More Alike Than You Think

There was definitely something different about his relatives.

Danny was certainly surprised that he ran into his relatives in the mall, and even more so when the brother (Seth?) had calmed Cujo down almost instantaneously. Despite the little surprises, Danny instantly liked his cousins. There was some… feeling that Danny got from them. He felt at ease and that they were trustworthy, like how he felt around Raxtus. He didn't know why. He didn't get the chance to dwell on it for long, as the ghosts liked to keep him busy. He eventually had all but forgotten the little encounter. At least until he shook Kendra's hand, the energy traveled up Danny's arm.

Feeling curious, Danny used his powers to investigate and discovered what felt like a core of energy within his cousin. Unlike his, which was of ghostly energy, Kendra's powers were ones of… light. He looked at the girl in surprise, who mirrored his own expression. There was also a sense of… knowing written across her face. Danny also noticed the expectant looks of Warren and Seth.

'Wait, do they know-'

"How was your trip? Did you encounter any ghosts?" His dad's question snapped Danny from his musings.

Danny knew the answer to that: they had met his ghost form when he went to calm down Cujo. Danny watched his cousins nervously. He was starting to suspect that they knew his secret. He noticed Warren glancing at Kendra, who gave a subtle gesture in response.

Warren gave a lazy smile. "Naw, nothing like that. It was a quiet ride all the way."

Danny's eyebrows raised up in surprise and slight confusion, until he caught Kendra shooting him a reassuring smile and mouthing "you can trust us." Danny studied her face for a minute, then returned the smile, the tension seeping from his shoulders.

…~~~oOo~~~…

They sat in the kitchen for about half an hour, with Warren catching up with his cousin and the other adults (Jazz including herself) conversing about relations that Danny didn't know. Danny just chatted with Kendra and Seth while they polished off the cookies.

"So the UFO on your roof can turn into a blimp?" Seth asked, an eager grin on his face.

Danny nodded. "Oh yeah, and into a jet. I've actually flown it before." Danny then smirked a little, guessing what his cousin was very likely thinking, "although, I don't think Mom and Dad will be giving any tours from the air anytime soon."

"Awwwww…"

"So, what do you like to do for fun?" Danny asked.

"Well, I like to read, painting, and going for walks out in nature," Kendra answered, snatching the last cookie from the plate, much to Seth's dismay. "Seth likes to cause mischief-"

"Hey, I do cool things! I like to be active like swimming or tennis. There's also exploring the woods around Grandpa Sorenson's house."

"What about you?" Kendra asked Danny.

"Video games, bowling, watching 'scary' movies and making fun of the plot… oh, and star gazing!" He grinned, "I really love anything to do with space."

Seth was about to comment when a knock at the door drew everyone's attention.

"Gotta be Bracken," Warren remarked.

"I'll get it," Jazz strode out of the kitchen. With the opening and closing of the door, Jazz came back followed by a young man. He was certainly eye catching; his silvery-white hair, fair countenance almost seeming to give a slight glow and silver-blue eyes portraying decades of wisdom in a face that barely looked twenty definitely drew attention.

As Bracken entered the room, Danny felt a warmth on his face. To his shock, he could see his cheeks glow faintly, and fleeting sensations popped up; the smell of the ocean, the taste of honeydew… Kendra and Seth had noticed their cousin's 'radiant skin' problem. Fortunately, it barely lasted for a moment. Seth looked like he wanted to say something, but was silenced by Kendra, who was shaking her head after jabbing her elbow into his side to get his attention.

"About time you joined us," Vanessa commented, giving a look at the newcomer.

Bracken gave a small smile. "Just had to settle some matters."

"Welcome to Amity Park! I'm Jack Fenton-" Danny's dad bellowed "-and this is my beloved wife Maddie!" He finished, pulling his wife in an one-armed embrace.

Maddie smiled "It's so good to meet you. Warren told us some things about you."

"Hopefully good things." Bracken joked.

