Author's note: What to say about this fic? I really am winging it, something I usually never do. I do hope that you all will enjoy it even if it ends up being disjointed at times due to lack of planning and outlining. I will try my best to keep it coherent and give it good flow, but bear with me if things get rough.

Danny is an absolute joy to write even when he isn't in a good mood. Fellow Danny Phantom fanfiction writers, you surely agree, yes?

(after being) Disparaged

Lunch hour at Casper High. Danny sat with Sam and Tucker outside, but he did not have an appetite at all, and he was still so tired from only a couple hours of sleep. Despite his fatigue, he had tried all morning to focus in class. For once, he actually really did try to pay attention and take notes, tried to be a good student.

Anything to keep the memory of the night before at bay.

"Danny, can we talk about last night?" asked Sam.

Danny looked at his goth friend. No, absolutely not, he wanted to tell her.

"I mean, I think we should get our story straight," continued Sam, "if you really want me to give you this alibi."

Oh, right. He had texted Sam and asked her to pretend that he had been with her instead of cornered and trapped and on his knees—

"What exactly happened last night? Why do you even need an alibi?" asked Tucker.

Sam or Tucker didn't know the full story. And he wasn't about to tell them. No way he was going to recount it, certainly not here. Not now. Not ever.

Danny pushed his uneaten lunch aside and placed his arms on the table. "I was out ghost-hunting last night well past curfew, and my parents noticed I was gone. I just needed to give them a convincing excuse, so I told them I was with Sam." He looked apologetically at Sam. "I'm sorry for doing that to you, but it was the best excuse I could think of."

Sam put up a hand and smiled. "Hey, I'm here for you. Anything that could reveal your secret is a problem for all of us, so I'm happy to help." She chuckled. "I already know exactly what my mom is going to say. I've got my responses all planned out."

"I figured you'd be cool with it," said Danny, also smiling. "Thank you."

Silence. A very uncomfortable silence. Sam and Tucker were looking at him expectantly, but Danny did not know what they were waiting for.

"Is there anything else you want to tell us about last night?" asked Sam gently.

"Yes," agreed Tucker. "Anything at all?"

No…

He could hear it in their voices, see it in their eyes.

They knew.

Somehow, they already knew.

Danny shook his head. "Nothing."

More silence, even more uncomfortable than before.

Sam and Tucker exchanged glances, wordlessly debated something between them. Who was going to speak first? Who was going to confess to him that they knew the truth?

"Danny," said Sam at last. She clasped her hands and breathed deeply. "Jazz e-mailed us."

A flash of anger, a feeling of betrayal, but Danny swallowed it down. "Did she?" he asked evenly.

"Yes," confirmed Tucker.

Danny could see that they were waiting for him to say something, but there was no way he was going to talk about it.

"Danny?" Sam reached across the table for his hand. "Danny, talk to us, please?"

Danny pulled his hand back. "I don't know what she said to you, but it really wasn't a big deal. I just need an alibi, okay?"

"From what Jazz told us, it definitely seems like a big deal," said Tucker. "We've never known you to react that way to anything."

"What way? What reaction?" Danny tried to keep calm, but he could feel his irritation building.

"Just…from the way Jazz described it, you were very, um…" Sam bit her lip. She was obviously trying to find the most delicate way to word what she wanted to say. "Er…traumatized…?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "I was just tired. I overreacted."

"Danny—"

"No. I can't believe Jazz e-mailed you. Why would she do that?"

"Because it's something we should know," said Sam. "We're a team, and anything that involves your ghost side is something we need to know so that we can help you!"

"It wasn't her business to tell you."

"Well, you certainly weren't ever going to tell us on your own, were you?"

Danny didn't reply.

"That's why she told us, because she knew you wouldn't." Sam crossed her arms. "And she was right, obviously. You were seriously not ever going to tell us."

"It's not something you needed to know."

"We did need to know," retorted Sam. "You're our friend, and we care about you. We want to help you through this."

"There's nothing to help me through!" snapped Danny. "I'm fine. I was just a little shaken from not being able to change back, but I'm fine now."

"Danny, it's okay," said Tucker. "It's perfectly understandable. I mean, it was your own mom. Even I wouldn't take that well. No one would."

"No," said Danny. "It was nothing. Seriously, I just overreacted. She wasn't actually even trying to hurt me. She didn't know it was me."

"But it was you," Sam said softly but firmly.

"I'm aware of that, Sam," said Danny dryly.

His friends looked so concerned. Danny could see that, but he was far too vexed to appreciate it or to feel guilty about being so cross with them. He knew they were just trying to help, but if they really wanted to help him, they would drop it.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," said Danny finally.

His friends said nothing, and in that silence, Danny did feel a twinge of guilt. Sam had agreed to get in trouble with him, after all.

"Sam, really, thank you." Danny did not look at her, but he tried to sound sincere. "For helping me out."

Sam smiled and nodded. "Anytime."

Sam and Tucker attempted to engage him in more pleasant conversation, trivial matters, amusing small-talk.

Yes, yes, this was good. The pain would subside on its own as long as he stopped aggravating it, stopped acknowledging it.

-DP-

"So, let's talk about this seriously."

Maddie and Jack sat in their living room. They would normally be busy working in their basement on their ghost-related research or inventions, but their son had to come first.

Jack sighed. "It was just one time, and he was just with Sam."

"Yes," agreed Maddie. "I don't think it was necessarily coming from a place of rebellion or disobedience, but we can't just let this go, Jack. We need to be firm from the beginning."

"Or what? You think he'll sneak out again? Or more often?"

