Yo my good people, watup? Got the latest chapter for you, I won't lie I was suffering from some serious lazyness but anyhow I knew I needed to get this chapter up today. I just flew over to Canada a couple days ago, I'm going to college :) -break outs the pointy party hats- wooooohoo, so yea I'll be settling in and whatnot so if I don't post anything up for awhile, that's why. However I do plan to continue this story and I'm halfway done with Chapter 5 and 6. Thanks for being patient with me and reading my story. I really do appreciate it :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom
Manifest Destiny
Chapter 4: Expect the Unexpected
Danny walked through the front door of his house and let out a sigh of relief when he heard the sounds of work being done in the lab below. These were the few moments Danny was grateful for his parent's obsession with ghosts.
"So who was it this time Danny?" A voice asked from the stairs and Danny didn't need to look up to know who it was,
"No one special Jazz, it was just Ember." Danny replied truthfully.
Jasmine Fenton made her way down the stairs and crossed her slender arms as she leaned against the kitchen wall,
"Ember? That's strange, I don't hear a crazed mass of hypnotized fans." Jazz said as her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Danny chuckled as he found a can of coke in the fridge and turned towards his sister.
Jazz was no exception to the changes that Team Phantom, a term they dubbed themselves, had undergone in three years of ghost hunting. She had grown to be 5'10" so she was still able to look down at her little brother. Nowadays Jazz stuck to wearing a simple turquoise spaghetti strap covered by a black cardigan which she kept open. A pair of navy blue capris covered her legs up to just above her ankle and she wore a pair of black loafers. Her auburn hair was held up by a turquoise headband and pulled back into a ponytail. Jazz wasn't one to wear jewelry but her neck was adorned with a beautiful pendant that contained two precious stones crafted and cut into the shape of the ying and yang symbol, they were separated and outlined with steel. The two stones used in the symbol were an emerald and turquoise. She had received it on her nineteenth birthday and when Danny asked her about it, she had promptly told him it was none of his business.
So fulfilling his little brother duties Danny poked and prodded Jazz for information but years later he was still clueless as to who gave her the pendant but he would often see her play with it absentmindedly with a warm smile on her face. It seemed whoever gave her the necklace made her happy and Danny was fine with that, if only he could find out who this mystery guy was!
"Nah she wasn't here to haunt oddly enough," Danny explained mentally choosing which information to tell Jazz. Even though he loved her, if he told her he had made-out with the rock star and no less enjoyed it, she wouldn't let him live it down.
He shrugged as he continued,
"She was upset so I decided to talk to her. You would've been so proud." He finished in a sarcastic tone as he smiled at her.
Jazz's expression became suspicious as her eyes narrowed at Danny, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Danny tried not to fidget under gaze,
'Don't move, don't even breathe. Don't give her any reason to analyze you.' Danny thought to himself as she slowly walked up to Danny.
"Really? She just…talked to you? That doesn't sound very much like Ember." Jazz responded as she stood over him.
"Yea well, like I said she was upset so she wasn't her usual self…well she wasn't attacking me." Danny whispered as he inclined his head and stared back into her eyes.
They stood that way for a couple more seconds and he saw Jazz's eyes soften and Danny thought that he had won when her eyes flickered down. Jazz smirked and Danny knew instantly that he was busted,
"Danny, Danny, Danny…did you really think I wouldn't notice." He gulped as she slowly circled him,
"Danny, you may be good at fooling and hiding things from everyone else but you can't hide these things from me, I am your sister after all." Jazz said in a mock condescending tone as her smirk spread into a smile as Danny blushed and turned away, proving her theory correct.
She loved being right.
"You don't know what you're talking about, I'm not hiding anything." Danny protested before making his way around her but Jazz merely hummed as she followed him to the foot of the stairs,
"I'm sure but anyway I'm going to go the library to do some research for my paper due next week."
Danny's eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded his sister. When Jazz had enrolled into a community college nearby it was no surprise that she majored in her passion, psychology. However what was surprising was when she recently decided to minor in a course in Biomechanics. Now Jazz was for all intents and purposes, a genius. So it surprised Danny when she complained about how difficult the course was and when Danny had inquired why she did it, Jazz said it was because she genuinely enjoyed it.
