Chapter 5: Pressed to Shop

"I'm telling you, her last name should be Fenton," Sam said for the 20th time that morning. Danny's stubbornness was really starting to get on her nerves, especially this early in the morning.

"Yeah, but Sam, if she has your last name, it'll be easier to lie about a mysterious kid in the family that suddenly shows up," Danny said eating another strip of bacon.

"I kinda see where Danny's coming from," Tucker said. "I mean, everyone already knows all about the Fenton's, especially with Danny's secret being out in the open. They know for a fact that they only have 2 kids, Jazz and Danny. It'd be hard to lie about something like that since they look so similar, but if she had your last name, we could try to pull it off as a coincidence and say that you had a younger sister that you're not supposed to talk about and your parents sent her off to boarding school to keep her from becoming rebellious like you."

"Hey! I'm not rebellious!" Danielle said with her mouth full of pancakes.

"I never said you were, it's just a possible excuse. Though I'm sure with Sam and Danny's DNA, it's only a matter of time," Tucker said with a grin.

"Watch it, Tucker," Sam said darkly. "Anyway, maybe we should just let her decide. I mean it is her name, and this affects her more than it does any of us."

The trio got quiet and looked at the young halfa who had stopped mid-way threw her sixth pancake, and looked deep in thought.

"Well, I guess if I had to choose between the names, I guess….I'd pick…Fenton," she said with a smile.

"Well, I guess that settles that," Sam said with a smug smile. "Besides, we already told Lancer that she was your cousin. It'd be kinda hard to explain later when she's in high school how she's both your cousin and my little sister, while the two of us are dating cause that would make us cousins, and that would just be wrong. Also, I really doubt my parents would go along with that. You know how they are."

"Good point," Danny said as he ran a hand threw his messy black hair, a smile on his face. "So that settles. You are officially Danielle Lilith Fenton."

"Ugh. It sounds so weird to have a full name like that. Though, it does have a nice ring to it," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, well with a grin like that, I can already hear him yelling it out in anger from something sneaky that you've done," Tucker said, drinking some orange juice from his glass, before choking when a headline from a local news channel ran across his PDA. "Oh man! Are you serious!"

"What is it, Tuck?" Danny asked.

"This!" he said, turning on the TV that resided in the kitchen. The other three occupants were shocked when a photo of Danielle in her ghost form, fighting a ghost bug came up with a caption "First a Ghost Boy and now a Girl?"

"Lance Thunder here, reporting on some startling news. There's a new ghost in town, and she's taking the city by storm," he said as pictures flicked across the screen to various people with costumes and dolls of her.

"Wow. That didn't take long," Sam said with a roll of her eyes.

"Although little is known about this little lady, she seems to resemble Amity Park's own, Danny Phantom. Could this girl be here to move in on his turf and bring a new challenge for our young hero, or is she a new ghost, trying to make her way in this world? We cannot be certain as we have yet to find out if she's even a good ghost or an evil one."

"What!" Danny yelled, clenching his fist. "She's barely been here a day and the press is already turning her into a pariah!"

"Whoa, easy there, big guy," Sam said as she placed her hand on Danny's left one. "Take a breath, calm yourself. I know it's aggravating that the press is trying to make a little girl look like a villain, but it's gonna be ok." Danny nodded his head, breathing in deeply through his nose to stead his anger.

"Wait a moment," Lance said, pushing his ear piece further into his ear to hear better. "We have exclusive footage, taken by an anonymous viewer that clearly shows both Danny Phantom and the mysterious girl talking before embracing each other in a hug and flying off together. Is it possible that this girl is a friend of his, or even a distant relative of his? Earlier, our news crews went to Fenton Works to try to get the scoop."

"Oh no," Danny said, smacking his hand over his face.

"I'm sorry to say that we can not reveal any information to you at this time," Maddie said as she, Jack and Jazz stood on their front porch, still in their pajamas. Danny looked up in surprise.

"If you want any information, you're going to have to talk to Danny, but he's not here at the moment, and we do not know when he will be back, nor will we tell you where he is," Jazz said as she crossed her arms.

"Wow. Your family's really got your back on this," Danielle said.

"Our family," he said with a smile before turning back to the screen.

"Now then, since it is only 7:30 in the morning, we'd like to go back to sleep," Maddie said with a frighteningly smile. Danny, Sam and Tucker knew that smile all too well; the smile that she'd given them many times before that said "Do as I say". Danielle, unconsciously, shivered as though the smile was telling her something that she should already know.

"Yeah, so all you vultures get off my lawn!" Jack yelled, pulling out a Fenton bazooka and firing randomly into the air, causing the news crews to run in fear. Danny, Sam and Tucker couldn't help their chorus of laughter as they looked upon the TV where the camera was moving every which way with the running camera man. Danielle, though finding Jack's reaction funny, couldn't help be feel like she'd been left in the dark.

"I don't get it. What's so funny?" she asked.

"It's just funny to see someone else on the receiving end of Dad's weapons," Danny said.

"Ohhhh. Ok," she said.

