, you've been friends with Danny and Tucker you whole lives?" Danielle asked.

"Well, most of my life," Sam explained, "Danny's known Tucker longer. This photo was taken a week after I first met them."

"What were they like?" Danielle asked, "How did you guys become friends?"

Trevor and Dust slowly got more interested in the conversation rather than the cleaning.

"Pretty much the same," Sam smiled, "As for how we met…"

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

10 Years Ago

A young girl was sitting under a tree, avoiding the other kids in the playground. She had long black hair that reached to her midback and was wearing a pink pleated dress with matching pink wristbands on each wrist, a pink ribbon tied into a bow on top of her head, and a pair of pink Ugg boots. She was not exactly happy either.**

"Hmph," she pouted, "Why does mommy make me wear these stupid clothes?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw all the children rushing over to something. She shrugged it off and stared off into the distance.

"Hey! Give it back!"

The girl raised an eyebrow and glanced over to the group of kids.

"Or what? You'll cry to your mommy?"

"What's going on?" she asked out loud as she got up and walked over to the crowd.

"Come on, Dash. Give it back to him."

The girl pushed between two boys and saw a tall blond boy taunting a shorter black-haired boy by holding a toy space shuttle over his head. Another boy wearing glasses was trying to help the other boy get his toy back.

"Why should I, Foley? You gonna tattle on me? Is that what you are? A tattletale?"

The taller boy reached over and stole the other boy's glasses, taunting him the same way as his first victim.

"Hey! Give me back my glasses!"

"Make me, four eyes! You two are losers!"

As the other kids began to laugh in amusement, the girl pushed past a couple other kids and approached the bully.

"Hey!" she shouted, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The bully looked over and saw the girl standing up to him, arms crossed and eyes glaring.

"Ha, look at this, Fen-loser!" Dash exclaimed, "Looks like you need a girl to help save your toy!"

"Ugh," the girl scoffed, "Just give them their stuff back."

"Or what?" Dash asked, leaning towards the girl, "You're a girl. You can't do anything to-"

*WHAM*

The scream that Dash unleashed was the girly scream that any male kicked in the balls could make. He let go of the toy and glasses and grabbed his poor balls as he fell to the ground in the fetal position. Danny and Tucker caught their respected items and stared at them for a moment before they stared at the girl.

"So…" the girl smirked, "who's being a girl now?"

The other kids nervously backed away and returned to whatever activity they were doing before Dash got their attention. The girl turned to the boys who were bullied and was slightly surprised to see them staring at her.

"Uh… are you two okay?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh… yeah, thanks," said Tucker as he put his glasses back on.

The girl turned to Danny, who seemed to be zoned out as he kept staring at her.

"Um, hello?" she asked.

Danny shook his head and rubbed the back of his head, nervously.

"Oh, uh, yeah… hi," he said, slightly blushing.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked, "Did he break your toy?"

Danny inspected his toy space shuttle for a moment.

"It's fine," he smiled.

He glanced back at the girl gave her a toothy grin.

"I'm Danny," he said, "And this is my best friend, Tucker."

"Hey," said Tucker.

"I'm Sam," said the girl.

"Sam?" Tucker asked, "Isn't that a boy's name?"

Sam glared at Tucker and kicked him in the shins.

"Ow!" Tucker exclaimed, grabbing his shin and hopping around on one foot as Danny laughed.

"It's short for Samantha," Sam explained, "But I hate being called that."

"Sam it is, then," said Danny, "Hey… You're the new girl, right?"

"So what if I am?" Sam asked, crossing her arms, "You gonna avoid me-"

"You wanna hang out with us?" Danny asked.

"Oh…" said Sam, "You… don't mind playing with a girl?"

"We've never had someone help us when Dash bullies us," Danny admitted.

"But you were so cool," said Tucker as he stopped hobbling around, "First time I've ever heard Dash scream like that."

"Help… me…" Dash squeaked.

"Wow... you mean… you guys want to be my… friends?" Sam asked.

"Of course!" Danny exclaimed as he and Tucker grabbed her hands, "Come on!"

"Physical… contact…" Sam grimaced as she was pulled toward the nearby sandbox.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Present

"And thus, began the story of love," Trevor said half-heartedly.

"Trevor!" Danielle and Dust exclaimed.

"Oh, tell me I'm wrong!" he challenged.

"I think it's cute," Danielle smiled, "Sam sticking up for Danny like that…"

"Alright, knock it off," Sam chuckled, "Get back to cleaning."

"Awww…" Danielle moaned.

"Hey, just be glad the bathroom door was closed," said Trevor, "That's one less room we had deal with."

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

"Awww, love at first sight," Valerie teased.

"Kn-knock it off, Valerie!" Danny exclaimed, sinking in his seat as his face turned red.

"I think it's sweet," Valerie smirked, "Speaking of love…"

"Oh, boy," Danny grumbled.

"Are you and Sam… you know?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah, Danny," Tucker smirked as he shook his cup to see if there was any soda left, "Are you and Sam…?"

"Alright," Danny conceited, "Yes, Sam and I are dating…"

"I knew it!" Valerie exclaimed.

"But I want to keep it quiet!" Danny whispered, hoping no one from school was around to hear, "I don't want anyone else to know yet."

"Why?" Valerie asked, "People already call you two 'lovebirds'."

"It's one thing for people to think we're lovebirds," Danny explained, "It's another when people find out we're actually dating."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Valerie asked.

"Honestly?" Danny asked, "I'm worried how everyone will treat her when they find out we're dating."

"You're so-," Valerie began.

"Overprotective?" Danny asked, "Yeah, I know."

"Well, that's one mystery solved," Valerie smiled, "What about you, Tucker? You seeing anyone?"

"Nope," he replied, "You interested?"

"Whoa, there, big boy," Valerie chuckled, "Let's not get any ideas."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," Tucker smirked.

"Besides your lack of a romantic relationship," Valerie continued, "what's been going on with you, Tucker?"

"I have been working on a little pet project during my free time," said Tucker, "It's something I think will help-"

Suddenly, Danny gasped and a blue mist escaped past his lips.

"Uh-oh," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Valerie asked, "And why did your breath fog up?"

"Ghost sense," Danny briefly explained as he stood up, "A ghost is nearby."

"What!?" Valerie exclaimed.

On cue, people started screaming and running outside as a giant ectopus descended towards the ground and screeched loudly. Danny, Tucker, and Valerie looked outside and watched the chaos ensue. Danny and Valerie glanced at each other and nodded before rushing outside and went behind the Nasty Burger to transform without being seen. Tucker remained seated in the booth and calmly pulled out his PDA and began typing on it.

"Better time than ever for a test flight," he smiled.

"Uh, Tucker?"

He turned his head and saw Danny Phantom's head phased through the glass window, with the Red Huntress floating on her hoverboard behind him.

"You gonna join us or…?" Phantom asked.

