Tra la la laaaaaaaa! Chapter 8! How's everybody doing? I'm sleep deprived and delirious! Lucy is bothering me a lot, but everything is great otherwise! (FYI, Lucy is the little ghost that haunts my house)

Potterheads2016: I was especially worried about how they would react there, because in the show there weren't any big revelations that gave me a reaction to base off of for the last chapter (or at least not one that I can consciously remember). Good to know I succeeded. I think he will explain a little bit, about how they discovered his secret before, but they ended up getting hurt and he didn't want that. But he won't tell them everything.

LooneyAces: Oh I have a couple ideas in mind that I think you guys will like

Angela: Very nicely done. And who knows, maybe I will do a remastered series to fit this fic if enough people like the idea. After the accident, while Danny's parents didn't know the full extent of what happened, they noticed he was acting kind of funny and insisted he stay home for several days. So that's how he hid the worst of it, by not actually being around them. At other times he made sure to distance himself (walking a little behind them, where they wouldn't see) and other times they assumed that his newfound clumsiness was just that him clumsy, along with the rest of the student body. In Desiree's first episode, Tucker did not turn into a super strong ghost but made an equally problematic wish (which I will not reveal, since I think I will do the remastering, and it won't do to reveal everything that happens, or else there would be no surprises)

Expergiscimini: Oh, thanks for asking that I didn't realize I forgot to mention it. He kept the gauntlet for a while, but found that the temptation to alter reality to suit him better was too strong, and he ended up destroying it. He didn't want to have an easier life simply because he could wave his hand and make it so, and he decided that it was too much power for any individual to have.

Argus Drax: Good to know that people are liking the Q&A. And no it isn't his password it now Phent0n, but Tucker and Sam didn't really pay attention to that when hacking his computer. They were more focused on what they would find, so if the password does become relevant to his discovery, it won't come up just yet

PhantomFanForever: I know the feeling. And you're welcome, I'll definitely check out your story, and I'm really looking forward to reading it!

Sophia daughter of Nyx: Thanks!

I wish I owned Da- actually, hold that thought. I see Desiree nearby. I don't own DP, Butch Hartman does.

Enjoy!


Danny yawned and rubbed his eyes, a rather childish but adorable gesture that left Sam, who was sitting beside him, smiling. The trio was sitting in their usual spot under a tree in the schoolyard for lunch. Tucker was eating his second steak sandwich, much to Sam's disgust, and Sam had just finished own tofu sandwich, much to Tucker's disgust. Danny, as usual, barely ate anything.

It had been a week since Danny had encountered the strange, skeletal ghost. And all throughout that week he found himself having to fight of similar ghosts every couple of hours. This, obviously, made his class attendance even worse than it had been while he was adjusting to the balance of ghost fighting and school during the first month he had his powers. Danny assumed that he had gotten three, maybe four, hours of mediocre sleep over the past week, and found himself longing for the eerie absence of ghosts that had been present what school had resumed. But so far he had been able to hide all of his new scars, including the one on his neck. He just took care to wear collared shirts to obscure as much of it as possible.

Danny had yet to hear from Frostbite on the matter of what was going on in the Ghost Zone, and on Danielle's location. Both of which concerned him greatly. Dani would have contacted Frostbite right away, even if she didn't plan on returning as soon as possible. That Danny had expected. With Danielle wanting to be free to roam, it would just like her to put off returning to the Far Frozen. But she knew how worried Danny could become. She wouldn't take so long to get in touch without good reason. Danny had been considering going back into the Ghost Zone to speak to Frostbite again, but between school, ghost fighting, and keeping at least a decent presence at Ghostketeer meetings, he hadn't had the time.

He focused his gaze on his right hand, and more specifically the bruise that had been left by Skulker. It seemed to have grown, a small line of dark purple extending from his finger, down his palm and disappearing under the sleeve of his shirt. Danny knew that, if he pulled it up, he would see the line ending just past his wrist. He wasn't entirely sure what to think of it, having never actually been bitten by another ghost that wasn't supposed to bite (Bertrand as a panther hardly counted). It was just another question he would have for Frostbite when he finally saw him again. Or for Clockwork, since the old ghost was technically his guardian, but Danny could never get a straight answer out of him.

