Danny Phantom (c) Butch Hartman

Story (c) Me

Request by ilovedannyphantom914 on deviantART.

"Danny! Come help me make a sandcastle right!" Jazz called to her little brother.

"Okay!" he called back. The ten year old ran across the sand to his twelve-year-old sister and knelt down. His sister smiled and overturned the bucket, a miniature tower of sand coming out. Danny instantly began to design little doors and windows into it while Jazz made more towers and stuck sticks in the top of it, just like a castle had flags. Danny and Jazz always made sandcastles together- Danny was the designer, Jazz was the builder. Maddie Fenton watched with a smile as her kids built together.

She was lucky. Some siblings would fight non-stop, but Jazz and Danny were practically best friends to each other. Whenever Sam and Tucker weren't over, they would play. Oh sure, they got frustrated with the other at times, but all siblings do. She continued watching her kids. Danny corrected Jazz how and where to put the little leaf flag in. Jazz politely did as told. Danny carved into one of the towers and made a little cavern, sticking leafs in to try to support it.

Finally, the two had finished an impressive castle. Other children came over to admire it. Usually kids didn't make such an impressive castle. That is, until one tried to go into the sand themselves to make one. But before Danny and Jazz offered to help them make it, the other child spied something in the sand.

A little ant hole that would eventually become a hill. And out of the hole came a bright red ant. A "FIRE ANT!" the child screamed. Maddie wasn't sure what the kid just yelled, but all the other kids went scampering out of the sandbox while Danny and Jazz blinked.

"Fire ants?" Jazz asked. She walked up to where the kid had shouted, and her eyes failed to notice a tiny red dot in the sand. She shrugged and turned back.

"What was that?" Danny asked, curious. Jazz shrugged.

"Some kid thought they saw a fire ant. I didn't see anything. Well, at least we have the box to ourselves now. Let's go put a castle on the other side- castles can't just be one place!" she said.

"Okay!" Danny said, happy. He followed her across the box, and didn't even notice as his foot accidentally kicked the ant hill. A few more ants came out, but fled at the sight of Danny. But one ran towards him...

Maddie stopped a kid who was running out. "Excuse me, what's going on in the sand box?" she asked. The kid shuddered.

"There's fire ants. Those two kids left didn't see 'em, I guess." he said, then ran. Maddie gasped, then ran towards the box. Neither of her children noticed. As they began to build another castle, the little ant crawled up the boy's pant leg. Once it reached the back muscle of his leg, it opened its pincers and bit down. Danny's eyes bulged, then fell over, wailing and screaming. Jazz jumped in surprise and came up to her brother.

"Danny, what-"

"IT HURTS!" he shouted.

"Hurts where?"

"Jazz-" Maddie ran up and picked up the screaming Danny. "You guys didn't notice the fire ants?"

"N-no." Jazz said. Danny was crying, and she followed her mom to the bench where her Fenton First Aid kit was. Maddie laid the boy down.

"It HURTS, Mommy!" Danny cried again. She sighed.

"I know, sweetie. Where does it hurt?"

"H-here." Danny said, pointing to the back of his leg. Maddie lifted it, then spied the dangling ant on the back of his leg.

"Oh, yeah, it's got the back of your leg. One second." she said. Jazz gripped her brother's hand as he screamed when Maddie pulled the ant off and tossed it aside. He panted slightly.

"T-thank you, mom."

"Okay. C'mon. Let's get you ice from the car." she said, taking them to the car. She put him on the seat and opened the freezer she and Jack kept in the car. She pulled out an ice pack and held it on her son's leg. Jazz was apologizing.

"Danny, I'm sorry-"

"Sorry for what?" Danny asked, puzzled, as he calmed down as the pain went down from the ice.

"I didn't see the ant. If I did, we could've been fine."

"Jazz, it's not your fault." Danny said. He sniffled a little. Maddie rubbed his head.

"Hey, sweetie. What if we stopped to get ice cream? Would that make you feel better?" she asked. Danny nodded. "Mhm? Okay. Jazz, stay back there with your brother." she said, making Danny sit upright as she strapped him in. Jazz strapped herself in next to her brother. As her mom began to drive, Jazz spoke.

"Can I see where it bit?" she asked softly. Danny held up his leg in an angle for her to see. A little red bump and tiny bite marks were on his leg as she peeked under the ice their mother strapped onto it.

"It still kinda hurts." Danny said. She smiled.

"It's your battle scar."

"My battle scar?"

"Yeah...Your battle scar. Say you got into a fight and you made it out with that mark."

"My battle scar." Danny said, smiling a little. Maddie chuckled up front. Jazz always knew what to say to Danny.