Chapter 27:
Sam POV-
Danny and I took a couple weeks off of school (staying just under the acceptable number of days we could miss without going to court for truancy. Today is a Friday, and, we would have taken it off too, if we had another option), and now, we're going back.
I must say, I have a little anxiety about leaving the twins, especially after what Vlad pulled a couple weeks ago. Since then, Tucker enhanced the security system. Now, anyone who tapers with it must provide a retinal scan and a DNA sample. I just hope that will be enough.
But fear for the safety of my children is not the only reason I'm reluctant to leave them. It's just that, I have been next to them since the day they were born, and now, leaving them for seven hours a day, five days a week…well, let's just say it sucks.
"Don't worry," Danny's mom assured me (again), "It's only natural that you would be having some separation anxiety, but Jack and I have this completely under control."
That's easy for her to say. We still haven't told her about the attempted kidnapping. Lord knows, if we did, she would probably set up heat-seeking missiles in the nursery.
"I know, I know," I wrung my hands nervously, taking a sip of my near-scalding coffee. I burnt my tongue, but it healed ten seconds later. I glanced at the clock with a sigh, "Danny, we better get going."
He nodded, "Bye mom, bye dad. We'll see you after school."
I would have preferred to fly to school, but that might have been a little suspicious considering that we now have a car, so we threw our bags in the backseat, and Danny revved up the engine.
"You think they'll be alright?" I asked him, nervously.
Danny didn't say anything, he merely pursed his lips. I know him well enough to know what that means: he doesn't know.
"Let's just try and make it through a day of school," he suggested.
I nodded, taking a deep breath.
Walking onto campus had almost the same feeling as the day everyone found out that we were pregnant: they all stared.
Danny and I walked awkwardly to our first period classes.
I got a much different reception than I had expected while we all changed in the locker room. Suddenly, I was surrounded.
"How are the babies?"
"What do they look like?"
"You should have brought them to school!"
"Do you have any pictures?"
I smiled a little to myself, pulling out my cellphone, which was now completely full of pictures, and handing it to Star who stood at the front of the crowd.
"Aww!" she exclaimed, and everyone edged in behind her, trying to see the screen.
"Oh, and here's Danny giving them a bath," I swiped the screen. The image showed Lizzie and Grayson in their own separate baby bathtubs in the guest bathtub, and Danny, soaking wet. He didn't know that he was supposed to use the baby bathtubs, so he had started by filling up the tub several inches high with water. Then he fell in.
It was only after he fell in that I came in and told him what he was actually supposed to do: give the babies a sponge bath in the baby bathtubs until they get a little older.
"Cute!" several girls exclaimed, and Star went to a couple more photos.
"They're so little," Star smiled.
Suddenly, Paulina burst into the locker room.
"I'm having a girl!" she squealed happily. And, my babies were forgotten in an instant, as Star handed my phone back to me and the cluster of girls gathered around Paulina, feeding her excitement.
I sighed. Some things never change.
The rest of the day went over in pretty much the same way, students and faculty asking to see pictures of our babies, and wondering how well we were adjusting to being parents.
Finally, after what seemed like an endless day, we got in the car to go home.
When we turned down the block, I would have given anything to go back to my worry-free, somewhat irritating morning. Anything, to not have been greeted by the sight in front of Danny's house: police cars, and lots of them.
And we both knew what they were for.
Danny turned the car, parking it with a screech next to the sidewalk and we were both out of the car, seconds later.
"What happened?" Danny ordered to the police officer who was interrogating his parents. His parents exchanged a look that looked like they were on the border of a meltdown.
"Danny Boy, I'm so sorry. The babies were asleep and your mother was out, and I fell asleep on the couch and…" his dad closed his eyes in guilt.
"What happened?" Danny repeated again, venom lacing his voice.
"Someone broke in and kidnapped them," he finally told his, looking utterly defeated. I know, I should have expected this, I should have known that Vlad would do it. Wasn't me who had first known that Vlad would kidnap them in the first place?
But there is really nothing that can really prepare you for the moment it happens. When they're really gone.
Hot tears or anger rose to my eyes and I couldn't decide whether to scream in rage or break down in sobs, so what came out was a kind of tortured shriek, and I fell to my knees on the sidewalk.
"Well," the police man said uncomfortably, "I think we've got all we need. If we find anything we'll let you know. Please let us know if you find any more information." And, with one final nod, he walked away.
Danny helped me to my feet and helped me into the house because I could barely see through the blurred tears.
"I'm so sorry," Mr. Fenton mumbled in distress, putting his head in his hands and sitting on the couch.
"It's not your fault," I said, regaining my composure. The time for sadness was over, now was the time for anger and rage. But not at Danny's parents. I would be extracting my rage on the one who deserved it. Vlad.
"Yes it was," he mumbled through a choked sob.
"No. It wasn't. Vlad did this," I growled dangerously.
"Vlad?" Mrs. Fenton asked, "I know he's a creep, but that quite a stretch to accuse him of kidnapping…"
"It's not a stretch, it's true," I said with absolute conviction, I looked at Danny.
He nodded understanding my unspoken assertion: we need to tell them the truth.
"Mom, dad, there's something I need to tell you," Danny said seriously, his parents looked up in expectation. Danny closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and, suddenly, the familiar ring formed around his waist, covering his whole body until he stood there in his ghost form, "I'm Danny Phantom."
I'm not quite sure I will ever be able to explain the reactions that both of his parents had to this sudden realization. Shock, was obviously the biggest one, but underneath of that was several other mixed emotions fighting for representation on their faces.
"Danny…" his mom trailed off, standing up and walking towards her son.
"Before you say anything," Danny told her, "Let me finish. You remember when you first built the ghost portal? And how it wouldn't work?" he asked and they nodded numbly.
"Well, that's because," Danny sighed, "You guys put the 'on' button on the inside."
In that moment, they both seemed to understand.
"So instead of dying, I…half-died, and the ectoplasm mixed with my DNA. And the reason that Vlad was after our babies is because he's half-ghost too, and so are they. They inherited their powers from me," Danny told them.
"But there are so many ghosts who might want to use their powers to their advantage, how do you know it was Vlad?" his mom asked.
"Because," I interjected, "Since Vlad found out that Danny was half-ghost, he wanted him to join him, and become his 'perfect half-ghost' son. And when that didn't work, he tried a lot of…different methods, including cloning Danny. And, since the babies were born, I guess he saw that as new opportunity when everything else failed: to raise them as his children. Also, a couple weeks ago, he tried to kidnap them too."
"Why didn't you guys tell us?" Mrs. Fenton asked, horrified.
"We didn't want you to worry and…possibly amp up the ghost weapons around our half-ghost kids," I told her.
Mrs. Fenton blanched, knowing that is exactly what would have happened.
"So what now?" she asked quietly, after a minute.
"Now,"' I said, with a devilish grin, transforming into my own ghost half, complete with Hazmat suit that I had swiped from the lab, "We get them back."