"Hey, Sam, did you get that information you wanted?" Tucker asked, breaking Danny's reverie and ending his drawn out yawn. He glanced at his two best friends.

"Not yet," Sam said.

"You probably should get it soon. You know, before Friday?" Tucker raise an eyebrow, a gesture that was hardly subtle, but without knowing the context, Danny had no way of interpreting their conversation.

"What's on Friday?" Danny asked casually.

"Um, dude, the Ghostketeers?" Tucker said.

"'Um, dude', that's every night," Danny countered, imitating Tucker. Sam chuckled at the exchange.

"Oh, right, you weren't there, were you? This was during one of the meetings that you missed," Tucker's eyes narrowed. Danny frowned at his emphasis of the final word.

"Okay, but what's on Friday?" Danny pressed. Tucker and Sam shared a glance, and gave each other a small nod, before rounding on Danny.

"Why are there profiles on various ghosts on your computer?" Sam asked suddenly.

Danny visibly flinched at the sudden question, and found several of his own running through his head.

When had they been on his computer?

How had they gotten into his files?

How much did they see?

Danny's eyes flicked down to the PDA in Tucker's hands then back up at his friends, but wasn't comforted by the fact that he found the answer to his second question. For his first question? No doubt that would have been during one of the meetings he was absent for. The third? There was really only one way to find out.

"Which files?" Danny asked innocently.

"You know the files! We went on your computer, and there were a bunch of files about all these different ghosts!" Tucker said.

"And you had them divided, Friends, Neutral, and Enemies! Why do you have ghost enemies?" Sam cried. Danny pressed his back against the tree, cornered by his two best friends, and growing increasingly worried. It didn't sound like they had actually found out too much, but just because it didn't sound like it that didn't mean they hadn't.

"I don't have ghost enemies. Phantom does," Danny hissed, choosing a plausible like as quickly as possible.

"What?" Sam and Tucker, who had been leaning uncomfortably close, sat back and stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I, uh, I help him out… sometimes?" Danny offered, his statement sounding almost like a question.

"You help out Phantom?" Sam asked, wide-eyed.

"That is so cool!" Tucker shouted. "I can't believe that you help-"

He was cut off by an extremely pale and cold and covering his mouth.

"Mmph! Ehmz ol!" Tucker exclaimed, jumped back. At Sam and Danny's raised eyebrows, he repeated the sentence. "That's cold! Dude, your hand is like ice!"

"Yeah, that's just because of being around ghosts so much," Danny lied easily. He was slightly bothered by how easily the false explanations slipped from his tongue.

"Is that the reason for everything, for why you've been acting so strange?" Sam asked.

"It sort of is. You know how Phantom has all of that Fenton tech? I give it to him I make profiles for the ghosts that he meets, I sometimes go and help him fight. Stuff like that," Danny nervously ran a hand through his hair, taking in his friend's quizzical stares.

"How long?" The Goth said, eyes narrowed.

"Since start of freshman year," Danny winced, waiting for the inevitable explosion. But it didn't happen. He opened his eyes and looked carefully at Sam. She didn't look furious, or angry, just hurt.

"Is that where all the scars are from? Why you always leave in the middle of class, and come back looking like Dash just beat you up? Why you haven't been hanging out as much?" Sam's voice was quiet, so different from her usual loud demeanor, and Danny lowered his head, nodding guiltily. At least he wasn't exactly lying to them.

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped…"

"I promised Phantom that I wouldn't tell anyone, even you guys. I wanted to, but you guys could have gotten hurt and I… I couldn't stand to see that happen, neither could Phantom."

"But he was fine with seeing you hurt?"

"Yeah, man, that's not right," Tucker added.

"It's because my parents are ghost hunters they taught me how to fight ghosts, I can handle myself," Danny frantically defended himself (both of him).

"Just like how you could handle the guns?" Sam asked.

"…Kind of," Danny nodded.

"… I'll see you later, Danny," Sam said, then she stood up and walked away.

Sam, wait!" Danny jumped to his feet and moved to go after her, but Tucker stopped him.

"Just let her simmer for a bit," Tucker said. "You know how she is, doesn't like being protected and all. She'll get over it. I already have!"

"I guess so." Danny dropped back down onto the grass beside Tucker.

"So what's it like working with Phantom? Can I meet him?" Tucker asked, leaning in again.

