Roughly 3 months later, and Jazz found herself at the door to Dan's apartment with Sam and Tucker. A smile was on her face as she knocked on the door, a box under one arm, before she moved back and patiently waited. Sam is the first to speak up about her attitude.

"You've gotten really close to those two, haven't you?" She questioned, and Jazz answered with a nod.

The door then swung open, revealing one Danny Phantom, currently in his human form with a wide grin on his face and a party hat on his head. He hopped up and down before he gave Jazz a tight hug and shouted. "Hi Jazz! Come on-Dad's in the kitchen finishing the cake. He won't let me see it just yet, so you have to look for me."

Jazz giggled, watching the boy rush back inside the house before following him. Sam and Tucker entered too, with the latter shutting the door behind them. The three had to admit that the place was looking quite nice today. Jazz in particular liked the streamers-of which she threw at Dan yesterday when she found out it was his and Danny's birthday. Honestly, she didn't think he'd put them up.

And speaking of Dan, the man exited the kitchen in his disguise. He wiped off his hands with a towel and greeted the trio with a smirk. "So you did show up. And here I thought you were forcing me to bake for no reason."

Jazz rolled her eyes with a smile. "Need any help?"

Dan gestured with his head towards the kitchen, and the two set to work. This left Sam and Tucker with Danny-who didn't seem very interested or eager to talk with them. Instead he just stared up at them, waiting to see what they'd do.

Tucker broke the silence however when he asked the halfa. "So… Play any video games?"

And like that Danny's eyes shined like sapphire. His mind was racing with the thought of murdering Tucker in Doomed-seeing as he wasn't allowed to actually do it for Jazz's sake-and so he nodded and gave a resounding. "Yes!" He then raced towards the computer and began setting up.

Dan glanced up at the group before turning to Jazz. He couldn't help but ask. "How are Jack and Maddie?"

Jazz hesitated in her actions, before beginning to ice the cake Dan had sat in front of her. "Mom finished her work on a pair of robotic legs so she can walk again, but Dad's still blind and he's not coping very well… Mom is still trying to help him."

The red-head didn't miss the satisfied grin that stretched across Dan's face at those words. He gave a contemplative hum in reply- one that sent shivers down Jazz's spine and almost made her mess up her decorating. She finished what she was working on before turning to the full ghost leaning against the counter.

"How can someone be so kind and so sadistic at the same time?" She asked, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Blame Danny." He replied, before glancing into the living room when the halfa they were talking about shouted in victory.

Sam and Tucker then started marching around the living room with the ghost boy on their shoulder's, cheering for him. And as they did so, Dan and Jazz stepped in with the cake. It was a brilliant white, with black icing acting as borders. "Happy Birthday" was written on it in cursive-courtesy of Jazz-and two candles that displayed the number eleven were burning brightly.

Danny is then placed on the ground, as Dan kneels down holds the cake out to him. "Make a wish."

The halfa thought through his wish briefly, before blowing out the candles in one icy breath-leaving behind a very light frost. He then beamed at the applause that followed, while Dan went to cut the cake. Jazz gave her little brother a big hug, while Sam and Tucker continued to smile at him.

Then Tucker asked. "So what'd you wish for?"

"Global destruction." Danny replied with a cheerful smile, making the trio look at him. He also heard Dan chuckle from the kitchen before he himself giggled. "Not really! My real wish is a secret."

And from there the party carried on. Dan served cake before sitting on the couch with Danny, while Sam and Tucker proceeded to somehow begin yet another debate about food superiority. Jazz could only sigh, as she joined the duo on the couch. She then handed the box she'd brought with her to Dan.

"Happy birthday to you too, Dan." Dan rose an eyebrow at her, before he proceeded to unwrap the gift.

A short laugh then sounded from the man, as he pulled out an mp3 player and a camera. "Thanks Jazz. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures of destroyed cities while listening to Dumpty Humpty for you."

Jazz was about to reply when a phone rang. Dan placed the mp3 player in his pocket before answering the phone. Before he could say anything though, he heard Vlad's voice. "The machine is ready."

Dan glanced at the phone in his hands, before nodding to himself. "Alright, we'll be there in an hour or two."

And that's all that was said before he hung up. But it was as he was doing so that the full ghost paused. He stared at the wall, and the more he thought about it all, the more Dan found he didn't want to leave. That he didn't really want to go home.

Home was a deserted wasteland, filled with the rotting corpses of those that he and Danny killed. And while he didn't feel ill at what he'd caused, he did feel ill about leaving the only other person he cared about outside of Danny. He felt ill about having to return to living in an abandoned lab with a gaping hole in the ceiling. And more than anything else, he felt ill for returning with Danny.

But then he remembered what the halfa said a few months ago. No matter how good this place was, it didn't feel like home. Those rotting bodies, leveled cities, and barely standing laboratory were what made that place home to Danny. And Dan found that he could live with that. If Danny wanted to go home, then he would take him.

And if home ever didn't feel quite like home, Dan was sure he could find a way to get them back here.

Approaching the young halfa, who was now turning the nobs on the camera, Dan smiled. "Danny, we can go home now."

Blue eyes widened, flashing red briefly at the statement, before the phantom jumped up and ran at Jazz. He then hugged her tightly. "We have to leave now, Jazz! But don't worry, we'll come back so I can tell you everything we did! I promise!"

Jazz looked at the halfa in surprise before turning to Dan, who nodded. She then gives a sad smile, before returning the hug. "I'll miss you little brother."

The halfa then ran over to hug Sam and Tucker, who accepted with confusion. Dan then fished around in his pocket before placing a green key into Jazz's hands. "Keep the place-it's rent free. And feel free to tell those two whatever you want them to know."

Then, with a ruffle of her hair, Dan made his way towards the door with Danny in toe. Jazz tried to catch up with him, but when she reached the hallway they were gone… She simply sighed, mentally preparing her explanation to her friends while hoping those two made it back safely.

A/N: You know, I'm sure I could have done a million and one things with Sam and Tucker, but if I'm being honest I don't like writing for them. Specifically I don't like writing for Sam-for a variety of dumb fan-girl reasons, but I at least like to think Jazz tells them things when I don't. Let me know what you think their conversation might be like as Dan makes his way over to our favorite cheesehead's house (And no, not because of my laziness. Psh, what are you talking about? I'm being inclusive guys, come on.)