Chapter 51
Danny jumped out of bed—sort of. Sam had decided that Faye was simply too young to be very far from either her or Danny and his family…as in, right beside someone at all times. This included the night. For him this meant getting out of bed quickly but carefully every time his ghost sense went off. He was also instructed to not go ghost inside the room unless he was absolutely sure there was a ghost. The light would wake the baby…
Big problem was, the only ghosts had been Johnny and Kitty for the past week and a half. Every other time was Faye and it was getting tiring in more ways than one. At least the level of stress and activity had declined… For a few days he refused to let Sam out of the bed, aside from using the bathroom, and only helped her up if she was eating, drinking, or feeding Faye. The agreement to let his mom look Faye over was finally followed through, and she was just fine. Maybe it was some motherly instinct he didn't have—or know about—but Sam already seemed to know everything was okay.
Sam didn't know about her parents' visit either. He felt especially bad for Pamela but she was very understanding and agreed to let Sam recover first. Her biggest concern was how her ghost grandchild was going to be raised. She didn't seem to doubt their parenting, but he would constantly receive text messages asking how the baby was and more importantly, if she had any powers. But his answer was always the same—despite her ability to make his ghost sense go off, she'd shown no powers whatsoever. It gave the entire family, Sam's included, hope that she would grow up as any normal human would.
And Johnny and Kitty, he was too tired to care if they handled the twins anymore. They'd been approved as babysitters, which Kitty loved. He never got any sleep with his ghost sense so them dealing with all that energy didn't seem like such a terrible idea.
"Danny, it was just Faye…" Sam mumbled. "Go back to sleep…"
He just sighed. Somewhere deep down he knew Sam was right, as usual. That, and it also could've had something to do with the fact that with Faye around he wasn't getting much sleep. It was hard to care about ghosts as much as he did before when his brain felt like it was constantly shorting out on him.
He carefully got back into bed. It took all of three seconds for him to be completely asleep. And it felt like three seconds before the morning sun cast its evil rays on his eyes. The system he used to have with the alarm clock was forbidden now. When the twins slept he didn't have to worry about the noise from the small blast. Now that a baby was in the bed there was no alarm, but somehow he still heard it going off each morning. It was as though the sound had ingrained itself into his brain.
The doorbell blasted through the semi-quiet house and soon he heard the familiar thumping of four little feet followed by his mother trying to hold them back. Ever since Faye was born, his family helped them both out in mornings or whenever else necessary. The help was so appreciated it couldn't be put into better words.
He carefully got out of bed and hoped neither Faye nor Sam would feel it. They didn't seem to so he quickly got dressed and, instead of risking a squeaky door, phased through it to see his sister already up, perky, and opening the front door. Sam's parents were awkwardly welcomed in while his dad was quick to usher the twins somewhere else in the house, away from possible drama and negativity that they had no business being around.
He still had a few bad thoughts about Pamela but was otherwise fine with her being here. Jeremy, on the other hand, despite "loving" his daughter in ways only he could think of, was still very much unwelcome. Jeremy never did like him so chances were, the feeling was mutual. He had only come to see Sam…but why bother with her now?
He rushed downstairs to help his family "greet" Sam's parents but his family still had no idea what went on the last time they came here. Even Pamela was picking up on the hostility, and she had been against her husband's decisions from the get-go.
"Hey, Pamela!" he said as he approached them. Then, when he turned to greet Jeremy, his tone was much less cheerful. "Hello, Jeremy."
"So, to what do we owe this…pleasure?" his mother asked.
"Intrusion." Jazz "corrected". "A pleasure would be a good thing. Having the two people who did something so horrible to their only daughter come into our house is not a good thing."
"A-Actually," he started, "Pamela didn't want this. Jeremy is the one who made the choices and Pamela said she wanted to be a good wife."
He was pretty sure everyone noted that he did not in any way defend Jeremy, not even through the tone in his voice. He had no intention of telling them why Jeremy did what he did and said what he said. In his eyes, whatever the reason was, it could never justify causing one's own child that much pain, a pain that subconsciously lasted years later.