Danny grimaced. "You have to answer my question first. What's happening on Friday?"


"You can't be serious?!" Danny shouted, slamming a hand down on the kitchen table.

"Of course we are, Danny-boy!" Jack grinned. Danny's forehead quickly followed the path of his hand, and his parents winced at the heavy thud as it met the wood.

"You've never been to the Ghost Zone you don't know how dangerous it could be, and you're going to take a bunch of teenager, and Mr. Lancer?" Danny asked, raising his head from the table.

"They've been training, and everyone can handle the blasters now. Besides, sweetie, in order to learn more about ghosts, we need to go where they live," Maddie explained gently.

"Yeah, how else are we going to learn how to tear them apart, molecule by molecule?" Jack asked jovially, and Danny groaned.

"We decided that we should start taking short trips into the Ghost Zone, maybe one every couple of days, and we'll only be in there for an hour two. There's nothing for you to be afraid of," Maddie said, trying to comfort her distraught son.

"It's not me that I'm afraid for," Danny muttered, too quiet for his parents to hear. "We won't be going far?"

"Of course not, sweetie. How irresponsible do you think we are, to take a bunch of amateurs deep into the Ghost Zone?"

Irresponsible enough to take them when you've never been there. Irresponsible enough not to notice your son is half-dead!

But Danny bit down on his tongue and sighed. "I'll be in my room."

He walked up the stairs and transformed, phasing through his bedroom wall and flying to the park. He needed to think.

If we are only gone for a couple of hours like Mom said, then that shouldn't be too bad. We've been training, so I guess they can at least fight off a low level ghost. I could always duplicate myself if we get into any real trouble but… no, the duplicate would disappear if it got hit. Phantom or Fenton, either way that would be strange. I'll have to protect them while I'm human. I can do that, right? They already know how good I am with a gun, I have a worthy excuse as to why I can fight ghosts so well (although I doubt Mom and Dad are going to like it). As long as nothing too bad happens, we should be okay.

If worse comes to worst? I guess I'll just have to go ghost and save them all, secrets be damned.

But Danny really hoped that it wouldn't come to that.


By the time Friday rolled around, Sam had forgiven Danny for not telling her he was helping Phantom, though that didn't stop her from making the occasional remark that ultimately had Danny feeling guilty about his lies all over again.

The Ghostketeers were in the Fenton's lab, loading up the Specter Speeder, which now featured pull-out benches to accommodate the group of fourteen. When all their supplies, which consisted of anti-ecto weapons, food, and extra clothes, were stored away, everyone piled onto the bus. Maddie immediately claimed the driver's seat, which resulted in a lot of grumbling from Jack as he sat down next to her, and Jazz sat immediately behind her. Most of the remaining members of the Ghostketeers filled the two long benches that lined the side of the Speeder, while Sam, Tucker, and Danny sat on a small bench near the back that faced forwards.

"Okay, is everyone ready? We all have our equipment?" Maddie asked, glancing back at the Ghostketeers. Everyone eagerly raised their arms, revealing their wrist-rays, while Paulina grumbled about how unfashionable to Fenton Phones were.

"You won't be complaining if we run into Ember," Danny muttered. Although he was now on fairly good terms with the deceased rock star, he had learned very quickly that she, much like Sam, despised shallow people. A fact Danny always found ironic, considering Ember gained more power when people chanted her name and basically worshipped her for her musical talents. But, deciding that he would not like to finish dying, kept this little bit of irony to himself.

"Do you mean Ember McLain?" Tucker asked. "Man, she was awesome!"

"Yeah, she also took over all of your minds while she was visiting, and helped Youngblood kidnap, or I guest parentnap, all the adults of Amity Park," Danny said.

"So she's evil?" Tucker's eyes widened, and Danny found himself chuckling.

"No, not really anymore. She and Phantom actually get along pretty well since the Disasteroid incident," Danny explained.

"You know, Danny, I've been meaning to ask you, during all that time we barely-" Sam's sentence was cut off by a sharp yelp as the Specter Speeder lurched forwards and was launched into the Ghost Zone. There was a dark flash, then suddenly they were surrounding by swirling green and black 'sky'.

