~Chapter 31~
Danny opened the door quietly and slowly, with Sam right behind him. His parents weren't in the living room. His mother, he knew, had to either in the lab or kitchen one. The whole house was pretty quiet, in fact, except for some rustling upstairs.
Sam rolled her eyes. Of course he would want to check that out...
He walked in and looked around. The rustling sound was still heard.
"Kids?" Danny called out.
He heard Junior giggle from behind the couch and smiled. Where Junior was, Lilith was. Where Lilith was, Junior was. They were just playing hide-and-seek.
"Hmmmmm..." he hummed. "I wonder where the twins are... Dove, have you seen them?"
She shrugged and put her hands behind her back.
"No, I haven't... I just don't know where they went...!" she replied.
This time both the twins giggled. Lilith peered over the couch and her parents looked the other way, pretending to be looking for them. She giggled again.
"Hey, you know what? I think they might be behind the couch," Sam 'suggested'.
"No we're not!" Junior yelled out, quietly laughing a few seconds later.
"Oh!" Danny cried. "I think I heard something!"
"No you didn't!" he shouted as if they weren't ten feet from him.
Sam almost started to laugh, but the halfa quickly covered her mouth and shook his head.
"Well if they're not behind the couch, I guess we shouldn't check there," he sighed.
"Don't find us, Daddy," Lilith said. "I want Mommy to find us."
Danny frowned and whispered into Sam's ear, "Isn't that like parental racism?"
She peeled his hand from her mouth. "You want Mommy to find you? Where are you at?"
"Come find us!" she repeated.
"Are you behind the couch?"
"Yes," Junior said, quickly to be countered with Lilith's, "No."
Danny bit his lip and covered his mouth, trying his best not to laugh. These particular twins strove to prove how wrong people were when they assumed twins were the same; these two were exact opposites. It was funny, though, because Lilith was like the alpha twin; she called the shots on the clever deceptions, cunning escapes, and masterful sneak attacks. They were just funny to watch. Time and time Danny and Sam had joked around saying they should videotape them and send the tape to a reality TV show.
Sam crouched on a couch cushion and listened silently to the twins. They were so terrible at being quiet when they hid... One of them was shuffling around.
She suddenly popped up from the couch and shouted, "Found ya!"
The twins immediately scattered, Lilith going one way and Junior going the other, both squealing and giggling uncontrollably.
Junior, when he realized that he wasn't following his sister, turned around and ran past Mommy crying, "Wait, Sissy!"
'Sissy' was what he'd grown to call his sister. Likewise, he was called 'Bubba'. And they always traveled together no matter what. Ever since they could crawl they were inseparable and that had to be the one thing about them that hadn't changed over the years. Of course, saying 'over the years' to Danny would send him into a depression episode, so nobody ever said anything about 'how time flies', 'where did the time go', 'over the years', 'grow up so fast', etc. Sometimes Sam believed he'd grown a little too attached to them. He was possessive of them, like all parents were of their children, but he was so overprotective that... Ugh...poor Lilith and her forbidden romance. That poor girl would never get married. Heck she wouldn't even have a date! All hopes of a boy were dashed the moment she was born.
Sam just felt bad about when she started liking boys, as every girl did eventually. Danny would go crazy when that time came and suddenly all boys would be a serious threat. That poor child... Dating was already a no-no. And Sam? Pfft, like she would be able to change Danny's mind... Maybe she could arrange secret get-togethers or something. And then later she would find out that Danny had been spying the entire time and had ruined the secret date by suddenly appearing out of the shadows and putting his arm around Lilith. He was tall, strong, and if push came to shove, intimidating. It was more than enough to repel any boy from so much as looking at Lilith. So...that would be wonderful for her.
And it would be wonderful for the goth to explain to her daughter, who would be begging her to change her dad's stubborn mind, that there was nothing she could do. Danny would simply be too against letting her date to change his mind. Sam could always wave a moon flower in his face but...she'd rather not relive that. It was insanity in the house for what, three weeks? Felt like three months...
And she couldn't help but wonder if Danny would want Lilith and Junior to know he was half ghost. They were starting to remember things now and she noticed how careful he was about changing around them. He always snuck off while they weren't looking or he distracted them somehow.