Except she had lied and Jazz couldn't lie to save her life.
So Danny hounded her for the real reason for weeks afterward but she either changed the subject or turned the tables on him and inquired into his personal life. So a year and a half later Danny remained clueless but he knew one thing, it had something to do with that pendant hanging from her neck,
"I'm going to find out one day why you're really into this whole biomechanics thing." Danny said determinedly before Jazz shook her head and walked towards the door. As Jazz opened the door she called back over her shoulder,
"Not if you remain so clueless. Oh and I didn't know you had taken a liking to purple lipstick Danny, I think it suits you. Really brings the color out of your eyes." She laughed when he felt his lip and a smudge of purple appeared on his finger. He glared at her before blushing like mad and practically sprinting up the stairs.
Jazz continued to laugh as she locked the door and began walking to her destination, the library.
Tucker Foley was hard at work in his room, the spinal portion of his AGSS and a small light on his workman's bench providing the only light in the room. He was fiddling with what appeared to be a stainless steel belt, the belt had dark blue lines running along the length of the belt. He was attempting to create a way to duplicate the abilities of his AGSS in a smaller and less harmful way for his friends.
See, his AGSS seemed a perfect remodel of the Ecto-Skeleton however although the suit no longer drained his life energy, there was a problem with the way it synced with his body. It seemed to have 'bonded' with Tucker's body and was very painful to remove, in short the AGSS had seemed to develop a symbiotic relationship with him. The gauntlets and grieves came off without a problem, even the breastplate could be removed but when anything tried to remove the titanium strip along his spine, the AGSS would pump his body with electricity. It wreaked havoc on his nervous system until the threat to the suit's connection with him ceased or he dropped dead. It had become a parasite, though it did not drain his body of energy it merely refused to leave him.
The AGSS was definitely by far his greatest creation and it was also his greatest mistake, it brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'a double-edged sword'.
Tucker continued working when he ran into a hitch, well mainly the hitch he continuously encountered, the one code that he just could not crack. Well, so far that it is. When it came to his area of expertise Tucker was determined to see his projects completed. He slowly began installing a new component into the device, a component that by his calculations, should be able to allow the belt to read the data the belt received and convert it into a code the belt understood, thus enabling it to better decide what form of aid the wearer of the belt needed. With the new component installed, he began a trial run.
Tucker fed the device data that translated to the wearer having just received a small cut on his hand, he observed as the belt beeped and seemed to be reading the information before the component began to spark and then died. Tucker released a low growl as he swiveled his chair to a white-board he had propped up by his desk and crossed his arms as he began mentally rechecking his earlier calculations.
Tucker was so engrossed in his work that he hadn't noticed the door had opened or a figure slipped in. He didn't have to wait long to find out who his visitor was when two slender arms, covered in black wrapped themselves around his chest and he felt a soft voice in his ear,
"Hey, you look so stressed. How'd the new model work out?" The feminine voice genuinely asked.
He brought his hand to his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose before sighing and leaning back into the figure's embrace. He frowned,
"It didn't," Another sigh, "I was so sure it would work, the calibrations couldn't have been better. Damn it all."
The arms of the figure made their way to his shoulders and slowly began massaging them, he sighed as his muscles began to loosen under her touch.
"It's alright. I'm sure you'll find a way to get around this, it's your specialty after-all. Now come on, your mom told me you've been cooped up in your room all day." The stranger said and Tucker smiled wryly as he regarded his visitor,
"Yea but I'm always cooped up in my room."He countered and spun his chair around. The female crossed her arms as he continued,
"Besides, I just have a really bad feeling. I can't explain it, it's like…I have to finish this. Something's going to happen soon and I need this device up and running, that way it could better protect everybody, better protect you." He lifted his glasses and began cleaning them as the young woman stood there, reading his every action before sitting on Tucker's lap and putting her hands on his shoulders and shook him,
"Relax Tuck, you're going to complete this and I know I can count on you to keep me safe. So stop being such a worry-wart, besides you're the one who's supposed to be telling me to calm down and have some fun, not the other way around." She smiled as he laughed and put back on his glasses,
"Yea your right, if we keep this up I'll have to be the one hounding you to turn in your work." The two shared a laugh over that.