"Whoa, this is so cool!" Dash exclaimed. He was, quite comically, turned to look out one of the windows while resting on his knees like a small child might. Most of the Ghostketeers followed his example, echoing his words with their own "oohs" and "ahs". Tucker and Sam (although Sam tried to hide hers) being no different than the others.

Seeing that Danny didn't share the same sense of awe as everyone else, Tucker leaned down and whispered quietly.

"You've been here before, haven't you?"

"Loads of times," Danny nodded. "You sort of get used to it."

Danny was certain that Tucker's eyes would pop from his head if they got any wider. He had explained to him (and later to Sam when she had calmed down) that he helped Phantom on a daily basis, but had left out the part where he had gone into the Ghost Zone before.

"What are those door thingies?" Paulina asked.

"That's just one of the things we are going to find out during our many trips into the Ghost Zone," Maddie said.

"I'm keeping logs of everything we see and collecting data so that we can go back over our notes and extract any important information," Jazz added, writing furiously in a notebook on her lap. Danny rolled his eyes and leaned back, resting his head against the back of the seat. He closed his eyes and focused on his ghost sense, stretching it out to expand beyond the typical 100 metre radius with which it operated. He could sense some minor ghosts, but nothing stronger than Skulker, and sighed with relief when he realized that there weren't any skeletal ghosts around. He had had enough of them for half a lifetime.

"And maybe, if we meet a ghost, I can try my new weapon!" Jack exclaimed, pulled a rather large gun out from… You don't really want to know.

Danny immediately recognized the large square barrel, and the smaller rectangular one. The canister, Danny could see now, housed a familiar looking red liquid. But he couldn't recall where exactly he'd seen it before.

"So, that's new," Danny said, pointing to the gun. "What exactly does it do?"

"That's a surprise, Danny-o! You'll just have to see it in action! All the more reason to hope we find a ghost," Jack grinned, running a hand over the larger of the two barrels.

"Yay," Danny said sarcastically, keeping a wary eye on the gun. He had kept the blueprints for it too himself, hoping that without them his parents wouldn't be able to complete the weapon. Apparently his hopes had been misplaced. He hadn't overheard any conversations about the new weapons, and every time he checked the lab he never found anything new. And the only place Jack would have worked on something besides the lab is…

Danny slapped himself sharply. The Ops Centre! His parents used it so little that it hadn't even crossed his mind to search it for any weapons.

They could have all kinds of new weapons up there, Danny though, suddenly horrified. They might even have a way to capture me…

He shook his head, and prayed that for once in his life he could rely on his father to be as incompetent as people made him out to be.

The first hour in the Ghost Zone passed by uneventful, much to Danny's delight, and the others' annoyance. They wanted fight, they wanted to see the ghost boy! Not some floating doors and swirling green stuff. Danny was just relaxing, deciding that maybe nothing would go wrong, when a cold feeling spread through his body and escaped through his mouth. Danny quickly pressed a hand to his mouth, hiding the blue mist, and once again focused on his ghost sense. He immediately recognized the approaching ghost and jumped up from his seat.

"Don't shoot!" Danny yelled, the same time that his father cried "GHOST!" and raised his large weapon.

Danny lunged forwards, yanking the gun back before his father could fire, and grinned out the windshield at the white, furry form flying towards them.

"Danny, that's a ghost out there! We need to kill it before it can attack us," Maddie said, reaching forwards to activate some of the Speeder's security measure.

"No, Mom, don't!" Danny repeated, grabbed her hand and ignoring the fact that she could probably feel how cold he was. "He's a good ghost."

"Danny, there are no good ghosts! All ghosts are evil, if they try to tell you otherwise, they are tricking you," Maddie said sternly.

"Not all ghosts are bad," Danny snapped, then recoiled when he saw his mother's expression. He continued softly. "They aren't all bad. Some of them really just want to help, like him."

Danny motioned out the window the large yeti, which had now stopped in front of the stilled Speeder.

"Great One!" The yeti called, waved a large paw and grinning fiercely. Paulina shrieked at the sight of Snowstorm's large, sharp teeth, and fell back off her sight, while Dash let out a very 'manly' scream. The rest of the Ghostketeers had similar reactions, while Sam and Tucker moved up to stand behind Danny.

"Do you know this ghost, Danny?" Maddie asked.

"Um… yeah, sort of," Danny chuckled nervously as his mother's expression settled into one of anger.