"Oh, don't mind me," Tucker smirked, "I've got an idea."

Phantom turned to the Huntress, but she just shrugged before she turned around and flew towards the ghost. Danny pulled his head out of the window and made it tangible as he flew after her. The ectopus wrapped three of its tentacles around two cars and a pickup truck and lifted them into the air. The ghost looked down the street and threw the two cars away towards a group of civilians running away. Phantom quickly flew over to them and created a ghost shield around them and himself. The vehicles collided with the shield and exploded, but Phantom and the people inside remained unharmed.

"Well, hope the insurance covers ghost attacks," Phantom said under his breath as he brought the shield down.

The ectopus glared at Phantom and prepared to throw the truck at him, but a metal grapple hook attached itself to the ghost's tentacle. The ectopus' eyes followed the metal line up to the Red Huntress' right wrist.

"Destroying personal property?" she asked, "I don't think so."

A surge of electricity traveled down the line and electrocuted the ectopus, causing it to drop the vehicle back in the same spot it was parked. Phantom shot forward and began firing cryo-ghost rays at the remaining tentacles, freezing them to the ground. The ectopus growled in pain for a moment and yanked the Huntress off her hoverboard.

"WHOA!" she exclaimed as she was swung around in the air.

"Valerie!" Danny exclaimed and flew up to try and help her.

*WHAM*

Unfortunately, that made it easier for the ectopus to swing her at Phantom, slamming them into each other and fall to the ground. The grapple hook detached from the tentacle and retracted back to the Huntress' launcher. The two sat up and groaned in pain and annoyance. They barely got back up to their feet when a pair of tentacles wrapped around their waists and were lifted into the air. The two fighters were brought close to the ectopus' face and it bellowed in their faces.

"Jeez, what did you eat, a dumpster?" Phantom asked.

The tentacles squeezed around their captives' waists, causing them to grunt in discomfort.

"I can't… turn intangible… Urk!" Phantom groaned as his midsection was getting crushed.

The Huntress glared at the ectopus and aimed the launcher at it, but another tentacle grabbed her wrist before she could fire it.

"Any ideas?" Phantom groaned.

"I'm trying to summon my hoverboard," the Huntress muttered as she squirmed in the grip, "But I can't seem to-"

She caught sight of her hoverboard being held down to the ground by another tentacle.

"We might be in trouble," she deadpanned.

Suddenly, a strange buzzing noise was heard approaching them.

"What is that noise?" Phantom asked, glancing around in confusion.

Appearing from around the corner of a building, a small RC drone flew up and floated in front of the ectopus' face. It crossed its eyes to look at it.

"A drone?" the Huntress asked.

"Need some help?"

Phantom and the Huntress glanced over and saw Tucker standing nearby with a controller in his hands.

"A drone?" Phantom asked, "A drone!? Tucker!"

"What?"

"You've been avoiding weeks of patrol just to build a stupid drone!?" Danny exclaimed.

"Not just any drone," Tucker smirked as he pressed a button on the controller.

A green light on the drone began to blink and a small turret rose from its body frame. The ectopus blinked in confusion a couple times before the turret began firing a barrage of small green anti-ghost rays in its face. The surprise attack caught the ghost off guard and it instinctually dropped Danny, Valerie, and her hoverboard onto the ground as it pulled its tentacles up to cover its face.

"An anti-ghost drone," Tucker smirked.

"And that time was well spent," Danny grinned unconvincingly.

"Eh, close enough to an apology," Tucker shrugged, "Oh, and you're both welcome."

Phantom's legs morphed into a tail as he took off into the air, with Valerie hopping onto her board and following him. The launcher vanished from her wrist and a wrist cannon appeared in its place as she aimed her wrist towards the ectopus. The drone stopped firing and slowly began to power down.

"Whoops," said Tucker, "Batteries are almost dead."

"No need to worry," the Huntress smirked and fired an anti-ghost ray at the ectopus' face.

The ghost's eyes widened in fear just before the blast hit it in its right eye. The roared in pain as it used a tentacle to rub its injured eye. When it opened its eyes and looked ahead, the ghost saw Danny Phantom floating in front of it, both hands glowing light blue like his eyes.

"I'm no law enforcement officer," he smirked, "But I think the order 'freeze' is appropriate here."

Phantom fired a powerful cryo-ghost ray and the ectopus was completely encased in ice. Its eyes darted around as it tried to find a way to escape. Danny pulled out his Fenton Thermos and quickly captured the ghost. He floated down next to Tucker and Valerie as she relinquished her suit.

"Well, so much for that 'no hunting ghosts' thing, huh?" Danny joked.

Tucker and Valerie deadpanned and crossed their arms.

"What?" Danny asked as a white ring appeared around his waist and he reverted to human form.

"Seriously, dude? 'Freeze'?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah… not my greatest of quips," Danny groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Does he always stay stupid stuff like that?" Valerie asked Tucker.

"It's usually not as bad as that," Tucker replied.

Tucker's drone slowly descended towards the group as the battery's life lingered. Tucker reached up and grabbed it by one of its landing skids before powering it off completely.

"Not bad for a test run," he smiled.

"Yeah, thanks for the save, Tucker," said Danny, "But why a drone?"

"Well, besides the fact that I'm not the greatest with many of your parents' inventions…" Tucker began.

"You mean you're a few levels below my dad's clumsiness?" Danny smirked.

"Not the greatest…" Tucker repeated, "But I didn't want to be the guy who just powers down Technus' armor or hack into power supplies or digital locks. I've always wanted to build a drone, and I figured why not use it to help you fight ghosts?"

"Well, it sure saved our hides," said Valerie.

"Sorry we couldn't hangout like normal people, Valerie," said Danny.

"It's fine," she replied, "You know… when you think about it, that requires people like us to actually be normal."

"Fair point," Danny smiled, "So, uh… what now?"

"Hmm…" Valerie hummed, tapping her chin, "Well…"

"Look, if you need more time apart from us, I understand," said Danny, "I know it was a lot to take in and-"

"Why don't you show me what you guys have at the Fenton Works?" Valerie suggested.

"…wait, what?" Danny asked.

"If I'm gonna be a part of this team, then I should learn more about ghosts, how you deal with them, and what kind of firepower you have in your parents' lab," Valerie explained.

"You mean…?" Danny smiled.

"I've decided to help you guys out," Valerie smiled, "But first, I want some answers."

"Sure," said Danny, "We'll answer anything you ask while we head to my place."

"Alright," Valerie replied as she, Danny, and Tucker began walking down the sidewalk, "So… when did you change your suit?"

Danny's eyes went wide.

"Uuuuuhhhh… Can that one wait?" he asked.

"I thought you said-"

"Let's just say… there's a reason we can't answer that one yet," said Tucker.

"Alright, if you guys say so," Valerie sighed, "Then answer me this one; how did you become… this?"

