Author's Notes: So Sorry. I'm a few days late on this. Been sick and had tons of homework (accounting…ugh). Also started a new job (old one stunk) so I'm getting used to that. Overall, I've been busy, but your patience will be rewarded.
Lost and Found Chapter 3: What ifs…
"He's late," an irate Sam Manson droned as she sat on her bed, her arms crossed in front of her chest. On the chair next to her bed sat Tucker Foley, who sighed deeply; she was in one of those moods again. Luckily for him, the source of her anger wasn't him. Instead, she seemed incredibly focused on her cell phone, which sat a few feet away on her bed. She scowled at it intently, as if trying to will it to ring.
"You do realize he's probably busy," Tucker tried to console, though his efforts seemed not to be that effective.
"So busy that he'd blow us off! After blowing us off for over a year already!"
"Sam, he's been calling us every day ever since he woke up. I'm sure if he could call us he would" She seemed to consider his words, her demeanor calming down somewhat. She did still stared at the phone intently. Finally letting her impatience get the better of her, she grabbed it and dialed the halfa's number. She tapped her foot with irritation as the other line began to ring.
"I hope you have really big reason for ditching us today," she erupted, the first words that came to her coming out of her mouth. Tucker shook his head; Danny was in for it now.
"Sam?" the halfa answered. She waited as she could literally hear the gears of his mind turn. "Oh, man!" he exclaimed in dread, "Sam, I'm sorry. I completely forgot. Something big came up this morning."
"How big?" she asked skeptically, "'Saved the world' big or 'beat your older self' big, cause I don't think even both of those things combined would be enough to excuse you."
"Dani is back," he revealed.
"Wait, your super powered cousin/clone?" she replied, with a bit less rage. Tucker, who had been patiently waiting on the sidelines, motioned for her to put the phone on speakerphone. She complied, pressing a button before placing the phone on the bed, "How did she end up in Jump City?"
"We're not sure yet, but she probably came to see me." Sam noted the sudden drop in Danny's voice as he continued, "Sam, she's dying…" the anger that had been building in the girl's chest suddenly vanished as she could practically hear Danny's heart ache.
"We're sorry to hear that, man," Tucker replied, "is there any way you can help her?"
"Mom and Dad are trying their best," Danny explained, "The fact that they found out about me actually makes it easier. I did sort of had to tell them about Vlad, though."
Sam grimaced at the thought, "Ouch. How did your folks take the news?"
"Mom took it better than I expected. I think she pretty much knew Vlad was a scumbag. Dad, on the other hand, was pretty devastated. He really thought Vlad was his friend. Makes me want to wail on the crazed up fruit loop even more."
"Your parents should be able to figure something out," Sam said in consolation. The goth was now feeling a little guilty for blowing up on Danny like that, "How are you holding up?"
"I guess I'm ok, all things considered. I'm just glad we have a chance at helping her this time. I felt like I didn't do enough last time she showed up."
"Typical Danny," Sam said with a smile.
"You can't do everything, Danny; even if you have superpowers. No one really can," Tucker agreed.
"I know, I know. It just eats me up whenever I can't do anything."
"And that what makes you a great hero. You care. A little too much sometimes, but you still care. Though next time, give us a call when these things happen. We get worried, too."
"Don't worry, I will," Danny smiled. "I have to get going. Mom and Dad are probably going to be probing me for a while in hope of a cure. Talk to you guys later?"
"Sure thing, buddy," Tucker replied.
"Don't get yourself killed, Danny, or I'm so kicking your ghost butt."
"I'll try not to, Sam." The cell then beeped, indicating that the call had ended. Sam turned to Tucker, only to find him staring back with a smug look on his face.
"What?" she asked harshly, causing his smirk to grow even wider.
"You do know you'll have to tell him eventually," he stated.
"Tell who what, exactly?"
"And they call Danny clueless. I mean the whole crush thing, Sam. You've liked Danny for like forever. The whole 'blushing/ fake out make out' thing has been quite amusing over the years, but eventually it gets old. If you want to date Danny, you have to make your move." Sam sat there frozen, unable to make a reply and a crimson blush spreading across her face. It didn't last, however as her brow scrunched up into one of her darkest glares.
"I do NOT have a crush on Danny," she seethed, "And even if I did, it's none of your damn business, Foley!"
"I'm just saying that sooner or later, someone else is going to get Danny if you don't. He's not going to be on the open market forever."
