A/N: Oof, I shouldn't keep unrealistic promises, life always gets in the way.

Also, upgraded this to a T rating just to be safe. It'll probably be more relevant later.

"Sam!" Tucker catches up right after the bright blue beam engulfs both of the elemental ghosts, pushing through the last of the teens and clasping Sam on the shoulder.

"C'mon Tucker, we gotta get out of here."

"You have both of them?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"I'll call Jazz-"

"Stop!"

Sam audibly groans at the familiar voice, knowing full well what's to come next. Tucker just turns around and smiles before pressing 'Send' on his phone.

"Heyyyy Red, what's up? Thanks for keeping the city safe and stuff-"

"Give it." The Red Huntress interrupts Tucker and stalks up to the two with her hand outstretched.

"Yeah, sorry we're a little-"

Sam turns around and approaches, getting right up into Valerie's hidden face.

"And are you going to make us? With your big guns? Sorry, but we're giving Ember and Phantom to the Fentons, since this is their technology and their jurisdiction."

Tucker slides in alongside Sam, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back.

"Yeah… that and you and Phantom don't exactly have the best of… relationships." Tucker smirks to himself at the inside joke, but Sam just rolls her eyes and starts to walk away.

Red steps forward, jabbing a finger at the two teens. "Yeah? Well I can't let two kids keep track of two ghosts that've been terrorizing this town for years. You might be 'friends' with Phantom, but he's still a no-good spook."

Sam turns around again, looking like she's about to burst at the seems. She clutches the thermos to her chest and yells.

"You hypocritical red-"

"Tucker! Sam!"

Another voice echoes through the steadily growing crowd, and Jazz soon emerges.

"Oh thank god, Jazz." Tucker breathes. He takes the thermos from Sam and hands it to her.

"How convenient! I'll just turn over these two ghosts over to an adult Fenton and we can all be on our merry ways, right Sam?"

Sam glances over to Tucker and Jazz, and then back to Valerie. She seems to deflate, and sighs

"Yeah, let's get out of here. Phantom wouldn't want us fighting like this." She walks over to the other two and everyone, even the gathered crowd, begins to disperse to their previous engagements.

Jazz leans over to Tucker as they approach her car.

"Two ghosts?" She whispers.

Tucker taps the thermos. "Danny and Ember, something's up."

Jazz nods as they all get in, Sam immediately going off on a tirade as soon as the doors shut.

"Can you believe her?! She thinks anyone would just turn Danny over to her after the number of times she's almost killed him? I mean I get holding a grudge, but two years?! This is just moronic! And to think she had the nerve to call us kids-"

Jazz pulls out of the school parking lot, offhandedly noticing the GAV drive up to the scene of the recent battle.

"Alright Sam, I get that you're venting right now, but can we start from the beginning? All I heard was the ghost alarm go off and a text from Tucker asking me to show up to the east fields. What happened that Danny's even in the thermos? You guys actually have decent aim with the thing."

She glances through the rear-view mirror with a questioning look and receives a response from Tucker.

"Honestly? We don't know too much either. We were left with a duplicate while Danny went off and fought. He- the duplicate started acting weird, so we brought him to the bathroom. We figured he couldn't fight at full strength with the duplicate up, and he wouldn't know when it's okay to get rid of it, so Sam…" he hesitates, choosing his words carefully. "canceled it. We ran out with a thermos, but Danny said it couldn't hold her unless he brought her strength down more, so we waited in the crowd. During the fight Ember was acting crazy, like…"

"She was nuts." Sam says. "I wouldn't even know it was her except by her looks, she was completely engulfed in fire and really angry, and Danny was- still is- really beat up."

Tucker nods. "Yeah, he got to holding her down, we wanted him to move but he told Sam to get them both, so she did."

"Not fair, by the way. He used his ghostly commanding thing to make me do it. He knows I hate possession and overshadowing." Sam leans back and looks out the window, crossing her arms.

Tucker shrugs. "He probably had a good reason. Anyways, then Valerie showed up and tried to get the thermos, but Sam wouldn't let her. They almost got into a full-blown fist-fight before you showed up."

Sam mumbles something under her breath and Jazz simply nods, still processing the entire thing. "Well, we'll head home and get them out of there. Our parents just headed to the scene, so they'll be away for long enough to send Ember back and get Danny out. Who went in first?" She looks in the mirror again at Sam.