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

"Did your parents hate Danny even when you were kids?" Danielle asked Sam as she handed her another clean dress from the closet.

"Are you kidding?" Sam replied, "The moment they heard he was a Fenton, they took me straight home and told me to stay away from him."

"Being a trained sniper, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here and guess that you didn't listen to them," said Trevor as he put the last of the ectoplasm from the ceiling and walls inside his Fenton Thermos.

"A perfect bullseye," Sam smirked as he laid the clean dress out on the bed, "Is that the last of the clothes?"

"Yup," Danielle replied as she stepped out of the closet, still covered in ectoplasm, "Seriously, how come intangibility doesn't work on this stuff?"

"Danielle, there's a lot of things that don't make sense," said Trevor, "When and what intangibility works on is the same logic as to why we have the word 'inflammable'."

"I don't get it," said Danielle.

"Inflammable means the same thing as flammable," said Trevor.

"It does!?" Danielle exclaimed, "I thought it meant 'not flammable'! Why does that word even exist!?"

"My point exactly," said Trevor as he wiped his hands on his shirt and flipped through a few pages in Sam's scrapbook.

"Hey…" said Sam as she reached out for the book, "You still have work to do."

Without looking up, Trevor turned himself and the book intangible, avoiding Sam's grasp.

"There's barely anything left," he replied, "All that's left is a few spots on the floor."

"Well, then get back to work," Danielle giggled as she turned intangible and snatched the book from Trevor.

"What the!?" he exclaimed, "You also have to clean this up, Fenton!"

"I'm sorry, didn't you say it was your fault earlier?" Danielle smirked as she sat down with Sam on the bed and turned tangible.

Trevor took a deep breath and let out a long groan in annoyance as Danielle stuck her tongue out at him. She opened the scrapbook and looked through more recent additions. Her eyes stopped at a photo of Sam kissing a blushing Danny Phantom on the cheek on a hilltop under the moonlight. Danny's left hand was held out towards the camera, glowing green.

"Aw, this is a cute picture," said Danielle as Sam looked over her shoulder, "Wait… why are you kissing him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sam smiled, "He and I are dating."

"Dating?" Danielle asked, turning to Sam and cocking her head to the side, "Is that a calendar thing or something?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"You can't be serious," Trevor deadpanned under his breath as Dust floated down to the ground and began to laugh.

"What?" Danielle asked, looking around, confused, "What's 'dating'?"

"Oh, my god, you are serious," Trevor groaned as he facepalmed, causing Dust to laugh even harder.

"You… don't know what dating is?" Sam asked, raising and eyebrow.

"Hmmm…" Danielle hummed as she glanced down and tapped her chin, "Nope!"

Sam chuckled at Danielle's innocent expression.

"When two people like each other a lot," Sam explained, "they start hanging out more often and do things together that they wouldn't do if they were just friends."

"Like kissing?" Danielle asked.

"Dust, please let me use the medallion to skip ahead in time by a few hours," Trevor begged.

"No."

"Damn it," he muttered.

"Yes…" Sam blushed, "Sometimes. Danny and I are basically in a point in our relationship where we realize that we genuinely care for one another and we are thinking about spending the rest of our lives together as a couple."

"Like marriage?" Danielle asked.

"Maybe one day," Sam replied, "We're still young and we don't know what the future holds."

"Hopefully me, Dust, and Reaper returned to our timeline and this one untouched by destruction," Trevor interrupted.

"So… every time you two are together and I see Danny blushing…" said Danielle, "Is that because he likes you more than a friend?"

"Yes," Sam replied.

"Huh… weird," said Danielle, "Wait, why does Trevor sometimes turn red? Is that because-"

"NO!" Trevor exclaimed as his face immediately turned red, "No! Nope! Changing subject!"

"But-" Danielle began.

"Let's talk about something else," Trevor growled through his teeth as he noticed Sam and Dust smirking at his discomfort, "… before I commit homicide."

"What's with him?" Danielle asked, turning to Sam.

"Oh, don't worry," Sam smirked, "He's just having… conflictions."

Dust was still laughing and when Danielle wasn't looking, Trevor flipped off his partner and Sam, which just amused them more.

"Well… there is one thing I've been wondering," said Danielle, "How did Danny get his powers?"

"Vlad never told you?" Sam asked.

"No, he was too busy using me for his plans to really tell me any backstory," Danielle explained, "Not that he would have told me the truth anyways."

"Fair point," said Sam.

"I'm curious as well," said Trevor as his blush vanished.

"You never asked him?" Sam asked.

"In my timeline, I was too busy hunting Reaper and fighting a war," said Trevor, "Here, I'm too busy training you, your boyfriend, and the others and hunting Reaper."

"… You have no social skills, do you?" Sam asked.

"That's an understatement," said Dust.

"Can we not make this about me and get to what I'm sure will be a dramatic reveal of the origins of Danny Phantom?" Trevor asked monotonously.

"Alright," Sam sighed, and Danielle shifted herself on the bed and sat with her legs crossed, invested in hearing the story.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

18 Months Ago

"Smile!" Sam exclaimed as she pulled up her camera and took a picture of Danny holding up a jumpsuit in front of the nonfunctioning Fenton Ghost Portal***.

It took a moment for Danny's eyes to readjust from the flash before he lowered the jumpsuit.

"Okay, I showed you the Portal, can we get out of here now?" he asked as Tucker and Sam walked over to him, "My parents could be here any minute. Besides, they say it doesn't work anyway."

"Come on, Danny," said Sam as she walked over to the front of the Portal, "A Ghost Zone? Aren't you curious? You gotta check it out."

Danny walked up next to her, suit still in hand, and took a quick glance up at the portal.

"You know what? You're right," he smiled, "Who knows what kind of awesome, super-cool things exist on the other side of that Portal?"

He slid into the suit and zipped it up.

"Hang on," Sam smirked.

She walked up and ripped the image of Jack's face off Danny's chest.

"You can't go walking around with that on your chest," she explained, pointing and frowning at the picture she held up.

Danny turned towards the Portal and slowly made his way inside. The eerie bright blue lights from the Fenton tech made him feel slightly uncomfortable as he ventured further inside. He reached he left hand out to help balance himself against the wall, completely unaware that it was reaching towards the console with two buttons on them; a red button labeled "OFF" and a green button labeled "ON". As soon as he made contact, Danny absentmindedly pushed the green button.

*Beeeep*

Danny's body was instantly flooded with electricity as the Portal came to life. Green energy engulfed the inside of the Portal as Danny screamed in pain. Tucker and Sam watched in horror as Danny's silhouette vanished behind the energy glowing brighter by the second.

"Danny!" Tucker and Sam exclaimed.

A flash of green light erupted from the Portal, causing the two to cover their eyes. Danny's screams suddenly halted before an energy burst shot out of the Portal, pushing Tucker and Sam back a couple feet and onto their backs. As they sat back up, the Portal doors slammed shut and the lab was calm again.

