Chapter 22: Picking Up on Restraints

The last two weeks had been the worst in Danny and Sam's career as parents, as short as it was. To no one's surprise, word got out fast that the ghost protector, Danny Phantom, secretly had a daughter, and many people were beyond confused as to how this had happened, but most of all, the other students of Casper High. Having spent every school year with Danny since they were kids, many of them wondered how they could have missed such a thing in his life, though when they thought about it, they had completely missed the fact that he was a superhero for a long time. This, however, did not stop them from hassling Danny, as well as the rest of Team Phantom, for the information. Every day was a struggle for the group, especially Danny and Sam, as they walked the halls of the school. Many people would give the two weird looks and would whisper about them as they walked by. Of course they didn't know the two hybrids had enhanced hearing, but even if they had, that would have done nothing to help their moods.

Sam's mood had been especially sour as of late. Many rumors began to spread about the origin of Danielle. Some people believed that Danny could have cheated on Sam and gotten another girl, whether ghost or human, pregnant, and that Sam was taking the heat for it. Some people believed that Sam had secretly been pregnant for a long time, but that because ghost were different and, well, dead, that they never knew because it didn't take nearly as long as a live baby would. Another story was that the two had adopted her because she was a street urchin and an outcast in the ghost zone like Danny, but hid the fact because of how society would look upon two teenage parents. Though many people didn't believe that because of how similar she looked to Danny.

Many of the popular girls, especially Paulina, started going around, trying to annoy Sam. One particular way was the nickname she gave Sam. "Necro-slut". Though simple, the term irked Sam to no end, more so then any of those girls knew. On one occasion, Sam almost lost her temper and lashed out at Paulina. She had been trying to ignore the insults all day, but the second her daughter's name had entered the conversation, Sam's fury hit its peak. Luckily, Danny, Tucker, Jazz, and, to everyone's surprise, Valerie, who was beyond shocked when she was told the real story of Danielle's origin, were there to help her keep a level head.

"Sam, you gotta keep calm," Danny said as they walked away, but couldn't resist tossing Paulina a nasty look over his shoulder.

"Danny's right, Sam," Valerie said. "Don't forget, we're trying to keep your powers a secret. If you wigged out on a useless twig like Paulina, everything would only get worse, especially for Danielle. How would it look if you did the same thing she did? The media eat that up, and the phrase "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" would be stuck to you like superglue."

Though what she said was true, it did little to pacify Sam whenever she had the annoying A-Lister in her site. But she knew she had other problems to worry about.

Of course, once the news spread into the town about the incident at the middle school, many concerned parents began to protest that the young Fenton did not belong in school and that she be banned from attending ever again. Much to Danny and Sam's surprise, it was Principal Persir that came to Danielle's defense.

"Miss Fenton is a very bright student, and one of our top, not only in the school's recent history, but in the district. Not to mention that she has put her life on the life numerous times to protect not only the students of the school, but the people of this town. Therefore, I shall not prohibit her from attending class and receiving an education so long as she is willing. However, you can all rest assured that precautionary measures have been taken to ensure that something like this does not happen again. "

Though they were grateful, the Fenton's knew it would not stop there, and that his answer would only pacify a few people, if any at all. Soon after, their doorbell began to ring on a regular basis. Many parents had started to come by and ask what exactly did they think that they were doing and how they could let something like this happen. Whenever people like this came to the door, Danielle often found herself hiding in her room, invisible to the world. Of course, they were all wondering what exactly Danny and Sam were going to do to punish her and often questioned their capabilities as parents. Danny and Sam were beginning to feel the pressure, when Maddie and Jack stepped in and, decidedly, handled the parents. Before they could take a sigh of relief though, the ill-fated conversation that Danny knew was going to happen threw him for a loop.

When the Turners, Tammy and Timmy's parents, showed up and asked to speak with Sam and Danny, neither of the two were surprised. They were surprised, however, at the first words to leave Mrs. Turner's mouth.

"We are truly, truly sorry about all the trouble and stress that Timothy and Tamantha have caused you all," she said. Danny and Sam had to resist the urge to keep their mouths hanging open at the pure shock of her words. "They've always been like this because, with their father and me working so often, we used to have to have our family member's watch over them. Somehow, they became very spoiled and loved attention."

"This isn't the first time we've had to deal with them bullying other children," Mr. Turner said. "Although I'm sorry that this all happened, I honestly believe that this may have just been the wakeup call that they needed to get their acts together."