"You already met Jazz," Warren then patted Danny's shoulder. "This is Danny."

"Nice to meet you," Danny held out a hand.

"The pleasure's mine." Bracken returned the handshake. The same sensations from earlier briefly touched Danny's senses. Bracken had a knowing twinkle in his eye as he moved on to converse with the other adults. Danny blinked.

"Think he found Raxtus?" Seth's whispered question caught Danny's attention. They knew Raxtus? Before he could even decide on what to do with this information, his dad had began blathering about some of their work in the lab and offered to show their guests.

"Actually Dad, would it be cool if me and my cousins go upstairs?" Danny asked, wanting to talk to his cousins. Kendra, and Seth reluctantly, both nodded their agreement.

"Of course sweetie. You three have fun." Danny's mom said, quite happy that Danny was getting to know his relatives.

Jack then slung his arms around Warren (who was used to his antics) and Jazz (who was starting to think that she should hang out with her brother), "you kids have fun while we tour the lab and I blab about ghosts!"

Danny led Kendra and Seth up the stairs and they entered his room, the door being closed for privacy. "So, um… about earlier," Danny tried, unsure on how to breach the subject.

"You're Danny Phantom?" Seth bluntly asked, his sister giving him a look. "What?"

Danny nodded, furrowing his brow in contemplation. "I'm wondering how you guys figured it out and…" he paused, looking at Kendra. "Do you have powers or something?"

"Seth too," Kendra supplied. "We're… where do we start?" Kendra muttered.

"I know where. Can't you change for us?"

"Seth!"

"What?! We're related to a superhero. No one can say that!"

Danny chuckled, "I guess so, although I got the feeling you guys have done some cool things yourselves."

"Fought some demons, saved the world, traveled to different places around the world, caught a leprechaun… oh, and I almost became a millionaire by selling batteries to satyrs for gold." Seth replied nonchalantly, "At least, I would have if it weren't for Kendra." He then grumbled.

"Satyrs?"

"Ghosts are real, why not other mythical creatures? My brother and I are part of an organization that protects magical creatures." Kendra explained. "We're actually here to investigate a potential threat of a demon. Warren and the others will explain the full details later, as you will probably want to know."

Danny nodded. "Okay, sounds good. So, you guys protect magical creatures?"

"For a long time, preserves have been established as a safe haven for many beings of myth. Our Grandparents are caretakers of Fablehaven, a preserve in Connecticut. A demon called Bahamat tried to destroy Fablehaven, but Kendra stopped him by leading an army of large fairies and became the princess of fairies."

"Seth! I'm not a fairy princess." Kendra then went to explain, "The fairies had shared their magic with me and I'm the Fairy Queen's handmaiden. I am what you'd call 'Fairykind' and gained some abilities like mind control immunity, night vision, and the ability to understand fairy languages to name a few."

"I'm a Shadow Charmer, one who claims brotherhood with creatures of the night. So kinda the opposite of Kendra, her being light and all. I got my powers when I defeated a super zombie with nothing but a courage potion and a pair of pliers. I'm immune to magical emotions and can disappear in the shadows."

"Wow, that's impressive."

"So, how did you get your powers?" Seth asked.

"Accident in my parents' lab. I checked out the portal and got zapped." Danny summoned the rings to change his form, then switched back. "I've been in the past, went to space once (man, so cool!), and basically been defending the town from evil rockstars and a vampire-wannabe all the way to dealing with a moron that's obsessed with boxes."

Kendra was baffled. "Boxes?"

"Knowing the Box Ghost, we'll be seeing him soon." Danny rolled his eyes. "So I heard you mention Raxtus."

"You met Raxtus?" Danny nodded, "Wait, you're able to see him without the milk?"

"Milk?"

"Normal people can't see magical creatures. There's special creatures that enable people to see the magical world around them. Kendra's powers let her see without needing help."

Danny nodded at the explanation. "Well I saw him without trouble. So, why would satyrs want batteries?"