"Danny!?" Tucker and Sam called out as they got to their feet.

"Uhhhhh…"

The two looked over and saw someone lying in front of the Portal.

"Who's that?" Tucker asked.

Sam rushed over and kneeled beside the stranger. He had messy white hair, tanned skin, and appeared to be wearing the same suit Danny was just wearing, only the colors had been reversed. He slowly opened his glowing neon eyes halfway and stared at Sam.

"Sam?" he moaned before passing out.

A white ring appeared around his waist and split into two, going up and down the stranger's body.

"Danny!?" Sam exclaimed.

"What was that!?" Tucker exclaimed, "Did Danny become… a ghost!?"

"Kids!?" Maddie exclaimed from upstairs, "Is everything alright down there!?"

"Oh, no," Sam groaned, "His parents!"

"What do we do!?" Tucker asked.

Sam glanced around for a moment before an idea came to mind.

"Here," she said as she lifted Danny under his shoulders, "Grab his legs. We'll carry him to his room."

"And let his parents see him?" Tucker deadpanned, "That won't look suspicious at all."

"Kids!?" Jack called out, "We're coming down! Are any of you hurt!?"

"We'll tell them that Danny was exhausted and he passed out," said Sam, "Now are you going to help me or not!?"

Jack and Maddie entered the labs and looked around.

"Kids?" Maddie asked.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Fenton," said Sam as she and Tucker walked by with Danny in their arms, "Danny fell asleep, so we'll be taking him up to his room."

"Are you sure?" Maddie asked, "We could have sworn we heard some commotion going on down here."

"Nope!" said Tucker, "Nothing strange going on down here. We'll be going up now."

Sam and Tucker gave the older Fentons a nervous smile as they carried their friend upstairs.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

As Danny remained unconscious in his bed, Sam was pacing back and forth around his room while Tucker sat at his bedside. A white ring appeared around Danny's waist and he unconsciously went ghost.

"Tucker, he did it again!" Sam exclaimed.

"That's the fourth time in the past hour," Tucker noted.

"How are we going to tell him, Tucker?" Sam asked.

"Tell him what? That he's not normal anymore?" Tucker asked.

"I think the term 'unique' is a more appropriate term," Sam pointed out.

"Uuuhhh…" Danny moaned as he began to stir.

Tucker and Sam gave each other a nervous glance before turning to Danny as he sat up in bed.

"What happened?" he asked as he rubbed his head, "I feel like my body was shoved into a freezer and someone struck me with lightning."

He opened his eyes and noticed Tucker and Sam.

"Oh, hey," he said, giving his friends his usual goofy smile as he waved.

"H-hey," Sam replied.

Danny raised an eyebrow when he noticed Tucker and Sam acting weird.

"Are you guys okay?" Danny asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Uh, dude?" Tucker gulped.

"What?" Danny asked, "Is something wrong?"

His eyes glanced over to his gloves.

"Hey, what happened to my gloves? And the rest of the suit?"

"Danny… something happened when you went into the Portal," Sam explained slowly.

Danny's eyes widened.

"Am I… glowing!?" he asked before he shot out of bed and ran into his bathroom.

He looked in the mirror and saw himself, but different. He began to hyperventilate as he stumbled backwards out of the bathroom.

"I'm… I'm a… I'm…"

"Danny, calm down," Sam told him as she gently pushed his shoulders down to have him sit on the bed.

"I'm a ghost!?" he exclaimed.

"Well… not entirely," said Tucker, "You can change back to normal."

"I can?" Danny asked, filled with hope.

Suddenly, his body turned intangible and Sam, who was still pushing on his shoulders, phased through him and landed on his bed.

"Whoa," she said.

"Sam! Are you okay!?" Danny exclaimed.

"Relax, Danny, I'm fine," Sam chuckled, "Wow… you are a ghost."

To Danny, that didn't sound like a good thing and his face fell.

"Sorry, Danny," said Sam as she sat down next to him, "Maybe it's not so bad."

Suddenly, Danny vanished from sight.

"Danny!?" Tucker exclaimed.

"Danny!" Sam shouted, "Where did you go!?"

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Danny asked, "I'm sitting right between you guys."

"You are?" Tucker asked, "Dude, we can't see you."

"What?" Danny asked as he looked at his arm, "Oh, great. Intangibility… invisibility… I am a ghost."

"Maybe not," said Sam, "Danny, we saw you change back to normal a few times while you were unconscious. Maybe if you think about it, you'll change back?"

Danny became visible again as he stood up.

"Maybe," he said, "Let me try."

He closed his eyes and concentrated. At first, nothing happened, but a moment later, the white ring appeared again around his waist. It didn't split into two though.

"You're doing it, Danny!" said Sam, "Keep going."

Danny concentrated harder and the rings split into two. They slowly ventured away from each other and Danny reverted to human form.

"You did it!" Tucker exclaimed.

Danny gasped and fell back to his bed.

"Whoa, easy there," said Sam as she and Tucker got up and grabbed his arms, carefully helping him down, "You alright, Danny?"

"Yeah..." he replied, "It feels weird. Like I'm… alive again."

"So, what now?" Tucker asked, "Should we tell your parents."

"No!" Danny exclaimed, "If we tell them, they might think I'm just a ghost!"

"Okay, okay! Relax," said Tucker, "Though, I wouldn't say you're a ghost, entirely."

"Or entirely a human," Sam added, "Maybe more like… a half-ghost?"

"Half-ghost?" Danny asked.

"You know? Half human, half ghost," said Sam, "A half-ghost. It's got a nice ring to it."

"I think I prefer being a full human, Sam," said Danny, "I don't want to be… this! I want to be normal."

He sighed and laid back down on his bed.

"What am I going to do?" he asked as he dropped his face into his hands.

"I don't know," said Tucker, "I'm just glad I didn't lose my best friend."

"Same here," said Sam, causing Danny to lift his head slightly from his hands.

"You guys don't think I'm a freak?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat up.

"Why would you think that?" Sam asked, "You're still you. You're just… different now. And nothing will change how I think about you."

Danny slightly blushed from that comment, which Tucker quickly noticed and smirked. His eyes then widened.

"Uh, dude?" Tucker asked.

Danny stopped blushing and glanced at Tucker, who was looking down at his legs. He followed his gaze and saw that the lower half of his body had become intangible and he was slowly sinking through the bed. Danny yelped as Tucker and Sam quickly grabbed his arms and held him up as he lifted his legs just before they became tangible again.

"Thanks," he said.

"Don't mention it," said Tucker.

"We'll help you through this, Danny," said Sam as she grabbed his shoulder, "Together."

Danny looked at his friends and smiled.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Present

"And since then, Danny became a hero and we've been going around fighting ghosts since then," Sam finished.