Of course, after he transformed, the idiot that dared come near the twins was beaten into oblivion. She'd seen numerous skid marks from Johnny 13's motorcycle. They could stretch all the way down the road, occasionally longer than that! She never really watched those fights and kept herself occupied by ushering the twins elsewhere. A while back, both Danny and Sam had decided that they wouldn't be allowed to see any ghost fights because the violence would be too much for them. In a strange way, though, it was good to have that kind of violence around. There weren't many ghosts stupid enough to come near the twins. Danny gave them a serious beating if they did. She had seen some of them run away from the twins before just because they knew what would happen if they were caught. Danny had made it clear that the twins were off limits, resulting in a wide safe zone for them.
She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Vlad came along. Not only had Danny grown stronger, but he grew extremely aggressive toward any ghost daring enough to come near the twins. Vlad was one of those buttons that should never be pressed, so that would increase his aggression. Then if he came near the twins... It would be interesting to see what would happen. Ever since Lilith and Junior were born, Danny never fought blindly like he used to. He normally kept himself under control. But would he lose that control if he saw Vlad?
"Hey, Danny?" she said. "Just out of curiosity, what would you do if Vlad came near the twins?"
She saw his eyes flash an angry green. "Beat the living crap out of him. Let him come within one inch of his life. Possibly kill him. Hopefully break every bone in his body. Take twenty years off his life expectancy and send him to therapy for the time he has left...if he has any time left."
Well...okay then. She knew he wasn't kidding about that. And if he saw Vlad near the twins, it would be a very, very painful day for Vlad. He would get the beating of a lifetime and, like almost every single other ghost, would flee from the twins the moment he saw a hair on their heads.
"Why, did he come near them?" the halfa asked.
She quickly shook her head. "No, he didn't. It was just a random thought that popped into my head."
"Well if he comes near you or the twins, call me and cover your eyes so you won't have to see the bloodshed," he said, already tensing.
She put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "Danny, don't worry. I'm pretty sure word's reached Vlad through all the ghosts you've beaten half to after-death. If it was one ghost he might be tempted to come here but I've seen so many of those ghosts run for their afterlives when they see the twins... There's no doubt they've been warning other ghosts and Vlad probably would've taken their word for it at that point."
"I'm keeping my eyes peeled nonethe-"
He was cut off by a knocking at the front door and turned to look.
He went to open it and as he passed the staircase, he heard the same rustling noise Sam knew would be investigated later.
Tucker was standing there with a concerned expression on his face.
"Hey, everything okay?" he asked. "Danny, you kind of ran off and you didn't come back. What happened?"
Danny grinned. "Well...a few things actually. Sam's not my girlfriend anymore, first off."
Tucker frowned and looked past his friend to see Sam. "Wait, what? What happened? You guys fight or something?"
Sam came up and invited Tucker in, sitting him on the couch. Danny closed the door and sat with them.
"We didn't break up," she said.
She held out her left hand and wiggled her ring finger.
Tucker's mouth might as well have dropped to the ground.
"Dude! You finally...! It's about time! Sam, how long did he keep you waiting?" He laughed. "You'll have to tell me that story!"
Danny smiled. "There's more. Sam, your turn."
"Well," she started, "I'm due in about eight months."
"Due for what? Exam or something?" the geek guessed.
"Something like that," she replied, placing a hand over her stomach. "There's another Fenton on the way."
Shock washed over the techno-geek and it was a brain fry moment.
"She's making me beg for 'Vanessa' if it's a girl, and we haven't really thought of any boy names yet. But we have eight months so I think we can decide before then," Danny added.
"But...I mean, you're eighteen... Weren't you upset at all?" he asked.
Sam nodded. "Yeah. I told Danny to come home because I was so upset. At first he took it really well and tried to calm me down. Then, later on, he completely freaked out and I had to slap him to stop him from hyperventilating. At first I thought he didn't want the baby but after he proposed, he told me he was just numb. Then he reminded me of that creepy notebook he had and said having another baby was what he wanted all along."
"So...Danny wants the baby...but do you?" he continued.
He didn't miss his friend's frown. Either the halfa was nervous because he didn't know or he was sad because Sam didn't want it.
She smiled. "No, I wanted it all along, but I figured Danny would be upset, so I got upset. For now, what I want is for the morning sickness and weird cravings go away. And I'll be so happy once the baby's out of me!"
"I'm looking forward to feeling it kick," Danny added.
"I'm not," she mumbled.