"I can see I'm not as warmly received as my wife is," Jeremy said.
Still no apology, even after what Jazz had so blatantly pointed out. Even though Jeremy knew, and was told repeatedly, the kind of heartbreak Sam had been put through. Why did this man refuse to say one word about his sins? He had a daughter, he had raised her, he had seen her grow…so why not be a man about it? Why not confess and beg for forgiveness from the people who took his daughter in and watched his daughter suffer greatly?!
His family turned their eyes to him, as if asking his permission to allow Jeremy to stay. He despised the idea of it. But for the sake of Pamela, he opened the door wider and glared only at Jeremy when the pair walked in.
"I'm so sorry," Pamela said softly the moment she sat down on the couch. "I never wanted this for my little girl… I should never have allowed this to happen." She cast a very accusing glance towards her husband. "And neither should he."
"I think—"
"Just shut up, Jeremy!" Danny lashed. "Nobody cares about what 'you think'."
"May I remind you all that Samantha is my daughter?" he growled.
"May I remind you that we haven't forgotten?" Jazz shot back.
"May I see her now, at least?" Pamela asked. "She's has plenty of time to recover, unless of course ghost births are harder…?"
Honestly he had no idea if giving birth to a ghost was harder on Sam than a human baby…but it couldn't hurt anyone to make sure her body had in fact recovered from it.
Once again the family turned to him for an answer, as though he was the one who held all authority over any matter concerning Sam or the kids. He still had serious problems with Jeremy—more so than any other person in this house—but Sam would, for reasons completely beyond his understanding, love to see her father again. No matter what this lowlife did, he always had her unconditional love. It was sickening…
Deciding that it wouldn't be the best idea to continue keeping her parents' little entrances a secret from her, Danny silently went back upstairs to find Sam lying in bed, awake, propped up on one elbow, with Faye wiggling around making tiny baby gurgles. Faye was pretty vocal for a newborn. Sam seemed to know her language, though, and was perfectly capable of tending to every need. If only Jeremy knew what an amazing and intuitive mother Sam had become. If only he knew how much she had grown since her first pregnancy. If only he knew that she never had to suffer to get this far in life. If only he knew that she couldn't move past being raped…if only he knew she would never heal.
In a way, Danny found this to be spiteful—Jeremy kept Sam from a decent life and now he was the one paying the price for it in the end. How delightfully ironic.
"Sam," he said softly, catching her attention. "Sam, we have visitors."
She shrugged her shoulders and let Faye grab her index finger. "I don't care what they eat as long as they don't eat any granola bars, teddy grahams, cheese cubes, or snack crackers."
"Actually they're here to see you."
She looked up at him in confusion. To her knowledge, nobody had ever come to see her. Her last known visitor was Sandra and that did not go over well. And even then Sandra had only come looking for information on Danny. This, of course, was leaving aside Johnny and Kitty who no longer qualified as visitors in her mind—more like helpful friends of the family that were welcome anytime.
"Are they news reporters?" she asked. Because the press had yet to see or even hear about Danny Phantom's new baby—so far they'd caught wind of her existence but knew nothing beyond that.
"No. I think you'll enjoy this, come downstairs," he answered.
She reluctantly got up and changed out of her pajamas. Scars still littered her body and even though he'd seen them time and time again, and even though his family had strong suspicions about self-harm having taken place in the past, she still wore a long-sleeve shirt to cover herself up. She only ever wore long sleeves now. She occasionally went to bed wearing a short-sleeve or sleeveless nightgown but only around him and only if the temperature was boiling. It was an honor to have earned that much trust…but even though the scars were hardly noticed by now, it was painful to think about how they got there to begin with. He kept himself from ever focusing on them.
She cradled Faye as she followed Danny downstairs. Leaving the room felt like freedom after being bedridden for so long. That was how it started out, anyway. About midway down the stairs she looked up from her baby and froze when she saw her father. Honestly she could've been having someone stabbing her in the gut with a butcher knife and hardly notice it.