Dust was sitting on the ground before Sam and Danielle while Trevor was standing behind her, removing the last of the ectoplasm from his clothes.

"Let me get this straight…" he said slowly as he put the cap on his Fenton Thermos, "You're telling me that the reason he became a halfa is because he was stupid enough to… let's be honest, be coerced into entering a dangerous device and accidentally turn it on, while he's inside?"

"When you put it that way, you make it sound less dramatic," said Dust.

"Hey, every hero has their origin story," said Sam, "Mind telling us yours?"

"Sure, I'll get right to that," said Trevor, "As soon as hell freezes over."

"I'm sure we can ask someone else," Danielle smirked.

"I don't know either," said Dust.

"Oh."

"Just replace Danny with me in your story, Sam, and that's basically the gist of how I got my powers," said Trevor.

"You mean you were coerced as well?" Sam smirked.

"You can think whatever you want, I'm not saying a word," said Trevor.

"Well, better how Danny got his powers than me," said Danielle, "I wasn't even born; I was created."

"Yeah, you're supposed to be a clone of him, right?" Trevor asked, "Something about Vlad wanting a son or something and he tried making a perfect clone of Danny?"

"… Yeah."

Trevor gave her side-eye as Sam got up and looked around the room.

"Well, it took us a few hours, but you guys did a great job cleaning up all the ectoplasm," she said.

"That reminds me," said Trevor, "Why did you come home, Sam? Didn't you plan on hanging out with Danny and Tucker after school?"

"Well, that reminds me," said Sam, "Danny told us about yesterday and-"

"Oh, come on…" Trevor groaned, "Don't you start, too."

"What I was going to say…" Sam continued, "was that I think you and Danny were both being idiots."

"Oh," said Trevor, "And?"

"And what?' Sam asked.

"Am I supposed to apologize to him or something?" Trevor asked, "Because I'll tell you right now, that's not gonna happen."

"I take it back," said Sam, "You're still an idiot."

"Explain," said Trevor.

"You honestly think Danny hasn't experienced pain?" Sam asked.

"Are we talking your Danny or mine?" Trevor asked.

"Trevor!" Sam exclaimed.

"Look, I don't know what kind of pain he's experienced," said Trevor, "but I highly doubt he's ever had something worse than me, let alone anything remotely close."

"Isn't that a bit presumptuous of you?" Dust asked.

"I could say the same about Danny," Trevor remarked as he placed the Fenton Thermos on Sam's desk.

He then groaned in discomfort and began to rub his eyes.

"Mind if I use your bathroom for a minute, Sam?" he asked, "I think I got ectoplasm in my eyes."

"Yeah, go ahead," she sighed, "But we're not done talking about this."

"Whatever," Trevor muttered as he went into her bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"Is he ever happy?" Danielle asked.

"Define happy," said Dust.

Inside the bathroom, Trevor splashed his face with water from the sink and rubbed his eyes. He looked in the mirror and his eyes began to glow blue.

"Amazing how I can get this crap out of my eyes with ease," he muttered to himself, "but anything else and it becomes a-"

He stopped midsentence when he saw a blue aura on the wall behind him through the reflection of the mirror. He turned around and saw the aura with his own glowing eyes.

"The hell? Did we miss some ectoplasm?" he asked himself as his eyes stopped glowing.

As soon has his enhanced vision was disabled, the blue aura vanished, but there was no ectoplasm to be seen. Trevor raised an eyebrow in confusion and activated his enhanced vision again. The blue aura returned.

"Must be remnants of ectoplasm from before today," he said to himself.

His eyes slowly drifted towards the ground and saw more traces of ectoplasm, causing them to widen as he scanned the entire bathroom.

"What the…" he whispered in horror.

The bathroom floor was caked in traces of ectoplasm. There was a smeared handprint on the rim of the bathtub and another set of handprints on the cabinet doors under the sink.

"That's where the first aid kit is," Trevor said softly, "Phantom… what happened?"

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Over at the Fenton Works, Danny, Tucker, and Valerie were standing in front of the sealed Fenton Ghost Portal, staring at the door.

"So that's how I became a half-ghost," Danny finished as he pulled out the Fenton Thermos containing the ectopus.

"Wow," Valerie sighed, "That must have been quite an experience."

"Trust me," Danny said as he walked over to the door controls and opened the Ghost Portal, "I wouldn't even wish that experience on Dash."

Danny removed the cap from the Thermos and fired the ectopus back into the Ghost Portal. Once the contents of the Thermos were removed, Danny quickly resealed the Portal and went inside the Weapons Vault. Valerie followed him inside while Tucker placed his drone on a table to inspect it.

"You sure your parents won't mind me being in here?" Valerie asked.

"Well, given that me, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz managed to do just fine without my parents knowing, I don't think they'll mind," said Danny.

"Where are they?" Valerie asked as she checked out the various weapons on the weapon racks.

"I'm not sure," Danny replied, "Wild guess; they're out chasing a ghost."

"Sure living up to their name," Valerie smirked.

"They've gotten better now that they know my secret," Danny explained, "At least they were trying before then."

"No denying that," said Valerie, "… Hey, can I ask you something personal?"

"Sure," said Danny, "What's up?"

"Do you ever… regret your decision?" Valerie asked, "To become a hero?"

"Never," Danny smiled, "There have been some rough spots at times and there are times I wish people would appreciate my deeds a bit more… no offense."

"None taken."

"But I just want everyone to be safe, you know? It has made school a bit more difficult, but it's a small price to pay for being Amity Park's protector."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a small price, Danny," said Valerie as she made her way out of the Weapon Vault, "Don't you worry that all this ghost fighting will affect which college you will get into?"

"Yeah…" Danny replied as he followed her out, "The thought has crossed my mind at times… but even if I get a couple of bad grades, it's not the worst thing in the world."

"I hope you're right," Valerie said, concerned.

"So…" said Danny, "Want to learn more about ghosts?"

Valerie smiled and nodded as she and Danny joined Tucker.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

"And that's the last of the ectoplasm," Danielle announced as she put the cap back on the Fenton Thermos.

"And next time, you and Trevor won't lure an ectopus here and make a mess again," Sam said as she laid back on her bed and combed through her scrapbook.

"But it wasn't our fault," Danielle muttered under her breath before placing the Thermos back on the desk.

Dust morphed into her raven form and perched herself on the windowsill. The bathroom door opened and Trevor slowly walked inside the bedroom.

"Jeez, what were you doing in there?" Dust asked, "Taking a bubble bath?"

The young half-ghost didn't reply as he walked over to Sam's desk and steadied himself into the chair, breathing shallowly.

"Hey, are you okay?" Danielle asked, "You look pale."

Trevor slowly shook his head.

"H-how bad does it get?" he asked quietly.

The girls glanced at one another, confused.

"What are you talking about?" Dust asked.

