A/N: Well, here it is, folks! The last chapter. After this there will only be an epilogue and I'm in such a good mood that I'm posting that immediately. I hope you've enjoyed the ride; I know I have!
Disclaimed.
…FentonWorks…
"Hello!" Valerie called, stepping through the portal. "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton!"
Deactivating her suit, she trudged up the stairs of the empty house. "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton?"
After making a quick search of the dark house, she called Tucker.
"Valerie?" he answered, surprised.
"It's over, Tucker!" she exclaimed.
"WHAT! But I thought we were – " he misunderstood, as always.
"Not us, Tuck!" Valerie said, exasperated, "the battle!"
"OH!" Tucker smacked himself. "That's great! Have you told Mr. and Mrs. F yet?"
"No, I kinda thought they'd already be here, but the house is empty," she explained.
"Really? Well, maybe they stopped by the hospital to check in on Danny," he suggested, shrugging.
"Probably," she agreed. "I'm gonna head out there anyway; meet me there?"
"Sure."
…Hospital…
"Ho-ly night!" Danny swore as they stepped outside. All around them were the familiar faces of people Danny had helped. And above them was a sea of green: ghosts who'd just arrived from battle.
"Oh my gosh!" Sam exclaimed, standing beside him. The spectacle hadn't been there when she'd arrived. Danielle shared her surprise.
"Oof!" Danny stumbled backwards as a blue and pink blur rammed into him.
The blur turned out to be his ghostly goddaughter, Boxed Lunch. A cheer rang through the ghosts as Youngblood's story was proved, and the humans joined them.
There was a small commotion as Jack and Maddie Fenton pushed their way through to their son and enveloped him in a crushing hug.
"Can't breathe!" Danny choked from the bear-hug. Sheepishly, his parents backed off, grinning from ear to ear.
…Strawls house…
"Jazz? It's Valerie. I'm back and the battle is over! We won!" she informed the woman.
Jazz dropped the phone and relief flooded her features.
"Hello? Jazz?"
The redhead fumbled with the phone as she picked it up. "I'm gonna go tell Danny, I – "
Beep. Call waiting.
"Hold on," Jazz politely asked. "Hello?"
"He's awake!" again, the phone fell from her grasp and tears of joy fell from her eyes. She picked it up quickly.
"Hey, Jazz," Danny himself greeted, taking Sam's newly recovered phone. Laughter bubbled through the speaker, choked with tears of happiness.
"Jazz, what's going on?" Ben questioned, entering the living room.
"He's awake, and the battleis over!" she told him, not bothering to cover the speaker.
"It's over?...They're gone?" Danny breathed. He leaned on his cane, suddenly glad that he had it.
"Danny, are you okay?" Sam looked at him, concerned. "I shouldn't have let you get this far."
"What do you mean, 'this far'?" he asked suspiciously.
She didn't even flinch as she told him, "I was planning to knock you out if I couldn't convince you to slow down."
He chuckled at this, knowing she probably would have, too. By this time, the vigil had begun to disperse.
"Jazz, where did you hear that it was over?" he questioned.
"Well, Valerie cal – Oh my gosh! Valerie! She's on the other line!" Jazz remembered. "I'll call you back, Little Brother!"
"Ja-." Valerie answered.
"He's awake!" the redhead announced.
…
"Sam, why would Val be the first to know the battle is over?" Danny inquired, turning to his fiancé.
"She knows, Danny. Tucker coached her so she could help. She was ready, and she's been leading the ghosts," Danielle spoke up. Danny's mind raced, this was beginning to be too much. He leaned more heavily on his cane, then slid to the ground.
…
"Man, I'm always the last to know!" Tucker complained, seeing Danny awake and standing on the hospital steps. When he slid down, Tucker ran forward, "This is not good."
"Danny!" Sam exclaimed, dropping to her knees beside him.
He chuckled weakly. "Guess I needed this after all."
She hugged him, visibly shaken.
Lancer shook his head – he could've sworn he'd just seen Santa and Mrs. Claus in their place. It had to be a hallucination, right?
Vlad came forward then. "What's the matter, Daniel? I didn't even realize you were in the hospital!"
"Go away," Jack stood up to him, dropping the façade he'd held for seven years. Danny had asked that they not let on to Vlad that they knew about him, seeing the continued "friendship" as the best punishment for the surveillance Vlad had put the Guys in White up to years ago.
"Why, what do you mean, Jack? I was merely showing concern for the boy," Vlad countered silkily.
"We're not fooled by you, Vlad, so you can drop the act," Maddie glared at him icily.
"So," he glared hatefully at Danny, "he's told you my secret. The question is, did he tell you his?"
"No," Danny smiled, not the least bit intimidated as Sam helped him to his feet.
The villain narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Why is Daniel so cheerful?
"We found out quite by accident," Maddie informed him, "eight years ago. He told us about you the following year."
"I'd shoot you in the back," Valerie told him as she flew down to the group, "but I don't want to sink to your level."
"You're outnumbered Vlad, go home," Jack finalized, aiming a Fenton Bazooka at him.
"You may have won this time, Little Badger, but don't think this is over," Vlad threatened, dropping all pretenses and backing away.
"Of course it's not over," Danny stated, "we still have business to deal with."
Vlad was gone.
…
A/N: Well, what do you think? Did Danny's reaction to the vigil make sense? Was Jazz's reaction right? What did you think of Lancer's "hallucination"? And what about Vlad's attempt at threatening Danny? Tell me in a review, and as alwaysALOHA!