Like that would ever happen,
"So what did it smell like mom was making?" Tucker asked as he began to spin himself and the girl on top of him in the chair, the latter putting her finger on her chin as she thought,
"Hmm well it didn't smell like meat to me." She answered and laughed as he put the back of his hand on his forehead and sighed dramatically,
"Oh woe is me, I find myself lacking the required nourishment needed for me to sustain my brilliant mind and better work on all things electric and beeping. Oh whatever shall I do?" She rolled her eyes as she saw him look at her with a wry expression but decided to play along,
"Worry not kind sir, for I am sure we can find something with which you may indulge yourself." The figure said in a faked English accent and Tucker burst out laughing,
"That." He paused so he could pretend to wipe his eyes, "Was the worst English accent I think I've ever heard in my life." Tucker commented and chuckled as the young woman withdrew her arms and crossed them in front of her chest and pouted,
"I thought it was an excellent English impersonation actually!" The female said as she turned her face away from Tucker and continued to pout. Tucker of course was only finding the whole exchange more entertaining and more…arousing by the minute. He couldn't help but reiterate the thought that was on his mind,
"Your cute when you pout, you know that right?" He asked and could only smirk when she turned away from him to try hide the blush that crept up on her cheeks,
"So you say." The visitor said in an apparent attempt to be nonchalant but he could hear the small smile on her face. So he hugged the woman closer to his chest and slowly planted kisses from her neck to her ear, complimenting her with each kiss,
"Yep and your eyes are breathtaking, I forget everything I'm doing when I look into those eyes. Your hair is so soft, I love running my fingers through it and you're a genius, you make me, the brilliant Tucker Foley, feel as clueless as Danny sometimes." She chuckled at that last one before his breathe tickled her ear and she sighed contently,
"Though most of all, I think what I love about you the most is the way you…" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "cook."
The woman burst out into a fit of laughter as she slapped Tucker across the shoulder but her laughter turned into a yelp as she leaned too far back and they both tumbled over. Tucker ended up kneeling on top of her and their laughter slowly faded as they regarded one another,
"Cooking? Really Tucker, that's what you love the most about me?" She couldn't help but ask as he slowly shook his head and took one of his hands and wiped a stray tear from her cheek,
"Nah I only said that to make you laugh. You have a beautiful laugh love." He smiled sincerely at her as she cupped his cheek with her hand,
"Yea well, I wouldn't be surprised if you had meant that." She commented as she grinned up at him,
"Well of course I love your cooking, besides I wouldn't be me if I weren't honest about that." Tucker complimented and the two shared a laugh as Tucker absentmindedly stroke her cheek with his thumb,
"This is true. So I guess we're going to the Nasty Burger then?" The female asked. Tucker's face melted into a thoughtful expression before he smiled at her and said,
"Not right now, I think I'd rather enjoy the one thing I love more than meat."
The female's face mirrored his as she asked,
"Oh and what's that?"
Tucker responded by leaning down and kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him against her as he took one of his hands and began running his fingers through her smooth and silky hair.
This was how things usually played out at the Foley household when his secret lover paid him a visit. Tucker had started talking to her when he signed up for one of his advanced classes, he knew who she was and had seen her around but had never really gotten to know her. However, once Tucker began delving into the person behind those observant blue eyes he couldn't get enough and oddly enough, neither could she.
They were fascinated by each other, the inferiority complex hidden under a lazy smile and a childish demeanor; the little girl who was forgotten due to the early responsibilities she had taken upon herself. As they began to find the truth about each other, they found themselves becoming closer, growing that indescribable feeling that could only be love. Of course, they were never this endearing in public, their friends wouldn't understand, not yet anyway.
Tucker's hand slowly made its way to his lover's side before he began wreaking havoc with his fingers,
Oh the merciless tickle attack.
She was smart and beautiful, perhaps a bit overbearing at times but with all the best intentions at heart. She was able to bring out the best in him and as a giggle escaped her lips, Tucker liked to think he brought out the best in her too.