"Huh… uhhh…"

"Trevor, is something wrong?" Sam asked as she

"Why… why is your bathroom covered in traces of ectoplasm?" Trevor asked.

Danielle and Dust turned to Sam with arched eyebrows as the teenager took a shaky, deep breath and bit her lower lip.

"Sam?" Danielle asked, "What's he talking about?"

"This wasn't what I was expecting when I said our conversation wasn't over," Sam nervously chuckled, "Danny didn't want me or Tucker to tell this to Danielle, but there's no avoiding it now."

"Avoiding what?" Danielle asked as she began to worry, "Is something wrong with Danny!?"

"Danielle…" said Sam, "Come here; sit down on the bed."

Danielle nervously made her way over to the bed and sat crisscrossed beside Sam. Dust flew over to Trevor and landed on his shoulder. Sam took a deep breath and silently sighed.

"During his first months of fighting ghosts," she began, "there were times when Danny had taken a few bad hits."

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

*** TRIGGER WARNING ***

Skip to the three " *** SAFE ZONE *** " lines if you are triggered by excess blood/ectoplasm. This is your finally warning. Reading from this point on is of your own doing. So you better not complain.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

15 Months Ago

Sam quietly hurried upstairs and into her room. She locked the bedroom door behind her on the off chance that her parents would wake up at this hour and decide to come into her room. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she ran to her window and slid it open.

"Danny?" she whispered.

"C-can come… *Gulp* in?" a pained voice replied.

"Take your time," she replied as she held her hand out.

A slightly damaged white glove with fresh ectoplasm under the palms and fingers grabbed her hand. Sam gently guided the rookie hero through the window, careful to cause him any more pain than he was already experiencing. His other hand was pressed against a bleeding wound at his side, but it wasn't enough to prevent ectoplasm from dripping onto the windowsill and the floor. His suit had holes everywhere, including a huge slash across the blank chest of the jumpsuit****, luckily without drawing ectoplasm. Unfortunately, besides the deep gash he was applying pressure to, his back, left arm, and legs were peppered with cuts, many deeper than others and dripping ectoplasm down his body. Ectoplasm was also dripping from his nose and out of the corner of his mouth. His white hair was messier than usual and slightly dirtied with dirt and debris. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Danny's right leg jerked up from a sudden sensation of pain. Sam put his left arm around her neck so he could avoid putting weight on his bad leg.

"Let's get you into the bathroom," she whispered.

Danny nodded and winced as he and Sam slowly made their way to her bathroom, ectoplasm slowly dripping onto the floor.

"I'm sorry," he whispered once they made it inside.

"Shut up," Sam ordered, "Now is not the time for that, Danny."

"Sam…" Danny insisted as he was slowly laid down on the bathroom floor.

"Danny… please," she insisted, "Just… just shut up."

Danny gasped between breaths as Sam turned around and opened the cabinet doors under the sink. Thanks to Phantom's ghost form giving off some light, it was enough to see in the dark and find the first aid kit inside.

"Sorry about the floor," Danny apologized as Sam placed the box on the slowly growing puddle of ectoplasm.

"Forget the damn floor, Danny," Sam growled as more tears fell down her face, "I don't know if I can patch you up in your ghost form, but I don't want to risk you bleeding out if you change back."

"Just… Ah! Just do… whatever you can," Phantom groaned as he reached over and gripped the rim of the bathtub.

Sam wiped her face with her arm before reaching into the first aid kit and grabbing the rubbing alcohol. She reached up around the sink and felt around for the small towel was folded next to the basin.

"Ugggghhhh…" Danny groaned through gritted teeth.

Sam briefly glanced over her shoulder as she wetted the towel with the alcohol, but quickly turned away, not wanting to see her best friend in excruciating pain.

"I'm... Guh… I'm trying my best to be quiet, Sam," said Danny.

"Danny, I don't care if my parents even throw me out of the house for helping a quote unquote ghost," Sam lightly cried, "I'll do what it takes to help you right now."

Although the area next to his abdomen felt like it was tearing at the slightest movement, the moment Sam said those words, Danny turned his head and stared at her.

"I care about you, Danny," Sam continued as she shifted around and got on her knees next to Danny, "I… I hate seeing you like this. I hate seeing you put yourself in harm's way for complete strangers. I hate that Tucker and I are practically next to useless to fight ghosts."

She covered her eyes with her free hand and hung her head.

"But most of all…" she concluded, "I… hate… wondering if this will one day get you killed."

"It won't."

Sam gasped when Danny's hand reached up and grabbed her wrist. Once he got her attention, Danny slid his hand into hers.

"Sam, I swear," he told her, blocking out almost all of the pain, "I won't die. I promise."

"Don't… don't do that," said Sam, "Don't make a promise you don't know you can keep."

"Too late," Danny smirked, giving her the same goofy smile he gave her when they first met.

"You dork," Sam muttered, looking away as she blushed, "*Sigh* What would you do without me?"

"Well, Tucker would just faint every time I'd end up like this," Danny joked before wincing in pain.

Sam snapped her attention back to the wound and put the cloth close to Danny's shaking hand.

"I don't know if this will hurt or not," she told him, "but if it's anything like human injuries, this will hurt. A lot."

"Just press it on and fight through the stinging pain, right?" Danny asked rhetorically.

"Actually, I have to scrub it," Sam explained, "Sorry."

"Heh, look who's sorry now," Danny smirked, "Ready?"

Sam took a deep breath in and out before nodding.

"Alright," Danny said before he let go Sam's hand and took a deep breath, "Do it."

He removed his ectoplasm-covered hand from his injury and Sam began to scrub the wound. As soon as the towel touched the tender wound, Danny's eyes briefly went wide before he shut them tight and brought up fists up against his forehead. Sam worked as quickly and gently as possible to clean the wound as Danny fought through the pain and the urge to kick and scream. Occasionally his legs would alternate being extended out or relaxed, spreading the ectoplasm further out on the floor. Aside from that and the occasional louder groan, the noise Danny made through the minutes of treatment couldn't even be heard from within Sam's bedroom. Several minutes later, Sam finished taping a piece of gauze over the wound and slowly removed her hands to see if the dressing would hold. All of Danny's minor injuries have already fully healed and the cuts that still were have stopped bleeding.

"It's done, Danny," she sighed.

Danny nodded and wiped the sweat that covered his face. He took a deep breath and sighed as a white ring appeared around his waist and he changed back to human form. The room briefly went pitch black until the nightlight near the sink activated.

"Thanks, Sam," he groaned as he slowly sat up.

Sam lunged forwards and held Danny in a tight hug. He was momentarily stunned, but he followed suit and embraced her as well.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I don't want this to be your regular routine, Danny," she whispered back, "I think it's great that you want to be a hero and keep us all safe… but I don't see you get killed."

"I won't," he replied, "I won't."

A short period of silence fell as the two continued to comfort each other in the dimly lit bathroom.