"Out, now!" she bellowed. Tucker, taking his cue, made a dash for the door, but not before being pelted by multiple pillows aimed for his head. He slammed the door shut just as the last one bounced off it. Sam growled in frustration. What the hell was he thinking, saying all of that? The thing was, however, that Tucker was right. She fell back down onto her bed and sighed. She did have a crush on Danny, for a while now. The problem was that she didn't know how to proceed, if she even wanted to. She had always been afraid that Danny would reject her feelings. Her friendship with him was too important to her and she never wanted to jeopardize it with a relationship. That was why when Danny had rejected her and Tucker, it had hit her as if Danny had punched her in the gut himself. Now that they were friends again, she was even more afraid to break it with a confession.
Or maybe it was time to make a move. Tucker had a point: Danny wouldn't be there forever. She wasn't blind to the fact that the more Danny matured and filled out, the more other girls, who before would ignore him, were now stopping to take a second look. Heck, even the ghosts were eyeing him, if that crazy fire ghost was any indication. Was she willing to take the risk? Would she leave things the way things were or bet on love?
TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT
The first thing she noticed was that she was in a bed. It had been a long time since she was in a bed and a comfortable one at that. She almost didn't want to get up, but curiosity got the better of her. She let one eye take a peek at her surroundings. The room was white and sterile, indicating to her that she was in a hospital of some sort. It definitely didn't look like Vlad's laboratory, which had a more dark and sinister look to it. She could various pieces of machinery beeping. She let the other eye open as she took more of the room in.
"Hello, sweetie," she heard being said from her right side. She turned and almost leapt from her bed; that is, if she had the energy to do so. Standing a few feet from her bed was Maddie Fenton. For a moment, she thought that she was at Vlad's lab and that this was his holographic assistant. That theory was put to rest once she realized that this woman wasn't translucent or floating. There was also the fact that her smile was warm, like that of a bright, sunlit day. "I hope I didn't scare you, dear. I'm Maddie, Danny's Mom. You're Danielle, right?" The girl nodded, not yet ready to speak. "Danny told us about your problem. I just want to let you know that Jack and I try our best to get you better, alright?" The girl nodded again, somehow finding warm comfort in the woman's words.
"Jack?" Dani finally croaked, surprised by her own voice. Like magic, the utterance of his name caused Jack to stick his head through the doorway.
"Somebody call for me?" he bellowed energetically. Spotting the now alert patient, the large man made his way to the bed, "Heya, kiddo! Jack Fenton, at your service. We gonna kick this whole melting into ecto-goo thing in the bud, so don't you worry!" He had been animated the during the whole introduction, his arms punching the air like a boxers as he explained how he would battle Dani's problem. The girl couldn't help but giggle at the man's antics. Sure, he was goofy, but he seemed like a nice guy; not at all how Vlad had always described him. Then again, Vlad had a tendency to lie and skew things, so that wasn't a surprise.
"Is Danny here?" she asked hopefully. She wanted to thank him at least once for rescuing her yet again.
"Right here, cous," the halfa called from the doorway. He was followed by Raven, who stayed close by. "How are you feeling?"
"A little better," she replied. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore."
"You can thank Rae for that," Danny said, pointing towards his girlfriend. Raven nodded in response, though anyone who noticed would note the small blush that appeared on her cheeks.
"Thank you, Danny," the girl said, conveying her gratitude, "For everything."
"Anything for family," he replied simply, meaning every word.
"That's right! You're practically a Fenton and us Fentons stick together like glue!" Jack added with a broad smile on his face. She found the smile contagious and couldn't help but smile back.
"Now everyone shoo: it's getting too crowded in here and Danielle needs her rest." Maddie waved her hand as she ushered them out of the medical area. She then turned to Danielle, "I'm going to be getting a scanner from our workshop, dear. Just try and relax while I'm gone, ok? It won't take long." Dani watched as the jumpsuit-clad woman exited the room. She sighed as she realized that she was alone. She wondered how long for it to take before she would go completely bonkers: she never did like sitting in one place at once, especially with nothing really to do.
As she felt the onset of cabin fever come over her, she heard the sound of feint mewing coming from the foot of her bed. Searching for the source, she found a small cat eyeing her. The most unusual feature about the furry creature was the fact that it was green in color, from head to tail; even its large eyes were emerald, as it observed her carefully. "Here, kitty," she called. The cat complied, making its way up the bed before quietly taking a seat on her lap. She rubbed the spot in between its ears as it purred in response. They both sat their contently, both their quest for attention satisfied.