"As of right now, Danny has yet to be reached for any information, but we will update you on anything we find. For now, I'm Lance Thunder."

"Great. It's only a matter of time before they find us, especially since we're going to the mall," Sam sighed. "Well, might as well get this over with. We should probably get ready."

"I agree with Sam. We might as well get this over with," Danny said, rubbing his hand threw his hair, yet again. "Should we just stick with the cousins story?"

"That's probably our best bet. No reason to let everyone in on our private business. That and trying to sit there and explain all of this to them would be impossible."

"I agree," Tucker said, tapping his PDA one last time before showing it to the others. "I've already got your back story ready for you, Danielle."

"Really?" she asked, taking his PDA from him. "Wow, thanks Tucker."

"No problem. It even explains how you got your ghost powers. Think as of this as a little apology for scaring you so bad last night."

"Apology accepted," she said with a grin. "So, what's my story?"

"Simple. You're still Danny's third cousin, once removed, but now, you're living with his family because your family died in a tragic accident that you barely survived. When you were in the hospital, you needed a blood transfusion, and Danny was the only compatible person, which gave you your powers. In retrospect, this whole thing is just like a campaign race. Also, when I make your birth certificate, I'll make two; one fake one with your fake dead parents names on it, and a real one with your half dead dad and your mother who always talks about death and despair," he said with a grin as Sam and Danny glared at him for a moment.

"Regardless of that last statement, I'm pretty impressed, Tucker," Sam said.

"What can I say, ever since the Ember incident where you guys left me tied to the study crammer for 12 hours, I try to use my knowledge for the greater good," he shrugged with a grin. "Oh, and Danielle, when the press ask you about your family, you're have to pour on the sympathy factor. Draw out a few tears if you can," he said, turning back to her. But his smile soon fell as he saw her sniffle and tears coming to her eyes. "Whoa, are you ok?"

"I-I'm it's just-" she stuttered before putting her hands over her face and sobbing.

"Hey! Hey, I'm sorry! If it was something I said, I'm really sorry!" he said, panicking. He turned to Sam and Danny for help, but was confused as both were holding back their laughter. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong with them, he turned to Danielle whose body was shaking, not with sobs or tears, but with laughter. "No way! You did not just fake me out!" Tucker yelled in exasperation. Turning his gaze onto his two friends, he couldn't help the glare he gave the two. "Oh, that is so messed up. She is definitely your daughter."

"Like you said, it's like a political race. Maybe I should run for a position when I get older," Danielle said with a grin.

"Well you're gonna need better grades then Danny," Sam said, smirking at her boyfriend. "Anyway, now that we have that settled, let's get ready and hit the mall." They all nodded and stood up to go get dressed. "Uhh, Danny, can I talk to you really quick?"

"Sure," he said, giving his daughter and friend a look that said "beat it". The two exited the room, while Danny took his seat again and held Sam's hand. "So, what's up?"

Sam closed her eyes and sighed, which worried Danny a bit, but he didn't say anything while Sam contemplated how she was going to tell him this without hurting his feelings.

"Danny…you are a clueless, but caring, fool," she said bluntly.

Danny blinked a few times, taken off guard for a moment. "Jeez, Sam. What did I do this time?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. But the reason I was so bent on Danielle having your last name instead of mine is…well…I didn't want her feeling anymore left out or awkward then she may already feel."

"I don't understand."

"Well, if we get married one day and have kids, they'll all have the last name Fenton. But if she had my last name, I'm worried she wouldn't feel like she was ours. It may-"

"Make her feel like she didn't belong, and you're afraid of how it would affect her since she may already feels like she doesn't with us because she wasn't born to us and spent her entire life thinking she was a clone," he said smacking himself on the forehead. "Damn. I should have seen that too. I'm such an idiot. And a bad dad…"

"Stop it," she said with an annoyed tone. "You are not a bad dad. You are sweet, caring and wonderful. But let's just chalk this one up to mother's intuition."

Danny smiled back at her before kissing her lips passionately. "Thanks, Sam. Now, I'm even more glad you're here to help me."

"Me too. And now that we've gotten that out of the way, I wanna talk to you about something else."

"I'm guessing you wanted to use that as extra leverage for whatever you're gonna ask for now," he smirked.

"No, but now that I think about it, it does help my case a little."

An hour later, everyone was dressed and ready to go. Danielle, having no other clothes to wear after Sam had thrown her old ones out, kept her silk pajamas pants on and put on one of Sam's hoodies, though it was still too big for her.

"Should I go into ghost form?" Danielle asked.

"Don't bother. If they know you're my cousin, they'll be all over the house and will see you in human form. Once they find that out and find out my cousin is living with us at the same time that my ghost cousin shows up, they'll put two and two together," Danny said, placing a hand on her head, and ruffling her hair a little. As they opened the door, they were met with a crowd of camera flashes and reporters, all yelling questions to Danny at the same time. "Or they may show up here and do it," he said with a sigh.

Danielle, becoming increasingly nervous, took a few steps back to hide behind Sam and Danny before bumping into Tucker.