"Sorry about the mess," Danny smirked.

"Aaaaaaand there's the Fenton moment," Sam said as they pulled away, "Another moment ruined."

"I'll buy you lunch sometime," Danny chuckled as he got to his feet and helped Sam up to hers, "Here, let me clean us up."

Sam felt a strange tingly sensation throughout her body as Danny turned them intangible and the ectoplasm that was on them fell to the ground. They walked out of the room, hand in hand for a moment before Danny turned them tangible again. It took the two clueless lovebirds a moment to realize they were holding hands. They quickly pulled their hands apart and glanced away, blushing.

"Um, I'll clean up the mess real quick and leave," said Danny, "You should, uh, get some sleep."

"Yeah, that's a… umm… good idea," said Sam.

Danny pulled out his Fenton Thermos and went into the bathroom while Sam went into her closet to change. It only took her a few seconds to grab her dark grey nightgown and turn around in time to see Danny leaving her bathroom and wordlessly walk over to her window. A white ring appeared around his waist and he went ghost. Sam took a step forward and opened her mouth the say something, but at the last second decided to not say anything.

"Sam?"

She glanced up and saw Danny, now in an untarnished jumpsuit, looking at her over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Sleep well," he smiled.

"You too," she smiled back.

Danny chuckled and gave her a toothy grin before his legs morphed into a tail and he flew out the window. Sam walked over to the window and watched her best friend fly off in early hours before dawn.

*** SAFE ZONE ***

*** SAFE ZONE ***

*** SAFE ZONE ***

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

Present

Danielle, Trevor, and Dust stared at Sam, eyes wide and jaws and beak hung open.

"Jesus, Sam," said Trevor, "Why?"

"You know Danny," Sam sighed, "That hero complex of his is what keeps him going."

"I'm don't think that word means what you think it means," said Trevor, "But… jeez."

"Now do you understand?" Sam asked Trevor as he brushed his hair back with his fingers.

"Yeah…" Trevor sighed, "I guess I owe him an apology."

"Just one?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's not get into comparing scars," Trevor deadpanned, "Let's just say he got apples, I got oranges, and they're both fruits."

Dust glanced over to Danielle, who was frozen in place as she stared at nothing in particular.

"Danielle?" Dust asked, "Are you okay?"

Sam and Trevor turned to Danielle and noticed how spaced out she was.

"Danielle?" Sam asked as she reached over, "You okay?"

She placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder, but there was no reaction from her.

"Hey, it's okay now," Sam explained, "Nothing like that has happened in a long time."

Danielle blinked her eyes a couple of times before they looked into Sam's.

"There's nothing to worry about," Sam continued, "Danny's not-"

Suddenly, Danielle hopped to her feet as a white ring appeared around her waist and went ghost. She launched herself toward the wall as she turned intangible and phased through it.

"Danielle!" everyone exclaimed, and they rushed over to the window.

They glanced outside and saw Dani flying away into the magenta horizon.

"She's heading for the Fenton Works," said Trevor as a blue ring appeared around his waist and he went ghost as well.

Dust flew after Dani as Specter floated above Sam and grabbed her arms.

"No way I'm carrying you bridal style," he told her as he lifted her off the ground and turned intangible.

"Whatever gets us there faster," said Sam as she phased through the wall.

No one noticed the Fenton Thermos left behind on the desk for a moment, until a blue aura surrounded it and it followed the others out the window, which Specter telekinetically closed once the Thermos was outside.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

"So, you don't destroy ghosts?" Valerie asked, "You just return them back to the Ghost Zone?"

"With a few exceptions, yes," Danny explained as he took a sip out of his soda can, "Not all ghosts are evil, but there are those who just like to cause trouble rather than take over the world. If they go too far, I straighten them out and let them go."

"Like Youngblood," Tucker said as he was putting his drone back together, "And Amorpho."

"Exactly," Danny said as he placed his soda on the table, "Those two just enjoy spending time pulling pranks rather than actually hurt people. Usually."

"Speaking of time," said Valerie as she pulled out her cellphone, "it's getting late and I should get back home."

"It is?" Danny asked as he pulled out his cellphone, "Wow, you're right."

"Want some company?" Tucker asked, "I was about to head home myself and we'd be going the same direction."

Before Valerie could answer, Dani Phantom rocketed down the stairs and, as soon as she saw Danny, tackled him into a tight hug.

"Whoa!" Danny exclaimed as he fell off the chair with Dani clinging onto him.

*Thud*

"Ouch…" Danny groaned as he sat up, "Danielle?"

The younger half-ghost's arms and legs were wrapped tightly around his torso and she was visibly shaking.

"Dani? Hey, what's wrong?" Danny asked before smirking, "Aren't you forgetting to say 'hello' to someone?"

"Hey, Dani," Valerie said as she leaned over towards her, "Remember me?"

But Dani didn't respond as she began to weep.

"Dani?" Danny asked again.

As Tucker and Valerie gave each other worried looks, Sam, Specter, and Dust arrived in the lab. Specter let Sam go and she hurried over next to the two halfas while Dust landed on Specter's shoulder.

"What are you guys doing here?" Tucker asked.

"Specter?" Valerie asked.

"Oh, uh, hey, Valerie," Specter replied.

"You two know each other?" Tucker asked.

"Later," Specter told him as a blue ring appeared around his waist and he turned back into human form.

"You're a half-ghost too!?" Valerie exclaimed.

"Later!" Trevor repeated.

"Can someone explain to me what the heck is going on?" Danny asked as he got back up to his feet, Dani refusing to let go.

"I told them about your early rough nights," Sam sighed, "You know, the really bad nights?"

"What!?" Danny exclaimed, "Why!?"

"That one's on me, Danny," Trevor admitted, "Shit happened early, had to clean up Sam's room, and I saw traces of ectoplasm in her bathroom with my enhanced vision."

Danny blinked a couple of times as he pieced it together. He glanced down and smiled as he wrapped his arms around Dani.

"Dani, it's okay," he told her, "Nothing's going to happen to me, alright? I'm still here and I'm never gonna leave."

Dani's limbs slowly loosened and she finally let go of her older counterpart. As soon as her feet touched the ground, a white ring appeared around her waist and went up and down her body.

"You promise?" she asked as she wiped her eyes.

"Promise," Danny smiled as he ruffled her hair.

Danielle glanced over and saw Valerie.

"Valerie!?" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here!?"

"Long time no see, Danielle," Valerie chuckled, "A lot has happened since I last saw you."

Danielle raised an eyebrow and turned to Danny.

"She knows," he told her.

"And I'm now a part of the team," Valerie added.

"Really!?" Danielle exclaimed, "Awesome!"

"Yeah… well…" said Valerie, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I really need to get home."

"Awww…" Danielle moaned.

"You know, if it's not too much trouble, she could walk with me and Valerie when we walk her home," said Tucker.