To say that they were grateful to get out of that confrontation with no repercussions was an understatement. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the constant phone calls. The phone rang constantly, and at all times of the day and night at Fenton Works, and every time someone answered, it was a news station or a reporter trying to get the scoop on the mini Phantom and the real origin of her birth. After only three days of the constant ringing, the phone was unplugged and forgotten. That did not stop the more persistent ones that would come to the door, but they never got very far because of the overly protective gigantic green ghost dog that guarded the door. But even through all of this, there was one battle that the two teens were not sure they could win, even with all their strength and know how.

"I said no!" Danielle yelled as she stomped her small slippered foot on the soft carpet of the living room as her parents sat in front of her, exhausted, on the couch from yet another one of her obvious temper tantrums. If the situation weren't so dire, they might have found it funny at how cute she looked in her pajamas.

"Danielle, I've already told you, it's the only way that they're going to allow you to go back to school," Danny said with a frustrated sigh as he held his head. Everyone in the house avoided having to go into the room as they had heard this conversation almost daily for the last two weeks and it was starting to tire them out as well. Ever since that dreaded parent-teacher conference, Danielle had refused to even consider wearing the belt. She already didn't want to go back to school, but to hear that she would be restricted of the use of her powers, only made it harder for Danny and Sam to reason with her. It was clear that she felt bad for all of the trouble she caused to her family with her actions, but thinking about not having her powers and being stripped of her own free will gave her painful memories of her time with Vlad, and she would not stand for that. Not even if the people doing it were her parents, which only hurt her even more.

"I can't go back to school! Don't you guys get it!?" She yelled. "Everyone thinks I'm a freak, I'll probably be shunned, and you want to take away my powers, the only thing that gave me any security when I was alone!"

"First of all, calm down, check you tone and lower your voice, Danielle," Sam said tensely. Her patients had worn beyond thin by this point, especially with her daughter, but they were out of time because she was supposed to return to school tomorrow, meaning they had to finish this, now. "Second, we do NOT want to and we are not taking your powers away. However, this was the only deal that we could make. With how much damage you did, they don't trust you in the slightest to control yourself or your powers. Because of what you did, you've lost all your privileges at school."

"So you're just siding with them and taking away my powers!?"

"No one is taking you powers, Danielle!" Sam shouted back at her.

"You know what!? Screw both of you! You're worse than Vlad!" Danielle shouted in their faces. It took a moment for her to realize what exactly she had said, but by the time she did, it was too late.

Sam gasped, taken back by Danielle's insult as her anger vanished, and she brought her hands to her mouth, tears building in her eyes. Danny, on the other hand, felt as if his anger flared up even more at her disrespect and her disregard for their feelings. Grabbing her hand, Danny sprang up from the couch where he began to drag her up the stairs and into her bedroom. Danielle pulled at his grasp, but found it useless as her heart pounded furiously and fear pumped through her veins.

The entire house fell silent as the only sounds were Sam's soft cries, Danny's muffled yells and Danielle's sobs of protest as her father repeated smacked her backside.

"And you're gonna stay here to think about what you've done, young lady." Danny said as he exited the crying preteen's room. "You can come down when you're ready to apologize."

"I hate you!" Danielle screamed before slamming the door behind him. As Danny descended down the stairs, he tried to keep himself from shaking in both disgust and fury at himself, but couldn't stop the tears that fell from his face. Never would he have thought he would have to spank his daughter. He felt terrible about it, that much was clear; but the only thing that hurt more was hearing her say that she hated him. He knew she didn't mean it and that she was just upset, but she would never know how much it hurt any parent to hear their child say that to them. As his feet made contact with the floor, he made his way to the couch where he held Sam as she cried into his shoulder.

"I knew it. I knew this was going to happen," Sam said once she had finally calmed down enough to make coherent sentences. Her eyes were red and puffy, making her look even more tired than she already was. "This is just like me and my parents, only worse. So, so, so much worse."

"I know how you feel. But I swear, no matter what, this is not going to be like that," Danny said. "We are not like your parents. We will NEVER be like your parents. And we are going to get through this."

"But, Danny, she hates us. And who could blame her? We're trying to force her into what has got to be the worst possible situation."

"Sam, you know she doesn't mean it," he said, though it was more to reassure himself. "And you know we don't have a choice. With the town being so small, it's the only place we can send her. We can't move away because anywhere we go, people are going to recognize us. We tried home schooling her, and not only did that fail miserably, she hated it."

Sam was quiet as she brought her legs up and snuggled closer into his side while Danny kept a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Why is this all so hard and seems so bad?" she whispered.

"Because being a good part takes work," he replied.