She wasn't necessarily a deer caught in headlights…but she also wasn't bursting with joy and energy. She should've been rushing to greet him after all those months of total isolation from him, but for some reason she just…couldn't.
"Samantha…" Jeremy murmured. "And another baby…"
She was so fixated on her father that she hardly saw the woman he was with ready to tackle her. Danny's mother and sister were the ones holding her back. They both were watching. They both were waiting. They both were finally witnessing, firsthand, how she would interact with Jeremy. It was no secret that she wanted a normal relationship with him again, but they all knew it was far too late for that. The damage was irreversible. Nothing could ever make up for it.
"I see I have three grandchildren now," he continued.
Danny wanted to put his hand on her shoulder and lead her straight back to his room, but he couldn't bring himself to pull her away. After all, last time they met up together nobody was on good terms. Sam wasn't done with him yet. He doubted she ever would be.
"He wants to see you," Danny said to her, more or less coaxing her to at least say hello…despite his utter disdain for the man.
"Dad…" she finally mumbled. "Why did you…? Why are you here…? I… You…you wanted nothing to do with me…or the kids…or the Fentons…nobody…"
Danny's thoughts exactly. So why bother? Why make the situation worse? He refused to let her go through another bout of depression. But…if Sam chose to stay and talk to her father, then he may not have a choice. This was entirely her decision.
"Samantha, that's not true. I had my reasons."
Her face twisted into both anger and confusion. "I don't care if your reasons would've saved my life."
It amazed them all how she could say such things when her words so obviously contradicted how she truly felt about her father.
She made her way down the rest of the stairs nevertheless, prepared to confront him if necessary, and at that same moment she was crushed in an enormous hug. It was a miracle Faye wasn't smooshed to death, but she did make a few noises to let everyone know she was uncomfortable. So Danny decided to take Faye and let Sam hopefully enjoy her parents' visit—at least her mother's, who in his eyes had a right to be here.
"Who are you again?" Sam asked the woman once she let go.
"Sammykins! Don't you recognize me?"
Unlike Danny, Sam seemed to recognize her without any more assistance.
"Mom?! Wh-where were you all this time?! Where have you b—"
Sam was cut off by another sentimental hug, this time much less aggressive.
"Sammykins, you don't have to forgive me. I just want you to know that I've wanted to see you again for so long. It hurt me every day thinking I never would," the woman said.
Her mother was special enough to have Sam return the embrace.
"How have you been, sweetheart?"
She cracked a smile and replied, "I'm happy." The girls both let go of one another. "I have all the support in the world. I have three kids, Mom. I'm sure Danny's already told you about them though."
"He did and they're so adorable, Sammykins, you've done such an excellent job raising them!"
"One of them is part ghost…are…are you okay with that?"
Sam's voice was almost permissive, as though she had to run this by her parents before she could keep her own baby.
"I'm fine with every last one of them, even the ghost baby. She's just as cute as you were when you were a baby."
Sam's father continuously hurt her to the point of tears and soul-shattering. This time Sam cried because she knew that at least her mother was supportive. Despite having been against the idea of a romantic relationship with Danny, clearly he had proven himself to them—or her mother, at the very least. He was caring, supportive, understanding, and he never failed to show her how much he loved her—it was everything her parents wished for her.
Maddie leaned over to her son and whispered, "I don't have a problem with her mother, but why did you let him in?"
"Sam's sort of…stuck in the past," he whispered back.
Meaning that she'd never gotten over what happened all those years ago. Four…not that he was counting or anything. He couldn't understand why she was so incapable of just letting go, he didn't know why she continued to carry this burden everywhere. There were times when he thought she had finally moved on, but in actuality she'd only been ignoring it. He wanted her father to stay out of her life for good. He wanted her to heal but it was like Jeremy was reopening old wounds every time the man opened his mouth. She could never be built back up with a wrecking ball around.
"I don't think she ever had closure," Danny added. "Maybe that's why."
