Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom and his friends. Nor do I technically own Dani Phantom... Danielle (Dani) Dawson on the other hand is mine. This is an AU of the Danny Phantom verse. My Dani is obviously different than the show's. This story is for entertainment purposes only. Enjoy!

Father

By: SkeksisGirl

The next time I saw the Ghost Girl it was on the roof of the gym. I hate thinking of her like that since I don't like being referred to as the Ghost Boy, Ghost Kid, or my least favorite, Inviso-Bill, but I don't know her name. She was dancing… by herself, something about how she looked, how she moved made my heart ache.

Her hair was different this time, it was up in a top knot, the free parts flowing around her as she moved to the music playing from an old boom box. It was some strange waltz and she danced to it with ease. I knew she could move, but this was mesmerizing. The scene of her waltzing with herself almost broke my heart, especially after our last encounter.

"Um… May I cut in?" I asked landing on the roof a few feet from her.

The Ghost Girl gasped and jumped back. I guess she didn't realize that I was there. She floated in the air a few feet away and watched me warily, as if I'd just up and attack her like she did me.

I watched her silently for a while, feeling silly just staring at her, "Y-you dance beautifully," I finally said lamely. She stared at me dumbstruck, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. I must have really caught her off guard if she was acting this way. The way she looked made me a bit uncomfortable so I said the first thing that came to mind. "May I join you?"

The Ghost Girl blinked at me for a moment before she nodded and floating back down. I watched as she curtsied as best she could without a dress on and bowed back before moving to take her in my arms gently. She tensed slightly but let me, leading me in the dance. It was easy for me to learn, like when she taught me to fight. That's what I called that incident anyway, a lesson, and I caught on quickly, as if this was a dance I had done before… or maybe would do again. I could see myself dance like this with Sam, and then maybe one day… my own daughter. That would be nice.

"Why are you up here alone?" I finally asked, "I mean… not that there's a party going on below you. I just figured you'd be out hunting me."

"I…" The Ghost Girl sighed and looked away. It surprised me. She had been so outgoing and ready to attack before and now she was so shy. "I wasn't in the mood."

"Not in the mood to try and kick my ass?" I chuckled, "My other enemies are usually chomping at the bit to hunt me. And I don't even know your name…" I spun her away from me, going with the music. "I think I at least deserve that."

She watched me as she spun away, when she came back she looked up at me with a slight smirk. "Danielle… Danielle Dawson."

That caused me to tense and narrow my eyes at her. "You're not another of Vlad's clones are you?"

Danielle looked at me blankly, "Who? "

I stepped away from her, hand in my chin as I studied her. The years of fighting ghosts and dealing with Vlad had given me some insight into how to find out if people were hiding things from me or not.

"Go human," I commanded, folding my arms. "I wanna see you."

Danielle watched me silently, warily for a moment before doing what I asked. Two white rings formed as she powered down. What stood before me once again shocked me into silence. There was no way she had ever been involved with Vlad Masters.

Danielle stood before me in her human form since that night a month ago when I fled. Her black hair hung limply down her face and around her shoulders, even her top knot was limp where it hung. Her eyes were ocean blue and her skin was almost as pale as it was when she was in Ghost Mode. Her clothes were the same worn black leather. Her bruises from a month ago were still there, as if they never healed, or as if she never went human.

"You… don't have normal clothes?" I asked, moving closer to her. Danielle just backed up in reply. If she had been skittish before in her Ghost Mode, she was worse now. "Who did this to you?"

"People… scientists…" Danielle replied, sitting down on the edge of the roof. "If I stay in my other form… it doesn't hurt."

"It also doesn't heal." I sat down next to her, but out of reach. "Do you have any place to stay?" I frowned when she shook her head no. "Where have you been staying?"

"The school," Danielle looked at her feet.

"Not anymore." I stood, arms crossed as I looked down at her. "You're coming home with me."

Danielle blinked up at me, her eyes wide in shock. "But I tried to kill you…"

"No, you tried to get me to kill you." I offered my hand out. "C'mon Dani, I can help you, I want to help you."

Danielle looked at my hand silently. I could tell she was thinking it over before she nodded and took it. I smiled phasing us both and floated towards the ground. Tucker and Sam were there when we landed. They obviously had been tracking me.

"Why didn't you used the Fenton Thermos on her?" Tucker asked in his usual tactless way looking at Danielle who was now back in Ghost Mode.

"She's not a ghost." I replied, keeping Danielle behind me instinctively. "She's a Halfa, like me, and she's not evil. She…" I looked over at her before looking back to my friends. "She's had a hard life, she needs friends."

"But she tried to ki-" Tucker started.

"Hi, my name's Samantha Manson," Sam interrupted, "but everyone calls me Sam… or freaky Goth chick."

"I know." Danielle replied from behind me, "I'm Danielle Dawson."

"She's coming home with me." I looked at my friends, "No offense Tuck, but you'd scare her with all your gadgets, and I wouldn't wish Sam's parents on Dash."

"What about your parents Danny? They aren't exactly the normal type." Sam rested her hands on her hips.

"I'm sure I can think of something."

Sam nodded a bit and sighed. "I guess you're going to want us to patrol tonight?"

"I don't think so. It's been pretty quiet lately." I started to walk, gently tugging Danielle with me. "C'mon Dani."

"Um… okay…" Danielle followed me, watching Sam and Tucker before focusing back on me. "Dani?"

"Yeah… I just… Danielle… is so formal." I went Ghost and started home, Danielle followed in my wake, "I always feel like I'm getting yelled at when someone says my full name."

"Won't people get confused?" Dani flew so that she was facing me, flying backwards. She still had two distinct feet instead of a tail like I had at the moment. Maybe it was because she spent more time in Ghost Mode than I did. "I mean… there's Danny Fenton… who's also Danny Phantom, and Danielle Dawson… who's just…"

"Dani Phantom." I interrupted with a grin. "It fits, you're just like me. It's like I have a little sister."

"I think I can do you one better." Dani replied, turning so she was facing where she was going.

I moved so I was ahead of her, head turned towards her. My eyebrow was up curiously. "How so?"

Dani looked at me with those serious ocean eyes. "I'm your daughter."

The only thing that hit me harder than those words, was the building that I crashed into.