The doors of the room once again swooshed open. Instead of Maddie, however, was the metallic titan known as Cyborg. He was busy looking at the panel on his arm, not noticing that he had company until a few moments after, "Well hello there, little lady!" he greeted. Dani could have sworn she felt the cat tense at the sound of the voice. "I'm Cyborg. Pleased to meet you…"
"Dani," she filled in, "With an 'i'."
"How do you like here at Titans Tower?" he asked, hoping to strike a conversation.
"Haven't seen much of it, considering I've been stuck in here," she replied, "But this little guy has been keeping me company."
"Little guy?' he asked before finally noticing the cat in her lap. The cat tensed again, its stare locking with Cyborg's.
"He's real nice. Is he your cat?" she asked innocently. Cyborg fought hard to keep his face straight as a laugh threatened to erupt from his lips.
"Uh, that isn't a cat," he said pointing at the cat, who was now shaking its head in protest, "Isn't that right Beast Boy?"
"Beast Boy?" Dani inquired. Her feline companion promptly jumped from the edge of the bed onto the ground, transforming while doing so until a sheepishly smiling Beast Boy appeared.
"Hi?" he greeted meekly, unsure of the girl's reaction. She stared in shock as she looked at her lap and then back at the green changeling where he stood. Cyborg, unable to contain his amusement, began to laugh hysterically, pointing a finger as he did so. Surprisingly enough, Dani joined in, giggling along with him. Beast boy simply stood there, confusion painted all over his face.
VGVGVGVGVGVGVGVGVGVGVG
"Valerie?" Damon Grey called out as he exited his bedroom of his somewhat small, cramped apartment. "Val? Where are you?"
"Where else?" she replied from the confines of her room, "In here, Dad." He walked up to her bedroom door and opened it, revealing his daughter, who was currently doing a few reps of push-ups. "You do realize that you don't have to go shouting like that to look for me, Dad."
"Can never be too sure, especially with what happened," he replied as she did her final sit-up and got up from the floor. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with a waiting towel.
"Dad, what happened before was a fluke," she countered. "Just because I got kidnapped by ghosts once doesn't mean it's going to happen every other week."
"Are you sure it was just a fluke? It could have easily been something related to your other job…"
"Dad, you know I haven't hunted ghosts in months. Heck, you were practically jumping for joy when I told you. Why would they attack me now?" Which was in a sense correct: She wasn't captured because of her ghost hunting per se.
"I don't think time is an issue for ghosts, all things considered," Damon countered. "This is why I never wanted you running around stirring up trouble in the first plave. It was only a matter of time for one of them to get angry enough to strike back."
"Dad, I'm telling you; I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all. It has nothing to do with my old hobbies. I'm safe and sound now, so you don't have to worry yourself silly about it."
"You know I can't help it, Valerie," he replied, rubbing the bridge of his brow, "It's my job to watch out for you, honey. Ever since your mother passed away, you're all I have left."
"I know, Daddy. And that's why I started ghost hunting in the first place: I wanted to protect you. At least, that's why I thought I started doing it. I mean, looking back on it now, I was just so… angry. I was angry about the accident at your job, angry at the fact we pretty much lost everything and had to move in this dump. I guess I used ghost hunting as a way to let off some steam and aggression, but even then I was just so mad, especially when it came to Phantom."
"You didn't go shooting at him when he saved you, did you?" her father asked.
"Actually, I didn't even get a chance to see him," she admitted, "He and the Titans held the ghosts off while the Fentons saved me and Sam. I'm not even sure what I would have done if I had met him. I mean, I thought it was his fault that you lost your job and everything. I hated him for so long, but what if I was wrong?"
"I think a lot of us were wrong about him. He seems to be doing a lot of good."
"I don't know what to think," she said exasperatedly. "Yeah, he's done good, but he's done some bad, too."
"From what I've seen, so have you," Damon pointed out. Valerie pursed her lips, not responding, "All I'm saying is that he may be a ghost but something tells me he's not all that different from us. I mean, he looks to be about your age, actually. Teenagers make mistakes all the time. I don't think Phantom is any different. The important thing is that he seems to be actually trying to do what's right and tries to fix the mistakes he's done. Haven't you told me that he's tried to apologize to you?"
"Plenty of times, whenever I've given him the chance," Her hands tightened into fists as they lay on her lap, "I always thought it was his way of keeping me off balance or something."
"Maybe he meant what he said. Maybe he really is sorry for what happened way back when."
"Maybe," she agreed. "It's not like I'll know, anyway. I'm out of the business, remember?" She, of course, thought otherwise. It was true she was out of the job at the moment, but she now knew where Phantom lived. Once he got back, she was going to settle things once and for all.