Tucker nudged her and said, "Come on, Sam, we don't get to feel it like you do. When it starts kicking, can I feel too?"
"That is literally the exact same thing Danny told me," the goth replied. "But yeah, I'll let you feel it too."
Tucker smiled. "Well, hey, I'm happy for you." He reached out to hug Sam, then Danny. "I've seen you in action and I know you'll make great parents...again!"
The halfa smiled with his friend. It would be a long wait, but he would be having another baby. He honestly did believe that four years ago, he would've been scared of the responsibility, but would grow to love a child whether it was his or not. Well, maybe. He was much more mature now than he was back when he was fourteen. But now that he was older and had kids, it was like a void he didn't even know he had had been filled.
The rustling upstairs got louder for a few seconds. It was enough to make Danny's curiosity win the little debate on when exactly to go check it out.
"Hey, Sam, Tucker," he said, "Go somewhere else for a minute. If it's a burglar or something, I don't want anyone getting hurt."
"And if it's an innocent raccoon?" Sam countered.
"Rabies," he answered. "And Sam, don't go in the lab. Too many chemicals."
She rolled her eyes but left anyway, soon to be followed by Tucker.
Danny made his way upstairs. The noise was coming from Jazz's bedroom. When he was fourteen he would've rushed in, not thinking he would catch Jazz changing clothes or something, but then that one time had struck one night when she was getting ready for bed... Ever since then he wasn't exactly eager to rush into anyone's bedroom again.
He put his ear to the door and listened carefully. There were small whispers he couldn't quite make out and tiny giggles. The rustling continued.
He took a deep breath. "Jazz?"
Suddenly everything stopped and the room fell silent. Then an abrupt thump was heard followed immediately by a door opening and closing.
"Yes?" she said.
"Is everything okay in there? I heard noises."
"Everything's fine, you can go away now."
"You sure? Because I thought I heard something..." he said suggestively.
"It's nothing, Danny!" she said, a slight hint of irritation in her voice. "We're fine, just go away now!"
He frowned. "'We're'? There's someone else in there? Who?"
"No, no one else is in here...I meant you and me. We, as in you and I, are fine. Okay?"
This time he held a stiff face. "Jazz, I have other ways of getting in your room, so you might wanna tell me what's going on."
"Just...lady issues," she said.
He could tell by her tone that she was lying.
"Jazz, you have until the count of three to tell me that heck's going on before I come in and find out myself. One..."
"I'm not one of your kids, Danny!" she angrily yelled.
"Two..."
"Danny!"
"Three. Ready or not, here I come."
He phased through his sister's door and immediately noticed a few things that were off about her room. She always kept her room perfect. In fact, she was probably OCD about that. Her bed was messed up. The covers weren't thrown back, but they'd definitely been tussled around. There was a brown shirt stuffed under the bed. Funny...Jazz never wore brown shirts... For some reason she just didn't like them.
Jazz herself look off as well. Her face was heated with a blush and her hair was ruffled a bit. Hm... Jazz was neurotic about her hair... It always had to be kept perfectly straight until it came to the bottom, where an angled curve reaching height of ninety degrees had to be made. Her hair wasn't in order, she was blushing madly, and there was a very unconvincing smile on her face.
"What are you hiding?" he asked.
Her smile turned into a frown. "Huh?"
"Jazz, I have a daughter. I noticed things in preschool that told me whether she did something she wasn't supposed to or not. I've lived with you since I was born and I know how you work. So tell me, what's going on with you?"
The half crossed his arms and cast a pointed glance over to the shirt.
Her breath caught for a moment and the obvious smile came back.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I just had a friend over, that's all."
"So...your friend decided to take her shirt off and leave it under your bed?"
"Well, no, not exactly... See, she had a cami on and she got hot-"
"In a room-temperature house with a working heating system and air conditioning? While your fan happens to be on?"
She began to nervously fiddle with her thumbs.
"Um... Well, she has this skin condition-"
"I'm studying the human body right now, Jazz. Skin doesn't regulate core temperature and sweat glands are activated by heat or tense emotions. Who's your friend?"
She bit her lip and looked up. It was all the answer Danny needed.
"Well," he chirped, "if she's not here anymore, you'll have no reason to fret if I take a little look around your room, right?"