Maddie grunted in disapproval of her son's choice to actually allow this man into their house. Jazz undoubtedly felt no different yet neither of them disrupted this Manson reunion. Perhaps something inside told them to leave Sam in particular alone. She seemed happy to reunite with her mother, and she still tolerated her father. She had no problems with a week-old infant in the same room as them—although this could also be because Danny was the one holding her—and was eager to catch up with her mother.
It was Pamela, in fact, that asked the most questions. Since Sam had 'left'—COUGH kicked out—their lives had been uneventful. For Pamela her life became consumed with nostalgia. For Jeremy his life became lonely because his wife had been so bitter towards him over the years. There were nights when the two could hardly stand each other and even slept in different rooms. Fights broke out at least once or twice a month, and when Pamela saw the picture of Sam and her grandchildren, when she saw Sam smiling, that was when she threatened to leave Jeremy for what he had done not just to Sam, but to her as well.
Sam clearly had no idea that her mother had disagreed so strongly with her father. The near-divorce. The depression. The wishfulness. The prayers. The nights spent crying. The nights spent hating. The emotional distance. Pamela had been through quite the rollercoaster too, although her coping methods were much healthier than Sam's.
To think that Jeremy caused all of this… The whole Manson family could've been happy all this time, and while he knew things had turned out for the better, Danny also remembered how miserable life was for her before getting to this point. No matter how much support she had received then, it hadn't been enough. It made him feel like a failure for the longest time—all because of Jeremy's pathetic and cruel-minded solutions to a problem Sam never created.
"Oh my goodness!" her mother cried out. "Sammykins, when did this happen?!"
Pamela held up her daughter's left hand and rubbed a thumb over the originally-intended engagement ring.
"Danny took me to the park and proposed. I said yes but after a while we both agreed we were too young for engagements so now it's a promise ring," Sam explained.
Admittedly, he was glad to have transformed it into a promise ring. It was ultimately Tucker who pushed the thought of engagement despite the argument of age. Now a promise ring felt right and an engagement ring felt rushed.
"My, my, that's a beautiful ring."
"I suppose it is," Jeremy said as he came closer to inspect it.
Everyone paid close attention at this point—would she chase him off? The interaction between mother and daughter was nothing but wholesome delight and excitement…but with Jeremy the interaction had never been very stable or relaxed. There was always friction, stress, and tension between the two. Their breath was bated.
"Sammy—"
"You should probably just call me Samantha," she stiffly told him.
Pamela gave him a heavy glare. "I would like to see my daughter."
Everyone assumed in that instant that Pamela was scared of what Sam would do and say. Just one word from Sam and they would both be leaving, kicked out of the house exactly like she had been. The Mansons knew that.
"Are you sure you're up to this, honey?" Pamela asked. "We can leave."
"No, no, I want you to stay." Sam took a deep breath. "I'm happy you're here."
Pamela took that as a concrete 'stay as long as you like' gesture and immediately jumped back on the topic of the baby and two toddlers. For now Faye was napping and the twins were elsewhere with their grandfather. For now.
Danny rocked Faye to distract himself from the Mansons. He didn't want to be held responsible for whatever her father chose to say. After all, this time they dropped in randomly, he never invited them. At least Pamela came and not just Jeremy. Sam was definitely happier this way.
"So, do you know if the baby has any of Danny's powers yet?" Jeremy asked. "Will she have any at all?"
Apparently Pamela hadn't shared the answers to her texts with her husband.
Sam spoke in a very even tone. "She hasn't shown any signs of having powers. The most we've seen is that she sets off Danny's ghost sense from time to time. Even when he's a ghost Danny's presence doesn't affect her so I guess that means she doesn't have a ghost sense either. I think she just got his hair."
"His hair is black."
"Not when he's a ghost, Dad."
Jeremy's voice lowered dramatically and he moved almost as close as possible to her. "You mean to tell me you slept with Phantom, not Fenton?"
"They're the same person," she quietly growled. "Can we not talk about this here?"
"I only want to understand my newest granddaughter—"
"Well, gee, you think you could've tried that line a few years earlier on your first grandchildren?"