"You never did tell me why you quit," he asked, "Not that I'm complaining or anything. I'm just curious."
"I…" the question had caught her off guard as she struggled to find a way to answer. "Phantom's just better than me, that's all," she replied flatly, "I was just a loose cannon and I was in way over my head." Damon didn't say anything at first, eyeing his daughter as she explained. He hesitated to say anything; he had a very good hunch that she was lying through her teeth, or at least not telling him the whole truth in the matter. He knew his daughter too well and he knew she would never give something up that she was so passionate for; at least, not without good reason.
"Alright," he stated simply, feigning acceptance of her answer. "You have work soon, don't you?"
"Fortunately, "she replied, "Luckily, I still have a job, after not showing up that day. Ah, the advantages of living in a city with frequent ghost attacks."
"Wish I could use that excuse," he quipped as he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Remember what we talked about…"
"Head straight to work and then head straight home. Yes, I know Dad. I still don't think you need to worry. I'm fine. I can take care of myself, you know."
"Just humor me, will you? I almost lost you. I don't want to take any chances, at least for now."
"Alright," Valerie relented, "Did you want me to bring in something from work?"
"Actually, I'll probably be coming home late again."
"That big project you can't mention at risk of being shot?" she deadpanned.
"Yes, that one. Save some food for me when you get home."
"Sure thing, dad," she replied as she grabbed a towel and made her way to the bathroom.
JCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJCJC
"This is only going to sting a little bit, honey," Maddie Fenton stated as she pulled out a needle. Danny's eyes widened somewhat as he fidgeted in his seat.
"Does it have to be that big?" he asked nervously. Jazz couldn't help but giggle.
"You fight the likes of Skulker and Ghost King and you're afraid of a little needle?"
"Hey! Excuse me for being apprehensive about getting stabbed with pointy objects," Danny countered. "I have a right to be, considering I got impaled not once but three times in the past few weeks."
"Quit being such a baby, Danny," his sister continued to tease. He looked to Raven for support, only to find that she, too, was enjoying his display of discomfort.
"The longer you complain, the longer it takes for me to do it, Danny," his mother said calmly as she readied the needle, only to have the point, as well has the hand that was holding her son's arm, phase through. "Danny…"
"Sorry," he apologized, "Reflex."
"Oh, by Azar…" Raven muttered under her breath as she placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. The halfa suddenly felt a jolt go through his body.
"Hey! What did you …ow!" The cry of pain was the result of the successful puncturing of his skin, as his mother proceeded the draw some blood. Pulling the needle out, she smiled as she examined the vile. "What did you do to me?" Danny asked his girlfriend as she began smirking once again.
"Just prevented you from turning intangible," she answered matter of factly.
"And tell me why you didn't do anything about the pain?"He complained as he rubbed his arm. "And now I remember why Tucker hates hospitals"
"It's for a good cause, Danny," his mother explained, "I should be able to tell what is wrong with Danielle's make up by examining yours. Once I figure out that, we should be able to find a way to stabilize her."
"That's good to hear," Danny said grimly, at the mention of his cousin.
"The only problem I can see is in terms of equipment," she continued, "What we brought from home is good for a preliminary analysis, but we don't have enough to work with here. Our best equipment is still in the lab. In order to make this work, we may have to move Danielle with us back to Amity Park"
"We're leaving so soon?" Jazz asked. "Won't moving her be a problem?"
"I won't know for sure until I verify the data. I do think she is stable enough and luckily we have the Fenton Speeder here. It'll take us back home in a few hours tops."
"Whatever it takes to get her well," Danny stated with conviction, "I'd fly her home myself if I knew she'd get there fast enough."
"Hopefully it won't come to that," Maddie stated. "Thankfully we still have a little time." She placed the blood samples in the medical bay's centrifugal machine. Giggling could be heard from across the room as Beast Boy took upon himself to entertain their latest guest. Maddie smiled as she herself stole a glance at the girl, her motherly heart being tugged by its strings.
"We'll let you get to work, Mom." The halfa smiled as he stood up. "I'll be on the roof if you need me." Danny transformed, a sight Maddie still wasn't used to, and floated up to the ceiling, turning intangible as he did so. Raven used her magic to follow, leaving Jazz and Maddie.
"Are you going to be ok, Mom?" Jazz asked thoughtfully. "I know you have a lot of work ahead of you."