"I got both of them at pretty much the same time since they were on top of each other, but definitely Danny first."

Jazz scowls as they pull into the FentonWorks driveway. "That's gonna be tricky then, since they'll probably come out at the same time too. I'll set up a ghost shield, if Ember was acting funny then I doubt Danny just wants to throw her back into the Zone." They all get out of the car and head inside. "I'll write you notes for school if it ends up going back in session, but I doubt it will- there's a lot of cleanup from what I saw." They all get out of the car and head inside. "If you want lunch you can grab something to eat, too."

Sam and Tucker both look at the fridge skeptically. Jazz giggles.

"Don't worry, mom installed a ghost alarm in there just in case something like before happens again, you'll be fine. Just… stay out of the lab fridge." She walks downstairs with a wave.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"You guys ready!?"

Jazz's voice calls out from the lab, and Sam and Tucker are thankful for that, as there's been a serious lack of discussion since they entered the Fenton household. They both head down, still holding the thermos trapping their best friend.

"So, how are we going to release Danny but not Ember?" Tucker asks.

"Ah, that's easy. I'll release them both at the same time into a ghost shield, and then Danny can just turn human and walk out. Then we can re-capture Ember and toss her back in the Zone or keep her contained, whatever Danny wants." Jazz presses a button on a small remote and a square shield appears in the corner of the room next to the Portal. She gestures at it.

"Whenever you're ready. They'll be dazed when they come out, so they won't start attacking each other or anything immediately."

Tucker holds the thermos out to Sam, who shakes her head and crosses her arms. He shrugs and steps up to the shield, uncapping the thermos and sticking the front end inside.

He presses the release button, and a beam of white light appears and starts to bend and twist into two separate forms. It's mesmerizing to watch, really. Sam and Tucker usually weren't around for the "release" portion of the "catch and release" job of ghost hunting, so they got a bit distracted by the otherworldly creation of Danny from a ball of light.

So distracted, they don't see the flash of panic cross his face as he wakes up and processes where he is. Luckily, Jazz was on top of it. She crouches down by the ghost shield and whispers calmly to Danny.

"Hey, little brother? It's just us, you're okay. We just need you to turn human and get out of the shield before Ember comes to, can you do that?"

Danny glances around, slowly remembering what he was doing before this, and nods. He stands up, grimacing, phases back into his human form, and walks through the shield. He changes back to ghost form and plops back down on the ground next to the portal.

"Man, that was rough." He sighs.

Danny looks completely spent. He's panting heavily and clutches his more injured left side with his gloved hand. Everywhere that should be white on his suit isn't, ectoplasm and char marks staining it a sickly black-green. He runs a hand through his hair and it doesn't even bounce back to its normal wild state, just stays slicked back- the ectoplasm and sweat acting as a strange, grotesque gel.

Danny notices the three humans in the room staring.

"What?" He asks. Upon not getting a response, he adds "Shouldn't you uh… be more focused on Ember for when she wakes up?"

Jazz sighs and silently moves to one of the cupboards in the room, pulling out a bulky first aid kit and walking back to Danny. He holds up his hands, asking her to stop.

"Jazz, I'm fine."

"Danny, I'm tired of hearing that! You're completely wrecked!"

He waves his hands and scoots away a bit. "None of them- none of the injuries are deep! They just look bad, they'll heal up in less than an hour, it's just taking a- I just need to recharge... since I'm so exhausted."

"Well, we can at least put bandages on and clean things up, I'd rather do that than nothing." Jazz edges forward more.

"Jazz, I- it'll be a waste of materials! And it'll sting! I'd rather if I just chill by the portal and let them heal, and then clean off. You know that I can't get infections anymore, so it'll be fine."

"Uh, guys?"

Jazz and Danny stop their bickering to look at Tucker, who's pointing at the ghost shield.

"Ember."

Team Phantom crowds around the ghost shield, Danny struggling to get up and hobble himself over. Jazz looks at him with a critical eye, but he just smiles sheepishly at her.

Ember blinks awake and then brings a hand to her head, groaning. She props herself up on an elbow and rubs her eyes.

"Oh man… what hit me?"

Danny steps forward and leans on the ghost shield. "Good morning pop-star. Care to explain yourself?"

Ember's eyes widen and dart around to take in the scene around her, and the memories of the fight slowly trickle into her head as she rises to a sitting position.