"Is she a ghost or a human? She looks like a ghost, perhaps that's why Danny senses her like that."
"Dad, Danny's half ghost no matter what he looks like—"
"Did you sleep with a ghost or a human?"
"Do we have to have this talk now?"
"I only want to understand—"
"Okay, fine! It was Phantom!" she hissed.
"Then she has ghost powers. Samantha, that is extremely irresponsible, why would you do such a thing?"
"He. Is. Half. Human."
"Fine but this is Phantom's baby."
"They're the same person either way."
"If that was true then wouldn't Danny look like a cross between the two?"
She held a hand over her head and continued, in the same low, muffled voice, "I don't know the science behind it, I just know that if he wasn't half ghost then he couldn't change appearances."
"This is still Phantom's child though, she inherited his ghost DNA. Not Fenton's human DNA."
"Phantom is Fenton! What part of that do you not understand?!"
"He changes into an entirely separate being. He can't be a human and a ghost, ghosts are dead. You mean to tell me he was half killed?"
"I don't know the science behind it. Maybe he really is half dead, I don't know. I don't care! Yes, I slept with his ghost half, okay? That doesn't make Faye a ghost! I did not give birth to a dead baby!"
While the others could hear silent hissing and grumbling from Sam and her father, her mother had a look of concern on her face, almost as though she could be agreeing with Jeremy, or at least part of whatever he was talking about.
"Samantha, dear," her mother interrupted in the same low voice they were using, "I think we both just want to know our granddaughter is healthy. I'm a bit concerned about the whole human/ghost situation but only because I care. And for no other reason."
Ignoring her, Sam turned back to her father. "So you'll reject your own flesh and blood because Danny, a superhero, is the father?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You had no problem doing that to me, I wouldn't put it past you to do the same to her."
"I never said I would reject her—"
"But you still have a big problem with her, right? Because she's Danny's? Because she's part ghost? Because she's different?" She ground her teeth. "Or is it me? Is it because I slept with a ghost and gave birth to his child? Is it because I never turned out the way you wanted me to? Because I did things you wouldn't dream of doing?"
Jazz turned to the rest of the Fenton family, brother included, and suggested, "We ought to go somewhere else. They need privacy."
And they had a lot of issues to work out… Each of them moved outside, Danny taking Faye with him and hoping dearly that she wouldn't wake up screaming for lunch.
"I love you so much, Samantha. I should've said it more often but it's true."
"Stop with the lies and just admit how much you hate all this! You've always hated the idea of Danny and me and now all of a sudden there's a baby and it's his. I slept with a ghost and you hate that! Just say it to my face already!"
Pamela began rubbing her temples and sighed as if she knew all along that tensions would build this high.
"I hate that you have this interspecies relationship, yes, but I never said one word about my grandchildren!"
"Danny is a human—!"
"Half human."
"Yeah, whatever, half human, but it's still not some interspecies relationship! When I slept with Phantom I also slept with Fenton, it doesn't matter."
"Are you saying he changed forms?!"
"No! And even if he did it makes no difference!"
"It's premarital—"
"Oh, don't even talk to me about 'premarital', you and Mom didn't marry until I was four years old!"
"That was different."
"Wha— How?!"
"Your mother and I are both human and didn't have to worry about a floating invisible baby. But no, my daughter found a ghost and bore him a child!"
"That 'ghost' saved my life on more than one occasion! He's done more for me than you ever did and didn't ask for anything in return!"
"Except your body."
"He never asked for that, I made that choice!"
"A ghost knocked you up and you defend him?! Where is your dignity?! I did not raise you this way!"
"I gave birth stranded in the ghost zone. Barely any resources. I had to rely on Danny. He did everything he could for me, just like he always did in the past. You know he's terrified of blood? He pushed past that to make sure your granddaughter was safe in my arms. Would you have ever done something like that knowing how different your baby would be? Knowing that she would be part ghost but loving her anyway?"
"I'm sure I would've," Jeremy answered after a moment of thought on the matter.