"This is new territory for your father and I. Who would have imagined that a ghost human hybrid was even possible, let alone we had one living under our room for the past two years. There's so much we don't know yet about Danny; so much we have to learn in such a short amount of time to save Danielle. It's a daunting task."
"Never seemed to stop you guys before," Jazz commented.
"That's true," Maddie agreed, "The whole reason that we became ghost hunters was the challenge of it all; to take what was considered fairy tales and turn it into science fact. The challenge of doing this alone is reason enough to push forward and yet…" she looked back to the bed, where Danielle was once again laughing as an emerald monkey was doing acrobatics onto the bed. "I've just met her and yet she feels like family; like another daughter. If we fail, it'll feel just like if we lost you or Danny."
"A lot on your plate. Just remember that Danny, Dad and I are here to help you out." Jazz gave her mother a hug before heading out the door, "Just don't work yourself to death, ok Mom?"
"Not sure that I have a choice, but I'll try," Maddie replied with a meek smile. She watched her daughter go and then turned back to the task at hand. Daunting was an understatement. Was she even able to understand this flood of data she was more than likely to find? Her only advantage was the head start she had from studying Danny for the past two or so weeks. The only thing she really had to go on is what Danny described Vlad wanted before: something about his transformation that was the key to making Danielle stable.
Vlad. That name flooded her mind in a torrent of emotion every time she heard it. She couldn't even fathom what was going through that man's mind. She knew of his crush on her; his not so subtle advances were proof of that, but she never knew he would take it so far. To attack and antagonize a fourteen year old boy who had a hard time as it was dealing with both puberty and strange powers. To threaten to kill her husband. To break every ethical code in the scientific community to create Danielle, only to just throw her away like yesterday's garbage. The gross abuse of power was sickening.
Was merely jealousy and revenge the reason that Vlad seemed to go down this dark path, or was it something more? He seemed nice enough back at their college days before his accident. If only she and Jack knew what had truly happened to him, the powers and all, there might have been a chance of preventing his downward spiral. Or was it just in his nature and this was inevitable? How much of it was revenge and how much of it was the ghostly influence?
She also thought about Danny and his powers. Was he destined for the same fate? Were his powers going to eventually corrupt him, turning him into something similar to what Vlad was today? She thought back to that day where Danny had fought that mechanized ghost in front of the Tower. He seemed almost mad with rage as he ruthlessly attacked the ghost till it begged for mercy. She remembered how scared she was for her life. Was her boy on walking the same path that Vlad seemed to embrace?
No, that couldn't be it. Danny would never be like that. Whereas Vlad saw no qualms in reveling in the dark side, Danny was trying his best to resist it. He was a good kid and she knew he had potential to be
something great, something bigger than even she and Jack were. All he and Danielle needed was a little guidance. It looked to be an overwhelming task, but she was glad that she and Jack weren't alone: not only did they have friends but Danny had the Titans. Despite their ages, they were good people and they had experience with dealing with special abilities. She knew that they would be able to steer both her son and their new guest down the right path.
"Maddie?" Jack called out as he waved a hand in front of his wife's face, "Mads, you ok?" She blinked herself back into reality as Jack held up a piece of equipment. "I have that hi-res spectral scanner you wanted."
"Thank you, Jack," she said as she wiped away all doubt from her mind. She was going to figure this out; a life depended on it. Now wasn't the time to get lost in the past or what ifs. What mattered was now. "Can you get a few scans from Danielle while I work on these blood samples?"
"Sure thing, honey!" Jack replied enthusiastically, kissing her on the forehead before making his way to the bed. Taking a deep breath, she delved into the endless sea of data.
AN: Some of you were confused about where this story fit in the whole Danny Phantom Phandom; more specifically, about Danielle and the season three episode "D-Stabilized". Let me clarify: when I originally started "Haunted Destiny" in summer of 2006, season three had not aired yet. There were rumors and we had seen episode titles but other than that, nothing. So I wrote my story completely ignoring season three; well, that isn't completely correct. I did borrow the ice powers thing; in fact, that's one of the many reasons the Pyres were originally fire-based baddies.
The "Haunted Destiny" universe will borrow stuff here and there from the last season, but ultimately season three never happened. That means no "D-Stabilized", no "Phantom Planet", no "Eye for an Eye", etc. To tell you the truth, I didn't like season three all that much. It was way too rushed. You could tell the writers thought they had at least another season to work with. There are a few ideas that stand out, which I may borrow here and there.
This current arc of chapters is actually my version of D-stabilized, if you guys haven't guessed already. This time, however, things will end up a bit different. How, you may ask? You'll just have to keep on reading to find out.