"I don't know. It certainly is surprising to me," admitted Maddie. "I think we definitely need to sit down with him about this, get more of his side." She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "But regardless, we still have to punish him."

Jack grumbled.

"I know, I know. I hate disciplining our kids, too. But it's our responsibility as parents," said Maddie. "I mean, ghosts really do roam this city at night! What if something had happened to him on his way home?"

"Danny takes after us," said Jack with a proud smile. "He can look after himself."

"And from what Phantom was about to tell me, it seems that Danny has had some experiences with ghosts already." Maddie frowned. "I'm going to have to ask him about that."

Jack studied her. "You're still upset that Phantom got away, aren't you?"

Maddie groaned. She had him. He had been right there, right in her grasp. She had never actually planned on killing him, had just been so thrilled to finally have caught him, a hunter finally claiming her prey. She had him, and all of the town's ghost problems would surely end with him just as they had started with him. He was all hers, and she had enjoyed her victory so much, too much, so much so that she waited far too long, and he ended up getting an opening that allowed him to escape.

But he had mentioned having contact with Danny…

She wished she had let Phantom continue, but the mention of her son filled her with such paranoia and grave concern that she had cut him off before he could finish telling her what interaction the ghost had had with Danny.

Perhaps Danny could help her finally capture Phantom…

No, she couldn't think about that now. Right now, Danny's sneaking out and breaking curfew had to be dealt with. She had to be a parent first and a scientist second.

"I need to call Pam," Maddie finally said.

"I'll go make us lunch," said Jack. "Let me know how it goes."

Jack left the room. Maddie pulled out her cell phone and dialed Pamela Manson.

"Maddie! Hello!" Pam's voice sounded pleasant and cheerful over the phone.

"Hi, Pam."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine, fine." Maddie sighed. "Listen, I called to talk to you about something important."

"That doesn't sound good. Everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine, but…" Maddie paused. "I guess I'll just get right to the point. Danny broke curfew last night and didn't get home until well past one in the morning."

Pam said nothing for a few moments. "I see. And…?"

"Well, he told us that it was because he was with Sam last night."

"Sam? My Sammy?"

"Yes."

"That's impossible."

Maddie sat up straighter.

"We have a sophisticated alarm system, and Sam was definitely home when we set it," said Pam. "We would know if she had turned it off to let him in or out. Or for her to sneak out herself."

Maddie processed this information. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," snapped Pam. "There's no way."

"But he said—"

"I don't care what he said. He's lying if he said he was with Sam."

Maddie gritted her teeth. "My son isn't a liar."

"He obviously is since there's no way he was with Sam. She would've had to turn off the alarm for him, and it alerts us very loudly whenever it is switched off."

"No, he—"

"Maddie, I have no idea what your son was really doing last night, but I'm not going to let him use Sam as an excuse."

"Danny wouldn't—"

"You know, ever since Sam met Danny, she's become increasingly difficult and rebellious."

"Are you seriously blaming my son for that?"

"I'm just stating a correlation. And now, he has the gall to implicate Sam in whatever secret activity he doesn't want you to know about. I won't accept it, Maddie."

"Pam—"

"Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if it's drugs. He's always so worn-out every time I see him. Bloodshot eyes. Often seems tense. And I've definitely noticed that our supply of narcotic painkillers depletes every time he comes over."

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" sputtered Maddie. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I'm telling you now."

"But—no—he isn't—"

"Come on, Maddie. Low grades? Often late to class? You really think that doesn't all mean something?"

Maddie shook her head. "No, Danny is not doing drugs."

"Well, he's doing something," insisted Pam angrily, "and he's trying to use Sam to hide it."

"Pam, that's just what Danny told me, okay?" Maddie tried to keep her tone calm and civil.

"Well, tell your lowlife hoodlum son to stop lying about my daughter."

"What? What did you just call him?" demanded Maddie, her tone now angry and loud.

Disconnection. Maddie lowered her cell phone and stared at it in numb disbelief. She wanted to throw it across the room, but she instead curled her fingers around it and gripped it tightly.

After sitting there for some time, she finally rose and entered the kitchen where Jack was finishing up grilled panini sandwiches.

"We have a problem," said Maddie plainly.

Jack didn't look at her, kept his eyes down in apprehensive anticipation of what she would say next.

"Pam insists that Danny was not with Sam last night."

Jack didn't move for a moment. He then slowly lifted his head to meet her gaze. "I heard your side of the conversation," he said quietly.

Maddie leaned against the wall. "What do you think?"

"I think that we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"But you didn't hear what she said. She said that he often looks—and painkillers—I mean, I've actually noticed that our painkillers have also been disappearing at a quicker rate—and yes, he does seem to look a bit harried a lot of the time—"

"Don't do this to yourself," said Jack. "Even if Danny did lie about being with Sam, we owe it to him to let him explain it without making assumptions." Jack seemed resolute, confident. "Our son is a good kid. He always has been."

"It's just…I mean, the way he acted last night, and then this morning." Maddie rubbed her scalp. "Something about all this doesn't feel right."

"We know our son far better than Pam does," said Jack firmly. "We need to give him a chance to defend himself."

Maddie nodded. She took the sandwich Jack had prepared and joined him at the kitchen table. There was nothing either of them could do now, not until Danny returned from school. She tried to reassure herself that she did know her son better than Pam, that she knew Danny very well.

But she had never thought that Danny would sneak out. She had never seen him act like he had the night before and that morning, on edge and…

Afraid…?

Of what?

It appeared that there was definitely something she didn't know about him, something significant.