Danny took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh morning air as he slowly stretched. He sleepily smiled as he went about his morning routine, he had been feeling better since his 'talk' with Ember. It seemed she was right after all, the aching in his chest that he associated with Sam was just a little bit easier to ignore now. He pondered if it would ever go away completely but crushed that train of thought before it could depress him.
Besides it was Friday, he could have jumped for joy. The blessed day that heralded the weekend, the series of days in which he could catch up on sleep. Danny could slowly drift away and do utterly nothing for hours at time and love every second of it.
Oh how he loved the weekend.
So lost in his joy that he didn't notice no one was up yet as Danny made his way downstairs to grab a slice of toast before swinging his backpack over his shoulder and running out the door. It wasn't until he was at the end of the corner did he realize what time it was.
"What the hell am I doing up at 7 in the morning?" Danny asked himself aloud.
He could've been catching up on some much needed sleep. Danny sighed before shrugging and decided to walk to school today for once. He knew Tucker and Sam wouldn't be up and ready until at least 7:45 so he wasn't going to rob them of their sleep. Even if a ghost came out, he'd still have plenty of time. The sky was partly cloudy so there wasn't an overabundance of sunshine, a perfect time for a walk. Danny got to school at a record breaking 7:20.
"That's got to be a new record." Danny stated and shook his head as he pushed open the doors to Casper High. It was so strange he realized, being in the school so early. Hearing the halls so empty, so lifeless and so clean he noted. Danny basked in the silence as he made his way to his locker and manually entered his combination. The locker clicked audibly as it was opened and Danny bent down to retrieve his books from his bag.
It felt good, being able to walk to school, open his locker and swap books the normal way. It was a set of simple actions and yet it spoke volumes to him. Danny hardly ever walked to school because he normally ended up flying to make it to his class on time and he would usually skip putting in his locker combo and phasing his hand through the locker to get his books. He had had his ghost powers for so long, he bypassed the most simple of human actions because it felt more natural to be ghost. It shamed Danny to admit it but sometimes...he forgot that he was still human.
And that terrified him more than anything.
As Danny stood back up and looked in his locker, he noticed something that wasn't in there yesterday and pulled it out, it was a battered Fenton Thermos. Danny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion until he noticed a piece of folded paper taped to the back of the thermos. Danny tore off the piece of paper and unfolded it, it was a message addressed to him and it looked like it was written with,
"A neon blue marker?" Danny whispered questionably as he read.
Hey there dipstick.
Think you forgot this on the bottom of the lake. I was going to give it to you personally but you were sleeping and I decided you didn't need it that badly so I'm leaving it here. I let the ghosts back into the GZ by the way. Oh man Danny, you would've loved the look on Skulker's face, can you say priceless? Anyway I heard him mumble about returning to his employer to plan some vengeance against you so I'd watch my back if I were you. Check you on the flip-side babypop.
Sincerely,
Your super awesome mind-blowing all around bad-ass rock star,
Ember.
P.S. Danny? Really? That name is just so plain for someone like you, think I'll stick to Dipstick…but if you want to, you can call me Em. That's what my friends call me.
Danny couldn't fight the smile that made its way to his face as he reread the note and didn't bother to hold back the laugh that escaped his throat.
"Em huh? Well isn't that original...but then again I can't really talk." Danny said to himself before shaking his head.
Of course it would be Ember that returned the Fenton Thermos and he was embarrassed that he had forgotten it seeing as that day kept replaying in his head every now and again. He shook his head as he pocketed the note and put the thermos into his backpack. Danny said the name again, let the nickname roll off his tongue.
He could dig it.
He frowned as he remembered the part about Skulker returning to his employer. That could only mean Skulker was going to meet up with Plasmius and when those two got together, it never bode well for the young hybrid.
Together the two of them would come up with some kind of plan that involved Danny's agonizing death, followed by Vlad making passes at his mom while simultaneously trying to kill his dad. Danny sighed,
"So much for the weekend."
So there it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I wonder if you guys can guess who the mystery girl is hehehe :) you guys probably do but I'm trying to make it as subtle as possible. Anywho, about to head on the road. Looking forward to the next chapter, it's gonna have our oh so lovable fruit loop in it and of course our favorite Time Master :D
Reviews are awesome, would you like to give me some :)