The rest of the night had been eerily quiet as everyone purposely avoided Danielle's room where quiet sobs could be heard. When dinner was ready, Danielle had come down, but refused to look at anyone, especially her parents. Her eyes never left her plate and she made no sounds, not even any protest about her vegetables, other than her fork as it helped move food into her mouth. Her silence worried her family, but mostly Sam and Danny.

"May I be excused?" Danielle asked quietly as she set her fork on the empty plate.

"Sure, sweetie," Maddie said softly.

Danielle didn't say anything else as she stood up from her seat and made her way out of the room. Everyone turned to Danny and Sam who were still looking to where their daughter had left. Sam had tears in her eyes and Danny had his hands clenched in his lap, showing that the entire ordeal had been taking its toll on them just as much as it was her.

Neither Danny nor Sam got any sleep that night. Anytime either of them had fallen asleep, they were reminded of the pained and hurt look of their daughter, as well as the nightmares of them losing her. The next morning was no different than the previous night. Breakfast was silent as the four kids sat at the table, Danielle eating a bowl of cereal with downcast eyes, Danny using his fork to push his eggs around his plate with a loss of appetite, Sam swishing her orange juice in her glass as her stomach remained upset, and Jazz as she looked at the three worriedly from her book.

Danielle continued to remain mute as the morning went on, including when she stood by the front door, preparing to leave. As Maddie fastened and locked the mini silver belt around her waist, she looked at her granddaughter worriedly as her once lively blue eyes now seemed dull and faded.

"Try not to be so glum about it, Danielle," she said, stroking the young girl's cheek affectionately. "It won't be that bad. And you know that we are always here for you because we love you." Danielle said nothing, but gave her grandmother a small nod to acknowledge that she had heard what she had been told to her. With a kiss and a hug from everyone, Danny, Sam and Danielle left their home and made their way to the middle school, which seemed shorter then Danielle remembered because before she knew it, she was walking up the path toward the doors. Danielle could feel her pulse quicken at the site of building, and felt the urge to turn invisible and escape, but was quick to remember the new accessory strapped to her waist.

Many students gasped at the site of the young girl, and soon began murmuring to their friends while giving her weird looks which only brought back the memories of that faithful day that caused all of this. Turning her head down, she only looked at her feet and denim skirt as she continued to walk before stopping short of the doors as her teacher walked up to them.

"Good morning, everyone," Mrs. Otree said as she looked from Danny to Sam, and finally Danielle. "Good morning, Danielle."

"Good morning," Danielle said, not wanting to be rude to the one adult other than her family that had been on her side since the beginning.

"Thank you again for everything, Mrs. Otree," Danny said as he dug around in his pocket and fished out the key to Danielle's belt. "Here's the key to the Specture Deflector."

"It's been no trouble at. And I promise I will do whatever I can to help."

"Thank you," Sam said before kneeling and turning Danielle to look at her. "Ok, Ellie. This is it. I love you. Be good. And you know if you need us, you can call us." Danny followed suite and looked her in the eyes as well.

"No matter what you do, no matter what people say, no matter what happens, we will always love you and protect you. And, Ellie," he paused as she looked at him. "I'm really sorry about last night, but don't ever think that means that I will stop loving you."

Danielle stared at them, holding back as much as she could, but as she watched her parents begin to walk away, she let her tears fall and began to cry. Without another moment's hesitation, Danielle broke out into a sprint and crashed into Danny's back, grabbing onto his shirt and crying into it.

"Please, don't go," she said in a muffled voice. "I'm sorry Daddy. I'm really, really sorry about what I said and that I've been bad and caused all of this, but please, don't leave me."

Danny turned around and picked her up into his arms, holding her against his chest.

"It's ok, sweetie. I promise. It will all be ok," he said. Danielle then turned to Sam who was standing next to them. Sam gave her a smile as she held the side of her daughter face and placed a loving kiss on her cheek.

"Mommy?" Danielle whispered as fresh tears started to come.

"Hey now, no tears," she said soothingly as she wiped the tears away. "You're a Fenton, a Manson and a Phantom. You're the toughest kid there is, and you're our daughter, which means you're smart, you're brave and you'll get through this."

Danielle stared at them for a while but reluctantly nodded her head. As Danny set her back on her feet, they gave her one last loving look before they made their way toward their own school. As she watched them walk away, Danielle wasn't so sure she was as tough as they made her sound or as tough as she always told herself she was. Danielle felt a jolt of surprise as someone put their hand on her shoulder. Turning around, Danielle soon met the gaze of her teacher. Danielle looked at her teacher for the first time, expecting to see fear or anger from her, but, to her surprise, her face was calm, almost reassuring to the young girl.