"Hey! Hey!" Danny shouted, trying to calm them down, however no one seemed to hear him. "Everyone, shut up!" he yelled, turning his eyes bright green for a moment, causing everyone to fall silent. "Now, we don't have all day for this, nor a whole lot of patience for it either, so, we'll take a few questions. You?" he said, pointing to a reporter in the front.

"Danny, who was that girl you were hugging yesterday? Is she a friend of yours or possibly family? And will she be taking over ghost fighting for you?"

Danny rolled his eyes. Weren't they all supposed to be allowed only one question at a time? "Ok, in order: her name is Danielle, aka, Dani Phantom. And that's Dani spelled D-A-N-I. Do NOT forget the I. Yes, she is a part of my family, and no, she will not be taking my place as the town's protector, but she will help with the ghost problem if and when possible. Next?"

"Danny, Tina Ross from channel 17. You said she's a member of your family. How are the two of you related?"

Danielle stepped up and looked at the crowd. "We're…cousins…" she said nervously, not knowing exactly how to address the questions or the stares as the reporters soon turned their gaze to her. "I'm Danny's third cousin, once removed."

"And what is your name?" another reporter asked.

"My name is…" she paused for a moment, glancing at Sam and Danny who were each standing on one side of her, before continuing. "My name is Danielle Lilith Fenton, and it's nice to meet you all," she broadcasted proudly with a smile.

"So, you're Danny's cousin. Does that mean you too know and are related to this new ghost girl?"

Danielle rolled her eye. And he said that they'd figure it out…

"No, genius. I AM the ghost girl!" she said as the two white rings flashed around her belly button and lit up her entire body. The familiar sensation engulfed her as one ring rose and the other fell to the ground. The crowd watched in awe, some taking pictures and video, as her pajamas and hoodie turned into a black and white two piece hazmat suit, complete with gloves and boots, her midnight black hair, ponytail included, turn snow white and her icy blue eyes turn bright green. Danielle smirked at the bewildered looks on the reporters faces, and looked over her left shoulder at Danny who too was smirking. "Now, any other questions?" she asked. As soon as she asked, all the reporters started shouting at her again, causing her smirk to fall. "One at a time, one at a time!"

"Danielle, how did you come to live here in Amity Park?"

"Um…" she stalled, trying to remember the story Tucker and she had practiced for the last hour. "I've recently moved into and have been adopted by my cousin and his family."

"Is it because of your ghost powers? And how did you acquire them?"

Danielle had to hold back the smirk that she so badly wanted to show, a definite trait she received from her mother. She knew that this was her cue to turn on the 'poor, innocent, traumatized child act' she'd been told to use. Slowly, she tilted her head down a little, putting a sad look on her face as her fake tears started to come. All of the reporters were shocked, some even feeling sorry for the young girl, but continued to listen closely.

"I-I'm he-here because-" she stuttered, heaving in and out a little, "because, I lost my family in a fire." Many of the reporters gasped, taking down notes for later reports. "It happened about eight months ago. My Mom and Dad's names were George and Melissa Fenton. Both worked from home, my father as a computer technician and my mother ran her own online business where she made handmade stuffed animals. Because of this, they home schooled me and my older sister, London." She paused to try and choke back a sob while wiping tears from her eyes. Sam bent down and kneeled next her, wrapping her arms around the cry girl while Danny put a hand on Danielle's shoulder, pretending to give her comfort.

"One night, an electrical fire started in our house. London and I shared a room, so she woke me up and guided me toward the door that lead outside. I thought she was right behind me, but never got the chance to check because as soon as I got outside, I was picked up by the paramedics, and eventually passed out. When I woke up, Danny and his family were there as my next of kin. They told me that I was lucky to survive because Danny gave me some of his blood in a transfusion, but informed me that I was the only survivor. I was devastated, and I still haven't gotten over it, especially the fact that my sister did everything she could to be sure that I got out even if it meant she had to die.

"I was also over come with gratitude because if it hadn't been for Danny, I wouldn't have survived. A few days after, Danny came to talk to me alone, where he told me about his ghost powers. He told me that with them, I'd heal faster, better and be stronger. He also told me it was a secret and that I couldn't tell the others. He said that he was sorry and that he felt bad because he felt like he cursed me instead of giving me a gift," she said, looking at him. "After about six months, my burns were completely gone, but I felt that if I stayed, I'd be nothing but a bother to Danny, especially because he'd have to help me with my powers and so, I ran away to be on my own for a while and trying to master them by myself. Needless to say, it didn't sit too well with Danny, especially after the first time I came for a visit where he chewed me out. But as I traveled, I got better, eventually even finding my way into the Ghost Zone where I lived until Danny asked us all for help to save both this world and the ghost one. After that and his revealing himself, he told me that it was time to go home, and live with him and the rest of my family, who were more than glad to take me in, and now, here I am," she said with a small smile. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be going now."

At that moment, Danny transformed, grabbing Tucker's arm while Danielle grabbed Sam's hand, then finally each others, and turned themselves invisible before taking flight and heading in the direction of the mall.