"What's to explain? I came here for a fight, obviously didn't work out. Wanna throw me back in the Zone now?"

"What, so you can come back and terrorize me again?" He sighs. "What's really going on, Ember? This isn't how you usually do things."

Ember gets up and slams her fist against the shield. The humans jump, but Danny doesn't flinch, just remaining eerily still.

"Yeah? And maybe the way I do things changed, huh? Ever think about that?"

"It's not just the way you're doing things, it's you who's changed, too! I actually thought we were on… I don't know, semi-decent terms before this- " Danny turns to face her directly, and they'd be less than in inch away from each other if it weren't for the thin barrier of the ghost shield between them. "and then you come out after being gone for a month and kick the crap outta me for no reason!"

"Yeah, well you thought wrong, ya ghost-wannabe freak!"

Danny scoffs. "What, are you hanging out with Spectra now? I'm beyond her petty insults by this point, try harder." Danny pauses, realizing something. "Wait, are you working for her? The way you attacked me, and the insults-"

"Hah! It does sound like her, so you're not wrong on that front, dipstick. But, you forget- " She jabs a thumb at herself and leans back on the far wall of the shield. "I work for me, no one else."

"Oh yeah?" Danny crosses his arms and looks Ember dead in the eye. "Then what about your obsession?"

Ember's eyes, hair, and entire aura flare up at the mention of that. "Watch what you're saying, Phantom." She spits the words like venom.

Danny's voice deepens. "Last I knew, you didn't gain more power from attacking or absorbing other ghosts, you want to be adored by humans. Fear isn't adoration."

"Last you knew? You've been a 'ghost' for mere years, don't think you know anything about anything, kid. My obsession's fine."

"Tch." Danny makes a face and then walks away. "We're not going to get anything out of her- if there's even anything to get. Throw her back in the Zone."

"Is that a good idea?" Sam says, "She's just gonna come back and attack again."

"It's what we do with everyone else, we're not going to keep her in a thermos for the rest of her afterlife, that's… immoral. That's reserved-" He stops. "It's not like it'll be any different than before, anyways. She goes in the Zone and attacks a few weeks later." He glances at Ember and narrows his eyes. "I'll just have to take her more seriously next time."

He walks over to Jazz and gently takes the remote out of her hands. He presses a button on the top to diffuse the shield. As it comes down, Ember slowly stands up and walks herself to the portal, giving one last glance back before disappearing in the swirling green pool. Danny closes the blast shields and sighs.

"I need a nap. Is school canceled? I uh… made some pretty big craters… Vlad's probably not gonna like that."

Tucker pulls out his phone and browses through his social media pages.

"Looks like it, and… ugh- there's already videos of the fight online- both of them." He glances at Sam briefly, who returns it with a scowl.

"Both of them?" Danny questions. He takes a seat on one of the lab tables and looks between his two friends.

"Valerie had the nerve to talk down to us as Red, she was trying to take the thermos you two were in. She kept… saying stuff like how we were kids and didn't know what we were doing."

Danny laughs. "Haha, if only she knew. Can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out."

"When?" Sam asks.

Danny gives her a smug smile. "Yeah, when. It's inevitable that we get found out, I'm just letting others connect the dots. I figure my public approval rating is high enough that it should be fine."

Danny lies back on the lab table and puts his arms behind his head. "And by the way, thanks for today. I appreciate you guys- oh!"

He sits up. "Did my duplicate dissipate in class, or not? He- I noticed when it did, it was a lifesaver. Ember was basically choking me, and it gave me the strength to push her off."

Sam and Tucker kind of shuffle their feet, not making eye contact with Danny. Tucker readjusts his hat.

"Well, it wasn't in class- we took it to the bathroom when we realized it didn't have a mind really anymore, and then the ghost alarms went off. We were trying to figure out if Sam and I should split up when she-"

"Tucker!" Sam interjects.

"What? I'm not going to lie to him. Plus, he even said it was a good thing."

Danny tilts his head to the side. "What happened?"

Sam hesitates, hugging herself. "I… I shot it. With a lipstick blaster. I knew you needed the strength and I wanted both Tucker and I to get out there with you. I… it-"

Danny fills the room with laughter, cutting Sam off and nearly falling off of the table.

"Danny!" Sam stomps her foot in frustration.