"I know you're scared right now, but it's going to be alright," Mrs. Otree said as the warning bell rang out. "I have to go. But I'll see you in class in a few minutes." Danielle watched as she took her leave as well, and couldn't help the sense of abandonment she felt feeding her fear. As her head hung low, Danielle proceeded to walk up the small path once more and headed inside.

As the door closed behind her, Danielle could feel the eyes of all the students on her as the corridor went silent. As she shuffled across the tiled floor, many student were whispering as she walked by, and Danielle didn't need her enhanced hearing to hear the sneers in their words.

"Oh god. They let that freak back in here?" a girl said.

"I can't believe it either. How can she have the nerve to show her face around here again after what she did," a boy replied back said.

"I heard she's completely powerless now. Apparently they locked up her ghost half in some kind of weird chamber and that they have to keep the two separate because her ghost half is so mad, she'll destroy the town is she gets out," she heard someone say.

Danielle would have laughed at the fictitious story if it weren't so close to the truth. Clutching her backpack tighter, she could feel the tears building up. Just as she suspected, everyone hated her now. She was an outcast, a freak. She didn't belong there anymore. Sure, she had been different before, but at least she had her powers to help reassure her that everything would be ok, but now, she didn't even have those.

Making her way to her locker, Danielle felt a small ray of sunshine in the storm that was her life as she spotted Lin, gathering her books at her locker.

"H-hi, Lin," she muttered quietly. Lin turned her head and stared at Danielle for a few seconds before saying anything.

"Hello, Danielle," she said. "I see you're finally back in school."

"Yeah. Doesn't look like anyone in particular is happy to see me. So how've-"

"Listen, Danielle," Lin said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "I don't know exactly how to say this, but…we can't be friends anymore."

That, right there, was where it all took a turn for the worst. The small ray she saw before had suddenly been swallowed up into the black clouds, never to be seen again. Danielle felt as if her heart had just been shot to pieces as the words echoed in her ears.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"Look, it's just that, something's come up. People have started talking ever since the incident, and…people have started to avoid me and Jordan. They've start shunning us and making fun of us because we were friends with you, and well…with how angry you can get, we just feel that, maybe it's best for everyone if we don't hangout anymore. Sorry."

That was the last thing Lin said to her before closing her locker and walking away, leaving Danielle stunned, shocked, and worst of all, hurt. Danielle didn't know what to do, and didn't realize she was crying until she felt the warm moisture fall from her chin. A sob racked her body as well as a soft cry as she attempted to bring her hands up to her face to wipe her tears, only to find them bound. Looking up, Danielle came face to face with a very upset Tootie, who was holding both of her wrists, while Chester and AJ stood at her sides, boxing her in between her locker. Danielle was about to attempt to pull her hands free, but was stunned as Tootie's hand flew across her face, leaving a bright red mark in the same spot that Sam had kissed, almost as if she were attempting to take away all the love her mother had given her.

"You disgusting trash!" Tootie yelled in her face. "How dare you show your face after what you did!?"

Danielle could only stare at her, dumbfounded, with no reply. Normally, with her headstrong spirit, she wouldn't let something like that happen, or at least not let someone get away with it. But with her spirit more broken then shattered glass, she was about as helpless as could be.

"Not so tough now, are you, freak?" Chester said, shoving her. AJ, standing on her opposite side, shoved her back toward Chester and the two continued tormenting the defenseless girl. Once the finally had their fill, Chester gave her one last good shove, sending her falling backwards into her locker. As she crashed into the door, it swung open, allowing a huge pile of papers to fall onto her. Each page was different, whether it was a hand written message, a grotesque picture of her, or both, but all were a clear sign that she was not wanted there. As she sat up, she noticed a crowd of students that now surrounded them, all she could do was cry as they all laugh and began to chant.

"Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!" They all said in unison.

As the chanting echoed down the hallway, it reached Lin's ears, causing her to turn around and look at Danielle as she sat on the floor, crying her eyes out as all the hope she had left was now gone.

'I knew this was going to happen,' Danielle thought as she cried. 'Everyone's abandoned me. Lin. Jordan. Mrs. Otree. Even Mommy and Daddy. Why do these things keep happening to me? What have I done that was so wrong that my life is always a living hell? I hate this! I HATE THIS!'

As the bell rang, signaling that everyone should head to class, the students scattered, some laughing at her while others taunted the fact that she was crying. Danielle, however, didn't move as she stayed curled up in a heap of paper and tears.