"I never agreed to that, Foley," Valerie smirked.

"You never disagreed to it either," Tucker pointed out.

"That's not how consent works, Tucker," Trevor deadpanned, "Was that going too far?"

"That's a pretty far reach over the line," said Danny.

"Come on, Valerie," said Danielle, "I want to know what you've been doing these past months."

"Alright," Valerie sighed, "As long as Danny is fine with it."

"No staying out late," Danny smiled, "And you better call if there's a ghost attack."

"What are you, my dad?" Danielle smirked.

"Hey!" Tucker exclaimed as he screwed the last part onto the drone, "What about me!?"

"I supposed you can tag along," Valerie teased.

"Sweet," Tucker smirked to himself.

He and Danielle followed Valerie upstairs, leaving Danny, Sam, Trevor, and Dust alone in the Fenton Works' Lab. Sam glanced over and elbowed Trevor lightly in the arm.

"Listen, Phantom," he said, "I, uh… I just wanted to say sorry for assuming you've never experienced pain."

"Wait, what?" Danny asked, "Are you… apologizing to me?"

"Don't make me take it back, you idiot," Trevor groaned, "I've been pretty irritated all day until Sam told me about the pain you went through as an amateur hero."

"Compared to every other half-ghost before me?" Danny smirked.

"Vlad aside, that was a good joke," Trevor chuckled, "But I really am sorry for getting mad at you yesterday."

"And I'm sorry for assuming you haven't gone through something worse than I have," said Danny, "I don't know what you've gone through, with a war going on in your timeline, but I think it's safe to assume that we've both gone through stuff that very few have every experienced."

"On that, I can agree with," Trevor nodded.

"So, are we good?" Danny asked.

"… Yeah," Trevor replied.

"Good," Danny smiled, "But there's one thing I don't understand."

"What?" Trevor asked.

"How do you and Valerie know each other?" Danny asked.

"Remember a while back when I left you a note, after Vlad kidnapped Tucker and Sam?" Trevor asked, "For a while, Vlad would send his crony vultures after Damon and Valerie, but I would prevent them from kidnapping or harming them."

"Why?" Sam asked, "I thought Reaper was your top priority."

"He was," Trevor explained, "But… well, why make your life harder by having you worry about her."

"I worry about everyone," Danny pointed out.

"You know what I mean," said Trevor as Dust ruffled her feathers, "Besides, it makes it easier for me to keep track of everyone."

"How so?" Sam asked.

"Ummm… remember when I placed a tracker on Lydia?" Trevor asked, "Now, don't be mad, but…"

"You know what… nothing surprises me anymore," Sam sighed.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," Trevor chuckled.

"Are you still dealing with those ghost vultures?" Sam asked.

"Vlad's gave up a couple weeks ago," Trevor explained, "Why? Who knows with that froot loop."

"You don't have any issues with Valerie joining us, do you?" Danny asked.

"Aside from going through the agony of retelling my story for the third… fuckingtime," he muttered, "I've got no problems with it."

*Beep beep*

Danny, Sam, Trevor, and Dust turned their attention to the beeping coming from Danny's pocket. He reached in and pulled out the Fenton Phone inside.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Uh, hey, Danny."

"Valerie!?" Danny exclaimed, "How'd you get a Fenton Phone!?"

"You gave it to me, remember?"

"Oh… right," Danny said before facepalming, "Forgot about that."

"Yeah, listen, remember when you told Danielle to call you if a ghost attacked?"

"*Sigh* Where are you guys?" Danny asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sam smirked and rolled her eyes as she made her way over to the Weapon Vault and Trevor went ghost. A few moments later, Danny Phantom phased out of the Fenton Works, carrying Sam bridal style as she held the Fenton Ghost Collector in her hands. Specter and Dust followed them into the air as they flew over Amity Park to join the others.

"I swear, she's such an idiot sometimes," Phantom muttered.

"She's no different than you were when you first started this whole superhero thing," Sam smirked.

"Well, she technically is me," Danny smiled, "But if she was anything like me during those days, she'll need some help."

"Oh, no," Specter replied half-heartedly, "We better hurry before something terrible happens to her."

"Yeah… we should do something," Sam smirked, "If we want to save your girl-"

"I will find that ectopus and leave it in your room again and leave you to clean up the mess alone, Manson," Specter warned.

"I hope you like hospital food," Sam shot back.

"You know… I'm not even annoyed anymore," Logan sighed, "But can you please drop the whole 'me liking Dani' thing."

"Oh, so you do like her?" Danny teased.

"I will rip this medallion off and leave you all to deal with Reaper by yourselves," Specter threatened.

"No, you wouldn't," Dust chuckled.

"Uuuuugggghhhh…" Specter groaned, "Hello, darkness, my old friend…"

"Don't worry, Specter," Sam smirked, "Unlike Danny and I, between you and Danielle, only one of you is clueless."

Specter glanced over at the others, revealing his right eye glowing blue and flames occasionally flickering from the iris.

"Enough," he told them.

"Alright," Sam shrugged, "We'll stop teasing you… for now."

Specter blinked and his eye turned back to its normal neon green color. The four took a slight turn around a billboard and disappeared into the night, off to join the others and fight off ghosts intending to cause trouble in Amity Park.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

{Notes}

* Dale is one of the A-Lister bullies only seen in Season 1. I decided to have him return because… I dunno, I just did. Also, Dale was last seen in the episode "Lucky in Love", which took place after "Shades of Gray", when Valerie's father was fired, and they had to move.

** Amethyst-Ocean style. Would you guys expect anything less? I got Danny's design (and the idea of including the toy rocket ship, not a shuttle, Danny; LOL) from A-O's "Dannyversary 13" fanart. I got Sam's design from A-O's "DP: Sam Growing Up" fanart. Tucker's design was my own since I didn't want Tucker to be like Danny and just have his teenage clothes shrunk down to kid size. That and Tucker is the only character of the trio that A-O hasn't done a "Growing Up" fanart for (yet? Hopefully?).

*** Scene from the episode "Memory Blank" with some additions.

**** This flashback takes place well before "Memory Blank", so Danny doesn't have the DP logo. However, this also takes place after "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale", since Danny's at Sam's place.

"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"

This episode was 20k words long. God damn it… I was not expecting that. Welp, screw it. Might set the length of each episode to be anywhere from about 10k to 20k words now, with 2-part "movies" being a total of 25k or more, I'm not sure yet. I was not turning this into a 2-part movie.

For those of you who did read the final flashback, congratulations… you have passed the first test. But… I've got some bad news… you're going back in future episodes! *Creepy smile* And it only gets worse. Much... MUCH worse.

Anyways, hope everyone is doing well, since the COV-19 virus has been causing a huge problem around the world lately. Hope you're all staying safe and healthy.

Like, follow, and review (please).

~ThePhantomHedgehog