"Oh god- haha… sorry Sam, it's just- pfhahaha! It's a duplicate, and a lipstick blaster!" He resumes his laughter, and Tucker snickers to himself as well. Sam shoves him.

"You don't have a right to laugh Tucker, you were freaked out too!"

Tucker puts his hands up in a mock surrender and giggles some more.

"Yeah well, when you put it that way… it is kinda funny."

Danny manages to calm down enough to continue. "Guys, if you need to take out a duplicate then do it, I know it's probably… freaky to shoot your friend, but they're not me, just… projections. If I can't focus enough to connect with it and if it's weak enough to be taken out by a lipstick blaster- which by the way, can't do anything against me anymore- then it's probably best to just poof it."

Danny takes a few deep breaths to steady himself, and Jazz puts a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Don't worry too much, Sam. Danny isn't the best at… sympathizing with other's emotions."

"Jeez Jazz, maybe it's the ghost in me. Wooooo~" He wiggles his fingers dramatically and lies back down. Jazz shakes her head.

"If you guys want to talk about it, I'm here." She smiles warmly at the two. "I think I'd be a little traumatized if I had to do the same, too."

"Thanks, Jazz." Sam and Tucker both say, gratefully.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

The four of them chat for a while longer before Danny hears the front door open upstairs. He floats into the center of the group and brings his finger to his lips to silence their chatter.

"Danny, Jazz, we're home! Are you here?" Clunking and rustling can be heard from upstairs, as well as his dad yelling excitedly about… something. Danny points at Jazz and then upstairs, and then whispers to her. She runs upstairs and Danny holds his hands out to his two friends.

Sam and Tucker grab onto him, and he stretches his intangibility over them before flying up and into his room. He gently drops them onto his bed, and he changes back to human.

"Dang, I will never get used to that."

"Ditto, it's like being dropped into a bucket of ice water."

Both of them rub their arms up and down, using the friction to warm them up. Danny chuckles and changes out of his bloodied and charred shirt, grabbing a fresh one out of his dresser.

"You complain about it every time, but it's not like I can do much about it." He grabs a clean towel and a pair of jeans. "I'm gonna quick head to the shower. If my parents ask, I got covered in ectoplasm or debris or something."

Tucker gives him a thumbs up. "We gotcha dude, we'll just commandeer your game systems in the meantime."

Danny nods and starts to head out, but hesitates before phasing through the door.

"And um… guys?"

They both turn to him, patiently waiting for what he has to say. It takes him a bit.

"If something really did freak- weird you out… um. You can talk to me about it. Or, or Jazz, if it makes you more comfortable." He rubs the back of his neck. "I know ghost hunting can get kinda, um… not, ugh- uncomfortable, sometimes. Beyond getting injured." He sighs and looks them in the eye. "I just wanna make sure you're okay."

Sam and Tucker meet Danny's gaze and smile at him.

"Danny, we're alright. Some things are kind of weird, but it's nothing we can't handle. We're helping you out because we want to, nothing else."

Tucker nods. "Don't worry about it dude, if something really bothered us, we'd let you know, or Jazz." Tucker goes back to setting up the console. "Plus, with all this experience, I can definitely put 'adaptable' on my future resumes." He pauses. "I wonder if I could use Jazz as a reference?"

With the mood sufficiently lightened, everyone chuckles.

"That's something you'll have to ask her, but I'd put my money on her being absolutely delighted."

Danny sighs for what seems like the hundredth time today, but this time, it's relaxing.

"I can't say it enough, thanks guys."

Sam gets up and pushes Danny towards the door.

"Enough, enough! Go take a shower before your parents come in here and ask why you're standing in your room with your friends half-naked."

"Ahh, I'll just tell them a ghost did it, works every time." Danny vanishes from sight, and the pressure on Sam's hands disappears as well. His disembodied voice echoes through the room.

"It's not like it's ever a lie~"

A/N: Smug Danny is my favorite Danny.

By the way, this might come as a disappointment to some, but I'm probably going to keep Danny and Sam platonic for at least the majority of this fic. If I ever do romance, I don't really want it to be forced- that and I have no idea if I could even do it well, lol. My main concern is that I don't want to cheapify their relationship with lovey-dovey stuff, and I don't want it to seem tacky.

Anyways, thanks for reading this far! I love you guys. There'll be one more fluffy kinda chapter before things really pick up, so hold onto your hats, folks! 3