"You are going to explain yourself, Daniel, and soon," Maddie said.

Danny chuckled again, then stepped away so he was next to the door. "Of course, Mom, just… let me do that in a minute."

Danny slammed his palm against the button to open the door, ignoring the protests of the others, and floated out into the Ghost Zone. He flew around to the front of the Speeder and approached the ghostly yeti.

"Snowstorm, how are you?" Danny asked.

"I am well, young Ph-enton," Snowstorm stumbled over the name, casting a quick glance at Danny's parents.

"Yeah, they don't know. Thanks for that," Danny smiled.

"Of course. I bear news from Frostbite," Snowstorm explained.

"Really?" Danny floated up so he was level with Snowstorm's face. She nodded eagerly and continued once Danny had motioned for her to do so.

"We have finally received word from Danielle. She had noticed the strange activities on the Ghost Zone, and had been staying out of it for some time. She will be returning home shortly, and has promised that she will contact you once she does."

Danny sighed in relief. "What about the disappearing ghosts? Have you found anything out about that?"

"We sent out several parties to the deepest parts of the known Zone. So far, only one has returned."

"Only one party?"

"Only one yeti," Snowstorm said sadly.

"What? But you are some of the strongest ghosts in the Zone! Your ice powers, they can only be matched by the strongest of hot cores," Danny ranted.

"Yes, we know, Great One. This is why Frostbite is extremely worried. As soon as he sensed you entering the Zone, he sent me here to warn you." At this point, Danny noticed the Infimap that Snowstorm held, and remained oblivious to the fact that some of the braver Ghostketeers (Paulina and Dash excluded) had ventured from the Speeder to watch the exchange. "There is a ghost gaining power in the banished lands, a strong one, and he has been… recruiting. Those who refuse his offer, it seems he simply takes them. That is what Flurry informed us."

"The banished lands?"

"Where ghosts sentenced by the Observants or the king-" Danny lowered his eyes from Snowstorm's. "-go. It is supposed to be impossible to return. If they do, the king has the power to eradicate them."

"But someone is trying to return?" Danny asked.

"Yes. Frostbite is afraid of the events to come, and has wished for you to remain out of the Ghost Zone until he calls for you. He has counselled with Princess Dorathea and Lady Pandora, and both have agreed to send protectors to you, to help you gain power for coming confrontation."

"And I supposed there's no way that we can avoid one from happening?" But Danny already knew the answer, thinking back on the numerous skeletons that never seemed to cease their activities. He grimaced when Snowstorm shook her head.

"Be strong, Great One. This foe may be even greater than Pariah. We will all need you," Snowstorm said solemnly. "May colds winds be at your back."

"And pure snows welcome you home," Danny replied, equally as solemn, as Snowstorm flew away. He floated there, arms crossed, head lowered in contemplation, when Tucker interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, dude, what was that all about?" Tucker asked.

"Why didn't you blast that ghost?" An irritated Valeria asked. The only reason she hadn't shot it, was because Danny had somehow seemed to always be in the way.

"Because, Val, not all ghosts deserve to be blasted," Danny said, spinning around to face the Red Huntress. "But you always seem to shoot first, ask questions never, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Valerie scoffed.

"Sure you don't," Danny said, before heading back into the Speeder.

"You will explain yourself, Danny," Maddie said when her son returned to his seat. He simply nodded, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands folded over his mouth. Sam pulled backed the hair that had fallen into his eyes.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Sam asked, rather gently. For a moment, it looked as if Danny's eyes flashed green, but Sam brushed it off as a trick of the light. After all, the light in the Ghost Zone was very strange.

"I… I think I just might have to, if things continue like this," Danny's voice was quite, and Sam and Tucker almost didn't catch what he said. They shared a stunned look, before settling down on either side of him. Sam running her hands through Danny's hair to try and calm him down because, despite how he was acting, she knew that he was most definitely not calm, while Tucker muttered quietly about "clueless lovebirds" as Danny leaned in to her hand.


A smidge more DxS fluff for you guys. Subtle stuff, all subtle stuff. Is Danny really going to tell his friends? And what does he mean by things continuing like this? What the heck was with Danny's bruise near the beginning of the chapter? You'll just have to keep reading to find out!

'See' you next time!