"I almost died, Dad, and you weren't there. I was in a hospital, unconscious, and the first person I saw when I opened my eyes was Danny. It should've been you. The first person to help me was Danny. It should've been you. The first person to swear he would keep my secrets safe was Danny. It should've been you. Tell me why he's such a problem for you. Tell me why him saving my life and providing me with support and shelter and helping me raise children that aren't even his bothers you so much."
"Because—"
"And you know what else? The only reason he's half ghost is because I was the one who convinced him to go into the ghost portal. That's when the accident happened. His ghost half is my fault. So blame me too."
"I will not blame my little girl for his mistakes, he consciously chose to go in there."
"But he never would've if I hadn't told him to!"
"He still made the choice. He could've said no."
"That's not the point!"
"You know what bothers me about this, Samantha?"
She folded her arms.
"What bothers me is that my daughter kept all these secrets from me. What bothers me is that my daughter is with a ghost whose powers, motives, and abilities could all be mysteries or lies and therefore a potential danger. What bothers me is that my daughter can't see the bigger picture. What bothers me is that my daughter is making so many mistakes and refuses to accept help from anyone with more life experience."
"So if having kids out of wedlock is a mistake, what does that make me?"
"You were not a mistake and that is not at all what I was referring to."
"Were you referring to falling in love with a ghost? Who is also a human? When I was pregnant with the twins was that a mistake I made?"
"Samantha, I am your father—"
"Last time I checked you weren't!"
Jeremy stood straight and looked taken aback.
"You know what's funny about life? The lessons you learn. I always had this dumb, narrow-minded notion that a father was the guy who made the baby. I figured having kids would teach me how to cope with them not having a father. Instead it taught me that a father can be Danny. A father looks after a child as his own. A father protects them. A father loves that child. A father is someone that child can look up to. Danny never had to help me with the twins, he wanted to. If you want an example of a father then look at him! You were my father until I got pregnant and then all of a sudden both our worlds changed!"
"I repeat what I said earlier. I had my reasons. It hurt me to know it hurt you. If I had known what really happened—"
"Then what? You'd have let me back in? Probably make me get an abortion or something?"
"Absolutely not. That pregnancy wasn't your choice by any stretch of the word."
"But now that this one was my choice, it's a bad thing."
"That isn't what I'm saying, Samantha, you're misinterpreting me."
"How? You literally said you hate my relationship with Danny and you made it clear that you hate me sleeping with him!"
And just to spite her father there was a good chance she'd do it again tonight.
"How do we know for a fact that he isn't half ghost? What if he's a real ghost in human disguise?"
"He's half ghost, Dad, I'm the one who helps him out with his injuries. Fenton has red blood and Phantom has…ghost blood." Probably wouldn't be the best idea to say ectoplasm was green when Jeremy was already armed to use physical differences to his advantage.
"You just referred to them as two different beings."
"They're the same person, just with different forms. His original name before the accident was Fenton and he picked out the name name 'Phantom' for his ghost form. It's just an appearance and not a different being."
"We don't know that for sure."
"Why is this such a problem for you?! Why can't you be like Mom?! She's excited about grandchildren. She's fine with one of them being part ghost. So what if Danny's the father? I love him and accept him and I love our daughter and accept her. But for some reason you can't. For some reason Danny being half ghost—or maybe it's just him in general—is too big a problem for you to really be able to be a part of this family. My family. Which is supposed to include you. But if you can't even be my father then what right do you think you have to be my kids' grandfather?"
Jeremy opened his mouth to speak but Pamela immediately stopped him.
"Jeremy, Danny has done so much for our daughter. Without him who knows what might've happened to her!" Pamela said. "Certainly nothing good, from the sound of things."
Meanwhile their ever raising voices reached the backyard through even a door, thankfully muffled by said door. A lot of angry yelling, mainly from Sam. At some point or another Jack had snuck the twins outside without disturbing the former peace.
More yelling, more ranting… Danny handed the baby to his mother in hopes that perhaps the more delicate hands of a woman would somehow mimic Sam's in terms of texture and size. Perhaps the thinner arms and general body type could help too. It was wordless but Maddie seemed to understand why she was the one holding the baby now and not the father, as would normally be the case.