He gave a pointed look of disgust to the evil brown T-shirt before flattening himself on the floor, right beside Jazz's bed. He blinked and his eyes went from blue to green. Their glow acted like headlights on a car, allowing him to see everything under the bed. As was expected, Jazz's neurotic ways hadn't changed a bit and the only things under the bed were the shirt, a few books she kept under there just in case she had the urge to read before sleeping, which she often did, and a puzzle box.
Aside from the shirt, there was nothing suspicious under the bed. He never even gave thought to the closet-not yet at least-until Jazz yelped, "Wait!"
The halfa stopped where he was an just as soon noticed a small sound coming from inside her closet.
He opened the door.
"JAZZ!" he screamed.
A/N
BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE! I have created a page on facebook, "Crypticmoonfang". You'll find the link on my profile or you can just go to FB and look it up in the search bar. Follow me if you wanna know what's up. :)
XD YES! I'm sure I wasn't being all clever here and I bet most of you will know of the sibling love to come next chapter.
So I had writer's block, as every author does at one point or another, but then this whole slew of ideas just randomly popped into my head! :D And you know, Jazz doesn't even know Sam's pregnant! Or engaged! OMG I'M SO EXCITED! XP Just have to get this out there though, 'cause I know I had you waiting a little but hey, here it is, mateys! lol! I'm hyper right now in case you can't tell (hey, that rhymed almost!)!
Okay, quota will be I-don't-care-so-long-as-you-guys-BREAK THE FREAKING TIE. :l EVERY poll I put up has had a tie, I mean...come on! Is there something you're trying to tell me? 'Cause I'm totally missing it if there is.
Replies *says in horrible French accent*:
ShadowDragon357- Her hopes and dreams didn't exactly HAVE to change. Remember in FWB when Sam felt like there was just nothing left for her and the twins were ruining her life? In her late pregnancy, she finally started loving the twins (unlike Danny, it took a LONG time for Sam to start liking the twins, let alone love them) and understood that her life was changing, but for the better. And even after they were born it did say that it took her about two years to stop seeing the twins as a rapist's babies and start seeing them as Daddy's Lil' Stinkers (so many people have referred to him as "Daddy Danny" that I'm just using that from now on). I don't know who Farah Abram is. Maddie already told Danny and Sam that THEY were to parent the twins, not her and Jack. But I do see your point and I'm surprised anyone even noticed that. I just felt that this is how she would react (even in the show) in this situation.
puppets4ever- Ah, I'm too lazy to log in so I just use the "keep me signed in" button. :D Thanks!
Mata Nui- :D I have absolutely no idea what that means!
Alisi Thorndyke- ... :P Yeah... Um, 'bout that... I'm still trying to decide (thanks to the LOVELY tie from the poll I put up) whether or not they should know and/or when they should know AND, if they do know, how they would be told. XD For real, I want a guy like Danny!
Mistheart150- I have but I'm rewriting it and currently in the process of trying to squeeze in new chapters to help detail certain moments Sam went through.
AJ- I don't know you outside of fanfiction and I'm pretty wary about who I give any information out to on the internet. Let's just a lesson was learned.
Favorite Daughter Of Hades- Sorry, can't tell. But I will say that Danny's speed healing has nothing to do with embryonic development. o.o"
sammansonrepilica- XD Well then have fun 'guessing' what happens next, even though it's pretty obvious.
ChristinCC- Aw, thank you. ^.^ And aw, thank you. ^.^
HeroAce- It has come a long way, hasn't it? And um...Danny letting his kids fight ghosts? XD He'll be driving himself up the wall when Lilith tells him about her first crush! Those poor kids won't be doing anything with ghosts...or dating. ;3
Looka'sMagicHell- :3 Daddy Danny, baby. He rocks. And I have no right to be proud of updating crappy chapters. I mean, what's the point of writing it out in the first place if you only get out...well...THAT?
TripleAAA1183- Yaaaaayyyyyy, someone didn't see it coming! I actually made a surprise. XP About time I did that... And I would rather you not write out any plot bunnies as I technically own the content you would be writing.
TheNinjaKitty13- It's funny how you said that because I just explained it in this chapter. :D *GASP* Cookie again?! For mez?! THANKS! *devours cookie*
PEOPLEZ EVERYWHERE! PLEASE, I BEG YOU, VOTE ON THE POLL AND END THE TIE TERROR! :'( For me? Please?