"I feel bad for Sam sometimes," Jazz said, finally addressing the elephant.
Everyone looked at her.
"I mean, if I want to pick up the phone and talk to my dad, I could." Jazz frowned. "Sam can't do that."
Blue, icy air escaped Danny's mouth but instead of immediately taking to the skies, he simply cast a glance at his own daughter that loved to cause him worry.
"Is there any way to stop this?" he asked his mother.
"Well, honey, if you can sense ghosts around, and she's part ghost, then I don't see a way to stop it," she answered.
He sighed just in time for Sam to come bursting through the door, completely infuriated, and grab his arm.
"Go ghost," she commanded.
He didn't have much time to respond before she dragged him back into the house. He managed to transform just in time to be practically thrown in front of Jeremy and Pamela. Sam glared daggers at her father and gestured to him.
"HMM?" she growled.
Jeremy pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
Pamela looked exasperated and frustrated at the same time. Jeremy was trying to keep an even face. Sam was so furious she was on the verge of tears. And he had absolutely no idea why he'd been dragged into the middle of Manson drama. There was a reason he hadn't hesitated to go away with his family. There was a reason he hadn't come back in.
"Danny, are Phantom and Fenton the same person or not?" Sam 'asked'.
"Uhhh…yes but why—"
"And if you change back to your human form right now, you wouldn't be any different than you are now?"
"I mean…I guess I would look different…"
"There!" Jeremy suddenly shouted. "Right there, he just admitted it!"
Sam scoffed. "Oh so if I change clothes and dye my hair I'm a different person?!"
"How about, everyone's the same person!" Pamela fake-sang. "Can we all just agree on that and be done?"
"I will not excuse this behavior!" Jeremy yelled.
Danny took a deep breath and screamed over all the others, "CAN SOMEBODY EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?!"
All eyes turned to him as he cleared his throat.
"I wish the best of health for my granddaughter and suddenly Samantha comes back in with her ghost partner." Jeremy looked at Sam as he said the last part.
She crossed her arms and stared him down again. "Excuse me? Don't you mean my partner, not my ghost partner?"
"So you guys are fighting over whether or not I'm a ghost or a human? Hasn't the entire world already settled for half of each?"
"Well not the entire world, Danny. There always has to be a skeptic!"
Her father inhaled. "She could've been human but now my granddaughter is part ghost because of the irresponsible choices of my only daughter!"
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"
"Does what matter?"
"I mean you keep arguing about me but does it matter whether Faye is a human, a ghost, or something in between? And I mean I'm half human, Sam's completely human, wouldn't that mean Faye is mostly human anyway? Does it really matter who her father is?"
"Yes, health issues—"
"Are obviously not a problem here!" Sam yelled. "She's got a clean bill of health from Danny's parents who by the way happen to know a little more about ghosts than you!"
Before anyone else—anyone at all—could say another word, Danny grabbed Jeremy's shoulder.
"It's time you and I had a little conversation," he said. "Alone."
A/N
Those of you expecting an update with The Boy With the Rings, I assure you I am still working on it and it should be out within the next few weeks. Before you ask me why FWG was a priority, truthfully it wasn't. I was having trouble with Mic Word sharing files between my phone and my laptop (which is where I upload chapters to fanfiction) so I could print out a paper for school, and in trying to fix it (I fixed it btw) I stumbled across this 6.3k word chapter for FWG. Holy cow. I should probably update this, why isn't this chapter already posted! Reality, I had this thing the whole time and for some reason it was just sitting there...never posted.
For those of you waiting for a long overdue update for Flowers Will Grow, I present to you that update, and I am so sorry I never posted this. The likelihood of another chapter coming out soon will definitely be very, very low. The Boy With the Rings is a priority second only to documents necessary for schoolwork. It won't be easy finding time for this fic between schoolwork and another fic. I'll try to have the next chapter out within the next two months, which should cover the rest of the semester.